30+ Weirdest Food In The World
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Talking about weirdest food in the world is always interesting. What is normal in one country, apparently it is weird for others. My husband still can’t eat cow’s brain curry or lung crisp that are some of my favorites from the Padang Food from Indonesia. He also raised an eyebrow when he saw my mom put the chicken feet in a soup. He can eat sangsang though, a finely chopped pork meat cooked with blood. A specialty food from North Sumatra, also from Indonesia.
But, don’t ask me to eat boudain, a sausage that is stuffed with pork, liver, rice, and a host of Cajun aromatics and spices from Louisiana. When you squeezed it out of the casing, it turned my stomach. And I have eaten monitor lizards soup and Rocky Mountain oysters (bull testicles.) Weird, right?
Many travelers when they went on their adventures around the world like to try at least one of weirdest food they saw along the road. I have asked some of them to share their experiences, even weird food from their own homeland. Here they are.
Weirdest Food In The World
Weird African Food
Termites – Kenya
In Kenya one of the finest delicacies you can eat are termites. Known as white ants or Chiswa, these winged ants are caught and eaten cooked or raw by many Kenyans. The termites are bountiful in the rainy season. In Kenya it is sunny and hot for most of the year, but when the rainy season comes the skies open and rain pours from the sky like buckets full of water from heaven. As the parched ground soaks up the water, the sky fills with termites. They dance joyously in the damp air before losing their wings and falling to the ground. People pluck the insects from the air or gather them as they crawl on the earth.
When it isn’t raining, people create mud traps outside the mounds where the termites live then lightly tap the ground to imitate the sound of rainfall, essentially tricking the termites out of their homes and into the hungry mouths. Sometimes they may smoke and the termites out too.
The Kenyan people are happy to eat the termites raw, or to cook them with salt until they turn dark brown. They have a slightly sweet flavor and are delicious with ugali, a local maize flour staple.
Contributed by Nadine Murphy from The Expat Mummy.
Weird American Food
Chapulines – Mexico
One of Mexico’s most infamous foods is undeniably chapulines. These small grasshoppers have been eaten since prehispanic times, dating back to the Aztecs, and perhaps even before them.
Common to central Mexico, chapulines are eaten much like popcorn. In popular travel destinations like Mexico City and Oaxaca, vendors sell chapulines in traditional mercados (markets) and stands on the street. As with most insects, they provide a great, inexpensive source of protein.
When you buy them, you’ll receive a bag with chapulines, measured by weight to the amount you want to buy. Some people eat them just like this, straight out of the bag, while others add things like lime juice, salt and salsa.
You can often find chapulines mixed with guacamole and in tacos — and even as a pizza topping! If you’re visiting Mexico, make sure you try at least one chapulin.
Contributed by Shelley from Travel Mexico Solo
Cuy – Peru
Would you ever imagine eating a cute pet? Like a guinea pig? Most likely your answer is no, unless you are from Peru!
For many people around the world, a guinea pig on a plate would definitely qualify as weird food. But not in Peru. Since the time of the Incans, guinea pig meat has been a delicacy in Peru. In fact, guinea pigs are bred by the Andean people in Peru for the purpose of consumption, not for keeping as pets.
The local name for guinea pig meat is cuy. You can order half of a cuy or one whole of a cuy, fried or roasted. But beware, you can figure out the outline of that cute guinea pig just by looking at the cooked cuy on your plate.
But since cuy is one of the must-try dishes in Peru, we had to try once! So we ordered half a portion so that the dish looks less graphic. However, once we started digging in with our forks, we did like the taste of cuy, but probably not as much as to eat a cute guinea pig a second time in life!
When you are in the Andean region of Peru, why not try cuy and decide for yourself if this weird food has the potential to become one of your favorite foods or remain as a memory of a weird food that you once tried.
Contributed by Pubali and Indranil from Paradise Catchers
K’ala Phurka – Bolivia
Eating K’ala phurka in Bolivia is a memorable experience you shouldn’t miss. This dish comes from the city of Potosi, high up in the Andes, where locals like to eat it for breakfast.
At an altitude of more than 4,000 metres, mornings are freezing, and K’ala phurka is a perfect Bolivian dish to warm anyone up. The soup is served with volcanic stone, so it still bubbles while you eat it. In fact, with the red chilli sauce swimming on top of the dish, it almost looks like a bubbling volcano or one of the many hot springs you can find in the area.
K’ala phurka traditionally consists of cornflour, chilli and potatoes. You will usually either find beef or llama meat inside and sometimes get a serving of giant corn on the side.
