Bizarre Foods Part 2

So many bizarre foods out there I could easily come up with numbers 18 through 34. If you have not checked out our first bizarre foods list 1-17 here it is http://learnsomethingnewtoday.us/2008/02/01/top-17-bizarre-foods/      part 4 http://learnsomethingnewtoday.us/2008/11/20/bizarre-foods-part-4/ part 3 http://learnsomethingnewtoday.us/2008/07/28/bizarre-foods-part-3/

 Check these out:

•   Civet coffee is coffee made from coffee berries which have been eaten by and passed through the digestive tract of the Asian Palm Civet (In another words pooped out). The civets eat the berries, but the beans inside pass through their system undigested. This process takes place on the islands of Sumatra, Java and Sulawesi in the Indonesian Archipelago, in the Philippines (where the product is called Kape Alamid) and in East Timor (locally called kafé-laku). Vietnam has a similar type of coffee, called weasel coffee, which is made from coffee berries which have been defecated by local weasels. In actuality the “weasel” is just the local version of the Asian Palm Civet.  So who’s bright idea was this to even try this?  Kopi Luwak is the most expensive coffee in the world, selling for between $120 and $600 USD per pound, and is sold mainly in Japan and the United States.

•  Natto  is a traditional Japanese food made from fermented soybeans, popular especially for breakfast. As a rich source of protein. The soybean paste miso formed a vital source of nutrition in feudal Japan. For some, natto can be an acquired taste due to its powerful smell, strong flavor, and sticky consistency. In Japan natto is most popular in the eastern regions.

•   Grass jelly is made by boiling the aged and slightly fermented stalks and leaves of Mesona chinensis (member of the mint family) with potassium carbonate for several hours with a little starch and then cooling the liquid to a jelly-like consistency. This jelly can be cut into cubes or other forms, and then mixed with syrup to produce a drink or dessert thought to have cooling (yin) properties, which makes it typically consumed during hot weather. The jelly itself has a slight bitter taste, a light iodine lavender flavor, and looks translucent and black in colour. It can also be mixed with soy milk to produce a milky white liquid with black strands in it.

•  Fried spider is a regional delicacy in Cambodia. In the Cambodian town of Skuon, locals eat fried spiders as an everyday snack. Spiders are also available elsewhere in Cambodia — in Phnom Penh for instance — but Skuon, a market town on the highway 75 kilometres (47 mi) from the capital, is the centre of their popularity. The spiders are bred in holes in the ground in villages north of Skuon, or foraged for in nearby forestland, and fried in oil. It is not clear how this practice started, but some have suggested that the population might have started eating spiders out of desperation during the years of Khmer Rouge rule, when food was in short supply

•   Geoduck Panopea abrupta, is a species of large saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusk. The shell of this clam is large, about 15 to over 20 cm in length (about 7 to 9 inches), but the long siphons make the clam itself much longer; the “neck” or siphons alone can be one meter in length.  They are huge!!!!

•   Chicken feet are a part of chicken that is eaten in Chinese and South African cuisine. The majority of the edible meat on the feet consist of skin and tendons, without much muscle. This gives the feet a distinct texture different from the rest of chicken’s meat. There are many small bones which may make it difficult to eat for some, and are often picked out before service. Being mostly cartilage, chicken feet are also very gelatinous. Some folk medicine traditions claim that chicken feet can prevent or treat wrinkles, due to their high collagen content.

•   Turtle soup is a soup made from the flesh of the turtle, often the green turtle or, especially in the United States, the snapping turtle, in which case it is commonly referred to as snapper soup (not to be confused with red snapper soup, which is made from the fish called a red snapper).  In many jurisdictions, turtle soup is illegal because many species of turtle are considered threatened or endangered, and cannot legally be captured and killed. Generally speaking, turtle populations cannot quickly recover from the loss of a breeding adult, thus, killing these turtles to make soup can depress populations below sustainable levels.

•   Sweetbreads are the thymus glands of lamb, beef, or pork. There are two different connected glands; one set in the neck and the other near the heart. Although both are edible, the heart thymus gland is generally favored because of its delicate flavor and texture, and is thus more expensive. Typically sweetbreads are soaked in salt water, then poached in milk after which an outer membrane is removed. Once dry and chilled, they’re often breaded and fried until crisp. It is also popular to use them as a stuffing or in pâtés.  There is a lot of debate about whether or not the pancreas can be considered sweetbreads. Even though French Master Chef Phillip Boulot says no, there are numerous resources that say yes, such as Larousse Gastronomique, the French encyclopedia of gastronomy.

•   Makchang gui is the name of a Korean dish that consists of grilled pork large intestines similar to chitterlings, but often grilled over coals. The small intestines are often called Gobchang. They are often served with a light bean paste sauce and chopped green onions. It is a popular delicacy in Daegu and the surrounding Gyeongsang region.

