Ten most disgusting delicacies
The US business magazine Forbes published a list of 10 of the most stomach-churning dishes a few months ago.
As trade, tourism and technology shrink the globe, people have been increasingly exposed to unfamiliar food from diverse cuisines, prompting leading sources of information such as CNN and Forbes to compile lists of the most putrid dishes of the season.
Snake wine, fermented duck eggs and beans that have passed through a cat’s digestive system are only three of the 10 of the sickening dishes, originating from regions from the Central Asian Steppes to Norway.
The Forbes list is a treasure map for those who have been searching for culinary novelty, no matter what the effect are on their stomachs.
The list certainly does seem off-putting. Italy, the home country of pasta, pizza and all things delizioso, is also home to casu marzu, which is sheep’s milk cheese containing live fly larvae. The insects eat the cheese then excrete it back out, softening and enhancing the flavour. It’s then up to you whether you want to eat the cheese with a light dusting of maggots or without.
On the other hand, some extreme delicacies sound vile but offer tastes that may even be pleasant to frequent visitors of KFC or Galito’s. For example, escamoles is a Mexican dish of ant larvae found in the roots of agave plants. Despite its unpleasant description, the larvae have a nutty, buttery taste that has earned them the name “Mexican caviar.”
Why scarf down on food that makes you want to vomit instead of delighting in a mouthwatering hamburger with French fries on the side?
If you are of the belief that you should try anything and everything once, then you should strive to try them.
Here are the Top 10 disgusting delicacies
1. Kumis fermented mare’s milk – originated in Mongolia.
2. Hakarl Fermented shark meat in Iceland – has a powerful smell of ammonia and a consistency like cheese.
3. Snake wine – Snake infused spirits which are believed to offer a number of medicinal benefits, including boosted libido.
4. Balut – fertilized duck egg from the Philippines.
5. Kopi luwuk Coffee beans digested by an Indonesian civet cat.
6. Drunken shrimp Live shrimps doused in alcohol.
7. Birds’ nest soup – Nests of cave swifts. The birds’ saliva gives the soup its distinctive gooey texture.
8. Century aging duck eggs from China.
9. Casu marzu sheep’s milk cheese containing live fly larvae.
10. Smalahove smoked sheep’s head served in Norway.