Bizarre Food From Around The World

I am pretty sure that most of us here are the 'live to eat' kind but I wonder how many of us would actually be able to stomach any of the dishes mentioned below. While we may not be able to even so much as give these items a glance, remember there are people who actually eat, rather savour all of that that is mentioned below! So get ready for your dose of weird today, skipping the lizards, chicken feet, bugs and the like, today we will look at food that looks absolutely normal, maybe even delicious, until you know what it's made up of!

Black Pudding (Europe, America, Asia & Africa)

What on earth could possibly be bizarre about a pudding of any kind right? Wrong. Pudding brings to our mind images of Christmas, or family dinners where this sweet delicacy is served and relished in pure joy, satisfying our sweet tooth, but black pudding is far from being a sweet dessert, especially when I tell you that it's also known by another name; blood sausage. While it's pretty normal to look at, its actually congealed pig's blood cooked with various other flavours and usually stuffed with bread crumbs, it is usually enjoyed as a breakfast dish alongside eggs and toast. You will be surprised to know that this is a very common dish in countries across Europe, Asia, the Americas and Africa. If so many people enjoy this, maybe, just maybe congealed pig's blood isn't that bad! 

Image Credit: Alpha

Escargot A La Bourguignonne (France)

When something sounds so French and actually turns out to be French, you often wonder why would it be bizarre. E-S-C-A-R-G-O-T, it does have a nice ring to it doesn't it? But let's snap out of being so Parisian for a minute and check what Escargot really is. Some of the ingredients used to make this French delicacy are white wine, butter, parsley, garlic and SNAILS. All of these ingredients are stuffed into the shells of snails and served to you to enjoy! To be fair, it actually doesn't look gross and I have known people who have quite enjoyed it. Bon appetit?

Image Credit: eatingeast 

Rocky Mountain Oysters (USA)

While there are still some people who think oysters are pretty bizarre (especially when you can actually eat them raw), it is still not considered weird if we take a broader perspective, and having said that, Rocky Mountain Oysters are far from Oysters. But then you think its from the USA, how weird can it can right? The answer to that is - extremely weird. This deep fried delicacy is usually enjoyed with french fries but before you drool at the though of it, lets get to what it is that is actually deep fried in the batter; two words- Bull Testicles. Still want to grab a bite? And because I am good person, I am not sharing a picture of the raw material here, but of the finished dish which looks pretty normal. 

Image Credit: Jangko

Akutaq/Eskimo Ice Cream (Alaska)

Who doesn't love a cup of ice cream?! Everybody, even the Eskimos of Alaska, only difference is that their ice cream is pretty different from the mint chocolate chip or the Belgian chocolate that you'd usually get at your neighbourhood ice cream parlour. While there are definitely some berries in this ice cream, the other major ingredients include reindeer fat, seal oil, ground fish and freshly fallen snow. Well okay then.

Image Credit: Matyas Havel

Shirako (Japan)

The fact that it is a Japanese delicacy, you've probably guessed how weird it can get, and if USA's bull testicles (Rocky Mountain Oysters) weren't good enough how about some male fish sperm sacs aka Shirako? Come on, if you enjoy Caviar (female fish eggs), pretty sure you can give this a try too.

Image Credit: Arashiyama

Tong Zi Dan (China)

Can China surprise or rather shock us even further? Unfortunately the answer is yes. This time around we are going to learn about a delicacy that goes beyond bull penis and cockroaches, in fact its got more to do with the human body or should I say the urine of boys under the age of 10. Basically just eggs boiled in the urine of young virgin boys. Yep. Oh and these eggs are more expensive than your regular eggs boiled in clean water.

Image Credit: Paul Neo

Casu Marzu (Italy)

Don't you just love Italy's contribution to gastronomy? I mean what would the world be like without pizzas! Italian food is one of those cuisines which has made itself popular all over the world, so how on earth can they have something which is not only bizarre but kind of unappetizing. Casu Marzu is a tradition soft sheep milk cheese (yes I know it sounds perfectly edible, but..) that contains a very very special filling. Any guesses? Well the secret ingredient is live maggots! I wonder if you will be replacing your Feta cheese with this one now.

Image Credit: Shardan

Is there anybody here who says challenge accepted to any of the dishes above?