Maggots For Breakfast
With all the bizarre things humans eat, we often wonder how on Earth they were first discovered. Who was the first to saute an eyeball or fry up a handful of worms? Nonetheless, there are disgusting foods around the world that people just can’t get enough of.
1. Stinky Tofu
Even the name suggests how gross this food is yet it’s a street food staple in China. The pungent odor has been described as stinky feet, raw sewage, and rotting cabbage and it’s said that the stronger the smell, the better the taste. The tofu gets its stank from its brine made of fermented milk, veg, and meat.
2. Live Squid
Odori Don is a Japanese delicacy featuring an almost alive squid. While it’s technically not fully living, its muscles and nerves are still active when it’s served to you at your restaurant table. A splash of soy sauce will cause the tentacles to squirm in your mouth, a sensation people pay a lot of money for apparently.
3. Haggis
The Scottish love their sheep organ pudding! Haggis is a traditional dish made from sheep hearts, liver, and lungs mixed with oatmeal, suet, and spices. The savory pudding used to be encased in sheep's stomach but is now more commonly wrapped in an artificial casing.
4. Stink Bugs
Stink bugs are known for their nasty odor so you’d think they’d be the last bug you want to put in your mouth. However, they are enjoyed in parts of Africa and Mexico for their spicy kick. With stink glands removed, the pests are cooked as a salty snack or crushed up in salsa to turn up the heat.
5. Fried Calf Brains
You’ll find many fried foods in the Midwest but what may shock some non-locals is the brain sandwich you may come across on menus. If you think squishy fried calf brain sounds appetizing, hit up a fair or BBQ joint in St. Louis for a taste.
6. Casu Marzu
Casu Marzu will make you think again about the Italians being world leaders for the best food. Not only is it considered the most dangerous cheese in the world, it’s also the most disgusting. The Italian delicacy is a block of pecorino cheese left to rot and attract flies that lay hundreds of eggs in it. The cheese is eaten with larvae, the living maggots that are a health concern because if you consume them improperly you could die.
7. Tuna Eyes
If you don’t mind your food staring at you, head to a Japanese fish market to snack on some eyeballs. The tennis ball-sized tuna fish eyes are a popular dish served with rice and a drizzle of soy sauce. It’s not a Halloween prank, they’re real gigantic eyeballs folks like to munch on for lunch.
8. Durian
Durian is one of the fruits you either love or hate. Found all over Southeast Asia, durian reeks of rotting cabbage is said to be the stinkiest fruit in the fruit. If you can get past the smell, it’s supposed to taste sweet and creamy like a creamsicle.
9. Bamboo Worms
If you’re partying in Thailand you may reach past the french fries for a handful of deep-fried worms instead. The popular late-night bar snack is a bowl of fried bamboo worms that are often paired with your drinks.
Charles Haynes from Hobart, Australia on Wikimedia
10. Blood Pudding
The Irish and the Brits can’t get enough of their blood pudding. Traditionally prepared with the blood drippings of a freshly slaughtered cow and pig, the salty pudding is often served with your breakfast next to your eggs and toast.
Ardo Beltz de:Benutzer:Ardo Beltz on Wikimedia
11. Khash
How does a steaming bowl of boiled cow hooves sound if you want to cure your hangover? In Armenia, khash is a soup made by simmering cow hooves with onion, garlic, vinegar, and lemon juice and is sworn to ease your pains after a night of alcoholic beverages.
12. Spam
Some Americans just can’t get enough of their beloved Spam! The tinned mystery meat is a highly processed food made from pork and ham products and who knows what else. Folks like to peel open the tin of the soft pink meat and make sandwiches out of it.
13. Tripe
If you want to fill your tummy with more tummy, tripe is your dish. The peculiar food is made from the stomach lining of various animals offering your tongue a spongey texture. The rubbery meat is often paired with onions and sauces to add flavor.
14. Surstromming
If you thought raw fish wasn’t smelly enough, get a whiff of fermented seafood. This tinned herring is popular in Sweden but is recommended to eat outside because of its stench. The fish is fermented with an outrageous amount of salt to prevent it from almost rotting.
15. Fried Spider
Who doesn’t want a bite of the world’s creepiest eight-legged insect? Fried spider is considered a delicacy in the town of Skuon in Cambodia. The scary snack has a surprise sludgy center with an abdomen consisting of eggs and excrement–– delish!
Mat Connolley (Matnkat) on Wikimedia
16. Escamol
Most people drool over a taco but what’s up with this Mexican dish? Known as “insect caviar”, escamol is a delicacy made from larvae and pupae of ants that are harvested from the tequila plant. People who eat it say it tastes like a delicious nutty cottage cheese.
Insects Unlocked from USA on Wikimedia
17. Escargots
Fancy a side of slugs, anyone? Well, head to the romantic city of Paris for a dinner date over a plate of snails. Cooked in white wine, garlic, and butter, if you can handle the consistency and the shells they come in, they’re a very flavorful dish.
Marianne Casamance on Wikimedia
18. Balut
Who discovered that developing duck embryos were tasty? In the Philippines, ducks that are still growing in their eggs are boiled and served in their cracked shells. It’s a common street food even though it seems cruel and unappetizing.
Marshall Astor from San Pedro, United States on Wikimedia
19. Pickled Eggs
Pickles already split a room but now we introduce boiled eggs to the pickling too. If you don’t mind the aroma of a boiled egg then you might also enjoy a pickled one. A cold egg soaked in a jar of vinegar is a tasty snack in the UK.
20. Sago Grubs
Grubs are often considered disgusting bugs found hanging around rotting garbage but they’re also a tasty munchie in parts of Southeast Asia. Fans of the creepy crawlies will say they taste creamy eaten raw or just like bacon when they’re cooked.
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