Food Items That Most People Would Not Be Happy To See On Their Dinner Plate
Food and music have the power to connect people from around the world, but we think that food might be the most powerful. Different people like to eat different things, and every country has its own cuisine, which we all love to try. But some dishes that give one person comfort and satisfaction can stress another person out. You might be asking how that could be. We will answer this through the photos of food that prove many people have very peculiar palates. These are dishes that many of us would prefer to be kept far away. Here we will show you some unique and out-of-the-box dishes unknown to most of the world. The article will be a roller coaster ride but stick with us till the end.
Casu Martzu
Before diving into what the dish is and how it’s made, let us tell you what “casu martzu” means. It is Italian and translates as “maggot cheese.” Now that should give you enough idea of what this food is all about!
The cheese is loved by the people of Sardinia, where it is commonly enjoyed. To make it, live maggots are kept inside the cheese to lay their eggs. Those eggs eat the fat in the cheese, and this odd process results in a creamy taste. Who wants a piece?
Hákarl
Sharks are one of the most notorious sea predators which can eat fish in a snap. Many people are afraid of them. But the people of Iceland think otherwise. They have made the sharks of the nearby waters into their prey.
Hakarl is made with a very poisonous species of shark, which requires a lengthy process to detoxify before it can be considered ready to eat. In this process, the Greenland Sharks are hung for over four months which helps purify them.
Warthog Anus
Never in a million years would we think someone would eat this! But the people of Namibia are here to prove us wrong. The dish is made of nothing, but the anus of a pig served al dente straight from the fire.
Being rated as the world’s scariest food, Anthony Bourdain said this was the worst thing he has ever tasted in his entire life. If you really want to know how it’s made: the intestines are taken out, and this part is put straight on the fire.
Virgin Boy Eggs
This dish is coming straight from China to show us some of the finest delicacies of Asian cuisine. The dish is called “Virgin Boy Eggs,” and you will understand why in a minute. The main part is regular boiled eggs, but the magic lies in the process.
The process is as follows: every year, the citizens of Zhejiang gather among primary schools to get fresh urine from boys, preferably under ten years old. Then those eggs are kept in the boiling urine until they crack. Sounds tasty, doesn’t it?
Worm Pretzels
The next big food trend coming at you straight from the Big Apple itself, New York City: freshly made worm pretzels. Their name suits them perfectly because they are literally worms served in the shape of pretzels. Exotic food specialist Gene Rurka is the man behind this dish.
The dish was originally made for the 100th anniversary of the Explorers Club dinner, an event where the most unusual dishes of the year are showcased. All the liquid contents of the worms are first squeezed out so that you get a crunchy pretzel.
Medama
The word “medama” is of Japanese origin, which literally means “eyeball,” so you can guess what this dish consists of. What kind of eyeballs make up thing Japanese delicacy? Why, the eyeballs of tuna fish, of course. They are served in many different ways.
All the options from stir-frying to deep boiling are available for this omega 3 powerhouse. The dish originated in the ’90s, and since then, even people outside of Japan are loving it. It’s become a hit in Korea and Vietnam as well.
Ptarmigan Poop
It’s not a friendly statement when we tell someone to eat poop. But if you are in Greenland, it’s not an insulting thing to say at all. Because of the icy environment, the food resources are somewhat limited, so they developed unique tastebuds and dishes.
The bird Ptarmigan is a unique kind of animal because it defecates at one place up to 50 times, which creates a pile of their waste. The locals collect these piles during the winter and cook them with seal meat to create this local delicacy.
Jellied Moose Nose
This one is a bit out there, so you can skip it if you are not ready. The picture might be confusing at first glance, but if you look closely, you would see it resembles something familiar: a nose. But whose nose?
Why a moose; what else? These are blocks of jellied moose noses, and the inhabitants of Canada have eaten this delicacy since the 18th century. The process was pretty simple; just extract the hairs and boil the jelly in a pan to make a broth.
Fried Tarantula
Cambodia is home to many famous dishes, but this one might be the most unique of them all. What does it look like to you? That’s right. You see a pile of fried tarantulas. We can’t say we’d grab one if it passed us on the waiter’s tray of hors d’oeuvres.
Tarantulas are filled with many nutrients like zinc and protein, which makes this snack a great energy booster. Those who have tried this cuisine say that the abdomen of the spider has a meat-like texture, and they enjoyed it overall.
Pidan
The expiration dates on products we buy let us know how long they will last. But the people of China have their own methods. The dish we are showing you now is nothing but eggs aged in salt, clay, and ash for more than three months.
We all know how gross rotten eggs smell, so how they figured out how to make a three-month-old egg taste good deserves some praise. Some people who have tried this have said they prefer this version to a fresh egg.
