What are the most exotic foods you've ever eaten?

[peruban]

I've had shark, snails, gator tail, and frog legs. So what's your story?

Edit: I'm going to be visiting family in Peru soon so I hope to try cui, or guinea pig.

[yurbud]

1. eel, peanut butter casserole, and Rocky Mountain oysters (fortunately not together)

I didn't like the sauce on the Rocky Mountain oysters, but oddly, I didn't see any sauce before I bit into it.

[peruban]

2. Oooh, I love eel.

I always order it when I go out for sushi.

Oh, and what's it like to eat Rocky Mountain oysters? Are they spongy, is there a peculiar taste you can't get from other parts of the cow?

I know heart and kidneys have a coppery blood taste you can't get rid of no mater how it's cooked or sauced.

[yurbud]

79. Rocky Mountain oysters were spongy and gross, they really tasted like what they are

sperm sponges.

[MrCoffee]

3. The Fungus Plate

Some assorted fungi at a restaurant in Beijing. Some of it was delicioso, some was meh, and one memorable bit was unholy vile.

[Xipe Totec]

4. besides, rattlesnake, armadillo, and Indian Black Buck?

Not much, I'm pretty much a meat and potatoes kind of guy.

Except for the ocasional alligator, snails, and assorted sea crabs.

Uni..., sushi...


:shrug:

[malta blue]

5. armadillo, peccary

both in Belize. I really can't say whether I liked them much or not, just because I was on an archaeological excavation and so the cooking was not necessarily gourmet, and I could have eaten anything most nights, I was so physically exhausted.

[TommyO]

7. You win.

Or lose, it depends on your outlook.

[malta blue]

15. I say lose...

The thought of coconut rice is enough to :puke:

[TommyO]

21. I happen to love coconut rice

but I guess that's because I can choose to eat it, rather than be forced to eat it for survival.

[malta blue]

23. I watch Survivor with Little MB and am always surprised they don't

make coconut rice when they are in the tropics.... :rofl:

And yes, being forced to eat anything can kill the love for it.

When I was in Chile, the project was not well stocked as far as food was concerned, and we spent many hungry days and nights. I always managed to score a fried egg everyday but that might be all I ate for the day. I was so OVER the fried egg by the time I got home.

On my way home, I stopped in Miami. I had lost a great deal of weight and was staying with family for a few days before going to NYC. My great-aunt woke me up every night in the middle of the night to feed me. She said she could not send me home like that. Thing is, she kept bringing me fried eggs! :rofl:

[TommyO]

28. Ah, well-meaning family!

My mother used to complain that I was too skinny, so she kept trying to feed me. Now that I'm weighing a bit more than I should, guess what? She's still trying to feed me!

[peruban]

18. I had never even heard of peccary until now.

Looks like it would taste like gamy pork.

[malta blue]

20. like I said, not really sure about taste....

plus, I am pretty sure they fed us roadkill to boot. :(

I saw wild peccary in Guatemala when I visited Tikal at sunrise. :thumbsup:

[TommyO]

6. All of the above, plus eel

I was "forced" into eating a piece of eel by a sushi chef who was showing off for me while I was on a business trip. I would buy a round of yummies, and he would surprise me with something extra. The eel was surprisingly good and has become a part of my sushi diet.

For all of you who are afraid, go ahead, try it. It's cooked, it's sweet, and it's incredibly good.

[old mark]

8. Shark steaks on the barbie, groundhog...

The shark was pretty good with a little Kansas City sauce on it. The groundhog was a little greasy, but is much improved by grilling and more KC sauce.

mark

[AlCzervik]

9. jellyfish.

[peruban]

10. That's definitely exotic.

Can you describe the taste and texture? Also, how was it prepared?

[AlCzervik]

13. the texture was awful because of how it was prepared, it was gritty and elastic like

but not a snappy and an elastic, it was disgusting but it might be due to how it was prepared.

Why i had it, i went to an authentic chinese food place and what i thought was a big pile of pickled ginger in the middle of the platter was actually jellyfish.

[VenusRising]

17. I'm so sorry that the jellyfish you ate was like that.

I had some that was absolutely wonderful! We described the texture as "scrunchy" - kind of squishy and crunchy at the same time. It was served with shredded cucumber on the side. It was delicious. Maybe we just got lucky that an actual Chinese woman made it for us.

[AlCzervik]

41. this is an authentic place run by actual chinese immigrants.

[VenusRising]

42. Maybe from two different regions of China?

:shrug:

[Marrah_G]

75. We used to watch them fry on the dock like eggs when I was a kid

I can't imagine eating them.

EWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

I didn't even know people COULD eat them.

[peruban]

88. Trust me.

If you can think of an animal, somewhere in the world people eat it.

[redqueen]

11. Dunno if it qualifies as 'exotic', but...

I've sampled a pickled pig's foot (my grandma was eating it and let me have a taste), beef tongue (I'm sure this is not exotic, but it's weird, so...) and calf's brains (by mistake).

