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Exotic Foods

Maya

Maya

Bluelight Crew
Joined
Feb 17, 2013
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I would like to share some information about an exotic food from my native country Philippines which is called "Balut." Balut is derived from the word balot meaning "wrapped."

Balut is described as a developing duck embryo that is boiled and eaten in the shell. These are very commn in Southeast Asian countries but it is more popular in the Philippines and it is commonly sold in the streets. I prefer eating Balut with vinegar but you can also tasty with salt, chili or garlic.


Jonnavi said:
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The appearance of Balut may not be appealing if you did not grow up with it. When it comes to health benefits, balut is high in protein and calcium. A serving of balut contain 188 calories, including 14 grams each of protein and fat, 2 milligrams of iron and 116 milligrams of calcium.

I am curious to know what exotic foods any of you bluelighters are aware of or have tried. Please share some information, photos, health benefits etc.
 
Basically, my dream would be to travel the world and sample local cuisine a la Anthony Bourdain or Andrew Zimmern. I've had quite a few exotic or "weird" dishes (weird to most Americans anyway). Luckily, the United States has an extremely diverse culinary profile and you can find just about any kind of exotic cuisine you want, if you know where to look. Just to list a few that I've tried:

- Durian (both raw and cooked into a lamb curry - it's much better cooked)
- Horse steaks
- fried crickets/worms/tarantulas/scorpions
- Lamb, cow, pig, and goat testicles
- Sannakji
- Natto
- Haggis
- Tripe/Liver/Tounge/Kidneys/Brains and just about every other kind of beef/pork offal.
- Ostrich
- Armadillo

The list could go on for a while, but those were the ones that immediately popped into my head.

Since it was featured in the OP, I should also mention that I've had Balut before. I went to a farmer's market in San Francisco and as I was browsing I ended up in an area with lots of Filipino vendors selling various fruits and vegetables. One stand however, run by this tiny old Filipino woman (who I couldn't understand) was selling duck eggs. I had known about Balut by this point (it's a pretty infamous dish) but never thought I'd have the opportunity to try it, so I asked the woman if she had any because it seemed like the best bet. At first she looked confused then her daughter (or granddaughter) explained to her what I meant (I was pronouncing it wrong) - then the little old lady beamed at me and patted me on the cheek and pulled out a little lunchbox which, in fact, contained Balut. Apparently, they don't even bother trying to sell them because most Americans won't touch the stuff, so the old lady keeps a stash of Balut for herself (the daughter/granddaughter wouldn't even eat them). She cracked open the egg and gave me some kind of chili/garlic/vinegar paste and a little bit of salt. I gotta say, Balut is extremely intimidating to someone not used to such things, but I wasn't going to chicken out in front of the nice old lady who freely gave me some of her lunch. It actually tasted quite nice with the chilis and the garlic - it had a very strong egg flavor (moreso than a hardboiled chicken egg) and the embryo itself didn't really taste like much, it just kind of had a mushy texture.

I'd definitely eat it again, if only to freak people out. :D
 
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MrGrunge said:
Basically, my dream would be to travel the world and sample local cuisine a la Anthony Bourdain or Andrew Zimmern. I've had quite a few exotic or "weird" dishes (weird to most Americans anyway). Luckily, the United States has an extremely diverse culinary profile and you can find just about any kind of exotic cuisine you want, if you know where to look. Just to list a few that I've tried:

- Durian (both raw and cooked into a lamb curry - it's much better cooked)
- Horse steaks
- Lamb, cow, pig, and goat testicles
- Sannakji
- Sweet Bread (the thymus gland of the cow)
- Natto
- Haggis
- Tripe/Liver/Tounge/Kidneys/Brains and just about every other kind of (beef/pork) offal.
- Ostrich
- Armadillo

The list could go on for a while, but those were the ones that immediately popped into my head.

