I’m just going to say it: I don’t get the hype around Rocky Mountain Oysters. We all have that one food, right? The one dish our friends and family absolutely rave about, the one that’s celebrated on menus nationwide, but that just makes us (secretly) cringe. This isn’t about being a “picky eater.” It’s often a complex, fascinating war happening inside our own heads.
The polite term for this is “acquired taste,” and it’s a real psychological process. Scientists often point to the “mere exposure effect,” a phenomenon where “repeated exposure to certain stimuli can result in increased preference”. As psychologist Dr. Linda Bartoshuk explains, while some of our taste preferences are built in, “most of it is learned” through our culture and early experiences.
With that in mind, here are 13 universally loved dishes that truly baffle some people.
Cilantro
Cilantro is, for many, a “must-have seasoning” that provides a fresh, citrusy kick. But for a very vocal and very confused minority, it’s an absolute deal-breaker. The most baffling part of this “love” is that for many, cilantro doesn’t taste like food at all. It tastes like soap.
This isn’t an opinion; it’s a sensory reality dictated by genetics. Scientists have identified a genetic variant near the OR6A2 olfactory receptor gene. This variant makes people highly sensitive to the aldehydes in cilantro, which their brain interprets as a soapy, chemical flavor.
A 23andMe study found that while 14-21% of people of East Asian, African, and Caucasian ancestry reported this soapy-taste gene, only 3-7% of South Asian, Hispanic, or Middle Eastern folks did, which explains why it’s such a staple in those cuisines.
Blue cheese
As we get older, many of us learn to love a “ripe raunchy slab of blue cheese”. This isn’t a niche food, either. The global blue cheese market was valued at US$1.4 billion in 2022 and continues to grow. People love this stuff.
For the rest of us, the baffle is simple: it’s moldy. We spend our lives avoiding mold, and suddenly we’re supposed to pay a premium for it? The key is that this isn’t just any mold. It’s a specific, safe fungus called Penicillium roqueforti.
This mold’s job (a process called lipolysis) is to break down fats in the cheese and release ketones, which are the “main aroma compounds” that give blue cheese its signature tangy, pungent flavor.
Grits
In the American South, grits are a non-negotiable cornerstone of the cuisine. The dish originated with the Muscogee people and is so regionally dominant that researchers have mapped a literal “Grits Belt”. In fact, the town of St. George, South Carolina, has claimed since 1986 that it “consumes more grits per capita than any other place in the United States”.
To many non-Southerners, the “porridge-like” texture is the first baffle. But the real confusion comes from the passion behind the “sweet vs. savory” debate.
Food historian Charla Draper explains it best: grits are a “comfort food flavored with strong emotional feelings,” and “most people eat grits the way they did as children”. An outsider isn’t just questioning corn; they’re asking about someone’s childhood.
Also on MSN: 15 Cheap Dishes That Bring Back Childhood Memories
Black licorice
Black licorice is the classic “love-it-or-hate-it” candy. For fans, it’s a pungent, complex, and nostalgic treat.
For haters (like me), the flavor is just… wrong. It’s medicinal, bitter, and tastes like something you shouldn’t be eating for fun.
It turns out the “haters” are biologically justified in being wary. The unique flavor comes from glycyrrhizin, a chemical 50 times sweeter than cane sugar.
But here’s the kicker: Dr. Christopher Newton-Cheh, a cardiologist, warns that eating large amounts can “lower the body’s potassium levels,” which can lead to “abnormal heart rhythms and congestive heart failure.” In short, it can be “acutely life-threatening”. Suddenly, hating it just seems like a savvy survival instinct.
Raw oysters
Eating raw oysters is a high-end ritual. But then you actually have to eat the thing. For many, the baffle is the texture.
An anthropological analysis found that over a third of us have a hard-wired rejection of “slippery food like oysters”. IMO, that’s the core “baffle.”
But the other baffle is the sheer logic. We all know there’s a risk. Food safety expert Katheryn Parraga warns that “an oyster with Vibrio bacteria… may not look, smell, or even taste different” from a safe one.
And no, that hot sauce and lemon juice does not kill the organisms. People who love raw oysters are actively ignoring a (small, but real) risk of “serious illness or death” for the sake of that briny flavor.
Durian
Meet “the world’s most divisive fruit”, a food so potent it’s banned on Singapore subways. There is “no middle ground”. Just look up the “first time trying durian” videos on YouTube; they are a masterclass in human suffering. Fans, however, prize its creamy, custardy, and sweet flesh.
The baffle is, of course, the smell. Critics have described it as “pig x , turpentine and onions” or “French kissing your dead grandmother”. This isn’t an exaggeration.
The aroma is a complex “combination of these 50 chemicals”, loaded with Volatile Sulfur Compounds (VSCs) that are also found in leeks, yeast extract, and cooked beef. Your brain gets “delicious fruit” and “rotting garbage” signals at the same time.
