What's the strangest food?

[pugh-the-special-one]

As a youngster Martin I had cold pressed tongue every week, plus stuffed Lambs hearts they are my favourites. But there's one thing I could never eat and that's tripe, and the reason why I kept working terriers for many years and fed them exclusively on tripe but this was before it was treated and bleached I picked it up directly from my local slaughter house, my god If I close my eyes and think back I can still smell it.

Jamie

What's doin Jamie,

Never tried the lamb hearts. Were they stuffed with brains? Eyeballs maybe?

Well, here's a delicacy that's sold in certain parts of Chicago. Called chitlins, if that rings a bell. http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/ChitlinsHistory.htm

Type at you later,

Martin

Hey Martin you see chitterlings around our way, mostly in rural area's in the typical country type butchers, I have a friend who's quite fond of them but not something I've tried myself.

Jamie

 

[John]

The toad in the hole was nice. whilst eating dinner discussing this post Mrs J said that she received these Crickets that are Bacon & Cheese flavour as well....If you would like to try these...... tasty looking things.....speak up gents.

But if you would like to try the cockroach's your out of luck, she bind them straight away.

 

[Johnus]

Lived in Spain and Argentina for awhile. Eat quite a few "different " things. One that sticks out was 'octopus in its own ink'. Not one of my favorites.

 

[Bechet]

One I did and one I bottles.

Being entertained in Japan and was taken to a sashimi restaurant except it probably wasn't - we ate raw fish though. I saw a beautifully presented whole fish and said I'd like to try the same. Came with the filleted skeleton at the top of the plate and the flesh arranged in thin slices below it. My host had selected the fish from the tank for me and thhe chef had prepared it. I had eaten but a little of the dish when I noticed the gills on the skeleton were still flapping. Ate some whale that evening, too - not a whole one, you understand.

The one I bottled was in China. End of dry-dock managers' do, plenty of beer and carousing. I was asked if I like snails. Thinking escargot, I said I loved them. A huge platter duly arrived, full of snails at least six inches long - made whelks look tiny. Mr. Woo stuck a single chop-stick into the snail and twisting and heaving, pulled out the snail and offered it to me across the table. I don't think it was wriggling but it sure as hell was dripping with snail slime, festoons of the stuff. I can no longer claim that I like all Chinese food. The yard people gnawed and slurped and insisted I was missing a rare treat.

Did I tell you about the time the Old Man (Captain) and I were taken to lunch down the Mississippi - in a helicopter each? True story. Ziggy's steaks are something else!

 

[balidey]

Nothing too adventurous for me although I will try most things as long as its not too extreme.
One that is on the 'odd' list is gimchi (sometimes spelt kimchi).
My auntie is Korean and boy can she cook. Gimchi is an odd dish and apparently there are hundreds of personal interpretations of what it is. She made it with vegetables and salad leaves. Its fermented and boy does it have a kick to it. Thats whats so odd about it, its not a disgusting animal, its just vegetables but the tastes and textures are nothing like you would expect. Hence why I think it can be on my 'strangest food eaten' list.

 

[Bechet]

They each have a kimchi pot festering on the balcony all winter long - it doesn't freeze because of the garlic content. Kimchi- breath has been known to flatten Westeners against the wall and asphyxiate them at close quarters. Another one I bottled.

 

[fancontroller]

Kimchi is great, one of the world's best kept food secrets. Fermented cabbage leaves with large amounts of chilli and garlic. Not to everyone's taste but if you like spicy give it a go. There are various types with different spiciness levels, some sour some not.
In Korea it's eaten as a side dish with just about every meal (even breakfast) or can be eaten as a snack just with rice.
It's even thought to have health benefits, with good bacteria in the same way as yohurt has.
Bechet45, you should have given it a try.

 

[Garbe]

Lived in Spain and Argentina for awhile. Eat quite a few "different " things. One that sticks out was 'octopus in its own ink'. Not one of my favorites.

That would be squid, they have the ink.

I've tired snails, shark and octopus, didn't like the latter.

 

[Lose the beard]

I had octopus carpaccio, I think that means raw. It was quite nice really.

---

For me the strangest meal I ever had was crab. I like all seafood, especially crab. So when in a restaurant in Egypt I ordered Crab. What arrived was a plate containing about 30 soft shelled crabs. The idea is you eat the whole thing. I couldn't.

