Snake and scorpion tincture

Local alcoholic tincture of cobra, ginseng and scorpion. Local residents use it more for the treatment of various diseases and as a powerful aphrodisiac.

In Southeast Asia, and especially in China, boiled duck eggs with an already developed embryo inside are very popular.

In the land of the setting sun you can try a delicious dish - Shiokara. This is fermented squid meat along with its entrails.

This dish is popular not only in Japan, but is also considered a delicacy in many European countries. Caviar is eaten fresh and also used to make sushi and sashami.

Centennial eggs

A very popular snack in China is century-old eggs, which are kept in clay and ashes for several months before reaching your table. They are eaten as a separate dish or finely chopped and added to salads.

In the Chinese province of Zhejiang, chicken eggs boiled in the urine of little boys are very popular. If you try this delicacy, do not forget to lightly break the egg so that a little brine is absorbed into them.

A delicious Chinese dish, most often prepared from pork blood.

Guinea pig

In South America, and especially in Peru, they love to eat fried guinea pigs.

A rather expensive and dangerous dish, common in Japan. If the fish is cooked incorrectly, you can die, which further increases the number of people who want to try it.

In Norway, it is customary to stew a lamb's head at Christmas. This exotic delicacy is served with potatoes.

In the Southern states of the United States (and especially in Missouri), sandwiches with beef brain are popular.

Quite a popular dish in Asian cuisine. Nowadays you can even buy them canned.

Rather, monkey brain in Southeast Asian countries is not even a delicacy, but a common dish. Tastes like rice pudding.

Italian cheese containing live cheese fly larvae is prohibited for sale.

A popular delicacy in Southeast Asia, it is made from edible bird's nests dissolved in water.

Used in Mexican cuisine as a traditional ingredient in many dishes.

In Iceland, a popular national dish is shark meat dried in the fresh air.

In South Africa, dried peacock moth caterpillars are used to replenish protein in the body. They have almost no taste, so they are simply fried with onions and added to sauces, porridges or soup.

A very popular street food in South Korea. Silkworms are boiled or steamed.

In Eastern Indonesia, locals like to make barbecue made from longhorned beetle larvae for lunch. The dish tastes like bacon.

Scorpios

Common street food in Southeast Asia. Deep-fried scorpions are prepared on a bed of cheese surrounded by lettuce. In addition, you can try this delicious dish in many restaurants in Amsterdam and New York.

Deep-fried spiders are popular in South Asian countries.

In many countries of Southeast Asia, as well as in the United States (Missouri), a popular dish is fried grasshoppers seasoned with fish or soy sauce, without forgetting to sprinkle them generously with pepper.

These cute insects are deep fried. Popular street food in Southeast Asia.

Tarantulas are quite poisonous, so the poisonous fangs are removed before cooking. Deep fried. And from the abdomen, poisonous jaws and paws they make a tonic tincture.

They are eaten raw, and if fried with pepper and salt, they will be an excellent snack for beer. Pate is also made from bee larvae.

In Thailand, as well as in some countries in South Asia, you can try deep-fried water bugs. They taste like shrimp.

But in South Asia they can cook you grass bugs. To get rid of their unpleasant odor, they are first soaked in water for a long time. They are consumed dried, and also added to sauces or fried with chicken pate.

This dish can be bought in Thailand, where Thais traditionally start their lunch with bamboo worms fried in oil.

This delicacy can probably only be bought in Japan. Used fresh.

If you are on vacation in Laos, ask them to prepare blood broth for you. This is a fairly popular dish in this country.

This dessert is popular in China. The main ingredient is dried frog fallopian tubes. The Chinese believe that this dish heals the kidneys, lungs, and also improves skin color.

Popular in Japan as a beer snack.

In Southeast Asia, you can also try boiled bat. Tastes like boiled chicken.

But in China, bull eggs are not a delicacy, but a common food for local residents.

It is also a popular dish in many countries. The eggs are sautéed with lemon juice and spices.

In some South Asian countries you can try cod sperm.

A soup that is healthy for men is prepared from deer placenta. You can also buy them in pills.

In Asia, it is believed that ox penis soup restores and enhances male strength.

Fine wine with mice. To make it, take a bottle of rice wine and fill it with young mice. After this, the bottle is sealed and left for a year. In Korea, such wine is considered a real cure for many diseases.

This unsightly delicacy is made from seal stuffed with seagulls. After this, the stuffed dish is put into the cold. And after seven months, the delicacy can be dug up and eaten. The taste is said to be very similar to a rather spicy cheese.

