What strange things have you eaten?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around unusual foods that participants have tried, sharing personal experiences and cultural perspectives on various dishes. It includes anecdotes about exotic meals, culinary preferences, and the origins of certain food terms, particularly in relation to breakfast types.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants share experiences of trying exotic foods, such as ostrich, grasshoppers, and alligator, while others express reluctance to try certain items.
  • One participant mentions tasting canned crickets and finds them similar to chips, while another describes their experience with octopus in Croatia.
  • There is a discussion about the term "continental breakfast," with some questioning its accuracy and others providing descriptions of typical breakfast items in different cultures.
  • Several participants express differing opinions on foods like black pudding and venison, with some enjoying them and others finding them unappealing.
  • Some participants discuss the cultural significance of certain dishes, like octopus in Japanese cuisine, and how personal backgrounds influence perceptions of what is considered strange food.
  • There are mentions of specific dishes from various cuisines, including Polish and Slovak, with participants sharing their familiarity and preferences.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on what constitutes "strange" food, as opinions vary widely based on personal experiences and cultural backgrounds. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the definitions and perceptions of various dishes.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include varying definitions of terms like "continental breakfast" and differing cultural contexts that influence food preferences and perceptions of strangeness.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in culinary experiences, cultural food practices, and discussions about unusual or exotic foods may find this thread engaging.

wolram
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I was offered an Ostrich meal but i could not bring my self to order it, yet when abroad i ate several things with no idea what they were:eek:
 
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I can tell what I didn't eat. Once on a bowling evening someone from the neighboring track offered some grasshoppers he brought from Thailand. A few of us tasted it. Not me.
Once being in France I ordered something I did not know what it was. I thought you can't do much wrong in France. It turned out to be kidneys which I normally don't eat. Nevertheless, they tasted fine.
And by the way, what I've always wanted to ask someone who might know: Why is breakfast in English hotels called 'continental'? Firstly, it's not. It's a mixture of English and American breakfast, maybe with some french touch. Secondly, breakfast differs a lot on 'the continent' depending on where you are. So where the hack did this expression come from?
 
I tasted canned crickets. They were OK, a bit like chips (crisps).
I also tasted cooked pork (or beef? I don't know) tongue and beef stomach, but that's really not so exotic.
And I had an octopus in Croatia.
I think I would try anything, maybe except for snake, because I'm afraid of them even if it was cooked :) And of course I would refuse protected species for ethical reasons.
 
The strangest thing I've eaten was deep-fried alligator meat, as an appetizer at a seafood restaurant years ago (btw, it tastes exactly like fried chicken).

I've also eaten a type of stew containing venison in Quebec a few years ago, which was actually quite good, but I'm not sure if any of you would consider venison (i.e. deer meat) to be strange. Any hunters on this forum?
 
I do not know the origins of a continental breakfast but.A hotel breakfast that may include sliced bread with butter/jam/honey, cheese, meat, croissants, pastries, rolls, fruit juice and various hot beverages. It is served commonly in the continental Europe, North America, and elsewhere, as opposed to the English breakfast served commonly in the UK. See also American breakfast.

An English breakfast may include, sausages, bacon, eggs, tomato, beans, fried potatoes, fried bread, black pudding, toast with jam or marmalade, deviled kidneys, kippers.
 
Sophia said:
And I had an octopus in Croatia.

Perhaps it's my own bias, but I don't consider octopus to be particularly strange. But then again I am half-Japanese, and fried octopus is a delicacy in Japan.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takoyaki
 
  • #10
Living cockroach, but I don't remember the taste.

*Place Nutrition Facts of living cockroach here*
 
  • #11
StatGuy2000 said:
Perhaps it's my own bias, but I don't consider octopus to be particularly strange. But then again I am half-Japanese, and fried octopus is a delicacy in Japan.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takoyaki

It is chewing the tentacles, they will not go down they stick in my mouth:eek:
 
  • #13
StatGuy2000 said:
The strangest thing I've eaten was deep-fried alligator meat, as an appetizer at a seafood restaurant years ago (btw, it tastes exactly like fried chicken).

I've also eaten a type of stew containing venison in Quebec a few years ago, which was actually quite good, but I'm not sure if any of you would consider venison (i.e. deer meat) to be strange. Any hunters on this forum?

I ate venison sausage and it was delicious!
 
  • #14
While I ate octopus on several occasions in Croatia I still haven't tried a particular variant - hobotnica pod pekom (or hobotnica ispod peke, not sure which is a correct Croatian name of the dish - hobotnica means octopus, peka is kind of metal cover using while roasting, "ispod" or "pod" means more or less "under", so the name refers to the way the dish is prepared; could be both names are correct, just there is a grammatical difference between uses).
 
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  • #15
StatGuy2000 said:
Perhaps it's my own bias, but I don't consider octopus to be particularly strange. But then again I am half-Japanese, and fried octopus is a delicacy in Japan.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takoyaki
yep, I know it is very common in cousines near the sea. I'm writing from my pork and sausage-eating point of view :)
 
  • #16
I have eaten black pudding, congealed blood plus fat and other stuff, how horrible is that?
 
  • #17
Oh, and things like kidneys and beef tongue I cook at least once a year - I happen to like them. They are definitely part of a Polish cuisine, although they were probably more popular between the poor working class (yes, fact that I remember them from my childhood says a thing about my paternal Grandmother's family).
 
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  • #18
wolram said:
I have eaten black pudding, congealed blood plus fat and other stuff, how horrible is that?
omg yuck :/ But it's probably a very good source of iron :D How does it taste?
 
  • #19
  • #21
Sophia said:
omg yuck :/ But it's probably a very good source of iron :D How does it taste?

Oh come on, hardly surprising in these parts of Europe.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czernina
 
  • #22
Borek said:
Oh come on, hardly surprising in these parts of Europe.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czernina
I know people eat it here but it's disgusting to me :D same as hurka (majority of fat). Wouldn't eat it. Only spicy sausage and relatively lean bacon for me, please! :D And various recipes using schnitzel, of course :)
 
  • #24
wolram said:
I have eaten black pudding, congealed blood plus fat and other stuff, how horrible is that?
I'm not quite sure what it is since the British use the word pudding different from us. (Here it is something sweet.)
But your description fits to a sausage which is completely usual here: http://shop.landmetzgerei-dorer.de/media/images/popup/blutwurst.jpg
 
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  • #27
  • #28
Interesting. Just looking at "Slovak cusine" on Wiki. Of course it is mixed with Slovenian meals. Doesn't surprise me any more :)
 
  • #29
  • #30
Sophia said:
what? ?:)
:biggrin:
but OK, it's just a prejudice. If we can eat adult duck, it is the same as eating the embryo

I looked at the picture and gagged.
 
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