Strangest Foods Eaten Around The World

People have been eating Locusts since Biblical times. Served dried, smoked or fried, this is a foodstuff that is packed with protein. Most popular in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, edible insects remain an important source of nourishment for millions. Like to give Locusts a try? You’ll find them rather moreish.

So much so that Locusts are starting to become available outside their traditional heartlands. Europe has still to be conquered, but it seems as though this is a food trend heading our way. Would you eat insects?

You could soon get the chance without having to travel. For now, though, Locusts are best enjoyed served the traditional way, from a Middle Eastern market or Asian food stall. Seasoned well and cooked to a crunch, Locust fans love to scoff theirs on wooden sticks whilst on the move and is a weird food that remained popular through centuries with foodies all over the world.

 

Like to eat a rotten shark? Thought not. Yet in Iceland, this is a delicacy. Called Hakarl, this is a food that divides opinion. One thing is for certain: Hakarl reeks. Those tasting it for the first time are advised to hold their nose.

Those who don’t heed the warnings are often ill. Hakarl comes in two different types — soft and chewy. Both are disgusting. You might think that you have a strong stomach. But nothing can prepare you for this.

Greenland Sharks are cured using a particular fermentation process and left to hang for four to five months in order to make Hakarl. It’s a long and laborious process and one wonders if it’s worth it.

Yet still, production continues — and still those tasting it for the first time continue to gag at the ammonia-like stench. Feeling brave? We don’t recommend it. But if you must give horrible Hakarl a try, be sure to wash it down with a shot of Brennivin — a potent local spirit that makes the experience a little less vile.

 

Known also as Mexican Truffle, Huitlacoche is a Latin American delicacy, dating back to Aztec times. This is a prized foodstuff in these parts. It’s strange to think then that this is, in fact, a fungus — a plant disease dismissed elsewhere as Corn Smuts.

Found growing on affected ears of corn, Huitlacoche has an earthy flavour, a little like mushrooms. Like to put it to the test? Trust us on this one: it tastes much better than it sounds.

Sharp-eyed foodies harvest the blue-black spores for use in various Mexican dishes — including quesadillas, tortillas and soups. It can be bought canned or jarred from stores and markets, but is best enjoyed in freshly-prepared favourites from traditional street food stalls. Smothered in melted cheese and topped with spicy salsa, Huitlacoche can be elevated from fungus to fine food in an instant. Weird perhaps, but a tasty treat indeed.

 

This is not one for all the dog lovers out there. Yes, Boshintang is a soup that is made using canine meat. Frowned upon in the West, eating dogs has long been a part of Korea’s culinary culture. You might think that this is wrong. But in Asia, there is nothing unusual about tucking into a steaming bowl of Boshintang.
This flavoursome soup is eaten both in North and South Korea. Dining out? It could be called Gaejangguk or Dangogiguk on the menu. You don’t want to eat dogs? Then this is one to avoid.

Boiled with onions, dandelions and various herbs and spices, Boshintang has a rich flavour that, the ingredients aside, tempt the taste buds. Eating it is said to be invigorating, with some claiming the broth even has medicinal benefits. But for dog lovers, eating this dish is probably unthinkable.

 

Most common in Mongolia, Airag is a popular drink throughout Central Asia. Yes, it’s milk, but not as we know it. This is a product that is best described as fermented mare’s milk.

There’s no question that Airag is an acquired taste. It’s pungent and slightly alcoholic. Even here, where it’s still consumed in great quantities, it’s not everybody’s cup of tea.

The taste is sour and it tends to sparkle a little on the tongue. Rich in vitamins and minerals, this provides a nourishing drink for nomadic people. For travelers to these parts, it demands to be tasted. But it’s quite a challenge — and there’s no shame in finding it too much to bear. Airag can also be found in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and China. Popular here, perhaps. But for those not used to drinking sour fermented horse milk, this is one that might just be a little too weird.

 

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Oh yeah - "sweet meats" - delicious !!!

 

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/TBb9kDDc3Z8

 

Where I live, some people go to a cafe, have a salad sandwich that usually includes a a piece of cooked meat as well as lettuce and the have it cooked in the sandwich press.

 

Tosties. Yummy.
I will add more later

 

Balut beckons the brave. Popular in the Philippines — as well as Vietnam — this is not one for the faint of heart. It is a developing bird embryo that is boiled and eaten direct from the shell. The bird in question tends to be duck, although other species are sometimes used. Sold at markets and street food stalls, local people love Balut. For travelling foodies, however, this presents quite a challenge.

The eggs are incubated for between 14 and 21 days and the embryo inside has recognisable features once opened. It is eaten, bones, beak and all — these soft enough at this stage to be chewed and swallowed. Reckon you could keep this down? We’re not so sure.

Balut was introduced to the Philippines by the Chinese in 1885 and has gone on to prove popular during the subsequent period. This is a weird food that raises certain ethical issues, whilst the taste and general appearance mean it’s one that only calls to the most courageous.

 

‘Casu Marzu’ translates as ‘rotten, putrid cheese’. Forget Stilton and the like, this takes things to another level. Traditional in Sardinia, this is a cheese made from sheep’s milk. So far so good. But it’s the squirming maggots that make this cheese so unique that also make Casu Marzu such an unpleasant prospect.
It is indeed packed with live insect larvae which can disgust the most ardent cheese lover. Feeling unsettled? Look away now as you probably won’t be able to stomach it.

Casu Marzu is a cheese that has been taken beyond fermentation to a state of decomposition. The flavour is strong, the smell pungent and the texture so soft that it’s almost a liquid. The crawling maggots are too much for most to bear. But for Casu Marzu fans, this is the best bit, so much so that they’ll refuse to eat it if the larvae have passed. Eaten with Sicilian flatbread and local red wine, there’s no question that this is authentic. But for most, Casu Marzu is a step too far.

 

Cockles, & whelks