30 of The World’s Weirdest Foods
Cockroach
sushi
“Face
your fears” is a thing of the past, it’s eat your fears now.
Dragon
in the Flame of Desire
It’s a
roasted yak’s penis. Dragon in the Flame of Desire is Guolizhuang Restaurant’s
(Beijing) most popular dish.
Escamole
Often
referred to as insect caviar, escamole is a dish made up of ant larvae and is a
delicacy in Mexican cuisine.
Shiokara
Shiokara
is a dish made up of pieces of meat from a selection of sea creatures. The dish
is served raw in a brown, syrupy paste of their own fermented viscera.
Crocodile
Crocodile
meat is said to taste like a cross between crab and chicken and is considered a
delicacy in many places around the globe.
Mopane
worm
Mopane
worms taste a lot like honey barbequed chicken. Well, that’s what they say.
Traditionally, they are dried or smoked to preserve. The worms are rehydrated
and cooked with chilli sauce and or tomato.
Hakarl
Hakarl
is native to Iceland. It is made by gutting a Basking shark or a Greenland then
fermenting it to 2 – 4 months. Hakarl is often served in cubes on toothpicks
and smells like ammonia.
Shirako
Shirako
is cod’s sperm sac. This soft and creamy treat can either be served deep fried
or steamed.
Witchetty
grub
A
member of the Australian bushmeat family, the witchetty grub is a staple among
indigenous Australians living in the desert. They taste like almond when eaten
raw.
Fugu
Fugu
or pufferfish is a Japanese delicacy that has the potential to be deadly if not
properly prepared. As such, only a handful of highly-trained chefs are allowed
to prepare and serve fugu.
Sago
grubs
Edible
sago grubs are said to taste creamy when served raw. When cooked, they say it
tastes just like bacon.
Fried
spider
Because
spiders aren’t scary enough.
Wasp
crackers
This
one’s pretty straightforward, it’s a biscuit filled with wasps.
Pig’s
brain omelette
Known
in the Philippines as ‘tortang utak’, pig’s brain omelette as its name
suggests, is raw pig’s brain diced and mixed with onions, carrots, aubergines,
beaten in eggs and then pan-fried. You know, omelette!
Fried
brain sandwiches
Before
Mad-cow disease entered the scene, fried brain sandwiches was a common item on
the menus in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. The sandwiches are made from fried
calves’ brain and sliced thinly on white bread. You can still find them in the
Ohio River Valley, although they’re made into hamburgers now where the brains
are coated in heavy batter then fried.
Hen’s
coxcomb
Coxcombs
have been used in several dishes in Italy and France for centuries. They are
used to make Cibreo, a popular sauce in Italy and a filling for profiteroles
and vol au vents in France.
Deep
fried starfish
Not
really my kind of snack, but is apparently a popular treat in China. To eat a
deep fried starfish, you have to break off a leg, peel open its skin, then bite
into its green-colored meat.
Frogs
legs
Grilled,
fried, stewed, or baked – frogs legs has the texture of chicken with a faint
taste of fish. Or so they say.
Maggot
cheese
Casu
Marzu or maggot cheese is a traditional dish in the island of Sardinia. This
delicacy is sheep’s milk cheese with live insect larvae. Apparently, the
maggots are there to enhance the cheese’s flavor. But watch out, they tend to
jump when they panic. I would too if someone tries to eat me alive.
Haggis
Haggis
is a traditional Scottish dish made with minced sheep liver, heart, and lung
mixed with oatmeal, salt and stock, onion, and other spices. It is then boiled
in the sheep’s stomach or some artificial casing for a few hours.
Breast
milk ice cream
An
ice-cream parlour in London created a buzz when they served ice cream made from
human breast milk and called it Baby Gaga.
Cobra
heart
This
one’s more of a drink. They slit the poor cobra open then place its still
beating heart into a shot glass of the cobra’s own blood.
Scorpion
on a stick
If
you’re a thrill-seeking tourist, then this is a must-try if ever you’re in
China. Scorpion on a stick is a snack in Beijing and in other cities in South
East Asia.
Sannakji
Yet
another one from Korea is the sannakji. The dish is done by hacking off the
tentacles of a baby octopus then serve them, still wriggling, to diners.
Korean
penis fish
Another
popular treat in Korea is the Korean penis fish (Urechis unicinctus) which they
serve up raw with either salt or sesame seed oil. It’s up to you.
Grasshoppers
The
grasshoppers are seasoned with salt, pepper, and chilli then fried in a big
wok.
Rocky
mountain oysters
Don’t
be fooled by the name. Rocky mountain oysters are actually bull testicles. They
are fried in a batter of flour then seasoned with salt and pepper.
Balut
Balut
is a developing duck embryo that has been boiled alive in its shell. It’s a
popular delicacy sold in the streets in the Philippines. You can also find
balut in Cambodia and Vietnam.
Silkworm
Silkworms
are a popular snack all over Korea. Street vendors usually steam or boil them.
Urine-soaked
eggs
“Tong
Zi Dan” is a famous delicacy in Donyang County in the Zhejiang Province of
eastern China. These eggs soaked in the urine of young boys (yes, you read that
right), is believed to fend off ill-health. Vendors soak the eggs overnight in
the urine they collect from local elementary schools.
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