11 Foods That’ll Make You Say 👀
Some foods challenge your courage, others just make you say, “What were they thinking?” These dishes break every rule, turn heads, and deliver a full-on culinary plot twist. Prepare yourself, because these 11 foods are guaranteed to make you say 👀, no translation needed.
Sago Delight
Sago delight looks like dessert from another dimension. Pearly, wobbly, and floating in sweet coconut milk, it’s the dessert equivalent of a magic trick. The taste is gentle, but the appearance is pure sci-fi.
Bat Soup
Bat soup is exactly what it sounds like—a bat, whole, right in your bowl. The wings, the face, the fact that it stares back at you. No dish stops a conversation faster or triggers more camera flashes. If you want an unforgettable memory, you just found it.
Jellied Moose Nose
This northern treat is made by boiling, boning, slicing, and jelling the nose of a moose. It’s wild, wobbly, and an automatic conversation starter. Most people try it once, and that’s enough to fill their story quota for life.
Hákarl
Icelandic fermented shark packs a one-two punch of aroma and taste. It’s notorious for making chefs, hosts, and tourists reconsider their life choices. Eating hákarl is the culinary version of bungee jumping—there’s fear, adrenaline, and usually, a vow to never repeat it.
Blood Soup
Pork blood, vinegar, and spice turn into a jet-black stew in the Philippines called dinuguan. The look is gothic, the taste is bold, and the reaction is always memorable. You’ll never look at soup the same way again.
Casu marzu
This cheese, filled with live maggots, is an experience in shock and awe. It’s banned in most countries and legendary in all the rest. If you need a conversation starter—or ender—this is it.
Beondegi
Beondegi, or silkworm pupae, are served in paper cups on Korean street corners. The smell is strong, the taste is earthy, and the memory lingers longer than you expect. It’s a snack for the bold, or the very, very curious.
Balut
Balut, a fertilized duck egg, is the stuff of culinary dares. The look alone is enough to make most people pause. If you eat it, you get a story. If you eat it on camera, you get internet fame.
Fried Spider
Fried tarantula in Cambodia is crunchy, hairy, and utterly unforgettable. Few foods cause such wide eyes and nervous laughter. Even seasoned travelers double-check before taking a bite.
Escargots à la Bourguignonne
Escargots are cooked snails in garlic butter, a French favorite that turns heads everywhere else. The texture is unique, the flavor is bold, and the idea takes some getting used to. This dish gets a “wait, what?” from almost everyone who sees it for the first time.
Mopane Worms
In Southern Africa, mopane worms are a high-protein snack. The texture, the look, and the chew are unforgettable. Eating them guarantees you a place in the “did you really eat that?” club.