Top 19 Most Bizarre Dishes in the World

The Most Horrifying Dishes: From Baby Mice to Frog Smoothies and Rotten Fish. Many people gag just from looking at or smelling dishes like Surströmming, yet these are traditional foods in many countries around the world.

19. Mantak – Whale Skin

Not just a simple skin, whale skin also has a layer of pink fat, typically consumed in winter.

Mantak cannot be bought; only the Chukotka people can possess it and give it as a gift to guests. In Russia, according to the International Whaling Convention, only those living in the North are allowed to hunt whales, and only for personal consumption.

18. Vilmullymut – Sour Blood Soup

This difficult-to-pronounce dish is a type of blood soup made by Northern peoples from reindeer organs. Reindeer, velvet antler, and the animal’s lips are roasted over a fire, then soaked in water for about 3-4 days to remove bitterness.

Afterward, the mixture is boiled until the pieces soften and the liquid thickens. When the mixture cools slightly, pieces of liver, kidneys, and fresh blood are added, then everything is placed in a leather bag or pan, sealed tightly, and kept in a dark place to ferment. It can be eaten after 4 to 6 weeks.

17. Fish Jelly

In a place where fish are so abundant that even desserts are made from fish, jelly made from fish skin is perhaps not surprising.

This is how the Udege people (only about 1,500 remain as of 2010) prepare it: The dried skin of the Pacific salmon is cleaned of scales, milk is added, and then the dish is simmered in a pan over low heat until it reaches a jelly-like consistency.

All that remains is to pour the hot jelly into a bowl, add berries and chopped nuts and acorns, and wait for it to set.

16. Balut in Vietnam

Balut, or fertilized duck egg, is a dish made from a duck egg where the embryo has developed. It is one of the popular street foods in Vietnam and is still considered a nutritious dish in many Eastern countries. The eggs are sold by street vendors or at small eateries. This dish is also popular in other Asian countries such as China, the Philippines, and Cambodia, although the preparation may vary slightly. In Vietnam, balut typically contains duck embryos aged 9 to 11 days, always served with Vietnamese coriander and dry salt or salt with lime (calamondin); some other regions also serve it with sweet pickles. Additionally, there are other variations like balut in hot pot, fried balut, and quail eggs.

Different regions have different ways of enjoying balut. In Hanoi, the egg is removed from the shell and placed directly into a small bowl (not a cup), eaten with a spoon. In Southern Vietnam, the boiled egg is placed in a small bowl with the wide end facing up, then the shell is peeled at the top, and eaten with accompanying spices. This is also a popular drinking snack among Southerners. In Da Nang, the dipping sauce is different from other regions. It typically includes fish sauce and sweet and sour papaya, along with spicy ingredients like Vietnamese coriander, bird’s eye chili, and ginger to reduce the egg’s fishy taste. In Phan Thiet, in addition to common spices, balut is also served with sweet pickles made from carrots and radish. The way of eating is similar to both Northern and Southern styles. Western tourists and first-timers often feel hesitant and reluctant to try balut.

15. Blood Soup in Vietnam

Blood soup is a raw dish using fresh animal blood mixed with a bit of fish sauce or diluted saltwater to prevent it from coagulating before being blended with finely chopped animal meat and cartilage to solidify the blood. This method of preparation is very popular in Vietnamese cuisine, especially in the North, but has never been seen in the cuisine of any other place in the world. Blood soup contains many bacteria, viruses, and parasites harmful to humans; therefore, medical experts advise against consuming it. Typically, when slaughtering livestock or poultry for blood, since the boiled meat and cartilage must be finely chopped longer, the cook must perform the “blood preservation” step to prevent coagulation as an important initial step before making blood soup.