If you want to try K’ala phurka yourself, head to a restaurant in the morning. The best neighbourhood to find this dish is northeast of the city centre, in the direction of the cemetery. Here, you can enjoy a bubbling bowl of K’ala phurka together with the locals.
Contributed by Daniel and Ilona from Top Travel Sights
Tuza – Mexico
With thousands of years of history, there are certainly some peculiar foods and drinks in Mexico. Perhaps one of the lesser known proteins available is called tuza. Although it is not commonly eaten in mainstream Mexico, most Mexicans in the Mayan Riviera are aware of tuza and may have tried it as a child, particularly in a tamale. However, it is still eaten in the Mayan community. It is sometimes translated as a jungle rat, but this is better explained as a rodent from the jungle in Mexico.
It cannot be purchased in stores or even at the market. People must go to the jungle and hunt them. For this reason it is an honour to be served tuza because of the effort it takes to find one.
It is usually cooked in an underground oven called a pib. You must dig a hole, fill it with rocks, light it on fire and then with the burning embers food is wrapped then covered with soil. The tuza itself has a taste that is difficult to describe because it lives in the jungle. The closest comparison may be guinea pig or cuy in Peru and Ecuador.
Contributed by Ayngelina Brogan from Bacon is Magic
Weird Asian Food
Ant Salt – Southeast Asia
Visitors to some areas of the world where consuming insects is more common might be surprised to find ant salt on the menu. It can be a stand-alone side or sometimes come as part of the meal. You would be forgiven for ordering a steak from a fancy restaurant and overlooking the ant salt in the description, perhaps thinking it is just a fancy salt – a mistake that I made!
Ant salt, however, is just what it sounds like. Crispy fried ants mixed in with salt. It is a topping for many dishes, and can be found throughout areas of Southeast Asia as well as South America. It is not a delicacy, but more of a fancy topping than an everyday food. Prepared well, you will see the bodies of the ants still intact and well blended with the salt.
Ant salt adds a distinct salty flavor and crunch to a dish, but the visible ant bodies will be off-putting for many travelers… especially those who end up with it by surprise!
Contributed by Dani from Diapers in Paradise
Balut – the Philippines
Americans retiring to the Philippines are both repulsed and fascinated by balut. This quintessential Filipino delicacy is, simply put, a fertilized duck egg. What is wrong with a duck egg, you ask? You have to understand that a duck egg takes 28 days to hatch. Balut is cooked and served between 16 to 20 days old. This timeline means the “egg” inside the shell is only a week-ish away from being called a duck.
Available on nearly every street in the Philippines, Balut vendors are easy to pick out with Styrofoam coolers to keep the eggs warm and signs advertising the number of days the egg has been incubating. Filipinos, or Americans brave enough to try, simply crack the egg’s top to reveal the semi-formed duck (or veiny yolk, if you opt for the younger 16-day eggs). After seasoning with soy sauce, salt, or vinegar, the unhatched baby duck is eaten, feathers, beak, and all; yup, bones and all. It’s a bit like chewing and eating the flexible bones of a sardine.
While most people identify balut as Filipino, several other countries in Asia eat duck eggs the same way. If you don’t make it to the Philippines to try this snack, look for the eggs in Vietnam, Laos, or Cambodia.
Contributed by Marco Sison from Nomadic FIRE
Black Sesame Sweet Soup – Hong Kong
Black sesame sweet soup is one of the most unique and delicious local foods in Hong Kong. Particularly known for its distinct dark gray to black color, this traditional Chinese dessert is made from roasted black sesame seeds that are ground into a paste and boiled with rice flour to thicken it and rock sugar for sweet flavor. Sometimes you can find rice balls filled with black sesame paste in the black sesame sweet soup as well for double the sesame. It’s uniquely toasted nutty flavor is amazing as a comfort food and makes it similar to peanut butter in a soup form.
It is typically eaten as an everyday dessert amongst Hong Kongers and can be eaten throughout the year warm as a winter dessert or chilled in the summers. The sweet soup is easily found in traditional dessert cafes throughout the city and can also be found in mainland China, Taiwan, and other countries with a large Chinese diaspora.
Contributed by Constance from The Adventures of Panda Bear
Fried Big Red Ants – the Philippines
What makes it weird?
These itsy bitsy creepy crawlers are an annoyance to most of us. They may be small but if some ants bite you, I’m quite sure you’ll be hurting as hell.
Some people in the Philippines found a way to get even. If you can’t beat them, eat them!
Yep, you heard it right. I personally tasted it in Kalinga province where big red ants are sold in the market. Kalinga is located in the northern part of the Philippines. The province is mostly famous for a tribe that does intricate tattoos. But I was there to do a food trip.
