11 Scariest Foods to Eat in the World

1.  Fried Brains

Apparently, brains are not just for zombies - in St. Louis, Missouri they have a sandwich made from fried calves' brain and served on white bread or a hamburger bun.  Beef brains (sesos) are also used in tacos and burritos so make sure you clarify when you order a taco!

2.  Haggis

Haggis does not look too scary but take into consideration that the traditional Scottish is made with the minced heart, liver and lung of a sheep mixed with onion, spices, oatmeal, salt and stock, and boiled in the sheep's stomach for a few hours. Larousse Gastronomique, a popular encyclopedia of gastronomic delights, claims that haggis has "an excellent nutty texture and delicious savory flavor." Back in the day, it was served in the sheep's stomach ... this does not really say YUM to me ... but now they use artificial casings.

 
3.  Bugs

 We have all seen the reality shows that have contestants wolfing down tarantulas or grasshoppers or other squirmy things that we would normally shriek and squish but in Thailand, the street vendors lay out their wares so that you can buy them.  on purpose.  and eat them.  on purpose.

4.  Rocky Mountain Oysters

This is kind of a tongue in cheek name because there are no oysters in the Rocky Mountains since there is no ocean in the Rocky Mountains so beware because Rocky Mountain Oysters are actually ... testicles.  The good news is that you can still have the cocktail sauce! The testicles are peeled, boiled, rolled in a flour mixture, fried, and then served with a nice cocktail sauce.

6. Camel Hump

I first saw this on Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations when he was in Saudi Arabia.  The camel hump was cooked and then set out for an enormous amount of people.  A foodie blogger, Anissa, shares her camel experiences here.  I was taken aback in the UAE that they advertised camel's milk as "camelicious" but this takes it to a whole new level, or depending on the humps, two levels.   

7.  Fugu

Fugu is the poisonous puffer fish, filled with enough of the poison tetrodotoxin to be lethal. There is no antidote to the poison so this is a thrill seeker dream for food.  The liver is the most toxic part and the sale of the liver has been outlawed in Japan but still there are those that have lost their lives to it by preparing improperly.

 
8. Casu Marzu

Allow me to break this down simply - Casu Marzu is maggot cheese.  It is a traditional Sardinian cheese infused with live insect larvae.  To make your eating experience even more interesting, the larvae can launch themselves up to six inches.  while you are eating the cheese.  Larvae and launch should never really appear in the same sentence.   According to Sardinian foodies, you should never eat it when the maggots are dead as this would be unsafe.  right.  got it.

9. Sannakji

In Korea - sushi and sashimi are never considered as fresh as sannakji - live baby octopus.  Live as it is going into your mouth but you better swallow quickly and be alert because their active suction cups can be a choking hazard as they can stick to your throat,  you know, while you are swallowing them.

10. Balut

Balut is a fertilized duck (or chicken) egg with a nearly-developed embryo inside that is boiled and eaten in the shell.  Balut is very common in the Philippines, Cambodia and Vietnam and usually sold by street vendors. It has ascended to the ranks of haute cuisine though in these countries which apparently call for eating a baby chicken fetus.  It is said that the legs provide a bit of a crunch.

11.  Baby Mice Wine

 

And where would we be without a nice beverage to wash down our brains and bugs and testicles? Probably less queasy but may we recommend the pairing of a nice bottle of ... baby mice wine. Take a bottle of rice wine, go raid the nearest mouse house and kidnap the wee buggers at the not so ripe age of 2-3 days (no hair) and pop them all into a bottle of that rice wine. The bottle then sits in the cellar for at least a year while the mice ferment. and there you have it. if you can stomach it.

What is the scariest food that you have ever tasted?