I think that's it. Oh and some bugs. Chocolate-covered ants and one chocolate-covered grasshopper.

[peruban]

16. I'd put all of those under exotic.

Never had pickled pig's foot, but I hear they're good once you learn how to eat them. I haven't had tongue since I was really young and don't remember what it was like.

Brain is definitely exotic. I've seen it prepared a few different ways but I've never had it. How would you describe it?

Also, do you think you would have tried ants or grasshopper if they weren't chocolate covered? Did it make it more familiar and thus easier to eat?

[redqueen]

76. I doubt I would have eaten insects at that time

if they weren't chocolate covered. I was a teenager. Now, though, I would.

It didn't make it more familiar so much as make it easier to rationalize eating bugs.

[flvegan]

12. Gator tail, armadillo, escargot

[LeftyMom]

19. You left off the tofurducken

:eyes:

[TommyO]

22. Tofurducken?

I'm still trying to wrap my head around turducken, and now you throw tofurducken on an unwitting omnivore?

My head is 'splodin!

[LeftyMom]

24. Yeah. flvegan and I were fooling around in the kitchen and created The Mock Meat That Should Not Be.

:D

[TommyO]

25. That said, I've actually bought and eaten Tofurky!

And it wasn't half bad. I guess I'm an equal opportunity omnivore.

I get good feelings from you, flvegan, and a few others here, you don't try to push veganism onto others.

[XemaSab]

14. Roadkilled mud snake

I win. :D

[peruban]

26. Did it taste like chicken? n/t

[XemaSab]

30. How did you guess?

:D

[peruban]

34. I find all reptiles seem to taste like chicken.

Frog legs, gator tail, and such.

[KitchenWitch]

27. Batter dipped and deep fried Alligator on a stick

[WinkyDink]

32. Likewise! At a summer fair in upstate NY.

[spinbaby]

29. I'm not even sure what it was

I was staying in a traditional Japanese ryokan and dinner came with something that looked like chicken liver in an egg cup. When I picked it up with my chopsticks, it was a tiny red, slippery octopus. I ate it, of course. Wasn't very good. I'm not sure if it was an unborn octopus or what.

[WinkyDink]

31. Well, YEAH, eel! That's an Italian Christmas Eve! Mine: lambs' brains (France).

[peruban]

35. What's brain like?

I've never eaten nerve tissue before but I've seen it prepared.

[rcrush]

39. You gain all the powers of the mighty lamb.

[peruban]

43. "I'm being super serial"

What's it like to eat brain? Texture, taste?

[Kali]

77. I've never had it, but recipes I have seen call for mixing with scrambled egg -

seems like the texture would be simila. There was a restaurant in the midwest that specialized in calf brain sandwiches - they seemed to be fried whole and served on a bun like a hamburger bun.

[TheCentepedeShoes]

33. Armadillo

alligator, ostrich.
Cooked an armadillo in the oven in a brown n bag. Tough part about armadillo is getting the 'dillo out of the arma.
Had alligator at a few places, the last one being the Desert Inn in Yeehaw Junction FL. Didn't finish it. I was tired from a long weekend visiting the FIL in Delray, plus the Desert Inn is a place where you should probably stick to the grilled cheese.
Had the ostrich at a Spanish restaurant in the old neighborhood in Tampa.
They serve it as an entree, but we only had the appetizer since we didn't know how we would like it.
Tastes good and is very lean.

Edit to add: would like to introduce the local supermarket to ostrich, but they haven't yet gotten the concept of "pompano."
It's getting cold and is the time of year I wish I had not left Florida.

[TheCentepedeShoes]

36. Frogs legs

were always a part of the buffet in the clubhouse at the Sarasota dog track, at least the summer I spent way too much time there.

[yvr girl]

37. frog legs, moose tongue

shark, octopus, caviar, snails,

[Kali]

38. sea cucumber

:puke:

[MilesColtrane]

71. Those things are the wangs of the ocean.

[bikebloke]

40. Llama in Argentina last month.

I've also had reindeer (yes, I ate Rudolph) in Norway and water buffalo in Indonesia. Plus, several unidentified species of insects that have flown into my maw while biking.

[peruban]

44. Llama, eh?

I'll have to try that when I visit Peru in a month. I'm also looking forward to eating lots and lots of ceviche and I'm also going to try cui, or guinea pig.

[midnight armadillo]

45. Puffin

Quite tasty, really.

[peruban]

65. That bird is too pretty to eat. n/m

[midnight armadillo]

85. No it isn't.

:evilgrin:

And did I mention how tasty it was?

[astral]

46. herring eggs

are good hot with soy sauce and rice and great cold in salad (lettuce / mayo type salads.

PS you can't eat jellyfish.

Can you?

[PaddyBlueEyes]

47. when I was stationed in the Phillipines

I ate something that I think was called "Ballook", It was a baby duck inside an egg.

[peruban]

52. A fertilized egg, then?

[ValhallaChaser]

81. It's called.........

"Balut"

I sure miss San Miguel beers, lumpia, and "monkey meat on a stick"

[trackfan]

48. Gator, rattlesnake, abalone,

frog, snail, and little fish heads.

