We had something similar in Sarajevo I think it was. Piled high in salt. Tasty as fuck.
Glad you tried it, I like it for its texture but you're right, it does add taste to a dish unless you coat it in something which absorbs flavour. I've grown up with it so never found it strange, but I can see why a few folk think so. As I said, there are many forms of it, the ones used in miss soup for example are generally a lot softer. I love it with spring onions, ginger and some soy sauce.