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3 August 2017

Thanks to the phenomenon that is I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here we’re all familiar with the kind of disgusting delicacies available to those brave/stupid enough to eat them for entertainment. But the celebrities of the Australian jungle aren’t the only ones who can put together an odd dish or two. RL360° staff have encountered some strange foods on their business travels and here’s the top 10 most bizarre:

1) The Philippines - Balut: Perhaps the most controversial dishes on the list, Balut is essentially an 11 day old fertilised duck egg, boiled. The recipe - take a developing bird embryo, boil it and eat it from its shell. It’s a street food in the Philippines, although it can be found in other countries too. It’s often served with beer, understandably.

2) Russia - Herring under fur coat: The herring bit, yes. The fur coat part, not so sure. Picture a cake of salted herring, vegetables and a covering of grated beetroot and mayo. The beetroot creates an interesting purple top layer which we assume is supposed to be the fur coat. It doesn’t look good but it’s a common Russian dish.

3) Thailand - Goong Ten: Translated as “dancing shrimp”, Goong Ten is possibly one of those dishes that will actually turn up on I’m A Celebrity one day, if it hasn’t already. To make it you toss live baby shrimp with seasoning, fish sauce, ground roasted dry chilli, coriander and onion. It’s when you squeeze on the lime juice that the shrimp “dancing” starts though. Make sure you have a lid.

4) Hong Kong - 100-year old eggs: Again, a gross dish involving an egg. This time, the recipe involves burying a duck or quail egg in clay, sand and salt mixture for a couple of months. Once the shell turns browny black, open it up and devour the potent dark green yolk. Another street food. Beware, it’s often found sliced up in noodle dishes.

5) Lebanon - Liyyeh: A traditional breakfast in Lebanon involves a platter of raw liver, raw lamb muscle meat and raw liyyeh, which is sheep tail fat. The fatty tail of the Middle-Eastern sheep is renowned for growing particularly large so who could resist eating it raw, sprinkled with salt and pimento? Makes you rethink your aversion to black pudding in a fry up.

6) Dubai - Lamb testicle hot pot: This one should also probably come with sarcastic comments and giggling courtesy from Ant and Dec. It does what it says on the tin. It is a hot pot made with lamb testicles. Definitely not the sort of thing Betty Driver would have served at the Rover’s Return in her day. We’re told you can’t really tell the testicles apart from any other cut of meat, if that’s any consolation. No?

7) Malaysia - Frog on a stick: More descriptive food. Why settle for a cake pop or an ice lolly when you can shove a frog on a stick? As you’ve probably guessed, it tastes like chicken. The thing is, it’s not chicken is it? It’s a deep fried frog on a stick. Sprinkle on some chilli powder for that extra kick.

8) Zimbabwe/Botswana - Mopane worm: Another contender for the ‘tastes like chicken’ crown, the worms are plucked out of the trees and bushes before being squeezed to rid them of their guts. The connoisseur then boils them with ingredients such as garlic and tomatoes or fries them up before eating them straight out of the pan.

9) Ethiopia - Tera sega (raw meat): The local dish is called Kifo and is most popularly prepared by marinating raw beef in spices or rolling up the raw beef in a spicy chilli powder and butter. It doesn’t have to be eaten cold but can be served lebleb (warmed). It originates from warrior times when it was too dangerous to cook a kill in the camp for fear the smoke would give away the location to an enemy. It is no longer warrior times.

10) Brazil - Buchada: The cousin of the haggis, a Buchada is a staple in Brazil’s semi-arid northeastern interior. It is made by opening up a goat’s stomach and stuffing it with whatever other innards are available. It is then sewn up into a pouch and cooked. It is said to be a must try flavour and texture sensation, if you can get past your squeamishness. Pass the Brazil nuts.