Of course, one should not argue about tastes, but some national dishes cannot but shock tourists with their exoticism. Don’t believe me? Here are eight of the weirdest dishes.
Swiftlet nest soup
Salangan is a type of swifts family. Inhabitants of many Asian countries consider the nests of these birds to be a real delicacy. It turns out that swiftlets, unlike other birds, build their nests from their own saliva. Such “building material” is useful and nutritious. For a kilogram of this product, people are ready to pay as many as several thousand dollars. The consistency of such a soup is slightly viscous, like jelly. The dish is eaten with chicken broth, and sometimes chicken is stuffed with nests.
Mantak
Whale skin and fat is a favorite dish of the peoples of the North. In the north, whale meat is considered a real storehouse of protein and fat. Its name comes from the Eskimo language. Whale skin and lard are cut into small pieces and are most often eaten raw. Few still prefer boiled, smoked, or pickled mantac. However, a tourist, in order to try this dish, will have to go to visit the northerners, because only for private consumption whales are slaughtered. That is why mantakas cannot be found in restaurants.
Kiwiak
Another strange delicacy of the peoples of the North. This is a seal stuffed with seagulls. The intestines of a decapitated seal are filled with plucked seagulls and hidden for six months. During this time, the intestines are impregnated and acquire a specific taste, reminiscent of moldy spicy cheese. At the local Christmas table, such a delicacy is considered a must.
Krubins
Pork legs, which have been popular with the Irish for the past few centuries. This is a type of fast food. Crubins taste salty and spicy at the same time, which makes visitors thirsty… The enterprising restaurateurs took advantage of this. Legs and toes are fried in bread crumbs and served as a beer snack.
Haggis
A Scottish dish called Haggis – lamb giblets boiled in the stomach. Previously, haggis was considered to be the food of poor citizens, but nowadays it can be seen on the menus of prestigious restaurants. Lamb stomach is filled with slices of heart, liver and lungs, onions and spices are added. Next, bake or boil. The dish is served as a side dish for mashed potatoes.
The Scots even invented a myth about the haggis beast, from which this dish is supposedly prepared, and installed a stuffed animal in a local museum. However, this is just an interesting idea to attract tourists.
Tuna eye
In Japan, a popular dish is their tuna eyes. This strange delicacy is considered a treasure trove of goodies. Tuna eyes are served boiled or fried. However, gourmets prefer to eat this dish raw. Despite the high cost of the delicacy, it is not popular among the locals. But the visitors try to taste the healthiest Japanese dish.
Boodog
It is the gutted body of a goat, stuffed with red-hot stones. A specific dish of the nomads of the steppe, which does not require special skills to cook. The carcass of the animal is gutted and stuffed with hot stones. After that, it is put on coals. So it is fried from all sides. In the restaurant menus, it is called khorhog. Professional chefs fry the cut carcass in an iron bowl over the fire.
Grasshoppers
Fried grasshoppers are a popular treat in Cambodia and Asia. Grasshoppers are eaten while still hot, after breaking off their head and legs, which, due to their length, get stuck in the throat of visitors. Sprinkle the dish with hot pepper and dip in soy sauce. The delicacy tastes like sweetish fried potatoes.
