Unconventional Foods. What is the most unusual food you've tried?

1. 68

   Iontachposted 13 years ago

   I've always loved to try new and 'strange' types of foods whenever available.
   I say the most different type of food I've tried was probably Crocodile?! I've also tried Ostrich and Antelope which at the time I thought were CRAZY.
   I got the idea for this forum when I was watching I'm a Celebrity, Get me Out of Here, eating worms and grubs...yummm
   
   So What would you consider the most different/strange/exotic/unusual type of food you've eaten before?

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   1. 0

      Baileybearposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I've tried ostrich and kangaroo

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      1. 63

         rcrm89posted 13 years agoin reply to this

         I'm eating Kangaroo quite regularly at the moment.
         
         It's good stuff - much cheaper and leaner than beef and I don't find it's taste offensive at all.

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   2. 0

      Baileybearposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      brains - served up my my mother when I was a kid.  They were crumbed and were fried, and were white & tasted like chicken - called sweetbreads.  Of course, I was turned off when I found out what it really was.
      I didn't eat the ox-tongue she served up - I could see the tastebuds

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   3. 0

      just_curiousposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I ate dog once, while in Asia. I was forced to do it, to be polite. Luckily, it was dredged in a thick mixture of some type of ground hot peppers and soy sauce, so it was so hot it kept my mind off of what I was eating.

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   4. 60

      kcreeryposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I've tried alligator before.  I didn't really like it.  I've had kangaroo as well.  I found the meat a bit tough.  rcrm89 seems to like Kangaroo though.

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   5. 64

      aslanlightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      The strangest looking food I've tried is celariac, an ugly vegetable, in fact some people won't try it because it's ugly but it's lovely!

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   6. 59

      eandrseatonposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Bondegi, a korean snack, silkwork chrysalis, yep that's right!  Most servings by a foreigner at that particular stand that the elderly gentleman had ever seen in Pusan, South Korea!

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2. 85

   rebekahELLEposted 13 years ago

   I've eaten gator a few times here in Florida. It's very good.
   We have restaurants here called Gators or AlliGators and gator bites are a popular appetizer.
   
   a long time ago, I ate a chocolate covered ant while at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.

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   1. 0

      klarawieckposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I love those fried alligator nuggets! YUM!

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3. 65

   emievilposted 13 years ago

   This is not for me but I think other people find it weird to eat our balot - duck's fertilized egg .

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4. 59

   Ohmaposted 13 years ago

   Rattle snake is probably my strangest but eel and shark are on the list as well.

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   1. 65

      emievilposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I love eel .

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5. 53

   Slushyposted 13 years ago

   I think the weirdest thing I've eaten taste-wise was some sweet-sour thing cooked at our school canteen... I hate sweet-sour
   
   Also I'm not that experimental when it comes to food, but I think kangaroo or austrich and all that stuff wouldn't be too bad

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6. 74

   Lady Roseposted 13 years ago

   My mom used to cook lambs testicles sometimes. She would bread them and deep fry. They taste just like brains. Delicious.
   
   I have eaten Camel meat in Morocco, and i love it. Also i was once ofered goat's eyes as a special treat, while visiting some Berber friends in their village in Morocco. They are crunchy and rubbery, similar to octopus but harder to chew.
   
   In Taiwan, every newcomer is kind of forced to try -at least once- "stinky tofu". Locals love it, but the stench is so strong that it turns you off from far away if there is a vendor selling it. The taste is fine, but the smell is atrocious. Yuck.

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   1. 71

      The Blagsmithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Sounds similar to nato in Japan - which is soya beans allowed to go off like milk for yoghurt. It is used to go with boiled rice as a staple addition.
      
      It stinks like mouldy old socks but I did eventually try it - it is so-so tastewise.

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7. 60

   skyblugurll1posted 13 years ago

   I have had goat at this really swell Indian place here in Milwaukee..i couldn't believe how delish it was!!  I have also had: shark, chocolate covered crickets, ostrich, "rocky mountain oysters" (bull testicles) chicken feet, cow's tongue, many types of sushi, bear, buffalo, seaweed, exotic fruits, kidneys (didn't like the texture AT ALL!!) and that's about it!  I'm pretty adventurous!

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8. 60

   SomewayOuttaHereposted 13 years ago

   ...macdonalds was pretty darn strange...tried a 'burg a long time ago...not sure what it contained...don't want to know either....sorry silly ole' Ronald McD with the silly smile...ooooh and the stench is out of this world...

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9. 0

   ralwusposted 13 years ago

   eye balls of pig from a luau I did. tasted kind of like liver.

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10. 77

    cathylynn99posted 13 years ago

    sea cucumber in a chinese restaurant was okay. seaweed, fried beetles (tasted like peanuts) and hippo meat in biology class.

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    1. 60

       Christy Goffposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       A sucker with a scorpion in it.  And it was still better than squid.

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11. 57

    lovelypaperposted 13 years ago

    Fried Gator tails. They were surprizingly good.

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12. 57

    lovelypaperposted 13 years ago

    Fried Gator tails. They were surprizingly good.

