Are you eating seared chicken for the 12th time this week? Are you struggling to remember the last time you ate something that truly made your mouth water? If so, it’s time to shake things up and try new things.
Whether you’re a teenager or retired, it’s never too late to start exploring new and exciting recipes and dishes. Besides being delicious, new recipes can also help you learn more about another culture or region.
But what if you don’t have a lot of experience trying different types of food? How can you take the plunge and start driving, mouth first, into the unknown?
Keep reading to learn about how you can start trying new things in the world of food.
Be Open to New Foods
Before you dive into bowls of crickets and scorpions on a stick, you need to have the right mentality. That means being open to new experiences and trying new things.
To help you be adventurous, try to pay attention to taste as opposed to the dish. For example, if you like spicy foods, you could try Chinese hot pot. If you like rich and earthy flavors, you could try this New Orleans gumbo recipe.
Food exploration is a fun and exciting activity. Introducing your palette to something unfamiliar can be a welcome experience in your mouth that will titillate your senses. Trying something like a Baklava from a Mediterranean bakery can be a welcome treat.
Understand That Normal Is Relative
It’s easy to be judgemental when looking at foods that you haven’t tried before. Understand that while something may seem entirely bizarre to you, that doesn’t make it weird.
Every culture throughout human history has eaten what they’ve had available to them. Although globalization allows people to eat a greater variety of foods than ever, many still stick to what they know.
You might feel disgusted upon hearing a name of an exotic dish, but once you’ve tried it, you’d be surprised how much you like it. That’s how many people reacted after they tried balut from the Philippines for the first time. Balut is steamed fertilized duck embryo with a delicious broth. Though it may sound weird, it tastes good. The same thing is true with other exotic dish from different country and yours as well.
Just make sure that you don’t judge what someone on the other side of the world eats because it’s unfamiliar to you. They might feel the same way about the foods that you eat!
Research Foods That Might Interest You
As mentioned, try to put more emphasis on taste than the dish. An easy way to explore new options is to head to a restaurant that you haven’t been to before.
Ask them what they would recommend for someone who likes spicy foods, or sweet foods, or whatever your favorite tastes are.
You can also do research online to find dishes that might suit you.
Don’t be afraid to experiment, but know your limitations. If you’re lactose intolerant, try to veer away from anything with dairy. The same goes if you have food allergies. The last thing you would want is to end up in the emergency room.
Try Out Some New Recipes at Home
Once you have an idea of what you might like to try, the best way to try it is to make it yourself at home. Just make sure that you have all the required ingredients and kitchenware so that the recipe tastes authentic.
If you like a portion of food you’ve tried in one of your gastronomic explorations or even from your trips abroad, replicating it at home would be the closest thing you can have to the original. It wouldn’t be possible to have a weekly trip to Bangkok and Saigon just to have Pad Thai or a bowl of Pho. The best thing to do would be to search the most watched how-to videos of these foods and do it at home. You might not be able to perfect it or make it right but you can always try until you do.
If you’re not a five-star chef, don’t worry. Online recipes are easy to follow and help make delicious recipes a breeze to make.
Don’t Be Afraid to Try New Things
The food that you’re familiar with is always there when you need it. However, trying something new is always a good idea as well.
As we slowly come out of the pandemic, now is the perfect time to try new things in the kitchen. Who knows—being adventurous might help you find your new favorite dish!
If you’re ready to change it up, remember to check out the rest of our site for all your culinary needs.