 

[FrenchBlade]

Some might think it's gross, but I've had (and enjoyed most):

Snails (love them)
Frogs legs. (nice! but don't eat them anymore for moral reasons)
Crocodile fillet. (very tender)
Elephant billtong. (like any other biltong, it's amazing)
Impala; Kudu, Nyala (african antelopes, very nice)
Zebra (nice)
Snake (very nice)
Mopane Worms (look thos up in google image search)
Cow intestines (not nice!)
Cow tongue (very nice)
Kangeroo (ok)
Wild boar (depends on how it's cooked, but nice)
Buffalo (not my kind of meat)
Eel (smoked it's lovely!)
Squid.(nice!)
Shark. (nice!)
Turtle soup (nice, not very ethical, wouldn't have it again)
Warthog. (very nice, similar to boar)
Grasshoppers. (very crunchy, not brilliant)

And I've probably forgotten quite a lot, my motto, try it before saying you don't like it. Any when in Rome, eat like the romans.

Have not tried, horse, dog, cat, but if the oportunity arises I will.
Horse is available here, just haven't got round to it.

If it moves and you can catch it, cook it, if you can cook it you can eat it.

M.

 

[NotTheStig]

I don't think I'd have dog or cat. Not knowingly. We choose what is acceptable meat in a fairly inconsistent and illogical way but still stick by them.

I always wanted to try dodo but I hear it stinked.

(Judging by PigCat's thread I probably have to point that joke out!)

 

[Bechet]

Bechet45, you should have given it a try.

Oh! I tried - just couldn't get it passed my nose.

Eel! I've eaten eel but found it too full of bones to be worthwhile. But I truly bottled on the East End favourite of Jellied Eels - oh! my slimy gods! Actually, to that we can add tripe and onions and avacado. Cannot tolerate the texture in my mouth.

I crawled up a main sea water inlet pipe in a Japanese dry-dock and was admonished for smashing the huge limpets with my shifter - they were reaching out and trying to suck me in, wavy tentacles. Anyway, that evening I particularly enjoyed one of the many dishes we ate - to be told it was the limpets I hadn't smashed to bits that morning! Lord alone knows what else we ate and enjoyed. Kobe steak I knew. Boiled lettuce leaves - try that with laquered chop-sticks!

 

[Pig Cat]

Well though not that strange, I did try eel a few weeks ago and it was absolutely delicious. I was lucky enough to visit Morston Hall in Norfolk where all the food was incredible. Also had black pudding which I've never been fond of, but loved theirs. And I think it was my first time eating partridge and guinea fowl. Both yum!

In Beijing twelve years ago I saw sparrow on sticks plus what could have been butterfly pupae. Our guide said they're not that nice but apparently the teenage lads would often eat them to impress their mates. I didn't try them myself.

 

[pugh-the-special-one]

Bechet45, you should have given it a try.

Oh! I tried - just couldn't get it passed my nose.

Eel! I've eaten eel but found it too full of bones to be worthwhile. But I truly bottled on the East End favourite of Jellied Eels - oh! my slimy gods! Actually, to that we can add tripe and onions and avacado. Cannot tolerate the texture in my mouth.

I crawled up a main sea water inlet pipe in a Japanese dry-dock and was admonished for smashing the huge limpets with my shifter - they were reaching out and trying to suck me in, wavy tentacles. Anyway, that evening I particularly enjoyed one of the many dishes we ate - to be told it was the limpets I hadn't smashed to bits that morning! Lord alone knows what else we ate and enjoyed. Kobe steak I knew. Boiled lettuce leaves - try that with laquered chop-sticks!

Kobe steak now we are talking Carl, never guessed you were a Seaman Carl, I sailed a few times from Southampton in the 1960s and 70s traveling on the old Union Castle line, the Cape town Castle, also on a few P&O ships the Arcadia, Oriana, and the Canberra, my Brother and I were quite fortunate, to have good Grand parents who like to take us along.

Jamie.

 

[Bechet]

I sailed a few times from Southampton in the 1960s and 70s traveling on the old Union Castle line, the Cape town Castle, also on a few P&O ships the Arcadia, Oriana, and the Canberra, my Brother and I were quite fortunate, to have good Grand parents who like to take us along.

Jamie.

You were passengers???!!!!

I started as an Engineer Cadet in 1961, went through the ranks and sailed as Chief Engineer for nearly fifteen years (four months on, four months off for much of it!) then came ashore as Superintendent and then Fleet Manager for another fifteen, most of it in UK. Sailed from Southampton once - after they put detergent oil for the first time into the umpteen year old Main Engines. Wiped every bearing - and there a lot of them in two six cylinder LB Doxfords - limped in Southampton for repairs. I was a second trip Cadet. Mum cried when she saw the Engine Room - how utterly embarrassing!

 

[pugh-the-special-one]

Yep passengers Carl on those beautiful Med cruises, even now when I think back being from the South Wales Valleys then over the next few weeks I would be docking in Athens, Rome, Lisbon Vigo, Algiers, Tangiers, amazing experience as a young boy still think a lot about those days, the service and food was exceptional.

Jamie