Life-changing flavors

May 2, 2025 by
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I will never forget the first time I tasted an Alphonso mango. I was visiting food loving friends who lived in a large city, and they happened to live near a market that had just received a shipment of Alphonso mangos, so they grabbed some to serve alongside other nibbles before dinner. I was so overwhelmed with the intense, floral aroma and flavor and silky texture that I literally gasped in delight. It was a taste sensation that will stay with me forever.

Bhapa doi with Alphonso mango and lime jelly from Great British Chefs – Chef Recipes by Sameer Taneja

Growing up in a tiny town in the upper Midwest, my exposure to many foodstuffs was limited. I didn’t see my first avocado until I was in my 20s and did not know that vegetables like leeks or bok choy even existed. This was before the internet made learning about (not to mention ordering) almost any kind of food easy. Volunteering for a food cooperative in college opened my eyes to an entirely new world of food. Every ingredient I tried was an exciting experience. My lovely coworkers gave me a copy of Joy of Cooking as a graduation present, which set off a lifelong adventure in cooking.

When I subsequently moved to a more metropolitan area, I took full advantage of my expanded access to ingredients I hadn’t been able to obtain before, such as mangos. Even the ‘standard’ mango I encountered there was a wonderful new sensation, but my experience eating that Alphonso mango was akin to the viral video of the toddler tasting ice cream for the first time. It has stayed vividly in my memory for years, even though other experiences have faded over time.

That memory sits alongside other moments that are seared into my brain because they changed the way I think about that food or sparked a foray into a cuisine I had not yet explored. I savor these memories nearly as much as the food itself because most of them involved sharing an experience with wonderful people. I am sure that part of the joy I received from the Alphonso mango was due to the great friends I was with at the time, but the flavor sensation was a singular experience that set my culinary journey off in yet another direction. I would love to hear about any similar life-altering flavors our Members have encountered.

Category: Antipasto

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9 Comments

  • rosajane8  on  May 3, 2025

    Mine would be my first taste of Keilbasa….growing up, my parents only bought Italian Sausage so when my Polish Father-in-law introduced me to Keilbasa…I had a life altering experience! 😂

  • Jane  on  May 3, 2025

    I agree with you on Alphonso mangos. It wasn’t just the amazing flavor but also the smooth silky texture. My prior experience of mangos was that they were very fibrous. My other taste explosion was fresh passion fruit – so intriguing, sweet and astringent at the same time. Still one of my favorite flavors.

  • lkgrover  on  May 3, 2025

    I ate my first kiwi in my college cafeteria, and I have loved them ever since. I grew up in a large Midwestern city (Minneapolis), but my mother did not like to try new things.

  • matag  on  May 3, 2025

    Truffels mmmmm chocolate right! Nope I had to be thirty before I tasted a real truffle in a French restaurant. Oh my goodness…I think I would eat a flip flop with a little truffle oil n it!

  • mjes  on  May 3, 2025

    Mine would be ground cherries, perhaps influenced by my Father’s excitement when he found a roadside fruit stall that had them. [For many decades it was illegal to raise them in the state as they carried a disease that was disastrous to apples.] The sweet, tart flavor that left you grasping for similar flavors to describe it – vanilla? Citrus? tomato? pineapple? mango? … they are absolutely heavenly. As for culinary use, I will admit that even now that I grow my own, I’ve never had enough survive the eat immediately temptation to have ever tasted them cooked.

  • lean1  on  May 4, 2025

    Hazelnuts from the Piemonte region of Italy. I had an opportunity to sample products from a local farm. The nuts were so sweet and could be used in so many baked goods, and sauces and salts. They are harder to find in the US and more expensive but a real treat.

  • Aggie92  on  May 4, 2025

    I grew up eating Bavarian food at my Oma’s and bland meat-and-three meals at home. Lots and lots of meat and potatoes with not much spice. We moved to Austin, Texas right before I started high school. Going to Tex-Mex restaurants and eating at my Mexican-American friend’s homes opened a whole new world of flavor for me. I discovered I love cilantro and ground cumin and spicy chiles. From there it was easy to branch out into trying Middle Eastern food, Southeast Asian food, Indian food, and so many other wonderful cuisines.

  • Jenny  on  May 4, 2025

    I can honestly say there has never been anything I have tasted that has stayed with me. I love to cook and bake but nothing has ever been spectacular. Food has been delicious but not memorable and many times I will have something that was delicious and have it again – and it just isn’t the same.

  • sanfrannative  on  May 6, 2025

    The first time I tasted sashimi. It was my 10th birthday and I was curious to try it. Dad took me out and ordered us a tray for four people. We ate the whole thing together! We didn’t leave a scrap.

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