Poll: Which So-Called Bizarre Food Are You Most Willing To Try?
To us, some foods are "bizarre," but in other parts of the world, they are not too far out of the ordinary. You may not want to eat these foods, but you gotta admit, they're pretty fascinating to think about.
If you absolutely had to add one to your lunch menu today, which of these "bizarre" foods would you be most willing to try?
We looked through a few of our lists — The World's 10 Deadliest Delicacies, Foods That Scare Americans, and The Most Bizarre Foods Andrew Zimmern Has Ever Eaten — and chose four for you to choose from.
We've included descriptions of the foods below the poll; click on the titles and see a photo, if you dare.
While in Thailand, Andrew Zimmern found an unfamiliar rodent for sale in a northern market. He bought it and took it to a cook in the same marketplace for preparation. The cook covered it in salt and slapped it on a grill completely intact. Would you eat this?
Like pecorino? Try the Sardinian specialty of rotten sheep's milk cheese, decomposed and crawling with live insect larvae within the rind. Though declared illegal in the European Union, it is a thriving black-market staple because of its supposed aphrodisiacal properties. Don't be too surprised if you see it at a bachelor party in Sardinia.
An Icelandic delicacy made of "fermented" sleeper shark. The fermentation process could just as easily be described as an intentional rotting of the meat: It is gutted and placed into the sand and covered with gravel, where it is allowed to ferment (or rot) for six to 12 weeks. Andrew Zimmern claims that hakarl is the worst-tasting thing he's ever eaten.
In this dish, raw baby octopus is dismembered, seasoned with sesame oil, and immediately presented on a plate. Many of the tentacles will still be moving around (remember, each "leg" of an octopus has its own brain), and won't hesitate to use their suckers on you if you try to swallow them. Take care to chew thoroughly before you risk letting something alive — and potentially dangerous — down your throat.