Foods don't make it onto this list just because they are generally unpopular. President Bush hated broccoli. So what? Foods on this list have some status as a cultural marker. Sometimes it's a tough call. For example, "donuts" (doughnuts, originally "oly cakes") are distinctly American, and I've met many French people who despise them. Chacun a son gout (They gave my son gout) as they say. Do they qualify as "weird-disgusting" or not? Peanut butter was invented in America, widely reviled in Europe. What do you think? I think it stands as a bit of Americana. Cary Grant once ordered a peanut butter sandwich in New York's 21 club.

Here's my list so far. What can you add? (It's arranged roughly geographically, going east from longitude zero.)

England: Warm Beer, Blood Pudding, Jellied Eels, Spotted Dick, Liver and Lights, Kidney Pie, Brawn, Bubble and Squeak, Fried Bread, Crisps with Flavors

Scotland: Haggis, Irn Bru, Blood (Black) Pudding, Herring Roe, Potted Hough, Sheep's Head, Ox Tongue, Oxtail, White Puddings, Powsowdie

Wales: Laver Bread, Rook Pie, Lardy Cake

Sweden: Sylta (Head Cheese)

Norway: Lutefisk, Gravlax

Denmark: Oellebroed, Skipsol, Beer-Jelly, Sild, Gamle Ole, Gammel Dansk, Nordsoe Olie, Rullepoelse, Flaeskesvaer, Skaerpekoed, Rastefisk, Grind, Spaek

Netherlands: Salted Horsemeat Sandwiches, Raw Salted Herring, Peanut Butter Sauce on French Fries, Hete Bliksem

France: Tripe, Frog's Legs, Bleu Cheese, Roquefort, Steak Tartare, Brains, Truffles, Camel's Feet, Boudin

Spain: Criadillas, Morcillas

European Jews: Schmaltz, Gefilte Fish, Kishke

Germany: Limburger, Bierkase, Blutwurst, Kuddeln, Ochsenmaul-Salat, Schweinsmagen, Curry Wurst

Italy: Cynar and Campari liqueurs, Carpaccio, Cibreo, Song Birds, Gorgonzola

Greece: Retsina

Sicily: Ricci di Mare

Sardinia: Maggot-Cheese

Mediterranean: Sheep's head. The whole thing, cooked and skinned. Includes the eyeballs. Cheese (what a concept!) Octopus, Cicada, Octopus and Squid in Ink

Russia: Borscht, Kvass, Caviar, Vesiga

Africa: Blood fresh from living livestock, Grasshoppers, Okra, Fufu, Gari, Urine, Ugali, Clay, Goat's Head, Chitoum

Central Asia: Kumiss (Fermented Mare's Milk), Yogurt, Sheep Fat

China: Bird's Nest Soup, Breast Milk, Sea Cucumber, Jellyfish, Rat, Snake, Drunken Shrimp, Jelled Blood, Bear Paws, Cho Do Fu, Tiger Testicles, Owl Soup, Thousand-Year Eggs, Sa Kuo Yu Toe, Fish Flotation Bladder, Bao Bing (Shaved Ice), Pork Uterus, Camel (and Cow) Tendons, Oyster Sauce, Snake Wine

Tibet: Yak Milk (Rancid), Tea with Yak Butter

India: Cow Urine, Human Urine

Southern India: Blazing Curry

Burma: a MAE oo, Ngapi-jaw

Hong Kong: Monkey Brains

Southeast Asia: Durian, Fermented Fish-Paste, Dog Meat, Snakes, Ngapi-Jaw, Bull Penis, Sour Candies, Fish Eyes

Thailand: Kapi, Grasshoppers, Snake Blood, Water Bugs

Indonesia: Blachan, Dog-Meat Restaurants, Bats

Malaysia: Ice Kachang (Shaved Ice) Belachan

Philippines: Baalut, Bagong (fish paste), Diniguan

Australia: Vegemite, Marmite, Kangaroo, Witchety Grub, Beetroot, Honey Ants

Papua-New Guinea: Sago Worms

Borneo: Monitor Lizard

Korea: Kim Chee, Silk Worm Grubs, Tiger Penis Soup

Japan: Fugu, Natto, Sashimi, Shiokara, Tofu, Miso, Uni, Mountain Potato, Seaweed, Takosu, Takoyaki, Tempeh, Crickets, Unagi, Gingko Seeds, Okra (Raw!)

