Have you ever tried eating food which is moving or food which is alive ? There are countries around the world, who consider such foods as a delicacy. There are much more weird foods in different countries and they find it a treat that you must have, and might not look appealing but the taste is unique and savoury.

1Fried Brain Sandwiches, United States of America

This food is exactly as the name sounds. Brains which are fried and made into sandwiches. This food brings the phrase “eating my brain” to life. The brains of the calves are sliced and fried, then placed between slices of bread or hamburger buns. This food was immensely popular during the 1800s, but now not many restaurants or cafes serve this food. A variation of this sandwich is that instead of calves’ brain, pigs brains are used. The only place which still makes and sells this sandwich is in St. Louis, the original creators of this dish.

2Bugs, South East Asia

No one like creepy crawly things right? Well, the South East Asians found a unique way to get them out of our sights. How? by eating them. It may be shocking at first and even disgusting, but the taste of the fried bugs is amazing. You may think this is unhealthy and unhygienic, but the truth is that these bugs are superb for health and the best part is that they taste delicious. There are markets in the streets of South-East Asia with stalls that mainly sell this food. The residents of the countries love this and eat it on a daily basis if possible.

3Hakarl, Iceland

Hakarl is an Icelandic delicacy, which can be bought from any store and eaten any time in the whole year and also the national dish of Iceland. Hakarl is a Greenland shark, which is beheaded and buried beneath the sand and gravel in the ground to ferment. There are certain elements present in high concentration in the shark that is poisonous. By fermentation, removal of the toxic elements is complete. After fermentation, the sharks are cut and hung outside to dry and a brown crust appears over the shark. Removal of the brown coat is essential and the shark is cut into small pieces and sold. The smell of the Hakarl has a strong smell. The natives of this country love this, whereas the others find the taste of this food disgusting.

4Fugu, Japan

Fugu means pufferfish in Japanese. One of the most toxic foods there is if not prepared correctly. Since there is a possibility that people can die, the Japanese government regulates where the Fugu use and the chefs with experience alone are allowed to use this fish. For all the risk takers out there. This food is the one food that you must try. Usually served as sashimi in many parts of Japan and Korea. The liver of the pufferfish is the tastiest part.

5Sannakji, Korea

Immensely popular in Korea, Sannakji is a raw seafood dish in which small octopus is the main ingredient. Here the octopus is still alive and the chefs or shopkeepers cut the tentacles into pieces and season them with sesame seeds and sesame oil. You can also ask for a whole baby or small octopus. 

6Balut, Philippines

Why eat an ordinary egg when you can eat an egg, which is in the process of becoming a bird. They cook the bird embryo and eat it with chili, garlic, salt or vinegar. Though this might sound offensive, it is a delicacy for the people in the South East Asian countries. Though most of the people consider this wrong due to religious beliefs, health issues and animal welfare, the locals of Philippines and Vietnam believe this food good for the health of pregnant women. We can obtain it in other countries, but one should be careful when they buy them from the vendors as it can cause health problems.

7Crispy Tarantulas, Cambodia

Spiders, in general, are fried and eaten as a delicacy in Cambodia. The spider they eat the most are the tarantulas. The hairy spiders. Doesn’t sound appetising, does it? It isn’t that appetising either. Most of them don’t recommend eating this, whereas most of them do. The tarantula is fried completely and eaten. The taste of this food is bland when compared to its texture.

8Escamoles, Mexico

This food is one of the long consumed dishes in Mexico. The ant larvae or pupa from the roots of the tequila plants or the mezcal plants is the main ingredient of this dish. The taste of this dish is similar to cottage cheese regarding flavour alone. You can find this food in the areas of Mexico City or the region around the city. The ant larvae are cooked in butter and few seasonings and eaten with vegetables like tomatoes, avocados and tortillas. You can also eat plainly also, but it tastes best with vegetables. This food is quite nutritious and to add to it the flavour is just as amazing.

9Jellied Moose Nose, Canada

Why leave any part of the animal uneaten. The nose of the moose made into meat jelly eaten in various regions of Canada. First, the jawbone of the moose is put in scalding hot water to boil, which you should not look. Cool the jawbone and then remove the skin of the jawbone and then wash it in cold water. Then place the nose in a pot of cold water with salt and pepper and various other seasonings. You have to boil it till the nose is tender and you can serve it in any way you want.

