that's the most rotten piece of seafood i've ever eaten and that's saying a lot andrew zimmern has
eaten some of the most strange and bizarre foods around today we're looking at 10 foods
andrew zimmern just couldn't eat giant sea squirts can you hear that can you hear that
the gigantic sea squirts of chile known as pioneer are what andrew zimmern despises the most
but not all sea squirts untrained eyes might mistake these weird marine critters for rocks
but they're actually loaded with brilliant red flesh one must use a hard sharp knife to slash
through the tough surface to reach the fleshy portion inside that's a knife it's just not
worth the hassle according to zimmern the bizarre food star humorously compares the flavor of the
giant sea squirts to that of an iodine puss bag dipped into a fish's rear end yeah that does not
sound yummy vanadium a rare metallic element is what gives it its characteristic iodine flavor
you can eat this unusual marine critter cooked sauteed in soups and stews or even raw for his
part zimmern would much rather eat the tiny sea squirts he's had in japan and korea which seemed
to taste much better bamboo rat you know what that is that's teeny weeny little rat tenderloin many
people in asia eat bamboo rats in one season of bizarre foods when visiting northern thailand
andrew zimmern felt compelled to give this a try he went to a roadside jungle market to buy
country thai cuisine he came upon a bamboo rat which was plastic wrapped because the entire
animal from ears to tail had been preserved it looked pretty horrifying but when a local chef
spritzed some salt on it rammed a stick through it and grilled it andrew was willing to eat it until
zimmern cut open the rat and the fragrance of its intestines permeated the marketplace that is ah
yeah it's safe to say that andrew would never eat this food again hamburgers in china hamburgers
the cornerstone of any nutritious breakfast andrew zimmern is enthusiastic about experiencing divorce
cultures in the most genuine way possible he's made his living by touring the world and trying
every variety of food conceivable in an online interview he describes how he once overheard
guests at a hotel in beijing talking about the burger and fries from the hard rock cafe it serves
as an illustration of the fundamental problem he has with western tourists their unwillingness to
venture outside of their preferred cuisine although it may sound simple you don't go to
china to eat a hamburger consuming chinese cuisine such as crisp peking duck and baozi is a must when
visiting china eating a hamburger in china is not a genuine chinese experience chinese food no soul
food here and it's also not what americans in the united states would consider to be a hamburger he
confirms that it is a double letdown which in the end will just leave you homesick if zimmern wants
to convey anything to his audience it's that while learning about other cultures might be difficult
doing it through food is well worth it hikari if rotted shark meat is an icelandic initiation
i think i've passed the test shark that has been fermented has a strong odor that is reminiscent
of several cleaning solutions and it's also loaded with ammonia hikari is often served on toothpicks
and small bite-sized cubes due to the high ammonia level those who have never eaten it before may
unintentionally gag on their first attempt when eating the first mouthful beginners are
frequently instructed to plug their nose because the stench is considerably greater than the flavor
it's frequently consumed with a shot of the icelandic regional alcohol known as brinovan
there are two types of hikari a chewy reddish glare carl also known as a glassy shark and a soft
white skewer carl also known as a skier shark this is one of iceland's most traditional meals cutting
the shark are the main steps in preparing the meal the pieces are then hung like meat carcasses
and given time to ferment roughly four or five months after having to try the shark zimran said
he didn't like it at all he even admits that it was one of the worst things he'd ever eaten
that smell reminds me of some of the most horrific things i've ever breathed in my life and he'd
prefer not to try the meal again because hikari truly stinks up the place dog meat on unacceptable
vietnamese speakers also refer to dog meat as t'cha some asian countries including china south
korea and vietnam still engage in the old customs of eating dog meat to demonstrate the extent of
this activity in vietnam according to research on dog and cat meat trafficking in southeast
asian nations nearly 5 million dogs are killed for their meat each year although the statistics show
that vietnam is the second largest eater of dog meat it's crucial to remember that this practice
is only widespread among a small portion of the population the majority of westerners find eating
dog to be very abhorrent dogs are our most loved pets and over half of all american families have
at least one dog many people regard these adorable animals to be members of their family but not all
cultures share the same perspective on animals cows are revered in india although many americans
often consume some sort of beef on the daily you know the mumbai mcdonald's you can't get a big mac
all you can get is the chicken maharajah mac certain asian countries are mostly the only
ones that still consume dog meat andrew zimmern has eaten dog twice in vietnam because he always
keeps his tongue and mind open when traveling the world but in the end he really wasn't a fan of
eating dog meat fermented chicken intestines just a taste chicken chicken many of andrew zimmern's
dislikes appear to revolve around stale food however who could really blame him fair enough
while he occasionally uses the word rotten to describe undesirable fermented foods
it is unquestionably the appropriate term when it comes to eating chicken intestines in the
philippines he's tweeted in the past about how much he likes properly cooked intestines so it's
not the intestines that scared him away the particular bird innards he was given exhibited
strange discolorations and the sight caused him to really worry for his health zimmern claims that he
is very seldom turned down meals and that this was only out of concern that he would actually wind up
in the hospital if he ate it no one can blame him for not wanting to eat something that may end up
making him sick pangio raw fish you don't even like raw carrots cartilaginous fish known as
skate fish or hangio expel uric acid through their skin as opposed to urinating like other animals
do ammonia is created when they ferment the fish helping to preserve the flesh and giving the fish
its characteristic potent smell long before refrigeration was developed korean fishermen
