Bugs Beware!

This is not strictly speaking about cruising but it is about travelling.

I have travelled to many places and seen some weird and wonderful things to eat, not all of which I have wanted to try may I point out.

These are foods which are a far cry from the delicacies served on-board a luxury cruise liner

Like for example,  Escamoles from Mexico

Escamoles are the larvae of a venomous ant species that lay their eggs deep down in the roots of agave or maguey plants in Mexico (so harvesting them is not a barrel of laughs). The larvae are said to have a consistency akin to cottage cheese and taste somewhat nutty; they’re normally eaten as the filling in a taco or omelette.

Weird Yes. In my top 10 No.

Neither is this one

Boshintang from Korea

This is supposedly a health-giving Korean soup and is made with spring onions, dandelions and a host of spices. Sound ok but for one infamous ingredient. Dog meat. Though it is rarely found on menus today, it is still popular with the older generation. However for me it is a definite no. The thought of eating man’s best friend is one step to far for my palate.

So, what is on my List?

In at Number 10

Shirako from Japan

It is literally what it says it is. Shirako in Japanese means “white children” but in this case it refers to the sperm sacs of either cod, angler fish or puffer fish. They look like white blobs or  miniature intestines and supposedly have a sweet custardy like taste.

Number 9

Jumiles from Mexico

Otherwise more commonly known as “stink bugs”, they are six-legged insects measuring less than 1 cm that lives under wood and logs in the forest.  Jumiles are part of the daily diet in Mexico, especially in the southern region. They are supposed to have a medicinal flavour due to strong iodine content and are rich in vitamin B2 and B3.

Number 8

Locusts in Israel

Israel suffers from plagues of locusts from time to time, but fortunately as this is the only insect to be considered Kosher the Israelis have come up with a novel solution to eradicate the crop eating pests by eating them. Deep-fried and chocolate-covered locusts are apparently very tasty.

Number 7

Casu Marzu (Translated as Rotten Cheese) from Sardinia

This a traditional sheep milk cheese from Sardinia in Italy. The cheese makers set the cheese outside and allow cheese flies to lay eggs inside of it. The larvae are break down the cheese’s fats and ferment it. It was apparently banned for years and only sold on the black market, but few years ago, it was declared a traditional food and now it’s legal to produce and sell them. It is also apparently not necessary to clear those white worms from the cheese before consuming it, but most people do.   I wonder why?

Number 6

 Hakarl from Iceland

It begs the question of how someone ever invented this dish in the first place as the preparation is bizarre. Gut and behead a Greenland shark, place it in a shallow grave and cover with sand and stones. Leave for two to three months to ferment, then cut into strips and dry for several more months before serving. If you decide to give this one a go you may want to take a peg with you for your nose and be warned it is not for the feint hearted.

Number 5

Balut from the Philippines

This fertilised duck egg, has a partly developed embryo inside To eat it you boil the embryo alive and then eat it from the shell with salt, chilli and vinegar. You’re supposed to make a hole in the top of the shell then drink the savoury liquid around the embryo before chowing down on the the rest of contents, feathers, bones and all. Maybe not….

Number 4

Crispy tarantulas from Cambodia

Few people would look at a tarantula and think Yum so it’s perhaps no surprise that these spiders were first eaten by Cambodians starving under the Khmer Rouge regime. However, they were apparently so tasty that bizarrely they became popular and are now served as a deep-fried snack throughout the country. Supposedly they taste a bit like crab.

 Number 3

Huitlacoche from Mexico

Corn smut is a fungus that turns corn kernels or corn on the cob to you and me into strange growths covered in blue-black spores. To most people this would just have gone mouldy and need to be thrown out but the Mexicans call it a culinary speciality. They call it huitlacoche (“sleeping excrement”) and enjoy the woody, earthy flavour of the fungus. Good luck to them is all I can say.

Number 2

Century egg from China

Have you ever done the egg test in water. If it floats it has gone bad. I remember my mum checking eggs this way when we were little as eggs did not have sell by dates on them then and most of ours came from the farmyard not the supermarket.  If you discovered a rotten egg, would you eat it? Well,  somewhere in China, someone did just that and survived to tell the tale and now it’s an established delicacy. The eggs, known as hundred-year eggs or century eggs are covered in clay, ash and salt for months, by which time the yolk is dark green and stinks of sulphur.  Sounds delightful…..

So finally, we come to my number one choice

Number 1

Kiviak from Greenland

Auks which are birds that look a bit like a baby puffin are stuffed into a seal. A Dead one of course. The whole bird goes in including beaks, feet and feathers and then the seal is secured to ensure there’s no additional air inside. This is then left to ferment for several months then the birds are removed and eaten during the lean winter months.  Let’s face it you would have to be pretty desperate for food to eat that.

I would love to hear from you if you have tried any of my top ten or if you have one that tops it.