sometimes, you eat something before asking what it is… and then you ask after you’ve had a bite and determined it’s delicious. and it turns out to be something totally wacky, like the stomach lining of animals. other times, you find out what something is and refuse to eat it. sometimes the food is still alive while you are eating it. with the exception of sannakji, that’s just a big no in my book. and, maybe, you’re asked to take a shot of cobra blood with a beating cobra heart in it. in researching the post, i came across a LOT of weird foods. i narrowed it down for purposes of writing, but you can feel free to click on any of the sources and read more.
personally, i don’t consider haggis to be a weird food, or tripe for that matter, so i didn’t put them on my list. black pudding also didn’t make the list. have you ever had it? it’s delicious. rocky mountain oysters, yes, they made the list.
hákarl (iceland):
basically, this dish consists of basking, or greenland, shark being decapitated, gutted and stuck in a hole in the ground for about three months, then hung up on hooks to further decay. why do they put it in the ground? there is an acid in the shark’s flesh that is toxic to humans, and the dirt will leach the acid out of the body. once it’s been hanging for four months or so, it’s diced up and served to unsuspecting tourists. another similar dish comes from alaska: stinkheads.
shiokara (japan):
how do you feel about squid that’s been marinated in it’s own viscera and served raw? sounds good? go for it. supposedly it is supposed to be served with a shot of whisky afterwards. can i just take the whisky?
century eggs (china):
they’re not really centuries old, but they have been preserved for a few months, enough time for the entire egg to turn greenish-black and freaky-looking. apparently they taste okay, though.
fugu (japan):
fugu, or pufferfish, is one of the few dishes which you can literally say you’re playing russian roulette with. if not prepared correctly (read: if the toxic parts aren’t taken out correctly by the person preparing this dish for you,) you can die. the silver stripe blaasop, an indian ocean fish, can do precisely the same thing to you for precisely the same reason. i’ll pass, thanks.
fried spiders (cambodia):
next time you are passing through phnom penh, stop at “spiderville” for a batch of deep fried tarantulas. i know this is a picture but i swear they just moved. i will stay far, far away from these!
sannakji (korea):
if you are feeling particularly lucky, you can always try sannakji. the taste won’t kill you, but the tentacles of the live squid just might cause asphyxiation if not chewed all the way. this is one weird dish i might try.
sago grubs (southeast asia):
you know, just grubworms. lightly seasoned, apparently they taste like bacon. when served raw, they have a “creamy taste.” another one i’m pretty sure i’ll never try. up there with witchetty grub, an australian bush delicacy, and wasp crackers.
escamoles (mexico):
on the subject of insects, let’s skip across the pacific to mexico, where ant larvae is collected from the agave (tequila) plant and eaten. when it comes to weird mexican food, i might stick with huitlacoche and call it a day.
rocky mountain oysters (usa):
i promised they made the list and here they are. i have never tried these, but i hear they are good? anyone? ok, apparently they taste like calamari. i have only heard that they are bull testicles, but apparently they can be made with sheep’s balls as well.
tong zi dan (china):
i have never heard of these until i read the telegraph post, but… this is just weird. tong zi dan are eggs boiled in the urine of schoolboys. the name means “virgin boy eggs.” um, what? according to nom nom paleo, they have some ancient medicinal properties and are delicious.
surströmming (sweden):
any dish that requires you to eat it outside because the smell is so strong is a dish i might skip. otherwise known as pickled herring, surstromming is a canned delicacy. personally, i like my swedish fish to come in a bag.
balut (phillipines):
if you’re bored with the standard hard boiled egg, you could try balut. it’s a duck embryo that boiled alive in the shell. it sounds harsh, but apparently they taste great.
there are dozens more weird foods out there, but a lot of them verge on unethical or near-cannibalism: shark fin soup, whale, african bushmeat, dog… to name a few. what do you think i should have added? have you tried anything on this list? or anything else? what was your experience like? and would you eat it again?
{sources: hostel world, telegraph, travel + leisure, a dangerous business}