By: Hope Laborin
@SherryBomez
This list is a continuation of a story posted earlier titled ‘10 Foods That You Might Not Have Eaten’ and goes a little deeper into the weird sides of food that you might not have explored or heard of. I hope this list open your eyes to other cultures around the world and opens your stomach to some odd foods you might enjoy…. maybe.
1.Loco Moco
Loco Moco is a Hawaiian cuisine made by placing a fried egg on top of a hamburger patty that is covered in brown gravy which is stacked on top a pile of white rice. This dish has been around since the 1940’s and is often sold in restaurants and concession stands around the Hawaiian state. It’s greasy, it’s salty, and it’s delicious. For more information click these links here and here.
2. Pickled Sausage/ Egg/ Pig Feet
These three food items are put together because where one is sold you usually find the other. These pickled products are commonly eaten in the Southern United States. Unfortunately, not much information could be found specifically about them. However, the act of pickling has been around for a pretty long time as it was one of the few ways that ancient societies could preserve their food.
3. Bird’s Nest Soup
Bird’s nest soup is considered a delicacy that is mainly eaten in China and the Philippines. It is made from the nest of swiftlets, which are made from the birds’ saliva. The nest it stored dry then are put in warm water and cleaned. From there the nest is mixed and cooked with chicken stock and cornstarch, as well a possible vegetables and other things. The finished product is said to look, taste, and feel like egg drop soup and is also said to cure ailments and aid in digestion. Read more about it here and here.
4. Balut
Is a hard boiled egg that is eaten in the Philippines and has many foreigners squirm and cringe at the idea of eating this food. Why you may ask? Because not only is this a hard boiled egg, it is also a hard boiled egg that contains the fetus of an 16-25 day old duck. It is said to taste like an egg with a slight chicken taste, but depending on what “day” you get the embryo at the taste and texture could be different. To learn more about balut click here and here.
5. Maggot Cheese
Also known as casu marzu, this is a cheese that believe it or not, is actually banned by the European Union as it considered on of the world’s most dangerous cheese. It originates from Italy and France and is a wheel of cheese that larvae from the cheese fly is introduced and are allowed to grow in. It is said to taste like gorgonzola, which is a type of blue cheese. It is typically eaten with the maggots still alive and because of this, many nations are concerned about the health risk of eating maggots and their waste. To find out more click here.
That’s all for this list folks! I hope that this list has giving you some insight as to what other regions of the world eats. And who knows, maybe you might find yourself wanting to try them (most likely not).