What strange things have you eaten?

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SUMMARY

This forum discussion centers on the various unusual foods participants have tried, highlighting experiences with dishes such as deep-fried alligator, octopus, and venison stew. Participants share their culinary adventures, including tasting grasshoppers, kidneys, and even living cockroaches. The conversation also touches on the concept of "continental breakfast," with users debating its definition and origins. Overall, the thread showcases a diverse range of food experiences and cultural perspectives on what constitutes "strange" cuisine.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of culinary terminology and food types (e.g., venison, octopus, alligator).
  • Familiarity with cultural food practices and regional cuisines.
  • Knowledge of food safety concerns related to exotic meats.
  • Awareness of the concept of "continental breakfast" and its variations.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the nutritional content and culinary uses of venison and other game meats.
  • Explore the preparation and cultural significance of octopus dishes, particularly in Japanese cuisine.
  • Investigate the origins and variations of continental breakfast across different cultures.
  • Learn about food safety regulations regarding the consumption of exotic meats and insects.
USEFUL FOR

Culinary enthusiasts, food bloggers, travelers exploring international cuisines, and anyone interested in the cultural significance of unusual foods.

  • #31
Sophia said:
Interesting. Just looking at "Slovak cusine" on Wiki. Of course it is mixed with Slovenian meals. Doesn't surprise me any more :)
You mean instead of being mixed with Czech, Austrian, Silesian and the old ones perhaps with even Hungarian recipes?

Edit: I bet they won't mix beer!
 
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  • #32
fresh_42 said:
You mean instead of being mixed with Czech, Austrian, Silesian and the old ones perhaps with even Hungarian recipes?

Edit: I bet they won't mix beer!
There are Czech and Hungarian recipes as well

and sour cherry soup that I have never heard of :-)
 
  • #33
Sophia said:
There are Czech and Hungarian recipes as well

and sour cherry soup that I have never heard of :-)
I know of a sauerkraut soup from this region. Tastes good. (Why is the English word for it the German one? Actually it's eaten from France to Kamchatka!)
That's one of the beautiful things about Europe: every 100 km you can have different dishes. And as long as you don't get north of Paris or east of Moscow you merely can do something wrong. :cool:

(For complaints: I live in Waterloo, Iowa.)
 
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  • #34
fresh_42 said:
I know of a sauerkraut soup from this region. Tastes good. (Why is the English word for it the German one? Actually it's eaten from France to Kamchatka!)
That's one of the beautiful things about Europe: every 100 km you can have different dishes. And as long as you don't get north of Paris or east of Moscow you merely can't do something wrong. :cool:

(For complaints: I live in Waterloo, Iowa.)
I don't know why I thought you were German?
 
  • #35
Sophia said:
I don't know why I thought you were German?
That's my alter ego. Recently I had been forced to get an American zip code. Waterloo was the first that came up. :wink:
 
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  • #36
 
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  • #37
fresh_42 said:
Recently I had been forced to get an American zip code.

Lol. I scanned your post quickly and, subconsciously associating it with the title of this thread, thought you said, "Recently I had been forced to eat an American zip code." I said to myself, it's going to be hard to top that one..:oldtongue:
 
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  • #38
I had baby octopus years and years back. I found it tastier by eating it little bit by bit. That's the strangest thing I've ever eaten. I'm sure when I travel more overseas I will encounter something more stranger.
 
  • #39
Very many years ago I cooked a bobcat at the request of a friend who had shot it while it was taking one of his kids. Like most (all?) wild carnivores it had to be cooked well done (trichinosis). I don't remember what it tasted like but a mouth full was all I could stomach.
 
  • #40
I once was served "vegetarian meatloaf". Still don't know what was in that - or how it was even a concept.
 
  • #41
I'm a big fan of Vietnamese Pho, and there are a lot of mom and pop shops up in the Seattle area. I try to visit as many different ones that I can. In fact, there was this guy that made an entire documentary on how he traveled to Vietnam for the sole purpose of visiting every mom and pop operation there he could find because he was such a pho fan.

I want to do that. I want to be a pho expeditionary. In any case, in the old days I used to get the "works" with my pho, which included tendon and tripe, which I think are cow intestines. I stopped ordering the tripe in the early 2000's because of the Bovine Spongiosum outbreak. I read that the intestinal lining of the cow had enough nerve tissue that it was only about 97% safe, not safe enough for me. The tendon checked out OK, so I still get the tendon
 
  • #42
Vanadium 50 said:
I once was served "vegetarian meatloaf". Still don't know what was in that - or how it was even a concept.
I once had meatballs with a strong vegetarian and essential part. Does this count?
 
  • #43
A delicacy in Hawaii is Tako Poke (tako is Japanese for octopus). Tako poke consists of raw octopus that is pickled, plus green onions, some kind of seaweed, sesame oil, and vinegar, and possibly a few other odds and ends. Most of the people I know don't like it, but I pick some up at the local stores whenever I'm there.

