Don’t get your hopes up Stranger Things fans, today’s post doesn’t really have anything to do with Netflix’s third-most watched original series of 2016. We’re just buzzing after seeing the brand new trailer for season 2 and couldn’t help but unleash our excitement. Seriously though, wouldn’t the world be a much nicer place if synthesizers were still trendy and kids rode their bikes to the arcade rather than playing World of Warcraft in their underwear?
Not too sure about the Demogorgon and the upside-down parallel universe it hails from, but beggars can’t be choosers as they say.
Anyway, today’s post is a combination of two of our favourite things in life: food and the inexplicable. How people can actually eat the following 11 dishes is beyond us, but they’ll certainly leave you feeling intrigued. See fans, we did at least include your favourite number.
1) Hákarl – Iceland
Many great things have come out of Iceland. There’s Bjork, that dude who plays the Mountain in Game of Thrones and the Viking thunder-clap, but nothing is as wacky as this rotting carcass of a shark that’s buried underground, pressed with stones and hung out to dry before being consumed. That’s right, not even Bjork.
2) Fugu – Japan
Many people know Fugu from that one Simpsons episode where Homer consumes a poisonous Fugu fish at a sushi restaurant and is told he has only 24 hours to live. It’s actually not that farfetched seeing as Fugu has the potential to be deadly if prepared incorrectly and the chef in charge got his apprentice to slice the fish in order to make out with Edna. Urgh.
3) Rocky Mountain Oysters – USA (West)
Considering they’re also known as swinging beef, you can probably guess what part of the bull this is. Apparently they’re commonly referred to as oysters due to their slimy appearance, in case you needed another reason to grab a bucket.
4) Fried Tarantulas – Cambodia
Some will say there’s nothing weird about eating fried Tarantulas. They’re crunchy and marinated in sugar and salt beforehand. Ok we get that, but they also contain a brown sludge in their abdomen that’s filled with innards, eggs and excrement. Pass!
5) Maggot Cheese (or Casu Marzu) – Italy (Sardinia)
Often called the world’s most dangerous cheese, Casu Marzu is an illegal cheese made from sheep’s milk and infested with live maggots. Some people suffocate them in the fridge before consuming, but we way prefer the live version. In certain cases, the maggots manage to survive and subsequently burrow into your intestines, yummy!
6) Cow Urine – India
Ok, technically urine isn’t a type of food. But to be honest, most people wouldn’t consider it to be a beverage either. Yet some Hindu worshippers in India claim that drinking fresh cow urine helps fight certain diseases, including cancer! Others just bathe in it to get rid of their spots and skin impurities. As you do.
7) Smalahove – Norway
Smalahove basically means sheep head in Norwegian but as opposed to rocky mountain oysters, it “does exactly what is says on the tin”. (British idiomatic phrase that was originally an advertising slogan for those asking). Smalahove is made by torching the fleece and skin, removing the brain, and boiling the head for about 3 hours. But we’re sure it’s worth the wait…
8) Stinkheads – USA (Alaska)
A traditional dish of the Yupik people of southwest Alaska, stinkheads, also known as “tepa”, is a dish of fermented whitefish heads that are buried underground for a few weeks and consumed as mush. Sounds absolutely, flabbergastingly, quite incredibly disgusting.
9) Wasp Crackers – Japan
You know what crackers are right? And wasps? Well, imagine gobbling down a few crackers while tongue-catching wasps frog-style. That’s basically what this dish is all about. Crackers and wasps. Wasps and crackers. Period.
10) Witchetty Grub – Australia
While Brits may love watching B-list celebs eat Witchetty Grubs during bushtucker trials on I’m a Celebrity Get Me Outta Here, we highly doubt anyone’s actually ever considered serving them for dinner at home. Who can blame them?
11) Marmite – UK
Marmite’s advertising slogan back in the UK is quite literally “You either love it or hate it”. Now, either they’re extremely confident in the appeal of their product or they realize it’s actually gross. Either way, count us out. Actually, we’ve only ever met Brits who hate Marmite. Any genuine lovers out there? (Don’t fret, we won’t turn you in…)
So, there you go. 11 disgustingly weird dishes that we’re sure you can’t wait to try. Has anyone out there already given one of them a shot?
