Top 10 Weirdest and Most Horrifying Foods in the World

Blood Sausage is a distinct type of blood sausage originating from the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is made from pig or beef blood, along with pig or beef fat, and a type of cereal, often oatmeal, rolled oats, or barley. The high cereal ratio, along with the use of herbs such as parsley, distinguishes blood sausage from sausages eaten elsewhere in the world. As a product of the slaughter process, consuming blood sausage is closely tied to the Martinmas festival when annual livestock slaughter takes place.

Blood Sausage is often considered one of the oldest forms of sausage. Animals often bleed during slaughter, and because blood quickly spoils unless prepared in some way, blood sausage is one of the easiest ways to ensure that blood is not wasted. Although most modern blood sausage recipes use pig blood, sheep or cow blood is also used, and a 15th-century English recipe even used whale blood in a blood sausage dish reserved for the nobility.

Caribou Nose Soup is a delicacy from Canada made from the nose of a caribou, cooked and set in water. This forms a gelatinous block that can be sliced and served to guests. Among many exotic yet delicious dishes eaten worldwide, Caribou Nose Soup is undoubtedly a frozen delight. Similar to European head cheese containing both white and dark meat, frozen Caribou Nose Soup is considered a delicacy in northern Canada and Alaska.

In the 1830s, indigenous people across Canada and Alaska would hunt caribou for food, utilizing every part of them. The recipe was even introduced in the 1967 publication of the Northern Cookbook. Before cooking Caribou Nose Soup, the inner fur of the caribou nose needs to be removed. This can be done by roasting it on a stick over a fire for 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the temperature. Then, a knife is used to remove the burnt fur and skin.

If you're a fan of fresh sushi and enjoy drama, you might indulge in a surprising and controversial dish. Sannakji, also known as 'wriggling octopus,' has made waves across various YouTube videos and Facebook with its preparation and consumption. This adventurous Korean dish poses significant danger not due to poisoning but rather due to choking. Sannakji, salty, sticky, and chewy, is a Korean dish consisting of small, live octopus cut and served traditionally with sesame oil. Notably, because the dish is served immediately after cutting, some pieces may still move and twitch on the plate.

This dish is commonly found in South Korean street food stalls, and it's recommended to pair it with ssamjang and green tea. A famous South Korean film, Oldboy (2003, directed by Park Chan-wook), depicted this dish. Just remember to chew sannakji thoroughly while eating, as there have been cases of octopus latching onto diners' throats, causing them to choke to death. Many locals in South Korea also eat whole live octopus by wrapping it around chopsticks and placing it in their mouths like large Tootsie Roll candies.

Shiokara is essentially fermented squid with innards and salt, popular in Japan and consumed with rice. Dating back to the 11th century, it gained fame as a healthy and nutritious meal with an adequate amount of Vitamin D. Today, it is considered a “chinmi,” meaning a rare flavor. Shiokara has a history of being a popular side dish in many countries, including Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, South Korea, and parts of the Philippines. In Japan, it has been an essential side dish for many years, but nowadays, it is often served and consumed as a main dish.

Shiokara generally involves seafood being fermented with their innards, salt, and spices. There are various types of Shiokara, such as ika no shiokara, hotaru ika, no shiokara, uni no shiokara, aim no shiokara, etc. Among these, the most common is ika no shiokara, a famous version made from small squid caught off the coast of Japan. It can also be made from tuna, salmon, crab, and sweetfish. The fish is fermented in a mixture of innards found in the main cavity of the body, such as intestines and liver, salt, and various meat tissues.

Wasabi (a Japanese condiment), mirin (a type of alcoholic beverage), yuzu (a Japanese citrus fruit), and pepper are also added to the mixture to create flavor and taste, depending on the chef's preference. Other types of shiokara like hotaru ika no shiokara are made from flying squid, uni no shiokara from sea urchin, and aim no shiokara from mysidacea. The taste of Shiokara is slightly salty and fishy, similar to the flavor of salted herring in Europe. However, the somewhat slimy and chewy texture may be challenging to digest.

In the heart of Italy's Sardinia, situated in the midst of the Tyrrhenian Sea, the view of Italy in the distance, shepherds produce casu marzu, a type of maggot cheese that, in 2009, was declared by Guinness World Records as the world's most dangerous cheese. Cheese flies, Piophila casei, lay eggs in the cracks of the developing cheese, typically fiore sardo, a salty pecorino from the island. The hatching larvae burrow through the cheese, digesting proteins in the process, transforming the product into a creamy, maggot-infested cheese. Subsequently, cheese vendors open the top, the part mostly untouched by maggots, to scoop a spoonful of the cheese. The larvae inside start wriggling frantically.

