Welcome to yet another groundbreaking and highly researched blog post, this time about the world’s best cuisines – greasy fast food and microwavable dinners need not apply. Because let’s be real, who doesn’t love a good listing about food? And who better to trust for culinary expertise than a group of random internet strangers?
That’s exactly what food travel guide TasteAtlas has done in putting together its listing of the world’s best cuisines. According to their website, they assembled the rankings based on “audience votes for ingredients, dishes, and beverages.”
Who, exactly, made up this audience is not specified, but it clearly didn’t include the social media masses, as the Twitter and Instagram worlds have been blowing up at the results. Many were a bit surprised (putting it mildly) that American cuisine ranked as the eighth-best cuisine, surpassing French, Thai and 42 others, an outcome that has generated nearly 50 million views on Twitter.
Without further ado, and regardless of tweets like, “…this is a list you’d come up with if you’d never eaten food…”, here is the TasteAtlas list of the top 50 Best Cuisines in the World:
Now, a true foodie is never afraid to fully immerse themselves in local cuisine experiences. But there comes the point where we go from weird and wonderful to just plain weird. Since there has been quite a bit of controversy over “the best”, we thought we’d put together our own, in no particular order, list of some of “the weirdest” dishes from around the world. Some that we’ve tried ourselves, some not.
Tuna Eyeballs – Japan: “Here’s looking at you kid” takes on a whole new meaning when it comes to tuna in Japan, where every single morsel is devoured – right up to the eyeballs.
You can buy them cheap in local supermarkets and find them on menus in restaurants across the country. And they are pretty large after all! You can boil or steam them, then season with garlic or soy sauce. We’re told they taste a bit like squid.
Balut – Philippines: Put Daffy and Donald out of your mind
when you try this popular Filipino delicacy. Balut is a fertilized duck egg that’s about two to three weeks into development, boiled alive, then eaten directly from the shell – embryo and all - with salt, chili and vinegar.
Just tap a hole in the top, suck out the savory liquid, and then crunch down the rest of what’s inside – feathers, bones, and all.
Smalahove – Norway: Though not particularly well-known for weird food, this Norwegian dish of sheep’s head, usually eaten on the Sunday before Christmas, deserves special mention.
If you’re not in Norway at Christmas, but can get your hands on a sheep head, the preparation is to soak it in a pot of water for 24 hours, then create a brine and leave it to soak for another 24 hours, then boil it. We’re told the eyes and ears are often eaten first as these are the fattest bits of the head, but the most delicious parts are usually the cheek and tongue….
Fried Tarantulas – Cambodia: While it’s doubtful the first thing many of us would think about when we saw a tarantula would be “lunch”, it’s perhaps no surprise that these spiders were first eaten by Cambodians starving under the Khmer Rouge regime. Today, these hairy arachnids are still a popular snack and there’s even one Cambodian town nicknamed Spiderville because the townspeople love eating spiders so much.
Apparently, they taste a bit like crab, so they probably look a lot worse than they taste.
Deep Fried Butter Balls – USA: Yes, in America, anything can be deep fried, even balls of butter.....
And while it probably tastes delicious, it definitely earns a place on this list of weird foods. According to trustworthy sources on the internet, deep-fried butter was invented by a man named Abel Gonzales Jr. Nicknamed “Fried Jesus”, he also invented other bizarre fried items including fried coke. If you love clogged arteries or you’ve simply lost the will to live, this deep-fried ball of butter is for you!
Casu Marzu – Italy: Are you a fan of rare cheeses? How about cheeses infested with live maggots? But wait, it’s from Italy. And Italy came out the #1 cuisine in the world, right?! Also known as “rotten cheese”, this Sardinian delicacy is made from Pecorino that’s waaaaaay past its expiration date. After its decomposed, it’s then infested with the larvae of cheese flies which hatch inside, burrow around, digest the fats, and transform the product into a soft creamy cheese.