Vegemite & Marmite
Marmite’s marketing slogan is literally “Love it or hate it”. In Australia, its cousin Vegemite is “one of Australia’s most iconic brands”, dominating 91.2% of the yeast spread market and found in an estimated 80% of Australian households.
So, what is it? It’s a “thick, dark” paste made from brewer’s yeast—a byproduct of beer brewing. For us outsiders, the first taste (often spread way too thick) is a “distinctive, salty, powerful” shock to the system.
But for an Australian, it “tastes like Australia”. That love was cemented in World War II when Vegemite was included in Australian Army rations.
Steak tartare
Steak tartare is a “gourmet delicacy” you’ll find at high-end French and American restaurants. But first, let’s bust the popular myth. The story of Tatar warriors tenderizing meat under their saddles?
It’s a “long tale”, likely started by a 13th-century chronicler who “never actually encountered Tatars himself” and used the story to paint them as “uncivilized.”
The real baffle for many Americans is simple: it’s raw, minced beef, often with a raw egg yolk. And yet, this isn’t just a French thing. People in Wisconsin love their “cannibal sandwich”, and Ethiopians have long eaten “kitfo”. This dish just forces us to admit our “normal” (cooking meat until it’s grey) isn’t the world’s normal.
Sweetbreads
I remember the first time I saw this on a menu. Sweetbreads are a “chef’s-favorite” dish, praised for their “luxuriously soft texture”. But the name is baffling: they are not sweet, and they are not bread.
So what are they? They are offal, specifically the thymus gland or pancreas, from a young animal (usually a calf or lamb). The name is a historical quirk. “Bread” comes from the Old English “bræd” (flesh), and “sweet” just meant its mild, creamy flavor was “subtle” compared to “brawnier muscles”. It’s basically a 16th-century euphemism for a gland.
Haggis
In Scotland, haggis isn’t just a food; it’s a “symbol of Scottish heritage” and their “national dish”. It is the centerpiece of the Burns Supper, a global celebration in which the dish is brought in with “great ceremony” to a reading of Robert Burns’ poem “Address to a Haggis”.
And… what is it? It’s “sheep’s heart, liver, and lungs, encased in stomach lining.” This, right here, is the “baffle.” For Americans already squeamish about offal, this ingredient list sounds more like a challenge on Fear Factor than a beloved national treasure.
Escargots
For many Americans, escargots are the very definition of “weird French food.” As one French history podcast notes, it’s a “funny little contradiction: disgusting to think about, delicious to eat. The lowest life form imaginable, served at gourmet prices.”
The baffle is that we are eating snails. This isn’t new; in the 19th century, some French regions tried to rebrand them as “hûitres champenoise” (champagne oysters) to make them sound more appealing. Today, we just use the modern “Burgundy-style” preparation: dousing them in so much garlic, butter, and parsley that you forget (or forgive) the main ingredient.
Savory Jell-O salads
We all know the “wiggly-jiggly” relics from mid-century cookbooks. We’ve heard the song “Lime Jello-O marshmallow cottage cheese surprise” and write it off as a weird “food of the future” from the 1950s.
But the truth is so much worse. The real baffle is that Jell-O intentionally marketed savory flavors like “seasoned tomato and celery.” Ads from the 1950s show “Lime Cheese Salad” topped with a “big plop of seafood salad” or “Olive Relish” made of olives, pickles, and vinegar in lime Jell-O. This wasn’t a mistake; it was “dainty and refined” post-war tech.
Candy corn
This is America’s most divisive Halloween candy, a “tradition” that many of us just don’t understand. Data proves this isn’t just an opinion; it’s a generational war. A National Confectioners Association (NCA) survey found that while Gen X (58%) and Boomers (56%) enjoy it, less than half of Millennials and Gen Z report enjoying it.
The “baffle” is also about how to eat it. The NCA also found that 65% eat the whole piece at once, 29% start with the narrow white end, and 7% start with the wider yellow end. It’s a food so baffling that we can’t even agree on how to eat it.
Key takeaway
Ultimately, “baffling” is entirely relative. Our palates are just a wild, complex mix of our genes, our psychology, and our culture. What one person calls “baffling,” another calls “comfort”.
The good news? The concept of “Acquired taste” is a real, documented phenomenon. In fact, one survey revealed that nearly 7 in 10 Americans have “encountered a food that they initially disliked but eventually grew to enjoy.”
That’s the “mere exposure effect” in action. What’s baffling today might be your favorite food tomorrow. So, what’s the one food on this list you’re still not willing to try?
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information. It is not intended to be professional advice.
Disclosure: This article was developed with the assistance of AI and was subsequently reviewed, revised, and approved by our editorial team.
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