In every kitchen in the world there are dishes that are the hallmark of the country. They are in great demand, both among local residents and among guests of the country. Many recipes are recognized in other national cuisines with only minor improvements. But today I want to get acquainted with the most unusual dishes of world culinary, which are expensive delicacies for local residents, and most foreigners are only disgusted and asked: “How can I eat this?” And not even every most inveterate gourmet decides to taste these culinary delights.
10. Mud cake
Scones from ordinary mud are eaten in one of the poorest countries in the world - Haiti. Due to the rise in price of rice and legumes, this dish has become the basis of the diet for poor citizens of the state. The recipe for tortillas is simple, and most importantly public, the composition includes pre-sifted yellow clay, water, salt and vegetable fat. Sometimes vegetable cuts are placed in the dough. Round cakes are dried under the open rays of the sun. The indigenous people of Haiti call this dish tierre. Previously, it was included in the diet of children and pregnant women, since it was believed that cakes contain a lot of calcium that is beneficial for their body. They say that the taste of tortillas is not too terrible, but once in their mouth, they leave an unpleasant aftertaste of earth for several hours.
9. Grasshoppers and Caterpillars Tacos
Tacos are considered to be the national dish of Mexican cuisine. But tacos with insects have never been popular. This dish was first offered to visitors to a Mexican restaurant, which decided to add a twist to its menu. Grasshoppers and caterpillars are fried with the addition of chili or lime, and also stewed in sauce. Delicacy is enjoyed by laying it on a Mexican tortilla. Maybe the dish has a refined taste, but it does not look aesthetically pleasing. Small grasshoppers and caterpillars tacos contain about 30% of the daily protein norm, which means they are a good alternative to meat products.
8. Tuna eyes
You can try this unusual dish only in Japan, where tuna eyes are considered the most delicious part of fish. The eyes are comparable in size to an average chicken egg and look very intimidating. This dish is considered very healthy. To preserve all vitamins and minerals, it is recommended to eat raw tuna eyes, but most often they are boiled in salted water and eaten with soy sauce. The Japanese like it, but tourists say that the taste of the dish is specific and unlike anything else. Tuna eyes are served in Japanese restaurants and are quite inexpensive, which means that every guest in Japan has the opportunity to appreciate the taste of this healthy and unusual dish.
7. A-ping
A-ping is a type of poisonous tarantulas, you can appreciate an unusual dish on the taste in the Cambodian city of Skuon. For locals, a-ping is considered a delicacy, here it costs a lot of money. The fangs of the spiders from which this delicacy is prepared contain poison, so they must be removed before being cooked. Otherwise, death may occur. Spiders are fried over an open fire with the addition of a large amount of salt and garlic. The red-brown carapace is a signal that the a-ping is ready. Properly cooked spiders are tender inside and crispy outside.
6. Escamoles
The dish with the intriguing name "Escamoles" is a national dish of the inhabitants of Mexico. The delicacy is made from eggs of black giant ants, which look like peeled pine nuts. When ready, escamoles consistency resembles cottage cheese; to taste, the dish can be compared to butter mixed with ground nuts. Mexicans eat this delicacy, both raw and cooked. Often, ant eggs are stewed with oil, chili and onions, served with guacomole sauce and Mexican cakes. On the menu of local restaurants you can find expensive escamoles dessert. For its preparation, ant eggs are simply fried or boiled with garlic and onions.
5. Balut
Balut is a popular dish among residents of Southeast Asia, especially revered in the Philippines. Balut is a cooked duck egg, inside of which a fetus with cartilage, beak and plumage has already developed. Filipinos cannot imagine their usual diet without this dish. It is especially popular among men, as it is believed that balut has a beneficial effect on potency. The egg is served hot, carefully opened from the blunt end, sprinkled with salt or sprinkled with vinegar. Then amniotic fluid is drunk, and all the insides are eaten. They say that after the first tasting, balut would like to try again and again.
4. Fried Tarantula
Tarantula can be tasted in Cambodia. Today, fried spiders are considered a real delicacy in this country, crowds of tourists come here to appreciate the famous delicacy. Although once the locals ate spiders just for their survival. Today, Cambodians brilliantly cook tarantulas, they fry them with the addition of hot spices and garlic. It is recommended to eat the finished dish immediately, while it is still burning hot. People who dare to try this delicacy compare spider meat with crab or lobster. Properly prepared tarantulas should have a crisp and tender meat inside.
3. Shiokara
This delicacy was the invention of the Japanese, it is prepared from unusual ingredients in an unusual way. Shiokara is a sliced seafood, most often squids, pickled in their own entrails. The dish is prepared for a long time, the pickling process takes about a month and always takes place in a hermetically sealed container. The finished dish is served as a snack. It has a sharp unpleasant odor and an unpresentable appearance. Even most Japanese people find this dish terrible!
2. Coffee "Black Cat"
In Thailand, you can enjoy the most expensive coffee in the world, a cup of a drink costs $ 50, and a kilogram of beans is $ 1,100. The secret of such a high price lies in the fact that elephants are the manufacturer of coffee beans. They eat selected coffee beans, and then, after the digestive process, defecate them. Under the influence of enzymes in the digestive tract of elephants, the protein of grains is destroyed, which gives the finished drink the very astringency and saturation. Gourmets who managed to taste the drink feel notes of chocolate, nuts, spices and even the aroma of a floral bouquet in it.
1. Bird's Nest Soup
Bird Nest Soup has been a Chinese delicacy for several hundred years. It is prepared from salangan nests, which weave them with their sticky saliva. First, the nests are soaked in water, then cleaned of droppings and feathers, treated with a solution of alkali. Then they are washed several times under running water and begin to prepare the broth. Typically, the nest is boiled in chicken broth with the addition of rice vodka, ginger and salt. Ready soup in consistency resembles jelly, the nest itself is served on a separate plate. The cost of this dish in restaurants reaches $ 100 per serving.