I wouldn't say I'm a picky eater, and I definitely try to sample some traditional foods when I go abroad, but still: the most out-there thing I’ve eaten is probably escargot (which is delicious). But after watching too many eating challenges on “Survivor” over the years, I’m curious about what foods are considered delicacies around the world that would straight up freak me out. Have you, or would you, sample any of these foods?
In Cambodia (and, specifically, a market town called Skuon) spiders are actually bred specifically for frying up and chewing on, some as big as the palm of a hand. *shiver*
You’ve heard of bottles of mezcal with worms inside, right? This is kind of like that, instead with a venomous snake. The Asian markets these bottles are sold at say that the ethanol dissolves any danger in the snake’s poison, and the point is to reinvigorate the drinker.
Mexico City is home to tons of variations of tacos, this one considered an excellent source of protein. Could you get past the crunchiness?
Koreans eat these silkworms as snacks from street vendors after they’ve been boiled or steamed. All I can think about is if I’m going to be able to eat roasted peanuts from a stand next time I’m in Manhattan.
Swiftlets, a bird species found from southeast Asia to northern Australia, create their nests from their saliva, which are then harvested in China and turned into soup. I’m wondering how they don’t just dissolve in the broth?
A university was evacuated in April because they thought they smelled a gas leak. Nope, just this fruit, the odor of which has been compared to turpentine, rotten onions and sewage. If you can get past the stench, it’s said to taste like almond-y custard that the Thai love.
Or corn smut. This is a fungus that grows on corn, and instead of considering the veggie rotten and tossing it, Mexican cooks will harvest it and serve as a filling in quesadillas and soups. Fair warning: they also call it “Mexican truffle” on menus to make it sound more enticing to the unassuming visitor.
After being boiled and then stewed in some kind of meat broth, Asian communities eat these sea creatures, even though they’re said to have little taste. Then again, they’re also rumored to be aphrodisiacs, so maybe that’s where the point lies.
The Greeks do great dessert. Baklava, rizogalo, milopita...but I’m wary of this delicacy. Kokoretsi is goat intestine, and then that is filled with the liver and spleen and roasted up on a spigot. That’s a lot of things to think about.