My friend who is a local of the province fried it then I got to taste it. Those toasted ants were crunchy. It has a unique taste, definitely does not taste like regular meat. The ant eggs were delicious though.
If you want to have an idea what it tastes like, capture some ants in your backyard, then fry it. Maybe add some salt and your favorite spices. Then you’ll know 😀
Grasya from This Grasya
Fugu – Japan
There is no food in Japan more shrouded in mystery and lore than Fugu. Even today, it is a Japanese food that is forbidden to the emperor. Ill prepared and the diner can suffer a very painful death, as there is no known antidote to the poison.
But actually in Japan, fugu is “normal” , often considered a popular food during the winter (as the fish increases in size during winter months). But it is certainly not a common food as it is expensive to prepare.
A fugu chef trains for years to be ready to prepare it. Most of the deaths that occur from Fugu are from people who try to prepare it themselves or otherwise go to a person who is not well trained in the practice of preparing the fish. The fish itself actually has very little taste on its own which was a surprise to me, and one of the reasons it’s so prized. People told me that it’s the purity of it that makes it so sought after.
When we tried the fish we actually had it prepared in several ways from sashimi to bbq which gave us a breadth of options in terms of ways to sample the cuisine. We tried Fugu in a fugu restaurant in Tokyo although it can be sampled in many cities across the country.
Contributed by Anwar from Beyond My Door
Jadoh – Meghalaya (India)
One of the weirdest foods that I have ever tried has to be Jadoh in Meghalaya, India. Jadoh is a traditional Khasi dish that is a type of biryani but is made of rice, meat, and blood. The spices used in this dish are quite different and there isn’t much oil used so it tends to be healthy and filling. The dish is usually eaten by the locals in the morning of some local festivals but you can easily find it in a local Khasi village in Meghalaya or a restaurant named ‘Jadoh’ in Shillong. Ideally, they add pork or chicken blood to cook the rice and give it a metallic taste.
I did try the dish in Shillong and the taste was unique and it was kind of delicious. However, I don’t think I would be able to eat it every day especially since it was pretty heavy.
Contributed by Rachita Saxena from MeanderWander
Kuay Teow Namtok (Waterfall Noodles) – Thailand
Blood is not a terribly uncommon ingredient in many parts of the world. For example, multiple countries have their own version of blood sausage. It’s when blood is eaten raw that it gets a lot more weird. Raw blood is exactly one of the main ingredients in one of Thailand’s popular dishes ironically called waterfall noodles, or more widely known as boat noodles.
Made with pork or beef, the soup is very rich poured over egg or rice noodles with meatballs. The blood gets added to the broth in each bowl right before it is served to produce an extremely meaty and savory flavor.
While this dish was traditionally served from paddle boats all across cities in central Thailand, modernizing infrastructure made it impractical for vendors to keep serving from the canals. You can now find kuay teow namtok in restaurants (and the occasional street vendor) all over Thailand.
PS: Yes, you can order it without any blood if the thought turns your stomach. While not as rich, it is still delicious.
Contributed by Dave from Dave on Arrival
Nok Ann Toong (sour swallows) – Laos
Whilst there are many unusual Laos dishes, the strangest I’ve encountered so far is sour swallows, or nok ann toong, in Laos language. This seasonal delicacy is a specialty of the little-visited Xieng Khouang Province in northern Laos.
In August and September every year, thousands of migratory swallows make the long journey from Russia to Laos in order to escape the freezing winter temperatures. The tiny birds are trapped using large nets before being placed in huge earthenware jars to ferment and pickle for a few months. Once fermented, the birds are then fried and eaten whole – bones and all.
This much sought-after delicacy has an extremely pungent, sickly-sour taste. And if the taste doesn’t get to you, the texture certainly will! This is definitely a food for the more adventurous palate, as it takes a strong stomach to get through all the crunchy bits of bone and beak.
Pickled swallows are usually only available during the cooler months in Laos and can be found at fresh markets throughout Phonsavan, the capital of Xieng Khouang Province.
Contributed by Marie from A Life Without Borders
Paye – Pakistan
One of the weirdest foods I’ve ever eaten was paye, which I ate while I was visiting Lahore, Pakistan. Paye consists of a goat hoof that’s simmered until juicy in a spicy curry broth, paired with naan. I’d never eaten the hoof of any animal before, but the dish actually ended up being incredibly fatty–which I loved– and the spices worked well with the unique texture. I would definitely call myself a fan!
The dish is extremely popular in many parts of Pakistan and is frequently eaten for breakfast. In fact, some paye restaurants are only open in the very early hours of the morning, though it’s also possible to find somewhere that serves the delicacy for dinner as well.
