There are a number of ways in which a person’s appetite can be spoiled. Flavour is the most common – think brussels sprouts. Lots of folks can’t bear to think about the method of preparation for such things as foie gras. There are foods that conjure up gross mental images that diners simply can’t get past. And smell is another turn off – some of the more pungent cheeses come to mind.
Adventurous Cuisine in France
France, of course, is famous for its culinary exploits and foodies travel there from all over the world to taste the delicacies.
It’s now illegal in France to eat the ortolan bunting but the practice still goes on as English broadcaster and writer Jeremy Clarkson revealed in a television show in May 2002.
Clarkson describes how the ortolan bunting migrates across France and is caught in nets put up by eager gourmets. The small bird weighs about 55 grams (two ounces). Once caught, it’s popped into a dark box filled with grain where it gorges itself on the food. Then, and here come a nasty bit, it is drowned in brandy, plucked, and then oven-roasted for six to eight minutes.
Eating the cooked ortolan is a bit off-putting for some as well. A napkin is placed over the head (it’s said this is done in order to capture the full fragrances) and the bird chowed down in its entirety – skin, guts, and bones. The head or beak is bitten off and discarded, although the more squeamish may ask the chef to perform this task.
Bugs are an Asian Staple
There is a Cantonese saying: “Any animal whose back faces the sun can be eaten.” By that definition creepy crawlies are included in the diet.
Writing in Time Magazine (March 8, 2004), Kevin Doyle and Robert Horn described some of the menu items available in Southeast Asia. They advised trying deep-fried spiders in Cambodia: “These fist-sized arachnids are crunchy on the outside and taste like cold, gooey chicken on the inside…for a little extra you can wash them down with a swig of spider-infused rice wine."
In Thailand, the locals consume about 300 tonnes of bugs annually in a business estimated to be worth $50 million a year. That’s about the same size as the nation’s pizza trade. For a small amount of money courageous gastronomes “can snack on a variety of 20 kinds of insects (depending on the size of the bunch and who’s selling it), from fried beetles to waterbugs.”
The blue plate special might also include grasshoppers, worms, and the ever-popular fried cockroaches.
Foods that Smell Really Awful
France is well-known for its smelly cheese, but there’s a contender from England. In May 2009, Stinking Bishop Cheese was voted Britain’s Smelliest Cheese by judges at The Royal Bath and West Show. Its odour is said to resemble rugby club change rooms so, while described as delicious, it might not be the best choice as last course for an elegant dinner party.
Durian fruit would also be something to steer clear of as a dessert. The spiky fruit grows in southeast Asia, and at durian.net Lionel Bauer writes that, “Those who like durian typically regard it as the king of fruit.”
However, Bauer does rather gloss over the fruit’s major drawback by observing that “durians have a strong smell and a unique taste.” It’s the pong that’s the problem variously described as similar to putrid garbage or rotting flesh.
The fruit, according to Bauer has a “bitter-sweet, nutty taste.”
There are plenty of other challenging foods available for those with iron stomachs, but in the Western world the popularity of shepherd’s pie, roast chicken, or even liver and onions is probably unchallenged.
See also: World's Most Expensive Food and Drink
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