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Chow, Nibble, Gag -- Fermented food edition

Which Fermented Food Would You Chow, Nibble, or Gag?


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Gameface

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This is a play on the classic Bang, Marry, Kill thing.

This is the first one. I encourage anyone to make new threads with a new food lineup based on whatever you want.

In the inaugural thread I present a trio of fermented foods. Kimchi, Sauerkraut, Olives.

Kimchi: of Korean origin, this somewhat spicy fermented cabbage traditionally has a hint of fish sauce and traditional Korean spice mix.

Sauerkraut: A German fermented cabbage dish that uses a lactobacillus fermentation to get a very sharp and vinegar like end product.

Olives: One of the oldest fermented dishes, Crete is one of the first Olive producers dating as far back as 3000BC. This is also a lactobacillus based fermentation but the end result is generally more salty and savory.

Okay make your selection and provide your reasoning below!
 
So I like all of these things a lot. That said the one that would be easiest to never have again would be Sauerkraut. I don't say that lightly as I really like sauerkraut a few different ways. I can eat it as a side all by itself, with Kielbasa, or on a hot dog.

Kimchi is something that I have incorporated into my diet as a part of my normal breakfast and I really like it a lot. I also like it as a side to Korean food as part of the Banchan. I can eat kimchi as a snack, or in a ramen soup.

Olives have a lot of uses and are in a lot of recipes. They are easy and enjoyable to eat on their own (that's what I do most often). They are satisfying to eat as a snack with a decent fat content. There are a lot of varieties, so if you don't like the most typical versions there are others you might like.

So my choice is Olives - Chow, Kimchi - Nibble, Sauerkraut - Gag.
 
Chow on olives, nibble on sauerkraut and gag on kimchi but admittedly I’ve never tried kimchi.
Just never had it at all?

If there is a decent Korean restaurant near you I'd suggest giving them a try and most likely you will get an assortment of banchan which are little side dishes and one of them is sure to be kimchi and likely to be better than random. Bulgogi is a pretty safe bet as a dish to order. It's sliced beef in a savory sauce.
 
Nibble was easiest for me since I like olives, but can't eat more than a few at a time.

The others were difficult as I like both sauerkraut and kimchi, but have also had really good and really bad versions of both. In the end I've had less bad experiences with kimchi than sauerkraut so I picked it for chow and sauerkraut for gag.

I actuality didn't realize that olives were fermented. This is something that I would be embarrassed about if it came up in real life, so thank you for sharing some knowledge with me.
 
Nibble was easiest for me since I like olives, but can't eat more than a few at a time.

The others were difficult as I like both sauerkraut and kimchi, but have also had really good and really bad versions of both. In the end I've had less bad experiences with kimchi than sauerkraut so I picked it for chow and sauerkraut for gag.

I actuality didn't realize that olives were fermented. This is something that I would be embarrassed about if it came up in real life, so thank you for sharing some knowledge with me.
I actually searched fermented vegetables and olives were on the list. I thought of them as being brined vs fermented but I guess they are fermented. So they made a good addition to the list.
 
What about hákarl, the fermented shark from Iceland?
 
So I like all of these things a lot. That said the one that would be easiest to never have again would be Sauerkraut. I don't say that lightly as I really like sauerkraut a few different ways. I can eat it as a side all by itself, with Kielbasa, or on a hot dog.

Kimchi is something that I have incorporated into my diet as a part of my normal breakfast and I really like it a lot. I also like it as a side to Korean food as part of the Banchan. I can eat kimchi as a snack, or in a ramen soup.

Olives have a lot of uses and are in a lot of recipes. They are easy and enjoyable to eat on their own (that's what I do most often). They are satisfying to eat as a snack with a decent fat content. There are a lot of varieties, so if you don't like the most typical versions there are others you might like.

So my choice is Olives - Chow, Kimchi - Nibble, Sauerkraut - Gag.
I can't pick. I'd chow all 3. Maybe kimchi a little less. But none of them are a gag.
 
What about hákarl, the fermented shark from Iceland?
This is not an all encompassing list. By it's format it requires three selections.

Please consider making a list of three fermented meats or whatever fits on that list.
 
I like sauerkraut. Olives are okay but no ide what fermented ones would taste like. Never had kimchi tmk.
 
I like sauerkraut. Olives are okay but no ide what fermented ones would taste like. Never had kimchi tmk.
Most olives are fermented or cured. It is basically the pickling process.
 
Huh, so far one vote for everything except chowing on kimchi.
 
YOU MUST DECIDE!!!!!
FINE!!!

I chose chow on kraut, nibble olives and gag on kimchi. Although realistically I would chow on the first 2 and nibble on kimchi. I like all 3.

Recently I have developed a case of geographic tongue. It is a real thing, I **** you not. And it makes my tongue hyper-sensitive to anything acidic or salty, or especially spicy. For some reason black pepper is one of the worst things for it, for me at least. Even cold and hot are very uncomfortable. So I can basically eat like warm yogurt or other bland foods. Like vitiligo it is one of those things they really know nothing about, so there is not much they can do for it. My dr. told me it can clear itself up or last forever. Really sucks. I have never been a fire-head like @Gameface , but I like my spicy food now and then. So effectively I just cannot eat things like kimchi any more. Sad days. I still do eat them and just suffer the consequences, but it really isn't fun. I make a grilled jalapeno, anaheim pepper, and tomatillo relish for hot dogs, that is the bomb. Grilled whole jalapenos, a few home-pickled jalapenos and grilled anaheims with grilled tomatillo for some acid kick. Chop it all up add a bit of sugar for a sweet offset, and there you go. Sometimes add roasted onions (roast whole on the edge of the grill while grilling everything else). Really great on hot dogs. I made that a couple weeks ago when my kids were here for a cookout and it tasted amazing, and set my whole head on fire, even though really it is pretty mild for heat. And I had removed the seeds and membrane/ribs in the peppers before grilling. I ate it anyway and endured the fire. It really sucks. So no more kimchi for me for a while. And sadly I have to limit my kraut habit. But olives work ok, so I still have that.
 
It depends on the type of kimchi for me and the type of olives. Sauerkraut is the neutral one for me. It's always good, but nothing life changing. Kimchi is life changing good when it's right, different kinds can be gag. Olives are usually meh, but a few are stupidly good.
 
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