The Yolks on You
CC 2.0 by Cormac Lawler
China is famous for having a range of culinary styles that vary depending on whether you visit Beijing, Shanghai, Tibet, or anywhere in between. One of the weirdest things you might come across on the menu in China are 1,000 year-old eggs. Rest assured that these eggs aren’t actually 1,000 years old, but they do spend months hidden under a pile of ash, clay, and other odd ingredients.
Once the eggs are ready, they stink like sulphur, the whites turn to an opaque jelly, and the yolks blacken. The nutritional benefit is that these eggs are higher in protein and lower in carbohydrates than your average, week-old eggs. Believe it or not, you’ll have to shell out a fortune for these things!
What Has Eight Legs and Tastes like Garlic?
CC 2.0 by Guillén Pérez
If you happen to visit Cambodia and start exploring the region surrounding the capital of Phnom Penh, you might stumble onto the small village of Skuon, better known as Spiderville. Underground lairs in this Cambodian village serve as the breeding ground for giant spiders that eventually become a local delicacy.
Whatever you do, don’t head to these subterranean spider farms unless you want the fright of your life, but do try the fried crispy spiders covered in garlic, salt, and spices. Your fear of these creepy arachnids will be de-feeted after one bite of their exotically tasty legs.
Dim Sum and Then Some
When in Hong Kong, one of the most common morning or lunchtime meals is dim sum, a collection of small dishes that often feature things like dumplings. If you’re feeling adventurous, order a portion of fung jao, or chicken feet. Yes, this is literally a dish that consists of the ankles and feet of chicken.
The feet are steamed or deep fried, and then often served in a sauce made from either abalone or fermented bean paste. Once you get past the idea of eating gelatinous skin and tendons attached to tiny bones, you actually have to gnaw away at the chicken feet while using chopsticks and then spit out the bones. The good news is anything that’s deep fried is delicious, fung jao included. At least people are being honest when they say it tastes just like chicken.