Balut: The Philippines’ Bold Street Food Adventure
Walking through Manila at twilight, you’ll hear vendors calling “Balut!” from their steaming baskets, offering what might be the Philippines’ most infamous culinary export. Balut is a Filipino delicacy made by incubating duck eggs for about 17 to 18 days, creating what’s essentially a developing duck embryo boiled alive and eaten from its shell. This isn’t just any ordinary street food – it has been hailed as the “national street food” of the Philippines and was even considered “as popular as hotdogs in the United States.”
While it might sound gross to foreigners, balut is actually very popular in the Filipino household and is considered to be one of the national dishes in the Philippines. The eating process is surprisingly ritualistic: crack the shell gently, sip the savory broth inside, then season with salt or vinegar before consuming the developing chick, yolk, and all. Many people say that it basically tastes like chicken, with the broth being similar to a watery chicken broth.
Century Eggs: China’s Ancient Preservation Masterpiece
Century Egg, also known as “preserved egg” or “hundred-year egg” or “Pidan”, is a traditional Chinese delicacy that’s as intriguing as it is visually striking, though it hasn’t actually aged for a century but instead duck, chicken, or quail eggs are preserved in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, quicklime, and rice straw for several weeks to months. The transformation is remarkable – the process turns the egg white into a dark, translucent jelly while the yolk becomes a creamy, dark green substance with an intensely pungent aroma.
The result is a translucent, gelatinous egg with a distinct flavor and odor, and while the strong scent and unusual appearance might be off-putting, many find the flavor to be surprisingly rich and savory, making it a must-try for adventurous eaters exploring Chinese cuisine. The unappetising smell has seen it granted the nickname ‘horse urine egg,’ and it is often referred to as a century egg, 100-year-old egg, 1,000-year-old egg or millennium egg.
Haggis: Scotland’s Hearty National Pride
Haggis is Scotland’s national dish and a point of pride, but to the sensibilities of many Americans, it’s a strange choice for a national symbol: It’s a mince of sheep liver, heart, and lungs mixed with oatmeal and seasonings, then stuffed into a sheep’s stomach and cooked. This rustic dish represents centuries of Scottish resourcefulness, transforming what might otherwise be discarded into a celebrated national treasure.
Unfortunately for American food enthusiasts, haggis is banned in America as there’s a 1971 law that states foods must not contain sheep lungs. When actor Mel Gibson ventured to Scotland to film “Braveheart” in the early 1990s, he took the opportunity to try this meal banned in the U.S., and Gibson loved Scotland’s national dish so much, he overindulged. The traditional serving includes “neeps and tatties” (mashed turnips and potatoes) alongside a generous dram of Scotch whisky.
Casu Marzu: Italy’s Living Cheese Experience
“Rotting cheese” might not seem like a catchy name for an international delicacy, but in Sardinia, the term translates to casu marzu, which lives up to the moniker as this cheese is home to an infestation of live maggots, though while Americans may think twice before grubbing on grubs, casu marzu has a rich legacy in the Mediterranean. The creation process is both fascinating and stomach-turning: cheese makers deliberately introduce cheese skipper flies to lay their eggs in wheels of pecorino cheese.
Casu Marzo is essentially rotting cheese that is eaten along with the maggots in the cheese, which jump when they are disturbed, and this unique bizarre food is actually outlawed but can be found on the black market. The living maggots are considered essential to the cheese’s texture and flavor profile – their movement through the cheese creates its signature creamy consistency. For the truly adventurous, the maggots are consumed alive alongside the cheese, though some prefer to remove them first.
Surströmming: Sweden’s Legendary Fermented Fish
Surströmming, a Swedish delicacy, is an acquired taste even for the most adventurous eaters as it’s fermented herring that’s been allowed to age in cans until it develops an intensely pungent odor, with opening a can being an experience in itself due to the overpowering smell, often compared to rotten eggs and ammonia. This isn’t hyperbole – many consider it one of the world’s most challenging foods purely based on its overwhelming aroma.
Surströmming is fermented herring and is infamous for its intense, putrid odor, having been dubbed one of the world’s smelliest foods, though if you can get past the overpowering odor, locals swear by its unique, briny flavor when paired with crispbread and onions, though its powerful fermentation can cause bloating or nausea in travelers unaccustomed to strong-smelling foods. The fermentation process takes months, creating a dish that’s definitely not for the faint of heart.