observed the natural preserving effect of the fermentation process on skate fish as early as the
14th century skate fish were discovered to be the only fish that could be moved over great distances
or kept for lengthy periods of time without going bad even with the absence of salt game changer who
exondo an island off the southwest coast of korea is where the skatefish were originally
used to make hanji in recent years there's been an increase in the use of cheaper imported fish
primarily from chile despite this huaxondo honjio continues to be known for its exceptional quality
as the usage of refrigeration increased the dish began to wane in popularity in the modern
era mukpo a southern port city in korea is known for its bitter fish dish which even a majority of
koreans find repulsive unsurprisingly the taste and fragrance make it difficult for guests to
swallow andrew zimmern passes over the word fermented in an interview about the food and
instead uses the adjective rotten he was not impressed by the strong flavor and fragrance
of ammonia however many locals appreciate this peculiar fish dish more for its mouth-stinging
sensation than for its fragrant qualities aged stinky tofu stinky tofu here goes in contrast to
cheese stinky tofu doesn't have a set method for its fermentation process there are significant
regional and personal variations in production and preparation making a brine from fermented
milk vegetables and pork is the traditional way to make stinky tofu other ingredients could include
dehydrated shrimp amaranth greens bamboo shoots mustard greens and chinese herbs it may take
several months for the brine to ferment faster techniques are frequently used in modern factories
to mass-produce stinky tofu though particularly for fried or boiled dishes fresh tofu is merely
marinated in a prepared brine for one or two days rather than allowing the tofu to entirely
ferment the method only intensifies the stink in addition to being frequently served with
soy sauce or chili sauce stinky tofu can be enjoyed cold steamed stewed or more frequently
deep fried from fried golden jijong style to a strange-looking black colored hunan style the hue
varies wildly the scent of stinky tofu is believed to smell like rotting garbage or
nasty feet from a distance it's been compared to the flavor of blue cheese by some individuals
and decaying flesh by others it's believed that the stronger the aroma the greater the flavor
smells like opportunity it may sound rude to refer to this fermented tofu from taiwan as stinky tofu
but that is exactly what it's called in chinese taiwanese citizens take great pride in their
renowned pungent street cuisine andrew spoke of the stinky tofu as having a similar smell to that
of a durian and he did not enjoy durian at all durian that's a dangerous fruit it's like a weapon
i think well liked in southeast asia durian is a distinctive tropical fruit that locals refer to
as the king of fruits the first bite you're kind of like i'm not sure i like this and
then the second one it's amazing more vitamins and minerals are present in durian than in most other
fruits around the world but its overpowering odor also contributes to its poor reputation the huge
size and spiky hard outer shell of the tropical fruit known as durian serves to differentiate it
from all other fruit there are various types but duryozabethanus is the most prevalent durian is
a tropical fruit that grows all over the world but it's most popular in malaysia
indonesia and thailand which are all in southeast asia perhaps the most infamous fruit in the world
its intense nearly intolerable fragrance makes it easily recognizable due to its offensive odor
durian is strictly prohibited on public transport in singapore and in many other asian countries
zimmern compared the smell to that of rotting onions trash and soiled socks in one of his
blog posts the bazaar foods host tried the fruit a whopping 15 times but never developed a taste for
it the smell of durian fruit prevents many people from ever even trying to eat it but zimmern claims
that the flavor of the fleshy yellow inside is also just as unpleasant however there are many
fruit lovers around the world that appreciate the fruits creamy texture and sweet rich flavor
but zimmern is not one of them sir strumming wow holy so this just goes in there raw sir strumming
a fish that is endemic to sweden that is usually served as a fermented sea creature in a can is not
something that zimmern will eat this dish smells awful which is probably the reason why everyone
on the set had to shield their noses as andrew opened the can during his travels to stockholm
zimmern learned about the sir strumming according to andrew the scent is equivalent to the worst
dumpster slime you could possibly fathom with a little mermaid fragrance tossed in as well
many challenge videos featuring sir stroming have been posted to youtube and other social
media platforms in these videos people who are unfamiliar with the food demonstrate how to open
a can for the first time usually with a visceral reaction and then attempt to eat the fish without
additional preparation it's received notoriety as one of the world's stinkiest meals the worst kind
the participants are frequently seen choking cursing clutching their noses or vomiting in
the recordings the videos have drawn criticism for deviating from the traditional preparation
techniques which involve opening the can outside or underwater gutting the fish removing the spine
and serving with ton broad and other fixings to create a strumming skelma sir strumming currently
includes greater amounts of dioxins and pcbs than allowed in the eu since it's prepared from
herring from the baltic sea from 2002 until 2011 sweden was given an exception to these
restrictions and a fresh application was made to extend those exclusions producers have stated that
if the application is rejected they will only be permitted to utilize herring with lower toxicity
levels which will reduce the amount of herring that's available this may be good news to some
people that despise the smell of the fermented fish for swedes this dish is quite the delicacy
and even has its own special day the third thursday in august is known as her strumming day
because of the pungent fragrance it's generally eaten outside in order to stop escaping gas from
spraying brine the pressurized can is frequently first pierced while submerged in a bucket of water
or after being tapped and angled upward at a 45 degree angle it seems that tastes really do
vary across the globe and some foods that may be disgusting to some are a true delicacy to others
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