Disgusting Food of Europe Map

Why would raw urchins (known as uni or 海胆 in Japanese, for sushi aficionados) be disgusting ? That's just seafood. It's not more disgusting than eating raw scallops or oysters. Then why would you have a problem with fermented fish if you eat other fermented foods like yogurt, cheese or sauerkraut ?

I think that maggots cross a particular psychological line because dead human bodies are eaten by those very maggots, and you surely don't want to accelerate that process or tempt them to eat you alive from the inside !
Easy to say, I had shrimp first time in my life in age of 25. It took me good 10 years to fully enjoy them. Maybe because they look like big white maggots, lol?
 
Easy to say, I had shrimp first time in my life in age of 25. It took me good 10 years to fully enjoy them. Maybe because they look like big white maggots, lol?

LeBrok, have you ever had pan fried soft shell crab? I know it might sound disgusting, because it's not gutted or anything, and instead you eat it whole, legs, insides and all, but take my word for it, it's absolutely divine, one of the highlights of American cuisine.

These are the nasty little critters in all their primordial ugliness. They remind me of some of the monsters in the Lord of the Rings!
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This is what they look like in all their crusty, buttery, deliciousness.
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LeBrok, have you ever had pan fried soft shell crab? I know it might sound disgusting, because it's not gutted or anything, and instead you eat it whole, legs, insides and all, but take my word for it, it's absolutely divine, one of the highlights of American cuisine.

These are the nasty little critters in all their primordial ugliness. They remind me of some of the monsters in the Lord of the Rings!
5680505758_3813f53306_z.jpg



This is what they look like in all their crusty, buttery, deliciousness.
873077312_69e8ffdbb4.jpg

Sounds like adventure to me, hehe. Where are they served, New York?
 
Sounds like adventure to me, hehe. Where are they served, New York?

It's really a southern thing: Maryland, North and South Carolina, New Orleans. I normally wouldn't order them in New York. They should be cooked within a few hours of their dying, because they spoil very quickly and the delicate, sweet flavor disappears. I normally order them in Florida or if I happen to be in the Washington DC area. It's a spring through September season.

The fishermen usually catch them when they're still hard shelled, put them in a salt water tank until they molt the hard shell and then quickly remove them before their shell can harden again.

It's not so bad, really; they do remove the gills and the abdomen, I think.

They also serve them deep fried in a sandwich with french fries. I guess I never thought about it, but it does look a little barbaric, yes? :) They call it a Po-Boy.


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It's really a southern thing: Maryland, North and South Carolina, New Orleans. I normally wouldn't order them in New York. They should be cooked within a few hours of their dying, because they spoil very quickly and the delicate, sweet flavor disappears. I normally order them in Florida or if I happen to be in the Washington DC area. It's a spring through September season.

The fishermen usually catch them when they're still hard shelled, put them in a salt water tank until they molt the hard shell and then quickly remove them before their shell can harden again.

It's not so bad, really; they do remove the gills and the abdomen, I think.

They also serve them deep fried in a sandwich with french fries. I guess I never thought about it, but it does look a little barbaric, yes? :) They call it a Po-Boy.


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No problem tasting them in this form. :) Looks very appetizing.
 
Why would raw urchins (known as uni or 海胆 in Japanese, for sushi aficionados) be disgusting ? That's just seafood. It's not more disgusting than eating raw scallops or oysters. Then why would you have a problem with fermented fish if you eat other fermented foods like yogurt, cheese or sauerkraut ?

I think that maggots cross a particular psychological line because dead human bodies are eaten by those very maggots, and you surely don't want to accelerate that process or tempt them to eat you alive from the inside !

In the case of the urchins it is more what they look like that puts off many people:

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The problem with fermented fish dishes is the strong smell they have. It is for a similar reason that many people can't bring themselves to try some other fermented foods, like some cheeses. Think of a "ripe" gorgonzola or limburger, they are great, but you have to get used to the smell first. Some people simply can't stomach the pungent smell and never try them.
 

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In the case of the urchins it is more what they look like that puts off many people:

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Sea urchins look more appetizing once they have been cleaned up and made into sushi. Just think you are eating alien brains and you'll be fine. ;)

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The problem with fermented fish dishes is the strong smell they have. It is for a similar reason that many people can't bring themselves to try some other fermented foods, like some cheeses. Think of a "ripe" gorgonzola or limburger, they are great, but you have to get used to the smell first. Some people simply can't stomach the pungent smell and never try them.

It's easier to try new fermented foods when you've been used to it since you were a child. Once you know how to ignore the smell of blue cheese, it's not that hard to try more exotic stuff. Japanese and Korean cuisines in particular have lots of fermented food items.
 
Sea urchins look more appetizing once they have been cleaned up and made into sushi. Just think you are eating alien brains and you'll be fine. ;)

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I wouldn't mind trying it in this form. Looks great.


It's easier to try new fermented foods when you've been used to it since you were a child.
Indead, kids need to introduced to variety of food since a very young age. Before they start questioning what they eat, and make them very hungry before trying new stuff. Otherwise we are raising food handicap generation.
 
Cheese bread with fig and onion jam

Many are people are very fond of fig and camembert cheese bread and even mine. I personally love the classic mix of creamy, pungent cheese mixed with sweet and fruity fig preserve. But also love in addition caramelized onions and a few nuts for extra volume and crunchiness.
 
