When I was a child, I wanted to be a YouTuber. Today, I am one step closer to that dream in that I get to write my first top-five list. Today’s top five list is foods that are often considered ingredients but that I would eat on their own.
No. 5 is raw garlic. Across cultures, the flavor of a clove of garlic cooked into a sauce is well-liked. Few people, however, will admit to having eaten a clove raw. It’s not that bad, but it does kind of hurt, and for that, I cannot place it higher.
No. 4 is where I place raw onion. I prefer white onions, personally. This is a habit that started because I was told it helps the slump of a cold. Indeed, it does, by replacing it with a new feeling. The mildness of white onion allows this to be enjoyable for me.
On the subject of red onion, I do not enjoy it. When sick, it will do, but when I’m not sick, it just hurts my mouth.
No. 3 is lime. I love citrus, it’s that simple. Lime is among the best fruit flavors, but the flesh of a lime is why it can’t go higher on this list. I find the enjoyable part, the juice, to be harder to get out of lime flesh than it should be. Still, I am not one to malign the humble lime.
No. 2 is shredded mozzarella. It almost didn’t make the list at all, since you can eat cheese on its own. Mozzarella in particular strikes me as an ingredient first, and the late-night shredded cheese handful is a platonic ideal snack.
Before getting into the No. 1 pick, I have some other mentions to go over. Due to negativity bias, I find that one dishonorable mention will be equal to three honorable mentions, nullifying the impact of both sections on this list.
I’ll start with the dishonorable mention: grapefruit. Grapefruit frustrates me because it’s simultaneously occupying the space of a snack fruit and an ingredient fruit. I think it needs to pick a lane, but its industrious and flexible nature is unfair to libel.
No, the grapefruit is on the list because of its interactions with medication. A grapefruit is fundamentally a citrus fruit, and as such it has often snuck into beverages and desserts. Any time I consume anything described in terms of “citrusy flavor,” I have to be wary or risk harm.
To my friend the grapefruit: you are a sinister interloper in my citrus family, and I need you to chill out.
As for honorable mentions, let’s start with the tomato. I fear due to the snackability of cherry tomatoes, it does not fit the spirit of this list, but I would be remiss not to acknowledge that when one carves a tomato for sandwich use, one must do something with the extra slices.
Next is the crouton. A beloved ingredient in salads, it is unfortunately disqualified by its nature as a type of cracker. The crouton’s own sizeable reputation is its downfall here.
Then there’s the raisin. The raisin is an iconic inclusion in many good pastries, but it is another food whose reputation prevents it from being included. That, and I don’t actually like raisins on their own.
Without waffling further, here comes no. 1, the highest-ranked ingredient on the list.
No. 1 is the lemon. I said it before, I love citrus. The lemon has what the lime lacks; it is truly a veritable treasure trove of juice. The availability of the lemon also lends to my rating here.
The lemon is handily included as a wedge of extra flavor with many things. Restaurants put a slice on the edge of glasses of water, and bars put them on the edge of other beverages. The lemon, then, makes a perfect palate-cleansing snack for any occasion.
The lemon is happy not to be thought of on its own, relegated to use as a garnish or as a source of flavor in baked goods, but it has always been there for me when I need it.
Thank you, lemons.
Zien can be reached at [email protected].
