16 Plates That Make You Question Reality

Think you’ve seen it all? These seventeen dishes will make you question if you’re awake, dreaming, or accidentally stumbled onto a prank show. Brace yourself for some of the most reality-bending plates on the planet.

Fugu

This Japanese blowfish is potentially lethal if not prepared just right. Eating it is a gamble where the house always wins.

Escargots à la Bourguignonne

French snails, dripping with garlic butter, can seem like a hallucination for anyone raised on burgers and fries. But it’s pure reality in Paris.

Bat Soup

A whole bat floating in your soup bowl makes even the wildest TV food challenges look tame. It’s an actual dish you’ll find in parts of the Pacific.

Casu marzu

This Sardinian cheese, complete with live maggots, might make you question the line between food and fear factor. Yes, people pay extra for the squirm.

Guinea Pig (Cuy)

Served whole and crispy, guinea pig is a Peruvian staple. The first time you see it, you’ll wonder if you’re in a cartoon or a restaurant.

Jello Salad

Jiggly, pastel, and packed with surprises, Jello salad blurs the line between dessert, side dish, and abstract art.

Mouse Wine

Baby mice fermented in rice wine make for a tonic that feels like something from a mad scientist’s lab. Drink it and you might question everything you know.

Shirako

Fish sperm sacs, creamy and delicate, are a favorite in Japan. Reality-check: people pay a premium to try this dish—on purpose.

Chicken Feet

These bony, gelatinous morsels are a staple in Chinese cuisine, but for some, they’re a culinary plot twist they never saw coming.

Jing Leed

Fried crickets, salty and crunchy, are a Thai bar snack that leaves first-timers wondering if they just lost a bet.

Stink Bugs

Not just for pest control, these are eaten for their punchy taste. The moment they hit your tongue, reality will feel flexible.

Rocky Mountain Oysters

These “oysters” are actually deep-fried bull testicles. You read that right. Order them at a bar and see if your friends catch on.

Balut

A fertilized duck egg with a developing embryo, balut is the stuff of food legend. It’s real, it’s sold on the street, and it will mess with your mind.

Blood Soup (Dinuguan)

This Filipino stew’s rich, dark color comes from pork blood. It’s delicious for some, but the first glance is always a wake-up call.

Mopane Worms

Crunchy caterpillars, popular in Southern Africa, are proof that the world of food is wilder than you ever imagined.

Hákarl

Fermented shark from Iceland smells so potent, you’ll wonder if you stumbled into an alternate universe where food fights back.