The Omnivore's Hundred

I have to admit that the inner geek in me loves lists. There is something so completely satisfying about a list. It can represent a vast amount of information in a fairly tidy way. It is often the final product of a thought process that carefully considered what belonged and what didn't make the list. And man, who doesn't love to check things off a list? That little tick mark is the indelible print of something accomplished.

It is perhaps not surprising then that I was attracted to the new "The Omnivore's 100" list, given that I feel this passionately about any list from my grocery list or the week's to-do list to the running "things to do before I die" list that I've had going since I was 18. And I'm not alone: The Omnivore's 100 has been making the round on blogs large and small, including Clotilde's Chocolate and Zucchini and Slashfood.

The Omnivore's 100 was put together by Andrew Wheeler, a British foodie who writes on the blog Very Good Taste, and of course bears all the subjective bias of that particular view on the food world. Even still, I found it a pretty fun experience to work down the list. First I eagerly checked off everything I knew I had done, and had a wonderful rush of achievement (mmm, that's a pretty decent food eating accomplishment for someone not yet thirty). Then I had a great time clicking through the list for the terms I didn't recognize, and was excited to discover even some of those were terms for things I had in fact (or almost nearly) tried.

If you are interested in joining the fun, here are the rules: 1. Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions. 2. Bold all the items you’ve eaten 3. Cross out any items that you would never consider eating. 4. Optional extra: post a comment on Very Good Taste, linking to your results.

I'm only missing 37 of them, which isn't counting several close calls (raw scotch bonnets, just not by themselves; lots of 'wurst, just not with curry), which isn't so bad considering the well-eaten Clotilde was missing 37 as well. Keep reading to see which of the Omnivore's Hundred I've already tackled.




1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper (by itself? no. but I've had it in ghanaian raw sauce)
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu (not into risking life for small gain)
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst (growing up we have 'wurst like crazy. just not with curry)
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa (I've had both North African and Armenian style, but not with rose)
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake