10 Extremely Strange Foods that might just kill your Appetite

We, Indians, are relatively safe when it comes to our food. We like our food marinated, fried and generally well cooked. We do have some weird food like the Frog legs in Sikkim or the Phan Pyut (rotten potato) in the North East. And lately we have taken to fast food, processed food and high sugar food, which let’s just say aren’t the best thing for us? While some of our food choices are bordering on awful, it is nothing as compared to what some people around the world eat on a daily basis.

Here is a list of 10 of the Strangest Food in the world.

Ying Yang Fish

For starters, this dish is banned in Taiwan where it originated. It’s called the Ying Yang fish because it’s a dead and alive fish. The chef deep fries the fish while keeping the fish alive and they have figured out a precise way to do so. The upside is that your food is completely fresh and you know it because it’s alive and well, blinking on your plate. If you can get past the fact that your dinner is going to be watching you while you eat, head to China where the dish is still served.

Tuna Eyeball

Apparently it tastes like squid if you boil them before consuming. They are readily available in grocery stores across Japan. We assume they are tasty and popular as they are available at grocery stores but we aren’t sure whether we would be craving a tuna eyeball for a while. But to each their own.

Kopi Luwak

We bring you poop coffee. Yes, that’s right. This coffee is actually produced from berry beans that are eaten, processed and pooped out by Civets, small mammals found in Southeast Asia. The poop of Civets is collected and processed to make coffee that is priced an upwards of $150 for just one pound. Do you want some expensive poop coffee?

Haggis

A delicacy that is made of sheep heart, liver, lungs that are chopped and minced with onion, salt, suet, oatmeal, and some other ingredients. This mixture is then stuffed into a sheep stomach and cooked in boiling water for three hours. Apparently, the sheep stomach has a pudding-like texture. It doesn’t sound too alluring to us. Does it to you? We have to admit it does sound better than the Ying Yang Fish.

Fried Brain Sandwich

Not so popular elsewhere in the world, but this dish is extremely popular in South East Asia. Fried cow brain as a sandwich? Um, no thank you.

Balut

If you ever find yourself in Philippines, you might have a chance to taste the Balut. It’s quite simple actually. Balut is boiled eggs. What is so strange about boiled eggs? Well, Balut are fertilized eggs that are boiled just before they hatch. Didn’t get it yet? There was a bird that was close to breaking free and swimming around in a pond. And then the egg is boiled. These are extremely popular and sold like hot dogs on the streets. We prefer processed hot dogs, what do you say?

Fried Tarantulas

People with arachnophobia should probably order another dish. Found in Skuon, Cambodia, this delicacy is actually deep fried Tarantulas and apparently tastes exceptionally good. The dish does have a dark beginning as the Cambodians were forced to eat this during the reign of the Khmer Rouge. But now, it has transformed into a sort of delicacy.

Puffin Heart

This cute little bird which lives in Iceland is considered a delicacy. The puffin heart is apparently best eaten raw. Yes, raw. And it doesn’t stop there. People in Iceland break the birds neck, skin it, carve out the heart and then eat it raw while it’s hot. They claim that the heart should be warm while you eat it or it’s no good. Our heart breaks for this adorable bird.

Sannakji

The dish derives its name from Nakji which is the octopus used to make the dish. They cut up the live creature sprinkle sesame seeds and sesame oil and serve. Good luck trying to get the squirming tentacles still enough for you to put it in your mouth. In some diners, they don’t cut up the octopus at all. Sounds tempting? We think not.

Yak Penis

This dish is served in a famous restaurant in China and it is called “Dragon in the Flame of Desire”. We call it a giant, cooked yak penis. The restaurant is called Guolizhuang Restaurant and is in Beijing. They serve a variety of penis and testicle dishes for you and your friends to enjoy. The penis dish is extremely popular and apparently good for your skin. We would rather live with bad skin and skip the penis meal.