Tum mak hoong, in a way. To anyone not from SEA, it can be quite off putting. Being formerly married to a Laotian woman, I got used to the smells pretty quick. Now all of that fermented stuff smells good to me.

Some of the ingredients, on their own, have very powerful aromas. Fish sauce is the one people would know off hand. Also used is shrimp paste and crab paste, which are very pungent.

However, when combined with the rest of the ingredients, it creates this awesome papaya salad. Depending upon how many peppers you put in, the heat level can be insane.

My then-MIL originally taught me to make it with fish sauce, crab paste, and shrimp paste. Another family member taught me to make it with Padaek, which is an ingredient that you store in a bag, in a bag. It is some gnarly stuff, with chunks of fermented fish mixed in it, so you know it’s good. Kidding aside, it provides some truly amazing flavors. But dear lord, it is pretty rank.

Highly recommend trying Tum Mak Hoong! Laotian food is so good. When you order the papaya salad, make sure you order Laap to go with it.

Yeah why does eggs cooking smell like wet, microwaved dogs?

I don’t think I have any. Im pretty picky and is something smells bad I can’t move on to eat it.

Stinky cheeses are all I can think of that fit the bill. Limberger is really good, but smells like dirty feet. Though, it’s nowhere near the pungency cartoons always made it seem like as a kid.

Mostly, tho, smell highly influences the taste. If it smells bad, it usually tastes bad too.

I heard it’s because pigs are genetically similar to us.

Anything with black salt in it. Eggs don’t bother me, but the extra sulfurous scent in black salt is so off-putting to me. Tasty when used right, tho!

Used to be able to say natto, but it’s so tasty, cheap and nutritious that I’ve overcome my aversion and now it smells good to me.

Honorary mention to Swedish cod roe paste (Kalles). I, personally, didn’t mind the smell, but my roommate would call it “pussy paste”. She was more nose sensitive, it seemed, though, as she was the only roommate who very politely asked me to wait until she’d eaten before I prepared the natto.

I came to vote for cooked cabbage. Love it in lots of things, but hate the cabbage stink and that keeps me from making it more often.

Cannot confirm nor deny it smelling like pig slop.

All vinegars or just white vinegar?

I use it a decent bit and have rice, cider, malt, coconut, and balsamic and think they all smell pretty good. It may be my brain just associating the smell with the finished product though.

White vinegar I only use for cleaning, so I still think that is nasty smelling.

All vinegar smell seems to be universally hated. It does add the right acidity when needed and you don’t have citrus around though.

This is exactly what I came here to say. Put a lid on that milkshake and I will scarf it down.

It smells like feet but tastes terrible

What do regular papayas taste like?

I like eating the candied jalapeños. They also smell fine once canned.

Cooking them is bad as it’s vinegar, more vinegar, a lot of vinegar, and hot vinegar and turmeric and jalapeños makes the kitchen feel deadly lmao.

The smell of peanut butter is terrible, but I love eating it.

I’m guessing oyster sauce is another? I suspect it’s one of those magic ingredients that makes restaurant Pad Thai so good, but I’ve been hesitant to buy a bottle of my own.

I like the smell of most vinegars. Maybe I’m just weird though. Especially the smell of vinegar on fried foods.

I don’t know about universal. My partner hates it but I don’t, and I don’t think anyone in my family does either. It’s a sharp scent for sure, but I adapt to it pretty quickly.

Butterfish It is delicious but smells so bad that nobody in my family wants to cook it at their house so we would go to our grandparents’. The aroma lingers for more than a day if you don’t properly aerate the place. Febreeze, candles and other air fresheners do not work.

Bagoóng It is a Filipino condiment made of shrimp paste. There are other variations but still stinky.

Durian disone@lemmy.zip is right about the heavenly durian milkshakes! My siblings and I would eat them outside — we weren’t allowed to bring them inside the house.

If they’re not as ripe, less magic.

The first person to think “hmm couple drops of this fish sauce in what I’m cookin might be good” had to be a little crazy. They were 100% right though lol.