We’ve all been a little grossed out by the bush tucker challenge on I’m a celeb but by comparison, some of those edible ‘treats’ are pretty tame compared to these weird foods I’m about to tell you about! I’m not a stranger to eating weird foods, for example, a fried cricket in Cambodia as a dare after a few cocktails! I can honestly say it was one of the most disgusting things I have ever tasted. Well its up there with mushy peas for sure…
So here are a few more weird foods from around the world which I doubt you’ll be in a rush to cook for dinner!
What you can expect from this article…
- 1 Weird Foods around the world
- 1.1 Steak Tartare – France’s weirdest food
- 1.2 Shirako – Japan’s weirdest food.
- 1.3 Crispy tarantula legs – Weird Food in Cambodia
- 1.4 Casu Marzu – Italy’s Weirdest Food
- 1.5 Hakarl – Iceland’s Weirdest Food
- 1.6 Tuna eyeballs – Another of Japans Weird Delicacies
- 1.7 Marmite/Vegemite – Australias Weirdest Food
- 1.8 Balut – Weird Food in The Philippines.
- 1.9 Wasp Crackers – Yet Another Weird Japanese Delicacy.
- 1.10 Fugu – Japans most deadly delicacy
- 1.11 Live Octopus Tentacles – Yep you Guessed it, a Japanese Delicacy.
Weird Foods around the world
Steak Tartare – France’s weirdest food
Rare minced beef with an uncooked egg cracked on top. Add a few herbs and you have a French delicacy, Steak Tartare! mmmm nice?! I mean who even came up with this idea and just… WHY?!
Shirako – Japan’s weirdest food.
They seem to eat a lot of odd foods in Japan and this is no exception! Shirkako is the sperm sacs of fish and they look a bit like mini-brains and apparently taste sweet! However, probably not my dessert of choice…
Crispy tarantula legs – Weird Food in Cambodia
Initially eaten during the Khmer Rouge regime when people were starving but later became this weird food of choice became popular. A fellow traveller described it to me as incredibly fatty and a little hairy! Nice.
Casu Marzu – Italy’s Weirdest Food
Italy is somewhere most people think of as having one of the best cuisines in the world and yet this might just turn your stomach a little! Casu Marzu is pecorino cheese with maggots inside! The maggots burrow and digest the fats changing the flavour. It can then be eaten with or without the maggots! Gross.
Hakarl – Iceland’s Weirdest Food
A Greenland shark is gutted and buried in sand and stones for 2 months. This helps to drain the poisonous fluids within it making it safe to eat. It is then strung up to dry out for several months to rot. It is said to smell like ammonia and taste extremely fishy! Check out this bloggers article and video about tasting this erm delicacy…
Tuna eyeballs – Another of Japans Weird Delicacies
Yet another Japanese delicacy! Apparently, it tastes like squid or octopus, however, I think it would turn all but the strongest of stomachs seeing it stare at you from the plate! Could YOU eat an eyeball?!
Marmite/Vegemite – Australias Weirdest Food
Yes, you probably have some Marmite in your cupboard but did you know how it’s made? It is the by-product of brewing beer, the slurry of the barrel mixed with salt to create a sticky brown salty paste which can be spread on toast. Love it or hate it, you have to admit it’s a bit disgusting how its made!
Balut – Weird Food in The Philippines.
A duck embryo is boiled alive within its shell and then eaten in its entirety. A horrible thought and possibly not the most appetising snack! Definitely not something I would ever consider eating.
Wasp Crackers – Yet Another Weird Japanese Delicacy.
Like chocolate chip cookies only with wasps instead of chocolate chips! WHAT?! I sure know which I would choose!
Fugu – Japans most deadly delicacy
Extremely poisonous, this pufferfish can kill quickly with tetrodotoxin being the active ingredient which is 13 times stronger than arsenic! The poison is removed when it’s cooked but it still numbs your lips! Its incredibly expensive and one portion of this strange food will set you back about a staggering £70! Would you pay to eat a poisonous fish?!
Live Octopus Tentacles – Yep you Guessed it, a Japanese Delicacy.
Japan it appears has won the competition for the most weird foods in once country!
In this case, a tentacle is chopped off a live octopus and immediately served up on a plate still writhing! Horrendous.
So there we have it, 11 of the weirdest foods in the world. I’m not sure I could bring myself to eat any of these! Have you tried any weird foods? Please comment below – I’d love to hear about your experiences!