A variation of the dish that’s common in Pakistan–the land of hospitality and incredible meats–is known as siri paye. This particular food contains not only the hoof (which means paye in Urdu,) but also the head (siri in Urdu).
Contributed by Samantha Shea from Intentional Detours
Silkworms – Assam, India
Thinking about weird foods? Try silkworms in the north-eastern state of Assam in India.
Silkworms are considered a delicacy among the indigenous tribes of India’s north east. Assam especially has a rich tradition of silkworm rearing. Once the cocoons are used for producing fine strands of Assam’s golden silk, the worms themselves are eaten for their nutritional benefits.
Eating silkworms is a key component of the culture of Bodos, an ethnic tribe that inhabits an autonomous region called Bodoland in Assam. They taste a lot like egg yolk but are chewier.
These worms are usually deep fried before being eaten as a crunchy snack. The fried worms can also be stir-fried and converted into delicious salads by adding onions, cucumber, cilantro, and Indian chaat masala. Some people even make them into curries with vegetables and relish them alongside rice.
Contributed by Soumya from Stories by Soumya
Stinky tofu – Taiwan
Surely there are fewer stranger dishes than this infamous Taiwanese food. For a country that doesn’t have a huge vegetarian population, it might seem surprising that tofu is so popular. But what’s weirder is the stench!
You’ll smell stinky tofu before you see it. It’s a simple dish that’s straight to the point: tofu that really does stink. Despite its strangeness, it’s adored by Taiwanese people of all ages. It’s a popular street food that can be found at night markets all around Taiwan. Due to its popularity as a roadside snack, you’ll rarely find it in sit-down restaurants.
The aroma of stinky tofu can be attributed to its fermentation process. It’s mixed with a blend of milk and a brine made from meat, fish or vegetables and left to stew in its juices. Finally, it’s fried and served with sticky barbecue sauce, scallions and a side of pickled veggies. While it’s undeniably strange to Western tastes, you can’t leave Taiwan without sampling the national dish!
Contributed by Rose from Rose Munday
Takatak – Pakistan
Takatak is a weird mix of all body parts of a goat you wouldn’t want to eat individually. The best part is that the name of the dish has nothing to do with ingredients. Instead it is named after the noise the metal spatulas make against the flat pan when preparing the dish, taka-tak, it is also called katakat for the same reason.
The origin of this dish is unknown but it is one of those dishes that came out because of necessity when people from lower social classes wanted to eat meat in whatever form, it was also good because it meant less food waste.
If you are squeamish you might not want to read further. The ingredients of this weird delicacy are goat kidneys, liver, minced meat and best of all, goat testes. To make it more interesting some people also add brains to it. It all starts with some tomatoes lightly fried on the open flat pan (called tawa) with each ingredient added to it. The cook adds meat one by one and uses his sharpened spatula to mince all pieces until a pile of homogenous minced meat with tomatoes and green chilli is ready to be devoured.
Regardless of the weird ingredients, it just somehow works and unless you specifically know the ingredients, you wouldn’t be able to guess what you’re eating. Takatak has survived the tests of time and while many other dishes have had their modern versions, it stands firmly in its place as a weird delicacy that people in the subcontinent can’t get enough of.
Contributed by Ucman Scher from BrownBoy Travels
Wangfujing Snack Street – China
China is known as a country where everything is eaten. And different places there offer a wide choice of things you could chew on. But if you are in Beijing and would like easy access to some exotic bites Wangfujing Snack Street aka Donghuamen Night Food Street should be your first option. It is less than 2 kilometers away from the forbidden city and easy to find.
This 100-meter long snack street is open from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm every day. You will recognize it by red signature color (stalls, lanterns, signboards, aprons, and hats). Everything looks clean and safe to eat. If you come there just to watch you can still get some fruit on a skewer (sugar-coated hawks) or barbecue corn. For those more adventurous there are centipedes, scorpions, grasshoppers, larva, seahorses, snakes, silkworms, water beetles … Insects on skewers are deep-fried, crunchy, and covered with chili. So they taste like chips. Snake and sea tar a chewy. You should try all if possible but still, it is OK to know your limits and what you will be able to swallow. Bon appetit (請享用)
Contributed by Džangir Kolar from drjamtravels
Weird European Food
Black Pudding – Ireland
What’s weird in itself, a staple for breakfast in both Irish and Northern Irish cuisine is the morning fry, where many would eat a whole load of fried sausages, meats, bread and eggs at the start of every day. A meal that is more likely to put you to bed than set you up for the day ahead.
