Exotic products. Strange and exotic dishes from around the world

Snake and scorpion tincture

Local alcoholic tincture of cobra, ginseng and scorpion. Local residents use it more for the treatment of various diseases and as a powerful aphrodisiac.

IN South-East Asia, and especially in China, boiled duck eggs with an already developed embryo inside are very popular.

In the land of the setting sun you can try gourmet dish- Shiokara. This is fermented squid meat along with its entrails.

This dish is popular not only in Japan, but also in many European countries considered a delicacy. Caviar is eaten fresh and also used to make sushi and sashami.

Centennial eggs

A very popular snack in China is century-old eggs, which are kept in clay and ashes for several months before reaching your table. They are eaten as a separate dish or finely chopped and added to salads.

Very popular in the Chinese province of Zhejiang chicken eggs boiled in the urine of little boys. If you try this delicacy, do not forget to lightly break the egg so that a little brine is absorbed into them.

A delicious Chinese dish, most often prepared from pork blood.

Guinea pig

IN South America, and especially in Peru they love to eat fried guinea pigs.

Quite expensive and dangerous dish, common in Japan. If the fish is cooked incorrectly, you can die, which further increases the number of people who want to try it.

In Norway, it is customary to stew a lamb's head at Christmas. This exotic delicacy is served with potatoes.

In the Southern states of the United States (and especially in Missouri), sandwiches with beef brain are popular.

Quite a popular dish in Asian cuisine. Nowadays you can even buy them canned.

Rather, monkey brain in Southeast Asian countries is not even a delicacy, but a common dish. Tastes like rice pudding.

Italian cheese containing live cheese fly larvae is prohibited for sale.

A popular delicacy in Southeast Asia, it is made from edible bird's nests dissolved in water.

Used in Mexican cuisine as a traditional ingredient in many dishes.

Popular in Iceland National dish, which is dried on fresh air shark meat.

IN South Africa Dried caterpillars of peacock moths are used to replenish protein in the body. They have almost no taste, so they are simply fried with onions and added to sauces, porridges or soup.

Very popular street food in South Korea. Silkworms are boiled or steamed.

In Eastern Indonesia, locals like to make barbecue made from longhorned beetle larvae for lunch. The dish tastes like bacon.

Scorpios

Common street food in Southeast Asia. Deep-fried scorpions are prepared on a bed of cheese surrounded by lettuce. In addition, you can try this delicious dish in many restaurants in Amsterdam and New York.

Deep-fried spiders are popular in South Asian countries.

In many countries of Southeast Asia, as well as in the USA (Missouri), a popular dish is fried grasshoppers seasoned with fish or soy sauce, while not forgetting to sprinkle them generously with pepper.

These cute insects are deep fried. Popular street food in Southeast Asia.

Tarantulas are quite poisonous, so the poisonous fangs are removed before cooking. Deep fried. And from the abdomen, poisonous jaws and paws they make a tonic tincture.

They are eaten raw, and if fried with pepper and salt, they will be an excellent snack for beer. Pate is also made from bee larvae.

In Thailand, as well as in some countries in South Asia, you can try deep-fried water bugs. They taste like shrimp.

But in South Asia they can cook you grass bugs. To get rid of their unpleasant odor, they are first soaked in water for a long time. They are consumed dried, and also added to sauces or fried with chicken pate.

This dish can be bought in Thailand, where Thais traditionally start their lunch with bamboo worms fried in oil.

This delicacy can probably only be bought in Japan. Used fresh.

If you are on vacation in Laos, ask them to prepare blood broth for you. This is a fairly popular dish in this country.

This dessert is popular in China. Main ingredient: dried the fallopian tubes frogs. The Chinese believe that this dish heals the kidneys, lungs, and also improves skin color.

Popular in Japan as a beer snack.

In Southeast Asia, you can also try boiled bat. Tastes like boiled chicken.

But in China, bull eggs are not a delicacy, but regular food local residents.

It is also a popular dish in many countries. Sauteed eggs are prepared with lemon juice and spices.

In some South Asian countries you can try cod sperm.

A soup that is healthy for men is prepared from deer placenta. You can also buy them in pills.

In Asia, it is believed that ox penis soup restores and enhances male strength.

Fine wine with mice. To make it, take a bottle of rice wine and fill it with young mice. After this, the bottle is sealed and left for a year. In Korea, such wine is considered a real cure for many diseases.

This unsightly delicacy is made from seal stuffed with seagulls. After this, the stuffed dish is put into the cold. And after seven months, the delicacy can be dug up and eaten. The taste is said to be very similar to a rather spicy cheese.

