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When you think of gray foods, two words usually come to mind — bland and unappetizing. Well, you’ll be surprised to know that this isn't always the case. In fact, some of the most incredibly delicious foods from all over the world are gray. Some that you may know, and some may be new to you.
Keep reading ahead to learn about some of the most incredible foods that are gray that deserve a spot on your plate.
Before reading the rest of the article, how many gray-colored foods can you come up with?
What makes Grey Colored Foods grey?
Grey fruits and vegetables get their grey color from a pigment called pheophytin which is a non-pigmented cell.
Are gray foods the rarest colored foods?
Gray foods are considered to be more rare than colorful foods.
Sea Life Foods that are Gray
1. Mackerels
On the top of our list of gray foods is the beautiful mackerel fish. The oily fish is a substantial source of omega 3- a fatty acid, essential for the functioning of vital organs.
With its iridescent skin and rich flavor profile, the mackerel looks fantastic on your plate and has several health benefits. You can use mackerel in barbecue or sushi, and you can serve it with rice and broccoli as well.
The torpedo or cylindrical-shaped mackerel has a strong and bold flavor. You'll notice a fishy taste when you eat it. Plus, it is noticeably greasy but has a hint of sweetness to it.
Mackerel fish are still plentiful. They are found in both tropical and temperate seas and are claimed to have a similar flavor to tuna and salmon.
Mackerel has a bad reputation primarily because of its strong flavor and greasiness. On the other hand, both of these features make it so delicious. I'll say, don't knock it till you try it!
2. Oysters
The oysters have a hard, oval-shaped shell enclosing delicious and nutritious meat. The exterior is calcified and has a whitish-gray color.
Oysters are fascinating sea creatures. Some of them even produce precious pearls, while others are harvested for their yummy meat.
When served oysters to a novice, they'll definitely be put off by the slimy, mucous-like appearance. And the fact that it is served raw may contribute to the 'ick' factor.
However, this delicious food is an acquired taste. You'll notice the meat has a melony, sweet and salty, buttery taste with hints of rust and copper.
3. Gray Anchovies
Anchovies are small fish that have striking reddish-gray flesh and weigh merely a few ounces. There are around 100 species of anchovies, and they are commonly found in brackish and marine waters.
These fish are easily distinguishable by their facial features. They have giant mouths with their upper jaw reaching behind their eyes.
Did you know anchovies are best caught under a full moon? This is because their bodies become iridescent under the moonlight, making them easier to notice.
Anchovies are considered to be a magic ingredient because of their distinct savory flavor. They are often stir-fried or shallow-fried in olive oil. You can also add them to pasta dishes, or pair them with green vegetables like cabbage or cauliflower.
4. Dried Fish
Since fresh fish deteriorates super-fast, the tasty seafood is dried using open air under the sun for preservation. Plus, smoking the fish not only preserves it but adds a smoky flavor as well.
Vegetable Grey Foods
5. Fresh Truffles
Truffles are a type of edible spores that grow on a fungus. They are similar to mushrooms, but they are not the same species.
The taste of truffles is varied. Truffles have a nutty, earthy, yet sweet taste. Some may say that truffles have a distinct flavor similar to that of black olives.
Add truffles to your dish, like pasta, to add bold flavors. You can also top a pizza with truffles to make the most delicious pizza of all times.
6. Gray Hubbard Squash
The gray hubbard squash is a giant fruit. Due to its large size, it is often sold in chunks.
The squash's rind is blueish gray, while the inside is a brilliant orange flesh, full of flavor.
This impressive behemoth of fruit has a unique flavor profile. When you bite into a juicy slice of squash, you'll taste a sweet flavor with an earthy, nutty note.
You can make plenty of dishes with this yummy fruit. Hubbard squash soup or Hubbard hash are two of the many ways to enjoy the gray Hubbard squash.
7. Gray Mushrooms
Some gray mushrooms are inedible, like the grooved bonnet, and may be poisonous to eat. On the other hand, oyster mushrooms are entirely safe to eat. They have a unique, delicate savory flavor with an earthy seafood hint. Adding these mushrooms to your dish elevates your dish to another level.
Gray Food Fruits
8. Wood Apple
You've heard of apples, custard apples, black apples..but wood apples?
Yup! Wood apples are commonly known as bael fruit. They have a thick hard woody shell that needs to be peeled off to get to the yummy pulp inside.
The taste of wood apple is reminiscent of papaya and melon. It is widely consumed during summers to combat heat stroke and has jaw-dropping health benefits as well.
9. Yubari King Melons
Yubaru king is the king of melons and gray fruits.
The yubari king fruit is a hybrid cantaloupe and is the most expensive melon in the world. It is exclusively grown in Yubari, Japan, in greenhouses where they receive exclusive care and attention from the farmers.
The Yubari King tastes heavenly. It has a sweet, honey-like, syrupy taste and a luscious, juicy texture. Plus, it has hints of strawberry, watermelon, and vanilla notes.
Did you know the price of a yubari king is almost as much as a piece of gold jewelry or a brand new car? It is an elite fruit that is in great demand among the rich.
10. Yellow Passion Fruit
Yellow passion fruit has a bright yellow, orangish rind with gray seeds and yummy white pulp inside. The fruit has a sweet, tangy flavor with mild floral notes. This tropical fruit is loaded with nutrients, including Vitamin A and antioxidants.
11. Salted Plums
Salted plums, or saladitos, are pretty popular in Mexico. Over there, people eat these tasty treats as candy.
Plums or apricots are dried and salted to make salted plums. They may also be sweetened with sugar or anise. So, the flavor of salted plums is both sweet and sour at the same time.