Livestock or poultry are bled to let a little blood out, collecting the central blood into a large bowl containing a bit of the preservation solution. This solution can be diluted fish sauce or lightly salted water (according to a ratio that skilled cooks often have secret recipes for), usually at a ratio of 3 water to 2 fish sauce, stirred gently with chopsticks. When the blood starts to coagulate and darken, it must be transferred to another bowl for use, as continuing to let it flow into the preservation bowl will cause it to coagulate and lose its effect. If there is already boiled meat and cartilage chopped finely in the bowl, the cook does not need to go through this difficult blood preservation step and can pour the blood directly onto the prepared ingredients in the bowl. Afterward, care should be taken not to move the preserved blood bowl, as this may cause the blood to separate. After about 20 minutes, a layer of liquid will appear on top of the bowl, while the blood settles at the bottom.

14. Bat Soup with Fruits in Asia

The culinary world always amazes us with the creativity and skill of chefs in preparing dishes. In many countries, there’s a saying: “Anything that moves can be cooked.” Because of this, the variety of dishes can sometimes be frightening. Among them, the infamous bat soup is found in many countries like Cambodia, Palau, or Guam. It is infamous because most people turn pale at the sight of this dish. When it comes to bat soup in Cambodia, it is immediately associated with the specialty of Kandal Province. Like many other Asian dishes, bat soup is believed to have medicinal properties and is very nutritious for diners. For example, it is believed that bat blood can cure respiratory issues, while eating bat eyes can improve your eyesight.

In many local restaurants, staff will bring out a cage of live bats from which you can choose the unfortunate bat screaming inside. The bat can be prepared as soup or even eaten raw. If you dare to eat raw bat, it will be prepared right in front of you, including brutal steps like bleeding and skinning. If you prefer it cooked, the poor bat will be taken to the kitchen, where it will be made into soup or other dishes. To prepare the dish, they simply drop the bat into boiling water to cook. Then, ingredients like ginger, onion, salt, and pepper are added. After several minutes, the bat is taken out and skinned. All the meat and other parts are deboned and placed in a bowl. When the porridge is cooked enough, it is poured into the bowl, with a bit of onion, oyster sauce, and coconut cream added.

13. Monkey Brain

Monkey brains are popular in China, but they are extremely harmful to human health. They can cause Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a neurodegenerative disorder similar to mad cow disease, leading to temporary memory loss, vision impairment, depression, and, in the worst case, death.

12. Katsu Ika Odori-Don

Katsu ika odori-don is a Japanese dish that consists of rice or noodles topped with live squid. When served, the squid is still moving and “struggling” in the sauce, due to its muscles reacting to the salt. This dish is quite dangerous as its tentacles can easily cause choking.

11. Tuna Eye

Tuna eye is a popular delicacy in Japan. Although known for being rich in omega-3 fatty acids, not everyone dares to try it as it is definitely a “horrifying” experience for many.

10. Mouse Stomach – China

These mice are pulled from a mother mouse’s belly and then dropped into a pot of pre-seasoned water. Diners enjoy this dish, which is popular due to rumors of its ability to enhance “bed performance.”

9. Fresh Frog Smoothie – Peru

The residents of Arequipa in Peru have long maintained the habit of drinking fresh frog smoothies to boost their health. Although not scientifically proven, locals believe that fresh frog meat helps them resist all diseases, even forgoing modern medicine.

The preparation method for this unique smoothie is quite gruesome. The chef must select frogs caught from the famous Lake Titicaca. They are kept in glass tanks until customers choose them. Afterward, the fresh frogs are skinned and mixed with various ingredients before being blended. To reduce the fishy smell, the chef adds many ingredients such as aloe vera, honey, Andean roots, and alcohol to create the smoothie.

8. Maggot Cheese – Italy

In addition to the world-famous cappuccino, Italy’s casu marzu will certainly astonish you. This traditional cheese from Sardinia is definitely not for the faint-hearted. To make casu marzu, locals first prepare the famous Pecorino cheese and then allow it to ferment with the Piophila fly larvae.

7. Boodog – Mongolia

A female Piophila fly can lay over 500 eggs. Therefore, when eating casu marzu, diners may find themselves surrounded by wriggling fly larvae. The Boodog dish from Mongolia offers a deeply moving and sympathetic image, prepared by removing the bones and insides of a goat or sheep through its throat.

