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This week’s guest post comes from Megan over at Meganotravels! After discovering her amazing blog and realizing that she runs a segment each week called “Foodie Friday” I asked her to submit a blog about the strangest food she has eaten during her travels!

Andrew Zimmern I am not, but when I’m traveling somewhere new I try my hardest to stomach some of the country’s delicacies. I figure, when in Rome, right?

While I haven’t gone as far as trying hákarl in Iceland or balut in the Philippines, I have tried a few weird foods on my travels. Here’s a round-up of what I’d consider the top 5 weirdest things I’ve tasted.

5. Haggis!

Haggis is a traditional Scottish dish made of a disgusting combination of sheep’s heart, liver, and lugs, mixed with onion, oatmeal, and a few other things all stuffed in the sheep’s stomach.

I know it’s traditional fare for a lot of people, but even my Scottish friend gave me a pat on the back for trying it (because she said she wouldn’t dare touch it). The verdict? It wasn’t terrible. But I probably won’t ever try it again.

Burns

Photo CC by David Wagner

4. Crocodile!

This is just the first of three strange things I tried while in South Africa. I stayed at a place called Lesedi Cultural Village, where they served a buffet featuring a plethora of foods I’d never tried, crocodile among them.

For some reason, I’d expected it to be kind of greasy and dark, but it was actually pretty light and easy to get down. Most people liken it to chicken (like every strange meat), while others call it a cross between chicken and crab. The verdict? Not bad.

3. Ostrich

Another South African delicacy that I talked myself into trying. Most strange foods are sort of a mind-over-matter thing for me: if I don’t know what something is and try it, I’m fine.., but convincing myself to try something after I know what it is can be very difficult.

In any case, this was part of the same buffet where I found the crocodile and so I grabbed some (the meat you see on the plate).

The verdict? No. I hadn’t expected ostrich to be a red meat (you know, because it’s a bird) and it tasted sort of steak-like. I’m not a fan of steak (I’m weird, I know) so this was a definite no for me.

AHI Treasures of Southern Africa 3-07 0271 N

Photo CC by Joe Ross

2. Springbok Biltong

First, let’s break this down. Springbok is an antelope-gazelle found in South Africa (and I think they’re really adorable and saw a few on safari before eating this). Biltong is kind like a jerky.

I had this in two forms: while on safari, it was served in muffins for breakfast. I had no idea what it was so I figured I’d give it a shot. Later, I found it in a little baggie as a snack and tried it plain.

The verdict? I’m not a fan of jerky, so I wasn’t a fan of it plain. In a muffin it was actually quite tasty!

And finally…

1. Whale

This one is controversial, I know. I had a hard time coming to terms with eating whale while in Iceland, but after taking a whale watching tour and hearing about the limited numbers and types of whales hunted, I decided to go for it.

My boyfriend at the time ordered a whale steak at a country restaurant and I snagged a little bite. The verdict? Not for me. It was too steak-like and kind of chewy/fatty.

What is the weirdest food you have ever eaten?

Megan is a professional wanderluster, always dreaming of her next adventure. Last year she launched Meganotravels as a place to chronicle her travels around the world. She’s hoping to soon break out of the 9-to-5 and embark on some long-term travel. In addition to her blog, you can follow along on Facebook and Twitter

    10 Comments

  1. Honestly all of them except alligator sounds like something I’d have trouble getting down and I’ve eaten a lot of weird things (being Asian and all). This is pretty normal in Asian culture but I LOVE fish eyes, the bigger the tastier! I had to pass on the balut from the Philippines (live chick egg) but I was perfectly OK with that.

    • I shuddered when you said Fish Eyes lol! Not so normal in Australia – although we eat Kangaroo which is probably not normal anywhere else in the world!

      I would have probably passed on a live chick egg as well – as adventurous as I like to think I am … good call on that one! :D

  2. Love the sense of adventure!
    Will agree with you on the haggis… What’s the point? I guess idea was not to waste any part of an animal, but, basically, yech!

    Whale meat should be banned, and I am just as guilty having tried it once. But there is no real reason to harvest these creatures.

    You might want to try some really fun stuff like pickled jellyfish, balut, and durian…
    http://wp.me/p3Ose5-4s

    Regards, JR

    • Not too big of a fan of Haggis here myself!! I can deal with a little bit of waste in this instance :D!

      Agree with you on the whales. Haven’t tried jellyfish yet though – sounds incredibly interesting! Will check out your post!!

      Thanks JR!

  3. Great post, Megan. You should try tarantulas, they will surprise you. They taste a lot like soft shelled crab… But hairy. :-)

    • I just shuddered a little at the word “hairy” :D I have a huge thing for hair – lol can’t deal with it!!

      Although I’m always preaching to step outside of your comfort zone, so I will try tarantula if I get the chance. It will most likely be a hilarious video :D!

  4. You should try springbok fillet from a traditional South African braai – my favorite meat in the world :)
    Ostrich burger is also quite nice. I mean the same meat tastes differently in a different form.

    • Hoping to get to South Africa for a visit soon – will hit up a traditional braai for sure; thanks! Definitely interesting comparing the same meat from different corners of the globe – funny how they do taste different in a different form!

  5. Ok, those are definitely strange, I don’t know if I could eat any of them. I’m already afraid of plenty of other things. I was just writing about some of my fears while traveling, they’re a little more odd ball, and out there, but I think making it funny helps :) Check it out and let me know what you think. http://www.cameraandcarryon.com/travel-fears-and-crazy-thoughts/

    • Hey Shannon, thanks for stopping by! I think international food is definitely something which will force you to step outside of your comfort zone. So many exotic foods out there which are completely different to that of our own!!

      Totally don’t be afraid of your fears being oddball – everyone has them, it just takes a very courageous person to come out and announce them out loud. You wouldn’t believe but I’m actually fairly afraid of heights!! I go on all of these adventures like bungy jumping and skydiving and the like, but you should SEE my palms before hand – they could fill up a pool!!

      I think the best thing to do is just to dive in – you’ve already conquered the first step by admitting it, I promise you’ll feel so amazing after the initial terror of facing every single one of your fears!!

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