Half the fun of traveling is trying new foods in exotic places. While being open to adventure can lead to some unforgettable experiences, you have to make sure your stomach can always handle it. If you come across any of these local delicacies, however, you might be better off skipping a meal instead of risking an inevitable stomach ache.
1. Jellied Moose Nose.
This simple dish is a native Alaskan delicacy, and it’s exactly what it sounds like. First, you cut the nose off a presumably dead moose and boil it. Then you remove all the hair before boiling it again. Afterwards, you let the boiled water sit overnight, and voila! You have yourself some delicious jellied moose nose.
2. Stinkheads.
Stinkheads are a native Inuit dish that has existed for hundreds of years. In the centuries before modern refrigeration technology, fish, a staple of the Inuit diet, would spoil rapidly. As a way to combat this, the Inuit developed fermentation as a means to cook and preserve their food. Stinkheads are essentially salmon heads that are buried in the ground in fermentation pits. After several months, the heads have rotted down to something stinky, but edible. It’s a great way to get through those harsh Alaskan winters.
3. Sheep’s Head.
Americans like to forget that our meat once had a face. In northern Europe, however, they not only like to recognize this, but they sometimes make a meal out of the head. Take, for example, the Scandinavian specialty of whole-roasted sheep’s head. To make matters more unsettling, the eyeballs and the tongue are the most desirable parts of the meal.
4. Bat Soup.
Aside from being living bug zappers, bats are considered a delicious food source in some parts of the world. Depending on where you are, they’re prepared in different ways. However, the most well-known bat dish is fruit bat soup, which is served in parts of Asia. It would be yummy, but bats also tend to be disease carriers, so it might be best to avoid this.
5. Mongolian Boodog.
This ancient method of Mongolian cooking is actually pretty innovative. It’s often prepared with a whole goat, but marmots are also sometimes cooked this way. First, you kill the animal, bleed it, and break its legs. Then, you stuff scalding hot rocks into the carcass until you can’t fit any more. After that, you spit-roast it over a fire until it achieves its desired crispiness.
(via Culinary Schools)
I’m actually halfway curious to know what fruit bat soup tastes like. However, I don’t think I’ll take any chance with it any time soon.
