Uncommon Delicacies

               Living in America, the food that we eat here is completely normal to us but, it may not be to others. The same thing goes for other countries such as China and France. We all are accustomed to our own tastes of food, which makes some other country’s food seem bizarre and even uncommon.  

                The first uncommon delicacy I’ll be talking about is bird’s nest soup. Bet you haven’t heard of this one before! It is a Chinese delicacy that is made from swallows’ nests. You might think, “Ew! They’re eating twigs” but no, it’s more bizarre than that! The swallow nests aren’t made from twigs, they’re made from swallow spit. The bird saliva is cleaned and cooked in broth to be served.  That’s an uncommon delicacy I’m not willing to try!

                This next delicacy called casu marzu is actually banned from the United States! It’s a type of Sardinian cheese that is filled with maggots! According to Smithsonian magazine, the fly larvae are supposed to be eaten alive. And according to Serious Eats, it has a taste similar to gorgonzola cheese with hints of black pepper. So if you’re ever in Sardinia and have adventurous taste buds, this is the dish for you!

                Anyone want some wiggling octopus legs? This famous Korean dish is called Sannakji and consists of baby octopus tentacles and sesame oil. People who have eaten it say that the suction cups can get stuck to your teeth tongue and throat so, if you ever want to try this, chew carefully! This dish is now also served at restaurants in New York, and reviewers say, “Tastes of the clean open sea.”

                This delicacy is far from edible in my opinion but, if you’ve ever eaten bugs (and liked it) I guess this is the dish for you…………fried tarantulas. This “meal” originated in Cambodia and according to CNN is now served fried with sugar, garlic, and salt. The legs have long white muscles in them, and people are surprised at how chewy they are. I definitely admire the brave souls who have tried these crunchy spiders!

                Escamoles………… this dish found in Mexico is basically, “ant caviar”. According to LA Weekly, these ant larvae are served sautéed with butter, cilantro, and onions. These little critter eggs are actually quite nutritious for our bodies but, I don’t really think I could get past the fact that they’re baby ants. If you see a bowl of escamoles you might mistake it for risotto so take caution! Before you ask your friend for a bite, make sure you know what they’re eating!

                Rocky Mountain oysters….. these “oysters” aren’t even real oysters. They’re bull calf testicles and they’re pretty common in the American West. The testicles are breaded and fried before serving. Even if all fried food is “good” I’m not willing to try these. If you’re an adventurer and want to try some testicles there’s a Rocky Mountain Oyster Festival and BBQ in Aspen, where you can get your fried delicacies!

Source: http://www.weather.com/travel/10-bizarre-delicacies-world-photos-20130821?pageno=7