If you visit Scotland, be sure to try the national dish Haggis, which consists of the heart, lungs and liver of an animal chopped and boiled in a sheep's stomach.

In Sweden and Norway they love to cook lutefisk. To do this, they take dried fish (most often cod) and soak it in caustic soda for 3 days, and then a few more days in water. Thanks to this, the fish becomes almost transparent and acquires a jelly-like consistency.

Another national product from Sweden, which is canned fermented herring.

In Mexico, you should definitely try the eggs of poisonous ants. They are most often eaten in tacos with guacomole sauce.

In Korea, they like to treat themselves to eating live octopus. To prevent the octopus from strangling you, you should start eating it from the head, cutting it into small pieces. But this must be done carefully, since the octopus’s muscles contract and can block the access of air through the throat. There have already been cases of death in Korea due to this delicacy.

Fried rat is a very popular dish in Paraguay. Fans of this dish claim that it tastes like roast duck. The most delicious thing to cook is newborn rats, which are swallowed without chewing, washed down with a glass of milk.

In Southeast Asia, you can buy a fruit that has a very strong smell, but is sweet inside. The smell is so strong that the fruit is prohibited from being brought into a hotel or airport. It is also dangerous to consume this fruit with alcohol, as the consequences may be unpredictable.

The most famous and most expensive coffee in the world. The small rodent Luwak eats ripe coffee beans, which are then excreted along with excrement. Specially trained people collect these grains in bags, wash them and sell them all over the world. The price for such coffee starts from 500 US dollars per kilogram.

In many countries around the world you can try. Its meat is known for its nutritional qualities and pleasant taste.

It is also a fairly well-known dish that can be tried not only in Asia, but also in many countries around the world.

As a side dish, you can try cockscombs in France or Italy.

Gastronomic tourism is a fashionable and growing trend. And even if you are not traveling to a new country to spend all your time in restaurants, getting to know any national cuisine is an integral part of immersing yourself in a foreign culture.

Today the Top 10 features the most unusual national dishes of different countries. Sometimes it takes special courage to taste such a delicacy. But the memories of such an acquaintance with local cuisine will certainly remain for a long time.

This popular Asian fruit is compared to many things. Its smell, according to various reviews, is reminiscent of a decomposing corpse, an athlete's socks, or a public toilet. No wonder it is prohibited to carry durians on public transport in Singapore. But true gourmets claim that the fruit has nothing in common with corpses and rotten meat. Truly developed taste buds allow you to taste the mixture of vanilla pudding and onions.

9. Guinea pig (Peru)

These cute little animals are happily served for dinner in the South American Andes. The pigs are baked, fried, or grilled. Guinea pigs are called “kui” here, and their meat tastes like chicken.

8. Woodworm larvae (Australia)

Yellowish larvae, oozing a sticky secretion, have long been held in high esteem by local aborigines. Although they cause nausea among immigrants from Europe, so they won’t be able to taste the delicacy in Sydney and Melbourne. But they can be found during a trip deep into the continent.

7. Virgin eggs (China)

In the west of Zhejiang province, they came up with the strangest way to prepare eggs - they are soaked and then boiled in the urine of boys who have not yet turned 10 years old. Locals claim that the dish has a beneficial effect on the circulatory system.

6. Lutefisk (Norway)

A rather strange method of preparation involves soaking dried fish in an alkaline solution of caustic soda. After three days in such an aggressive environment, the fillets are soaked in water. As a result, the meat acquires a jelly-like consistency and a pungent odor. Lutefisk is consumed after heat treatment - frying, baking or boiling.

5. Casu Marzu (Italy)

This cheese is almost impossible to find in a regular supermarket due to sanitary and hygienic rules. But in local shops in Sardinia they sell casu marza to real gourmets. The main distinguishing feature of the cheese is the presence of cheese fly larvae, which participate in fermentation.

4. Balut (Philippines)

They say that this delicacy tastes better than it looks. Balut is a duck egg with a formed embryo. Eggs are boiled in their shells and served with salt, vinegar and seasonings.

3. Snake soup (Hong Kong)

Hot and sour soup with tofu, mushrooms and snake meat improves blood flow and warms you up in cold weather. It is served only in traditional restaurants, where snakes are kept right in the main hall in special wooden boxes.

2. Chapulines (Mexico)

Under such an exotic name are hidden the familiar grasshoppers. Mexicans fry insects with salt and chili pepper, and then enjoy them as a crunchy and savory snack for beer.

