What's the weirdest food you've ever eaten?

**fenris** · 06-12-2012, 04:23 PM

We are in the Pankot Palace... So, what's the weirdest, most unusual or grossest thing you've ever eaten?

Mine are:
1. Locusts (spicy and deep fried) - the legs to tend to get stuck in your teeth, though.
2. Frog's legs (tastes like chicken) - this required more effort on my part as I'm really grossed out by frogs.
3. Balut (basically a duck fetus still in the egg) - this would gross out most cultures, but it's a common delicacy in the Philippines.

We do have a lot of delicacies most will find weird or disgusting, like Barbecued chicken (or pork) intestines on a stick.

**Indiana Bugs** · 06-12-2012, 06:23 PM

The first time I ate anything 'weird' was on my 1st honey moon in 1984. Frog legs. They do indeed taste like chicken. That was also the last time I ate them.

Since then I have eaten 'Brazilian' barbecue that featured an interesting sampling of meats including alligator, ostrich, and I was told kangaroo although I don't believe the kangaroo.

When I was in England I was offered Black Pudding. I didn't liek the sound of it and asked what it was. I was told I'd be told after I tried it. I figured if you're not gonna tell me what it is before I try it I am definitely not gonna try it. And I'm glad I didn't. I found out later it's pigs' blood. Ugh.

I won't eat bugs. I'm Bugs as in bunny, not insects.

**Kt Templar** · 06-12-2012, 07:59 PM

I'm actually trying to think what I might consider weird! ie the Black Pudding, that just breakfast! Lots of cultures have something that, the French call it boudin noir the Koreans call it Soondae. Good use for a goodness rich material. The Chinese have a blood.... er curd made sometimes with pigs blood sometimes with chicken, fabulous with a chive gravy, it's texture is like soft tofu, or some kinds set puddings like jelly/o.

Back to the pigs, I have eaten trotters, scratchings (deep fried pigskin) ie portable crackling, soya braised pigs uterus (kinda like squid), deep fried pigs intestines (yummmm), pork tongue, braised pigs ear, brawn (pig head meat set in jelly, I think it's called something else in the US)... yup piggy is just walking food!

Chicken hearts, feet, oh yakitori chicken skin.... wow just don't tell your cardiologist.

Seafood, geoduck clams, sea cucumbers, jellyfish, sea urchin all great if prepared well.

Crocodile, ostrich, kangaroo, frog, moose. Meh can take or leave, the ostritch wasn't bad.

Haggis... the pluck (Heart, lungs, liver) cooked with oats onion suet and pepper in the a sheep's stomach. Sounds nasty, but can be nice and savoury if a little heavy.

Love escargot and whelks and conch.

Haven't eaten many insects I must admit, thought shrimp, crab and lobster are just sea insects really.

**djd** · 06-12-2012, 08:19 PM

We have a great thread over on my Facebook group 'gentleman adventurers' on this very subject. As there are some very well traveled chaps on there they had some revolting answers (although some claimed it was McDonalds). The egg foetus thing was actually the most revolting one to my mind though...

Black pudding? I love the stuff. Tripe? That's vile if you want vile

**kiltie** · 06-12-2012, 08:25 PM

As Kt said, weird is relative.

In South Texas, Sunday mornings ( especially after a solid bender ) is when you pick up barbacoa from the taco stand. While it has a few different regional meanings, when you ask for it here, everyone knows you mean cabeza. Colder days, and holidays: menudo ( cow stomach and/or tripas ). I'm not the world's biggest fan of menudo ( neither the food, nor the Mexican boy band ), but it's usually on a few of my friends' tables or at work, on New Years in particular. And there's lengua...a cow goes a pretty long ways.

Out east and into Louisiana ( where I have and have had a fair number of relatives ), you get into the Cajun and Creole food: frogs, alligator, turtle gumbo. I've had all that stuff. It's funny the things eaten out of necessity for some folks are something to be had at a premium by others ( I'm looking at you, twenty dollar "Louisiana kitchen" entree ).
Oh yeah - and escargot...? How is that a good idea? Maybe I just wasn't in the right frame of mind, but how is that supposed to be fine dining?

**Kt Templar** · 06-12-2012, 08:27 PM

Tripe can be very, very tasty. Chinese street food:

Escargot are really just an excuse for garlic and butter sauce.

very tasty!

**kiltie** · 06-12-2012, 08:29 PM

Heh -
I missed that you love escargot, Kt. I'll have to take it for another spin. There's only one place that I've been to more than once that regularly serves it, and I suppose their preparation just isn't to my liking.

**Kt Templar** · 06-12-2012, 08:34 PM

No worries, the meat itself is slightly chewy and can be kinda floral tasting, but yeah there is not a lot there.

Another one I forgot stirfried ducks tongues....

Are ok i suppose but not really worth the hassle. They export them from the UK to China... wherever the market is I suppose... and Monty Python thought they were having a laugh with the larks tongues.

Fenris, Balut sounds really scary, especially as it sometimes looks REALLY 'juicy.' LOL Does it just taste like really tender chicken with egg?

**Gunslinger** · 06-12-2012, 11:26 PM

Andouillette.

Had this in a French village a few years ago. Foolishly I asked them to hit me with something as French and interesting as they could. And so I ended up eating something that smelled like an arse. And that's because that's what it's made of! Ugh.

I found jellyfish tastes like rubber bands. Didn't do much for me.

**neutronbomb** · 06-13-2012, 12:24 AM

I think you're on the pipe with the tripe is tasty KT. Although your culinary experiences far out weigh mine, I'd enthusiastically throw down any and all of the tasty treats you mentioned before getting near tripe again.

Whoever said "vile", didn't even come close. It's far, far worse than that. I went to a real deal French restaurant like 3 or 4 years back in NYC and I still wake up gagging and sweating. Silly me didn't know what it was. I'd heard the word and that's about it. So I saw the menu and saw tripe listed and I'm in this totally French cuisine restaurant with this 100% straight from France waiter and figured I'd order this tripe dish and experience some real French goodies. So it came and I plowed right into it.

It tasted like burnt shit. Chewy and rancid burnt shit. I did a full on gag from the toes up. I actually felt my stomach do a big heave. Looked over at the waiter and asked him if he ate this stuff. He turned white and vigorously shook his head. Said something like only for stupid tourists and hustled off to the back.