What bizarre foods have you eaten?

[jvlgato]

Continued as a new thread which started in the f*cking snow thread ...

[jvlgato]

Crocodile is great! But not quite as good as warthog. Mmmmm, warthog! The worst is Mopani worms. Blech!

Yeah, those suck. Fried termites are quite tasty though if you can get over the yick factor.

Have never tried fried termites. Sounds awful ... may have to add it to my list...

You certainly know the quickest way to a woman's heart.


After seeing some pics of Mopani worms I'm pretty sure I'd try balut first. I'm already used to eggs that are messed up:

Century egg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Salted duck egg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

And of course shacha sauce + raw egg yolk for hot pot.

I grew up on balut ... loved it as a kid, but one day got one that was allowed to develop too long. I opened it up and a tiny duck embryo head popped right up and looked like it was staring right at me. I freaked, and never ate another balut to this day.

Messed up eggs - love 'em! Century eggs -yum! Had some over Tgiving weekend, great stuff, had it in the turkey broth congee my sister-in-law made!

Where did you find the pics of Mopani worms?

[mypasswordis]

Yeah, nah I'm good.

Agreed, messed up eggs are great. In fact, I usually dislike the most obvious way of eating them, scrambled. Infinitely prefer sunny side up, or some of this crazier stuff. I also really like plain hardboiled eggs dipped in some salt. So good. I don't mind tea-soaked hardboiled eggs, either.

I haven't eaten anything that crazy, but some things that most people in western culture don't eat that I've had include chicken feet/claws (don't know why it's not more popular), fish brains, pork ears, pork intestines, pork feet, tripe (cow), and rabbit.

Edit: Squid, octopus, chicken internal organs (heart, liver, giblet), congealed pork blood

[uberburger101]

I haven't eaten anything that crazy, but some things that most people in western culture don't eat that I've had include chicken feet/claws (don't know why it's not more popular), fish brains, pork ears, pork intestines, pork feet, tripe (cow), and rabbit.

Edit: Squid, octopus, chicken internal organs (heart, liver, giblet), congealed pork blood

I love every single one of those things you've mentioned. I just didn't know they were considered "bizarre". Figured bizarre meant stuff like bugs and whatnot.

[Hopstretch]

Well, a lot of people don't even eat offal over here. I guess in a cuisine of plenty, there wasn't much incentive. I love that stuff generally, but do draw the line at brains. My French friend in DC always used to order some on toast at this little bistro where we would bunk off work on Friday afternoons. Said they're like creamy scrambled eggs.

[skullguise]

If you eat brains, does that make you smarter?

I tried some canned brains several years back, just a forkfull; don't even remember what they tasted like, though I remember I didn't dislike them....

There's a store near Concord, NH (for you locals dying to try this stuff) called The Healthy Buffalo. They sell various alterna-meats, like the named Buffalo/Bison, but also all kinds of others. Deer/Elk, Wild Boar, Alligator, Ostrich, and my new favorite, Kangaroo; probably a few more I don't recall.

I've tried eel and fish eyes (in Hong Kong for eel and Japan for fish with eyes). One of my favorites was a little narrow place in Hong Kong that specialized in Congee, a kind of rice porridge. I tried some of my co-workers Congee with Pig's Blood and Thousand Year Egg. Quite tasty, actually.

I probably ate bugs as a kid, but that doesn't count on the gourmet scale I suppose.

[jvlgato]

Yeah, nah I'm good.

Agreed, messed up eggs are great. In fact, I usually dislike the most obvious way of eating them, scrambled. Infinitely prefer sunny side up, or some of this crazier stuff. I also really like plain hardboiled eggs dipped in some salt. So good. I don't mind tea-soaked hardboiled eggs, either.

I haven't eaten anything that crazy, but some things that most people in western culture don't eat that I've had include chicken feet/claws (don't know why it's not more popular), fish brains, pork ears, pork intestines, pork feet, tripe (cow), and rabbit.

Edit: Squid, octopus, chicken internal organs (heart, liver, giblet), congealed pork blood

Uugh, those worms look awful, what was I thinking?! Although they don't look quite as bad when cleaned and prepared.

Yup, have had all that good stuff we (Asian) 'brothers' eat. Can't say I esp LIKE organ meats, but have tried them. I had lung once, by mistake. My Dad thinks he can read Chinese (a few years of Chinese school in the Philippines as a child), but he really can't. He ordered what he thought was a beloved vegetable he hadn't had in a long time, but what came out was mystery meat. We recognized alveoli, and it was kind of spongy, so we figured it was lung. Of the stuff you list, I only like the pigs feet, octopus (awesome grilled!), squid. I've also had fish stomach (sometime called ' fish maw') which is really good. My poor Caucasian wife ate all this stuff when we were dating; such a trooper - she still married me!

I love every single one of those things you've mentioned. I just didn't know they were considered "bizarre". Figured bizarre meant stuff like bugs and whatnot.

