As I travel around the world there seems to be a reoccurring theme following me, somehow for some reason everywhere I visit I end up eating the weirdest food that that place might be known for. I don’t know why I do this to myself but like the saying “You should try everything at least once!” right?
Here is my list of the top five weird foods I have eaten around the world:
Kangaroo – Australia
Kangaroo meat in Australia – photo courtesy of Cailin O’Neil
When you think of Kangaroo, most people don’t immediately lick their lips and say “mmm dinner”. This furry, hoppy marsupial from the land down under although weird to think about eating is actually quite delicious and is said to be one of the leanest and best meat for your to eat.
The first time I tried it on a pizza, it was tender and kind of melts in your mouth type of good meat, the next time I had it as a rump roast, that cut was a bit chewier, not so much a fan and the next time I had it as a steak, fantastic. In Australia you can buy it in a grocery store with all of the other meats and you can even get it in sausage form or as the Aussie’s call it “kanga bangas”.
Lengua (cow tongue) – Mexico
Lengua – photo courtesy of flickr user jlastras
Mexico is one of those countries that eats every part of an animal and nothing goes to waste. Lengua, is one of those items. I don’t generally enjoy the idea of eating something that could potentially “taste” me back. When I had it in Mazatlan, Mexico it was served whole that you had to cut up and I think just the visual of it is what lost me. Persuaded by friends I tried a tiny taste of it, don’t tell them, but it wasn’t actually that bad, however my mind still can’t get over the idea of what I’m eating.
Kava – Fiji
Kava bowl in Fiji – photo courtesy of Cailin O’Neil
Made from the root of the kava plant, the root is dried then pounded into a powder, which is then placed in a cheesecloth and mixed with water in a traditional kava bowl. I was on a tour and we stopped by a village where the Chief invited us to drink kava with him. One of the things we were taught was that you must drink the whole bowl at once.
We were then each served half a coconut full. It tastes a little bit like dirty water, the taste doesn’t really linger and after your first bowl it seems like nothing. We then had at least three bowls more and my tongue started feeling numb. Apparently kava numbs your tongue and stomach and is not a hallucinogen but does relax you as well as gives you a great nights sleep.
Deep Fried Mars Bars – Scotland
Deep fried mars bars in Scotland – photo courtesy of Cailin O’Neil
While in the home of haggis, instead of tasting that interesting meal I went for an interesting treat. Originally first made by a restaurant in Scotland as a treat for kids this is definitely a must try, preferably after a night out on the town when you might not regret it. Lightly battered and tossed in a fryer it is served hot and looks a bit like a log of “you-know-what”. Of all the weird things I have eaten while traveling, the deep fried mars bar is perhaps the most stomach-able of them all.
Puffin – Iceland
Before visiting Iceland I had never even seen a Puffin let alone eaten one even though they are common in the Canadian Maritimes and particularly in Newfoundland. However I quickly learned that in Iceland, the land of Vikings they use to and some still do eat some interesting foods. Whale, Icelandic Horse and Puffin aren’t odd to be seen on a menu there and I was curious to know what this odd cross between a Tucan / Penguin / Seagull tasted like. I just had a small tasty bite and to me, it tasted like fishy chicken. Interesting. )
When you travel do you often find yourself eating weird food? Have you tried any from my list above? Share your weird food encounters below.
I’m surprised Guinea Pig in Peru didn’t make the list.
I spent some of my time in Peru (unsuccessfully) looking for turtle eggs to move them to a secure site… on my last night in a near by village we had boiled turtle egg for dinner!
we were also fed frittata made out of pasta and the usual unusual foods eg pihranna, cat fish and savoury dried banana fried with sugar and hot chocolate made from coco that we all chewed out of the pods and spat into a drying bowl.. good times.
In south Africa I was treated to a ‘carnivore special’ evening that included courses of impala, kudhu, zebra, crocodile, boar, ostrich, warthog, nyahla, springbok, and assorted billtong. I don’t even usually eat venison but I did that night, alot of it!
When I was in Malaysia in 2006 I decided to try pigeon stir fry. Lets just say, it was a one off experience.
Souse- its a type of pudding made from pig’s blood and intestine. A favorite for Trinidad people.
They put the blood inside pieces of pig intestine, its tied at both ends, and then the whole thing is boiled.
It tastes….interesting.
Jellyfish tentacles in Hong Kong was an experience, at least some hot chilli sauce helped to disguise the weird rubber-band taste!
I was persuaded to try Balut, to you and me a fertilized duck embryo, after a long night out in Na Trang, Vietnam, by the tour leader.
Apparently it’s a delicacy.
Something must have got lost in translation as the first one they brought out was raw. Second time lucky, to the amusement of a group of women street cleaners having a break, was my once and only try of Balut.
On the up side I did get several offers of marriage from the cleaners but I think it was more out of sympathy
I’ve had banana palm worms in the Amazon, fried ants, chigüiro (the largest rodent in earth) and shark in Colombia, stingray, Guinea Pig, vicuña and alpaca in Peru, turtle in Costa Rica (I now regret that one), centolla (giant crab) in Chile and fly larvae and tacos made of bull’s eye, guts, heart and brain in Mexico. Tongue is a normal delicacy in Colombia as well, as is pork brains (called “queso de cabeza” in spanish). To @Bhisham, we stuff the pig’s blood but also add rice and dill before cooking it. That’s my “standard” Sunday breakfast.
I ate Fried Bamboo Maggots when I stayed over night in a village on a trek in Chang Mai, Thailand. They tasted a bit like cashew nuts and were surprisingly tasty. I refused their offer of roast squirrel.
Singapore has quite a bit of weird food that I’m reluctant to try.Things like pig organ soup or frog porridge or Durian.
There’s a few things I definitely wouldn’t try, one being Balut (http://www.21stcenturymummy.com/2012/04/24/freaky-food/)
So funny! My grandma and my mom love tongue! Very traditional also in Central America. Specially with sauce, maybe prune sauce…and gotta say it tastes good! haha
i love all dese random foodsssss lolo jk they r as bad as ****