A common addition to this fry would then be black and white pudding which are savoury sausage-like puddings made from a blend of oatmeal, pork, and a blend of onion and spices. But there is one major difference between these puddings where black pudding includes a fair helping of pig’s blood to the mix giving it that delightful black colour. Even locally it does divide people, and many cafes would skip on it in fries, offering it as an optional extra. But for others that like a bit of flavour and spice it is the best part of the morning.
Otherwise, black pudding is not overly common in food or recipes, although it does go well with mushy peas and scallops, and can occasionally be found battered and deep-fried in local chippies as a black pudding supper. It also fuses many cheap local ingredients meaning it costs little more than 1 euro for an entire pudding.
Contributed by Allan Wilson from It’s Sometimes Sunny in Bangor
Caracoles – Spain
Caracoles refer to small snails in Spain. Seemingly weird but surprisingly delicious caracoles are popular tapas in Spain in spring.
Appetizing tapa de caracoles is a Spanish tapa dish made of small snails cooked in a broth with garlic, bay leaves, black pepper, and cumin. But, quite often tapas bars in Spain add some additional ingredients as well and make their own secret recipes. Tapa de caracoles are typically served in a small tapa bowl, and it comes with toothpicks. Toothpicks serve as helpful utensils for taking the flesh of the snails out of the shells, making eating snails easier and without the slurping sounds. Small and palatable caracoles are very similar to sea mussels or clams in taste. So, it’s not surprising that seafood lovers highly appreciate Spanish caracoles too.
Although caracoles are a common tapas served in Spanish bars and Spanish homes in spring, they are also a top-notch gastronomic delicacy served in many elite restaurants in Spain. Tapas caracoles are especially savored in southern Spain.
The season of snail tapas in Spain goes from May to June. So, if you happen to travel to Spain, especially Andalusia in late spring and want to try some authentic weird food, give a try to tapa de caracoles!
Contributed by Milijana Gabrić from World Travel Connector
Haggis – Scotland
Many Scots will have you believe that Haggis is a small animal with longer left legs that runs around in circles and is native to the Scottish Highlands.
In reality though, Haggis is a savoury dish containing sheep heart, liver and lungs. It is minced with onion, oatmeal, sude, spices and salt. The traditional dish is eaten with neeps (turnips) and tatties (potatoes).
In Scotland, it is common to see Haggis on both restaurant menus and on the dinner table in people’s homes. Haggis is also used as a ceremonial meal on occasions such as Burns Night. On the 25th of January, a night to celebrate poet Robert Burns, dinner parties are held around Scotland and the Haggis will be carried into the dinner accompanied by a piper (bagpipes!). The host will then recite Burns’ poem “The Address to the Haggis” and use the ceremonial sword to stab the haggis.
You cannot visit Scotland without tasting Haggis, at least once. Make sure you order Haggis, neeps and tatties, usually topped with a whiskey gravy. One of the best places to taste some Haggis in Edinburgh on the Royal Mile at the Wiski Bar.
Go on, be brave! Take a bite of the Haggis.
Contributed by Fiona from Travelling Thirties
Jellied Eels – England
One of the things to do in England is try the local food and drink. Drinking cider and beer at a local pub is no hardship. Some of the food though can take you aback. For example, Jellied Eels is a favourite East End London dish. It’s definitely more adventurous than the other traditional favourite of fish and chips.
To make Jellied Eels, British freshwater eels are chopped up and boiled in water and vinegar. The eels are eaten cold and may be served with pie and mash. The boiling produces a gelatinous by-product that oozes out of the eel. The Jellied Eels themselves taste ok – a white fish similar to herring. The gelatinous side is difficult to eat if you don’t like the texture (cold and slimy). On the plus side, there is only one bone in the eel that you have to eat around.
Jellied eels were an everyday food for London’s poor. Eels were common in the Thames and are a good source of protein and oils found in much more expensive fish. The first eel, pie and mash shop opened in the East End in the 18th century. At one point there were many eel, pie and mash shops in London. Today, only a few shops survive with the East End of London becoming wealthy and trendy. Although pie and mash is still a popular dish, the Jellied Eels part has become an acquired taste.
Contributed by Shobha George from Just Go Places
Leberkase – Germany
Germany’s food scene is quite tame compared to some other places around the world. However, it does have its fair share of strange eats, including Leberkäse, which quite literally translates to “Liver Cheese.” But ironically, there is actually no liver nor cheese in this meat mystery! And like most mystery meats, it’s probably best if we didn’t know EXACTLY how Leberkäse is made.
