For me, part of the fun of travelling is trying different foods in far-flung destinations – things that you might never dream of eating, and dishes that you just don’t get back at home. Here I present a round-up of 10 weird and wonderful items that fellow travel bloggers have tried during their own travels.
Spider crabs in the Philippines
Submitted by Adam Pervez of Happiness Plunge
“While visiting a tiny village in one of the Philippines’ thousands of islands, the family hosting me offered a special meal. I don’t particularly like seafood, but I’m happy to try anything. They brought out the strangest looking seafood I had ever seen before. They called them spider crabs and they are eaten by boiling them in sea water. Despite their enormity, the edible part is barely the size of a finger and all I could taste was salt mixed with the texture of sand. Not my idea of a delicatessen, but everyone kept urging me to have more since it was such a special treat…”
Puffin in Iceland
Submitted by Jennifer and Tim of Jdomb’s Travels
“Iceland has some unique fare. The island, surprisingly green despite its’ name, sits just below the Arctic Circle and the ever-present volcanic activity make Iceland a tough place to live. Lamb and fish make up the diet, though Icelanders are known for some other odd fare, a favorite being smoked puffin. The seabirds that once saved destitute Icelanders from starvation are something of a delicacy.When in Iceland! We tried smoked puffin with blueberry Brennvnsauce at Tapas Barinn, a chic Spanish-style tapas restaurant in Reykjavik. I would best describe the taste like beef jerky with a distinct fish taste. The texture is firm, but soft like duck. We enjoyed the small portion. I’m not sure I’d order the whole bird though, which Icelanders do cook and serve like a chicken.”
Yaa Dong street liquor in Bangkok, Thailand
Submitted by Allan Wilson of Live Less Ordinary
“As a bit of a booze hound in Southeast Asia I come across some of the world’s weirdest and least palatable concoctions. Yaa Dong street liquor is the local example where I live in Bangkok; a concoction of moonshine rice whiskey and a mix of other ‘medicinal’ ingredients. While most Yaa Dong liquors bring a mix of herbs, spices and roots, they can also include the delightful addition of lizard, snake and scorpion. I have likely drank all of them. One recent example is ‘Doo Kae’ lizards which is dissolved in alcohol before being mixed with Yaa Dong and local street liquors. What do they taste like? Alcohol. For taste, when shooting back shots I first mix with honey and finish with a bite of sour, unripe mango (mamuang piew) and a salty and hot chilli dip (prik gluea).”
Congealed blood soup in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Submitted by Alana Morgan of Paper Planes
“A Thai friend actually made this congealed blood soup for me when I was sick to help make me better. He was oblivious to the fact that I may not feel like trying congealed pig’s blood just then. It’s not horrible, and kind of has the texture of tofu, but not want you want instead of chicken noodle soup!”
Suri near Iquitos, Peru
Submitted by Dave Levart of Dave’s Travel Corner
“I’ve had dog, I’ve had rat, I’ve had bat, lots of raw seafood – and a wide variety of insects and other grubs in countries where these items are acceptably eaten. But the strangest food I’ve ever eaten was Suri (not to be confused with the iPhone personal attendant Siri)! This was near Iquitos, the world’s largest city not connected by any roads – the only way to reach Iquitos is by plane or boat. It is in the middle of the Peruvian jungle. I found vendors selling these good sized glistening globules of striated fat with black and brown heads, each one containing what looked like two pincers. These are harvested in the area from a certain type of palm tree. Immediately I wanted to try one. I saw a number that were well roasted and speared by sticks. But the one I tried was pulled live out of a plastic bucket – waved over the coals and given to me straight away. It was still quivering when I popped that fat yellow grub in my mouth – chewed and then swallowed. It wasn’t the most tasty snack – but it sure was fatty and juicy”.
Guinea pig in Cusco, Peru
Submitted by Melissa Banigan of Break out of Bushwick
“While visiting Cusco, Peru, my daughter and I dined at a restaurant where guinea pig (locally known as ‘cuy’) is served two ways: fried or baked. I chose the latter, but only because I thought that fried, my meal might look similar to the fetal pig I dissected many years ago in my secondary school biology class. The waiter threw down our guinea pig-laden plates over a red-checked tablecloth. I gulped, took a few tentative bites, and, gagging on the greasy, stringy fare, washed it down with beer and soda. My daughter, however, always the adventurous eater, devoured her entire guinea pig and, starting in on my leftovers, pronounced that the meat tasted like prosciutto.”
Bugs in Bangkok, Thailand
Submitted by Niall Doherty of Disrupting the Rabblement
“It was completely on purpose. My mission that night was to eat some bugs. I figured I’d been traveling for too long not to have chowed down on something with more than four legs. Word on the street was we’d find them for sale in the seedier parts of Bangkok, so we made our way to perhaps the seediest: Soi Cowboy. And it was there, amidst the go-go girls and winking ladyboys, that we found an old dear with a cart full of vermin. I ordered one of everything and worked my way through them right there and then. There were ants, larvae, beetles, and big alien-looking things. I tried them all. Some were too chewy and I had to spit them out. None tasted terrible, but they certainly would have gone down easier if they’d been ground up into a patty and presented burger-style.”
Bugs in Oaxaca, Mexico
Submitted by Chris Christensen of Amateur Traveler
“While I was in Oaxaca I tried crickets which have been on the menu since pre-Colombian days. They serve them spicy with a side of guacamole but I think in the future I will stick with tortilla chips for my guacamole since then you don’t get the little antennae stuck between your teeth.”
Thousand-year-old egg in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Submitted by Annette White of Bucket List Journey
“When I was in Thailand, taking a cooking class, we made a quick stop to Somphet Market to purchase ingredients for our dishes. The aisles were loaded with colorful fruits, vegetables and meats. But, what caught my eye was a pretty, pastel pink egg. It was known as a century egg or a thousand year old egg. This delicacy is an Asian tradition where the egg is preserved for several weeks or months. I cracked one open, out poured the strong smell of ammonia and a moldy green color. Of course, I volunteered to take a nibble and, thankfully, it didn’t taste quite as bad as it smelled. It tasted like a warm, old boiled egg with a gooey center. Not bad, but not good enough to eat again.”
Stingray in Singapore
Submitted by Keryn Means of Walking on Travels
“I never thought of myself as an adventurous eater until I went to Singapore in 2008 on a business trip. I was raised to never be rude to my hosts. When one (now good friend) set a leaf-wrapped sting ray in front of me, I knew I was in for a culinary adventure I had never imagined. The stringy meat of the sting ray was covered in a reddish brown chili sauce that wasn’t so spicy that my face was on fire, but it did leave a slow burn in the back of my throat. What was most surprising was that the sting ray was actually good. Out of all the things my friend put in front of me (by now I knew she was just seeing how far she could push my taste buds and comfort zone), I’d have to say it was one of the best. It reminded me of chicken, but with a distinct difference that I could never put my finger on. Not fishy, but certainly not a land animal. After that trip I was ready to take on anything. Well, almost anything. ”
