Food preferences can be highly individual, with some people going gaga for flavors that sound repulsive to somebody else. That said, sometimes what sounds like a weird food combination is actually shockingly delicious. Some of these food duos sound like they should be gross, but don’t knock it ‘till you try them. You might be surprised by how good weird can taste.
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Avocado and Chocolate
Using avocado instead of dairy in recipes creates lusciously rich desserts that taste decadent. But meanwhile, you’re getting some healthy fats in there, all the more reason to justify the combo. There is a huge number of chocolate and avocado mousse and pudding recipes out there and they’re usually surprisingly simple to whip up.
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Cheddar Cheese and Apple Pie
Do you think it’s blasphemy to put ice cream on your apple pie? Then you must be from the Northeast or the Midwest, where a slice of cheddar cheese is the de rigueur topping. Cheddar and apple pie is even the state dish of Vermont. This juxtaposition of savory and sweet apparently first became a thing in the 1800’s.
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Vanilla Ice Cream and Chili Crisp
Chili crisp has developed a cult following in the last few years. Consisting of an oil infused with crunchy chili peppers, it can be anything from painfully hot to slightly sweet. Spooning the concoction on top of vanilla ice cream is one of those things you wouldn’t think makes sense, until you taste it and can’t stop eating it.
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Monte Cristo and Raspberry Jam
A turkey, ham and cheese sandwich with the addition of raspberry jam sounds distinctly off. Yet, somehow, the taste is a savory and sweet delight. It’s in its best form when the bread consists of thick slices of french toast and the whole thing is sprinkled with powdered sugar.
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Balsamic Vinegar and Vanilla Ice Cream
Balsamic vinegar is a salad staple, but dessert? That’s another story. Yet somehow the mild flavor of vanilla compliments the tangy tartness of the balsamic. The key is mixing a high quality balsamic vinegar with a gourmet vanilla gelato for the tastiest juxtaposition of flavors.
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Orange Juice and Oreos
It’s a combination you never would’ve thought would be anything but disgusting. Yet, thousands of Redditors disagree. Commenters say that the orange juice actually helps the cookie hold up better to crumbling than milk does, plus gives it a creamsicle-inspired flavor. Try it once and you may never dip a cookie in milk again.
Image Credit: Amazon / Seng kui Lim/istockphoto.
French Fries and Mayo
Only Americans seem to think the duo of french fries and mayonnaise is odd. In some European countries such as Belgium, mayonnaise is thought to enhance the salty flavor of the fries. Ketchup, on the other hand, is frowned upon as making fries soggy and masking their flavor.
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Coffee and Olive Oil
A shot of olive oil in your coffee may sound gag-inducing, but tell that to Starbucks. The coffee conglomerate’s “Oleato” line debuted in the U.S. to mixed ratings, with some customers calling the drink a “legit laxative”. That said, a spoonful of olive oil is meant to suffuse your espresso drink with a creamy, almost nutty flavor. It’s worth a shot … if you don’t already suffer from IBS.
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Pineapple and Cheese
Pineapple on cheese pizza is a combination that people have strong opinions on, either thinking it makes perfect sense or is just so, so wrong. But in the south, pineapple cheese casserole is a favorite recipe. It’s a sweet and salty delight, made all the more tempting when it includes crushed Ritz crackers.
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Honey and Pizza
You haven’t lived until you’ve drizzled hot honey over pepperoni pizza, weird as it sounds. Yes, it’s a thing, and yes it’s delicious. The flavor fusion supposedly started trending a little more than a decade ago when the creator of Mike’s Hot Honey began drizzling it on pies at the Brooklyn pizzeria where he was working.
Image Credit: Mike’s Hot Honey.
Bacon and Chocolate
This combination personifies how savory and sweet can live in perfect harmony. It literally takes care of salt and sugar cravings all at once. Try coating bacon in chocolate, or go for a gourmet chocolate bar, like uber popular Dylan’s Candy Bar’s Milk Chocolate Bacon Bar.
Image Credit: Dylan’s Candy Bar.
Chocolate and Pumpkin
Are you seeing a trend here? The takeaway is that chocolate goes with pretty much everything. In this case, the tangy, savory flavor of pumpkin compliment’s chocolate’s sweetness. The big question is, why is there not more chocolate pumpkin flavored Halloween candy? No worries, you can make your own pumpkin chocolate treats, such as pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.
Image Credit: Edalin/istockphoto.
Other Weird Food Combos You Have to Try
Really, the sky is the limit when coming up with weird food combinations that are actually good. Here are more duos that make no sense yet are adored by many.
- Watermelon and balsamic
- Prosciutto and melon
- Peanut butter and pickles
- Ramen and peanut butter
- French fries dipped in a milkshake
Image Credit: bhofack2/istockphoto.
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Image Credit: Mike’s Hot Honey.
