Fish eyes, centenary eggs, and 10 more incredibly nasty dishes

It’s amazing what nasty people eat! We have collected 12 examples showing that national cuisine can be not only original, but also disgusting. And – thank you, Lord! – what a blessing that Russian cuisine is spared from such delights.  

Japan: tuna eyeballs

Huge fish eyes are looking at you from a substrate in a supermarket … Brrr! Usually the eyes are served raw, but you can also cook: boil, deep-fry. The eyes are quite large, about the size of a fist, and look like a giant blueberry. Tuna eyes are considered a delicious dish. We do not argue, it is quite possible that this is the case. And the popularity of this delicacy is added by the fact that it is quite cheap, unlike the fish itself. 

Iceland: haukarl (hakarl)

The name sounds unpleasant, and this is the case when the ear does not deceive you. Hakarl is a Greenlandic polar shark dish invented by the Vikings. The harsh northern men could seem to have no problem eating anything, ignoring taste, color and smell. Hakarl is prepared like this: pieces of shark are buried in the ground for one and a half to two months. When it spoils properly, dig it up and leave it to dry in the air for another two to four months. Then it is cut into cubes and served with vegetables. This delicacy smells creepy, looks bad, and is very expensive. 

China: centenary eggs

Or millennials, which we believe even more willingly. Regular eggs are buried in a mixture of lime, clay and ash for several months. The finished dish looks very doubtful: dark green yolk and brown white, more like jelly. Appetizing, isn’t it?

Alaska: smelly heads

The food that is called that cannot be tasty. But for some reason they eat it. Stinkheads are a dish native to Alaska. It is a salmon head buried in the ground (why do they always bury something somewhere?) For several weeks. Then they are dug out of the “fermentation pits” and served with hot spices. 

Asia and Africa: chicken feet

By the way, they are good in jellied meat, but they are completely unpopular. And in East Asia, South America, Africa and the Caribbean, they are eaten with pleasure. Ready-made paws, according to the reviews of those who have tried, look like jelly, but they are not very convenient to eat because of the large number of bones. They also look like small human hands. 

England, Australia, New Zealand: bain-marie

It is a very salty, black-brown, gooey slurry, a by-product of beer production. Essentially a yeast extract. It is collected from the bottom of the barrel where the drink fermented, packed in cans and sold. And they eat it spread on bread or cheese. Judging by the reviews, there are no people indifferent to the bain-marie, they either love it, or have a persistent disgust for it. I wonder who is more. 

Asia: bird’s nest soup

In fact, not even from the nests, but from the product of bird life. Swift birds make nests from their own saliva: its properties are such that it hardens on contact with air. Swiftlets usually settle on rocks, so it is not safe to collect their nests. And the dish turns out to be dubious: a jelly-like soup with a specific taste. 

South America: guinea pigs

These cute animals, which are pets for us, are eaten in South America. Typically fried or baked whole and served with vegetables. They say it tastes like a rabbit. Doesn’t sound very pleasant. However, in our country they are often used as experimental animals, which is not much better. 

USA: Rocky Mountain Oysters

In fact, they are not oysters at all. These are bovine eggs, deep-fried and breaded. For harsh men, maybe nothing, but for our tender ears – disgusting. 

Philippines: balut

The contender for the first place in our rating of disgusting. This is a duck egg, which the mother duck has almost hatched and from which the chick is about to hatch. Such an egg is boiled and served as a snack for beer. And initially this dish was considered truly masculine – supposedly it affects the potency in a magical way. 

Italy: casu marzu

Sheep cheese made in Sardinia. Say that there is nothing more dubious than stinking blue cheese? And here it is. This is exactly the case. In Sardinia, casu marzu is also called “wormy cheese” or “rotten cheese”. This is because cheese fly larvae live in it. These larvae affect the taste of the cheese, releasing their waste into it. And there is a recommendation for Kasu Marzu, protecting the eyes: the larvae are very jumpy. 

China: a dragon in the flame of desire

Sounds romantic. But in fact it is a yak’s penis, fried and beautifully served on a large platter with vegetables. This is a specialty in one of the Beijing restaurants.