Here we have a compilation of the most disgusting foods eaten around the globe, just to keep you informed on what you’re missing out on. Forget all you know about what is edible, as we delve into the depths of the revolting and repulsive.
Fried Brain burger
Bringing a new meaning to the term ‘food for thought’ Ohio Valley River brings you the delicacy of Calf brains that are heavily battered and served in a sandwich for your enjoyment. Also a popular food in El Salvador and Mexico, beef brains are regularly served in tacos and burritos with copious amounts of hot sauce to give the bland taste some kick.
Rocky Mountain Oysters
Quite a tasty looking dish, right? And what’s so disgusting about oysters? Well, those sneaky Americans and Canadians have tricked us with a lot of batter and a change of name, to disguise the fact that this dish is actually the testicles of a buffalo, boar or bull. Peeled, boiled and then rolled in flour, the testicles are fried and served with a delicious cocktail sauce. Also known as Prairie Oysters so keep your wits about you! Some people enjoy the Rocky Mountain Oysters with chilli or tomato sauces, Treescantdance have some chilli sauces that might serve and this article might give you some tips on cooking them Valentines Oysters.
Hakarl
This Icelandic dish is made from gutting a Greenland or Basking shark and then fermenting it for two to four months. It is said to reek of ammonia and is usually served in cubes on toothpicks to those who are brave enough to put in their mouths and attempt to chew and swallow.
Fugu
This seafood meal wins on the disgusting and deadly scales with Fugu being the Japanese name for the poisonous puffer fish. Filled with the deadly poison Tetrodotoxin, only specially trained chefs can prepare the dish. Only after 2-3 years of training and after passing an official test can Fugu be prepared for consumption and because of the bland nature of the fish, some chefs leave a minute trace of the poison to make the tongue and lips tingle.
Sannakji
A popular Korean delicacy, this seafood is not quite dead yet. Sannakji is live baby octopus that is sliced up and seasoned with sesame oil. Still squirming around on your plate when served, it takes some skill to eat the tentacles without the tiny suction cups attaching to the inside of your mouth. A food adventure if ever there was one!
Balut
Common in the Philippines, Cambodia and Vietnam, Balut is not for the feint hearted or slightly squeamish. Sold by street vendors, Balut is known to taste like chicken (or duck) and egg – shock, horror! Sort of begs the question of why you would eat it at all when you can get the same taste without the sorry looking baby bird.
Casu Marzu
Sardinia, Italy is the home of the carsu marzu cheese which uses live insect larvae in the cheese making process to promote a level of fermentation close to decomposition. It is no wonder then, when people try to brush off all the insects before consuming, with the tiny translucent worms jumping up to half a foot if disturbed. So it’s worth weighing up if this cheese is really worth worms flying at your face.
Fried Tarantulas
Considered a very tasty snack in Cambodia, fried tarantula could be the mid-morning snack you’ve been missing out on. With the head, torso and 8 long legs to nibble on, you’ll be spoilt for choice on which one to tuck into first.
Rotten Soybeans
Also known as Natto, this dish is considered a hearty breakfast in Japan. Essentially made from rotten soybeans this is an acquired taste because of its pungent smell, strong flavour and slimy texture.
Baby Mice Wine
After a hard day’s work, there’s nothing better than kicking off your shoes, putting on the TV and enjoying a chilled glass of baby mice wine. Yes, dead baby mice in the bottom of your wine bottle. Considered a ‘health tonic’ by the Chinese and Koreans, the taste is said to be similar to raw gasoline. Plucked from their mother, these baby mice and stuffed into a bottle of rice wine while still alive and are left to ferment. Delicious!
Pacha
Looking more like a mob threat than a meal, this Iraqi dish is a full sheep’s head on a plate. With pretty much everything intact, the sheer horror of your meal only becomes apparent as you begin to eat and start to get down to the bones and teeth and, if you’re lucky, they’ll have left the brain for you too!
Bishop’s Nose
The people of Manila really know how to dine in style with this tasty treat of Chicken’s ass. Apparently the fattiest part of the chicken, this snack is very popular. So if you’re a breast man, or even a leg man, it’s time to venture to the rump and become an ass man. Bon appetite!
Escamoles
A Mexican taste sensation, Escamoles are the larvae of ants harvested from the roots of the tequila or mezcal plant in Mexico. This dish is sometimes referred to as ‘insect caviar’ with its buttery taste and cheese-like consistency. To gather Escamoles, you must dig as far as two feet down to reach the nest risking very painful ant bites as you do so.
Century Egg
Looking more like a fossil than a food choice, Century Egg is a Chinese cuisine made by preserving duck, chicken and quail eggs in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, lime, and rice straw. From a few weeks to several months (depending on the process) the egg is left to ferment until the yolk becomes a dark green with a pungent odour of ammonia and sulpher. So if you can get over the visual of this dish, then it’s just the eggy fart smell to overcome.
Raw Blood Soup
Tiet Canh is the Vietnamese meal of the raw blood of ducks or geese with a light sprinkling of peanuts and special herbs. After letting the blood congeal in a fridge, the dish is ready to be served and is usually eaten while enjoying alcohol (I wonder why…). With a strange texture and a metallic taste, this is one soup that wouldn’t be appreciated if you had the sniffles.
Everyone can cook, but it doesn’t mean it will be tasty. Join me in my journey to find what would intrigue your tongue, and what would add spice to your life. Bon Appetit!