Yeah, 'bizarre' is only 'bizarre' outside of its cultural context. Really, no food is inherently 'bizarre' because if a culture eats it regularly, it's not bizarre; but if another doesn't, then that one thinks it's 'bizarre.' No Filipino I know thinks balut is in any way odd, but all my Caucasian friends do! There's some TV show w/ Andrew Zimmern which is fun to watch, and I think it's called 'Bizarre Foods', so I figured I had pick a title...

Well, a lot of people don't even eat offal over here. I guess in a cuisine of plenty, there wasn't much incentive. I love that stuff generally, but do draw the line at brains. My French friend in DC always used to order some on toast at this little bistro where we would bunk off work on Friday afternoons. Said they're like creamy scrambled eggs.

If you eat brains, does that make you smarter?

I tried some canned brains several years back, just a forkfull; don't even remember what they tasted like, though I remember I didn't dislike them....

There's a store near Concord, NH (for you locals dying to try this stuff) called The Healthy Buffalo. They sell various alterna-meats, like the named Buffalo/Bison, but also all kinds of others. Deer/Elk, Wild Boar, Alligator, Ostrich, and my new favorite, Kangaroo; probably a few more I don't recall.

I've tried eel and fish eyes (in Hong Kong for eel and Japan for fish with eyes). One of my favorites was a little narrow place in Hong Kong that specialized in Congee, a kind of rice porridge. I tried some of my co-workers Congee with Pig's Blood and Thousand Year Egg. Quite tasty, actually.

I probably ate bugs as a kid, but that doesn't count on the gourmet scale I suppose.

I had brains once in scrambled eggs; not so pleasant, I thought. Now I'm afraid of getting prion diseases. No more brains for me!

Eel is awesome - get it all the time at the sushi place. I had fish eyes once, thought it was awful. My Dad said it's the best part of the fish, next to the cheek. I let him have it every time.

Would love to try more game meats - I've had a smattering of them, but it's usually at the Wisconsin state fair, so it's burgers and sausages, I don't know that I really taste the meat at all.

[n_maher]

I've had alligator, ostrich and a few other off the beaten path meets but generally my pallet is pretty pedestrian.

[uberburger101]

If you eat brains, does that make you smarter?

Funny you should mention that, the older generation Chinese (which includes my parents/grandparents) do believe that eating brain makes you smarter. Thankfully it's not exactly very appetizing, cook it for too long and it gets all mushy.

One of my favorites was a little narrow place in Hong Kong that specialized in Congee, a kind of rice porridge. I tried some of my co-workers Congee with Pig's Blood and Thousand Year Egg. Quite tasty, actually.

One of my favourite breakfast fare.

Yup, have had all that good stuff we (Asian) 'brothers' eat. Can't say I esp LIKE organ meats, but have tried them. I had lung once, by mistake. My Dad thinks he can read Chinese (a few years of Chinese school in the Philippines as a child), but he really can't. He ordered what he thought was a beloved vegetable he hadn't had in a long time, but what came out was mystery meat. We recognized alveoli, and it was kind of spongy, so we figured it was lung. Of the stuff you list, I only like the pigs feet, octopus (awesome grilled!), squid. I've also had fish stomach (sometime called ' fish maw') which is really good. My poor Caucasian wife ate all this stuff when we were dating; such a trooper - she still married me!

Haven't tried lung, but heard it's pretty nasty. One of the few parts of the pig that is spared the cooking pot.

Eel is awesome - get it all the time at the sushi place. I had fish eyes once, thought it was awful. My Dad said it's the best part of the fish, next to the cheek. I let him have it every time.

Agreed on both counts, I don't see the deal with the eye. Cheek is the way to go.

[strid3r]

I grew up eating all that stuff mypasswordis listed. I do enjoy the occasional offal (girlfriend can't stand it!) and used to love fish eyes as a kid...my parents would take the rest of the head. I'm always up for trying new foods, but don't know if I could do the worms up there. Maybe if they were deep fried.

Most recent bizarre food I've had is buffalo, which is actually quite tasty. It's like a very lean beef.

[909]

rabbit
rattle snake
jack fruit
sea urchin
eel
fried shrimp heads
raw sweet shrimp
snails
monkfish liver
cow brains
sweetbread
buffalo
raw quail eggs
preserved duck eggs (aged months)
oxtail
frog legs

well, these are the first things that come to mind...

[thrice]

Is haggis a bizzare food? I've also had sea urchin right off the beach. We went to Greece when I was a kid and my dad (from Greece) pulled a spiky black urchin out of the water, cracked it open and offered a pinkish goo to my brother and I. Other than that, nothing too exotic.

[mypasswordis]

All the stuff I listed is very common in Asian cultures, as everyone already said, and I do enjoy all of it. Glancing off 909's list and to add to my seafood list I have also had frog legs, various kinds of sea snails, raw eel, fish eggs, shrimp heads (hell, the whole shrimp including the shell and legs), sea cucumber, and yes I have had fish eyes too (not a fan).