Since it was featured in the OP, I should also mention that I've had Balut before. I went to a farmer's market in San Francisco and as I was browsing I ended up in an area with lots of Filipino vendors selling various fruits and vegetables. One stand however, run by this tiny old Filipino woman (who I couldn't understand) was selling duck eggs. I had known about Balut by this point (it's a pretty infamous dish) but never thought I'd have the opportunity to try it, so I asked the woman if she had any because it seemed like the best bet. At first she looked confused then her daughter (or granddaughter) explained to her what I meant (I was pronouncing it wrong) - then the little old lady beamed at me and patted me on the cheek and pulled out a little lunchbox which, in fact, contained Balut. Apparently, they don't even bother trying to sell them because most Americans won't touch the stuff, so the old lady keeps a stash of Balut for herself (the daughter/granddaughter wouldn't even eat them). She cracked open the egg and gave me some kind of chili/garlic/vinegar paste and a little bit of salt. I gotta say, Balut is extremely intimidating to someone not used to such things, but I wasn't going to chicken out in front of the nice old lady who freely gave me some of her lunch. It actually tasted quite nice with the chilis and the garlic - it had a very strong egg flavor (moreso than a hardboiled chicken egg) and the embryo itself didn't really taste like much, it just kind of had a mushy texture.

I'd definitely eat it again, if only to freak people out. :D
Click to expand...

I have actually had durian as well back in the Philippines. When I first encountered it when I was younger I didn't really like how it looked but one time my mom told me that I won't be able to go out side and play if I didn't eat my fruit so I was sort of forced into eating it. It was okay but it is not my favorite fruit. You are going to love the Philippines!

http://www.travelbook.ph/media/articles/10-exotic-filipino-dishes-and-where-to-find-them

You should travel there one time to try out the foods and the tourist spots. I haven't gone home since 2003 and I am super homesick :(
 
I've tried
fried crickets (yum)
bull testicles (yum)
Several snakes and monkeys whose names I forgot in the Surinamese jungle (mostly yum)
sperm whale (I still feel guilty about this, but it was good)
fermented Greenland shark (disgusting)
Fried lamb's brain (really good)
Puffin (fairly good)
Ostrich (awesome)

I'm wondering about the story behind the horse semen too :D
 
MrGrunge said:
^ 3 questions:

1. What size glass?
2. How did it taste?
3. How much money did you win?
Click to expand...

Well I don't know if you've seen those things they have for getting a horse to ejaculate so they can collect the sperm, the guy was basically getting the horse ready and then when it was obviously getting close he went under the horse and started swallowing most of it.
 
Fugu

is the Japanese word for pufferfish and the dish prepared from it, normally species of genus Takifugu, Lagocephalus, or Sphoeroides, or porcupinefish of the genus Diodon. Fugu can be lethally poisonous due to its tetrodotoxin; therefore, it must be carefully prepared to remove toxic parts and to avoid contaminating the meat. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fugu
 
tkarr said:
Well I don't know if you've seen those things they have for getting a horse to ejaculate so they can collect the sperm, the guy was basically getting the horse ready and then when it was obviously getting close he went under the horse and started swallowing most of it.
Click to expand...

Hmmm...this answered none of my questions and instead only raised more questions...
 
Speaking of crickets, I would like to try this:



Chocolate crickets look yummy :D
 
While in China I ate duck blood soup, which tasted metalic because of the iron content. The blood curdles like tofu when cooked.

I also tried pig brains at a hot-pot restaurant. They bring them out whole and fresh, and you cook them yourself. I was actually quite disgusted by that one.

I've also eaten dog.
 
Foreigner said:
While in China I ate duck blood soup, which tasted metalic because of the iron content. The blood curdles like tofu when cooked.

I also tried pig brains at a hot-pot restaurant. They bring them out whole and fresh, and you cook them yourself. I was actually quite disgusted by that one.

I've also eaten dog.
Click to expand...

We actually have a dish called "Asocena" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asocena in the Philippines. I haven't actually tried it but some of my uncles say it is nutritious and exceptionally delicious with a glass of beer:D
 
MrGrunge said:
Hmmm...this answered none of my questions and instead only raised more questions...
Click to expand...

Yea raised questions of my own. And I don't want them answered. I just dry heaved in my mouth just trying not to think about it.
 
I will sometimes research animals and then think about eating them. Most recently I thought about eating a coyote, specifically its brain. Another time it was one of the big cats.

The most exotic I eat around here are taro root type vegetables, and lotus root. Lots of allergies and can still handle taro. I am frequently in search of food that my body won't try to attack, so it has led me to other markets.

I have ate raw beef before. I'd eat raw anything if I was guaranteed to tolerate it. I'd eat out of toilet if it didn't make me sick. I'd eat a steady diet of poop.
 
I love Ikura sushi! I am not big on sushi but Ikura sushi is delicious!
 
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