Phobias are the unreasonable fears of situations or objects that pose very little threat. Not all phobias need treatment, but many phobias are so debilitating that they require therapy and even medication. A large percentage of phobias are related to food. Most food phobias come from traumatizing experiences with the food in the person’s past or a memory that disgusts the individual to the point of insurmountable anxiety.
Turophobia – The Fear of Cheese
Most turophobes associate cheese with a traumatic memory. Turophobes can’t even look at a Kraft single or a can of Cheez Whiz without conjuring memories of a disgusting slice of old pizza or an excessively moldy chunk of roquefort. For cheese lovers like me, I can’t imagine this phobia, but even the though of Casu Marzu makes me sick; it is an Italian cheese where flies lay eggs on it so the larvae can break it down, by the way.
Lachanophobia – The Fear of Vegetables
While many children would gladly feign this phobia, it is sadly real. Many of us think of a delicious salad, soup, or mashed potatoes with a pang of hunger, but these same foods inspire dread and terror in lachanophobes.
Alliumphobia – The Fear of Garlic
You pick up your date on a Friday night, and you make the most important decision of your short, new relationship. What do you eat? For most date-nighters, the answer is Italian, but you might have to reconsider if you date is an alliumphobe. See, that pungent, garlicky smell is not the only date night killer, some people are truly terrified it.
Mycophobia – The Fear of Mushrooms
Many people are allergic to mushrooms and other fungi, but mycophobes are not necessarily allergic. Mycophobia is not just a fear of mushrooms but of all fungi. For many, though, this phobia can have major complications when it comes to medicinal mushrooms.
Arachibutyrophobia – The Fear of Peanut Butter in Your Mouth
Not necessarily only applying to food, since many people associate it with toothpaste as well, arachibutyrophobia is the fear peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. Now, it is not the fear of peanut butter. Many arachibutyrophobes will gladly eat a Reese’s cup or peanut butter flavored ice cream, but its the sticky properties of the peanut butter than fills them with dread.
Carnophobia – The Fear of Meat
Vegetarianism and veganism is becoming more and more common. A recent study showed that by 2050 over 80% of Americans will be vegetarian. That’s huge. Eating less and less meat has more to do with health and diet than it does with fear, but, for many, the feat of meat is a very real thing. Now, as with most food phobias, the fear stems from a traumatizing experience with meat like rotten steak or witnessing a butcher in action.
Ichthyophobia – The Fear of Fish
Ichthyophobia is not simply the fear of eating fish. It can affect your perception of fish in many contexts like live fish, dead fish, raw fish, the smell of cooking fish, or the act of eating it. Now, fish is an easily justifiable fear with their scales, faces, and smell, but it must be truly debilitating to by an ichthyphobe living near a coast.
Oenophobia – The Fear of Wine
In Ancient Rome, soldiers would drink gallons of wine since the fermentation of the grapes made their otherwise dirty water drinkable. The tradition of wine drinking has continued strongly and many people, myself included, love the alcoholic beverage, in moderation of course, but some are truly petrified of the drink. The fear transcends consuming wine but also spilling wine, of the wine bottles themselves, and of overpaying for cheap wine.
Cibophobia – Fear of all Food
Cibophobia is a truly devastating phobia. It is simply the fear of all food. This phobia often becomes the cause of eating disorders like anorexia. Some cibophobes are afraid of the affects that eating food will have on their bodies, but many cibophobes are afraid of the food. The origin of the food, tainted food, spoiled food, and getting sick from the food are all reasons that cibophobes are afraid of food.