Top 20 Absurd Delicacies from Around the World

Hi Readers, I’m back with another Top 20 list and this time it is food. If there is anything in this world I don’t think twice before spending money on, it’s food! This girl loves to eat delicious food. I believe the eating process begins with my eyes; unless the food looks appetizing, it won’t invoke an urge to consume. The next step is my nose; being from the country of spices, I surely love the fragrance of the perfect mix of spices that activates my brain cells to give me the sensation of hunger. The second last step involves an organ that is not parallel to mouth, none other than ears. If it is something crunchy, it should produce a sweet lullaby when crushed or cut through. The last and the best is mouth, where finally the tasting happens. 

While just writing the steps has invigorated the hunger in my belly, by the end of this list (if you could survive till the end) you’ll probably be judging peoples’ eating habits. I’m not talking about chewing loudly or half the food stuck around the mouth, but about what goes into their mouths. Here a list of Top 20 most absurd food from around the world. Bon Appetite!

1. Haggis (Scotland)

We all have heard of minced meat sold in different forms, but how would you like having minced liver, heart and lung of animals like sheep along with some beef and seasoning vegetable, mixed and stuffed like sausage into the stomach of sheep and boiled only to be turned into a pudding. That is exactly what Haggis is and it is also the national dish of Scotland. 

2. Khash (Middle East, East Europe, Turkey)

I, anyway, am not a big fan of soups and this gives me even more reason to. Khash is a non-typical soup made with the head and legs of cow or sheep as a whole. Imagine that skull staring at you from the bowl. Sometimes other parts like the brain or stomach are also added. As if it’s going to make us feel any better. 

3. Black sausage (Worldwide)

There is another name which is more appropriate- Blood sausage. As the name suggest, it’s made from blood and fat mixed with beef, vegetables or starch to make it thick enough to be stuffed into a sausage sack. It might not be erring for most people as it is consumed across the globe, but I just happen to be in the country that doesn’t have black sausage, nor am I into blood.

4. Wasp Crackers (Japan)

What is your usual reaction when you see ants or insects on your biscuit, you throw it away. But since we are in the world of the weird, Japan has a snack of crackers with wasps in it. Talk about finding better replacements for chocochip in cookies.

5. A-ping (Cambodia)

Spiders, yes people, this regional delicacy of Cambodia is, to be put simply, fried spider. I can’t tolerate seeing spider the size of my pinky fingernail and here is a whole community of people eating tarantula species of spider. This goes back to history of when king Khmer Rouge rule, due to lack of food and out of desperation, the people started eating spiders. I will I feel sorry for those people, I wonder if there is still a need for this.

6. Worms 

During my internet expedition for unimaginable delicacies there were a couple of worm varieties that cropped up. I thought I’d better club them as even though they may be different worms, they were consumed in the same form, either raw or fried.

a) Beondegi (South Korea)- If you are a Korean you know what this is or if you are someone who understands Hangul, you would know the literal meaning of the term which is “Pupa”. This dish is actually a snack sold on the streets of South Korea in a cup with a toothpick for spoon and what you will be picking are boiled and spice coated Silkworm pupa. Good luck.

b) Sago Delight (Southeast Asia)- Sago an insect when eaten raw is chewy and meaty and when cooked takes on a bacon-y taste. I vote for regular bacon. 

c) Escamol (Mexico)- The Mexican mix in English songs are often a hit but I wonder how you would feel about this Mexican dish. Escamol is a mix of larva and pupa of a species of Ant called as Liometopum Apiculatum. A fancy way of saying it, is Ant Caviar.

d) Mopane (South Africa)-  Mopane worms are traditional dried or smoked and cooked with tomato or chili sauce. It is said to be high on protein.

e) Witchetty Grub (Australia)- Also called as Bush tuckers goes back to culinary history of Aborigines of Australia. They are usually cooked over a coal fire. People say that it tastes like a cross between chicken and crab, then why don’t you stick to chicken or crab, though I understand insects don’t price as much and the cooking time is less. 

7. Cherry Blossom Meat (Japan)

We have all been mesmerized by how majestic a black horse looks, will you be mesmerised if you were presented with horse meat? Not me! Cherry Blossom meat is the raw meat of horse and its Japanese name is “Sakuraniku”; where in, Sakura stands for cherry blossom and Niku is for meat. This name is due to the pink color of the raw meat. I’ll pass.

8. Crocodile Meat (Australia, Africa, Southeast Asia)

My grandfather had a farm and we had cows, goats, chickens and such homely animals. But imagine raising crocodiles for food. Since this meat has low fat and low cholesterol, atleast we know they won’t be dying of a heart attack (If you know what I mean).

