Have you ever watched Bizarre Foods on The Travel Channel? If not, don’t worry — the only thing you’re missing is a few involuntary gag reflexes. The host, Andrew Zimmern, basically travels the world eating the grossest things possible (turtle jelly soup, anyone?). But the nastiness isn’t reserved for things like brain tacos and pig innards — Zimmern also downs a hefty share of some pretty unusual fruits and vegetables. I know I’ll never forget the episode where he unsuccessfully tried to eat some smelly durian fruit — he described it as “completely rotten, mushy onions.”
But unusual doesn’t have to be gross. In fact, it’s worth trying out new tastes when you can. Consider this — it wasn’t too long ago that kiwis, starfruit and pomegranates didn’t have a place in most fruit markets and now they’re almost everywhere. So check out some of these new-to-your-table items that are currently become niche items on farmers’ market stands. You might find a new favorite. More »