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People travel the world to not just enjoy the scenery or attractions, but to fully immerse themselves in another culture. Part of that is dining on the local cuisine. When on a Paris vacation, you’re not going to eat a Quarter-Pounder from McDonald’s (only they call it a “Royale with Cheese” there)—instead, you’ll be gorging yourself on soufflé au fromage, quiche lorraine and, I don’t know, French toast. It’s that whole, “when in Rome, do as the Romans do” adage. But then again, you might not want to go all out in adhering to that philosophy. Unless your gag reflex is uber-strong.

As a sampling, we’ve put together a three-course meal of exotic entrees from around the world to give you a taste of what’s out there. Forget Iron Chef. You’re gonna need an iron stomach to down these global menu items. But then again, with enough barbecue sauce, I guess anything’s palatable (if you’re about to eat lunch, consider yourself warned…)

APPETIZERS

Hasma

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Where served: China

What it is: Frog Ovary Soup.

Remember that first Muppet movie where Kermit is hunted by the restaurant owner because he’d make the ideal frog legs dish? Let’s be glad he wasn’t a female frog lest hasma might have been part of the plot. It’s an East Asia delicacy—one that people order if they enjoy a) getting mystical benefits from this “health” food, b) excessively-slimy textures, or c) dropping dollars to impress their dates because it’s so expensive. It’s certainly not for the taste, that’s for sure.

Gag factor: 5 dry-heaves

Fruit Bat Soup

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Where served: Thailand, Guam

What it is: Disgusting.

Holy hurl-fest, Batman! Despite the fact that bats can carry all kinds of diseases, it is a native cuisine, most often prepared by boiling in water or milk with various herbs and spices added to the pot. And just in case you’re wondering, that’s “Fruit Bat” as in the type of bat it is. There are no fruits in the soup. Not that it would make any difference…

Gag factor: On your knees, hugging the toilet for three straight days

Rocky Mountain Oysters

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Where served: Western U.S.

What it is: Bull testicles.

You’ll eat anything fried right (well, at least if you’re Southern like me)? OK… maybe not… because it takes a lot of um… guts… to eat this. This appetizer is more of a novelty than regular cultural cuisine—one where the natives get to chuckle at clueless out-of-towners who order them, chow down, and then are told what they just consumed. But still, this “cowboy caviar” does have its followers out West.

Gag factor: I’ve actually tried this a very long time ago. It was a little salty, but I had no problems keeping it down. So rank it as just some minor reflux, but no real gagging involved.

Casu Marzu

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Where served: Italy

What it is: Maggot-infested cheese.

Who doesn’t love Italian food? Outlawed by the Italian government, this rotten (which is a gross understatement) cheese can only be safely eaten in July and August. And it can only be ordered on the culinary black market, so be prepared to pony up some euros if you want it. Among the family of pecorino cheeses, it has a pungent smell, rotten taste, and a soft creamy texture (if you don’t want to know why it’s creamy, skip the rest of this sentence) thanks to enzymes excreted by the larvae as they digest it from the inside. Again, who doesn’t love Italian food?

Gag factor: Considering you can actually see maggots fleeing for safety as you bite into it, “faint factor” might be more appropriate. Consider it high. And ditch that whole “when in Rome” thing here.

DRINKS

Placenta 400000/100000

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Where served: Japan

What it is: Your one and only zero-calorie, pig placenta-based jelly drink.

Health drinks are all the rage these days, whether it’s vitamin B, electrolytes, protein, and, apparently now, placenta. Supposedly, this peach-flavored swine after-birth has regenerative properties to help make you look more beautiful among other health-related benefits (wonder if it helps stave off swine flu?). I’d question why their marketing guys didn’t come up with a catchier name that didn’t actually include placenta in the title (or 400000 for that matter), but then again, these are people who produce placenta for mass consumption. From pigs. So go figure. Oh, and it costs eight bucks a bottle.

Gag factor: None. Unless you can’t get the words pig placenta out of your head as you’re slurping it down. Or if you really don’t like peaches. But really, who doesn’t like peaches?

Kopi Luak

Where served: Indonesia

What it is: Civet Coffee.

Let me explain further though. It’s coffee made by this cute, fuzzy little animal called a civet…

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…by eating coffee berries, passing the solid berry seeds through its digestive tracts, whereby the undigested beans are then “dropped” by the animal, collected, and then ground into what’s considered the most highly desired cup of Java around. OK, it’s hard to be polite here—you’re sipping animal turds soaked in steaming hot water, people! If there’s a Starbucks in Indonesia (and you know there is—they’re everywhere), I seriously doubt it’s on their menu as a local specialty. In fact, it’s actually somewhat rare, as the civets can only make so much of the stuff (it’s not like you can demand overtime from them) and it costs a whopping $75USD for 100 grams.

Gag factor: Well, it’s supposedly very tasty… but I’m gonna guess you’ll at least shudder once, no matter how good it is.

MAIN ENTREES

Monkey Brains

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Where served: Most notably in China.

What it is: Monkey brains. Plain and simple.

