Odd Foods

2 Fried spiders, Cambodia The Cambodian delicacy of fried spider is something of an acquired taste. These little chaps are tarantulas, served with a lime and black pepper dip in the Phnom Penh restaurant Romdeng. Fugu, Japan There aren't many meals which involve risking your life. One of Japan's most notorious dishes is the fugu, or pufferfish, which can be lethal if its toxic parts are not correctly removed. Over 20 people have died in Japan after eating the fish since 2000. 7 Escamoles, Mexico We all know that tequila is a product of the tequila plant, or blue agave. But did you know that people also enjoy ant larvae which is harvested from the plant's roots? Mexicans supposedly call this unusual snack "insect caviar". 13 Baby mice wine, China/Korea Another drink supposed to have beneficial health properties is baby mice wine, wine filled with... well, you guessed it. 11 12 6 14 Balut, Philippines Bored of eggs boiled, scrambled or fried? Then try yourself a balut - a fertilized duck embryo boiled in the shell. 1 Fruit Bat Soup, a common food in Palau, Micronesia Snake wine, South-east Asia This popular beverage is believed to have important restorative properties in countries including China and Vietnam. It can either be made by steeping a snake in rice wine, or by mixing snake bodily fluids, such as blood, with the alcohol. SPAKE WET 15 ODD FOODS BROUGHT TO YOU BY: GOURMANDIA.COM GOURMANDIA FOBD: Witchetty grub, Australia Probably high on the list of things not to tell your mother you did on your gap year is snacking on a witchetty grub, an Australian term for the large white larvae of several moths. They were traditionally foraged by Aboriginees. 4 8 6 Beondegi , Korea If larvae leaves you hungry, why not try a few beondegi? These silkworm pupae are traditonally served as a snack in Korea. Sannakji, Korea Sannakji is a traditional Korean dish of octopus cut into small pieces and served while the tentacles are still squirming. Unsuprisingly, it presents something of a choking hazard. 10 Hákarl, Iceland When in Rome, do as the Romans. In Iceland, this means taking a nibble of hákarl decomposed shark. The shark is buried to ferment in its own fluids for several months, then cut into strips and hung up to dry. Casu Marzu, (means rotten cheese) A traditional sheep milk cheese from Sardinia, Italy. The cheese makers set the cheese outside and allow cheese flies to lay eggs inside of it. The larvae breaks down the cheese's fats thus fermenting it. 15 13 5 Whale Muktuk, Alaska and Canada This meal of whale skin and blubber is usually enjoyed raw by Inuit natives. But you might find versions diced, breaded, deep fried, and served with soy sauce. Shiokara, Japan Shiokara is a Japanese dish made from marine animals such as squid 9 which are fermented in their own viscera. It's no wonder that it's often gulped down and followed by a shot of whiskey Tong zi dan, China Perhaps one of the most eyebrow- raising foods the world has to offer is the Chinese deliacy tong zi dan, or "virgin boy eggs". Every spring in the city of Dongyang, eggs are boiled in the urine of young schoolboys. read more: www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink