25 Craziest Foods In The World You Won’t Believe Exist

Posted by , Updated on January 30, 2024

If there’s one thing everyone can agree on, it’s that food is pretty awesome. New restaurants and recipes pop up every day thanks to high demand for delicious cuisine. Most food is designed to please the masses, to make their mouth water and their stomachs grumble. Of course, tastes tend to vary, and often times, one culture’s delicacy is another’s quick reach for a brown paper bag. But then there’s the food everyone can agree is just gross. Curious about what these “delicacies” are? Here are the 25 Craziest Foods In The World You Won’t Believe Exist.

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25

Chickens' Feet

Chicken_feetSource: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_feet

It’s unlikely you would find chickens’ feet at your local Chic-fil-a. That’s because chickens feet is a food more commonly found in Europe and Asia. There’s very little meat in a chicken’s foot, so most of it is chewy and gelatinous.

24

Black Pudding

black puddingSource: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com

Black pudding is not pudding; let’s get that out of the way right now. To make it, pigs blood is mixed with fat and oatmeal and then put into a casing. It’s usually fried or grilled as a round patty. But we’re guessing we could have stopped at pigs blood and moved on.

23

Guinea Pigs

guinea pigSource: http://www.npr.org

The name ‘Guinea Pig’ is a bit of a misnomer as they aren’t pigs and aren’t from Guinea. While many Americans keep them as furry pets, those in South America use them for food. They’re said to be better for the environment and taste like a combination of pork and rabbit.

22

Tripe

Trippa_alla_RomanaSource: http://www.livestrong.com

While it may look like a harmless bowl of a delicious Italian food, tripe is the inner lining of a cow’s stomach. It’s incredibly chewy and should be eaten infrequently due to its high cholesterol, but also because, you know, it’s a cow’s gut.

21

Fried Rattlesnake

rattlesnakeSource: http://query.nytimes.com

The idea of coming face to face with a live rattlesnake would send tingles up anyone’s spine. But, having it fried, cooked, and placed in front of you on a table might make you sick to your stomach. Regardless, people still eat this chewy reptilian food in America.

20

Frog Legs

Frog legsSource: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frog_legs

Let’s hop on over to our amphibian friends, shall we? A delicacy in France and China, frog legs are usually deep fried and are said to taste like chicken. They’re also rich in omega-3 fatty acids, proteins, and other vitamins and minerals. But, they’re also frog legs, so we’re going to leave them where they belong – the water.

19

Century Eggs

Century_egg_sliced_openSource: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

No, century eggs are not actually one-hundred years old. They’re an egg that’s preserved using saline solution. They leave them preserved for a few weeks up to a month. Duck, chicken, and quail eggs can be used. Well, if you’re going to eat the green eggs, you might as well throw in some ham.

18

Escargot

EscargotSource: http://www.telegraph.co.uk

Escargot is French for snail, and while that’s fairly common knowledge, it’s still pretty crazy people eat these things. Low in fat and high in nasty, escargot is the one food we all wish just didn’t exist.

17

Sago Delight

sago delightSource: https://melyskitchen.blogspot.com

If a food has the word “delight” at the end of its name, that’s a bad sign. Sago Delight is a bowl of sago (a starch from certain palm trees), a ton of condensed milk, and fruit, creating a soupy concoction most likely avoided at potlucks.

16

Shark Fin Soup

shark fin soupSource: http://www.stopsharkfinning.net

Considered a delicacy by some and a nightmare to others, shark fin soup is bland and used as a broth for a variety of soups. It’s extremely expensive and mostly found at weddings, business banquets, or the bottom of a bucket.

15

Starfish

Starfish_scorpions_seahorse_skewersSource: https://www.reference.com

In America, finding a starfish on a beach is fun, but you’d never consider eating it. Diners in Japan, however, consider starfish a delicacy. They’re usually deep fried and put on a stick like a kabob. The skin isn’t edible and most of the food has to be scooped out from the inside.

 

What other odd deep fried foods are out there? Check out 25 Unusual Deep Fried Foods That Might Gross You Out.

14

Turtle Soup

Turtle_soup_chineseSource: http://www.saveur.com

At one point in the United States, turtle soup was a popular dish but faded off and is only served in certain parts of the states. Some of that could be due to conservation, or maybe people just realized eating turtle flesh was kind of gross.

13

Muktuk

MattakSource: https://alaskaweb.org/food/muktuk.html

Eaten in Northern Canada and Alaska, muktuk is straight up whale skin and blubber. No cooking necessary, the Inuit people sprinkle a little salt on the whale hide and eat it raw. They say it tastes like eggs.

12

Steak Tartare

steak tartareSource: http://www.newsweek.com

People who like their meat well-done will want to run far away from steak tartare because it’s not cooked at all. That’s right, it’s cow meat at its most raw form. Of course, it’s seasoned and designed as a fancy delicacy. But if you can’t stomach the idea of scarfing down raw meat, order the steak, not the steak tartare.

11

Pickled Egg

Pickled_eggSource: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickled_egg

Pickled eggs are hard-boiled eggs preserved in brine or vinegar. Many used to poke the egg before putting it in the solution but this was later considered dangerous to humans. Most of the time the eggs are left in the brine for months before serving.

10

Shiokara

1600px-Ika_no_shiokara_by_ayustety_in_Monzen-nakacho,_TokyoSource: http://www.telegraph.co.uk

Shiokara is a Japanese dish combining every worst idea into one recipe. The food, if we’re being loose with our definitions, is a collection of marine animals (like squid meat) chopped up or sliced and fermented in organs. It’s said to be such a weird taste that even native Japanese struggle with it and likely wash it down with some sake.

9

Huitlacoche

Huitlacoche_en_Soriana_Oaxaca_MexicoSource: http://www.foodrepublic.com

Huitlacoche, also known as corn smut, is a Mexican delicacy. In the simplest of terms, it comes from fungus grown on corn, and looks like large white stones. It’s used in a variety of meals including enchiladas and soups. Here’s hoping Chipotle doesn’t put that on the menu anytime soon.

8

Bats

1600px-Bats_for_eating_in_LaosSource: http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Bat_as_food

In Asia and the Pacific Islands, bats are considered the chicken of the cave and can be cooked in many different ways and for a variety of meals. However, there are dangers to eating bats as it’s tied to a neurological disease. But, we’re thinking that’s not the first reason why someone wouldn’t eat a bat.

7

Beondegi

BeondegiSource: http://www.telegraph.co.uk

Most Americans enjoy a nice potato chip snack or maybe some peanuts, but in Korea, they snack on something else entirely. They call it Beondegi, but it’s also known as deep fried silkworm pupae. Nothing says snack time like a nice handful of silkworms.

6

Basashi

BasashiSource: http://www.halfwayanywhere.com

This sliced and diced red delight is a delicacy from Japan called Basashi. While it might look like cranberry sauce at a Thanksgiving dinner, it’s actually raw horse meat. And unfortunately for everyone, you don’t cook it.

5

Shirako

1600px-Shirako_gunkanmakiSource: http://www.thekitchn.com

Things are about to get a whole lot weirder. Shirako is another delicacy in Japan served raw or cooked. It means, “white children.” Most people considered it’s an acquired taste. Ah, yeah, that’s because it’s a male cod sperm sac.

4

Blood clams

Anadara_granosaSource: http://www.thekitchn.com

Currently banned in China, blood clams are eaten raw, straight out of the ocean. However, this offers a whole new level of gross as they filter the water which could potentially give someone hepatitis, typhoid, and dysentery. All the reasons why they banned them in China.

3

Wasp Crackers

Active_Wasp_NestSource: http://en.rocketnews24.com

At this point, we’ve all come to realize Japan invents some crazy food to eat. Well, they’ve done it again. We present the wasp cracker. It’s a round cookie with wasps baked in. That about sums it up. It’s for all those people that thought, “Hey, you know what this Oreo needs? Wasps.”

2

Cobra Heart

IndiancobraSource: http://travel.cnn.com

Like something out of Indiana Jones, eating live Cobra hearts in Vietnam is a brutal sport that they show on television. There’s no cooking or preparation involved. They rip out the beating heart and start eating. Some drink the blood afterward.

1

Witchetty Grub

Witchetty_grubSource: http://www.pilotguides.com

Native to the Australian outback, it’s unlikely the witchetty grub would end up on the Outback Steakhouse menu. Mostly common in the Australian aboriginal diet, these squiggling worms can be cooked or just eaten raw. They’re rich in protein and have a nice juicy center. Who’s hungry?

 

Enjoy this list? Check out 25 Foods That Look Disgusting But Are Actually Quite Delicious.



Photo: 25. Wikipedia Commons.com (Public Domain), 24. Schellack at en.wikipedia, Trippa alla Romana, CC BY 3.0, 23. Kimberly Vardeman via flickr. CC BY 2.0, 22. Tomas Castelazo, Frog legs, CC BY-SA 3.0, 21. User: (WT-shared) Jtesla16 at wts wikivoyage, Cuy or guinea pig, from the restaurant Fogon de los Abuelos in Matus, Ecuador, CC BY-SA 3.0, 20. eatingeast, Escargot à la Bourguignonne – eatingeast, CC BY 2.0, 19. Soniya Goyal via flickr. CC BY-SA 2.0 , 18. Audrey from Seattle, USA, Chinese cuisine-Shark fin soup-05, CC BY 2.0, 17. Alpha via flickr. CC BY 2.0, 16. Marieke Kuijjer from Leiden, The Netherlands, Starfish scorpions seahorse skewers, CC BY-SA 2.0, 15. Kowloneese at the English language Wikipedia, Century egg sliced open, CC BY-SA 3.0, 14. Chensiyuan., Turtle soup chinese, CC BY-SA 3.0, 13. Lisa Risager, Mattak, CC BY-SA 2.0, 12. Mark Mitchell, 00 Steak Tartare, CC BY 2.0
11. Andrij Bulba from Slovakia, Pickled egg, CC BY 2.0, 10. ayustety from Japanese restaurant Uotei in Monzen-nakacho, Koto, Tokyo, Ika no shiokara by ayustety in Monzen-nakacho, Tokyo, CC BY-SA 2.0, 9. Nsaum75 at English Wikipedia, Huitlacoche en Soriana Oaxaca Mexico, CC BY-SA 3.0, 8. Stan Dalone, Bats for eating in Laos, CC BY-SA 2.0, 7. Nesnad, Beondegi Korean cuisine – June 12 2005, CC BY 3.0, 6. Richard W.M. Jones, Basashi, CC BY-SA 3.0, 5. Schellack, Shirako gunkanmaki, CC BY 3.0, 4. Kamalnv, Indiancobra, CC BY 3.0, 3. Stefan, Anadara granosa, CC BY 2.0, 2. Kathy Jones, Active Wasp Nest, CC BY-SA 2.5, 1. Stefan3345, Witchetty Grub, CC BY-SA 3.0