Many eager backpackers globe trot in search of adventure, spiritually calling their inner Anthony Bourdains as they go on the hunt for foreign delicacies to consume. Once back home, they boast to friends about the snake soup they tried in Shanghai, which tasted exactly like … chicken. These eight frightening culinary treats from around the world are guaranteed to taste nothing like chicken, and as adventurous an eater or traveler you may be, these are some foods you’ll probably want to avoid on your next vacation.
1) Baby Mice Wine (Korea)
The only semi redeeming factor about a wine made from dead mice is the fact that if you drink enough, you might not notice the fact that you’re drinking juice made from baby rodents … until one of those pink, baby fetuses gets poured in your glass and ever so slightly brushes your mouth, and god forbid enters it. In Korea and China, baby mice wine is a popular potion said to have a variety of health benefits. And it’s not just one baby mouse for the record, it’s A LOT of pink, dead, tiny, baby mice at the bottom of the bottle.
Photo source: cracked.com
2) Balut, Fertilized Duck Egg (Philippines)
It’s hard for me to really put into words how I feel about Balut—but disgusted, nauseated, disheartened, confused, and terrified are a few words that come to mind. Balut is a dish native to the Philippines that’s a fertilized duck egg, the partially-formed fetus intact—the feathers, bones, and the beak already formed. The egg is cracked open, the fetus fluid sipped, and then eaten. Their bones, feathers, and their little ducky faces are all consumed.
Photo source: purpleslinky.com
3) Smalahove, Sheep’s Head (Norway)
When you eat a sheep’s head in Norway, the eyes and the ears are eaten first, then the face from front to back, working around the skull. Eventually, once you eat the face, you’re left with a boney sheep skull staring you in the face. The sheep’s head in this traditional Norwegian dish has been burned (to get the fur and skin off, of course), the brain removed, and then boiled. And if you were curious, the tongue and eye muscles are the most coveted part.
Photo source: wikipedia.com