10Airag, Mongolia

Airag is a Mongolian dish, which is made from Horse’s milk which is fermented. It is a national beverage in Mongolia. The milk is filtered using a cloth and it is then stirred for two days continuously. This way the milk gets fermented. This food is perfect for people who are lactose intolerant, as the lactose disappears during the fermentation. You cannot have the horse’s milk when it is raw as it has a terrible laxative effect on anyone who drinks it, that’s why the milk is fermented and tasted.

11Cazu Marzu, Italy

The meaning of this dish is rotten cheese in Italian. Made from the Sardinia sheep milk in the town of Sardinia. In this cheese instead of fermentation, you will find decomposition done by the digestion process of the cheese fly larvae, which people add in the cheese. The larvae become tiny worms inside the cheese and people consume the cheese with or without the worms in it. They help in reduce the fats of the cheese and the taste left by it is a taste you certainly will not be able to forget for some time.

12Muktuk, Greenland

This dish is native to the people of Greenland. It is part of their meals. made using frozen whale skin and whale blubber. It is rich in vitamin C and vitamin D. Different whale surfaces are used to make this muktuk. They can be pickled, deep-fried, or had with soy sauce. You can also have it raw. This food is highly nutritious for health and tasty and is had by almost everyone in Greenland.

13Salo, Ukraine

This Ukranian dish consists of layers of fat of the pig and you can consume it with or without meat based on our choice. When translated into English it means bacon and is seasoned with salt and pepper. The Salo smoked in a dark room with salt, will last an entire year if you cook it properly. Salo is usually added into soups or in other dishes to reduced the fat content of the meals.

14Stargazy Pie, England

Have you ever heard of a pie which makes use of sardines and their heads protruding out of the food? Now you do. This food called as the Stargazy pie which is native to the Cornwall people of England. The main ingredient of this dish is sardines. In addition to sardines, they use potatoes and eggs. The creation of the food is like any normal pie, but the sardine heads will stick out and their tails will be inside and hidden or sometimes outside. The upper surface of this food has a surface similar to that of pastry. This food rose to popularity during famine times.

15Mopane Worms, Southern Africa

Found in the warmer regions of Africa, these worms have high protein in them. These worms are a primary source of protein for people living in that country. They are called mopane worms, because you can find them in abundance in the mopane tree. The worms are handpicked and are squeezed at the tail till their innards are ruptured and the worms are squeezed out lengthwise till all the slimy innards are out of the body. These worms are either dried in the sun or are smoked to get a distinctive flavour. These worms are crispy and you can also eat these worms raw.

16Steak tartare, France

It is another type of fresh food, which is native to the country of France. It consists of minced raw beef of horse meat, You can season with salt, pepper and various other herbs which add flavour to the meat and held together using the tartar sauce. The meat is in a circular form with a few inches thickness. This dish looks quite elegant and in the restaurants are served with a raw egg yolk, a rye bread and a little bit of salad that you can have with the steak tartare. Fresh meat should be used to make this dish. Otherwise, it can cause serious health issues.

17Kangaroo, Australia

What do people think first when you say Australia? Almost everyone would say kangaroos. What do most of the Australians say when asked what their favourite meat is? Kangaroos, again. Kangaroo meat has fans all across the world, thus making it get exported in a large quantity. Not just the flesh, but the hide also. This meat is popular among the Aboriginals of Australia, as it contains high protein, which helps them sustain life. It has more flavour when coming to other meats and you can cook it in various ways that suit your taste. Though many people prefer not to eat kangaroo meat, it is still well liked with the rest of the locals.

18Guinea Pig, South America

When people talk about guinea pigs, they think about them as pets, but most South Americans consider them as a delicacy that you can have at any time. Guinea pig meat was eaten only during ceremonies, but after one point you could eat it, whenever you want. Like every other meat, the guinea pig meat has high protein and low fat. This meat is much more appealing to the taste than chicken or duck.

19Cobra Heart, Vietnam

Vietnam is on the list for many travellers. The one thing you must eat in Vietnam is the cobra heart. The Cobra parts have medicinal values according to the Chinese journals, so many of the Vietnamese people eat this cobra heart or anything related to it. There are Cobra restaurants, which serve Cobra drinks and also serve the Cobra heart. You get to pick you Cobra and the shop owners do the rest. It is a bit gruesome to watch. The scary part of this is that you eat the beating heart of the Cobra.

20Century Eggs, China

You might be wondering what Century eggs mean? Eggs which are a century old? In the olden times, that’s how it was. The eggs of ducks, chicken or pigeon were buried underground in a clay pot with ash, quicklime, rice hulls and quicklime. They are left there for weeks to months. During this time the egg yolk becomes dark green or gray and the egg shell becomes jelly, which is dark brown and salty. It is nutritious and tasty.