However, it’s basically some corned beef meat, pork, and of course some bacon mixed into a concoction that is then ground up into a fine texture that is then put into a loaf pan to bake and voila, you’ve got Leberkäse! And while the name of it sounds frightening, even the most timid of foodies actually end up liking this as one of the many foods to eat in Bavaria. You can either just eat it sliced and pan fried, or my preferred method is on a “semmel” (bread) with a healthy dose of Bavarian sweet mustard slathered all over it.
It’s fantastic for on the go lunches and is truly a local favorite!
Contributed by LeAnna Brown from WanderInGermany
Morcilla – Spain
Morcilla is one of Spain’s most curious sausages, used widely in the cooking of one of the country’s most popular winter dishes, the cocido. There are different types of morcilla, some made specifically for cooking with, and some to eat as tapas.
Morcilla is practically a blood sausage, different than the English black pudding. It is soft, creamy, and has a subtle aniseed flavour. The texture of the cooked morcilla is quite crumbly. The sausage consists of ground pork meat mixed with the animal’s blood, with added onions and rice. Depending on which side of the country is coming from, different spices are added to the mix. In the North you will taste smokiness in the morcilla, whilst in the South it will be spicy. In Extremadura, a version of the morcilla adds mashed potato to the mix, making it extremely soft and creamy. If you order morcilla as a tapa, it will be served raw and sliced, process which prevents it from crumbling. It can also be used as an ingredient in other dishes, like the morcilla stuffed calamari tapas in Malaga.
Contributed by Joanna from The World In My Pocket
Snails – Paris (France)
Snails is a famous Paris food that not everybody is ready to try. While locals love eating snails cooked in different sauces, it is considered a weird food outside France! You can eat snails a little bit everywhere in Paris, in Parisian bistros, brasseries, and fancy restaurants.
Snails taste like the sauce you cook them in. The sauce is usually a garlic sauce or a more elaborated tomato sauce. Some people believe that the snail’s taste is different depending on where you pick them. Apparently, Norman snails don’t taste the same as Provençal snails!
Snails have a chewy consistency, and this is the main thing that blocks people, even if they are so small that you don’t need to chew for a long time. Usually, snails are served with a special tool used to hold the shell while extracting the body. A bit of practice is necessary for eating snails; otherwise, a couple of snails might fly!
Contributed by Elisa from World in Paris
Stargazy Pie – Cornwall, UK
Stargazy pie is a unique dish and a specialty in Cornwall in the UK. The dish originated in Mousehole, a fishing village in the south of Cornwall near Lands End.
Stargazy pie consists of a savoury shortcrust pastry pie stuffed with hard-boiled eggs and slices of bacon. A mustard flavoured custard is added on top. The signature sight of stargazy pie is the sardines heads which poke out from the shortcrust pastry.
The history of stargazy pie originates from a period of hunger in Mousehole during the 1500s. The small harbour town suffered massive storms which cut the area off from the rest of the UK, and the fishermen could no longer fish. One day, a fisherman named Tom Bawcock successfully braved the weather and fed the entire village. The traditional recipe for Stargazy pie has seven different types of fish which symbolise the different kinds of fish Tom Bawcock caught before returning to Mousehole.
This story, as well as plenty of stargazy pie, can be seen in the film and book of ‘The Mousehole Cat’.
Every year on December 23rd the Ship Inn pub in Mousehole’s waterfront dishes out free stargazy pie to all in recognition of the events.
Contributed by Sylvie from Kids to Cornwall
Tripe soup – Bulgaria
To me, the tripe soup is a dish that I have grown up knowing and is something traditional, but foreigners seem to find it weird.
The tripe soup is a common dish in the Balkans and Eastern Europe and is very traditional in Bulgaria. Made from cow or lamb stomach and milk, it’s one of the locals’ favorite soups. Usually, you are expected to add vinegar and spicy pepper to your taste.
Considered to be a hangover remedy, the tripe soup is often consumed in the early mornings after a night out. And to help get over the hangover even further, Bulgarians eat it accompanied by a cold beer.
Tripe soup is served in every second restaurant in the country and is often part of the lunch menu. The price typically varies between 2 – 4 BGN.
So when visiting Bulgaria, give the tripe soup a try, it might turn into your new favorite soup!
Contributed by Bilyana Petrova from Owl Over The World
Tripoux – France
It’s no secret that France has its fair share of weird foods. While you may think the only odd things the French eat are snails and frogs, this is actually far from the truth.
In South West France and Auvergne, eating “Tripoux” is very popular. They are small pieces of veal tripes mixed with pork belly and wrapped up into lamb tripes. These balls of tripoux are then slow cooked (4 hours) in a savory wine sauce.
