What Food Is Considered Exotic?

Exotic foods are exciting and delicious! These foods may not be native in your own country but, are popular imports in local restaurants. Step out of your comfort zone and indulge in an assortment of flavors.

Opening your palette to different cultures can give you a feeling of discovery. Exotic flavorings tend to revolve around differences in the food’s spices and/or fruity flavors.

 

 

Here is a list of exotic items for your next exotic dish:

– Exotic Meat (examples: alligator, chivo or goat)

– Exotic Fruit (examples: durian, guava, mango)

– Exotic Vegetable (examples: kohlrabi, jicama)

– Exotic Spice (examples: cardamom, saffron)

– Exotic Bread/Dessert (examples: tres leches cake, pastelitos)

These foods may be more expensive than your normal cuisine but the exotic flavors are well worth it. Be sure to let your exotic food marinade for at least 24 hours before cooking to enhance the flavor.

 

Next time you’re thinking about adding some zest to your cooking, think exotic spices!

Exotic Spices

Spices and herbs are very important for diets and cooking throughout the world. Nearly every culture uses spices, and some cultures use spices more than others. Uniquely among flavors, spices have a potential double benefit: While they enhance the taste, they also offer various health benefits. Some of the trendiest spices are familiar ones, such as ginger, black pepper, cinnamon, and clove. Depending on the origin of the dish, these spices are being used in new applications, especially non-savory ones.

Hot spices such as cayenne, cascabel, Urfa Beber, and Aleppo chili are popular Middle Eastern flavors that can spice up any dish for some additional flare! For example, consider the exotic Szechuan pepper if you want something to bring a little bit of fire to your meal or maybe even some curry powder if you love Indian-style cuisine! But know this isn’t just for food – exotic fragrances can also be created with exotic spices…

Korean spices such as kimchi, gochujung, soju, and gochujung are also becoming more popular throughout the world.

Middle Eastern and Asian flavors are trending right now, as the sense of discovery throughout the cooking and tasting processes continues to take precedence.

For example, consider the exotic Szechuan pepper if you want something to bring a little bit of fire to your meal or maybe even some curry powder if you love Indian-style cuisine! But know this isn’t just for food – exotic fragrances can also be created with exotic spices…

 

 

Spices are added to food for many reasons, including preservation or flavor enhancement. Exotic spices are spices that are not typically used in Western cooking. For the most part, the spices below originated in North Africa, South Asia, and Central America.

Coriander is a popular spice used throughout Europe and is also known as cilantro in some parts of Canada. It has an earthy yet sweet taste with citrus undertones that goes well with carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, or squash. Not only can coriander be purchased ground but it can also be purchased fresh since the seeds grow on plants resembling cilantro leaves.

Paprika comes from mild peppers grown primarily in Hungary, Spain, and Turkey.

Cumin was originally grown in Egypt and used by ancient Egyptians as a form of currency. Today, cumin is more popularly grown in Latin America and North Africa. It has a subtle scent similar to oregano but also has an earthy flavor that adds depth to dishes like chili or tacos.

Cardamom originates from countries within South Asia such as India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia where it grows on trees rather than shrubs like many spices. Although cardamom is typically associated with Indian cuisine

Why Try Exotic?

People are often afraid of trying new foods, thinking that they will taste bad or be difficult to eat. However, try exotic food and discover how wonderful it can be.

Create tastes that travel! Exotic foods practice openness and optimism for other cultures from around the world. While some exotic foods may not be your favorite, the options are endless.

A person may not try something new for any number of reasons: perhaps their experience with a particular type of meal has been unpleasant in the past, or maybe they just feel like sticking to what they know and love.

Whatever the reason, try out exotic food and you might be surprised by how much you enjoy it! One important thing for people to remember is that every culture has some form of food that is considered strange by many outsiders; however, these tend to be ingredients that require specific environmental conditions to grow.

Different cultures can even help you discover new natural remedies to use in your next dish. Expand your horizons and cooking sphere by experimenting with healthy, new ingredients and flavors that you may or may not have ever tried before!

Some dishes you may even find native. Exotic flavors can change any common family meal into something that tastes completely different- with many believing foods in other countries can have much more flavor than the American versions of them.

Every time I travel to a new place even if that means somewhere in the states, I try to order the wildest item on each and every restaurant menu. Throughout the time my list of favorite dishes has evolved into an array of memorable trips and colors of culture!

Escape your comfort zone and try something new! You might even discover a new favorite dish or ingredient. Bon appetit!

 

The Pros and Cons of Exotic Foods

Pros

-Eating exotic foods can bring you benefits by introducing different flavors to your palette while increasing chemical responses that can help your digestive system.

-Exotic Foods can help fight different kinds of bacteria, helping to eliminate infection.

-Exotic dishes tend to use less oil and sugar than other types of cooking.

– Exotic dishes tend to contain more nutrients and vitamins per serving than other types of food.

-Exotic dishes use a variety of herbs and spices which may help fight diseases such as cancer, obesity, osteoporosis, diabetes, heart disease and Alzheimer’s Disease

Cons

-Cons of eating exotic food often come from transportation issues, the environment, animal cruelty, and risk for health problems.

-Exotic foods may be more expensive to acquire due to transportation fees or specialty cooking