I'd love to have a store like The Healthy Buffalo nearby.

Edit: And of course shark fin soup

[jvlgato]

rabbit
rattle snake
jack fruit
sea urchin
eel
fried shrimp heads
raw sweet shrimp
snails
monkfish liver
cow brains
sweetbread
buffalo
raw quail eggs
preserved duck eggs (aged months)
oxtail
frog legs

well, these are the first things that come to mind...

I LOVE oxtail! My Mom made a nice oxtail stew when I was growing up, and we still have it upon request. There's a Cuban place in town that makes a nice oxtail stew.

What is rattle snake like? Never had any kind of snake. I've had quail eggs, but never raw. Fresh jack fruit is very nice, have had jarred many times, but it's not as good. Sweet breads were very nice at some French places I've been. Snails - I don't get why it's a delicacy. Frog legs - they're ok, nothing special, to me.

Is haggis a bizzare food? I've also had sea urchin right off the beach. We went to Greece when I was a kid and my dad (from Greece) pulled a spiky black urchin out of the water, cracked it open and offered a pinkish goo to my brother and I. Other than that, nothing too exotic.

Never had haggis; looks bizarre enough to me! Would like to try it some time. I've heard there are some pubs in Chicago that have it.

Sea urchin sounds interesting. What does this pinkish goo taste like?

[jvlgato]

All the stuff I listed is very common in Asian cultures, as everyone already said, and I do enjoy all of it. Glancing off 909's list and to add to my seafood list I have also had frog legs, various kinds of sea snails, raw eel, fish eggs, shrimp heads (hell, the whole shrimp including the shell and legs), sea cucumber, and yes I have had fish eyes too (not a fan).

I'd love to have a store like The Healthy Buffalo nearby.

Edit: And of course shark fin soup

Shark fins soup is fabulous. But I felt really bad after I saw a show about how they catch them alive, saw off their fins and throw them back in. I know, all animals have to die in order to eat them, but it seems there can be some element of humanity involved.

Sea cucumber is very nice, tasty and chewy! Can't say I've had a shrimp head. Seems like it'd be all hard shell, spines and eye balls.

But reminds me, any bagoong fans out there? A strong smelling pink salty paste made up of ground up shrimp that is salted and fermented. Horrible stuff. One of the few things my wife couldn't handle.

The first time she met my parent when we were first dating, they took it easy on her. The second time around, after they heard she had traveled quite a bit, and was open minded, they threw everything at her - we had pigs feet, jellyfish, oxtail stew, bitter melon, bagoong on the side, all over one weekend. She tried everything, and even liked some of it! She scored a lot of points, my parents have liked her ever since.

[mypasswordis]

Yeah, I feel bad about the sharks, too. For the shrimp, it's more like.. the insides of the head. Not so much the outer shell or eyes or antennae. Unless they're baby shrimp, then everything is the same and I just chew and swallow.

Never heard of bagoong but jellyfish is very tasty. And it's great that your wife is so open-minded. Most people I know limit themselves quite a bit when it comes to food.

Ooh, something else that is very delicious: wood ears is the literal translation from Chinese. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auricularia_auricula-judae

[jinp6301]

Is it weird that, for most of these foods that were listed, I dont find bizarre?

[jvlgato]

For the shrimp, it's more like.. the insides of the head. Not so much the outer shell or eyes or antennae. Unless they're baby shrimp, then everything is the same and I just chew and swallow.

Never heard of bagoong but jellyfish is very tasty. And it's great that your wife is so open-minded. Most people I know limit themselves quite a bit when it comes to food.

Ooh, something else that is very delicious: wood ears is the literal translation from Chinese. Auricularia auricula-judae - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

So you suck out the shrimp head innards? Still doesn't sound so good. I've sucked the insides of crawfish heads and that wasn't so great. Tasted like sewage to me.

Wood ears - is that the hard/chewy/crunchy brown stuff that is sold dried; it shows up in all kinds of Chinese dishes, esp noodle dishes? I like the texture, but it doesn't seem to have much taste. But maybe my taste buds are deficient with fungi. I've had fresh truffles while in France, and didn't taste a darn thing. Huge disappointment, just let the pigs have 'em, I say!

Yeah, my wife is pretty cool that way. White girl from small town Wisconsin, but really open minded. But then she'd have to be to marry me, the poor gal!

[jvlgato]

Is it weird that, for most of these foods that were listed, I dont find bizarre?

I don't think so ... to me, most of this stuff isn't bizarre at all. People eat what's available! I just think you're open minded. But most of my life, when I talk about this stuff, the reaction I get is horror and disgust. It used to bother me, but now I kind of enjoy making people cringe.

Have you eaten a lot of this stuff?

[Beefy]

Haven't tried lung, but heard it's pretty nasty. One of the few parts of the pig that is spared the cooking pot.

If you had seen the things I have seen come out of pig lung, you wouldn't eat it. EVER.