This yummy snack is gray on the outside and juicy on the inside. Plus, people also eat them to keep themselves healthy. Salted plums boost immunity and help digestion as well, as per Healthline.
12. Guavas
Guava fruit comes in many different varieties and colors. While typical guava is green, you may also find gray guava with some luck.
Guavas are full of nutritional benefits. They help combat low blood sugar levels, aid digestion, boost immunity, and have an anti-cancer effect (via WebMD)
Both the rind and flesh of guava are delicious as well as edible. The yummy fruit sure has a lot to offer.
13. Baobob Fruit
The baobab fruit is also called monkey fruit. Mainly because of the way it hangs from the tree like a monkey.
The oval-shaped fruit is funny looking, but rest assured, it tastes a lot better than it looks.
The baobab fruit has a sweet citrus taste with a sherbet-like tang. It is absolutely delicious.
14. Muskmelon
The next gray food on this list is muskmelon. The beautiful cantaloupe has a strong musky smell, which is also why it is called the sweet melon. Much like the name, the flavor profile of this luscious fruit is also sweet and juicy.
The fruit has a sweet aroma that makes your mouth water. If you want to look beautiful, eat this delicious fruit because muskmelon is amazing for your hair and skin.
15. Yellow Dragon Fruit
This fruit has a great name and even a more awesome taste. The yellow dragon fruit has a striking yellow rind, with yummy luscious gray pulp and dark seeds. The fruit looks so attractive that you just can't wait to have a taste.
This exotic fruit has a divine flavor, similar to a kiwi and pear. It is mildly sweet and can be used in many dishes, like the yellow dragon fruit salsa.
Grey Food Cheese
16. Appenzeller Cheese
While not entirely a gray food, the appenzeller cheese has a natural blue-gray rind that occurs as a result of repeated washings. The rest of the cheese is straw-colored with a yellow tinge. The Swiss and Alpine mountain cheese has a hard texture but a yummy flavor.
When you bite into the scrumptious cheese, you'll notice a fruity and nutty flavor that dominates the taste buds. However, the flavor may range from mild to tangy, depending on how well and how long the cheese has aged.
17. Gray Owl Cheese
Gray cheese, unappealing or aesthetic?
The gray owl cheese is a beautiful Canadian cheese derived from goat's milk and produced in Fromagerie Le Detour, Quebec. The exciting thing about it is the name; the cheese is named after a revolutionary, Archibald Belaney, who is fondly remembered as Gray Owl.
The visually appealing cheese has a beautiful dark and aromatic rind. The inside of gray owl cheese is firm yet dense and has a white color that contrasts with the exterior.
The silkiness of the cheese melts in your mouth with an explosion of sharp flavor. You can pair this yummy cheese with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.
Other Foods that are Grey
18. Earl Grey Cake
Do you love tea and cake? This gray food is for you!
The earl grey cake is an insanely delicious dessert. You can try so many variations by tweaking the recipe and infusing the black tea into the cake. Some make an earl grey syrup, and some may boil it with milk to add to the flour mixture.
The earl grey tea has citrusy and floral notes of flavor. When you combine it with a dark chocolate cake, the flavors you get are mind-blowingly delicious!
19. Gray Salt
Gray salt or sel gris is a coarsely granulated sea salt that is commonly used by the French and comes from France's Atlantic coast.
The color of the salt is because of the minerals that are absorbed in the lining of the salt ponds. It is full of vital nutrients like magnesium, iron, and calcium and has a flaky, damp texture. Flavor-wise, it has a mild salty taste with a slight hint of mineral flavor.
20. Black Sesame Ice Cream
This gray ice cream is just drop-dead gorgeous. The smooth, creamy texture of the ice cream holds a complex flavor.
The black sesame ice cream has a nutty, earthy taste with a note of bitterness. It is made by making a paste with black sesame seeds and adding it to the ice-cream ingredients. You can also make a simplified no-churn version of this delectable ice cream.
21. Sage
Sage is the name of a subshrub with beautiful purple-blue flowers and gray leaves.
This pretty plant is an aromatic herb belonging to the mint family. Sage is very popular. It may be used fresh or dried for flavoring and research shows that sage can prevent many illnesses, including depression, dementia, and heart diseases.
22. Mushroom Soup
Mushroom soup is made of creamy goodness, meat, and of course-mushrooms. The delicious soup is simple and easy to make. This soup can also be consumed by heart patients, as it is loaded with yummy nutrients.
23. Gray Cake Pops
Cake pops are small cakes shaped like a lollipop. Gray cake pops are visually aesthetic and can go with a space-themed birthday party, or even halloween party.
24. Milk Chocolate Gems
Milk chocolate gems by Georgia nut company offer silver-gray chocolate coated in candy. These yummy treats have silky milk inside.
These candies are the same size as standard M&Ms and are quite literally a tasty gem.
The company also offers gems of different colors separately and as a rainbow mix too! But there is something aesthetic about the gray ones. Wouldn't you say so?
25. Earl Gray Macarons
Macarons are French sandwich cookies made with sweet, tangy meringue. Incorporating the bold flavors of earl gray tea in the macaron shell gives you such a delicious treat. Pair it with honey-flavored buttercream, and you'll be licking it clean from your fingers!
How to make Grey Colored Foods
If you want to make a grey colored frosting for a cake you can add 1-2 drops of black food coloring into white frosting. Stir to achieve a grey color.
What gray foods are we missing? Let us know in the comments.
More Colorful Foods
- Foods that are blue
- Foods that are white
- Foods that are black
- Foods that are yellow
- Foods that are brown
