10 foods travellers may be forced to eat
24th November 2010
Ten of the world's most stomach-churning foods – from deep-fried sparrow to pig 'head cheese'
1.Black scorpion on a stick
Dong Hua Men night market, Beijing, China
‘Warning: may contain poison’… Although the scorpion is one of nature’s survivors, a certain number nevertheless end up for sale in the food markets of China and Vietnam. In Beijing, black scorpion is regarded as the ‘lobster’ of the species, and is correspondingly more expensive than, for example, its yellow cousin.
Eating black scorpion (crunchy on the outside, and soft in the middle) is an experience you won’t forget in hurry. Whether one should remove the sting first is a matter of personal taste – and daring.
2. Deep-fried sparrow
Phnom-Penh, Cambodia
Sold at the same gruesome ‘pick n’ mix’ stall from which I bought the stir-fried tarantula and snake on a stick, deep-fried sparrow is another excellent example of the you-get-what-you-see school of cooking: it’s a sparrow and it’s been deep-fried. So eat it.
Bought by the weight, the tiny sparrows can be finished off in one or two bites: perfect as a snack, they don’t make much of a meal. If you’re lucky, you might even get one of them to stand up on your plate…
3. Kangaroo tail
Alice Springs, Australia
Kangaroo meat was once eaten only by the indigenous population of Australia. As a ‘bush food’, it was an important source of nutrition for the Aborigines; a single animal would be shared by many.
Today, it’s available worldwide, especially from the ‘exotic meat’ sections of farmers’ markets; at London’s Borough Market, for example, it’s sold as burgers or steak alongside zebra, ostrich and antelope meat.
In Australia, one can still eat kangaroo tail as part of an authentic ‘outback’ experience. In a re-creation of the traditional method of cooking the animal practised by the Arrernte people of central and northern Australia, the tails are first of all singed to remove the hair. They are then buried in the ground with hot coals, and dug up again once cooked. The meat itself is very low in both fat and cholesterol.
4. Balut
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
If you fancy a mouthful of feathers, barely formed bone and duck embryo, then balut is definitely the dish for you. For many South-East Asians – especially the people of the Philippines – this boiled fertilized duck egg is the street food par excellence.
Widely believed to be an aphrodisiac, balut is usually eaten as it comes, perhaps with a pinch of salt. After making a hole in the top of the egg, one sips the liquid first before consuming the rest of the contents. The preferred age of the egg is a matter of geography. Filippinos consider them at their best at seventeen days old, before the feathers and bones have fully developed, while the Vietnamese prefer them a few days older, by which time the embryo is recognisable as a baby duck.
5. Pigs head
Central market, Cardiff
This is one of my favourite foods. While the ears, nose and cheeks may be prime cuts for some, the whole head can be deconstructed into jellied brawn. Known also as ‘head cheese’, fromage de tête (France) and coppa di testa (Italy), brawn is mostly eaten in Europe, although variations can be found in Asia and the Middle East. Historically, it was made using the head of a wild boar.
Serving suggestion: Place a cleaned pig’s head, together with the animal’s trotters and tail, in a large saucepan of boiling water. Simmer for 24 hours, then leave to cool. Drain off and reserve the stock, and remove the meat from the head. Chop all the meat finely, and transfer to a bowl. Add some chopped fennel and some sliced carrots and shallots. Stir in some thyme and sage, season with celery salt, and mix everything together. Spoon the mixture into a serving dish, sprinkle with lemon juice, and cover with the stock. Refrigerate until set.
6. Dragonflies on a stick
Dong Hua Men night market, Beijing, China
Also known as ‘sky prawns’, dragonflies are eaten in both China and Indonesia.
7. Battered hotdog and chips
Seoul, South Korea
Who needs a plate to eat off, or even a bag to hold? In Seoul, South Korea, this meal on a stick is the ultimate takeaway fast food for local students. It consists of one hotdog sausage coated in dough, which is then battered with crinkle-cut chips. The only effort required is deciding whether to have it with ketchup or mustard.
8. Squid
Jagalchi fish market, Busan, South Korea
While the giant version remains largely the stuff of myth and legend – tantalisingly beyond the reach of most efforts to document it – the smaller, edible species is a common fixture on restaurant menus worldwide. The animal, which is usually no more than 60cm (24in.) long, may be eaten in a wide variety of styles, including raw, grilled, stewed and, of course, fried. As in the case of the cuttlefish, its ink also has culinary uses, as an addition to such dishes as risotto, soup and pasta. Baby squid are sometimes eaten live, although the risk of the creature’s suckers attaching themselves to one’s tongue may put off some people.
9. Rat
Vientiane, Laos
Together with spiders and dogs, rats figure highly on most people’s list of things they would never, ever consider eating. This smoked specimen was one of a pair that I bought from an old lady sitting at the side of the road in Vientiane, Laos.
When I began to negotiate over the price, she looked at me like it was the most natural thing in the world. And no, I didn’t eat them.
Rats are consumed throughout South-East Asia. They’re also eaten in north east India, in the state of Bihar: there, the Musahar community – traditional eaters of field rats – now farm the animals on a commercial basis. Before you make a beeline for your nearest sewer, however, it’s probably worth bearing in mind that field rats tend to have a much healthier diet than their urban cousins.
10. Dog
Hanoi, Vietnam
How much is that doggy in the window? In the West, eating man’s best friend is widely regarded as unconscionable. Not so in Vietnam, China and South Korea, where dog is a popular dish. In Hanoi, for example, a whole area of the city specialises in dog-meat restaurants.
In some Asian communities, dog is said to bring good luck when consumed at certain times of the lunar month. It’s also eaten almost exclusively by businessmen – as part of a kind of alpha-male ritual – in the belief that the meat will make them virile. At the very least, dog is extremely versatile: while in Beijing, I came across a recipe book outlining 167 different ways to cook the animal.
Yuck! The things people eat by Neil Setchfield
(£9.95, Merrel)
Blood sausage, fried frogs, deep-fried mars bar, pig's trotters and a bushman's platter - Just a few of the entries in this stomach churning (or some might find appetising) book.
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