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Bizarre Foods You've Eaten

Gryffindorian

Gryffindorian

Vice Admiral
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I love watching Andrew Zimmern's show on the Travel Channel wherein he travels to various places in the U.S. and around the world to try different and unusual delicacies. Sometimes I even do my own food commentary when I dine out with my brother. :lol: "This stuff's got a briny sea flavor" or "I love the wild gamey flavor of this burger."

So it got me thinking, when I was growing up in another country, I ate all kinds of food that would be considered bizarre or unusual by American or Western standards. Here's the list of the ones I've tried or eaten.


  • Fried crickets
  • Pig's blood
  • Pig intestines
  • Goat meat
  • Dog meat (considered taboo elsewhere)
  • Duck embryos (called "balut")
  • Chicken intestines
  • Chicken feet
  • Tripe (not so unusual)
  • Lengua de Vaca (Cow's tongue)
  • Shrimp paste (a topping)
  • Fish sauce
  • A variety of exotic tropical fruit found only in Asia
What say you? Have you tried international or local dishes that you would consider bizarre?
 
I have not and would not try any of the things you listed. I tried to eat bbq shrimp the other day, and I couldn't even manage that. Very unadventurous when it comes to food. D:
 
The most bizarre thing I've ever had (and I'm not new to all of your list) is Marmite.

I suppose horse meat is bizarre enough (especially to the US members) to mention in this thread.
 
Other than some of the things on your list (I've eaten innards of all sorts of animals) I suppose the most "bizzare" was either steak tartare (which was really good) or breaded veal brain (which was interesting, texture-wise especially, but probably not something I'd want on a regular basis).
 
Offal (the internal organs of animals, like heart, liver, kidneys, etc) is quite common here. I've eaten some meat that is considered "unusual" in the US, like goat, sheep, horse, rabbit, pig's trotter. Cow tongue is a part of the traditional bollito misto (mixed boiled meat). The sanguinaccio sausage is made of pig blood. Frog legs are quite tasty.


But nothing prepare you to the foul-smelling awesomeness of bagna cauda.
 
I have eaten the following (none of which I consider to be bizarre)

emu (once)
kangaroo (often)
crocodile (once)
rabbit (often as a child)
canned snails (once)
lamb's fry (liver) (often)
abalone (a couple of times)
mutton bird (mainly only eaten by New Zealanders and Tasmanians) (often as a child, couple of times as an adult)
alpaca (only a sample once)
Balmain bugs (a couple of times)
Cow tongue (as a child)
tripe (as a child)
 
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Love Marmite, hate tongue. :)

I love snails in garlic butter. I used to be able to find them in a few restaurants in Toronto but have never come across them since moving to England. Judging from the reactions of people when I mention this dish it's not exactly well known here.
 
I've seen snail served quite often, but I never hated myself so much to try them. :p

(More seriously, it's one of the few stuff that I can't imagine eating.)
 
The internet can get you into trouble sometimes. When I went to Rimini, Italy as part of a business trip I read from some travel guide that you should try the Pesca (fish). So I go into a restaurant and order the only item on the menu that said Pesca. I was expecting mayeb a fish filet or a whole large fish. What they brought me was 6 or 7 tiny little whole fish or crustaceans each a different kind of animal. One of them was a whole mantis shrimp. I'm normally a very picky eater but I ate them anyway. Honestly they were very bony.
 
LitmusDragon said:
The internet can get you into trouble sometimes. When I went to Rimini, Italy as part of a business trip I read from some travel guide that you should try the Pesca (fish). So I go into a restaurant and order the only item on the menu that said Pesca. I was expecting mayeb a fish filet or a whole large fish. What they brought me was 6 or 7 tiny little whole fish or crustaceans each a different kind of animal. One of them was a whole mantis shrimp. I'm normally a very picky eater but I ate them anyway. Honestly they were very bony.
Click to expand...
Just to point it out, pesca (pr. peska) doesn't mean "fish". That would be pesce (pr. peshe). Pesca means either "fishing" (the activity) or, funnily enough, "peach". So, who knows what you actually ordered to the waiter. ;)
 
Miss Chicken said:
I have eaten the following (none of which I consider to be bizarre)

emu (once)
kangaroo (often)
crocodile (once)
rabbit (often as a child)
canned snails (once)
lamb's fry (liver) (often)
abalone (a couple of times)
mutton bird (mainly only eaten by New Zealanders and Tasmanians) (often as a child, couple of times as an adult)
alpaca (only a sample once)
Balmain bugs (a couple of times)
Cow tongue (as a child)
tripe (as a child)
Click to expand...

This one takes the cake.
 
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