If you visit Scotland, be sure to try the national dish Haggis, which consists of the heart, lungs and liver of an animal chopped and boiled in a sheep's stomach.

In Sweden and Norway they love to cook lutefisk. To do this, they take dried fish (most often cod) and soak it in caustic soda for 3 days, and then a few more days in water. Thanks to this, the fish becomes almost transparent and acquires a jelly-like consistency.

Another national product from Sweden, which is canned fermented herring.

In Mexico, you should definitely try the eggs of poisonous ants. They are most often eaten in tacos with guacomole sauce.

In Korea, they like to treat themselves to eating live octopus. To prevent the octopus from strangling you, you should start eating it from the head, cutting it into small pieces. But this must be done carefully, since the octopus’s muscles contract and can block the access of air through the throat. There have already been cases of death in Korea due to this delicacy.

Fried rat is a very popular dish in Paraguay. Fans of this dish claim that it tastes like roast duck. The most delicious thing to cook is newborn rats, which are swallowed without chewing, washed down with a glass of milk.

In Southeast Asia, you can buy a fruit that has a very strong smell, but is sweet inside. The smell is so strong that the fruit is prohibited from being brought into a hotel or airport. It is also dangerous to consume this fruit with alcohol, as the consequences may be unpredictable.

The most famous and most expensive coffee in the world. The small rodent Luwak eats ripe coffee beans, which are then excreted along with excrement. Specially trained people collect these grains into bags, wash them and sell them all over the world. The price for such coffee starts from 500 US dollars per kilogram.

In many countries around the world you can try. Its meat is known for its nutritional qualities and pleasant taste.

It is also a fairly well-known dish that can be tried not only in Asia, but also in many countries around the world.

As a side dish, you can try cockscombs in France or Italy.

Often we want to diversify our daily menu. And then we decide to try something new. As a rule, this new product is an exotic product. But it is worth remembering that exotic, in addition to new taste sensations, carries a significant health hazard.

Exotic product: fugu

Many of us have heard about this dish. This is the name of some fish of the pufferfish family and the dish that is prepared from them. The meat of pufferfish contains the poison tetrodotoxin, which causes paralysis and suffocation. It is known that one such fish can kill about three dozen gourmets. But despite this, many Koreans and Japanese consider this dish a delicacy. They rely on the skill of the cook, who must be able to neutralize the poison. In many countries this delicacy is prohibited.

Exotic product: Kassu Marzu

The name of the product is translated as “rotten cheese.” This delicacy is produced on the island of Sardinia. Fly larvae are used to ferment it. Their waste products accelerate the decomposition process of the cheese mass, making it soft. Real gourmets prefer to eat kassa marzu along with larvae. But this often leads to eating disorders and even poisoning. For a long time, the sale of this product was prohibited in Italy. But today the dish has been declared a national treasure of Sardinia, and it is quite expensive.

Exotic product: sassafras

This is a plant that residents North America have been used in their kitchens for centuries. Invigorating infusions and pain-relieving teas were prepared from it, and added to soups and stews. In the 60s of the last century, scientists discovered the substance safrole in sassafras leaves, which was recognized as a carcinogen. Since then, sassafras has been banned for consumption in the United States and Canada.

Exotic drink: absinthe

Popular all over the world alcoholic drink. It is based on wormwood extract, which contains thujone. This poisonous substance causes hallucinations, agitation and provokes unmotivated aggression. For a long time Absinthe was banned for consumption in almost all countries of the world. But on this moment it has been legalized, and the entire process of preparing such a dangerous drink is controlled by professionals.

Exotic dish: foie gras

This dish can be found on the menu of many of our restaurants. It is prepared from the liver of a duck or goose, and the liver is taken significantly increased in size. To make it larger than usual, the birds are specially fed corn puree, as a result of which the birds develop obesity. When a bird's liver has expanded tenfold, it is considered suitable for making foie gras. Animal rights activists often speak out against such abuse of birds. But, despite this, the dish is prohibited only in Israel, Turkey, the European Union (except Hungary and France), as well as in restaurants of some hotel chains around the world.

A not-so-exotic product: raw cow's milk

A product familiar to us, but it is prohibited in 22 US states and Canada. They believe that unpasteurized milk contains harmful microbes. At the same time, besides us, they calmly drink raw milk residents of Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia.