It is usually eaten with boiled potatoes, aligot or truffade (traditional potato dishes from Auvergne and Aveyron).
This dish originated from one of the most rural regions in France. It’s very traditional and used to be made in order to use up all the leftovers. Nowadays, it’s just something people (especially farmers) like to eat. It’s full of flavours and quite filling.
It’s also a pretty popular breakfast dish as it’s known to be an excellent hangover cure!
You can find them in a butcher shop or at the supermarket. They are usually already cooked and sealed in a jar. You just need to put them in the oven for half an hour. Please note that the smell is fairly strong and can be off putting.
Contributed by Pauline Vergnet from Beeloved City
Weird Middle East Food
Kaleh Pacheh – Iran
Persian food belongs to one of the most underrated cuisines in the world. Most foreigners will be surprised about the delicious stews, kebabs and rice that is cooked to perfection. There is one weird food though, that few foreigners dare to try.
Kaleh pacheh is a hearty soup that is very popular for breakfast. Its name already indicates the main ingredients. Kaleh Pacheh translates as sheeps head and hooves. In a good kaleh pacheh the head should still include the eyes, tongue and brain too. The dish is high in calories and is supposed to power workers throughout the day.
Kaleh pacheh is so popular that throughout Iran, people stand in line for this breakfast at the best restaurants in town. They often specialize in kaleh pacheh and serve nothing else. Some open as early as 3 AM in the morning and the pans and pots will be empty by 9 AM. So those that want to try need to set their alarm clock.
For most foreigners the sheep head might not look very appealing, but after hours of boiling the meat is surprisingly tender and the soup is quite tasty due to the use of spices and herbs. Some add lime for extra flavour. For those not so adventurous, it is at least worth it to try the broth with some bread. It is such a rich dish that this would already be a filling breakfast.
Contributed by Ellis from Backpack Adventures
Mansaf – Jordan
Mansaf is considered a weird food for tourists visiting Jordan for the first time. What is mansaf? It is a traditional dish that combines dried fermented yogurt with goat meat. It is a dish served on special occasions in Jordan and has its origins from the bedouins who first inhabited the land that is now part of Jordan. Jordanian hosts often prepare mansaf as a show of appreciation for their guests. It is also commonly served to celebrate weddings or births and on holidays like Eid ul-Fitr, Eid ul-Adha, Christmas or Easter.
To prepare the mansaf itself, pieces of lamb are cooked in the jameed (fermented yogourt) broth before being placed atop a large platter with flatbread and rice. The meat is garnished with almonds and pine nuts and served family-style. The creamy jameed is then poured over the whole dish by the host and everybody digs in together.
It is typically eaten with one’s hands, where you scoop a small scoop of rice and meat into your hands and form it into a ping pong sized ball before popping it into your mouth with two fingers! You can also eat it with the flatbread that is typically placed under the rice.
Mansaf has a distinct fermented and salty flavour. The tender lamb’s flavour is enhanced with a Baharat spice blend, scented with cardamom and cumin to blend perfectly with the crunch of nuts and the moistened rice.
Contributed by Lindsay from Step into Jordan
Tavuk Gogsu – Turkey
On first glance, Tavuk göğsü looks like any other normal pudding. It’s white, silky, and tastes like a pleasant mixture of sweet vanilla. But what if I told you it’s actually made out of chicken breast?
That’s right! Tavuk göğsü, which literally translates to chicken breast, is a popular dessert all across Turkey. It’s made by taking boiled chicken breast, pounded until smooth, and then mixing it with rice, milk, sugar, and other spices (such as cinnamon) to give it that bouncy texture and sweet flavor. The Tavuk göğsü was considered a delicacy and served to sultans that were residing in the Topkapı Palace during the Ottoman times. Nowadays, it’s a popular dessert that can be commonly seen on menus in restaurants and sold in grocery stores across Turkey. The “upgraded” version is Kazandibi, which is made by burning the bottom of tavuk göğsü, creating a caramelized flavor — just top with ice cream and voila!
Luda B. from Adventures with Luda
Well, what do you think? How rich is your weird food adventures? Have you tried one, two, or five of these weirdest food in the world? Which one that you want to try first? Let me know by leaving a comment below.
No, no, no. I am not going to try most foods on this list. I am not prepared to do it. I can’t understand why people have to eat insects, but then I have people looking at me wondering why I eat meat. I can’t even stand Black Pudding and Jellied Eels! However one food on this list I love and it’s from Scotland is Haggis! I love it. I llove it more when I put it in a burger with a fried egg! I could eat that stuff every day. 😀
Haha… you are right! People see and eat things differently. I haven’t tried haggis yet. But I would like to try it the way you ate it. Sometimes the local supermarket had Scotland Day and they had haggis.
