When it comes to the most hated foods, discussions can sometimes get heated up. These foods people hate wouldn’t be so popular if people didn’t keep eating them. That leads us to believe that these foods are tastier than most give them credit for.
The correct way to put ketchup on a plate of fries, how to pronounce “pecan,” and the age-old debate of Coke vs. Pepsi are all arguments that have turned friends and even family members against each other.
Everyone also gets pretty worked up over their favorite and most hated foods. While there are foods that almost everyone dislikes – Hawaiian pizza, black licorice, and blue cheese – there are those that we thought were universally loved but are surprisingly hated by many.
Here are 19 foods that people surprisingly hate.
Avocado
The avocado toast has become a symbol for the millennial generation, but actually, most of them can’t stand the fruit’s squishy texture. Hatred for avocados also runs deep with employees at Panera Bread branches all over the United States who claim that the fruit is extremely messy to work with and takes a long time to prepare.
Cilantro
Cilantro is added on all sorts of food from Mexican tacos to Pad Thai, and even to cocktails like Mojitos and Margaritas. While some people can’t live without this leafy green herb, others are adamant that it tastes like soap. Even beloved culinary giants like Ina Garten and Julia Child were notorious cilantro-haters.
It’s surprising to discover that around 4% to 21% of the population dislike cilantro, but even more surprising is the reason why. According to a 2012 study, a specific gene common only to a few people picks up aldehyde chemicals more acutely. And, you guessed it, aldehyde chemicals are found in both cilantro and soap.
Anchovies
Despite being one of the most healthy toppings offered by pizza parlors everywhere, many people are disgusted by the weird hairs on anchovies. Most also find anchovies to taste too salty and too fishy.
Candy Corn
Candy corn has been a staple of American culture since its introduction in 1898, found in homes all over the country especially during the autumn season. But, it’s also notorious for being the most hated Halloween candy. For many Americans, candy corn tastes like wax mixed in with too much sugar. Others also find the texture to be too chewy, making them feel as if they were chewing on a piece of plastic.
Eggplant ????
Eggplant is one of the most divisive vegetables; many dislike its spongy, slimy, and mushy texture while vegetarians find it to be the perfect meat substitute due to its firm texture. Professional chefs, however, maintain that the hatred of eggplant stems from its incorrect preparation and that its ideal flavor can be achieved through slow roasting, slow baking, stewing, or even through frying.
Bacon
Despite being one of the most popular breakfast foods out there, a lot of people surprisingly hate the chewy consistency and salty flavor of bacon.
Spam
This brand of canned meat has been earning the ire of health junkies and nutritionists everywhere since it gained popularity during the post-war years. Most consider it to be junk food with its overabundance of salt and preservatives while some are disgusted by the meat’s unidentifiable origins.
Truffle Oil
Culinary legends Anthony Bourdain and Gordon Ramsey were notorious for their hatred of truffle oil with the latter even commenting that the trendy ingredient should be “let down.” He isn’t the only one who shares this opinion, however. Many professional chefs refuse to work with truffle oil, claiming that the potency of its flavor overwhelms everything else.
Baked Beans
This iconic dish was first introduced by Heinz in the early 20th century, and has become a British staple and cultural icon since then. However, its sickly sweet sauce, the weird consistency of the beans, and its overall lack of flavor are unappetizing for most. Entire online forums have even been dedicated to celebrating the hatred of baked beans.
Oysters
Oysters are among the most prized ingredients in the culinary world, which is surprising for those who claim that eating oysters is akin to drinking seawater. Many are disgusted by the shellfish’s briny and salty flavor, and its gooey consistency has been described as “runny boogers.” Others also find oysters to be overpriced and difficult to eat, requiring one to slurp it up like some uncivilized animal.
Fondant Icing
Social media has been inundated with mouthwatering photos of multiple-tiered cakes with decorations that are out of this world. The visual impact of fondant is stunning and many baking reality shows, such as Cupcake Wars and Netflix’s Sugar Rush, have demonstrated how extraordinary the ingredient can be. Fondant is a favorite for many bakers due to its versatility and sturdiness; it can be molded into anything and everything, from little houses to elaborate unicorns. However, its flavor is notoriously awful and its chewy texture doesn’t help either. Over 129,000 members of the r/FondantHate community on Reddit regularly shame the “devil’s playdoh” and denounce “beautiful cakes that taste awful.”
Coconut
While coconuts are usually associated with the tropics, summertime, and all things relaxing, it’s actually one of the most hated fruits out there. Coconut-haters claim that its dry and flaky texture feels like eating a mouthful of packing material. Its most popular by-product, coconut water, endlessly shilled by fitness gurus on Instagram, is also despised by many for its weird and salty flavor, as well as its lingering aftertaste.
Bell Peppers
Bell Peppers – especially the green ones – are hated by nearly everyone due to their repelling odor, and harsh and better taste. Gardening experts say that this dislike is valid, though, since green bell peppers are usually harvested while still unripe.
Nutella
It’s hard to believe that this popular hazelnut spread isn’t universally loved! Nutella-haters are disgusted by the layer of oil on top of newly-opened jars and are overwhelmed by its rich flavor. There are also those whose hatred is purely because of ethical reasons; one of Nutella’s main ingredients is palm oil, which contributes to the rampant deforestation in Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia and Malaysia. Many have vowed to boycott Nutella until its manufacturer, Ferrero, starts making it with more sustainable ingredients.
Tomatoes
It’s surprising to know that there’s an actual scientific reason behind the general hatred of tomatoes. Similar to green bell peppers, most tomatoes are harvested unripe and doused with chemicals before being displayed at supermarkets. This chemical turns their incipient green color into what looks to be a healthy ripe red. While the tomato’s color changes, its unripe flavor remains. So if you hate tomatoes because of their taste…well, they’re not really supposed to taste like that.
Ham
Most holiday spreads include ham as one of the main dishes but many find its texture to be slimy and gross. Ham is also usually associated with the polarizing Hawaiian pizza and the thought of combining sweet pineapple chunks with thick meat is enough to make some people retch.
Onions
Some people hate onions for aesthetic reasons; the putrid stink in your breath after a couple of bites leads many to avoid the vegetable. But, some lament the fact that onions are included in nearly every single dish as their powerful and acidic taste drowns out all other flavors.
Eggs
As one of the most versatile and most available ingredients, it’s surprising that many people can’t stand eggs, especially its smell and the texture of its yolk. Even famous American restaurateur, Guy Fieri, is known for his deep dislike of eggs, which he refers to as “liquid chickens.” In an episode of his hit TV series Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, Fieri looks on in disgust as a pizzeria owner in Minneapolis cuts into a sunny-side-up egg on top of a pizza, letting the yolk ooze out all over the toppings.
Olives
While olives can be found in many dishes, and even in cocktails, its pungent and bitter flavor, along with its rubbery skin and weird texture, can be off-putting for many. One olive hater has even referred to them as “balls of hell.”
Agree? Disagree? Did we miss any foods you despise? Let us know! And for those that haven’t had these for yourselves…don’t knock them, until you’ve tried them!