Escamoles: Mexico’s Insect Caviar
Escamol is Mexico’s so-called “insect caviar” – a buttery, nutty dish made of ant larvae that has been enjoyed for centuries but still gives some travelers pause, with these ant larvae considered a delicacy in Mexico and usually sautéed with butter and garlic, though like many insect-based foods, they could cause allergic reactions in some travelers. Harvested from the roots of agave plants, these larvae have been a treasured food source in Mexican cuisine since ancient times.
They’re a traditional ingredient in Mexican cuisine and have been enjoyed for centuries, and while the thought of dining on ant larvae might seem unusual, escamoles offer a unique taste and a connection to Mexico’s rich culinary heritage. The flavor profile is surprisingly sophisticated – many describe it as having a buttery, corn-like taste with a pleasant crunch. High-end restaurants in Mexico City charge premium prices for dishes featuring these tiny treasures.
Bird’s Nest Soup: Asia’s Saliva-Based Delicacy
Bird’s nest soup is a favorite dish in some Asian countries like China, but you won’t find it on menus in the United States. The primary ingredient is swiftlet nests, carefully harvested from caves and cliffs in Southeast Asia, with these nests being unique because swiftlets construct them entirely from their saliva, resulting in a delicate structure that’s rich in nutrients, and after careful cleaning, cooks simmer the nests gently in chicken broth or mildly sweetened water, creating a silky, jelly-like texture.
Often served at banquets and celebrations, it’s valued for its subtle taste and reputation as a beauty-enhancing food, with Chinese tradition holding that consuming bird’s nest soup improves skin health, boosts the immune system, and provides overall vitality, and despite its high cost, bird’s nest soup remains popular, reflecting centuries-old traditions of fine Chinese cuisine. The harvesting process is incredibly dangerous, requiring skilled climbers to scale towering cave walls to collect these precious nests.
Cuy: Peru’s Traditional Guinea Pig Feast
These small rodents are raised for their meat, which is roasted or fried until crispy, with Cuy having a unique flavor that’s often described as a cross between chicken and rabbit, though while it may seem unconventional to dine on a pet typically kept as a furry companion in other parts of the world, in Peru, it’s a cultural delicacy and an adventurous culinary experience for travelers. This traditional dish has been part of Andean culture for over 5,000 years, predating the Inca Empire.
This delicacy is commonly prepared in two ways: baked or spit-roasted (cuy al horno) and deep-fried in spices (cuy chactado), with the creature usually served with head and legs attached, along with salad and potatoes, and when it comes to the taste, a cooked guinea pig can be compared to a rabbit, with the meat being gamier than chicken. During festivals and special occasions, entire families gather to share cuy, considering it a symbol of prosperity and good fortune.
Stargazy Pie: England’s Fish-Head Spectacular
Stargazy Pie is a unique dish from Cornwall, England, that takes the concept of “pie with a view” quite literally, as this savory pie features fish, typically pilchards or sardines, arranged with their heads protruding from the pastry crust, as though they’re gazing at the stars. The visual presentation is simultaneously charming and unsettling – fish heads peek through golden pastry as if they’re breaking the surface of a culinary ocean.
This strange food is a baked potato pie that features whole sardines or pilchards which are strategically placed so that their heads poke through the crust to seem as if they are looking at the sky. Legend has it that this unusual arrangement honors a heroic fisherman named Tom Bawcock, who braved terrible storms to bring fish back to the starving village of Mousehole. The dish is traditionally served on December 23rd during the Tom Bawcock’s Eve celebration.
Shirako: Japan’s Delicate Reproductive Organs
If you can have caviar or female fish eggs, then you can try out a male fish’s sperm sacs a.k.a. Shirako. This Japanese delicacy transforms what most Western diners would consider waste into an expensive gourmet experience. Shirako can come from various sea creatures, including monkfish, sea bream, and cod, each offering subtly different flavors and textures.
The preparation requires considerable skill – the organs must be carefully cleaned and prepared to remove any bitter flavors while preserving their creamy, custard-like texture. Japanese chefs often lightly grill or steam shirako, sometimes serving it with a delicate ponzu sauce or incorporating it into more complex dishes. The flavor is surprisingly mild and creamy, often described as having an oceanic richness without any overpowering fishiness.
