Bizarre Foods Part 3

  Oh I keep finding more Bizarre Foods……If you have not seen the first part go to http://learnsomethingnewtoday.us/2008/02/01/top-17-bizarre-foods/ and for Bizarre Foods part 2 go to : http://learnsomethingnewtoday.us/2008/06/16/bizarre-foods-part-2/  Let me know if you find any good ones I will add them on.

•   Giant Bug Chili Paste:  If you’re looking for that unique extra hot dipping paste then this is the one for you. It is made from Crushed Giant Waterbug a.k.a.Water Scorpion (Thai name : Malaengda, used mainly for it’s special aroma), Shrimp paste, garlic, salt, Thai chilli powder and sugar and it makes an excellent dipping paste for edible insects, sticky rice, vegetables, tortilla chips or anything else that takes your fancy. Be warned this paste is pretty hot!

•   Ready to eat roasted bamboo worms:(Crispy, crunchy and tasty)This bag contains approximately 40-50 Bamboo Worms. They have been fried then slow roasted and sprinkeled with a special seasoning.
•  Bag of 2 Female Rino Beetles:  Only the freshest Rino Beetles are selected, cleaned, cooked, and tossed in Thai herbs (lemon grass, lime leaf, galigale and garlic). A little salt and soy sauce has been added. They are then dehydrated.

•  Snake Whiskey:  This special whiskey is infused with a real farm raised snake and various medicinal herbs. The whiskey is steeped for several months, which then imparts a unique flavour into the whiskey, it is quite an acquired taste. The story is that this is used in SE Asia as an Aphrodisiac; and it is also claimed to have medical uses, such as the treatment of back and muscle pain. Every bottle is unique in its own way so therefore the item purchased may differ slightly in looks but not size.

•  Hot ‘n’ Spicy Squid & Fish Sticks:  Cuttlefish & fish caught in the gulf of Thailand, sun dried, spiced and blended together. Then barbecued and rolled and threaded onto sticks. Ready to eat from the packet.

•  Bag of roasted Buffalo Dung Beetles:  This bag contains approximately 20-30 Buffalo Dung Beetles. They are probably the best tasting of all edible insects. They are found in nests under Buffalo Dung. The older dung that has been baking in the sun for days forms a crust and goes hard, the dung is lifted revealing a large nest of Dung Beetles. When the beetles have finished devouring their tasty Dung home, they will seek out the next freshly laid pat. Buffalo’s in Thailand feed on organic grass, shrubs and rice plants, the nutrients are passed on to the Dung Beetle. These tasty dung beetle are collected fresh, quick frozen, cleaned, dehydrated, seasoned and then packed in special foil pouches with oxygen absorbers. They are crunchy, have a great taste and are packed full of protien. Each Bug is approximately 10-20mm in length.

•  Horse Meat: It is slightly sweet, tender, low in fat, and high in protein.  Horse is commonly eaten in many countries in Europe and Asia. It is a taboo food in English-speaking countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, the US, and Australia; it is also taboo amongst the Romany people and in Brazil and India. Horse meat is not generally eaten in Spain, although the country exports horses both “on the hoof and on the hook” (i.e., live animals and slaughtered meat) for the French and Italian market; however, horse meat is consumed in some Latin American countries such as Mexico. It is illegal in some countries. In Tonga it is eaten nationally, similar to chicken in other countries.Ex-racehorses, riding horses, and other horses sold at auction may also enter the food chain; sometimes these animals have been stolen or purchased under false pretenses. Even famous horses may end up in the slaughterhouse; the 1986 Kentucky Derby winner and 1987 Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year winner, Ferdinand, is believed to have been slaughtered in Japan, probably for pet food.

•  Potted meat, is a canned meat product manufactured by several companies in the United States, most notably Hormel, Armour Star, and Libby’s. Because of its availability in small three-ounce cans, and because it is generally consumed with crackers, another food that has a long shelf life, it is popular with military personnel as well as backpackers and campers. A large amount of potted meat has been sent in “care packages” to U.S. military personnel stationed in Iraq. Most potted meats (except Libby’s version) contain no pork, which the U.S. military has prohibited from being sent to military personnel stationed in Muslim countries (such as Iraq), and the three-ounce size makes it easy and convenient for an individual to consume with no leftover to spoil.  Mechanically separated chicken, beef tripe, partially defatted cooked beef fatty tissue, beef hearts, water, partially defatted cooked pork fatty tissue, salt, and less than 2 percent: mustard, natural flavorings, dried garlic, dextrose, sodium erythorbate, and sodium nitrite.

•  The Naga Jolokia (also known as Bhut Jolokia, Ghost Chili, Ghost Pepper, Naga Morich): is a chili pepper that grows in Bangladesh, northeastern India (Assam, Nagaland, and Manipur), and Sri Lanka. In 2006, it was confirmed by Guinness World Records to be the hottest chili in the world, displacing the Red Savina.  The pepper is used as a spice in food or eaten alone. One seed from a Naga Jolokia can produce sustained intense pain sensations in the mouth for up to 30 minutes before subsiding. Extreme care should be taken when ingesting the pepper and its seeds, so as to not get it in the eyes. It is used as a cure for stomach ailments. It is also used as a remedy to summer heat, presumably by inducing perspiration.  In northeastern India the peppers are smeared on fences or used in smoke bombs as a safety precaution to keep wild elephants at a distance.  Samples sent to two different U.S. laboratories in early 2006 reported heat ratings of 876,000 and 970,000 Scoville units.

•  KidsBeer:  Only in Japan could a company sell a non alcholic beer to kids.  The drink originated from a cola-like beverage that used to be sold at the Shitamachi-ya restaurant in Fukuoka, run by 39-year-old Yuichi Asaba.  Asaba renamed the sweet carbonated drink “Kidsbeer” from “Guarana,” a move that made it an instant hit.  Asaba outsourced its manufacturing to Tomomasu, a beverage maker based in Ogi, Saga Prefecture.Tomomasu tinkered with the drink by decreasing its sweetness and increasing its frothiness, the company said. It began shipping the transformed drink in late 2003. http://ampontan.wordpress.com/2007/06/20/kidsbeer-the-full-story/

•   Lou mei is the name given to dishes made out of internal organs, entrails and left-over parts of animals. It is grouped under the heading siu laap as part of Cantonese cuisine. The most common animals involved are cattle, pigs, duck and chicken. It is widely available in Southern Chinese regions. Selections do vary greatly among overseas Chinatowns, and some restaurants do not offer lou mei at all.

•   Sea Urchin:  Sea urchins are an important fishery and are harvested for food. Contrary to popular belief, the portion of the sea urchin sold and served as one of the ocean’s most opulent treasures is not the roe. It is the gonads of this hermaphrodite sea creature that are scooped out of the urchin’s spiny shell in five custard-like, golden sections. Known in Japan as “uni” and traditionally considered an aphrodisiac, gonads are the only edible part of the urchin.  Sea urchins are small, globular, spiny sea creatures, composing most of class Echinoidea. They are found in oceans all over the world. Their shell, or “test”, is round and spiny, typically from 3 to 10 cm across. Common colors include black and dull shades of green, olive, brown, purple, and red. They move slowly, feeding mostly on algae. Otters, wolf eels, and other predators feed on urchins. Sea urchins are harvested and served as a delicacy.