Would You Dare? Discover the World’s Weirdest Dishes!

When you travel, do you stick to safe foods — or do you push your taste buds to the limit?

From grilled grubs and fried spiders to fermented fish, stinky bean curd, and chewy animal offal — people around the world proudly prepare foods that shock visitors but delight locals.

Are you ready for a bite of global adventure?

🍴 What Adventurous Eaters Discover

Alex spotted grubs in China. These plump larvae are grilled until crispy and eaten straight off the skewer. They’re full of protein — eco-friendly and nutritious!

Violetta found baskets of fried spiders in Cambodia. Local vendors deep-fry big tarantulas with garlic and seasoning. Cambodians swear they’re crunchier (and tastier!) than potato chips.

Walter took a snap of giant tuna eyeballs at Tokyo’s fish market. Each eye is the size of a tennis ball. They’re boiled or stewed, and fans say they’re surprisingly creamy.

🐟 Smells Fishy: Surströmming

One of the world’s smelliest dishes is Surströmming, a Swedish delicacy. It’s fermented Baltic herring packed in cans. The gas builds up so much the can often bulges! Swedes open it outdoors (for good reason) and eat it with flatbread, onions, and potatoes.

Locals insist it tastes better than it smells — but tourists often gag at the first whiff!

🧈 Salo: A Fatty Favorite

In Ukraine and parts of Russia, Salo is a winter classic: thick slices of cured pork fat, sometimes smoked or seasoned with garlic. It’s eaten raw on rye bread or with pickles and vodka.

Foreigners are often shocked to see people bite into cold, raw fat — but locals say it’s the best energy booster during freezing winters.

🧀 Casu Marzu: The Forbidden Cheese

In Sardinia, Casu Marzu (meaning “rotten cheese”) is made from sheep’s milk and includes live insect larvae. The maggots break down the fats to create a soft, spreadable texture. It’s banned in the EU — but Sardinians still love it for its bold nutty flavor!

🧄 Stinky Tofu: Taiwan’s Street Food King

Stinky Tofu smells like old gym socks — but don’t judge it by its scent! This fermented tofu is deep-fried and served with spicy sauce and pickled cabbage.

In Taiwan, the stronger the smell, the better the taste — at least according to fans!

🐄 Afval: A Taste of South African Tradition

In South Africa, Afval (Afrikaans for offal) is made from the stomach lining of cows or sheep. It’s cleaned, boiled with onions and spices, and eaten with maize porridge or bread.

For many South Africans, this dish brings back memories and reflects deep cultural roots. For some visitors, though, the texture is a true challenge!

🔍 Freddie’s Fearless Food Tour

Freddie Watkins is a fearless foodie.
“I just got back from Peru. I was doing stove research and watched a family cook potatoes with mud sauce — tasted like chalk, but I ate it!

It started when I caught and ate a guppy fish at age nine. Later, in Shanghai, I tried street scorpions — crispy and weird, but I loved the thrill!”

He says food connects people: “If you want to blend in, eat what the locals eat.”

🌟 Interesting Facts & Figures

• Surströmming cans have exploded on airplanes, leading to some airlines banning them from flights!

• Casu Marzu is technically illegal, but locals still sell it on the black market.

• Fried spiders in Cambodia became popular during food shortages in the 1970s and stayed as a local snack.

• Some stinky tofu stalls in Taiwan have long queues — proof of its popularity despite the odor!

• Ukraine hosts an annual Salo Festival celebrating pork fat with music, costumes, and tastings.

🗂️ Vocabulary Builder

🔹 Nouns

• grub – (informal) food; also used to refer to small insect larvae eaten in some cultures

• delicacy – a rare or luxurious food, often considered a special treat

• cuisine – a style or tradition of cooking, especially from a specific country or region

• sauce – a liquid or semi-liquid served with food to add flavor or moisture

• vendor – a person who sells something, especially in a market or on the street

• offal – internal organs and parts of an animal, such as liver or stomach, used as food

• seasoning – salt, herbs, or spices used to add flavor to food

• scorpion – a small animal with a curved tail and stinger, sometimes eaten as street food in Asia

• chalk – a soft white rock or powder (used here to describe a dry, powdery taste)

• larvae – the young form of insects before they develop into adults (singular: larva)

• stove – a kitchen appliance used for cooking food by heating

🔹 Adjectives

• crispy – firm and crunchy when bitten or chewed

• smelly – having a strong, often unpleasant odor

• fermented – food that has been preserved or flavored using natural bacteria (like yogurt or kimchi)

• chewy – needing to be chewed a lot before swallowing

• savory – salty or spicy, not sweet (used to describe foods like soup or meat)

• greasy – oily or containing a lot of fat

• nutritious – containing many nutrients; good for your health

• plump – round and full in shape (used to describe juicy or fat food items)

• rotten – spoiled or decayed, usually with a bad smell or taste

• spreadable – easy to spread with a knife (like butter or soft cheese)

• eco-friendly – not harmful to the environment; sustainable

All vocabulary words appear in bold within the reading text.

✅ Reading Comprehension Quiz

1️⃣ What is Surströmming made from?
2️⃣ Where is Stinky Tofu a famous street food?
3️⃣ What animal part is used in Afval?
4️⃣ Why is Casu Marzu controversial?
5️⃣ What did Freddie try in Peru?
6️⃣ What makes Salo a winter favorite?
7️⃣ What are grubs known for nutritionally?
8️⃣ Which unusual dish includes spider legs?

📋 Quiz Answers

• Fermented Baltic herring

• Taiwan

• The stomach lining of cows or sheep

• It contains live larvae and is banned in the EU

• Potatoes cooked in mud sauce

• It's raw pork fat, high in energy

• They’re high in protein

• Fried tarantulas from Cambodia

💬 Discussion Questions

• Would you try Surströmming, Salo, Stinky Tofu, or Afval? Why or why not?

• What is the strangest food you’ve tasted? Did you like it?

• Do you believe food is a universal language?

• How would you politely refuse a dish that you found gross?

• Are there any foods in your country that visitors find unusual?

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