Buzz
You're on a vacation, looking to dive deeper into the local culture. Of course, you can visit the popular tourist spots. But if you truly want to connect with the locals, why not sample their traditional street food?
As you stroll through lively street markets, you might be drawn to the vibrant food stalls with cheerful local vendors. However, be cautious—those steaming pots and sizzling grills may hold some peculiar dishes. Here's a look at some of the most bizarre foods you could encounter while exploring the streets.
10. Balut – Philippines
It may appear to be just a hard-boiled egg, but don't be fooled—there’s something much more unusual about this dish.
Think twice before you try this delicacy, as hiding beneath the seemingly harmless shell is a boiled duck fetus. To prepare it, fertilized duck eggs are incubated for up to 20 days before being cooked to create this unsettling dish.
Eating balut is an experience in itself. Crack open the shell, and you’ll be greeted with a flavorful broth. While most people stop there, the daring continue, going for the full, embryonic experience.
If you ever find yourself in the Philippines, you can casually enjoy this unique treat with a cold beer. But let’s face it—getting this poultry-based dish down might take a bit more than that.
9. Winkles – England
Ah, the classic English seaside experience—sand, sea, ice cream... and small, edible snails. The adventurous Brits clean the sand and salt off these tiny sea creatures, boil them, and then serve them with salt and vinegar.
Not only do these snails look slippery, but getting them out of their shells is a real challenge—and when you do, you’re left with a soft, unappealing blob. While many consider seafood like winkles, whelks, and cockles essential for ocean sustainability, we’d rather stick to vegetables.
You’ll mostly find these little creatures on England’s West Coast. If you end up there, do yourself a favor and opt for the classic fish and chips with your salt and vinegar instead.
8. Mice Wine – China
A nice glass of wine sounds much more appealing... that is, if it comes with baby mice in it. But honestly, why not just go for a simple Merlot? What makes fermenting baby mice in rice wine a better choice? Are we just mixing things that rhyme together now? Maybe we should add lice, dice, and a bit of an ancient sacrifice to the mix.
Anyway, these baby mice are left to ferment for about a year. After that, it’s considered “probably safe” to consume this so-called “health tonic.” The Chinese believe it helps with asthma, though it supposedly tastes like gasoline. We’ll take the Merlot, thanks.
7. Casu Marzu – Sardinia
How about a cheesy snack to go with that wine? You can keep your Parmesan and Pepper Jack. We’re after something rare, a cheese made with the larvae of flies, and one that’s teeming with live maggots. Actually, on second thought, we’ll pass on that.
The Sardinians have embraced casu marzu, a cheese that pushes the limits of aging. They take traditional pecorino cheese and let local flies lay their eggs in it. The larvae then consume the cheese, only to excrete it back into the cheese, resulting in a soft, unique texture.
It looks revolting and tastes even worse. Known as the world’s most dangerous cheese, casu marzu is actually illegal and banned by the European Union. If you’re bold enough to seek it out, you might need to brush up on your Italian for a black market purchase.
6. Isaw – The Philippines
Who doesn’t love a good barbecue? The Filipinos certainly do. Walk the streets of Manila, and the air will be filled with the irresistible scent of grilled meats. But what exactly is being skewered on those sticks?
It could be isaw, which consists of chicken or pork intestines. But don’t fret—they’re cleaned inside and out multiple times, so it’s not exactly like you’re eating animal waste... or are you?
These intestines are said to be chewy and tender, best enjoyed piping hot off the grill and drenched in chili sauce to mask the bitter aftertaste.
5. Tuna Eyeballs – Japan
A solid food rule: “If it showed up on the dinner table in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, don’t eat it.”
It seems the Japanese have disregarded that advice. Enter tuna eyeballs. Not exactly appetizing.
They’re hard to miss. Their gaze follows you from every stall and market, practically daring you to try them. Usually boiled and flavored with soy sauce and rice wine, they supposedly taste like a mix of hard-boiled egg and squid. Sounds delicious, right?
Packed with omega-3, these eyeballs are supposedly a brain booster. So, if you can stomach the chewy, rubbery texture of a tuna's eyeball, your intellect may increase. Perhaps it's a good thing the Japanese are utilizing every part of the tuna, given the threat of extinction from overfishing.
4. Andouillette – France
Andouillette is likely the smelliest sausage you’ll ever encounter. Made from pig intestines, it reeks as if it’s been in close contact with pig waste. The intestines are chopped, stuffed into a sausage casing, fried, and often smothered in cream and mustard sauce.
But no amount of sauce can hide the smell and taste of pigs’ rear ends. So, if you’ve had a few too many glasses of vin rouge at a French market, beware of the seemingly innocent sausage. It might offer more than you bargained for.
3. Mopane Worms – Zimbabwe
Next stop: a market in Zimbabwe, where locals happily carry cups filled with their favorite snack—the mopane worm. These large, vividly colored creatures are collected from trees, their innards removed, and then fried up.
Mopane worms are a type of caterpillar that supposedly tastes like chicken. We’re not sure about that, though. Actually, we’ll probably pass on trying them.
2. Rocky Mountain Oysters – United States
While all oysters are a bit unusual, Rocky Mountain oysters are particularly strange because they aren't oysters at all. These are the testicles of cattle, pigs, or sheep, peeled, coated in flour, and deep-fried for your “enjoyment.”
These are typically found in the West, where early ranchers were looking for inexpensive food and essentially deep-fried anything they could get their hands on. Despite opposition from animal rights groups regarding animal castration, the oyster fry remains a common tradition.
Rocky Mountain oysters are often served with a generous helping of hot sauce.
1. Hakarl – Iceland
Speaking of foul smells, Iceland's national dish of cured, rotten shark is as repulsive as it sounds. Made from the Greenland shark, hakarl is toxic when eaten raw and still pretty disgusting when cured. It’s been fermented in Iceland for centuries and is even mentioned in the Icelandic sagas.
The tissues of the Greenland shark contain high levels of ammonia-rich urea, a compound also found in urine. If that’s not off-putting enough, the shark is then cured and left to decompose for months before chunks of the foul-smelling, decaying, rubbery flesh are cut off and served.
Some brave souls who’ve tried hakarl claim it’s the most revolting food on Earth. We’ll take their word for it.
