25 things we can't believe people actually eat: global delic

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25 Things We Can’t Believe People Actually Eat

What you consider “food” says everything about where you grew up and nothing about what’s actually edible. Across the globe, humans have developed thousands of years of culinary tradition, and the results are sometimes breathtaking, occasionally baffling, and always fascinating. One culture’s street food staple is another culture’s nightmare fuel — and that tension is exactly what makes exploring global cuisine so compelling.

The 25 things we can’t believe people actually eat span every continent and culinary tradition, from fermented Icelandic shark that smells like ammonia to live octopus still wriggling on the plate. Before you recoil, consider this: every item on this list is a cherished part of someone’s cultural identity, often with centuries of history behind it. Understanding why people eat these foods transforms shock into genuine wonder.

Whether you’re a culinary adventurer or someone who gets nervous at a sushi conveyor belt, this list will expand your definition of what it means to eat well. Buckle up — the world’s most unbelievable foods are about to get a full introduction.

A Global Culinary Journey: Unbelievable Delicacies from Around the World

1. Balut (Philippines)

Balut is a fertilized duck egg containing a partially developed embryo, boiled and eaten directly from the shell. Street vendors across the Philippines sell it as a beloved snack, often seasoned with salt, chili, and vinegar. The egg is typically incubated for 14 to 21 days before cooking, meaning the embryo has developed visible features.

Locals consider balut both a delicacy and an aphrodisiac, rich in protein and deeply tied to Filipino street food culture. The flavor is rich and savory, combining the familiar taste of hard-boiled egg with tender cartilage and a satisfying yolky richness. First-timers often describe the experience as surprisingly pleasant once they get past the visual.

2. Casu Marzu (Sardinia, Italy)

Casu marzu is a traditional Sardinian sheep’s milk cheese — and it’s deliberately filled with thousands of live maggot larvae. Cheesemakers introduce cheese fly larvae (Piophila casei) to the aging pecorino, allowing their digestive activity to break down the fat and ferment the cheese far beyond what’s typically legal or safe.

The result is an intensely soft, pungent cheese with a spicy, almost burning kick. European food safety regulations have technically made its sale illegal, but Sardinian families continue to produce it as an underground cultural tradition. Some locals insist on eating it with the larvae still moving — others remove them first.

3. Hákarl (Iceland)

Iceland’s national dish, hákarl, is Greenland shark that’s been fermented and hung to cure for anywhere from four to six months. The process is essential: raw Greenland shark is toxic due to high concentrations of trimethylamine oxide and uric acid, and curing detoxifies the flesh by breaking these compounds down into ammonia.

The result is a deeply pungent, chewy cube of fish with an overwhelming ammonia smell so powerful that Anthony Bourdain famously called it “the single worst, most disgusting and terrible tasting thing” he’d ever eaten. Icelanders typically serve it in small cubes at midwinter festivals, often chased with a shot of Brennivín schnapps.

4. Escamoles (Mexico)

Long before “insect caviar” became a trendy restaurant concept, indigenous Mexican communities were harvesting escamoles — the larvae and pupae of giant black ants — from the roots of agave plants. Dating back to Aztec times, escamoles have been a prized food for thousands of years, and they command high prices in Mexican markets today.

The flavor is surprisingly approachable: buttery, slightly nutty, with a texture that’s simultaneously creamy and lightly crunchy. Chefs typically prepare them in butter with garlic and epazote, or serve them in tacos. Escamoles are also highly nutritious, delivering significant protein, fat, and essential minerals in each serving.

5. Sannakji (South Korea)

Sannakji takes “fresh seafood” to an entirely different level. Small live octopuses are cut into pieces and served immediately — still moving — seasoned with sesame oil and seeds. The tentacles continue wriggling on the plate due to active nerve signals, and the suction cups can literally stick to the inside of your mouth and throat as you eat.

This dish requires careful chewing, and there have been recorded incidents of diners choking when the suction cups adhered to their airway. Koreans prize sannakji for its intensely fresh, mildly briny flavor and the unique tactile experience of eating something so undeniably alive. It’s a sensory experience that no other dish can replicate.

