The first time Julie Cameron's sister encouraged her to try sour cream on her Christmas pudding she was sceptical, but it was a magical moment.
That was six years ago and she hasn't eaten pudding with custard again.
"It kind of cuts the sugar, [it] doesn't make it as sickly … and it's sort of tangy," she says.
Ms Cameron's story reflects those of people around the country who have their own unique recipes that they love despite scepticism from friends.
Mackay resident Gina Davies discovered her go-to recipe by accident.
Years ago while making a sandwich, she accidentally topped it with both Vegemite and honey.
Ms Davies has been hooked ever since, but the reactions from those around her suggest her creation isn't for everyone, despite the health benefits.
"You get your vitamin B and a natural antibiotic at the same time," Ms Davies said.
When ABC Tropical North asked audiences to share their favourite weird food combinations — ones that sound revolting but actually taste amazing — hundreds of people were keen to post their unusual gastronomic secrets.
So why do so many people swear by food combinations that others find nauseating?
The good old days
Food memory may be a reason why people gravitate to certain combinations, according to psychologist Kelly Anderson.
"Food is the biggest reinforcer of memory," Ms Anderson says.
If we ate something as a child at a time of happiness or security, our brains would subconsciously associate that food with those good times and it would appear pleasant to us, she said.
"And like anything in our life, it's a combination of a whole heap of things going on in the environment, and our brain stores it as a picture, and then whenever something comes up that hits all those buttons at the same time, it brings up that memory," she said.
"For someone else who hasn't had that experience, they're not going to have those same feelings around that food."
Weird but healthy
Retired university health lecturer Peter Upton said mixing interesting foods could bring dietary gains.
"If I'm going to eat something and I know it's not going to give me all the things that I want in that meal, then I will try to put things in that will complement each other," Mr Upton says.
"Vegemite has certain components that are really good. It's high in all the B-group vitamins and they're essential for you.
"But it doesn't have a lot of fat, whereas avocado has got a lot of really good healthy fat, so I put them together and they complement each other."
Mr Upton added, however, that it was still a complete mystery how anyone could enjoy Vegemite and honey together.
"I'd put Sherlock on it," he said.
The overly sugary combination of a strawberry jam and Nutella sandwich — a go-to favourite of Nathan Brayshaw from the Gold Coast — probably wouldn't fare much better in the healthy diet stakes.
But Mr Brayshaw swears by it.
"It's strawberry and it's chocolate and it's bread, what else is there to love?" he says.
"If I tell somebody who doesn't know me, they look at me like 'Why would you want to do that?'.
"But I reckon they go home and try it."
