Straightforward question. What's the most exotic thing you've ever eaten? I have a habit of ordering the most exotic thing I can find on the menu when I'm eating at a restaurant. The most exotic things I've eaten so far are: - Escargots (French snails) - Frog's legs - Squid - Kangaroo - Horse (though it's quite common over here) - Pigeon - Swordfish - Monkfish - Tortilla chips dipped in 3,000,000 Scoville heat unit salsa
I've always considered squids as very common, swordfish too. And snails are traditional granny food. I wouldn't say monkfish is exotic either, just very expensive... So I don't know what's generally considered as exotic. I'll try to guess, from all I've eaten, what could be on the list: - Ostrich (my dad was buying weird foods at that time) - Octopus (though it's also common here) - Calf's head (tongue, cheeks etc, I didn't dare to try the brains) - Tope (since it's a little shark, I guess) - Raw petalidae - Rock samphire (yes, I eat random stuff that grow on the beach ) - Prickly pear (I thought it counts because it grows on a cactus)
I don't really see any food as exotic, just not something you've previously had. Although I've lived in very many countries across multiple continents from a young age and now I live in London where there is no cuisine you can't find so maybe that has something to do with it.
By my standards, food I consider exotic are: rats and snakes and calf's brains and salmiakki and crocodiles and boars and cooking with milk! By western standard: Dogs Frogs Snails Raw blood soup Some kind of birds Duck fetuses Pigs' hearts, lungs, ears, liver, and intestines Silkworms
Eww! Reminds me of when Andrew Zimmern was in Taiwan, I think, and even his native friend didn't want to eat cow uterus on a stick (he finally convinced her to)! :eek: I've got nothing. My family thinks I'm "out there" just for liking sushi, seafood, and shrimp tails... Oh, and the occasional smelly, blue cheese. I'm pretty OCD about what I eat and drink.
Come to think of it, what's considered exotic does depend on the country. Pretty much everything's exotic over here. Dutch cuisine is so simple. I did once order calf brain, but they didn't have any at the time. I've also had all kinds of organ meats. Liver goes quite well with Brussel sprouts and some potatoes.