•   Sannakji or sannakji hoe is a variety of hoe in Korean cuisine. It consists of live nakji, a small octopus) that has been cut into small pieces and served immediately, usually lightly seasoned with sesame and sesame oil. The nakji pieces are usually still squirming on the plate. It can also be served whole.  Because the suction cups on the arm pieces are still active when the dish is served, special care ought to be taken when eating sannakji. The active suction cups can cause swallowed pieces of arm to stick to the mouth or throat. This can present a choking hazard for some people, particularly if they are intoxicated. One must thoroughly chew so that no piece is big enough to stick to one’s throat. Some people like the feel of the pieces wriggling as swallowed, and so will not completely chew up the particles. If you are new to eating sannakji, you should completely chew it up into tiny particles before swallowing.

•   Surströmming (“soured (Baltic) herring”) is a northern Swedish delicacy consisting of fermented Baltic herring. Surströmming is sold in cans, which when opened release a strong smell. Because of the smell, the dish is often eaten outdoors. However, opening the can under water somewhat lessens the smell, as well as prevents the person opening it from being soaked in brine, as the fermentation often builds up a considerable pressure inside the can.

•   Monkey Picked Tea:  Picked only by trained monkeys.  This rare chinese tea is carefully picked by specially trained monkeys in a remote mountain rehion of China. Legend has it that monkeys were first used to collect tea ten centuries ago, because upon seeing it’s master trying to reach some tea growing wild on a mountain face, the monkey climbed up the steep face and collected the tea growing there and brought it down to his master. This wild tea was considered so delicious that other people began to train monkeys to collect this rare wild tea. Nowadays the practice of monkeys picking tea has all but died out, except in one small remote village where they still continue this remarkable tradition. No monkeys are harmed or mistreated in order for us to bring this rare brew to you! In fact the monkeys and their ancestors before them have been doing this job for generations and are treated as respected members of their humn keeper’s families.

•   Lethocerus indicus is a giant water bug in the family Belostomatidae, native to Southeast Asia. It was originally described as Belostoma indicumbut is no longer placed in that genus. It is well-known as an edible species, with a number of different regional cuisines preparing it in different manners.The Vietnamese name for the insect and its extract is cà cu?ng. The insect’s essence (a pheromone produced by the male to attract mates) is harvested by collecting its liquid-producing sacs. That liquid is then placed in small glass containers. The insect is claimed to be scarce, and demand for the extract is high. In the northeast region of Thailand, eating insects is common. This species is a popular dish, eaten whole and fried, rather than as an extract.

• Stinky tofu is a form of fermented tofu, which, as the name suggests, has a strong odor. It is a popular snack in East and Southeast Asia, particularly Taiwan, Indonesia, and China, where it is usually found at night markets or roadside stands, or as a side dish in lunch bars.

•   Bone Marrow:Though once used in various preparations, including pemmican, bone marrow for human consumption in America has recently fallen out of favor as a food. Now, it is commonly used only as a flavoring for soups and sauces, although dishes with intact bone marrow can still be found in some European restaurants. Bone marrow is a source of protein and high in monounsaturated fats. These fats are known to decrease LDL cholesterol levels resulting in a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, prompting some to make bone marrow a dietary staple. The actual health effects of the addition of bone marrow to the diet remain unclear.  There is definately a surge in popularity and curiosity again.

•   Terasi: It is made from fermented ground shrimp, sun dried and then cut into fist-sized rectangular blocks. It is not designed, nor customarily used for immediate consumption and has to be fully cooked prior to consumption since it is raw. To many Westerners unfamiliar with this condiment, the smell can be extremely repulsive; however, it is an essential ingredient in many curries and sauces. Shrimp paste can be found in most meals in Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines. It is often an ingredient in dipping sauce for fish or vegetables.
•  Lutefisk is made from air-dried whitefish (normally cod, but ling is also used), prepared with lye, in a sequence of particular treatments. The first treatment is to soak the stockfish in cold water for five to six days (with the water changed daily). The saturated stockfish is then soaked in an unchanged solution of cold water and lye for an additional two days. The fish will swell during this soaking, attaining an even larger size than in its original (undried) state, while its protein content decreases by more than 50 percent, producing its famous jelly-like consistency. When this treatment is finished, the fish (saturated with lye) has a pH value of 11–12, and is therefore caustic. To make the fish edible, a final treatment of yet another four to six days of soaking in cold water (also changed daily) is needed. Eventually, the lutefisk is ready to be cooked.  The taste of well prepared lutefisk is very mild, and often the white sauce is spiced with pepper or other strong tasting spices to bring out the flavour.