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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Haggis – Scotland

Haggis consists of a sheep’s stomach stuffed with sheep’s liver, sheep's lungs and heart, onions, oatmeal, and Scotish spices to give this weird dish some flavor. As I took a bite, I wanted to vomit. I'm an adventurous eater, but this combo of veggies, meat and oatmeal (?) was too much to handle for my taste buds. The texture is crunchy with some mushiness afterward. 

Balut – Philippines

Balut 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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Baby Mice Wine - Hong Kong

What's better than alcohol and baby mice? Sarcasm. This weird dish is said to have some health benefits. Personally, I doubt this, but I tried it anyways. Wow, was it gross. The taste is overpowering with a hard crunch. Vegetarians will cringe at the site of this Chinese delicacy. 

Grasshoppers - Hong Kong

Grasshoppers 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.

Bird’s Nest Soup – Anywhere in Southeast Asia

This dish sounds like you'd be eating a real bird's nest, but you aren't. This dish has a bird's dried saliva mixed with noodles and chicken broth. It tasted like chicken noodle soup with a weird crunch at the end. 

Soup Number Five – Philippines

I 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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Alligator - United States

My first impression of Alligator wasn't a good one. I thought it would taste like rubber. When I was in Portland, Oregon going to school, I had crocodile linguine. Absolutely delicious. A must try wherever you can find this dish. 

Steak Tartar - Poland

I had always wanted to try steak tartar. I had the chance to when I was visiting a friend in Warsaw. This meat dish consists of raw beef, onions and capers. Some times it is served with a raw egg yolk, but my dish didn't include that. If done right, this dish is fantastic.

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Starfish - China

I never thought I'd ever eat a starfish. This cute sea creature has a harden shell that can be broken. The meat tastes fishy and salty and has the texture of ground beef or chicken. 

Spam - Hawaii, United States

Spam with rice and eggs is a popular dish in Hawaii. Spam consists of one ingredient; pork shoulder. The meat product melts in your mouth. Make sure to cover it with Sriracha sauce. 

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Scorpion - China 

Supposedly, after cooking the scorpion, the venom in the tail is turned into a harmless liquid. Well, I survived it, so it's true. This weird insect tastes like a greasy crunchy bucket of stale popcorn. 

Horse Meat - Bavaria 

Horse 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 States

Frog 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. 

Salo - Ukraine 

Salo 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 - Taiwan

Stinky 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.  

Black Pudding - England 

Black 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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Sea Snail- Taiwan

This type of Sea Snail is picked off the bottom of the ocean. To cook it, local mom and pop shops boil it with different spices to give it a spicy flavor. To eat these little guys, you have to suck them out of the shell. They taste great too! Crunchy and spicy.

Blood on a Stick - Taiwan 

Like 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 - Taiwan

Duck 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.