Of all the weird foods, the creepy crawlies stand out for me because I really cannot imagine eating them. I had no idea they ate silk worms in Assam! Grasshoppers, termites (??!!) and big red ants? Never!! I really don’t have a stomach for these things, even though I usually like to believe I am quite experimental with food. I did see balut in the Philippines and it made my stomach churn.
I’m pretty sure I can’t eat balut. Even my Filipino friend can’t. If I close my eyes, I think I can eat the creepy crawlies. I think. But not sure when I see it in person. Haha…
This is quite the list. Being a foodie, i love trying out weird foods, and have even tried some, but i don’t think i have tried any of the lot. Have come across multiple vendors selling insects and all, but looks like i need to take the leap of faith, and give it a shot in the post pandemic world.
I think I can eat most of this with eyes closed.
Interesting article on food . Seems like the blood boiled meats are the strangest. Fuga is something that I had done a research on sometime back. It is indeed weird how the fish commands such high prices. I would have loved to include a few vegetarian dishes to this mix – there are quite a few unusual ones that include bamboos and strange mushrooms
I agreed. I think I heard a lot about Fuga because of the shape of the fish, it’s high price, and the risk of death if you cook it wrong. I would be happy if you want to add a vegetarian food in the list. It just happened all the contributors ate something with meat in it.
This is an absolutely great list of weird/interesting food from around the world. I was lucky enough to try silkworms in Assam and I am looking forward to trying some new ones on my future trips. A bowl of K’ala Phurka in Bolivia would be quite thrilling actually as would be some of the other ones. Bookmarking your list for when I start traveling again.
Awesome! Thank you for your participation. I like the picture, too. Pretty.
I love, love, love this list! Weird and bizarre things always fascinate me. I have a bucket list of 600+ items in it and you’ve just added 30+ more. Some of the weird food I’ve tried are escargots in France, scorpion and crocodile in Thailand, grasshoppers in Uganda, and stinky tofu in Taiwan, which actually didn’t smell that bad to me (maybe my Asian nose is immune to stinky food). I’m pretty sure I’ve also eaten a bunch of other weird stuff without realizing it, as I sometimes just order something without knowing what they put in there.
It’s funny that I’ve tried escargots in Jakarta, Indonesia, not in France. lol. I would like to try the stinky tofu, too. I wonder how stink it is compare to the normal tofu.
Your article is great, I haven’t read such an interesting text for a long time. I love getting to know a given country and culture through food. By tasting local, even strange dishes that may be disgusting. I’ve already eaten ants, crickets, cockroaches. I ate Haggis, Jellied Eels, Tripoux. But I would love o try Stinky Tofu, Cuy, and K’ala Phurka.
Wow! You have tried a lot of stuff. I wish I had a gut to try all that crawlers when I frequented Bangkok for work. Haha…
I can be a very fussy eater of foods but the one I probably wouldn’t want to eat is the Tavuk göğsü becuase it just loks like goo. However because I read whats in it, chicken breast?? Now I probably would eat it based on that. 😀 But it really doesnt look appealing. 😀 I have tried Tripoux before in France, its ok, thankfully they add wine sauce to it otherwise it would be very bland.
Yeah, tavuk gogsu doesn’t look appealing at all.
This was such a fun article to read. I learned so much but was also equally horrified, especially when I saw the photo of Cuy and could make out the shape of my little pet on the plate!! I’m a vegan so this was a little hard to digest (no pun intended) as interesting as it was. Raised in a British household, I still remember the day I learned what Black Pudding was as a child. Still, it is so interesting the eclectic cuisines around the world and how you can prepare almost anything to taste delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Actually I thought about what if a vegan encountered this article. And you said it, it’s a little hard to digest. But, I really appreciate that you still want to read this, to learn about what people eat around the world.
One of my favourite parts of traveling is trying the new food and cuisine I come across. Despite that I’m not sure I’m brave enough to try some of these dishes. I say that but Haggis is one of my favourites while traveling, so to see it grouped with these dishes I could be maybe tempted into trying some on future trips. If you’re ever in Greece I’d suggest kokoretsi or magaritsa, both featuring offal and intestines.
That sounds interesting! I wonder if it’s goat’s offal and intestines.
I am pretty fussy about my foods so I am sure than many of these weird foods might only be photographed by me as hubby tries them all! Although I am sure I could not even watch if he wanted to try termites or crispy fried ants! I know for sure h
Yup! I can see from your traveling stories and pictures that your husband likes to try something special in the destinations.