One food you have never had... but are curious

[BeerGrylls]

Yeah, it's probably the diet. I've heard the same thing about eating wild vs. domesticated rabbit.

Isn't it Serrano ham that gets its unique flavor because the pigs eat only acorns for the last few weeks before slaughter?

 

[ChefRex]

Isn't it Serrano ham that gets its unique flavor because the pigs eat only acorns for the last few weeks before slaughter?

You are what you eat, I'd probably taste like beer and garlic!

 

[Subsailor]

You are what you eat, I'd probably taste like beer and garlic!

HA HA HA HA! My Wife is always telling me if I ever get eaten by cannibals, they'd have to serve me with eggs, hash browns and toast because I probably taste like bacon!

 

[Thunder_Chicken]

I'd like to try bitter melon, don't know if it is available in the U.S. or not.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momordica_charantia

 

[danorocks17]

I'll go first.

Haggus.

Haggus is awesome!

I've always wanted to try brain and testicles.

 

[ChefRex]

I'd like to try bitter melon, don't know if it is available in the U.S. or not.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momordica_charantia

I'm sure Iv'e seen it in markets here, large Indian and Asian communities, I can let you know next time I see it, no idea if it's seasonal or not.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

I'd like to try bitter melon, don't know if it is available in the U.S. or not.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momordica_charantia

Because of the large Indian population in Queens we have it in the local supermarket.

You REALLY have to like bitter flavors to like it!! Pickled, however, it is pretty friendly, and makes a killer dirty martini.

 

[ChefRex]

Because of the large Indian population in Queens we have it in the local supermarket.

You REALLY have to like bitter flavors to like it!! Pickled, however, it is pretty friendly, and makes a killer dirty martini.

Do you do a refrigerator pickle or something more involved?

 

[Thunder_Chicken]

Because of the large Indian population in Queens we have it in the local supermarket.

You REALLY have to like bitter flavors to like it!! Pickled, however, it is pretty friendly, and makes a killer dirty martini.

I'll have to check out Chinatown in Boston, might be able to score some there.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Do you do a refrigerator pickle or something more involved?

Nothing more than white vinegar, water and salt in a mason jar in the fridge. This was the first thing I ever pickled, mind you...

 

[FatDragon]

I'd like to try bitter melon, don't know if it is available in the U.S. or not.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momordica_charantia

I've had it quite a few times. At its best, I don't care for it much. At its worst, it tastes like bile. In the States, I've seen it at farmers markets in areas with a large Asian population.

I just found this thread, it's a lot of fun reading through it to see the different things people have and haven't eaten. Seeing ikura come up was fun because I used to make the stuff at a salmon cannery. I also used to live across the street from an ostrich farm (I think it was/is the biggest in the US) so their meat and eggs aren't all that unusual to me.

I've eaten a lot of unusual foods here in China as well. Dog, rabbit, donkey, hedgehog, congealed duck and pork blood (amazing stuff), thousand year eggs, salted duck eggs, durian, most internal organs of various animals, jellyfish, scorpion, mantis shrimp, and many more. The last notable one was wild-caught cobra, which was as delicious as it was illegal (hey, I was a guest! ). I guess balut would be one I'd like to try, just to say I did.

Also, a favorite if you're ever in Thailand: giant king prawns - they're shrimp that weigh 200-300 grams each. Eating one is like eating a steak made out of top-quality prawn meat. :rockin:

 

[BeerGrylls]

Wow. I'm pretty jealous of your experiences.

 

[FatDragon]

Wow. I'm pretty jealous of your experiences.

It's a trade-off. While there are advantages and disadvantages of living overseas, the opportunity to try adventurous food is a definite plus. Half the things I eat on a regular basis would probably qualify as unusual for most westerners, but I don't even realize it anymore.

A couple that I should definitely have mentioned above are stinky tofu, which smells awful but can taste pretty good when done right, and furry tofu (look up 毛豆腐 on an image search and check out the pre-cooked photos where it's got inches-long fur).

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Today I was able to try fried tarantula; yes, really. The abdomen was removed, then the hair was singed off with a Bic lighter, it was breaded & fries in vegetable oil. After it was sprinkled with paprika. I tried a leg segment. Not my fav, a wee touch bitter & a very odd flavour. I'll post a link as soon as it's uploaded.
Regards, GF.

EDIT: They finally posted the video. I'm not in the video, as I do not appear on camera, but you can see Rob eat a leg & Justine try. I ate a piece of fried tarantula leg during the commercial break.
Regards, GF.
http://www.kpax.com/player/?video_id=43162

 

[dstranger99]

We all should hook up with Andrew Zimmern from "Bizzare Foods". That dude can stomach anything, and so can Anthony Bourdain.

 

[Subsailor]

It's nice to see this thread getting some attention again! It's a fun read.

 

[dinnerstick]

Today I was able to try fried tarantula; yes, really. The abdomen was removed, then the hair was singed off with a Bic lighter, it was breaded & fries in vegetable oil. After it was sprinkled with paprika. I tried a leg segment. Not my fav, a wee touch bitter & a very odd flavour. I'll post a link as soon as it's uploaded.
Regards, GF.

please do. i think.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Actually, dinnerstick, I think I need to add your av (the romanescu) to my list... even if it winds up just tasting like cauliflower.

 

[ChefRex]

Actually, dinnerstick, I think I need to add your av (the romanescu) to my list... even if it winds up just tasting like cauliflower.