Though it was depicted in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doomas being such, monkey brains are not actually an Indian cuisine. But in those rare places where it is, it’s considered to be a most highly prized delicacy—it was even part of the Qing Dynasty’s famous Manchu Han Imperial Feast—that supposedly can cure impotence. Not that you need the warning, but consuming it puts you at a very high risk of contracting dangerous forms of encephalitis such as Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

Gag factor: Off the charts. Especially if served raw, as is done in certain regions of China.

Haggis

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Where served: Scotland

What it is: Sheep’s ‘pluck,” which essentially consists of the heart, liver, and lungs (waste not, want not, right?).

It’s actually not all that bad, even a little savory, as it’s minced with onions, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt. And boiled with the animal’s stomach—well traditionally, anyway; most places that serve it these days use other means. It has such national significance in the highlands that acclaimed poet Robert Burns penned “Address to a Haggis” about it in 1787.

Gag factor: You won’t write any poems about it, but you can get it down easy enough.

Fried A-Ping

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Where served: Cambodia

What it is: Fried spider, often served on a stick.

In the Cambodian town of Skuon, they actually raise these tarantula-like spiders as “livestock” for mass consumption. These arachno-snacks are quite popular with locals and tourists alike, and incredibly cheap (less than $0.10USD a piece). Fried in oil and mixed with sugar, crushed garlic, and MSG, it’s been said that they “taste like chicken” (no really, I’m serious). Have a napkin nearby if you bite into the abdomen—despite being fried, it’s still quite juicy (my apologies if you’re reading this on your lunch break).

Gag factor: I fear two things in life: raising a teenage daughter and spiders. It would take some significant deliberation on my part if given the choice of eating one of these or being drawn and quartered. It’s right up there with monkey brains for me.

Fugu

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Where served: Japan

What it is: Puffer fish.

Japan is known for its seafood. Especially sushi. But fugu, a cooked variation, is actually the nation’s signature piece de resistance that, if not prepared by specially trained, fugu-licensed chefs, could leave you in a state of conscious paralysis or asphyxiation thanks to the tetrodotoxin type of venom in the fish’s organs. Still, it’s one of the most sought after entrees in the Land of the Rising Sun. The best fugu chefs retain a trace amount of the deadly toxin in the meal so that it causes a minor tingling of the tongue.

Gag factor: None, as far as taste. Though it may have you gagging and heaving—or worse, dead—later if not properly prepared.

Escamoles

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Where served: Mexico

What it is: Ant caviar.

Eating ants is nothing new. And caviar is the dish of the rich and famous. But instead of fish eggs or the chocolate-covered variation of the insect, escamoles are ant larvae that are harvested just before hatching. Their taste varies on how they’re prepared—often served as salsa or mixed in tacos—but the consistency is often judged to be creamy like cottage cheese, and have a buttery taste. Try them next time instead of the steak fajitas for two…

Gag factor: Throw a lot of guacamole in with your escamoles and it’s easier to swallow. Still, some justifiable hesitation is expected when consuming, but so long as they’re mixed with something, the gag factor is minimal.

Chitterlings

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Where served: Southeastern U.S.

What it is: Pig intestines.

Most often called “chittlins” way down South, these are usually fried up, though they can be roasted or stewed as well. I’ve actually had the pleasure opportunity to not only eat chittlins, but also clean and prepare the raw intestines before consuming them one Saturday afternoon in the backwoods of Mississippi. This process included removing fat, undigested food, and… fecal matter (note: you cannot make coffee out of this kind). It was more for the experience than culinary tastes, as I’ve never had them again.

Gag factor: While it might curl some people’s toes, as long as you’re not cleaning them too, it’s not that bad. There is an e-coli risk though. So you could be puking them back up later.

DESSERTS

Pit Viper Ice Cream

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Where served: Japan

What it is: Ice cream. With pit viper flavor (natural and artificial).

Enough said.

Gag factor: I’m not sure what it is with certain Japanese cuisines and highly poisonous ingredients, but the alleged aphrodisiacting reptile can’t possibly taste even remotely good, no matter if it’s in ice cream form. If consumed, I recommend adding some chocolate sprinkles to it.

Morcilla

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Where served: Galicia, Spain

What it is: Pig blood and guts pastry

Prepared several different ways across Europe, this particular variation incorporates breadcrumbs, pine nuts, and almonds among other tasty ingredients, fried up into a sweet, sumptuous pastry-like dessert. Sounds good until you factor in the rest of the ingredients. Which just happen to be pork blood and fat.

Gag factor: Something covered in pig’s blood, including Sissy Spacek in Carrie, is never considered appealing. In fact, both are really just kind of freaky if you ask me. If you save room for this dessert, have a bucket nearby—it’s at least a two-heave status.

The next time your mother-in-law serves you her “special” meat loaf, you might think twice about turning up your nose when considering these other exotic entrees.Have you ever had any of these? What’s the most disgusting thing you’ve ever eaten? What other “exotic entrees” have you encountered in your travels?

Tags: disgusting food, exotic cuisines, exotic entrees, fried spiders, gag reflex, Iron Chef, le big mac, monkey brains, Paris vacation, world travel