6. Shiokara – Japan

Shiokara is a Japanese dish made of fermented fish intestines and guts, mixed with 10% salt and 30% rice flour, and fermented in a sealed container for one month. Nowadays, as many people feel uneasy about fish guts, Shiokara is often made with other ingredients like fresh fish and squid.

5. Hakarl (Fermented Shark) – Iceland

Hakarl is a traditional dish in Iceland made from the meat of the basking shark, which is fermented and then hung to dry for several months. The flesh of this shark is toxic when fresh, so it must be fermented and dried before consumption. The shark is gutted, placed in a shallow pit in the sand, covered with stones and left to ferment for 6 to 12 weeks. After fermentation, the shark is dried for several months.

Hakarl is served in small pieces, but even so, first-time tasters often gag involuntarily due to its terrible flavor. If you are invited to try this dish, it’s best to pinch your nose, as the smell is far worse than its taste.

4. Sannakji (Live Octopus) – South Korea

When a customer orders, chefs catch a live octopus and prepare the dish. The octopus tentacles, still wriggling, are quickly seasoned and served immediately. Diners are often reminded to chew quickly before the tentacles stick to the throat. If they become lodged, it can lead to choking, which is life-threatening. Sannakji is very popular among many Koreans for its delicious flavor of fresh octopus. Many say that when enjoying this dish, it feels like the tentacles are crawling down the throat. If you are not Korean and unfamiliar with this dish, you may easily choke while trying to eat it.

3. Frog Sashimi (Live Frog) – Japan

In order to serve frog sashimi quickly and always fresh, Japanese restaurants often keep frogs in the kitchen. When a customer orders, the chef cuts open the frog’s belly and removes inedible parts. The frog is skinned, and its heart is eaten immediately after being removed from the chest while still beating. The chef then fillets the frog to serve sashimi and the remaining bones are simmered to make a soup. Notably, chefs often cut the meat from live frogs right in front of the customers, and even when plated, the frog’s head still twitches and its eyes blink, which can be quite frightening. This sensation of having to “eat it fresh and alive” makes it rare for tourists to dare to try frog sashimi, even though it is one of the Japanese people’s favorite dishes.

2. Kiviaq – Greenland

Fermented seal stuffed with dead birds, Kiviaq is a traditional delicacy of the Inuit people living in the remote northern regions of Greenland. To prepare this dish, one must catch and kill seabirds and seals. For each seal, about 500 birds are stuffed into its belly, sewn shut to create a sturdy bag, and buried deep underground for 18 months. After retrieval, the dish is complete, and the birds are removed, ready to be eaten right away, bones included.

1. Surströmming (Fermented Herring) – Sweden

Despite its notoriously unpleasant smell, once you get past the first bite, you might find it hard to stop eating, as this dish has a strangely captivating appeal. This traditional Swedish dish originates from the north. Surströmming is made from herring meat from the Baltic Sea, fermented in a weak brine for at least six months. The intense fermentation causes the cans containing the fish to bulge due to high pressure. Thanks to being soaked in brine, the fish remains edible and has a salty flavor that pairs well with many accompaniments like bread, potatoes, shallots, chives, and sour cream.

Herring is always regarded as a special dish with mixed opinions from diners. Surströmming, the fermented herring, even garners countless comments, being dubbed one of the smelliest foods in the world.

For a long time, Surströmming has been famous far and wide for its unforgettable distinctive flavor. In fact, this dish even has its own museum dedicated to “strange” foods in Sweden, highlighting the unique and immense appeal of Surströmming.

Swedes often eat Surströmming outdoors due to its pungent odor when the can is opened. Surströmming is often bravely tasted by tourists, who compare its flavor to rotten eggs, vinegar, and rancid butter. However, this traditional stinky dish even has a museum dedicated to it in Sweden.

It has been reported that about half of the visitors to the museum “got sick” after trying to open a can of Surströmming and smelling its unforgettable aroma. Most of those brave enough to taste it couldn’t swallow and had to spit the fish out immediately.

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