Illegal in many countries because of the fatal consequences that can come along with it, you can choose to enjoy yours with or without the maggots.
Jellied Moose Nose – Canada:
Granted, nose isn’t exactly one of the choicer cuts of beef. But that hasn’t stopped Canadians from experimenting with nasal gastronomy. In addition to having to track down a moose, the recipe - https://www.food.com/recipe/jellied-moose-nose-283337 - is pretty labor intensive as well. Remove the hair inside the nose first, then boil it and re-boil it, cover it in a broth which sets into a jelly and Voila – Jellied Moose Nose in just 25 hours!
Huitlacoche – Mexico: Ever had a craving for corn fungus? Probably not. But this Mexican delicacy just might change your mind. Also known as “corn smut” or “Mexican truffle”, Huitlacoche is actually made from a plant disease/fungus that grows on the ears of corn, around the kernels, in puffy, gray clouds.
The dish apparently has a woody, earthy flavor from the fungus.
Fruit Bat Soup – Palau: As the saying goes, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. And we’re guessing that’s never been more true than when sampling this famed delicacy from Palau. Served in a large bowl of delicious soup bursting with flavor, and a whole bat staring you in the face.
Most bats eat insects, but fruit bats eat - you guessed it - fruit, flowers and nectar. This, we’re told, makes their meat wickedly sweet.
The broth is made by washing a bat and throwing it in boiling water, fur and all. Ginger and coconut milk is added. When served, the real way to eat it is to chew the bat, suck out the meat and then discard the remaining fur.
Goong Ten – Thailand: This roughly translates as “dancing shrimp”. Why? Because the shrimp are still alive when they’re served to you. The shrimp are usually pretty calm, until they’re covered in the sauce which causes them to jump around trying to escape, giving the illusion that they are dancing.
Edible Fat-Bottomed Ants – Colombia: No, this is not a song by Queen. The Hormiga Culona are a large leafcutter ant that is a popular Colombian delicacy.
Packed with fats, vitamins and minerals, they are eaten either fried or roasted like peanuts.
Century Egg – China: If you discovered a rotten egg, would your first thought be to eat it? Well, someone in ancient China did, lived to tell about it and now it’s an established delicacy.
The century egg (normally just a few months old) is a duck or chicken egg that’s become black with a dark green yolk after being processed for weeks or months in a clay, ash, quicklime mixture along with salt. The flavor is intense.
Stargazey Pie – England: Originating in a Cornish village called Mousehole in England, this is a pie with fish that stare up at the sky.
The Cornish pie is made by baking pilchards, eggs, and potatoes under a pastry crust – the key namesake factor is the heads of the fish must poke out of the pie.
Penis Fish – South Korea:
Gaebul is the Korean word for this rather unusual looking fish, usually eaten raw served with a savory sauce made of sesame oil. Actually, it’s not a fish but a marine spoon worm that is mainly caught off the west coast of Korea. It’s said not to have a very distinctive taste which, we guess, means it’s all about the sauce!
Now granted, you may have to be a sandwich short of a picnic to try some of these weird dishes we’ve just listed. But the question is, have you? Let us know in the comments below.
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Fun, yet disgusting, read. I have a rule while traveling to always try anything I've never eaten. Luckily, while in many of the countries written about, I didn't come across those items! Not a fan of most Provence foods in China, and the best sushi I've had was actually in New Zealand. Turkey testicle in Palestine were actually decent, while whale in Norway ( a local expensive delicacy) was one of the most disgusting tastes I've encountered. It may pair well with the equally nasty durian. Strictly subjective, of course!
I am very glad that I haven’t eaten yet! Whew 😳. So first I agree with the top 10 cuisines, maybe not in that order, but agree.
As far as the “weird “ foods, absolutely bizarre. The only one I might try, are the fat bottomed ants. The others, well too put it bluntly; hell no, not even if I was starving.
Tarantulas for lunch anyone?