Welcome to the culinary world, where every dish is unique according to its cultural heritage. While there are many widely accepted foods, there are some that make us ask why. It pushes the boundaries of what we consider edible. But hey, never judge a food by its weirdness. Today, we’ve scoured the world to bring you the 15 most outrageous dishes ever made. Keep an eye out for some of these as you travel.
15. Onion Lattes
Just when you thought you had your morning coffee figured out, wait until you hear about the onion latte. This bizarre creation went viral as it involves garnishing your latte with chopped green onions. Meanwhile, some opted for caramelized onions. It’s a matter of your preference.
14. Oreo Sushi
If there’s an onion latte, then you need to make way for the Oreo sushi. Don’t worry, this viral sushi is actually a dessert where you crush Oreo cookies into a dough and spread the cream filling on top. After that, you roll them into a sushi-like log and slice them. It can be a fun way to enjoy your Oreos.
13. Polish Strawberry Pasta
Believe it or not, there’s such a thing as a strawberry pasta. It’s a genuine Polish cuisine that was made famous by tennis star Iga Swiatek. It involves cooked pasta mixed with mashed strawberries, yogurt, sugar, and salt. For the rest of the world, it may be a mix between a savory food and a dessert. But hey, you can never go wrong with trying this dessert spaghetti.
12. Toilet Bowl Ice Cream Sundae
While it may seem like an unappetizing dessert, people have actually eaten ice cream sundaes out of toilet bowls. It’s actually served in a few restaurants worldwide as a dessert where they put the ice cream in a makeshift toilet bowl for laughs. However, some people on the internet would go as far as to put them in actual toilet bowls at home. This is not a safe practice, and hopefully, they won’t get to consume the sundae.
11. Chickle
Chickel actually stands for a pickle inside a cheese blanket. This bizarre food combination is loved by Gen Zs as it involves wrapping a pickle spear in a slice of cheese and pan-frying it until crispy. It took TikTok by storm, garnering over 13 million views. It’s actually considered a low-carb and keto-friendly snack by some.
10. Escamoles
Caviar is a luxury, but there’s another type that challenges it. Escamoles, or insect caviar, feature edible larvae and pupae of ants. They were harvested from the roots of an agave plant from Mexico. It’s a pre-Hispanic delicacy considered a gourmet treat, described as having a buttery and nutty flavor. It’s said to have a texture similar to cottage cheese.
9. Balut
Balut is a common street food in the Philippines, which you might take for an actual egg at first glance. It’s actually a fertilized duck egg in a partially developed embryo. Well, it’s actually an egg that’s boiled and eaten from its shell, accompanied by a sprinkle of salt and vinegar. The age of the embryo can vary between 14 and 21 days old, which means that they’ve developed bones, a beak, and feathers.
8. Rocky Mountain Oysters
These oysters can’t be found in the sea. Instead, they’re from the bull. Rocky Mountain oysters are a popular delicacy from the American West and Western Canada. They feature bull testicles that are peeled, sliced, and pounded flat for deep frying. It’s surprisingly flavorful once you get to taste them.
7. Century Eggs
Don’t worry, century eggs aren’t actually aged for a century. It’s a Chinese delicacy that features duck, chicken, or quail eggs preserved for weeks in clay, ash, salt, and rice hulls. The result? The egg whites turn into a translucent, amber jelly, and the yolks into a dark green, creamy substance. It’s said to have a strong flavor, so it’s often served with pickled ginger or used as a congee topping.
6. Hákarl
Hàkarl is actually Iceland’s national dish that’s made from Greenland shark. However, it’s poisonous when fresh due to the shark’s high urea content. With that, the shark is buried and pressed with stones for weeks. After, they’re hung dry for months. The result? A pungent and ammonia-rich delicacy that Anthony Bourdain famously called “the single worst, most disgusting and terrible tasting thing.”
5. Casu Marzu
The Casu marzu is a traditional, fermented cheese. And here’s the sweet part: It’s from a Sardinian sheep milk cheese that is infested with live insect larvae. The larvae promote advanced fermentation, which breaks down fats to create a soft and liquid texture. The cheese should be eaten with the maggots alive inside. It’s banned for commercial sale in the European Union due to health concerns.
4. Cockentrice
This one’s straight out of medieval banquets. The cockerel is created by sewing the upper body of a pheasant onto the lower body of a rooster. It’s stuffed and roasted to be served as a centerpiece. It used to be a symbol of wealth and extravagance to impress guests, but it’s now mostly a performance art rather than a culinary experience.
3. Ambergris
Ambergris is actually produced as a sperm from a whale’s digestive system. They’re now used in perfumes, but were once a culinary ingredient in the 18th century. It was used as a flavoring in hot chocolate and scrambled eggs, which King Charles II loved. The substance is said to have a musky aroma but an earthy-sweet taste. It’s impossible to find them in dishes today because of their price.
2. Roman Dormouse
The ancient Romans had a taste for dormice. It’s not a house mouse, but rather, they were large, stuffed with a mix of pork, nuts, and spices. After, they’re either roasted or boiled. It was a popular delicacy that was banned at one point to curb excessive luxury.
1. Rôti Sans Pareil
The Rôti Sans Pareil dish means roast without equal. It features 17 different birds stuffed inside each other like a Russian nesting doll. First the bustard, then the garden warbler, each bird decreases in size. It was an extravagant dish served by chefs in the 18th and 19th centuries. But now, its modern counterpart involves the turducken, which is filled with chicken stuffed inside a duck, and then all three are placed inside a turkey before baking.