Shiokara
Shiokara is a popular Japanese dish that is served in bars to be eaten with drinks as a snack. Every day people go to bars to enjoy this great mixture of different fish. It might not look so appetizing to people outside the country.
This mixture includes tuna, crab, and often salmon. All of them are taken through a 10-day fermentation process, and what comes after that is this pile of unattractive but popular. It isn’t hard to find, but it does have an eclectic taste.
Chapulines
Snacks in today’s time are often a pile of sugar and oil and can be very unhealthy. Well, this Mexican snack is much better for you but might not be an option for those who are squeamish about bugs. Guessed it yet? Grasshoppers!
Fried, salted, or raw – you ask for it, and they have it. Filled with all kinds of good nutrients and vitamins, grasshoppers are the only saviors of this generation from these sugar-filled desserts and oiled-filled fries. Oh, right – fruits and vegetables exist.
Black Pudding
Black Pudding is an ancient delicacy served mostly in Europe and Africa. The idea of it may not appeal to many of you, but natives of these regions have been eating it for a long time as a comfort meal.
The ingredients of this are cow or pig blood along with some pork fat. You can use any cereal like oats or barley to bind it together. People of Ireland also eat this dish, but their way of making it involves frying, which makes it crispier.
Rocky Mountain Oysters
The Rocky Mountain Oysters: a famous comfort dish in Canada and its neighboring regions. People there like to eat them with their drinks like others eat popcorn or peanuts. But the ingredients of the dish are what make it unique.
That’s because all you are getting served is real bull testicles. These testicles are rich in protein because each one contains up to 26 grams with little fat. To all gym lovers, this can be a great dish to eat post-workout.
Chicken Feet
For some of the readers, it may not be as disgusting to look at as the other mentions, but still, it is enough to make a vegetarian run the other way. Chicken feet are a typical thing to eat in various parts of the world.
But Koreans like to eat them the most because you will find a pair of these in each episode if you watch Korean dramas. There are several ways to enjoy this part of the chicken, but the bones are most people’s favorite.
Shirako
We have seen many unique things on the list, but we are sure you weren’t expecting fish semen on your plate. That’s what these white sacs are – fish testicles. A few of these entries have intrigued us, but we think we will steer clear of this one.
They are served raw on top of sushi and rice. These sacs dissolve into juices as soon as you take a bite. If you can, forget the fact that you’re eating fish semen. This dish tastes amazing, according to the locals.
Witchetty Grub
The Witchetty Grubs are wood-eating insects that are found in Australia. They are named so because they feed on the roots of the Witchetty plant. These are very high in most valuable nutrients, which is one reason they are popular.
The main consumers of the insect are the aboriginals of Australia, and we would recommend you to leave their legacy to them unless you are Bear Grylls. We are sure these are not something you want to acquaint your taste buds with!
Starfish
We are sure you have seen many kinds of meat but have you ever seen green meat? Aside from the ham in Dr. Seuss’s story, that is. The starfish is only one of the very few species with green-colored insides.
The starfish has a hard shell on its outside, which requires a tool to break open. Once you penetrate it, you get to the meat, which has many nutrients. The process is similar to eating a crab, but the taste is surely different.
Khash
For the people who eat cows, the best part is eating a big steak – a juicy piece of red meat. But when you visit the Middle East, they want something more than that, and that’s why Khash was invented.
Khash is a dish made up of a cow’s feet and head. It is reported to have originated in Armenian cuisine, and countries like Afghanistan, Greece, and Iran enjoy this delicacy on a regular basis. How is it made? You boil the pieces for a long time, and it’s eaten as soup.
Tripe
Tripe is a British delicacy that is made of the stomach lining of animals like pigs, cows, and sheep. Some say eating this dish is almost like chewing rubber, but some people immensely enjoy the unique texture this dish offers.
You can eat this one in several ways, but many like to eat it raw and cherish the untainted flavor. Some people have it with fried onions while others have it with their drinks, but we would never like to have it on our plate!
Haggis
Haggis is an example of using everything but the kitchen sink in your meal. The natives of Scotland are fond of eating this delicacy, and almost everyone who has lived there has tried this at least once in their lives.
Almost every part of the sheep is used to make this dish. They start by mincing the sheep’s liver, heart, and lungs along with some spices and vegetables. To bind it all, they add oatmeal and then cook it in the sheep’s stomach. Want to give it a try?
Escamol
We don’t know about you, but we love to eat caviar. The price is what keeps us from getting the taste of this delicious hors d’oeuvre frequently. But the people of Mexico are here to help us out in this situation by serving us another kind of caviar.