One of the weirder things I've eaten lately was listed on a menu in Brittany as "Oigneaux d'agneau avec champignons," (spelling might not be exactly right). I figured it was lamb something, but the "something" turned out to be kidneys. I ate them, but it wasn't my favorite meal in Brittany.

Probably the most unusual thing I ate on that Brittany trip, hands down, was wasabe ice cream, served on a small block of salmon tartare. Delicious!
 
  • #44
Btw, not to poison the well or taint the pond, but here's an interesting food story. I woke up around 6:30 this morning and was putting on my socks and shoes to make a drive out to my local cybercafe for my morning Joe. Typically, when I do this, I flip on a cheesy "antenna TV" channel just as background chatter. Sure enough, the local news was on they were talking abut a Listeria outbreak in packaged salad mixes. They listed the brands, and sure enough, "Fresh Selections" was listed. I had just bought a package of Fresh Selections the day before and came within a heartbeat of eating it with the 50% discounted ribeye steaks I bought at the same time. I got meat and potatoes head, though, after a few cocktails and said screw the salad. Lucky for me, a lot of people got sick and one person has died from the outbreak. It was just serendipity that saved me. Because if I didn't see that news report this morning, I probably would have had the salad for lunch.

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...led-after-listeria-kills-1-sickens-12-n502311

So, you don't want one of the strangest things you have eaten to be Listeria. That's all I'm saying
 
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  • #45
Raw horsemeat
Whale -- Kind of like fishy steak.
BBQ chicken cartilage (triangular tips from chicken breast)
The usual selection of insects and fish eggs and other fishy weirdnesses
What the english call toast (bread soaked in fat)
Alligator po'boy (New Orleans)
Various Meaty Organs (unavoidable in Rome)

One of the worst tasting things I've ever had was Natto (fermented soybean) which is a favorite Japanese breakfast food. Not for American palates.
Also Uni (sea urchin, tastes like essence of estuary)
 
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  • #46
I have eaten moose lips, which were very rubbery. Also deep fried caterpillars, which were a lot like Cheetos but natural. Very good.

I once found myself gnawing on the head of a chicken, but I didn't swallow.

Fermented sweet potato and fermented rice can be delicious, really good.

Sea cucumber -- at least that is what I think it was -- is awful. It's like eating congealed snot. I don't care for Vegemite either. Fried shrimp paste smells like an unmentionable bodily secretion, but tastes pretty good. Just don't be around when its being cooked. I friend of mine was evicted for that.

Durians are wonderful, but you either love them or hate them. Mangosteens are incredibly exotic. Snakeskin fruit must be the only tetrahedral fruit. Custard apple is good, but you have to get it at exactly the right time. Dragon hearts -- yes, there really is such a thing -- are flavorless. Tamerinds are great, but take a long time to eat.

I will eat almost anything, but drew the line at large beetles. The long antenaea and legs look too raspy.
 
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  • #47
In 1978 I found myself and my climbing party stranded on a glacier in Alaska. We were without food for 6 days before descending to the coast where we spotted some lupine. I ate it.
220px-Mainelupin.jpg
 
  • #48
All i can say is there are there that are far more adventurous than me.
 
  • #49
Oh I forgot the raw whale blubber eating contest I got involved in. Whale blubber tastes good but is extremely chewy. To win you have to just swallow it.
 
  • #50
A banana with a lot of seeds inside :DD. Any of you tried it before ?
There used to be several banana trees in my house. They gave birth to tasty seedful bananas.
 
  • #51
Silicon Waffle said:
A banana with a lot of seeds inside :DD. Any of you tried it before ?
There used to be several banana trees in my house. They gave birth to tasty seedful bananas.

Banana trees IN your house:rolleyes: i have a peanut tree in my house:biggrin:
 
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  • #52
Vanadium 50 said:
I once was served "vegetarian Meat Loaf".
I'll do anything, but I won't do that! :smile:
 
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  • #53
DrGreg said:
I'll do anything, but I won't do that! [Vegetarian meat loaf.] :smile:

You might be surprised. Sometimes I can't tell the difference. Sometimes the veggie version has more flavor.
 
  • #54
Silicon Waffle said:
A banana with a lot of seeds inside :DD. Any of you tried it before ?
There used to be several banana trees in my house. They gave birth to tasty seedful bananas.
Real bananas are one of the fruits I don't like. I like the big low-flavor Cavendish we get in the West.
 
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  • #55
We had a "texas" type place in upstate ny back in the '90s which served rattlesnake and crayfish.
I've eaten both, as well as alligator.
 
  • #56
Hornbein said:
Real bananas are one of the fruits I don't like. I like the big low-flavor Cavendish we get in the West.
I can see that! It's up to you.

wolram said:
Banana trees IN your house:rolleyes: i have a peanut tree in my house:biggrin:
:oldbiggrin: I was messed up, sorry!
 
  • #59
I've eaten large intestine of some animal (possibly beef). Very fatty and chewy.
 
  • #60
hmmm black fungus dish in China was pretty gross ?:)
 
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