1. Rocky Mountain Oysters (USA)

Naturally, there is no talk of seafood in the mountains. Rocky Mountain oysters are the deep-fried testicles of young bulls. This dish is especially popular among farmers during the spring castration season for bulls. By the way, it was not only the Americans who came up with the original name for the dish made from bull eggs. The French call a similar delicacy “white kidneys.”

Incredible facts

When representatives of different nationalities hear the word “delicacy,” they conjure up different images in their heads: from fresh and crispy locusts to hard-boiled eggs in urine. However, as the world constantly changes, so do ideas about what is acceptable to eat and what is not.

Recently, UN officials urged people to reconsider their views and start eating bugs because they are full of fiber and protein.

In many forums about food, for example, there are now heated discussions about why don’t we start eating horses on a large scale, since we easily eat cows and other similar mammals.

Below are 18 amazing photos of the most extreme dishes from around the world. It turns out that Europeans and Westerners are extremely picky when it comes to what goes on their plate, which is not the case in other countries.

Unusual food

This photo shows a Peruvian woman throwing a skinned frog into a blender. Some Peruvians believe that frog juice or "extract de rana" is a powerful aphrodisiac.

A butcher in Bolivia cuts the head of a sheep. Sheep's head soup is a very popular dish in this country.

A worker cuts up a fried cat in the technical room of a restaurant in Cote d'Ivoire. Cat meat is considered a traditional food in many countries in Africa and Asia.

Turtle meat sold at a market in one of the port cities of Nicaragua. How much does such a delicacy cost? About $1.10 for half a kilo.

This is a photo of a cobra burger being prepared at a restaurant in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. About 1,000 cobras enter Central and East Java every week, and their meat sells for approximately $1.15 per cobra.

10 delicious national dishes from around the world

A woman prepares a camel liver dish in Al Jazeera, Sudan. From 1996 to 2002, it is estimated that Sudan processed 72,000 – 81,000 tons of camel meat annually.

Slaughtered dogs are ready for sale in Duong Noi, a small village in Vietnam. Dog meat dishes are very common in East Asian countries.

In Canh Nau, Vietnam, rats were once eaten in cases of extreme hunger, but are now eaten as a special dish prepared at the end of each lunar calendar.

A woman in Langui, Peru, prepares a guinea pig for use in one of her gourmet dishes. Guinea pigs are a gourmet food in many parts of South America.

Snake meat is a fundamental component of one of the soups in China. Moreover, snake meat is a traditional component of many regional cuisines and is believed to have many health benefits in China.

10 dishes made from live animals

In Taiwan, cobra eggs and embryos are eaten to maintain good health (pictured are eggs from a snake farm located in southern Taiwan).

A Chinese woman eats a dish of bull and dog penises in a restaurant in Beijing, which has more than 30 dishes based on animal penises on its menu. In China, animal penises are believed to have medicinal properties.

Strange dishes

Restaurants in Madagascar serve lemur dishes. Many endangered lemur species are being mercilessly killed by poachers, mainly due to the lack of proper law and security on the island due to the recent coup.

Eggs cooked in boys' urine are a spring snack in Dongyang, Zhejiang Province in China.

In Cambodia's Kampong Cham province, a vendor sells spiders to people at a bus stop. 10 crispy garlic-flavored spiders cost $2.

Unusual animals that are eaten

In Lahore, Pakistan, men line up to eat Siri Paya, a traditional breakfast dish made from goat's head and feet.

At a restaurant in Barichara, Colombia, a popular sauce made from extra-large ants called Culonas is in high demand.

A Saudi Arabian man eats a uromastyx lizard. It is believed that the blood of this reptile cures various diseases and strengthens the body. In Middle Eastern countries, these small reptiles are often caught with the help of sniffer dogs and used to prepare various delicacies.

We present a selection of food that not every daredevil can try.

Fugu – Japan

Most of us don't seriously consider the possibility of getting poisoned and dying during lunch, but for those who decide to eat fugu, this possibility is quite real. Fugu is a Japanese fish that contains enough poison to kill 30 people at once. Chefs who prepare this expensive Japanese delicacy must first go through years of training. It doesn't matter whether the fish is grilled, stewed, or served as fine sashimi, any small error in the preparation process is automatically fatal for whoever eats the finished dish. If you're willing to take the risk of trying a deadly delicacy, head to Japan from October to March during fugu season.