IN modern world, the art of gastronomy is so developed that it already seems from the taste buds human language no previously unknown exotic product escaped. However, residents of Eastern Europe are not nearly as sophisticated in gastronomic delights as their European neighbors. IN Lately on supermarket shelves and market displays, hitherto unfamiliar names, smells and shapes are more and more often encountered, which, of course, must be tasted

In the modern world, the art of gastronomy is so developed that, it seems, not a single previously unknown exotic product has escaped the taste buds of the human tongue. However, residents of Eastern Europe are not nearly as sophisticated in gastronomic delights as their European neighbors. Recently, hitherto unfamiliar names, smells and shapes have become more and more common on supermarket shelves and market displays, which, of course, must be tasted.

In an effort to satisfy your stomach, you should not forget about the dangers that await unscrupulous gourmets. It's about, first of all, about individual ingredients and organic toxins, the use of which leads to disastrous consequences.

Thus, excessive consumption of meat foods causes problems with the liver, while carbohydrates cause problems with metabolic processes and obesity. Therefore, in the United States, there is a day for food lovers when they can forget about the warnings of nutritionists and eat whatever they want. This informal holiday, invented by actor Thomas Roy, is celebrated annually on May 11th.

On this day, Americans can eat whatever they want, including even the most exotic foods, which we will now mention separately.

Spirulina

The very name of this product suggests that in appearance it resembles a spiral. Spirulina is green and blue algae that lives on the ocean floor. This exotic plant was used by the ancient Aztec tribes.

Spirulina fiber is extremely nutritious and useful product. After all, algae contains zinc, iron, protein, antioxidants, as well as vitamins B and E. Its constant use strengthens the immune system and helps remove toxins from the body. As a rule, spirulina is consumed whole or freshly squeezed juice.

Kiwano or horned melon

Central Asian melon is one of the favorite dessert delicacies on both sides of the Atlantic. But on the territory African continent There is a kind of melon - the so-called kiwano or in common parlance - horned melon. The pulp of this melon is in demand among people who constantly monitor their weight.

Kiwano contains simply a huge amount of potassium, zinc, manganese, thiamine and beta-carotene. The taste of this fruit resembles a mixture of kiwi, lime and banana, and is very different from our traditional melon. Africans love to add kiwano to salads and make freshly squeezed juices from it.

Goji berries

These Asian berries are very similar in appearance to blueberries. However, in terms of taste, they have a more pronounced aroma, and in composition they are much superior to their European competitor. So, Goji berry juice contains vitamins A and many biologically active antioxidants.

Constant consumption of Goji improves vision and strengthens the immune system. Excellent taste makes the berries an almost universal product in cooking - they are added to salads, purees, various cereals, and sauces. From dried berries It makes a wonderful tonic tea.

If you care about your health, include in your food ration an exotic root vegetable native to Peru called maca. Dating back to ancient Andean culture, it was used in traditional healing practices. Appearance this fruit resembles an ordinary turnip, but the taste is much richer and resembles confectionery caramel.

In addition to the exquisite taste, it is worth noting the unique mineral and biocomposition: calcium and iron, selenium and B vitamins. Maca is especially recommended for consumption by women fair half humanity, since its pulp contains substances that regulate reproductive function and optimize metabolism.

Every nation has its own taste preferences. And what some find edible, others find disgusting. But there are some dishes, the mere sight of which can cause an unprepared person to faint. We'll talk about these today.

1. Durian

Durian ranks first on the list of the most exotic fruits in the world. It is a round fruit covered with long pyramidal spines that protect the tender pulp. On average, durian weighs about 8 kilograms, and its main features are its multifaceted taste and terrible, indescribable smell. Since the taste of the fruit is similar to banana, mango, pineapple, overripe papaya, vanilla, ice cream mixtures, onion, spices and banana, strawberries and dried persimmons, it is used as an additive in milkshakes, cappuccino, salads and ice cream.

So if somewhere in Southeast Asia you are offered something that smells like rotten onions, rotten fish, turpentine and unpeeled... wastewater, know - this is Durian. By the way, its “aroma” is very persistent and can last for several days.

2. Haggis

Haggis is a traditional Scottish dish made from... internal organs sheep. Sheep offal: heart, liver and lungs, finely chopped, mixed with onions, lard, oatmeal and steep broth. The prepared mixture is tightly stuffed into a boiled lamb stomach.

3. Songhuadan

This dish has a lot of names: “Thousand-year eggs”, “pidan”, “pine flowers”, “Songhuadan” and others. Most often, duck eggs, sometimes chicken, are used to prepare this oriental delicacy. They are coated with a mixture of clay, ash, salt and lime, buried in rice husks, where they are kept for 40-60 days. During this time, the white becomes dark brown, elastic and salty in taste, and the yolks, on the contrary, become liquid and acquire an interesting dark green color. Ready eggs are cut and added to soups or served as a snack.

