Best and Worse "Weird" Dishes Around the World
As I travel around the world, I have tried some interesting foods. Some of these don't have original photos due to the quality of the image, my lack of remembering to take the photo or I was out drinking without my camera. Here are the weirdest foods I have tried with detailed descriptions on taste, texture and overall goodness.
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Balut – PhilippinesBalut is a developing duck embryo that is boiled alive and eaten from its shell all at once. This has to be the worst textural food I've ever had. Not to mention the taste wasn't anything to brag about. It tastes like a normal boiled egg that most people have tried, with duck broth and to top it off, a bit of a crunch from the bones... I wouldn't recommend this dish unless you have a strong stomach.
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Grasshoppers - Hong KongGrasshoppers are known to have a ton of protein. Survivalist tend to go for grasshoppers because of their crunchy chicken flavor taste when cooked right. However, when I had it, it tasted like a crunchy oiled up bug. I hate insects, but I hate eating them more. I had to force myself to do this one.
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Soup Number Five – PhilippinesI didn't know what I was getting into when I ordered this dish. It was an interesting experience to say the least. This dish consists of a tasty beef broth of bull’s penis and testicles. It was surprisingly tasty with a slimy texture.
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Horse Meat - BavariaHorse meat is a controversial issue back home in the US. I never thought I'd want to try the meat of such a beautiful animal. So, when I had to the chance to have a sample in Munich, Germany, I went all in. Horse tastes like beef to tell you the truth. It's one of the leanest animal meats available. I wouldn't try it again, though.
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Frog Legs - United StatesFrog legs sound slimy and froggy tasting. That's not my cup of tea. But, when the this meat is cooked right, wow, what a delicious meal. Frog legs taste just like chicken. The tenderness is about the same as chicken, too.
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Salo - UkraineSalo is basically bacon without any meat. The fatty part of the pork can be cooked multiple ways; smoked, steamed, fried and raw. I had it raw as a chaser to my Ukrainian vodka shot. It was a weird way to enjoy alcohol.
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Stinky Tofu - TaiwanStinky tofu is fermented tofu that can be cooked in many different ways. It can be deep-fried, pan-fried, stewed, steamed and eaten raw. The name says it all. As I walked down streets of Taipei, I could smell the rotten stench of tofu. Smelly, but tasty.
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Black Pudding - EnglandBlack pudding doesn't sound like a tasty appetizer. This black crusty blob is a type of blood sausage generally made of pig’s blood, which is mixed with steel-cut oatmeal. There's also a white version as well. Both taste like, well, blood. It's a unique taste.
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Blood on a Stick - TaiwanLike blood pudding in England and Ireland, Taiwan's Pig Blood Cake is combined with sticky rice instead of oatmeal and hot pig’s blood. It comes garnished with soy sauce, hot sauce, peanuts and cilantro. I didn't enjoy this blood cake. It tasted like licking an opened wound. Gross.
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Duck Tongue - TaiwanDuck tongue is widely eaten all over Taiwan. You can find it at any night market in Taipei. The duck tongue I had was chewy and tasted like chicken with a a bit of duck. The texture was so weird I had a hard time swallowing. Not the best tasting snack I had at the night markets in Taiwan.
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