10 most disgusting foods and drinks in the world

1. Igunak

We've already mentioned a delicious, aromatic and very nutritious Eskimo dish called kopalchem. It is made from deer buried for several months in the tundra. But there are also more mouth-watering variations on this culinary masterpiece. For example, an Inuit delicacy called igunakP. Freuchen, F. Salomonsen. The arctic year.

The dish is prepared in the summer, the recipe is as follows. We take the walrus. In principle, other marine mammals will work as well, but the classic version implies this particular animal. We cool the prey in water, cut and place the meat in a walrus or seal skin bag. We bury it on the surf line under gravel, and then with a clear conscience we go home and wait patiently.

In December, you can dig up the finished product and enjoy the delicate taste and aroma. It resembles rancid bacon and smells very, very rotten.

Grayish meat is traditionally rolled up and dipped in salt. But you can just as well make dumplings or cutlets from the igunak - what's the difference, you still get poisoned.

Fermented Inuit Meat AdaptedL. M. Martinez-Levasseur, M. Simard. Towards a better understanding of the benefits and risks of country food consumption using the case of walruses in Nunavik (Northern Quebec, Canada) / Science of The Total Environment there are for many centuries of evolution, their organisms are resistant to botulinum toxin. The latter, for a second, is the strongest organic poison known to science, produced by special bacteria in the soil, in an airless environment. In ordinary canned food prepared in violation of technology, he too comes across. Keep in mind.

By the way, if the walrus is not at hand, it can be replaced by a whale that has washed ashore. And it's okay if it's not very fresh.

2. Warthog anus

The African warthog is a wild pig weighing up to 70 kilograms, equipped with huge protruding fangs.

In case you didn't know, Pumbaa from Disney's The Lion King is a warthog.

The inhabitants of Namibia from the Owambo tribe eat mumps whole, but the anus of the animal is considered a special delicacy. The sphincter with a fragment of the rectum and the remains of feces are bakedWarthog Anus / Top 5 Buzz in ash. The dish must be removed from the fire in time so that it is fried on the outside, but inside it remains soft and tender.

The American TV host and chef Anthony Bourdin (now deceased) once tasted this dish. According to himTony's tough / New York Post, it was completely tasteless, but you can't refuse: you will offend the leader of the tribe and what good. As a result, the culinary specialist had to be treated for a long time from parasitesbecause the warthog's anus is not cleaned in any way before cooking.

3. Mouse wine

Drinking is quite popular10 of the world’s most disgusting foods / The Drinks Buisness in China and Korea. This is a traditional rice wine that is infused for a year on... mice. Rodents give a particularly delicate bouquet to this noble drink.

Some wits claim that it tastes like thinned gasoline.

It is believed that mouse wine improves health, helps with asthma and adds strength to men. However, the Chinese seem to be inclined to regard any remedy in general as improving potency.

In addition, there are other drinks in China and Southeast Asia.J. A. Galván. They Do What? A Cultural Encyclopedia of Extraordinary and Exotic Customs from around the World: A Cultural Encyclopedia of Extraordinary and Exotic Customs from around the Worldinfused with various interesting creatures. For example, on poisonous snakes, various insects and scorpions.

4. Maktak

Animal fat is a traditional product of various nations. The amount of meat in it can vary, but in one form or another, good old lard is present in many cuisines of the world: lard, lardo, bacon, cracklings, and the like. It is very high in calories and nutritious.

Residents of Chukotka also love lard. But they don't have pigs, and they harvest the fat of the bowhead whale. This is called a maktak. Basically, belugas and narwhals will work too. The main thing is to be thicker.

The fat stores of a whale taste like a very oily bacon with a nutty flavor.

Usually maktak is eaten raw. 1. M. P. Heide ‑ Jørgensen. Distribution, exploitation and population status of white whales (Delphinapterus leucas) and narwhals (Monodon monoceros) in West Greenland
2. R. Wagemann, N. B. Snow, A. Lutz, D. P. Scott. Heavy Metals in Tissues and Organs of the Narwhal (Monodon monoceros) / Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, without any processing at all. But some gourmets deep-fry it and eat it with soy sauce.

Chukchi use whale fat as a source vitamins C and D, the only one available to them. Members of British Arctic expeditions also ate blubber to protect themselves from scurvy.

However, this product is not at all safe: whales accumulate a lot of mercury, cadmium and carcinogens in the liver, kidneys, muscles and fat during their lives. These substances do not particularly harm them, but such a diet threatens people with serious diseases of the nervous, immune and reproductive systems.

5. Anllek

Anllek is another delicacy of the northern peoples, in particular the Eskimos. He prepares like this.

We go to the tundra in the area of ​​the Yukon river delta. We are looking for holes of mice-voles there. In them, prudent animals hide food reserves from the roots of various plants, in particular - cottongrass vaginal and narrow-leaved, as well as a penny. The rhizomes of these plants are calledC. A. Heller. Wild Edible and Poisonous Plants of Alaska Eskimo sweet potato, or annleck.

Gently put our finger into the hole and take out the mouse food from there. Repeat until we have enough roots. They should be eaten raw, cooked into soup, or mixed with raw seal fat.

As a token of gratitude, the mice should be replaced with something. This is considered a sign of good manners.

6. Urumite

This word refers to the droppings of the mountain partridge that lives in Greenland and northern Canada. Some peoples living there consider bird guano to be overeating - everything is so bad there with normal food.

The dish is prepared like this. First you need to wait until the droppings dry 1. This Shit Is a Delicacy / Vice
2. L. Millman. Bon appetit and will take the form of small granules - it will take several months. The mountain partridge is not the cleanest bird and can defecate in one place 50 times, so the product is easy to collect.