[peruban]

53. I've heard the meat on fish heads is quite tasty.

I don't know where to buy any around here, though. I'd love to try to make a stew with some.

[emilyg]

49. Frog legs, snails, brain.

[peruban]

54. For God's sakes will somebody just describe to me how brain tastes?

I've never seen it for sale in any of the specialty food stores around here.

[emilyg]

56. A municipal market used to carry it here

I had it scrambled with eggs. Tastes a little bit like tofu.

[peruban]

57. Interesting.

I like tofu, if I'm offered brain in the future I'll be sure not to pass it up!

[FloridaJudy]

58. To me it tastes a bit like oysters

With a tofu-y texture. Not my favorite dish, but not nearly as nasty as tripe.

[peruban]

63. I like oysters, too.

Definitely gotta try some of this brain stuff. Oh, and btw, I hate tripe, too.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

50. snake, turtle, deer, rabbit, frog legs, snails, shark

:shrug:

I am not sure...what is one person's exotic is another persons means of survival

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

51. Sea cucumber. It's a delicacy in Asian cultures.

Yes folks, it's both slimy AND rubbery!

There are plenty of "exotic" foods that I think are great tasting (like a good piece of ankimo - monkfish liver - at a sushi bar). Sea cucumber is not one of them.

[peruban]

55. So... what?

Do you eat the whole thing or just the insides like fish do?

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

82. Whole thing, cut up.

[FloridaJudy]

59. Squid in its own ink

Perfectly delicious, but you've got to eat it with your eyes closed because it looks revolting as hell.

[peruban]

61. I've had that.

It's great stuff if tenderized and prepared well. There aren't too many water creatures I won't try.

[MilesColtrane]

73. Looks like the Cthulhu Special.

[Art_from_Ark]

60. Deep-fried honeybee (from Nagano, Japan),

fried locust tsukudani (shellacked in soy sauce) from the Tohoku region of Japan, and canned crickets from Thailand.

[peruban]

62. Is it true what they say about eating insects?

That they have a peculiar mayonnaise taste? I've never had insect before but I would start with grasshoppers or ants first, I think.

[Art_from_Ark]

64. I think the locust (grasshopper) was so shellacked in soy sauce

that it tasted basically like crunchy fried soy sauce. The honeybees were coated with honey and were also dry and crunchy. The crickets did seem to have a bit of a mayonnaise taste to them, but I have to admit I wasn't really in the mood at the time to savor their flavor.

[JCMach1]

66. Camel Milk, Durian fruit

Camel milk is wretched!

Durian fruit is YUMMY!

[Fleshdancer]

83. I LOVE Durian

It's unlike any fruit you'll ever have.

[cemaphonic]

84. That's because most fruits taste good.

There are all these stories that despite smelling like rotting garbage, durian tastes completely awesome. This is a lie.

If you want to see what durian tastes like without putting up with the smell, puree an onion with some water, and about 3 tablespoons of sugar in a blender. Not bad exactly, but not worth having your immediate environs stink like you wouldn't believe.

[Canuckistanian]

67. Sea Cucumber

In a Japanese restaurant. UGH.

[Mutley]

68. I'm not all that adventurous when it comes to food.

I've had gator and ostrich. I think that's as exotic as it's gotten for me.

[MilesColtrane]

69. Snails, frog legs, chocolate covered ants, rattlesnake, haggis

[LeftyFingerPop]

70. I ate the crotch out of a dead burro once.

[Kali]

78. so that is what happened

[Burma Jones]

72. Fried Cicadas, Alligator, Chicken feet, Snails, Conch, Frog Legs,

and some Dim Sum for which I have no explanation.....

[Marrah_G]

74. I used to cook Mako shark years ago when fish wan't so pricey

It's sort of like Tuna steaks.

Not crazy about octopus or eel or squid- but I love everything else the sea has to offer.

I don't think I've ever eaten anything exotic- but I would totally try gator, rattlesnake, etc.

I draw the line at insects, arachnids, and internal organs (except liver).

[Zuni]

80. unicorn

unicorn steak is quite delicious with a teriyaki bbq glaze.

oh snap.

[peruban]

86. That's funny, I prepare my leprechaun the same way.

Nasty little buggers to catch, though.

[Xipe Totec]

87. The horn makes a great roasting spit.

[SidneyCarton]

89. Beef heart, ox tail

Tame, I know, but central Brazil is not known for its bizarre foods. (unless you mean corn and mayonnaise on a tuna pizza)

[Fire Walk With Me]

90. Goat (curry), cow tongue, escargot, sea urchin, eel, ostrich...

...and the odoriferous Thai fruit Durian. Edit to include the Indian Jackfruit.

[Rabrrrrrr]

91. fish sperm, mollusk sperm, whale belly (raw), chicken anus

The chicken anus, done yakitori style, was wonderful.

Actually, it was all pretty good.