4. Cobra

In Jakarta and Vietnam, cobras are attributed magical properties, and dishes made from its meat are very popular. Cobra meat is used to make soups, barbecue, and even make hamburger patties. Such delicacies are not a cheap pleasure. Cobra hearts are also eaten in these regions. Local residents claim that such a ritual can give a person strength and power. Usually, the snake is killed right in front of the customer, the heart is removed and they are offered to eat it with vodka.

5. Tuna eye

Surprisingly, this is a common food in Japan. An unusual product can be bought at any grocery store. The tuna eyes are seasoned with spices, boiled or simmered in a pan until the central dark part of the apple thickens. They say that the taste of the dish is very similar to squid meat, only softer.

6. Kasu marzu

Casu Marzu or "Rotten Cheese" is produced in Sardinia and is a very specific delicacy. During the manufacturing process, part of the rind is cut off from the cheese and left outside so that cheese flies lay larvae in it. On average, flies lay about a hundred eggs, which later hatch into larvae that secrete acid, which accelerates the process of cheese rotting. Usually, when the cheese is considered ready, thousands of larvae are swarming around in it. Some kill them by freezing or sealing the product in an airtight bag, but true connoisseurs eat the cheese directly with live larvae.

7. Balut

Balut is a boiled duck egg with a formed embryo inside. This delicacy can be enjoyed in the Philippines, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. Ideally, eggs are removed on day 17. At this point, the embryo inside already has a beak, paws, plumage and cartilage. Most often, balut is prepared with salt, vinegar and garlic, but is sometimes served raw. The dish is very popular among men, as it is considered an aphrodisiac and has a beneficial effect on potency.

8. Bat soup

Dishes from bats quite popular in Thailand, Cambodia, China and Southeast Asia. Most often, bats are used to make soup or cook a roast with milk. The process of preparing these dishes is very simple: live mice are thrown into boiling water, ginger, salt, onion and pepper are added. The indigenous population of Asian countries is attributed bats medicinal properties and are confident that dishes made from bats can cure any respiratory diseases, as well as eye diseases.
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9. Blood broth

A variety of dishes made from duck or pork blood are a common food for residents of Laos and some other Asian countries. Some of the most popular delicacies include fresh blood pudding, blood broth, and blood clots on sticks.

10. Wasp Cookies

Some people are terrified of wasps, while others turn them into crispy cookie filling. The second option is popular in Japan. To do this, insects are caught, boiled, dried, and then mixed with dough and baked in the oven. The local population is crazy about crispy shortcakes with wasps. In Japan, insect dishes are generally highly revered, considering them very nutritious and rich in protein.

11. A-ping

A-ping is big poisonous spiders, the size of a human palm, which are found in the forests of Cambodia. About amazing taste properties These spiders became known during the Vietnam War. Then crowds of refugees settled in the forests of Cambodia and were forced to look for food and discovered spider dishes. Now fried a-ping spiders are considered a delicacy that can be compared to black caviar.

12. Sweets with grasshoppers

It's hard to believe, but in France there is a large company that produces food products with insects. In particular, they make beautiful insect sweets, decorated with dried grasshoppers.

13. Fried rats

One gets the feeling that Asians don’t really care what they eat. Otherwise, how to explain the popularity of rat dishes?! Rodent meat is very popular in Paraguay and some other Asian countries. On the stalls of street vendors you can see fried, boiled, stewed and stuffed rats.

14. Sannakchi

Even the freshest sushi is nothing compared to sannakchi. An exotic dish can be tasted in Korea. It consists of fresh octopus tentacles seasoned with lemon juice and sesame seeds. By the way, the tentacles are so fresh that they simply wriggle in the mouth and can easily get stuck in the throat.

15. Frog cocktail

The hallmark of one of the restaurants in Peru is a cocktail with a frog. To prepare it, frogs are killed and mixed in a blender with other ingredients. It is worth noting that such cocktails have been prepared there for more than 15 years.

16. Boys' eggs

This is more than a strange dish business card Chinese province of Zhejiang. Fortunately, no parts human bodies are not used to prepare this dish. But urine is used... Every spring, schools install special basins into which primary school students, virgin boys, urinate. Ordinary chicken eggs are boiled in the collected urine for a whole day.

17. Insect Burger

Restaurant Noma in Copenhagen has an entire menu of dishes featuring insects. One such dish is a burger made with mealworms, crickets and grasshoppers wrapped in focaccia. In addition to the burger, the customer receives polenta chips and mayonnaise with ants. This is a non-standard look at everyone’s favorite fast food.