Weird food

Weeks ago, in my English class, the topic was about food: seafood, vegetables, poultry, and fruits. Later, the teacher showed us different bizarre foods from around the world, so I want to share some of them:

1. Coconut Tree Grubs in Iquitos

In the heart of the Amazon jungle in Peru, locals harvest coconut tree grubs and sell them in the market skewered and charred over an open flame. These protein-rich grubs taste like crisp rolls of charred chicken skin if they are cooked properly. If not. they taste like pus bags filled with rotted digested wood.  

2. Hákarl in Iceland

Really, the worst tasting foods are the fermented, spoiled ones like Hákarl. Made from the Greenland shark, the meat is poisonous when fresh, so in order to eat it, Icelanders let it spoil in the ground for months and then out in the elements for a few more to dry. It’s a revolting dish to many first timers; eating it without gagging is what separates the men from the boys. While the smell of the putrefied shark itself could make the faint-hearted ill, the taste is ultimately sweet, nutty and faintly fishy … if you like ammoniated wax.

3. Fermented Skate in Korea

Both adored and despised in South Korea, fermented skate, or hongeo, has the distinct odor of hospital-floor cleaner mixed with glue solvent. Mostly served “raw,” the pungent fish is seeing a resurgence in popularity. Be prepared to smell like an outhouse after leaving a restaurant that serves the delicacy -- it’s the price you pay, but it’s worth it.

4. Sea Cucumber in Alaska

The waters off of Sitka, AK, are ripe with exotic sea creatures such as octopus, sea cucumbers and abalone. Sea cucumber, when cooked correctly, is extraordinary. All it needs is a few minutes in a wok with a little soy sauce seasoning. The squishy creatures taste like lettuce-y sea vegetables with a bit of crunch, but mostly yielding a buttery texture. 

5. Giraffe Weevils in Madagascar

Try these bugs blindfolded and you’d never know you were eating a beetle that looks like a Dr. Seuss creature. Sautéed in a bit of salty water and butter, they are tender morsels that taste like shrimp. 

Read the complete blog  here: https://andrewzimmern.com/10-most-bizarre-foods-ive-ever-eaten/

Afterward, the teacher asked us:

If you had the opportunity to try one of these delicatessens. Which one would it be? And which one you would never try? 

Here is my answer:

Honestly, if I had the opportunity to try one of these delicatessens, I wouldn’t try any of them because they all seem extremely weird, and I’d prefer not to know how they taste. However, after thinking it through, I would choose the Coconut Tree Grubs because I know they are popular, and many tourists give them a try. Now, speaking of the one I would never try, it’s Hákarl from the Greenland shark. I mean, why on earth would I want to try a fermented food that was once poisonous meat? Even the author of the article mentions that it smells like a putrefied shark. I respect other cultures, but eating these foods is a no for me.

Pdta: ¡Recuerden ser tolerantes a cada cultura! 

Pero cuiden lo que comen, please.