Buzz
[WARNING: Some content may disturb] Previously, we shared a list of the top 10 most repulsive foods, and now we bring you the highly anticipated follow-up. While it's clear that some of the food choices in the West can be quite revolting (think sea urchin and tripe), this list includes some Western delicacies too. As a result, it provides a more well-rounded perspective compared to the first list, which focused mostly on non-Western dishes. What scares me the most is how effortlessly we were able to discover another set of ten utterly appalling foods that people actually consume.
10. Escamoles
Escamoles are ant larvae from the genus Liometopum, which are gathered from the roots of agave (tequila) or maguey (mezcal) plants in Mexico. In some regions of Mexican cuisine, escamoles are seen as a delicacy, often dubbed "insect caviar". Their texture is similar to cottage cheese, while their flavor is buttery with a hint of nuttiness. To harvest the escamoles, collectors dig up to two feet deep to find the larvae nests. One collector shared, "Some hunters have someone with a broom who sweeps ants off them as they dig. I’ve heard of others who rub pork fat on their bodies to keep ants from biting them." It's worth noting that the bite of these ants is incredibly painful, making the collection process an extreme endeavor.
9. Lutefisk
Lutefisk is a classic Nordic dish made from either stockfish (air-dried whitefish) or dried/salted whitefish (klippfisk), combined with soda lye (lut). Its name translates to "lye fish" because it’s made using a caustic lye soda derived from potash minerals. Due to its lye content, cooking lutefisk for too long can cause it to transform into something resembling soap. When preparing and eating lutefisk, it's crucial to immediately wash the dish and any utensils used, as leaving it overnight can make cleanup nearly impossible. Lutefisk is commonly served with an assortment of sides like bacon, green peas, pea stew, potatoes, lefse, gravy, mashed rutabaga, white sauce, clarified butter, syrup, geitost (goat cheese), or "old" cheese (gammelost). The Scandinavians certainly have a talent for creating strong-smelling, strong-tasting foods, earning two spots on this list:
8. Surströmming
Surströmming is fermented canned fish so foul-smelling that it is typically consumed outdoors to avoid the overpowering stench. Sold in cans that often swell during shipping and storage due to ongoing fermentation, Surströmming is fermented by species of Haloanaerobium bacteria. These bacteria produce carbon dioxide and various compounds that create the distinct smell, including pungent propionic acid, rotten-egg hydrogen sulfide, rancid-butter butyric acid, and vinegary acetic acid. Typically, surströmming is served as an open sandwich, often accompanied by boiled potatoes (such as mandelpotatis), diced onions, and other ingredients like gräddfil (fermented milk), crème fraîche, chives, and sometimes tomatoes. Many people find surströmming repulsive (not surprisingly), and it’s generally considered an acquired taste.
7. Kumis
Kumis, though technically a drink, is revolting enough to make this list. It is a dairy beverage made from the fermented milk of a female horse. Since mare’s milk contains more sugar than cow or goat milk, kumis has a higher, though still mild, alcohol content. The milk undergoes fermentation for hours or days, often being stirred or churned (similar to butter-making). During this process, Lactobacilli bacteria acidify the milk, while yeasts turn it into a carbonated and mildly alcoholic drink – essentially fizzy, moldy horse milk. One unfortunate side effect of kumis is that it acts as a laxative, meaning it makes you poop.
6. Century Egg
I’m not sure how I overlooked this one in the first list, but here it is, ready to invade your nightmares. Century egg is an ingredient in Chinese cuisine made by preserving duck, chicken, or quail eggs in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, lime, and rice straw for weeks or even months, depending on the preservation method. After this process, the yolk turns into a dark green, creamy substance that gives off a strong sulfur and ammonia odor (think rotten eggs or farts), while the egg white becomes a dark brown, transparent jelly with little flavor. Century eggs can be eaten as they are, on their own as a side dish, or chopped up as an ingredient. Either way, you’re still consuming rotten egg.
