02/05/2026
Weird =\= bad! Which one would you try?
10 – Horse meat & fermented horse milk (Mongolia)
Horse meat is eaten in parts of rural Mongolia. Fermented horse milk (airag) is a common drink made from a mare’s milk that has a mild alcohol content.
9 – Fermented goose head (Cambodia)
The goose head is prepared and consumed whole; fermentation is used to extend shelf life and develop flavor.Lots of chewy bits make this a minefield of flavors.
8 – Iguana soup (El Salvador)
The soup is traditionally prepared with herbs and vegetables and is considered a regional dish.
7 – Ball python (Central African Republic)
The last snake of the night was given to me.
6 – Bushmeat (Central African Republic)
Bushmeat refers to wild game such as small mammals and rodents. We found this boy selling giant lizards and other small mammals. I have no idea what kind of animal this is....
5 – Century egg in congee (China)
Century eggs are preserved duck or chicken eggs cured, turning the yolk creamy and the white a dark blackish-blue.
4 – Fermented shark (Iceland)
Hákarl is a traditional Icelandic food made from Greenland shark that is fermented and dried to remove natural toxins. I don’t like to think about this dish for too long.
3 – Tarantula (Cambodia)
Fried tarantulas became popular as a survival food during periods of famine.
2 – Surströmming (Sweden)
Surströmming is fermented Baltic herring, and has long since been my achilles heel.
(Honorable mentions)
Baby cobra wine (Vietnam) – Snake wine is an infused rice liquor traditionally believed to have medicinal properties in some folk practices.
Seal p***s liquor (North Korea) – Seal p***s has been used in some East Asian traditional medicine contexts.
1 – “Poop soup” (Philippines)
Papaitan is a soup from the Philippines, often called “cow/goat p**p soup” because it is traditionally flavored with raw bile and sometimes the digestive fluids.
