From belly-busting portions to deadly dishes and creatures that you didn’t think it was possible to fry, these ten unbelievable, extreme foods will test your appetite.
The world’s smelliest cheese:
If you thought your dad’s Christmas stilton was bad, head to Boulogne-sur-Mer, near Calais, France, and grab a slice of the Vieux-Boulogne. This unpasteurised cow’s-milk cheese has been scientifically proven to be the smelliest tested, its scent not unlike a ‘farmyard’. Cheese connoisseurs insist that it actually tastes great though. Hmmm.
The world’s most poisonous fish:
Most infamous after Homer Simpson’s run-in with a trainee sushi chef, fugu, or pufferfish, is a Japanese delicacy—but its organs also contains one of the world’s deadliest poisons: 1,200 times stronger than cyanide.
To avoid this, the sashimi is only prepared by those who have undergone years of training, although until 1984 the dangerous liver was still eaten by some to give an extra ‘kick’.
The world’s most over-ambitious eating challenge:
Ever since Man vs Food the world has got the competitive eating bug, but we think The Duck Inn in Reddish, England, has gone too far.
They offer the challenge of whopping 150 oz steaks, weighing the size of a newborn baby, that are topped off with mountains of onion rings and fries. Intimidating even for the most avid of meat lovers…
The world’s hottest curry:
The world’s hottest curry is a claim made by many, but when we found out the chef at New York’s Brick Lane Curry House wears a gas mask to cook their phall, we knew it was a winner.
Made with eight Bhut Naga Jolokia chillies, which are also used in tear gas, the curry measures one million on the Scoville scale, and has reportedly brought on sweats, hallucinations and vomiting.
The world’s most arachnophobic snack:
In Skuon, Cambodia, fried tarantulas are a local favourite that has turned into a tourist rite-of-passage, with baskets full of these creepy-crawlies being sold from the side of the road.
Fried in garlic and oil until crisp, they taste like chicken (obviously), but the worst thing for travellers is probably knowing that there are so many of these spiders yet to be eaten…
The world’s toughest cup of tea:
If just looking at this photo gets your palm sweating you probably wont want to climb China’s Mount Hua Shan.
Here, without any safety gear, thousands scale sheer cliff faces, clinging for dear life on chain rope and plank ledges… all to reach a tiny tea house perched at the top. Um… Shall we just put the kettle on?
The world’s most wicked garlic breath:
No amount of teeth-brushing will save you at Garlic & Shots in London, a restaurant where every dish comes with garlic as its primary ingredient.
Hardy vampire-phobes keep protected by stocking up on “blood shots” made with tomato juice, chilli vodka and a clove, while the true hardcore enjoy garlic ice cream. Take a date.
The world’s most excruciating hangover:
Call it a shot with a bite, but snake wine does what it says on the bottle: whole venomous snakes are steeped in rice wine, and drunk in small doses.
Left long enough, the ethanol dissolves any poison, meaning it’s a popular drink across Vietnam, Taiwan and China.
The world’s worst eggs:
“How do you want your eggs? Scrambled, fried, cooked in boys’ urine..?” Yup, in Dongyang, Zhejiang province, China, urine is collected from school toilets and the eggs are slowly boiled in it until hard.
A similar process to tea eggs, but known as virgin boys eggs, this springtime delicacy is believed by locals to improve yin deficiency. We double-dare you.
The world’s most fattening treat:
With 45 grams of fat per portion, you can always head to the Iowa State Fair, USA, and grab some deep fried butter. From its popularity, we’re gonna guess that this actually tastes delicious — and if you managed to eat any other thing in this list, you probably deserve this for dessert.
(Featured image: Kiran Jonnalagadda)
