The 5 Bizarre Foods from Around the World

The weird & bizarre foods from around the world. The list of the 5 weirdest and strangest bizarre foods that people around the world love to taste.

 

 

 

 

Fugu (Japan)

Would you eat something which can actually kill you? Probably most of us will not waste a second to move our heads in refusal but this is not the case in Japan. The Fugu (or the Puffer Fish as you probably call it in English) is lethally poisonous with its tetrodotoxin which shuts down electrical signal in nerves, paralyzing muscles and at last concluding to death. But the dangers are not enough to avoid the hungry Japanese.

The fugu is sliced so thinly that the patterns of the plate can be seen through the meat, to dilute the effect of the poison. This requires extremely trained professionals who are specially licensed by the Japanese Government. This bizarre food can cost from ¥2,000 (approx. US$20) to an awesome ¥10,000-¥20,000 (about US$100-$200) per meal. Surprisingly, it is the only food officially forbidden to the Emperor of Japan for his safety.

Sannakji (Korea)

Octopus has lived in our imaginations for centuries as a demon. A monster wrecking ships and pulling sailors with its deadly eight legs in the darkness of oceans. But would you like to see a totally living octopus, with its eight horrible legs wriggling on your plate? this is what you will actually get if you order a Sannakji.

Nakji is Hangu for 'small octopus'. The Sannakji is a bizarre food fonded in Korea. The sannakji consists of nakji cut into small pieces and served immediately. Occasionally you can see the octopus tentacles squirming in your plate.

Since the suction cups on the tentacles are still active therefore special care is taken to avoid choking while swallowing. There have been cases of deaths due to choking, the latest reported in Gwangju.

Casu Marzu (Italy)

You should have probably eaten cheese all your life. But this one comes with a twist. Casu Marzu is Sardinian for 'rotten cheese'. It is a traditional Sardinian sheep milk cheese with living larvae of the cheese fly.

Casu Marzu goes one step ahead of the usual fermentation process. The larvae in the cheese digest cheese fat, forming a very soft moist texture. If you think that eating such a cheese would be yucky then think again because Casu Marzu not only comes with just the cheese but with also the larvae themselves, still alive. This bizarre food is eaten while the larvae are still alive because it is considered to be toxic after the maggots are dead. So don't be surprised if you find something wriggling in your mouth.

Balut (Philippines)

Talking about weird foods, you can't keep this great delicacy from Philippines behind. The balut is one of the most ridiculous and bizarre foods you could ever think of. Imagine peeling an egg and finding a little chick inside? Well, this is what Balut is all about. 

Balut is 'wrapped' in Filipino and Malay. It is a fertilized duck egg which is boiled and served salted. It is a popular street food in many Asian countries including Philippines, China, Laos,Vietnam,etc.  The eggs are savored for their balance of textures and flavors. The balut is enjoyed by sipping the broth around the embryo before the shell is peeled, and the yolk and young chick inside can be eaten.

Baby Mice Wine (Hong Kong)

What better to wash down your gelatinous lumps of tuna than a nice chilled cup of rotten mice? What better indeed.

The Baby Mice Wine is quite popular in China and Korea as a traditional health tonic. Apparently tasting like raw gasoline, it is believed to cure anything from asthma to liver diseases. Little mice, eyes still closed, only a few days old, are plucked from their little mother's womb. Well it gets even worse for them when they are dropped in a bottle of rice wine, still alive, and drowned.

Surely many of us have eaten the worm at the bottom of a tequila bottle but how many of us could stomach a mouth full of baby mice?