6. Rocky Mountain Oysters (USA/Canada)

Despite the elegant name, Rocky Mountain oysters have nothing to do with shellfish. These are bull, pig, or sheep testicles — typically peeled, coated in seasoned flour, and deep-fried until golden. They’re a staple appetizer at rodeos, county fairs, and steakhouses throughout the American West and Canadian ranching regions.

The texture and flavor actually surprise most skeptics. Cooked properly, they’re tender and mild, often compared to calamari or sweetbreads. Testicle festivals — yes, those are real — draw thousands of visitors annually in states like Montana and Colorado. The dish originated from practical ranching tradition: nothing from the animal was wasted.

7. Kopi Luwak (Indonesia)

Kopi luwak is among the world’s most expensive coffees, fetching up to $600 per pound in specialty markets. What makes it extraordinary — and controversial — is its production process: Asian palm civets eat ripe coffee cherries, and the beans pass through their digestive systems before being collected, cleaned, roasted, and brewed.

Fermentation inside the civet’s gut alters the bean’s protein structure, producing a cup that’s notably smoother and less bitter than conventional coffee, with earthy, chocolatey undertones. However, serious ethical concerns surround the industry: many civets are kept in cramped cages and force-fed coffee cherries, making wild-sourced kopi luwak the only truly defensible version.

8. Bird’s Nest Soup (China)

The nests used in this prized Chinese soup aren’t made of twigs — they’re constructed almost entirely from the solidified saliva of swiftlet birds, built high on cliff faces across Southeast Asia. Harvesters climb dangerously to retrieve them, which partly explains why authentic bird’s nest soup can cost hundreds of dollars per bowl.

Traditional Chinese medicine has celebrated bird’s nest for centuries, attributing benefits including improved skin, immunity, and digestion to its unique protein composition. The texture is gelatinous and delicate, with a faint egg-white flavor that absorbs the surrounding broth. Modern research is beginning to examine whether the glycoproteins in swiftlet saliva genuinely offer the claimed health properties.

9. Fried Brain Sandwich (USA)

Once a common lunch in Ohio River Valley diners, the fried brain sandwich featured sliced calf or pig brains, battered and deep-fried, served on white bread with mustard and onions. The dish peaked in popularity throughout the American Midwest in the early 20th century and remained a regional staple for decades.

Concerns about bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or “mad cow disease”) in the 1990s effectively ended its widespread popularity, and the USDA now restricts the sale of beef brains from cattle over 30 months old. A handful of restaurants in Evansville, Indiana still serve the pork brain version. The texture is pillowy soft and creamy, with a mild, slightly rich flavor.

10. Surströmming (Sweden)

Surströmming — fermented Baltic Sea herring — holds a legitimate claim as the world’s most pungent food. The fish is lightly salted and left to ferment for months, creating a pressurized can that can bulge from the gas buildup inside. Airlines have banned it as cargo. Many apartment buildings in Sweden prohibit opening cans indoors.

Yet this is a deeply traditional Swedish dish, typically served at late-summer gatherings called surströmmingsskiva, eaten on crispy bread with sour cream, sliced onion, and boiled potatoes. The flavor itself is intensely salty and acidic with a complex, aged fish taste that devoted fans find deeply satisfying — though the smell remains, for most outsiders, completely overwhelming.

11. Lutefisk (Norway/Sweden)

Lutefisk starts as dried cod or ling, then gets soaked in lye — a strongly alkaline solution — for several days before being rehydrated in water and cooked. The lye treatment breaks down the protein structure of the fish and turns the flesh gelatinous, almost translucent, with a texture unlike any other seafood preparation on earth.

The flavor is mild and lightly fishy, but the texture divides opinion sharply: fans love its silky, quivering consistency, while detractors find it genuinely unpleasant. Lutefisk is a Christmas tradition across Scandinavia and among Scandinavian-American communities in Minnesota and Wisconsin, where church lutefisk dinners still draw huge crowds every winter.

12. Century Egg (China)

The name is misleading — century eggs aren’t preserved for 100 years, but for several weeks to several months, buried in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, quicklime, and rice hulls. The alkaline environment transforms the egg entirely: the white becomes a dark, translucent jelly, while the yolk turns greenish-black and develops a deeply complex, savory flavor.

