Weird Food Pairings That Are Strangely Good

In this installment of Best of the Hotline, we're reminded of odd flavor combinations that somehow work.

We all have that one dish that's a curious combination of flavors. Often described as "weird but good," it's the one that makes all your friends grimace —until they try it. Be it salty and sweet, or something else that defies definition, it's a food that holds special meaning to our taste buds. 

A while ago, drbabs asked the Hotline for fellow Food52ers' favorite "weird food combinations that are strangely good." Here at the office we love to talk about strange but good foods (like what should—and shouldn't—be eaten with peanut butter) and it seems like you do, too. From nostalgic childhood snacks to new discoveries, here are some of your most interesting food pairings: 

• Adding crushed-up potato chips to sandwiches struck a chord with a number of Food52ers, with folks all agreeing that it was a delicious (if unexpected) condiment. Both sdebrango and SKK remembered adding them to bologna sandwiches on white bread.
• Drbabs reminisced about a dish her mother used to make that called for a can of chopped spinach to be mixed with a can of cream of chicken soup. While she's tried to create it using "real" ingredients, she can't quite match that nostalgic flavor that the canned soup provides.
• JenS and healthierkitchen both recalled ordering hot dogs with peanut butter.

• Hilarybee's mother set out orange slices with black pepper on top, for a sweet and savory combination. 
• Sabele suggested dipping cheddar cheese into a mug of hot chocolate. 
• Danielle Oron promised that vanilla ice cream with date syrup, halva, and tahini paste tastes much better than it sounds. 

• SexyLAMBCHOPx loved fries with brown gravy. 
• Stalk My Kitchen remembered dipping Wendy's fries into a chocolate Frosty for a sweet-salty combination that resonated with a lot of responders.

What are your favorite weird food combinations? Tell us in the comments below!