Which of these exotic foods/dishes have you tried or would you like to sample?

[True Dough]

Foie gras

Escargot

Caviar

Frog's legs

Kangaroo

Octopus

Head cheese

Chicken feet

Shark fin soup

Balut

Sea cucumber

Grasshoppers

Ants

Flower-bred worms




BON APPETIT!!!

[greatauntoftriplets]

1. Does "already eaten" count?

When I was in China 40 years ago, they put sea cucumbers in various dishes. I had no idea what they were, other than the fact they were gross. I quickly learned to identify them and avoided the things after that.

Everything else on that list is thumbs down.

[some_of_us_are_sane]

2. BARF!

NONE of the above. Give me a simple mean of hearty soup and crusty fresh bread or a lovely BLT with fries on the side.

[Gaugamela]

3. What I've tried:

Liked
Foie gras
Escargot
Frog’s legs
Octopus

Disliked
Caviar
Grasshoppers
Ants

[cachukis]

4. Have had

Foie gras, escargot, caviar, frogs legs, octopus, head cheese, chicken feet, shark fin soup, grasshoppers, grubs, fish eyes, Philippine fertilized duck eggs, balut?, pig brains, cow brains, squirrel, rabbit, conch brains, tomali, fried bamboo caterpillars, and some stuff I can't remember.

[True Dough]

6. Wow!

That's quite an impressive list.

I couldn't swallow most of that. Did the taste and/or texture of any of those foods make you gag?

[cachukis]

8. Was on Tobacco Cay in Belize in 1978 and one of

the few inhabitants survived a hurricane in 1966 strapped to a palm tree. All the tobacco plants were washed away. He survived by farming conch. Pulled them out of the lagoon and caged them until harvest. My travelling pal and I cleaned 74 of them. He said eating the brains was an aphrodisiac and we would have wild sex when we went ashore.
He had a small store front in Stann Creek and every one in town knew he was there to make fritters. That was how he raised cash. Ours were on the house. The best conch fritters ever.
The brains were not so tasty but after the first couple it was clean, gulp and move on. As for the aphrodisiac, we were taken. Also had sea urchin for the first time. First tastes were weird, but after a few of those fell in love. Any body who wants to offer me a taste of those, I'm in.

[dhol82]

13. Where the heck are the brains located?

Never considered that conchs had brains. Guess they must have but never thought about how they would taste.

[cachukis]

14. Not having done this in 40 plus years,

you have to make a hole in the shell and cut out the conch body. Slimy as hell. You have to hold the body as firmly as possible and cut from the antennae along its back to remove the nervous system. There are these long translucent nerves? from the brain from where the antennae extend.
You look at this mess and think I'm going to have aphrodisiacal sex that I've never had, because I am in a primeval state, and you slurp it down. 30 times, anyway. I am still here.

[Marthe48]

5. I've tried a few

years ago. Most I wouldn't try now, in case the species is endangered.

[True Dough]

7. If you're worried

about endangered, stick with ants and termites, Marthe!

[Marthe48]

9. That's a great argument for being vegan

Thanks!

[True Dough]

10. Enjoy

your carrots, Marthe!

[Marthe48]

11. Lol

Milk and honey, if that

[dhol82]

12. Kangaroo, sea cucumber and balut.

Only ones I have never tried.
The only one I will never try is balut. The thought of chowing down on baby feathers just grosses me out.

[cachukis]

15. Have to tell you, the feathers are soft and unnoticeable.

Taste is chicken and eggs. Just weird looking.

[dhol82]

23. I have heard the beak is crispy.

Still a no.

[cachukis]

24. Chewy, but not unusual chew.

Been a curious foody all along.
Remember a lunch in Sorrento when I was 16. Seafood platter with stuff I had never seen on a plate. Calamari, minnows, and what not. 1968.
Grew up in fish land, New England, and said if they put it on a plate, it must be good. It was.
Had zebu tongue in Madagascar. Memorable.

[some_of_us_are_sane]

16. I DO confess

I have eaten CROW quite frequently.

[Kali]

17. I have had caviar, octopus, and sea cucumber

not interested in any of the list other than possibly octopus again, but I confess it is weird I can eat and handle sea food but land snails squick me the hell out even if prepared in butter and garlic. you would think anything in garlic butter would be OK

sea cucumbers aren't really edible, they are just rubbery and flavorless

oh chicken feet are probably fine if they are cleaned well.

edit oh yeah, have had kangaroo - in an Asian buffet in Germany. it was not particularly "interesting" would probably eat again but not go seeking it out.

[electric_blue68]

18. A few...

My dad took us to a French restaurant decades ago. Had frog legs. Tasted like (heh) chicken.

Taramasalata "Greek Caviar". I first had this at a Greek restaurant with relatives when I was a teen.
It's salted & cured (not sturgeon) fish roe. Blended with bread or potatoes, olive oil, lemon juice. Sometimes onion, garlic, dill.
Didn't have it for a long time. Then in my 30's onward off & on.

Possibly foie gras. I was in Western (French) Switzerland; a vacy w my relatives. Went to their friends for dinner.
Had some kind of dark colored dip before the wondeful fondue!

(Fried) Chicken feet. Chinese restaurant a few times.

No to the rest. Especially no to octopi, balut (just saw a photo! Omg! Ewwww!!!), the insects, and worms!

A Mexican restaurant in one of my old nabes had ?chocolate covered crickets. Uh...no.

[Floyd R. Turbo]

19. Had everything except:

Chicken feet

Shark fin soup

Balut

Sea cucumber

Flower-bred worms

[True Dough]

20. Have any of those exotic foods

ever made an appearance in one of your food threads, Floyd?

[Floyd R. Turbo]

22. Foie gras Escargot Caviar Frog's legs

[quaint]

21. Eaten only five, I plead coercion or a challenge.

Escargot
Caviar
Frog's legs
Octopus
Sea cucumber

Flower-bred worms: Mealworms for lizards and birds