Gross: these are the 10 weirdest snacks in the world

A true foodie is a diehard dare devil when it comes to food. After all, if you’ve tried it, you know what you’re talking about. Bizarre flavor combinations? Weird products from the supermarket? Foreign dishes you might be better off avoiding? Your opinion only counts once you’ve tried the dish. Although, speaking of those foreign dishes… When you’re traveling, your calling as a foodie is sometimes put to the very, very extreme test. What am I saying—your entire existence as a human being. Just check out the 10 bizarre snacks below. Would you dare eat them, or would you politely decline?

Sannakji

Are you practicing eating fish and just starting to enjoy it a little? Then I hope the explanation of sannakji doesn’t ruin that process. Sannakji is—brace yourself—a plate of live baby octopuses. Not completely alive, because they’re almost dead, but yes, they’re still alive. You don’t just see that when the wriggling little octopuses are placed in front of you; you feel it when you swallow them too. If you’re unlucky, the octopuses’ suction cups will stick to your throat. How horrifying.

Squirrel Brains

Squirrels are the kind of creatures that make you squeal with spontaneous excitement when you see them. They’re simply remarkable animals, with their reddish-brown fur and fluffy tails. What will also make you squeal is the fact that in Kentucky (United States), you can order squirrel brains as a snack. Sometimes on toast, sometimes with scrambled egg on the side. Who ever looked at a squirrel and thought: let me take out its brains and see if this would make a tasty little snack for tonight’s movie?!

Nutria

Nutria sounds like baby food. I can tell you, it isn’t. What it is: a small, fat river rat slash beaver that people enjoy eating in South America. With my phobia of rats, I’d be massively traumatized if I realized I was eating a piece of rat. Horrifying. To end on a positive note: it is an extremely healthy snack. Nutria contains hardly any fat and is packed with protein. A remarkable alternative to your chicken breast!

Yak Penis

Yup, Yak Penis is exactly what you think it is. A penis. From a yak. That’s a type of cattle in the same category as bison and water buffalo. You can try this juicy snack in China, ideally with some soy sauce (perhaps one of these 12 Asian varieties?). It is said to cure impotence in men and acne in women. Is it for you?

Brains Sandwich

Animal brains seem to be quite a delicacy in America. While you have to go to Kentucky for squirrel brains, in St. Louis you can find a calf-brain sandwich. Correction: you could. When mad cow disease broke out there some time ago, the brains sandwich could no longer be found anywhere in the country. Now you can still find it in El Salvador and Mexico. There, you don’t get it in a sandwich, but in a taco or burrito.

Rocky Mountain Oysters

If you order Rocky Mountain Oysters in the United States or Canada, you’ll be surprised to receive no oysters at all. Far from it, in fact. No, Rocky Mountain Oysters are nothing less than deep-fried bull or boar testicles. You wouldn’t guess that when they’re served in front of you: they look remarkably like crispy chicken. So if there’s one snack with which you can fool someone completely, it’s Rocky Mountain Oysters. You dip the balls in a delicious cocktail sauce. Enjoy!

Bat Paste

Something fun to try if you’re sick to death of that eternal Nutella: bat paste. Or well, actually, it’s not fun at all to try this Thai “delicacy.” It’s a bizarre snack that’s unfriendly to both animals and humans. Unfriendly to animals because the creatures are treated in downright horrific ways: they’re thrown alive into boiling water and then ground into a paste, fur and all. Unfriendly to humans because bats are full of nasty diseases, which means we can become seriously ill too. So skip it if you’re in Thailand and stick to your jar of Nutella.

Fugu

Speaking of diehard dare devils: fugu is a snack that really isn’t for everyone. Not even for the chef. What exactly is this Japanese fish dish? A preparation of poisonous pufferfish. If this fish isn’t prepared properly, it could mean your death. The poison is lethal, after all. Only chefs who have completed special training are allowed to prepare fugu. A truly terrifying delicacy.

Cuy

Do you have (or did you used to have) a guinea pig? Then it probably—hopefully—never occurred to you to eat this adorable little animal. In Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru, they think differently. There, roasted guinea pig, or cuy, is a true delicacy. Gulp. Give your beloved furry friend an extra-big hug later.

Salo

In general, we’re quite fond of fatty food. But eating pure pork fat (because that’s what salo is)… that’s too much for us. Not in Slavic countries. There, they turn it into a delicious snack, complete with a shot of vodka on the side. Probably to wash it down properly afterward. It can’t be any other way.

Read also:

• 10 bizarre flavor combinations that are tastier than you think
• Know before you go: 10 Scandinavian dishes you might want to avoid
• 10 of the grossest delicacies ever

Sources: Reisgraag.nl and Knack Weekend