Most of us fantasize to travel around the world, visit new places, taste new food, meet new people. Traveling and eating out is always fun and it is exciting to introduce new tastes to your taste buds and stomach. The food habits vary totally among every country and every community. The foods which could be weird for us can be a famous delicacy for people of those countries. Few people find it adventurous to taste these weird foods. Therefore, doing some research and awareness about the food and food items of that country could be an added advantage and will help you find the food that which you can easily enjoy. The list is about few weird foods around the world, which can be categorized as “dare to eat”, because either they might be made up of alive animals or the main ingredient of the dish is something definitely hard to swallow, shocked! Don’t be, find the list below:

10. Jumiles:



Jumiles popularly known as the “stink bugs”, they are six-legged insects measuring less than 1 cm and lives underwood logs in the forest or under the rock. Jumiles are part of the daily diet in Mexico, especially the southern region. They have a medicinal flavor due to strong iodine content and are rich in vitamin B2 and B3. Jumiles are eaten raw or mashed with molacajete( a stone tool) and used in salsa and served with corn tortillas. Jumiles are sold alive, although they die while the preparation of salsa.

9. Sannakji:



Sannakji is a mild flavored unique Korean dish in which small octopus (octopi) is cut and immediately served with sesame oil and seeds. It can also be served as a whole or can be cut into small portions. The pieces actually keep squirming in the plate and it is struggling to catch them with a fork, it gives a sensation in the mouth as the food is trying to fight back. The flavors are very mild and it is also difficult to swallow this dish as the slim, slippery and the tentacles stick to the roof, so it requires a lot of chewing to finally make it reach your stomach. The adventure eaters are very fond of Sannakji to experience the sensation of eating a live thing.

8. StinkHeads:



All the fish lovers are fond of worldwide delicacy the King Salmon fish, but ever imagined tasting its stink head. Yes, that’s correct it is a famous delicacy of Alaska, where the head of King Salmon is put into a plastic bag or wooden barrel and left to get fermented by nature. The bags are then pitted out and the head is consumed in that form. The name stinky head originated from the fermented head of the King salmon fish. They are simply the rotten head portion of the salmon fish, research is still going on to understand the health hazards associated with consumption of these fishes, few cases of Botulism are reported, therefore, nowadays they are following a new method of burying the head in a special burial pit in the dirt.

7. Blood Pudding:



Blood in breakfast, something which won’t come to mind in wildest thought also, but popularly consumed in Europe, Asia, Spain, and Kenya. It is also called black pudding or blood sausage. The name includes blood because it is made up of the blood of animal, pigs, cattle, sheep, goat’s blood are generally used depending on the country where it is made. Blood sausage is basically made by mixing the blood of the animal to oatmeal and some other binding agent. It can be consumed in roasted, fried, grilled or even can be eaten in cold form. In Ireland, it is one of the confirmed items to be served in the breakfast menu. In Taiwan, people enjoy the blood sausage made from sticky rice and pork’s blood.

6. Bushmeat:



Bushmeat is a wide term used for the meat obtained by hunting non-domesticated animals such as monkey, chimpanzee, gorilla, rat, fruit bat for food purpose in Africa, particularly West Africa. There are some serious disease threats related to the consumption of this meat. Ebola is said to have originated from such meat as the researchers can link bush meat to being the source from where the virus could have directly traveled to the human body. The people of Africa consider it following their tradition and a food for their forefathers. The villagers believe it to be a delicacy and the only affordable source of protein, as the other sources are expensive which they can’t incorporate it in their diet. Consumptions of bushmeat not only spreads life threatening diseases but also they possess a threat to the wildlife and biodiversity.

5. Khash:



Khash is a variety of soup, which was earlier consumed mostly as a nutritious soup to overcome the cold of the winter now considered as a delicacy. Khash is a traditional dish of Armenia, Georgia, Iraq, Iran, and Turkey. It is made by boiling cow’s feet and ankle, and brain (optional) in a heavy bottomed container which can accommodate the ingredients and it is flavored with some spices and made to cook for minimum 32 hours. Salt and garlic pieces are added after the dish is served. It is consumed early in the morning in winters and it has become a dish for the festive occasion, where the ladies and gents sit together to eat and celebrate. The people raise the toast become eating Khash. Khash is eaten with lavash bread. It is not advisable to consume Khash at any other time of the day as it is very heavy to digest as described by the locals.

4. Frog Sashimi:



If you consider yourself really courageous and looking out for some adventure eating try frog sashimi. Frog sashimi is a dish served in Asadachi restaurants in Japan, and only a few other restaurants present around the world which serve this unique dish. When you place the order for Frog Sashimi the real experience starts, the chef brings a living frog in front of you and will take its heart out with the help of a knife while it’s still beating and alive and will proudly hand it over to you with a pair of chopsticks. While you are experiencing a warm pumping heart going inside your stomach, the rest of the part is sliced into the plate by the chef. You experience a warm pumping heart going inside your stomach. Frog Shahimi is considered to be a delicacy and is found in few Japanese restaurants. It is served on ice with soya sauce and lemon slices. Although, there are a few controversies related to this dish as many people more than 5000 filed petitions to stop serving this dish as it is unlawful to eat living animals.

3. Cobra Heart:



Cobra Heart is another dish for the brave heart people on this earth. The cobra is split in front of you and you are offered the beating heart along with some of its own blood. The heart beats for some time when placed on the saucer. The pumping of the heart can be experienced in the throat. It is very popular among the locals of the Vietnam, where eating a snake is associated with virility and available in a few restaurants. The cobra heart is served with rice liquor in some places.

2. Shirako:



Shirako sounds a fancy name of a delicious dish. It’s a very famous dish is considered as “special Japanese dish”, which looks like a white creamy blob having a soft and spongy texture. Shirako also called Kiku and tachi the dish is the sperm sac or milt of the male cod. It is easily available in all restaurants in Japan. The male genitalia is also eaten in Russia, Romania and Sicilian. ‘White children’ are what shirako means in English. It is served as steamed or deep fried and available in winters. The taste of Shirako resembles that of the pork’s brain, but it is lighter and fine textured. The fishes used for harvesting sperms are cod, fugu, monkfish, anglerfish.

1. Whole Sheep Head:



A whole sheep heart is one of the delicacies of Iceland. Where the whole head of the sheep is eaten except the brain. The Icelander had to preserve the food for the harsh winters. The popular dishes of Iceland are lambs and seafood. The whole sheep’s head is said to taste like lamb or mutton and eating it is definitely a challenge because of the presentation where the whole head is presented on a plate in front of you to finish. The cheek and tongue are considered to be the tastiest part of the whole dish. It is available in all local big and small grocery stores. The dish is prepared by boiling the sheep’s head in water with some salt, once cold it is served. The presentation of the whole sheep’s head is really something which makes people gather the courage to taste it.

Written By: Richa T