Some locals pass the cheese through a centrifuge to blend the maggots with the cheese. Others prefer to enjoy it in its natural state. While some claim that maggot cheese can be hazardous to human health as the maggots may survive a bite and cause myiasis, small holes in the intestines, there have been no such cases linked to casu marzu. It's considered both an oddly fascinating attraction and a product preserving ancient traditional practices.

6. Surströmming

Surströmming is a traditional dish of Baltic Sea herring lightly salted in Swedish cuisine, dating back at least to the 16th century. Herring fermentation is an age-old dish in European cuisine, with the oldest archaeological findings of the herring fermentation process dating back 9,200 years from southern Sweden today. Known as strömming in Swedish, Baltic Sea herring is smaller than Atlantic herring, found in the North Sea. Traditionally, strömming is defined as herring caught in the shallow waters of the northern Baltic Sea, off the Kalmar Strait. Herring used for catching is captured just before spawning in April and May.

In the surströmming production process, just enough salt is used to keep the herring from rotting while it ferments. The fermentation process, lasting at least six months, imparts the characteristic strong odor and slightly sour taste to the fish. An opened can of surströmming has one of the most pungent food odors globally, even stronger than similar fermented fish dishes like Korea's infamous 'hongeo hoe' or Japan's kusaya.

7. Ocean Sunfish Milt

When stepping into a sushi restaurant in Japan, you might find tuna belly pieces cut into maki rolls or served separately as sashimi. However, strolling through a fish market or grocery store, you'll come across ocean sunfish milt. Japanese chefs prepare milt, about the size of a tennis ball, for appetizers or bar snacks. The eyes consist of a hard outer part, called the tough membrane, containing crystalline lens, eye slime, and a gelatinous liquid.

When cooked, the tough membrane is often too tough to eat, but inside, ocean sunfish eyes become soft and can be easily sucked out like marrow from a bone. Chefs often lightly simmer the milt in a soy sauce and mirin mixture or pan-fry it with sesame oil and ginger. The milt itself is quite bland, with most likening its taste to squid, clams, or boiled eggs. Nowadays, ocean sunfish milt can often be found in Japanese izakayas, casual bars popular after work, serving appetizers and drinks. Cooked milt is served one or two at a time, alongside other dishes.

8. Sheep's Head

Not long ago, consuming sheep's head was quite common in England due to its affordability and nutritional benefits. Despite the panic over Mad Cow Disease, it has reappeared in the diet. However, you can still enjoy sheep's head, as well as pork, beef, horse, goat, and chicken in countries like Turkey, China, India, and Bangladesh. It is considered a delicacy in some places. In the vast Jemaa El Fna night market in Morocco, the most delicious dish you'll find is sheep's head.

The dish is prepared for both locals and tourists in Marrakesh. Initially, it may seem challenging as it retains much of its original shape and structure. However, once you delve into this dish, most diners find its buttery and rich texture quite appealing. Typically, it's cooked with spices like thyme, cilantro, turmeric, and garlic, then finely chopped and served with sauce. The result is a rich, smooth, and flavorful delicacy.

Quail eggs are the embryos of quails, typically aged around two to three weeks. They are boiled and eaten whole, including the shell, providing a crunchy texture reminiscent of the beak and feet. Quail eggs are a delectable treat in countries like Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, where some street vendors genuinely sell them. The incubation period before the eggs mature is a matter of local preference but usually ranges from 14 to 21 days. The embryo's bones develop just soft enough to be chewed and swallowed whole.

The nutritional composition of quail eggs varies slightly between chicken and quail eggs, but both contain around 14 grams of raw protein, 188 calories per egg, and approximately 100 milligrams of calcium. Quail eggs may have a slightly higher nutritional value than chicken eggs, but overall, chicken eggs and quail eggs have comparable nutritional value. Chinese traders introduced quail eggs to the Philippines in 1565 or around 1885, and since then, quail eggs have been embraced as part of the cultural tradition. In folk medicine, according to Vietnamese folklore, chicken eggs are considered a nutritious food that promotes health and recovery for pregnant or postpartum women.

Witchetty grub stands out as one of the most renowned items on the indigenous menu. The term 'grub' is used ironically in English, signifying both the food and the larva of certain insect species. Similar larvae are found all over Australia. The Witchetty larvae represent the larval stage (caterpillar) of a large wood moth species, Endoxyla leucomochla, and are known as 'wit juri' to the Adnyamathanha people in the Central Desert of South Australia.

The larvae feed on the roots of the Witchetty bush, Acacia ken teana, and consume the sap of the plant. Indigenous women and children dig around the plant's roots to find the larvae, a rich source of protein. Typically, the larvae are collected, lightly roasted over coals for less than a minute, and consumed (the head is never eaten). When cooked, the flavor is reminiscent of a blend of egg yolk, roasted corn, and almonds. While Witchetty grubs are found in other regions of Australia, they are particularly significant in Central Australia, where other sources of oil and abundant protein are scarce.