Bucket lists are usually made by someone who is dying or has already died, but what about food bucket lists? This list is for anyone out there that would like to try new foods and expand their palate.
We’ve come up with 7 foods you should try at least once in your life. Ready? Here we go!
1) Fugu
Fugu, or pufferfish, is served in Japan as a delicacy because of its mild taste. It is said that the dish takes around three years to train for since there are many restaurants that have served it wrong and made their customers sick. The fish must be sliced to the exact thickness so the poison can be removed while the fish is still alive. Then, the fish must be served immediately or else it will die and age too much, taking on a bitter taste.
2) Rocky Mountain Oysters
Rocky Mountain oysters are known as prairie oysters in other parts of the country, but they really do come from bulls! These bull testicles are peeled, breaded, and fried for a very distinct taste.
3) Haggis
Haggis is a dish that is eaten in Scotland on special occasions. This meal consists of sheep’s hearts, lungs, and liver mixed with onion, oatmeal (or barley), suet (animal fat), seasonings like salt and pepper, and stock. It is then boiled in the sheep’s stomach for several hours.
4) Tuna Eyeball
Tuna eyeballs are actually really good and taste like… well, tuna! They also come complete with a little eye cap that you can eat if you want to go all out! A popular way to pop one of these in your mouth is to garnish it with tobiko (flying fish roe) and wasabi.
5) Chicken Feet
Chicken feet are actually a good source of collagen. For this reason, they’re used in some Asian cuisines like Hong Kong and Taiwan. This part of the chicken is normally stewed for hours to make it easier to chew and eat. The taste is said to be somewhere between an oyster and squid.
6) Casu Marzu
Casu marzu is a cheese that comes from Sardinia, Italy. While this might not sound so strange at first, the process of making this particular cheese involves maggots! These maggots eat the cheese and ferment it, breaking down the fats so they can be more easily digested.
7) Balut
If you haven’t heard of this dish before, don’t worry – we’re not going to recommend that you try it! This is a dish that comes from the Philippines and involves boiling a fertilized duck egg until the embryo inside is fully developed. Many people eat it during the egg’s ‘golden week,’ which is a week where the duck egg will have reached its maximal flavor.
In conclusion, the only reason these foods are on this list is to pull you out of your comfort zone and expand your taste palette.