This caviar is made up of insects, usually ants and their larvae. These are seasoned well in all kinds of herbs and spices. It is usually fried with vegetables. People say it has a very crunchy texture and tastes pretty darn good.
Jibachi Senbei
This dish is one of the tamest we have seen in our research. It’s famously known as the wasp cracker, which is for a reason. It’s a rice cracker stuffed with multiple wasps, which people of Japan enjoy quite a bit.
You may ask why they eat rice crackers with bugs. This makes the crackers super-rich in protein, and they’re actually pretty healthy. One person who reviewed them said they tasted like acidic raisins. This isn’t the craziest thing we’ve heard of, but we’re not sure we’d try it.
Escargot
The only food in our list with as many supporters as there are haters. Yes, they are snails, those small juicy crawling insects wandering around in their shells. We are not sure we are on Team Snails when it comes to eating them.
But the French people think otherwise because this is part of their traditional cuisine. So it’s up to you if you want to go with your eyes or your taste buds in this matter. But if you ever dare to try them, we recommend going to a reputable restaurant; otherwise, you will be only disappointed.
Jing Leed
Looks like we have another hopping dish coming our way, this time straight from the recipe books of Asian cuisine. Grasshoppers are here to impress, yet again. These are fried to crispy perfection in large batches with all kinds of seasonings.
But if you are not among the lucky ones who find them similar to popcorn in taste, you might be in big trouble eating them. And since they are fried, be prepared to have grasshopper juice flowing down your face. Have a napkin ready!
Frog Legs
We have seen chicken feet, fish semen, and warthog anus, so don’t be shocked when you see frog legs. This is a dish we’ve heard of before and know it is popular in the American south. Of course, this delicacy is served fried.
But according to the people who eat these frog legs regularly, they taste as good – if not better than – fried chicken. It’s up to you if you want to listen to them and give this unique cuisine a ride on your taste buds.
Surstromming
Known as the smelliest food in the world, Surstromming is a kind of snack that might make you queasy right on the spot if you are new to this unique dish. But as bad as it smells, it has a lot of awesome nutrients.
This was originally found in Sweden and has a pretty good taste compared to its pungent odor. This is a fermented dish, so it will survive many months before rotting, so it can be a great food to take on those road trips.
Tequila Worms
In Japanese culture, if you give the worm in the tequila bottle to an older person, it is considered an act of sincere and deep respect towards that person. And if you eat one yourself, it is considered the ultimate flex in the world of bros.
It was said that drinking this will make you see visions and hallucinations. Luckily, all of this is a hoax, which was proved recently by medical science. But that doesn’t stop people all over the world from putting pugs in their tequila and mezcal.
Mopane Worms
If you are looking for foods that are the most bizarre and out of this world, then South Africa is your dream destination. Here you will find all kinds of crazy things like these thick bugs, which are eaten as a daily snack by some.
The locals regard them as a great source of protein, and they snack on them all day with salt and various dips. The way the worms look would probably put us off, but hey, to each their own. We might try it if we ever visit.
Stink Bugs
We must be missing something because other cultures all over the world enjoy eating different types of bugs. Take this for example: these cockroach-looking insects are called stink bugs, and you would know why if you saw them in person.
They are named so because they stink to high heaven when cooked. African people use them in other dishes as an additive or side dish. When asked why they use it, the natives said it adds a nice crunch to the meal’s texture.
Sago Delight
We often think the healthier a dish is touted, the worse it will taste. That’s why we all like the taste of a pizza, but some struggle with broccoli. Since you are reading this, we have pretty much proven this. Okay, not really, but you get where we’re coming from.
This is yet another addition to the list of buggy snacks. Sago is a dish made of worm larvae that the people of southeast Asia love. This one is also filled with all the nutrients you ever need for your body. Although, we admit this is a very gooey way to get your vitamins.
Beondegi
Beondegi is a very famous Korean dish that may disgust you at first glance, but it is pretty popular. That’s the reason you can find street vendors selling them on every corner of every city. As they say, don’t judge a book by its cover.
These are silkworms that are boiled or steamed till they are ready to eat. No oil is needed, which makes this another healthy wormy snack. They are said to taste like wood, so if you’ve ever been curious what wood tastes like but don’t want splinters, this is for you.
Cherry Blossom Meat
Since we have seen all kinds of meats on this list, why not horse meat? This one comes from none other than Japan. We appreciate the open-mindedness that has led to many interesting and delicious dishes. This is one we would try.
You would eat this dish by adding the meat to sushi rolls, but many people like it just fine on its own. The nutrients in this are numerous, and horse meat has a pretty low calorie count and high protein value.
Steak Tartare
If you ever plan to visit France, please be very careful when reading the menu and selecting what to eat, because if you choose to try something new, you can get served something like this. But of course, if this is what you want, then bon appetit!