Fried Spiders - Cambodia

You can try this exotic dish anywhere in Cambodia, but the town of Skuon specializes in fried spiders: here the creepy creatures are fried in oil with garlic so that they become crispy on the outside and soft, sticky on the inside. The tradition of frying and eating spiders probably began during the brutal Khmer Rouge regime, when villagers had to find alternative sources of food. Spiders are often sold to tourists who are walking around the city and want to have a snack on the go. Roasted spiders are not only a rich source of protein, but are also rumored to be a miracle remedy for improving your appearance.

Roasted ox testes - Canada

The original name of this dish, Prairie Oysters, can literally be translated as “prairie oysters”, but there are no oysters in sight - this exotic dish is made from bull testicles. You can try fried bull eggs anywhere in Canada, but for curious foodies, Alberta is the place to go. Buzzards Restaurant in Calgary serves this dish throughout the summer months and celebrates it with an annual “Egg Festival.” The dish is prepared in different ways - bovine testes are deep-fried, stuffed, stewed with herbs and spices.

Balut - Philippines

A variety of egg dishes are prepared all over the world, but in the Philippines there is a special culinary tradition: here they boil duck eggs with an already formed embryo (that is, in fact, they boil the embryo alive in the shell). The dish, seasoned with vinegar, garlic and chili, is usually eaten in its entirety - the entire contents of the egg are eaten, including the already formed wings and beak. Balut is often sold on the streets along with cold beer.

Haggis - Scotland

This national Scottish dish is a mixture of sheep's heart, liver and lungs, onions, spices and oatmeal. A sheep's stomach is stuffed with all these ingredients and then stewed. The history of haggis dates back to the 15th century, and today the dish is considered the basis of the festive menu for the national Scottish holiday - the birthday of Robert Burns (celebrated on January 25). Haggis is served with mashed potatoes and turnips. And in order to swallow haggis, inexperienced tourists are also given a drop of Scotch whiskey for courage. By the way, haggis is a rich source of iron and fiber, and if desired, you can buy it ready-made in almost any grocery store.

Sannakji – South Korea

An original delicacy originating from South Korea, sannakji is a real live octopus that is eaten either whole or cut into pieces depending on size. The octopus is served raw, seasoned with a drizzle of sesame oil - and still alive, so you can see its tentacles quivering. Sannakchi is not only an extremely exotic dish, but also life-threatening: the octopus' suckers can stick to the inside of the throat, causing suffocation or even death. Although the taste of the octopus is nothing special, trying to eat an octopus alive while it grabs the face of a particularly daring gourmet with its tentacles is indeed a memorable experience, to say the least.

Escamoles - Mexico

Escamoles looks like a salad made from some kind of grain, but in fact this dish is made from ant eggs. This dish is often called "ant caviar" and is considered a gourmet delicacy in Mexico, and the history of the recipe dates back to the Aztec era. Ant eggs are collected from the roots of agave trees and added to tacos or omelettes, or cooked as a meal on their own. Despite the rather unpleasant composition of the ingredients, escamoles has a surprisingly pleasant taste - ant eggs fried or seasoned with oil have an original nutty flavor.

Hakarl - Iceland

Eating rotten shark meat is not the most tempting prospect, but fresh Greenland shark meat is poisonous. Therefore, to begin with, the shark meat is allowed to ferment and rot, after which it becomes edible - if, of course, someone manages to try hakarl, not paying attention to the fetid smell of rot and the disgusting fishy taste. Those who risk trying hakarl for the first time most often begin to simply feel nauseous, so it is recommended to preface the meal with a couple of servings of local alcohol. But the usual inhabitants of Iceland eat hakarl all year round, and rotten shark meat is sold (of course, in vacuum packaging that does not allow the “aroma” to pass through) in ordinary supermarkets.

Fried Brain Sandwich - USA

Burgers, fries and fried brain sandwiches? In some US states, and in particular in towns in the Ohio River Valley, this curious dish can still be found on the menu of local eateries. Sandwiches with fried brains are prepared from not so scary ingredients - veal or pig brains, which are thoroughly fried in batter. And this unusual dish was brought to the United States by emigrants from Germany and Holland, who, apparently, did not like it when something was wasted. Sandwiches with fried brains are a very high-calorie dish; they are served with mustard and pickled onions. In fact, the sandwich owes its specific taste to the batter, but pork or veal brains have a soft, almost indistinguishable taste and a consistency similar to cottage cheese.