Century eggs are a common appetizer in Chinese cuisine, often sliced and served with pickled ginger, congee, or tofu. The flavor profile is intense and rich — comparable to a very strongly aged cheese — with a creamy, gelatinous texture. First-time tasters frequently find them more enjoyable than the appearance suggests.

13. Haggis (Scotland)

Scotland’s national dish doesn’t hide what it is. Haggis combines sheep’s pluck — the heart, liver, and lungs — minced with oatmeal, suet, onion, and a blend of spices including black pepper and nutmeg, all encased in the animal’s stomach and traditionally simmered for several hours.

The result is earthy, peppery, crumbly, and moist — a genuinely satisfying savory pudding that’s a staple of Scottish cuisine, especially on Burns Night every January 25th. Modern haggis is often sold in synthetic casings and is widely available in supermarkets across Scotland. Vegetarian haggis, substituting lentils and vegetables for the offal, has also become increasingly popular.

14. Fried Tarantulas (Cambodia)

In the Cambodian town of Skuon — often called “Spiderville” by travelers — deep-fried tarantulas are sold at roadside stalls as a popular snack. Each spider is typically the size of a human palm. The practice reportedly originated during the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s, when starvation forced people to find alternative protein sources. The tradition persisted and transformed into a culinary custom.

The tarantulas are marinated in MSG, salt, and sugar, then deep-fried in oil until the legs are crispy. The exterior is genuinely crunchy, while the abdomen contains a soft, slightly gooey filling. The flavor is subtly nutty, not unlike soft-shell crab, and most adventurous travelers who try one admit it’s far less intimidating than expected.

15. Witchetty Grub (Australia)

Witchetty grubs are large, white larvae of the cossid moth, found in the roots of witchetty bushes across the Australian desert. They’ve been a cornerstone of Indigenous Australian bush tucker for thousands of years, providing crucial calories, fat, and protein in an arid landscape with limited food sources.

Eaten raw, witchetty grubs have a nutty, creamy flavor reminiscent of almonds. Lightly cooked over coals, the skin crisps up while the inside becomes soft — frequently compared to scrambled eggs. Indigenous communities regard them as genuinely delicious rather than merely survivable, and bush food advocates have championed witchetty grubs as a sustainable, high-protein food source for a modern world facing food security challenges.

16. Mopane Worms (Southern Africa)

Mopane worms are the large caterpillars of the emperor moth (Gonimbrasia belina), harvested from mopane trees across Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa, and Mozambique. They’re not a novelty or a dare — they’re a genuine dietary staple providing essential protein for millions of people across the region.

Harvesters squeeze out the caterpillar’s gut contents before drying or smoking the worms for preservation. Dried mopane worms are sold in markets by the bag and eaten as snacks, rehydrated in stews, or fried with tomato and onion. Nutritionally, they’re impressive: dried mopane worms contain roughly 60% protein by dry weight, along with significant calcium, zinc, and iron.

17. Fugu (Japan)

Fugu — Japanese pufferfish — is the only food in the world where eating it incorrectly can kill you within hours. The fish’s liver, ovaries, and skin contain tetrodotoxin, a paralytic poison with no antidote that’s 1,200 times more toxic than cyanide. In Japan, chefs must complete three years of specialized training and pass rigorous government licensing examinations before they’re legally permitted to prepare it.

Yet fugu remains a celebrated high-end delicacy, typically served as sashimi sliced so thin it’s translucent. The flavor is delicate and mild — almost understated — and part of the experience is a subtle tingling sensation on the lips from trace amounts of toxin left in properly prepared flesh. For many diners, the danger is part of the appeal.

18. Drunken Shrimp (China)

This traditional Chinese dish involves live freshwater shrimp that are first immersed in strong baijiu liquor — Chinese grain spirit — to intoxicate and kill them, then served immediately, sometimes still twitching. The shrimp are eaten raw, often with a dipping sauce, delivering an intensely fresh, sweet seafood flavor layered with the sharp kick of alcohol.

Beyond the “alive” factor, drunken shrimp carries genuine food safety considerations, as raw freshwater shrimp can harbor parasites including lung flukes. Some restaurants now use a compromise approach — briefly cooking the shrimp after the baijiu bath. The dish varies significantly by region, with some versions marinating the shrimp longer before serving.

