Horseradish story for you, Fyrefox.
I used to help my mom make horseradish when I was younger, and all we added was a little hot water. No vinegar to numb the bite, no sugar, no nothing, just pure blended horseradish, and when lifting the lid off of the blender when the horseradish was done, you didn't dare take a whiff or get too close, because the fumes would melt the living in your nostrils and burn your eyeballs out of your head.
We were the only ones in the house that ate it, and if you dared take too much, you enjoyed an internal burn like no other, starting with the inside top of your head, like it was dissolving you brain, then it took your breath away, and when all was said and done, you excused yourself from the supper table to go blow your nose in the bathroom.
That was the hottest and tastiest horseradish I ever had.
As for things I acquired a taste for later in life, two come to mind... Brussels Sprouts, and cabbage rolls, which I used to eat the filling only and leave the cabbage leaf.