I remember staying with relatives in North Queensland, where they lived a short walk from the mangroves and mud flats. They'd put out traps each morning, and we've have fresh mud crabs for lunch, without fail. Mangoes were in season, which grew everywhere, and you are talking pretty much the perfect lunch.
 
Many are people are very fond of fig and camembertcheese bread and even mine. I personally love the classic mix of creamy, pungent cheese mixed with sweet and fruity fig preserve. But also love in addition caramelized onions and a few nuts for extra volume and crunchiness.

Wow, missed this post originally. That sounds GREAT!!! Just my sort of food.

@Joey D,

Love, love, love, crab. You just have to forget what it looks like in its natural state and concentrate on the wonderful taste. I type this as I sip on a mango smoothie! :) Yum!
 
Squid ink, horse meat, liver paste, head cheese, deep fried pizza, lard: some of these are not exactly "healthy" but I would hardly qualify them as "disgusting". Some of the blood ones, like blood sausage, also are not really "disgusting", at least not once you taste them and get over the fact that they have pig blood in them. Frog legs are also not that weird to be labelled "disgusting". Entrails, genitalia, raw urchin, rotting/fermenting fish and cheese with maggots one can understand why most people would consider them "disgusting".

What is wrong with frog legs, or liver? We eat those, and we are a lot thinner than Americans. My recent visit back to my birth country Malaysia tells me that these days a lot of Malaysians are overweight thanks to Western imported foods. Sugar Sugar Sugar !!! Obesity is a big problem now in Malaysia! I look slim and tall over there, where as in western countries I am petite and petite :p
 
What is wrong with frog legs, or liver? We eat those, and we are a lot thinner than Americans. My recent visit back to my birth country Malaysia tells me that these days a lot of Malaysians are overweight thanks to Western imported foods. Sugar Sugar Sugar !!! Obesity is a big problem now in Malaysia! I look slim and tall over there, where as in western countries I am petite and petite :p

I love Malaysia, its people and the cuisine is to die for (although I have to admit I prefer the coolness of the highlands to the humidity in places like KL :)

Talking about sugar, the one thing I do remember is that the various drinks you buy, not just the Western ones, but the unique flavours you can buy all over SE Asia, are very, very sweet, sweeter than I think we'd be used to in Australia.

I have one great memory of ordering a cup of tea, Western style, somewhere in Malaysia, and without even asking, the proprietor gave it to me with about four teaspoons of sugar sitting in it, the teaspoon was almost standing upright!
 
Πατσας Patsas soup is fantastic

and ideal for the 'alchool hangover'
the enemy of an alchoolic.

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Have you guys ever tried Raw Salmon bellies or raw shrimp in Europe? Just curious

What is wrong with frog legs, or liver? We eat those, and we are a lot thinner than Americans. My recent visit back to my birth country Malaysia tells me that these days a lot of Malaysians are overweight thanks to Western imported foods. Sugar Sugar Sugar !!! Obesity is a big problem now in Malaysia! I look slim and tall over there, where as in western countries I am petite and petite :p

You know, I might as well try Frog legs. Wonder if there are any in the Asian grocery store in Chinatown. Might as well get some ready made lunch makings. Thanks for the suggestion :)
 
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Here's a tripe and vegetable soup that my grandmother makes. I took a picture of it last time she had prepared it. I really like it, but people that aren't used to it sometimes are hesitant to try it.

I also really like lobster, and make it sometimes. A lot of people are grossed out by them. Which I find odd, since lobsters are pretty common I think.
 
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Here's a tripe and vegetable soup that my grandmother makes. I took a picture of it last time she had prepared it. I really like it, but people that aren't used to it sometimes are hesitant to try it.

I also really like lobster, and make it sometimes. A lot of people are grossed out by them. Which I find odd, since lobsters are pretty common I think.

That tripe looks delish! It's Italian, right? So it has to be good! I've never had tripe, but to me it's protein (meat) so I wouldn't be afraid of it.

Speaking of lobster, when my dad was dating a girl in high school, they ordered lobster...you know how lobster is sometimes served with those little cups of butter, right? Well my dad mistook it for a beverage and drank it down before realizing what it was. The relationship didn't last...(like the relationship with one of the other girls he went out with who broke up after he offered to take her out for a date...at a hot dog stand).

I think I know a) why I'm more of a frog than a prince...and b) what's behind my occasional silliness... genes. Lol.
 
That tripe looks delish! It's Italian, right? So it has to be good! I've never had tripe, but to me it's protein (meat) so I wouldn't be afraid of it.

Speaking of lobster, when my dad was dating a girl in high school, they ordered lobster...you know how lobster is sometimes served with those little cups of butter, right? Well my dad mistook it for a beverage and drank it down before realizing what it was. The relationship didn't last...(like the relationship with one of the other girls he went out with who broke up after he offered to take her out for a date...at a hot dog stand).

I think I know a) why I'm more of a frog than a prince...and b) what's behind my occasional silliness... genes. Lol.

As far as I know, this recipe is Italian. Though I was suprised to see on that food map, that its popular in the Balkan region; but perhaps prepared differently. I live right accross the river from Manhattan (NJ); a lot of Hispanics (mostly Puerto Ricans) I know said they make tripe too.
 
I would imagine that tripe is an Iberian delicacy as well, since Puerto Ricans are largely Spanish.
 
One of my new favorite things to eat is cow heart. It has a rubbery texture which I really like. I had it barbecued on a shish kabob. Totally not disgusting to me, but I think the average person may be apprehensive to eating a heart.

There's an Italian recipe for it:

Cuore di Bue sulla Brace
 

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