The Most Unusual Food in the World

 

We all have that one friend who comes back from their holiday telling you about how they ate a horse in this country or deep fried scorpions in another! There are just so many different and exotic foods around the world.

So if you have a travel craving for exotic destinations with even more exotic food, or if you are simply interested in some of the odd things people eat around the world, take a look at our list of some of the strangest foods from across the globe.

 

Asia

Fugu

Let’s start with not only one of the most unusual foods on the list, but also the only one that can be deadly. Fugu is a type of blowfish that is served in Japan. It’s served in a few different ways and can be appear in stew or as sashimi.

This dish has enough poison in it to kill 30 people, but don’t fear, the chefs that prepare Fugu are required to have many years of training before being allowed to serve this deadly dish. If you are in search of exotic foods and this sounds like something you would love to try, Fugu season is October to March.

 

Fried Spiders

Fried Spiders, a delicacy of Cambodia, are a type of spider from the tarantula family and are a widely eaten snack in the country. Originating from the town of Skuon where legend has it that the practice started under the cruel reign of Khmer Rouge when the starving villagers had to resort to alternative food sources.

These eight-legged creatures are deep fried in garlic oil and served to passing travellers. They are crunchy on the outside and gooey on the inside. These are one of the more unusual meals and are meant to be full of protein. Not only this but they are supposed to increase the beauty of the consumer.

 

Aged Egg

This 1,000-year-old egg is one of the more unusual foods around and can be found in China. This delicacy is an egg that has been buried in a mixture of quicklime, clay and ash for years on end.

When it is unearthed the white is a dark brown clear jelly and the yolk is dark green or black and slimy. It smells like sulphur or rotten eggs and tastes like a hardboiled egg until you breathe out.

 

Africa

 

Stink Bugs

Stink Bugs are aptly named because when they are boiled they release defensive pheromones. This dish, found in Africa is often used to flavour stews as well as being eaten on its own.

It might sound like one of the harder to stomach exotic foods, but the pheromones actually aren’t that much stronger than an onion once you cut into it. The texture is described as crunchy and can taste a bit like apples.

 

Snack time. #mopaneworms #Namibia

A photo posted by Andrew R. (@f00bert) on

Mopane Worms

This dish from South Africa is traditionally dried or smoked to preserve the worms. Nowadays they are often cooked with tomato/chilli sauce to add flavour.

As one of the more unusual meals, they are not for the faint hearted, but one American couple has said they tasted sort of like honey BBQ chicken. We will leave that for you to decide…

 

North America

 

I’m having prairie “oysters” for dinner! #weirdfood #prairieoysters @charlie00tj

A photo posted by Wittney Ferguson (@witterfritter) on

Rocky Mountain/Prairie Oysters

Called Rocky Mountain Oysters in the United States or Prairie Oysters in Canada, these are bull testicles that have been rolled in a batter of flour, pepper and salt and then sautéed, fried or stuffed.

 

#friedrattlesnake #food #fried #rattlesnake #dinner #newfood #new #goodstuff #niceday #sunnyday #travel

A photo posted by Al Nunez (@al1955) on

Southern Fried Rattlesnake

This is one of the more unusual foods from the United States; it’s even a delicacy served in the southern states. It is advised to boil the meat off the bones and then roll in egg, flour, breadcrumbs and your preferred seasoning before deep-frying. Some say that this dish is supposed to taste a bit like frog’s legs.

 

South America

 

Escamoles

Escamoles are a dish considered a delicacy in Mexico, said to date back to Aztec times. Although it looks like a bowl of grains, it’s actually ant larvae that have been harvested from the roots of maguey or agave plants. This delicacy is served in omelettes, tacos or fried on their own, and is said to have a slightly nutty taste.

 

#cuy #guineapigdish

A photo posted by Evelyn Campana (@evelynjcg) on

Guinea Pig

You might think of a guinea pig as a fluffy pet popular with children, but in South America, these are a regularly eaten food. They are mostly served in a casserole, or as a roasted whole. If you are curious about how it might taste – many people say that they have a taste similar to another domestic pet, the rabbit.

 

Europe

 

#casumarzu, ne sono sicuro è stato inventato per bere dei bicchieri di #vino ???? #Sardegna #Seneghe #settembredeipoeti

A photo posted by Giuseppe Martelli (@quartinodivino) on

Casu Marzu

Casu Marzu, one of the more unusual foods in Europe, can be found in Italy. This dish is a soft, creamy sheep’s milk cheese that is certainly not for the faint hearted. It is a cheese based dish that works in the following way:

The top of a Pecorino cheese is cut off

This allows flies to lay eggs in the cheese

When the larvae hatch they eat into the hard centre of the cheese and digest the fats, which softens it ready for human consumption.

When it comes time to actually eat this dish, you can either kill the maggots by suffocating the cheese or popping it in the fridge. Alternatively, if you are feeling brave you can eat the cheese with them still in it. But you have been warned, the maggots jump when they panic!

 

Hakarl

This is an unusual dish that comes from the small and beautiful island of Iceland. Whilst this country is usually known for its hot springs and beautiful scenery, it is quite popular with food tourists who want to try the local delicacy of rotten shark.

 

The Greenland shark is poisonous when it’s fresh so it is essential to let it rot in order to eat it. If you are feeling brave and want to try this dish, here are some fun facts about it:

It smells like ammonia and tastes rotten

You are supposed to chase it with a shot of local liquor

If you find yourself in Iceland and you have a real craving for this dish, you can find it most supermarkets where it is widely available.

 

Australia

 

#witchettygrubs #maku #mai #bushfood #anangu #anangufood #protein

A photo posted by Caragh Heenan (@drcaragh) on

Witchetty Grub

Witchetty Grub is one of the more unusual foods from Australia. It’s most well known as a staple of Indigenous Australians and classed as ‘bushmeat’. This dish can be eaten raw, and some people say that it tastes a bit like almonds. If it is slightly roasted the skin goes crispy like roast chicken and the insides resemble scrambled eggs.

This isn’t the only unusual food that you can find in Australia, with Kangaroo meat widely available. This meat can be served in a number of different ways, you can enjoy it as a burger and a steak, as well as other options.

 

So there you have it, you can nearly poison yourself with blowfish in Japan and eat maggot infested cheese on your next trip to Italy. There are so many different weird and wonderful things to eat around the word and we can’t have possibly mentioned them all. So if you know of any unusual foods that you have tucked into, let us know. Leave your feedback in the comments or send us an email if you have a must share weird food.