As far as the name goes, it seems all right – who amongst us omnivores doesn’t love steak? However, this dish is served raw. Raw meat (horse or cow) topped with raw egg and traditionally served with capers and onions.
Fugu
This one is a bit serious because if you get it wrong, it can be life-threatening. Leave this dish to the professionals, please. Fugu is a dish that contains the meat of the world’s second most poisonous fish, the Pufferfish. It is very dangerous because there is no known cure for its venom.
So if the chef made even a minor mistake in making it, it will be the last dish you will eat. Only go for reputable restaurants if you want to give this dish a try. We would never recommend you to risk your life for a challenge.
Birds Nest Soup
Asian cuisine is home to some of the world’s finest dishes, but while researching this article, we have come across some interesting ones. This dish is another example. If you cannot tell what this is by looking, we will enlighten you. That is bird saliva.
The saliva belongs to a swiftlet bird that collects its spit, which it uses to build a nest. Beyond wanting to try it – we don’t think we would – we want to know how it was discovered that this jelly substance tastes good enough to serve.
Marmite
Another dish which some regions love and others hate! Marmite, or Vegemite, whatever you may call it, is a very popular spread in Australia and the UK. It’s a salty spread people put on toast. But you will be surprised to know what it’s made of!
It has a jam-like texture and is made of yeast extract. This extract is collected from the bottom of beer barrels ready to be thrown away. What results is a very concentrated and salty substance, “rich in nutrients,” as the company says!
Bush Meat
After seeing all kinds of dishes in this list, we see that human beings are very good at working with what they have. We have slowly acclimated to the idea of eating bugs since so many love them. But we will probably stay away from monkey meat.
We can’t pinpoint why this sounds so unappealing, especially since we admitted that we’d try horse meat. It’s considered a delicacy in many parts of the world. But eating monkey meat can be especially risky because of the diseases they often carry.
Yin Yang Fish
This one reminds us of the cobra heart. The Yin Yang fish is a dish where carp and sometimes other types of fish are fried alive. After being scaled and gutted, the fish’s body is fried, but usually, its head remains intact and is kept out of the oil.
Interestingly, this dish is now very hard to find because it has been banned in many places, and we can’t say we are surprised. The fish’s head apparently remains alive during the process, so we see why people protested its presence on menus around the world.
Turtle Soup
We have grown up worried about the extinction of sea turtles, so we forgot they were used in soup in our own backyards (yep, this can be found in the US). it has been popular in different parts of the world, and each culture has its own way of making the soup.
Chinese cuisine centers around soft-shelled turtles, while the US tends to use snapping turtles in their dishes. We had not realized how prevalent they were as a food source. The consumption of turtles has declined in recent times due to the threat of their extinction.
Crocodile
Crocodiles are at the top of the food chain, and they like to feast on animals and humans. But people in Asia, Africa, and Australia have pulled an UNO reverse card on them and are ready to take a bite out of the predator itself.
But as compared to others in the list, this meat is considered the closest to the chicken meat, so if you can gather the courage to eat the king of the lakes, then take your fork and get ready to dive in!
Cobra Heart
In this article, there are many dishes that some people might consider unimaginable, and we believe this is one of them. The residents of Vietnam are here to surprise you with one of the delicacies of their country: snake hearts.
The dish is very popular among the natives, and restaurants serve a menu of snakes, and you can pick which serpent’s heart will be on your plate. They say the shorter the snake, the better the taste, so choose wisely!
Guinea Pig
As people who had guinea pigs as pets, we can’t even imagine having a bite into this. But South American countries seem to love eating them because they are the biggest consumers of the dish. It is reported to taste like a cross between rabbit and duck.
People like to eat it fried and whole along with some corn and potato chips as side dishes to compliment the taste of the meat. It is definitely considered a delicacy and has intrigued the farmers in the US, who have considered bringing this dish stateside.
Balut
The next dish we are going to talk about is Balut. This delicacy has its roots in the Philippines, where the people are always ready to get one for themselves. This meal is prepared by boiling a live duck embryo.
Yes, you read it right, and the interesting part is after the embryo is boiled, you have to eat the duckling straight out of the shell. No cooking, no spices, just one straight shot of duckling. Apparently, this gets you the most amount of nutrients.
Bat Soup
The people of Thailand must have some serious guts to consume one of the most dangerous animals in their soups! Although bats are probably cleaner than some of the other things on the list, they still carry germs and bacteria.
The bat is cooked in a simmering pot until it is soft. While it is cooking, it emits a smell that is similar to urine. So don’t worry if you smell urine on the streets of Thailand. It is just this masterpiece in the making!