The droppings are mixed with stale oily seal fat or with the blood of a seal or the same partridge. You can add raw seal meat to this side dish.

The faeces should be chewed thoroughly before serving to soften and absorb saliva. Traditionally, this is done by caring Greenlandic women.

Urumite smells like Italian cheese gorgonzola, in which there are notes of rancid fat.

7. Whale beer

Another curious alcoholic drink 1. Anti ‑ whaling campaigners outraged by seasonal beer containing whale testicles / Iceland Magazine
2. 7 Weird & Wonderful Beers Of The World / Journo. It is produced in a limited edition by Stedji Brewery and is officially called Hvalur 2. This beer can only be sipped in Iceland during the Torri month festival in honor of the middle of winter.

This is, in fact, a completely ordinary beer brewed from pure water, barley and berry hops.

But it contains an unusual ingredient - whale eggs smoked on sheep dung.

Yes, you got it right. We take the scrotum of a finwhale whale, set fire to sheep feces, hold the testicles over the smoke. Then we put it in the barrel where the beer is infused. Very appetizing. It tastes like an ordinary ale with a light smack of caramel and coffee.

There is also the Hvalur 1 beer. It is cheaper because it does not use testicles, but any meat and even whale bones. But insisting on testicles is somehow more noble.

Members of the Society for the Conservation of Whales and dolphins demand that such drinks be banned. But so far there are no official laws against Hvalur, so this is a perfectly legal, albeit rather expensive, beer. You can't get enough of whales for all those who like to drink, so the prices bite.

8. Shiokara

Japanese sake appetizer, which some gourmets also consume with whiskey. It is prepared like this: we take the squid, put it in a jar, fill it with rice and salt and wait a month.

The result isIshige. History Of Japanese Food a disgusting gruel of fermented tentacles, reminiscent of the effects of an upset digestive tract.

Shiokara was invented in antiquity in the northeastern prefectures of Japan. Well, how they invented... Poor fishermen then did not manage to store seafood for a long time, and they constantly sour in tubs. But there was something that was needed, so that rotten squid as food could get away from hunger. Over time, you will get involved and even convince yourself that this is a delicacy.

Shiocar is usually consumed by swallowing a bite quickly and drinking the sake in one gulp.

Instead of squid, you can use striped tuna, sea urchin, cuttlefish, smelt, or salmon. The dish is traditionally served with rice and vegetables.

Someone says it tastes like jerky anchovies, but at the same time, the shiokara is much stronger, more vigorous and saltier. It has a peculiar smell and a simply nauseous slimy texture. You will have to try to suppress instincts and force yourself to eat it.

9. Beondegi

The dish is common in Korea, China, Japan, Vietnam and Thailand. It gained popularity during the Korean War of 1950-1953, when, due to hunger, it was not particularly necessary to choose sources of protein.

"Beondegi" is translated from Korean as "chrysalis". These are silkworm cocoons planted on toothpicks. There are several variations 1. B. Kraig, C. T. Sen. Street Food around the World: An Encyclopedia of Food and Culture: An Encyclopedia of Food and Culture
2. Beondegi / Atlas Obscura this appetizer. So, beondegi can be eaten raw, fried with peppers and herbs, deep-fried or cooked in sweet and sour sauce with soy and sugar.

For hikers and climbers, there is a canned option.

Those who dared to chew this delicacy mentioned that the outside of the pupa is crispy, inside it is soft and juicy, and the taste is very spicy, sour and with a slight aftertaste of fish, nut and rubber.

10. Flying fox soup

Basically, a flying fox (which is the largest bat in the world) doesn't taste particularly nasty if you only eat meat. That's just a traditional Indonesian soupD. W. Buden, K. M. Helgen, G. J. Wiles. Taxonomy, distribution, and natural history of flying foxes (Chiroptera, Pteropodidae) in the Mortlock Islands and Chuuk State, Caroline Islands / ZooKeys it is placed entirely - along with wings, hair, teeth and claws.

The dish has many fans, despite its specific smell. The fact is that flying foxes send their natural needs to themselves. This is to be expected from a creature that hangs upside down from a tree.

In Manado, most locals consume flying fox meat at least once a month.

Coronavirus it is unlikely that you can get infected through the soup, but you get a neurotoxin from a flying foxS. A. Banacka, S. J. Murch, P. A. Cox. Neurotoxic flying foxes as dietary items for the Chamorro people, Marianas Islands / Journal of Ethnopharmacology the hard-to-pronounce name beta-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) is easy.

The fact is that bats eat an unpeeled cycad. For humans, a substance contained in raw fruits is harmful: it causes neurodegenerative diseases that destroy brain cells. Bats have little brain, so they are indifferent to neurotoxin.

Bonus: hit

Strictly speaking, this dish is not at all disgusting. Cui (in the language of the Peruvian Indians cuy or cui) tastes almost identical to rabbit meat, even more tender. This is a dietary and pleasant meat, which it would be appropriate to call sea pork.

Well, that is, it is boiled, fried or stewed guinea pig. Yes, the one that is sour in your cage on the windowsill. Traditionally, the Indians in the Andean region bred and cooked these rodents like rabbits. Only the stupid pale-faced people did not guess that this was food, and began to keep the fluffies just for entertainment.

Peruvians consumeE. Morales. The Guinea Pig: Healing, Food, and Ritual in the Andes about 65 million of these animals.

But in order to try Kui, you don't have to go to South America.

An ordinary dish is prepared like this: a peeled guinea pig carcass is baked with sweet potatoes and tomatoes. Meat is rich in protein, but contains very little fat and cholesterol. So it can be eaten on a diet or while gaining muscle mass.