9. Shirako (Japan)

I’ll give this one to you straight, fish reproductive organ uncooked. This milt is harvested from Salmon, Monkfish, cod and few others. As the list progresses, I’m judging the appetite of human race. I understand that God made all creatures for human consumption, but my brain is turning into scrambled egg.

10. Cobra Heart (Vietnam)

The analogy of “he ripped out my heart” is literally true for all the victim Cobra snakes. If you want to understand the extent of cruelty, here’s the perfect example. The person holds a living cobra and rips open the flesh near the heart area and plucks the beating heat and puts it into a bowl or glass and empties the snake’s blood into the same vessel. Guess what… That’s the dish. 

11. Yin-Yang Fish (Taiwan, China)

Since we are on human cruelty on living creatures, here’s another alive-example. Also called as dead and alive fish, is cooked in oil. While the carp fish’s body is cooked, its head is still alive and kept out of the oil. When it is presented before the diners too, the eyes and mouth are still moving. The fish is very much alive as its flesh is ripped of its body by eaters.

12. Sannakji (South Korea)

Another food that’s moving on your plate is octopus. Nakji, a species of octopus which is smaller in size but has long tentacles is served either whole or cut into small pieces while its tentacles are still moving and very much alive.  This dish is widely consumed throughout South Korea.

13. Jellied Moose Nose (Canada)

Before you start gagging, let’s mellow it down with some jelly. Squishy and bouncy, who doesn’t like jelly. So how about some Moose nose turned into jelly? Yes people, it’s exactly as the name suggests. A delicacy favoured in Alaska and Northern Canada, the snout of Moose is cooked with spices and vegetables such as onion after the fur has been entirely removed. It is put into a loaf pan and kept in the refrigerator to cool down and you know what comes next… the end product. I’ll remember this every time I see a pack of jelly.

14. Locus (Israel)

We all have heard the story from The Bible, where God sent plagues on Egyptians, one of them was locus. So they eat away your crops and leave you without food, make them your food. Deep-fry or steer fry, what would you prefer?

15. Dog Meat (Korea, China and Vietnam)

Dogs are man’s best friends. They listen to you, they fetch, they howl and we all love to have them as pet. Imagine yourself biting on a chicken leg and replace that leg with dog leg. I’ll probably pass out. But not in some countries of Asia, where dog meat is traded in the black market extensively and they don’t fall short of customers, even though the government has forbidden this age old practise. Being a dog lover, with a long list of dog breeds that I want to have as pets, I’d rather starve than eat them.

16. Rocky Mountain Oysters (U.S.A., Canada)

Name could be deceiving. Unlike what came to your mind when you first heard the name, this dish is made of something that wouldn’t have even remotely come to you in your wildest dream. This dish is made of bull testicles after they are peeled and coated in flour, deep fried thoroughly. I’ll leave you at that.

17. Ikizikuri (Japan)

Japan is quite renowned for raw sushi, which is an expensive and extensively enjoyed delicacy. Ikizikuri is in similar lines, prepared with fish, octopus, shrimp, squid and other sea creatures. These creatures are dissected or heated while still alive and presented for consumption while still alive and moving. Find your humanity people!

18. Puffin Heart (Iceland)

Remember the cute creature from ‘Happy Feet’ movie? No, I’m not speaking about penguins, the one that disguises like a penguin and can fly short distance. That is what a Puffin is. But prepare yourself for what’s coming next. People in Iceland hunt them, break their necks, skin them and eat the raw heart before it gets cold. It is said to be a traditional Icelandic delicacy. One that would turn me into a vegetarian.

19. Fried Brain Sandwich (U.S.A)

Before any of my crazy adventurous readers put this delicacy (gagging as I say it) on their must-have list, let me inform you that this dish no longer makes to the menu cards of restaurants. Famous during early 1900’s till 1970’s, this dish was just a huge brain patty between burger breads. However, this dish disappeared as soon as the mad cow disease hit U.S.A and U.K. in the late 1990’s. Something to be thankful about!

20. Virgin Boy Egg (China)

We are NOT talking about human eggs for consumption here, let’s clear that out of our heads. This centuries old tradition is still in practise in China. This dish, practically, is eggs soaked in the urine of prepubescent boys, probably 10 year old or so. It is said to have medicinal effects of helping to prevent from heart attacks or curing asthma. I’ll suffer the disease. Period.  

So this was a short overview of highly unappetizing food for thought. How do you feel now about all the things that go into a human mouth? I’m highly picky and adventurous but within limits when it comes to food. Let me know if any of my reads have tried one of these delicacies. 

(P.S. The writer has no intention of hurting any personal sentiments and the images use in this article are taken from the Internet, hence they belong to the rightful owner. )