Vietnamese favorite dishes are among the world's strangest dishes

Exploring the cuisine is an important part of traveling to a faraway land. However, there are dishes that are specialties of the locals but for most tourists, are a source of fear.

From maggot cheese to rotten eggs, here is a list of the world's 16 strangest foods as voted by RoughGuides , a famous travel magazine.

Shirako

This is a specialty dish favored by Japanese men because they believe in the power of this special food with the main ingredient: cod testicles, puffer fish. The dish is said to have a sweet taste like custard and has some sexual health benefits. It can be eaten raw or steamed, fried...

Món người Việt ưa thích vào danh sách 16 món ăn ghê nhất thế giới - Ảnh 1.

Tuna eyes

The Japanese don’t want to waste any part of the tuna, so even the eyes are removed and sold cheaply in supermarkets. They are quite large, after all! If you dare try this nasty delicacy, you can find it on the menus of izakaya and restaurants across the country.

There are many ways to prepare tuna eyes, but the simplest way is to boil or steam them, seasoned with garlic or soy sauce.

Món người Việt ưa thích vào danh sách 16 món ăn ghê nhất thế giới - Ảnh 2.

Fried spider

Few people look at a spider and think “lunch,” but it’s no surprise that spiders have become a snack across Cambodia. Want to try eating tarantulas in Cambodia? Hop on a Vespa and join an evening food tour of Siem Reap, gateway to the famous Angkor Wat.

Món người Việt ưa thích vào danh sách 16 món ăn ghê nhất thế giới - Ảnh 3.

White ant egg soup

One of the world's most unusual soups, Laos' Gaeng Kai Mot Daeng combines ant eggs and white ant embryos, plus a few baby ants for a sour taste. If your stomach can handle it, the taste is said to be quite delicious, a bit like shrimp.

Món người Việt ưa thích vào danh sách 16 món ăn ghê nhất thế giới - Ảnh 4.

Elk nose jelly

The name alone makes this snack a strong contender for the title of “world’s weirdest food.” Noses aren’t exactly a popular choice, but that hasn’t stopped adventurous Canadians from experimenting with nose cuisine by boiling them with onions and spices, removing the hairs, boiling them again, then slicing them and covering them in broth into a jelly, which definitely looks as badass as it sounds.

Món người Việt ưa thích vào danh sách 16 món ăn ghê nhất thế giới - Ảnh 5.

Boshintang

This supposedly healthy Korean soup is made with green onions, dandelions, a variety of spices, and one famous ingredient: dog meat.

Món người Việt ưa thích vào danh sách 16 món ăn ghê nhất thế giới - Ảnh 6.

Huitlacoche

Corn smut is a fungus that turns normal corn kernels into tumors covered in blue-black spores. It looks like a disgusting food, like a diseased corn cob that needs to be thrown away - but many people have noticed that in Mexico, it's considered a culinary delicacy. They call it huitlacoche and enjoy the mushroom's woody, earthy flavor.

Món người Việt ưa thích vào danh sách 16 món ăn ghê nhất thế giới - Ảnh 7.

Airag

Fermented horse milk is not unusual in Mongolia. They make a beer called airag (or ayrag) by taking horse milk and fermenting it into a fizzy, sour, slightly alcoholic beer. It is traditionally served chilled in a glass, with the dregs poured back into the main container.

The Mongols have been drinking airag for centuries and it is similar to kumis found throughout Central Asia.

Món người Việt ưa thích vào danh sách 16 món ăn ghê nhất thế giới - Ảnh 8.

Casu Marzu

Known as “stinky cheese,” casu marzu from Sardinia, Italy is made from rancid Pecorino. Cheese fly larvae (piophila casei) are added to the Pecorino, hatching inside, burrowing around and digesting the fat. The result is a delicacy that you can eat with or without the maggots, but it’s not as unique as you might think, with similar variations in neighboring regions.

Món người Việt ưa thích vào danh sách 16 món ăn ghê nhất thế giới - Ảnh 9.

Muktuk

A traditional Inuit dish of Greenland consisting of frozen whale skin and blubber, muktuk is often served raw or pickled.

Món người Việt ưa thích vào danh sách 16 món ăn ghê nhất thế giới - Ảnh 10.

Hakarl

Hakarl is Iceland's national dish. How to prepare it: First, gut and decapitate a Greenland shark, place it in a shallow pit and cover it with sand and rocks. Leave it for two to three months, then cut it into strips and dry it for another few months before serving. First-timers should hold their noses and try not to gag.

Món người Việt ưa thích vào danh sách 16 món ăn ghê nhất thế giới - Ảnh 11.

Salo

Traditionally, Ukrainian lard is made into pieces, smoked, and left in a cool cellar for a year before being sliced and served with rye bread. You can eat it raw or cooked, and Ukrainians love it so much that they even hold a lard festival.

Món người Việt ưa thích vào danh sách 16 món ăn ghê nhất thế giới - Ảnh 12.

Stargazey Pie

Stargazey fish pie originated in the village of Mousehole in England. The main ingredients include fish of all kinds, lemon zest, eggs, mashed potatoes, cream…

Món người Việt ưa thích vào danh sách 16 món ăn ghê nhất thế giới - Ảnh 13.

Grasshopper

This is the only insect considered kosher, so the Israelis have killed this pest in a unique way by eating it.

Món người Việt ưa thích vào danh sách 16 món ăn ghê nhất thế giới - Ảnh 14.

Salted duck eggs

If you found a rotten egg, would you eat it? The ancient Chinese did, and it is now a popular delicacy in some Asian countries. The eggs (also known as hundred-year eggs or pidan) are covered in clay, ash and salt for months, at which point the yolk turns a deep green colour and smells of sulfur.

Món người Việt ưa thích vào danh sách 16 món ăn ghê nhất thế giới - Ảnh 15.

Balut

If you’re looking for some real information about creepy foods, look no further. In some Asian countries, especially the Philippines and Vietnam, a popular dish is the balut. This duck egg is boiled alive and then eaten with salt and chili, with the special feature of having a developing duckling inside.