10 foods you might be forced to eat on your travels
Mmmm, grasshoppers. Sampling these stomach-churning foods might be one cultural experience too far…
1. Black scorpion on a stick
Dong Hua Men night market, Beijing, China
Eating black scorpion (crunchy on the outside, and soft in the middle) is an experience you won’t forget in hurry. Whether one should remove the sting first is a matter of personal taste – and daring.
2. Deep-fried sparrow
Phnom-Penh, Cambodia
Bought by the weight, the tiny sparrows can be finished off in one or two bites: perfect as a snack, they don’t make much of a meal. If you’re lucky, you might even get one of them to stand up on your plate…
3. Kangaroo tail
Alice Springs, Australia
Kangaroo meat was once eaten only by the indigenous population of Australia. As a ‘bush food’, it was an important source of nutrition for the Aborigines; a single animal would be shared by many.
In Australia, one can still eat kangaroo tail as part of an authentic Outback experience. In a re-creation of the traditional method of cooking the animal practised by the Arrernte people of central and northern Australia, the tails are first of all singed to remove the hair. They are then buried in the ground with hot coals, and dug up again once cooked. The meat itself is very low in both fat and cholesterol.
4. Balut
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
If you fancy a mouthful of feathers, barely formed bone and duck embryo, then balut is definitely the dish for you. For many South-East Asians – especially the people of the Philippines – this boiled fertilized duck egg is the street food par excellence.
5. Pig’s head
Central market, Cardiff
6. Grasshoppers
Chiapas, Mexico
7. Battered hotdog and chips
Seoul, South Korea
8. Live squid
Jagalchi fish market, Busan, South Korea
9. Rat
Vientiane, Laos
10. Dog
Hanoi, Vietnam
How much is that doggy in the window? In the West, eating man’s best friend is widely regarded as unconscionable. Not so in Vietnam, China and South Korea, where dog is a popular dish. In Hanoi, for example, a whole area of the city specialises in dog-meat restaurants.
**We were going to put a picture here, but we thought it was a step too far. Call us squeamish, but we think your eyes have suffered enough**
In some Asian communities, dog is said to bring good luck when consumed at certain times of the lunar month. It’s also eaten almost exclusively by businessmen – as part of a kind of alpha-male ritual – in the belief that the meat will make them virile. At the very least, dog is extremely versatile: while in Beijing, I came across a recipe book outlining 167 different ways to cook the animal.
These delightful delicacies have been brought to you by Yuck! The things people eatby Neil Setchfield (£9.95, Merrel)
Main image: Food stall, Beijing (Shutterstock)