5. Human Placenta
I was torn about including this one, but it’s consumed by enough people that it has its own name: placentophagy, so here it is. Advocates of placentophagy, mostly in modern America, Europe, Mexico, Hawaii, China, and the Pacific Islands, claim that eating the placenta can prevent postpartum depression and other pregnancy-related issues. There are various recipes for preparing placenta for consumption, despite the widespread taboo against eating human body parts. As a placenta is a temporary organ, some believe it doesn’t fall under the definition of cannibalism. Here’s a recipe I found online for a placenta cocktail: 1/4 cup raw placenta, 8oz V-8 juice, 2 ice cubes, 1/2 cup carrots. Blend for 10 seconds and drink. Or don’t.
4. Raw Blood Soup
Raw blood soup, or 'tiết canh' in Vietnamese, is a dish made with fresh duck or goose blood (sometimes pig's blood), often topped with peanuts and herbs. It's a traditional, protein-packed breakfast for people in northern Vietnam, though it poses a serious health risk due to the potential presence of the H5N1 bird flu virus. The preparation involves chilling the blood to allow it to coagulate slowly. While the dish is commonly consumed with alcohol, it is not typically appreciated by foreign palates. The dish usually features a few chopped peanuts, with little additional garnish. Its texture is unusual, and its flavor is described as having a metallic taste. [Image source]
3. Casu Marzu
This cheese is so revolting that it has been banned – but that doesn't prevent the black market from flooding local markets with it. Casu Marzu is a traditional Sardinian cheese made from sheep's milk, infamous for containing live insect larvae. Originally derived from Pecorino, this cheese undergoes a fermentation process that many would consider to be more like decomposition, caused by the digestive activity of the larvae of the cheese fly Piophila casei. The larvae are deliberately introduced to accelerate fermentation and break down the cheese's fats. As a result, the cheese softens significantly, with some liquid seeping out. Casu Marzu is considered dangerous to eat once the maggots have died, which is why it's consumed only while the larvae are still alive. The larvae can launch themselves up to 15 centimeters (6 inches) when disturbed, so diners hold their hands over the cheese to prevent the maggots from leaping into their eyes. If not chewed properly, the larvae can cause serious harm, as they have mouthhooks that can tear stomach linings or internal organs due to their resistance to stomach acids.
2. Scorpion Soup
Scorpion soup, as the name suggests, is a dish made using scorpions. The process of preparing and consuming it can be hazardous, as demonstrated by Wing Li from China, who was stung three times while attempting to toss them into the pot. He was making the soup to alleviate his rheumatism. In southern China, scorpions are commonly eaten and are farmed in 'ranches,' often in people's homes, before being sold in markets. Scorpions are known for their woody taste and are typically consumed whole, except for the tail tip – though some recipes claim that cooking neutralizes the venom in the tail. Regardless, I think I'll stick with chicken soup.
1. Corn Smut
What a name! But the real shock comes when you find out what it actually is: corn smut is a fungal disease that affects maize, infecting any part of the plant. It typically enters the ovaries, replacing the normal kernels with large, distorted tumors resembling mushrooms. While it's considered a pest in the United States, in Mexico, it’s a highly sought-after delicacy. Known as huitlacoche, a Nahuatl word reportedly meaning 'raven’s poo,' it’s so valued that it is often sold at a premium price, higher than that of corn itself. For culinary use, the galls are harvested when they are still immature – fully mature galls are dry and packed with spores. The immature galls, harvested two to three weeks after infection, retain moisture and, when cooked, offer a flavor that’s mushroom-like, sweet, savory, woody, and earthy. Unsurprisingly, this 'delicacy' has struggled to win favor in American and European diets, for fairly obvious reasons!
+ Human Fetus
This is included as a bonus item because it’s controversial, and even if true, it’s not widely accepted or practiced anywhere. The widely circulated xenophobic rumors about Chinese people eating fetuses are most likely false. However, a series of photographs emerged online showing a Chinese man eating a human fetus. It was later revealed that the man was an artist, and the photos were part of an art series called 'Eating People' (one of his other works included a can of human brains). When questioned, the artist, Zhu Yu, claimed the fetuses were real human fetuses stolen from a medical school. Snopes, however, believes that the fetus in question was a doll’s head attached to a duck’s body. Whether the fetuses were real or not, the images remain deeply disturbing!
This article is distributed under the GFDL license due to its inclusion of quotations from Wikipedia.
