Each country has its own culture and language, and the foods it enjoys are also different. Indiscriminately criticizing unfamiliar dishes from other countries is akin to discriminating against their culture. However, some bizarre foods with outlandish visuals exist that even the locals struggle to enjoy. What odd foods send you chills just by hearing or imagining them? Let’s explore the unbelievable foods worldwide, from brain sandwiches in the US to monkey brain dishes in China.
South Korea – Live Octopus
Foreigners visiting Korea often attempt to eat live octopuses in entertainment shows. These are popular dishes in Korea, from wriggling octopus pieces to hot pot dishes where the whole octopus is dunked into boiling water. However, these dishes are seen as gross and disgusting in cultures that don’t typically consume raw food.
United States – Brain Sandwich
With its dubious name and visual, the brain sandwich draws attention. It was a routinely consumed menu in a US city before Mad Cow disease syndrome was diagnosed. It’s a dish with a thinly sliced calf brain placed on a hamburger bun. In some countries, it can also be found in tacos or burritos.
France – Ortolan
Even in the country of romance, France, bizarre dishes do exist. This dish, called Ortolan, is a French delicacy made with bunting. The tiny bird is either kept in a pitch-black room or has its eyes plucked out and is fed various grains and fruits until it grows four times its original size. It is then drowned in alcohol and baked whole in an oven. Because of this cruel and horrifying cooking method, there is a tradition where people who eat Ortolan cover their heads with a napkin.
China, Thailand – Monkey Brain Dish
The movie Indiana Jones features a scene where the characters eat a monkey brain dish. Previously considered a figment of imagination, the dish is a real food. The Monkey brain dish involves strapping a live monkey into a frame, splitting its head open, and scooping out its raw brain with a spoon. While eating, a drum is placed under the monkey’s feet, and you eat the cuisine to the sound of the monkey beating the drum with its feet. It’s a grotesque dish that shows how cruel humans can be.
Arab – Stuffed Camel
Arab’s bizarre food, Stuffed Camel, is a dish made by stuffing a whole camel with one sheep, 20 chickens, and other ingredients such as eggs and rice. The dish is registered in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s largest food and is known to be eaten at the weddings of Arab nomadic tribes. This dish may seem delicious if you don’t see the cooking process, but seeing a camel-roasted whole is quite revolting.
Italy – Casu Martzu
Casu Martzu, which translates to “rotten cheese,” is a dish teeming with live maggots. The cheese is known to develop a unique flavor due to the digestive action of larvae from cheese flies. These larvae can jump up to 6 inches, so diners need to be careful not to get them in their eyes. Casu Martzu is banned from sales, even in Italy, and can only be found in black markets.
Philippines – Balut
The Philippines’ bizarre food is Balut. Balut is a dish made by boiling a duck egg about 12 to 14 weeks old just before it hatches. The dish is known to be rich in protein and good for stamina. The taste doesn’t have any distinct difference compared to a boiled egg, but opening the egg reveals a growing chick, which can be very off-putting. The price of this dish is about 400 Korean won (approximately USD 0.35).
Guam – Fruit Bat Soup
Bats are native dishes in China, Thailand, Guam, and other places, but they are notorious for carrying diseases. In Guam, bats are prevalent, so they are at risk of extinction. Fruit bat soup, in particular, is a famous cuisine for restoring energy. Guam’s fruit bat soup is made by feeding fruit to bats and then boiling them in a clear soup with coconut milk and vegetables.
Japan – Frog Sashimi
Frog sashimi is a grotesque Japanese food. It involves slicing a live bullfrog on the spot and eating it with lemon. The meat is dipped into a sauce, while the frog bones are made into a soup and served together. Netizens who witnessed the cooking video uploaded on YouTube left angry and disgusted comments about the cruel treatment of animals.
China – Fried Cockroach
China, known to eat every four-legged item except for a desk, offers fried cockroaches as its bizarre food. It’s pretty easy to find fried insects in the streets of China. China uses cockroaches, cicadae, scorpions, silkworms, ants, and bees, among other insects, to make fried dishes. Fried cockroaches are eaten in China, India, and Cambodia.
Most Commented