Which it pretty much does, I saw it and had to buy it, very cool to look at, I would love to see it growing.

 

[dinnerstick]

Which it pretty much does, I saw it and had to buy it, very cool to look at, I would love to see it growing.

it does indeed. it's cool for fans of phyllotaxis, fibonacci, fractals. i use it in a few regular recipes, one is a simple indian curry with fresh cheese curd 'clouds' and it's very nice. but, if you close your eyes it could be cauliflower.

 

[MagooBrew]

I've always wondered what people taste like...

Probably chicken!

 

[unionrdr]

The cannibalistic islanders didn't refer to us as long pig for nothing.

 

[Jacob_Marley]

...
I've eaten a lot of unusual foods here in China as well. Dog, rabbit, ...

Had a friend in college named Lee who was from Taiwan. Besides being a brilliant hacker/programmer, Lee was an extremely serious guy and not disposed to joking around much. Once, a bunch of us were sitting around a 50lb bag of rice in my friend Mike's apartment lamenting that we had nothing else to eat, and talking about the things that "could" go with the rice.
(in many starving students' apartments it was common to have a huge bag of rice and a rice steamer as some of the few pieces of "furniture" in the place.)
... as the conversation turned to odd things to eat, the idea of eating dog was mentioned. In his calm, measured way Lee said he had eaten dog ... someone then asked him what it tasted like and he thought for a moment, and in total seriousness replied "it tastes much like cat". We all cracked up. Lee was not amused.

I have no desire to try either of them.

 

[FatDragon]

Had a friend in college named Lee who was from Taiwan. Besides being a brilliant hacker/programmer, Lee was an extremely serious guy and not disposed to joking around much. Once, a bunch of us were sitting around a 50lb bag of rice in my friend Mike's apartment lamenting that we had nothing else to eat, and talking about the things that "could" go with the rice.
(in many starving students' apartments it was common to have a huge bag of rice and a rice steamer as some of the few pieces of "furniture" in the place.)
... as the conversation turned to odd things to eat, the idea of eating dog was mentioned. In his calm, measured way Lee said he had eaten dog ... someone then asked him what it tasted like and he thought for a moment, and in total seriousness replied "it tastes much like cat". We all cracked up. Lee was not amused.

I have no desire to try either of them.

Love the story and wish I had eaten cat so I could assess the comparison. I personally wouldn't expect them to taste similar, though. If I haven't shared it before, dog's very close in flavor and texture to mutton and is usually prepared in the same ways, often a stew with some dried chilies, garlic, ginger, star anise, lots of carrot and Chinese onion (not the root but the thick stalk), and probably a bunch of other spices and stuff.

 

[dinnerstick]

woof!

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Love the story and wish I had eaten cat so I could assess the comparison. I personally wouldn't expect them to taste similar, though. If I haven't shared it before, dog's very close in flavor and texture to mutton and is usually prepared in the same ways, often a stew with some dried chilies, garlic, ginger, star anise, lots of carrot and Chinese onion (not the root but the thick stalk), and probably a bunch of other spices and stuff.

I've never eaten dog, so I can't compare anything to it; but I've eaten cat & in my experience it depends on the cat. The cougar meat I ate was pretty good, not too different in flavour from pork & similar to beef in texture & appearance when cooked.

The bobcat I tried was FOUL, FOUL, FOUL! Bitter & nasty! I've heard it can be good, but honestly, IMHO, there is nothing you could do to cover up that nastiness. The only thing I can compare it to is a weird amalgamation of bitter, raw bird innards, with sort of a just starting to rot, dead thing smell.
I'd eat cougar again though, it was tasty.

BTW, here's the link to the fried tarantula vid:
http://www.kpax.com/player/?video_id=43162
I don't appear on camera, but I did eat a fried tarantula leg segment.
Regards, GF.

 

[dinnerstick]

i've had it loads of times, so it doesn't really count, but as it's been mentioned so many times, and this one snuck into my carryon on my way out of edinburgh, here's one of these elusive little guys!

 

[CreamyGoodness]

So a few weeks ago I brought my inlaws to one of my favorite restaurants in Astoria, Pachanga Patterson. I got the bone marrow (natch) and my mother in law zeroes in on the empanadas.

"James, whats this ingredient... huit, hwit."

"Huitlacoche?... wow thats exciting, I've never had it before.... if you order it I would love to try a bite!"

"But what is it?" She narrows her eyes at me, knowing me a bit too well.

"Its... a mushroom that grows with corn." I am so evil. I didnt lie, exactly... but nor did I say "oh, its corn smut! Its a fungus that infects an ear of corn's very soul!"

She LOVED it... and the bite I had was to die for.

Woot.

 

[Subsailor]

Hey, Creamy! Haven't seenyou in awhile. Nice Avatar!

 

[BeerGrylls]

i've had it loads of times, so it doesn't really count, but as it's been mentioned so many times, and this one snuck into my carryon on my way out of edinburgh, here's one of these elusive little guys!

mmm.. inverted microwave haggis lump

"Huitlacoche?... wow thats exciting, I've never had it before.... if you order it I would love to try a bite!"

"But what is it?" She narrows her eyes at me, knowing me a bit too well.

"Its... a mushroom that grows with corn." I am so evil. I didnt lie, exactly... but nor did I say "oh, its corn smut! Its a fungus that infects an ear of corn's very soul!"

surreptitious!!