17 Beloved Local Foods That Gross Out The Rest Of The World
See if your country's unconventionally delicious dish made the list.
We asked the BuzzFeed Community to share the delicious delicacies their country is known for. Here are the 17 best submissions:
1. Mexico: Escamol
View this photo on Instagram
"Escamol are ant eggs, and you might not believe it, but they taste like butter."
2. US: Frog legs
View this photo on Instagram
"I’m from Mississippi and I love frog legs. It’s a Southern delicacy."
3. South Korea: Beondegi
This South Korean street food is made with silkworm pupae and served with toothpicks. It's also served in cans in grocery stores and enjoyed as a nutty snack.
4. US: Brain sandwich
View this photo on Instagram
Back in the mid-1900s, fried brain sandwiches were a popular dish in the Midwest, and the perfect high-fat meal for tired blue-collar workers getting off long shifts.
5. UK: Black pudding
"It's not actually a pudding; it's actually a blood sausage made from pig's blood that's very common in a full English breakfast. Tastes much better than it sounds."
6. Iceland: Kæstur hákarl
"Kæstur hákarl is fermented shark; it’s sometimes served with brennivin, a vodka-like spirit, because the shark's taste is so strong!"
7. Germany: Schmalz
In Germany, rendered animal fat is often used as sandwich spread or for frying.
8. Finland: Mykyrokka
View this photo on Instagram
"As I write this I am realizing that the Finnish eat a lot of food made from blood, including blood dumpling soup (mykyrokka), blood pudding, and black sausage."
Mykyrokka is a soup made with blood and barley dumplings as well as other offal.
9. Colombia: Hormigas culonas
View this photo on Instagram
"Known as 'big-bottomed ants,' hormigas culonas are a delicacy in my country."
10. Nicaragua: Beef tongue
"I know it sounds disgusting, but don't knock it til you try it!"
—gabijolie
Tongue is actually a part of many cuisines, including Korean, Italian, and Polish cuisine.
11. India: Red ant chutney
View this photo on Instagram
"This delicacy is found in Chhattisgarh, India."
The spicy chutney is made using a ground mix of red ants and their eggs, tomatoes, coriander, garlic, ginger, and chili.
12. Australia: Kangaroo meat
"I live in the US, but my parents are Australian and Norwegian. And in Australia, my parents ate kangaroo meat. It sounds crazy, but it's just like eating deer here in the states."
13. Japan: Shirako
"In Japan we eat shirako aka cod sperm sacs. They're cooked raw, boiled, steamed, and all sorts of other ways. You name it, it's been done."
14. Russia: Kholodets
View this photo on Instagram
"In Russia, we have what's called Kholodets, or meat jelly usually made of pork bones and pork meat."
15. Canada: Moose meat
"I don't know how much of a traditional delicacy it is, but I'm Canadian and I've eaten moose meat a few times. Honestly, it just tastes kind of like spicy beef."
16. Peru: Cuy asado
View this photo on Instagram
Roasted guinea pig, or cuy asado, is a delicacy in Peru, and is saved for special occasions. The rise in tourism to Peru, however, has also led to a rise in this dish's prominence in tourist-friendly menus.
17. Norway: Smalahove
View this photo on Instagram
"In Norway some people gather for a party to eat smalahove, which is basically a cooked sheep's head. The most delicious part, according to those who eat it, is the eye."