World's Most Outrageous & Unusual Foods

If you aren’t afraid to try something new, you will love trying some of these really outrageous and unusual foods that are offered by the gastronomes of different countries around the world. Recipes that may seem shocking and strange to you are ordinary meals to people in different cultures, and you can really expand your horizons and have a culinary adventure by tasting some of these odd foods yourself.

Experience the most outlandish and creative recipes in the world when you travel to a different country. You might hate it, or you might love it, but either way you can say that you have tried something new!

China

There’s a well-known Cantonese proverb that goes “Anything that walks, swims, crawls or flies with its back to heaven is edible.” This expression is taken to the extreme in China with a truly eclectic menu of unusual foods.

• Scorpion on a Stick: Marinated, deep fried and skewered scorpions are sold by street vendors.
• Hundred Year Old Eggs: Not really that old, boiled duck eggs are preserved in ash and salt for 100 days, turning a marbleized gray color and gaining a pungent odor.

Morocco

• Steamed Sheep’s Head: Brains are removed and cooked separately, but the tongue is steamed with the head the whole thing served with salt and cumin.

Italy

For a country famous for its culinary achievements and mouthwatering recipes, Italy is surprisingly the home of some of the world’s most bizarre foods.

• Maggot Cheese: Casu Marzu literally means “rotten cheese,” and Sardinians only eat it when the fly larvae are still alive.
• Lardo: Pork fat is cured in a large vat with salt, pepper and rosemary. Once solidified, it is sliced and served on bread.

Spain

A delicacy in one country is an oddity in another, but Spanish chefs can take it to a whole new level.

• Criadillas (Bull Fries): The testicles of a bull are breaded and fried, then served in a spicy wine sauce.
• Angulas (Baby Eels): Tiny eels only 3-4 weeks old are skinned and then fried or sautéed and served in salads or with pasta.

Greece

Consider that the old cliché claiming “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” applies to food…sort of like “flavor is on the tongue of the taster?”

• Fried Octopus Ink Sack: First carefully removed and then boiled, the octopus ink sack is deep fried for a rare delicacy mostly served on the island of Kalymnos.
• Tripe Soup: Entrails (and sometimes feet) are served in a classic soup known as a hangover cure.

Israel 

• Meorov: Also called “Jerusalem Mixed Grill”, a pita is stuffed with a grilled mixture of odd chicken parts including hearts, lungs, liver, spleen and other chicken offal.

Don’t be afraid to try something new!

You may find a fantastic new favorite dish (or not) and you’ll have the unique pleasure of experiencing a different culture.

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