Food is an amazing way to explore life and meet new people, perhaps one day when you’re traveling around the world, you may feel bold enough to try one of these unique international foods.
If you ever do decide to try one, I suggest researching where you are getting the meal from so you do not get taken advantage of. No food is worth getting cheated out of your hard earned cash. Above all, have an open mind. While these foods are not something you see much of in Colorado, it is fun to branch out and explore new cultures.
Ad
Wasp Crackers
This dish is enjoyed in certain areas of Japan and is probably one of the most recent dishes on this list to attract attention from several people across the world, despite it not being all that popular in its home country. This is a senbei, which is a type of rice cracker that also has wasps in it. While many people would be afraid to snack on this item for obvious reasons, it actually is not that bad.
Rocky Mountain Oysters
While the name has the word “oyster,” the appearance says fried chicken — this dish is neither of those things.
Rocky Mountain Oysters are bull, pig or sheep testicles that can be poached, braised, boiled, sautéed or peeled then pounded flat before being breaded and fried. It is more of a novelty dish that is said to taste like venison and is surprisingly good for you.
Fugu
This menu item is the intestines, ovaries and liver of blowfish. While this dish is generally believed to have come from Japan and Korea, it really is served all over. Fish may not seem super unique, but this item is the food form of Russian roulette. Blowfish has a poison called tetrodotoxin, meaning that one fish can kill up to 30 people. Chefs usually have to go through multiple years of training just to learn how to safely serve this meal.
Kopi Luwak
This is known as the world’s most expensive coffee that can cost anywhere from $35-$100 for a single cup. The brewing process for this beverage begins in Indonesia by feeding coffee beans to civet cats, then after the cats have digested the beans, their poop is collected. It is then processed a specific way and put on the market.
Bird’s Nest Soup
This is a delicacy served in many Asian countries, but is mostly served to curious tourists. The soup has all the ingredients that you may find in a very basic chicken soup, except for the bird’s nest. A small bird native to the area called the swiftlets create their nests out of saliva, unfortunately for them it tastes good enough to eat.
Tarantulas
Remember the story about the old woman who swallowed the spider? Well now you can be just like her because tarantulas are a popular dish served in places like Cambodia and Thailand. To prepare them, many people will barbecue, grill or fry before serving on a plate or a stick. They usually have suppliers who sell the tarantulas to restaurants, and many of the locals are said to enjoy it.
Collegian Blogger Alaysha Powell can be reached online at blogs@collegian.com or on Twitter at @alaysha_powell.