Hawaii: Poi, Spam Musubi

Arctic Alaska: Blubber, Stinkheads

U.S. in general: Spam

U.S. Northwest: Geoduck Clams

U.S. West: Fried Pork Rinds, Blood-Rare Steak, Rattlesnake

U.S. Midwest: White Castle Sliders, Jell-O Salad, American Cheese Food Product, such as Velveeta, in Fried Cheese Balls, Cincinnati Greek Chili

U.S. South: Grits, Crawfish, Hog Maws And Snouts, Etc Dropped Fowl, Chicken Feet, Chitterlings, Iced Tea, Ramps, Turkey Deep-Fried Whole (Fried Everything) Chicken-Fried Steak, Dill Pickles Fried

U.S. East: Souse, Pork Loaf

U.S. Northeast: Scrapple, Cod Liver Oil, Pumpkin Pie, Raw Oysters, Fiddlehead Ferns

Canada: Sugar Pie, Poutine, Oreilles De Christ, Cod Tongues, Cod Cheeks, Pemmican, Cracklings, Seal Flipper Pie, Spruce Beer

Mexico: Tequila Worms, Menudo, Mole, Chichirrones (Chitterlings), Ceviche, Grasshoppers

Brazil: Gari

Agentina: Morcillas

Iceland: Hakarl

PusherMan said:

All of the above in bold are DELICIOUS. Absolutely lovely.

I'd also add (some people don't like these, for some reason):

Marmite.

Bread and Dripping

Bovril

When I was in China I also had the pleasure of trying:

Fish eyes.

Scorpion. (okay i didn't manage this one. Just too scary).

My husband ate dog in Laos. (not knowing until after)

and they sell dried rats on little push carts there as well.

Oh yeah, i'll tell you something that tasted wrong. Hershey's kisses. Tasted like chalk with a pukey aftertaste first time i went near it.

And to think i thought it was chocolate!

Ireland is not renowned for it's tradtitional culinary delights, but it's right up there when it comes to disgusting dishes :

Coddle - essentially a sausage stew, and utterly vile.

Crubeens - pigs trotters (feet), traditionally served at Christmas in some parts of Ireland. Should not be considered food, staring at a plate of crubeens makes you feel like you're on the set of one of the Aliens films.

Tripe and Onions.


Personally, I wouldn't include Kangaroo in the Australia section, I've eaten (and cooked) it many times, it's quite delicious.
I don't think Retsina (from Greece) deserves to be on there either, I would call that an aquired taste rather than weird or disgusting.
I also agree with TheFrog about bubble & squeak, and Crisps with flavours (I need my sweet thai chile crisps).

Other than that I applaud you for compiling such an extensive list of weird and/or disgusting foods!

Beetroot, I haven't eaten it since I was 7, when i was forced to eat it at school, almost puked, refused to eat it and got into trouble for not finishing my food.. To me it might as well be Bull's testicles fermenting in a jar

after that I never had to eat it again!
...
[This message was edited Tue Mar 16 10:01:35 2004 by Lleena]

PusherMan said:

Mmm! Scrapple is a Philly thing, and I looooove Scrapple! I don't care what it is... it's delicious!

TheFrog said:

Hmm... you must've had a bad Kiss.

theVelvetRoper said:

Wouldn't be the first time.

TheFrog said:

I just finished my lunch so I am not hungry...

theVelvetRoper said:

Now that's the kind of kisses i'm talking about!

Take one of them over Hershey's anyday.

iced tea is disgusting? O.o I could understand not liking it.. but geez. LOL

I'm from the South, and while I agree most of the animal related items on that list are true.. (except Fried turkey man..) you can't knock some stuff till you try it.

Except Spam.

But we do fry everything in the south.. we've got a little joke .. when you come into Nashville International airport, this first thing we do is deep fry your luggage.

Of the foods you listed, I thoroughly enjoy the following:
Warm Beer, Fried Bread, Crisps with Flavors, Peanut Butter Sauce on French Fries, Bleu Cheese, Roquefort, Steak Tartare, Truffles, Gorgonzola, Caviar, Blazing Curry, Sashimi, Tofu, Miso, Seaweed, Tempeh, Jell-O Salad, Fried Cheese Balls, Grits, Crawfish, Iced Tea, Turkey Deep-Fried Whole (we deep fry turkeys every year at my "friend Thanksgiving"! It's divine!), Pumpkin Pie, Mole

Dunno if its strange or not but my family and I love bacon and marmalade sarnies hehe

Now I know I'm NOT going to India.

crawfish? iced tea? chicken-fried steak??? weird and disgusting?? that shit's alllll good eatin, they don't know what they missin!!!!

Alot of the foods listed arn't disgusting at all.

cows urine

bkw said:

did a cow pee in your avatar?

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

Yep, drinking it now

bkw said:

White Castle is worse than all of that.

Mock Chicken legs!!

luv4u said:

Thats a good lad....thats what expect from every1 .....when they open up this thread...."...not to be hungry..."