1 โ Birds Nest Soup, China
You wouldnโt necessarily think a birds nest would be edible, but the Chinese use Swiftsโ nests to make this soup, known as the โCaviar of the Eastโ. Right now youโre probably imagining a nest made out of twigs and leaves, but Swiftlets make their nests predominantly out of saliva.
Itโs something in the saliva of the bird that makes it have this unique gelatinous, rubbery texture and itโs one of the most expensive animal products consumed by humans. Itโs expensive because the swiftlets build the nests during breeding season over a period of 35 days and nests can only be harvested around three times a year. The nests are typically built in coastal caves and collecting them is a treacherous process involving climbing and nimble skill, which adds to the hefty price tag.
2 โ Fried tarantulas, Cambodia
Eensy weensy spider, climbing up the spoutโฆif you suffer from arachnophobia you probably donโt want to try eating these eight legged monsters. Theyโre not tiny little house spiders, theyโre great big tarantulas and you can buy them in the streets of Skuon, Cambodia.
Theyโre fried whole โ legs, fangs and all. They were first discovered by starving Cambodians in the bloody, brutal days of the Khmer Rouge rule and have gone from being the vital sustenance of these people to a delicacy tourists come far and wide to try.
3 โ Puffer fish, Japan
Youโve got to be careful with this delicacy or you might end up in the morgue. The deadly Puffer fish, or fugu, however is the ultimate delicacy in Japan even though its skin and insides contain the poisonous toxin todrotoxin, which is 1,250 times stronger than cyanide.
Thatโs why in Japan only expert chefs in licensed restaurants are allowed to prepare it. Otherwise youโre likely to become paralysed whilst still conscious and eventually die from asphyxiation because there is no known antidote
4 โ Balut, Phillipines
A bit like with a Kinder Surprise, you certainly will be surprised to open these eggs, though not in the same pleasant way as finding a toy inside. You get to eat your chicken and your egg at the same time with Balut.
Fertilized eggs are boiled just before theyโre due to hatch, so your yolk oozes out followed byโฆ a chicken (or duck) foetus. They are cooked when the foetus is anywhere from 17 days to 21 days depending on your preference, although when the egg is older the foetus begins to have a beak, claws, bones and feathers.
5 โ Casu Marzu, Sardinia
This Sardinian cheese is a cheese with a difference; itโs riddled with insect larvae. โCasu Marzuโ means โrotten cheeseโ and is most commonly referred to as โmaggot cheese.โ Itโs now banned for health reasons but can still be available on the black market in Sardinia and
Italy.