The World Is a Stranger, More Delicious Place Than You Think
Every culture on Earth has developed its own food traditions, and what seems bizarre in one country is deeply beloved in another. Whether born from necessity, creativity, or centuries of culinary tradition, unusual foods tell us something profound about the people who eat them. Here are 10 of the most fascinating — and genuinely delicious to those who love them.
The Top 10 Unusual Foods From Around the World
1. Hákarl — Iceland 🇮🇸
Greenlandic shark fermented for several months and then dried, hákarl has an intensely pungent ammonia smell that can make first-timers recoil. Yet it's a traditional Icelandic delicacy, often served with a shot of brennivín (a local schnapps) to chase it down. The fermentation process is essential — fresh Greenlandic shark is actually toxic.
2. Century Egg — China 🇨🇳
Despite the name, century eggs are preserved for weeks or months — not a hundred years — in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, and quicklime. The result: a dark, gelatinous egg with a creamy yolk and complex, rich flavour. They're a popular dim sum item and street food across China and much of Southeast Asia.
3. Casu Martzu — Sardinia, Italy 🇮🇹
This Sardinian cheese is intentionally left to ferment beyond normal limits, allowing cheese flies to lay eggs inside it. The larvae break down the fat to create an intensely soft, pungent cheese. It's technically illegal to sell commercially in the EU but remains a cherished local tradition. Eat it fast — the larvae can jump.
4. Balut — Philippines 🇵🇭
A fertilized duck egg incubated until a partially developed embryo forms, balut is a popular street food in the Philippines and other parts of Southeast Asia. It's typically boiled and eaten directly from the shell, seasoned with salt and vinegar. Rich and protein-packed, it's considered both a snack and a delicacy.
5. Fried Tarantulas — Cambodia 🇰🇭
In the town of Skuon, fried tarantulas are a crunchy, protein-rich snack with roots in the Khmer Rouge era, when people ate whatever they could find to survive. Today, they're a tourist attraction and a source of local pride — typically seasoned with salt, sugar, and garlic.
6. Surströmming — Sweden 🇸🇪
Fermented Baltic herring canned and left to continue fermenting, surströmming is famously one of the most odorous foods in the world. It's traditionally eaten outdoors (for obvious reasons) on crispbread with potatoes and sour cream. To Swedes who love it, the taste far outweighs the smell.
7. Durian — Southeast Asia 🌏
Banned from many hotels and public transport across Southeast Asia due to its powerful odour, durian divides people like no other fruit. Those who love it describe the flavour as rich, custardy, and complex — like a sweet onion-meets-vanilla pudding. It's known as the "king of fruits" in the region.
8. Shirako — Japan 🇯🇵
Shirako is the sperm sacs of fish — most commonly cod, puffer fish, or anglerfish. Served steamed or raw, it has a creamy, mild flavour often compared to custard. It's considered a premium delicacy in Japan and appears on menus at high-end restaurants.
9. Escamoles — Mexico 🇲🇽
Often called "Mexican caviar," escamoles are ant larvae harvested from the roots of agave plants. With a nutty, buttery flavour and a texture similar to cottage cheese, they've been eaten in Mexico since the time of the Aztecs and remain a sought-after seasonal delicacy.
10. Black Pudding — United Kingdom & Ireland 🇬🇧
A staple of the British and Irish full breakfast, black pudding is a sausage made with pork blood, fat, and oatmeal or barley. While the ingredients raise eyebrows among those unfamiliar with it, black pudding has a rich, savoury depth of flavour that has seen it become fashionable in fine-dining restaurants worldwide.
Why Unusual Foods Matter
Trying unusual food is one of the most direct ways to connect with another culture. What feels strange is often simply unfamiliar — and the more we explore the world's diverse culinary traditions, the more we realise that "normal" is entirely a matter of geography.