19. Stinkbugs (Southern Africa/Mexico)

Two distinct cultures independently developed a taste for stinkbugs as food, which says something interesting about human adaptability. In southern Africa, the southern green stinkbug (Nezara viridula) is collected seasonally, boiled or roasted, and eaten as a crunchy snack. In Mexico, the jumil stinkbug is eaten live, ground into salsa, or used to flavor traditional dishes in the state of Guerrero.

The flavor is genuinely distinctive — often described as medicinal, herbal, or reminiscent of tart apple, with a crunchy texture when roasted. Some communities in Mexico hold an annual “Jumil Festival” where the bugs are consumed ceremonially. Like most edible insects, stinkbugs are also a meaningful source of protein and micronutrients.

20. Black Pudding / Blood Sausage (UK/Europe)

Black pudding — a sausage made primarily from cooked pig’s blood, oatmeal, suet, and spices — is a breakfast table staple across the UK and Ireland. Similar preparations appear throughout Europe: boudin noir in France, morcilla in Spain, blutwurst in Germany, and kaszanka in Poland. Blood sausages represent one of humanity’s oldest preserved foods, dating back thousands of years.

The flavor is rich, savory, and earthy, with a subtle metallic undertone from the blood content. The texture is crumbly and dense. Far from being a fringe food, black pudding has experienced a genuine culinary renaissance in recent years, appearing on fine dining menus and even being marketed as a health food due to its high iron content.

21. Pacha (Iraq/Middle East)

Pacha is a traditional Iraqi dish built around parts of a sheep that most Western cooks discard: the head, trotters, and tripe, all slow-boiled together for hours until the meat falls from the bone and the collagen creates a deeply rich, gelatinous broth. Served with flatbread and sometimes a drizzle of vinegar or lemon, pacha is considered celebratory food in Iraq, often prepared for special occasions and family gatherings.

The long cooking process transforms every element into something tender and yielding. The flavor is intensely savory, deeply meaty, and warming — built from collagen, marrow, and fat in a way that no conventional cut of meat can match. Pacha reflects a culinary philosophy that respects the whole animal.

22. Zazamushi (Japan)

Zazamushi translates roughly as “things crawling on the riverbed” — an apt description for this traditional delicacy from the mountainous Nagano region of Japan. The dish consists of various aquatic insect larvae, including stonefly and caddisfly nymphs, collected from clear mountain streams, then simmered in soy sauce, sugar, and mirin until caramelized and glossy.

The flavor is savory-sweet, reminiscent of Japanese teriyaki, with a satisfying crunch. Zazamushi is sold in small jars in specialty food shops throughout Nagano Prefecture and is considered a regional specialty with deep roots in mountain village subsistence culture. Like most edible insects, it’s also a surprisingly nutritious food, high in protein and rich in minerals.

23. Tuna Eyeball (Japan)

Tuna eyeballs are sold in Japanese supermarkets for just a few dollars each, making them an accessible and surprisingly economical food. Each eyeball — roughly the size of a golf ball — is typically boiled or steamed and then seasoned simply with soy sauce, garlic, or salt. The eating experience involves multiple textures: a gelatinous iris, firm surrounding muscle tissue, and fatty deposits behind the eye.

The flavor is most commonly compared to squid or octopus — mild, oceanic, and slightly rich. Japanese home cooks prize tuna eyeballs both for their flavor and for their collagen content, which is believed to benefit skin health. They represent a broader Japanese culinary philosophy of minimizing food waste by using every part of an animal.

24. Cuy — Roasted Guinea Pig (Peru/Ecuador)

In North America and Europe, guinea pigs live in children’s bedrooms as pets. In Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia, they’ve been a primary source of protein for over 5,000 years. Cuy (pronounced “kwee”) is so central to Andean culture that a famous 16th-century painting in Cusco’s cathedral depicts the Last Supper with a roasted guinea pig on the table in place of lamb.

