10 Most Strange Foods in the World
First of all, let me put out there these foods I’m about to tell you might make you cringe, squirm, gag, and definitely put you off your dinner. However, I’m not asking you to have an existential crisis over this, but only asking you to be a little bit understanding because you see, weird for us, is normal to them. Shocker, I know!
So let’s not overdo this and just enjoy the bizarreness of these strange food delights. Let’s go!
1. Rocky Mountain Oysters, United States
There isn’t anything fishy about this one, no really, this has nada to do with seafood. Red blooded Americans love their steak so much, it would be sacrilege to even consider seafood as actual seafood. Rocky Mountain Oysters, are nothing but Cow testicles that are floured and deep-fried. We weren’t wrong, Americans literally love every bit of their steak. 😉
2. Huitlacoche, Mexico
Next time you’re in Mexico chowing on some delicious quesadillas, you might want to stop and think what exactly you’re eating. Huitlacoche, is corn but not any type of corn though, it’s the kind of corn that is infested in parasite fungus. The kernels actually grow into decayed greenish brown mushrooms that have a scorched burnt look and is a delicacy in Aztec Cuisine. It doesn’t get you high, it just gives a woody-earthy flavor to your soup. Seriously, who wouldn’t want some tortillas with a side of parasite?
3. Chaprah Chutney, India
We love chutney, don’t we? That sweet, savoury smatter of pure goodness on your naan bread that perfectly goes well with your chicken tikka masala? However, the tribals of the Chhattisgarh state in India have a very different take on the harmless chutney. They like to grind some Red ants and their eggs and add some dried spices to give that chutney an extra zing. Now you wonder why Indian food is so hot, probably be the last stings of the red ants!
4. Kopi Luwak, Indonesia
This extremely, unique coffee which costs $700 per Kilogram falls nothing short of a luxurious caffeinated drink. Are you wondering what these decadent beans are made off? It could be perhaps, Gold dust or maybe the hot sweat of Channing Tatum’s body but here’s the shocker, this coffee is produced with the help of our feline friends. Bullshit? No, more like cat shit. That coffee is made up out of the poop of Asian civet cats who nibbled on berries and then been fermented into coffee beans. Yes, I don’t understand life anymore either.
5. Yan Wo, China
No, no we aren’t going to give you the usual, dog, rats, insects kinda weirdness. This is a soup made up of, wait for it……bird’s nest. I can’t even, right now. The reason they love this delicacy is because of the hardened saliva of the male swiftlet, which they steam and make a gelatinous texture out of. The birds nests are harvested 3 times a year from the coastal caves and costs $2,000 per kilogram (no we are not missing a zero). All I have to say is this is the most bizzare food in the world and to this is I have to say “bye bye birdy”!
6. Casu Marzu, Italy
See, this is a revelation to me because when I was young and I’d watch cartoons, the cheese always had holes in them, and I thought that’s odd. Well, I kind of regret knowing this but the Casu Marzu which is sheep milk cheese is left fermented for a very long time, and the holes I innocently thought was cute, are basically holes left by maggots and the big surprise inside are the thousands of eggs laid by cheese flies. Yummers!
7. Surstomming, Sweden
If you haven’t heard or seen this before, well it’s not the prettiest of foods. Surstomming, is basically rotten herring, a baltic fish that is fermented for 8 months. The smell, oh god. The only way I can describe it, is it smells of death. Airplanes have banned Surstomming and it’s hilarious to see Youtube videos of people attempting to swallow the fish raw. Either way, it’s not pleasant, but hey, another man’s ‘ew’ is somebody’s stew.
8. Balut, Vietnam
This one is a teeny bit depressing. Balut is basically a duck embryo that is boiled alive just before it hatches from the egg. It’s a breakfast dish and you add a bit of seasoning to it before eating it. Oh, and you’re supposed to eat the entire thing, even the tiny duckling too. Obviously, westerners are taken aback but this is quite a normal meal for the Vietnamese and Cambodians. Let’s try not to be prejudiced.
9. Fugu, Japan
This innocent pufferfish is considered the second most poisonous vertebrate on earth. Not so, cute anymore, eh? 1,200 times more poisonous than cyanide, Fugu has to be cooked properly or you could suffer the most violent death. Japanese chefs need to undergo training for years, and at the end of the training, they have to cook it and eat it themselves to pass the test. Yikes! You know what they say, what doesn’t kill you makes you totally in debt to your Japanese chef, right?
10. Habushu, Japan
We are not just covering weird foods people eat, let’s move on to drinks. If you’re a wine connoisseur, I’m sure you’d appreciate Habushu, which by the way is “Snake Wine”. Yep, it can’t get anymore stranger than this. You can either submerge the poisonous snake into a bottle of rice wine or cut its belly to let the blood mix with the wine as well. Some wine shops, sell the bottle with the snake inside it. Don’t worry, it’s not poisonous, the ethanol dissolves the poison making it safe to drink up. Salut!
The question is, are you willing to try these strange foods around the world? Let us know in the comments below and if we’ve missed out a few do mention it!