Two weeks ago I started a winecourse. Although I usually don’t need an excuse to pull open a bottle, it seemed like a good idea to finally learn some more about wine, so I know what wine-food combinations should work well and I can finally distinguish a Chardonnay from a Sauvignon Blanc. The course deals with all the major wine-producing countries of the world, and last night we discussed France. When it came to the blind-tasting, it was amazing how some of the other people in the course were able to detect blends of different grapes and could even pinpoint the exact spot in France it came from! It’s pretty clear to me that I’m far from such distinction, although I did identify a Chardonnay correctly. Yay me! Anyway, it’s my plan to share the things I learn from this course with my readers, so you too can brag about wine the next time you’re going out for dinner. Nah, I’ll think I’ll talk more about the various grapes, regions and of course the wine-food combinations. So, this sunday, you can expect the first installment of Vino Veritas (second, if you count this announcement)

The omnivore hundred is all the rage these days on the food blogs I read. The idea is pretty simple: the list contains one hundred things every omnivore should try at least once in his/her life. It was coined by Andrew at Very Good Taste and it has been doing the rounds for a while now. Some bloggers can cross of an impressive 77 items of the list, others don’t make it past 30. Let’s see how I fare.

The instructions:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your result.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill (a wild boar my cousin struck with her car, yum!)
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

43 out of a hundred…not too shabby! Of course, some of the things to try are very American, such as the s’mores and the Krispy Kreme donut and probably wouldn’t have featured on most people’s lists of things you must eat . But still, it leaves plenty of things for me to try and blog about! I didn’t cross out anything because I try to keep an open mind about food, although admittedly the thought of head cheese icks me out a bit… So tell me,what’s your score on the omnivore hundred?