What’s The Most Delicious Thing You’ve Ever Eaten?

About a week or so ago, the New York Times Magazine published their annual Food & Drink Issue, which took the form of a series of questions and answers about food, drink, dining, etiquette, and more. While some of it was stereotypically pedantic and elitist as only the Times can be, the issue includes enough entertainment and information to make it well worth a thorough read.

Among the best Q&As, was an article by noted food-writer Bill Buford answering the question “What’s the most delicious thing you’ve ever eaten?” For Buford, it was a taste of warm pig’s blood, drunk from a ladle immediately after butchering a hog. While a cup of blood doesn’t sound particularly delicious, Buford’s description of the events leading up to the meal and the taste as “…ridiculously vital, as rich as it was vibrantly red, and weirdly, unapologetically full of health,” is as good as food writing should be. It also got me thinking about the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten.

A couple different times in this blog I’ve written about great meals–an elk backstrap and black risotto. But would I classify either of them as the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten? (The risotto would definitely come close.) Maybe it’s my fear of commitment, but thinking back, I would be hard pressed to name one thing that tops all others.

However, among the great meals I’ve had– including more than a few enjoyed with Field & Stream‘s John Merwin– one does stand out. A simple venison tenderloin, cooked over a fire, that really jump-started my life as a passionate proponent of wild game. But that’s a story for another time.

Until then, what’s the most delicious thing you’ve ever eaten?