Traditionally, the whole animal is skewered and roasted over an open flame, resulting in crackling crispy skin and tender meat beneath. The flavor is most often compared to rabbit or dark-cut chicken — rich, slightly gamey, and deeply savory. Cuy is increasingly appearing in upscale Peruvian restaurants internationally as interest in Andean cuisine grows.

25. Escamoles — A Second Look (Ancient Aztec Superfood)

(If you’re keeping score, yes — insect protein has earned a double mention on this list.) While escamoles appeared earlier, it’s worth noting that the broader world of edible ant-based foods deserves special recognition. From leafcutter ant queens (hormigas culonas) roasted and eaten like popcorn in Colombia to weaver ant eggs served in Thai salads, ant-based foods appear across multiple continents with remarkably consistent flavor profiles.

For the 25th entry, consider Shirako — the sperm sacs of cod, anglerfish, or pufferfish, served as a delicacy in Japan. Shirako (which translates to “white children”) has a soft, custardy texture and a mild, creamy, subtly oceanic flavor. It’s served grilled, steamed, or in hot pot, and appears on high-end Japanese menus as a seasonal winter specialty. It is, by almost any outsider’s measure, one of the most surprising things people genuinely and enthusiastically eat.

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FAQ

Are all these foods safe to eat?

Most are perfectly safe when properly prepared. Fugu carries genuine risk if prepared incorrectly, which is why Japan strictly licenses its chefs. Drunken shrimp and other raw preparations carry standard raw food risks. The vast majority of items on this list — from haggis to century eggs to mopane worms — are as safe as any conventional food.

Why do different cultures eat such different things?

Food choices are shaped by geography, climate, available resources, historical necessity, and accumulated cultural knowledge. What gets classified as “food” versus “not food” is almost entirely cultural rather than biological. Insects, for example, are consumed by an estimated 2 billion people worldwide — making them statistically more “normal” than many Western foods.

Which of these foods is the most nutritious?

Mopane worms and other edible insects consistently rank among the most nutritionally dense options, offering high-quality protein, healthy fats, and significant mineral content in compact form. Escamoles, witchetty grubs, and zazamushi also offer impressive nutritional profiles. Many of the fermented foods — century eggs, surströmming, and others — also deliver meaningful probiotic benefits.

Which of these bizarre foods is the most expensive?

Kopi luwak is among the world’s most expensive beverages, reaching $600 per pound. Bird’s nest soup can cost hundreds of dollars per bowl. Fugu at a high-end restaurant in Tokyo can set you back $200 or more per person. Escamoles, often called “insect caviar,” also command prices comparable to actual caviar in upscale Mexican restaurants.

Is eating insects actually sustainable?

Yes — significantly more so than conventional livestock. Insects require far less land, water, and feed to produce equivalent protein. They also emit considerably less greenhouse gas. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization has actively promoted edible insects as a key part of sustainable future food systems, citing the practices of the 2 billion people who already incorporate them into their diets.

Where can I try some of these unusual foods?

Several items are more accessible than you’d expect. Black pudding is available at most UK-style breakfast spots worldwide. Century eggs and bird’s nest soup appear in many Chinese restaurants internationally. Rocky Mountain oysters are a festival staple across the American West. For the more exotic entries like hakarl or surströmming, food festivals and specialty importers are your best bet — or book a flight.

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The Real Lesson: “Weird” Is Just a Matter of Perspective

Every culture thinks its own food is normal and everyone else’s is strange. The French eat raw beef (steak tartare) and consider it refined. Americans eat Cheez Whiz from a can and consider it a snack. Australians put yeast extract on toast and consider it breakfast. What unites all 25 things we can’t believe people actually eat is that someone, somewhere, genuinely loves them — often passionately, with centuries of cultural tradition behind every bite.

The world’s most surprising foods aren’t just curiosities. They’re evidence of human ingenuity, adaptability, and the remarkable ability to find nourishment, pleasure, and meaning in whatever the environment provides. Next time something on a menu makes you hesitate, remember that hesitation is just unfamiliarity dressed up as disgust. The most adventurous thing you can do at a dinner table is keep an open mind.

If you enjoyed this deep dive into global culinary diversity, List25 has plenty more fascinating lists to fuel your curiosity about the world’s most surprising stories, facts, and yes — foods.

Last Update: July 20, 2026