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    1. 66

       dannycarreyposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       it tastes like? can you compare to something?

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13. 71

    The Blagsmithposted 13 years ago

    Hmmm, in my case it was not so much tried but left. I am British but moved to Japan with my Japanese wife and two young children last September.
    
    I knew for that Christmas I was not going to have the conventional turkey and brussel sprouts. However, what I was faced with was bloated fish which had split whilst cooking to reveal its undeveloped eggs and it was served like that and this is enjoyed by many Japanese but alas not this Englishman.
    
    Personally, I would rather try gator or snake.
    
    The Blagsmith

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    1. 68

       sharing the skyposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       That must've been quite a sight. I don't think I'm familiar with that particular dish even though my mother is Japanese and I've visited Japan multiple times. I hope you have found other enjoyable things in Japan as they do, in my opinion, create some great dishes there.

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14. 68

    sharing the skyposted 13 years ago

    The most unusual were some chewy alligator pieces I sampled at an Australian restaurant once. They tasted alright as they were battered and apparently deep-friend but quite chewy. I wasn't totally impressed but I hear (and see on this hub) that alligator can be quite tasty.

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    1. 71

       The Blagsmithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       To be frank if I was presented with that fish now though it may not be desirable I would probably eat it, as fresh fish is becoming very rare during the earthquake crisis. Where there is need, there is no option.

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       1. 68

          sharing the skyposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          Yeah, it's definitely a sobering reality. Hope you and your family can stay safe!

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15. 92

    Cardisaposted 13 years ago

    Where I come from it's very hard to eat certain foods or you would become an outcast, so the most exotic foods that I've tried without losing family and friends are (1)octopus, (2)eel, (3)turtle, (4) conk, (5)a shrub we call Spanish Needles that is only eaten by animals
    
    Oh I just remembered, my mom gave me shark once - loved that!

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16. 61

    Supercellbaebeposted 13 years ago

    I ate Casu Marzu cheese when I was in Bulgaria.  This is a Sardinian sheep milk cheese, with live maggots in it! 
    
    If you ignore the fact that you eat live maggots it is actually quite delicious, very strong indeed.   
    
    It is a delicacy! 
    
    xxx

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17. 68

    NateSeanposted 13 years ago

    The sad thing is, I can't top a single food item mentioned here. It all sounds very appetizing though. (Except for the maggots bit. My mind may be open, but my stomach is very bigoted)

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18. 0

    kimberlyslyricsposted 13 years ago

    kraft dinner

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19. 60

    Ryn Taylorposted 13 years ago

    Chocolate covered cricket.  It wasn't bad, but I felt like I had little bits of it stuck in my throat and teeth (I know I didn't, it was just in my head).
    
    Just recently I've tried emu and it was delicious.  I'm going to have to find some more.  It was done like a summer sausage with cheese bits mixed in.

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20. 55

    linda141posted 13 years ago

    The most unusual food i have tried was a Beef Tongue taco
    It is very tasty.
    You can add cilantro and onions on a corn tortilla.

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21. 72

    earnestshubposted 13 years ago

    I have eaten whichetty grubs, which are supposed to taste OK. They don't!

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22. 59

    Bellamieposted 13 years ago

    someone double dared me to try uni.  i tried it and it tasted nasty to me.  thats sea urchin for those that dont know.

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23. 60

    Matt in Jaxposted 13 years ago

    Definitely not as strange or out there as some people's responses, but I've tried a little bit of gator which wasn't bad and kalamari which I didn't much care for.

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    1. 85

       rebekahELLEposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       I love calamari!
       
       I've had gator also, gator bites.  They're not too bad. They have restaurants here called AlliGators.

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       1. 79

          camloposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          We had a shop here that sold alligator and kangaroo meat - I couldn't possibly ...
          I dared to try a frog's leg once, and found it revolting. Okay, it was like very tender chicken - and I love chicken - but that almost transparent, needle thin little frog bone that was left. No ...

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       2. 60

          Matt in Jaxposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          I know in Madeira Beach by St. Pete, FL at Gators, they used to serve up gator.

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24. 0

    janellelkposted 13 years ago

    deep fried grasshopper from a street vendor in asia.  tasted like bacon bits..  the idea definitely turned my stomach.

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25. 0

    janellelkposted 13 years ago

    oh and that fermented boiled egg thing..  where they bury the egg under the ground for x amount of time and it's all black inside.

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26. 60

    Cotsyposted 13 years ago

    I'll eat most things and love most things but TRIPE, sour cream and soft cheeses are No No's for me.  Most unusual maybe crispy prawn shells, any offal and the worst tripe saussicons in France.

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27. 94

    habeeposted 13 years ago

    Rattlesnake. And fried turtle.
    
    And for the poster who asked about gator tail: To me, it tastes like a combination of pork, fish, and chicken.
    
    Shark was also mentioned. We eat shark fairly often, and if you know how to prepare it,it's delicious!

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28. 57

    Auto Buddyposted 13 years ago

    Live Meal Worms

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