We asked our favourite globetrotters about the strangest things they’ve eaten on the road.
Weird travel food
Tourists imbibe a Chinese delicacy: a bottle of “wine” that’s more like witblitz with lizards and snakes floating in it.
Justin Fox, former Getaway editor-at-large and author
My Chinese culinary moment of truth came in a hotel in the city of Xian (home to the beautiful terracotta warriors). Our touring group was treated to a fancy lunch with some very challenging drinks. We were served wines with dead seahorses, snakes and lizards floating in the bottles. “Velly good for arthritis, knee aching and shoulderitis!” enthused our sommelier. It tasted like vintage, corked petrol.
Roger Goode, 5fm DJ
“Once I swallowed a fly I don’t know why I swallowed a fly – perhaps I’ll die! Once I also swallowed a spider, that wriggled and wiggle and tickled inside me; I swallowed the spider to catch the fly…” Or so the rhyme goes… Believe it or not, the weirdest thing I’ve eaten is cheese and ham for breakfast in Amsterdam. As a South African, I simply wanted my apricot jam.
Cameron Ewart-Smith, former Getaway editor
Crazy eating? Does cuy count? I tried one in Quito, Ecuador. They farm guinea pigs commercially there (and elsewhere across the Andes) and in rural households they literally run free on the floor until ending up on the rotisserie. Eating cuy is like picking the last remaining meat off the ribs of a roast chicken carcass – bony and frustrating. And it’s expensive as it’s regarded as a edlicacy. As the guest of honour I got the head, frazzled ears and all.
Nikki Werner, food writer
Aubergines for pudding? It sounded odd, but the baroness was not a woman to be trifled with. She presided over a farm outside Naples and presented for my benefit her speciality: melanzane al cioccolato (eggplant with chocolate). it tasted mysterious, the vegetable’s savoury substance melting into squidgy dark chocolate surrounding the layered slices. Later I heard rumours of mafia connections; let’s just say I’m glad I cleaned my plate.
Kamini Pather, MasterChef SA winner
My travel may not have included many bizarre food choices, but my MasterChef SA journey included a challenging taste test. Producer Arnold Tanzer laid 20-odd Petri dishes on a table with various substances in them. The contestants circled, armed with pens, paper and our senses. I peered into the final dish at what looked like the toenail clippings from the Friendly Giant. It did not smell of anything. Curses! Sadly, I cannot recommend the dried jelly fish – it snapped as I bit through it and all I could think of while chewing was athlete’s foot.
Ishay Govender-Ypma, food and travel writer
Balut (fertilized duck egg) is controversial in the West, but simply an energy boost to the locals in Vietnam. In Hanoi, a smiling vendor cracked the snow-white shell and handed me a bowl with a veiny egg. The moment crept upon me, I inhaled deeply. Topped with chili, Vietnamese mint and fish sauce, it tasted distinctly eggy. I wavered at the sight of the beak and feathers. Even adventurous eaters falter sometimes.
Sarah Duff, former Getaway web editor and photojournalist
I’d been living in Taiwan for months before I plucked up the courage to try one of the many strange local specialities: stinky tofu. The name was pretty apt; the fermented bean curd smelt like sewer and I struggled not to retch as a bowl of wobbly white mush was placed before me. One tiny bite was all it took to convince me that this particular dish would never be something I’d stick my chopsticks into again – the rotten stench proved to be overpowering and I couldn’t taste anything but sewer.
What are the weirdest things you’ve eaten on the road? Let us know in the comments!
