People Weigh In On What Single Ingredient They Believe Completely Ruins Any Dish It's Added To
We all have at least one "hard no" food that simply cannot be tolerated, ever.
Some ingredients inspire loyalty, while others can ruin a dish for people the second they show up on the plate. That kind of food debate gets personal fast, especially when one person’s favorite flavor is another person’s absolute dealbreaker.
That was the case when Reddit user CertifiedAnus asked the r/AskReddit community to inquire: "What single ingredient spoils an entire food dish for you if it’s included?" The responses quickly turned into a long list of ingredients people simply cannot tolerate, no matter how popular they might be.
From onions to cilantro and a few especially divisive surprises, the thread shows just how subjective taste can be. Here are the ingredients that got the strongest reactions.
CertifiedAnus
giphy1. Warm Radish
renegadeMare / Cadonberry_muskateer
imgur
2. Coconut Oil for Breakfast
c1nut / Straight-Ad-5274 / bguzewicz
behance
3. Beans
maya_uncomfortable
tenor
4. Cilantro / Coriander
0ChillPterodactyl / AerialGame
Fun Fact: Some people have a gene that makes cilantro taste like soap.
According to Brittanica.com:
"This genetic quirk is usually found in only a small percentage of the population, though it varies geographically. Interestingly, places where cilantro is especially popular, such as Central America and India, have fewer people with these genes, which might explain how the herb became such a mainstay in those regions.""East Asians have the highest incidence of this variation, with some studies showing that nearly 20% of the population experiences soapy-tasting cilantro."
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5. Caraway Seeds
halfmeasure611 / atropheus
Writing for NPR, Domenica Marchetti described caraway seeds as follows:
"In flavor, it lacks the Mediterranean perfume of its cousin fennel or the allure of cumin, another close relative. Its aroma is sharp and slightly aggressive, and if you bite into a seed on its own, there is, at first, a certain soapiness to its flavor."
Pinterest
6. Jello
juulululia
It’s like the AITA argument where you refuse to share grandma’s secret chili after your cousin insults your cooking, the grandma chili refusal sparks heated debate.
Pinterest
7. Miracle Whip
Tuuktalus / 14braincells
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8. Celery
Hrekires / HELLOhappyshop
gfycat
9. Fennel
ClydePincusp / snowmuchgood
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10. Fish on Pizza
Cadonberry_muskateer
Oh no.
Mathperson
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11. Gristle / Fat
emmyk318 / SoftandSquidgy
gifer
12. Anise
nadysef / sillymissmillie
Wikipedia explains:
"Anise, also called aniseed or rarely anix, is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to the eastern Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia. The flavor and aroma of its seeds have similarities with some other spices and herbs, such as star anise, fennel, licorice, and tarragon."
squarespace
13. Blended Cauliflower
whatamoran / SolenoidSoldier
gfycat
14. Eggplant / Aubergine
Rebuilding4better / Roxeigh
Fun Fact: Depending on where you live, you'll call it either eggplant or aubergine.
TheCookful.com Dr. Helen Fisher, a biological anthropologist, explains:
"Aubergine is a French term, and it is how Europeans refer to what Americans typically call an eggplant. The name 'eggplant' originated because the first varieties brought to North America resembled white eggs."
giphy
15. Cloves
toothbelt / dailyqt
Pinterest
You have to admit, this is a fascinating conversation to have. What ingredients, seasonings, herbs, and foods may be commonplace to one person can be detestable to another, especially if those two people live on opposite sides of the world.
Still, there's a reason these 15 responses received the most upvotes! A whole lot of people must concur with these assessments.
What do you think? Are there foods you expected to see on this list but didn't, or did you find your own "hard no" on the list already?
Want more food-fight fallout, like the cousin pressuring you to share secret family recipes? Check out the competitive cousin recipe drama.