10
01
Gomutra, or cow urine, is consumed for its supposed health benefits in India. It's also used for cleaning and even proposed for use in offices.
02
Putrid cheese from Sardinia with live jumping maggots that can attach to the eyes. Dead maggots = bad cheese. Some suffocate the larvae before eating.
VIRGIN BOY EGGS, DONGYANG CITY, CHINA
03
Urine-soaked boiled eggs from China have a pungent odor but are said to have a delicate, salty, and addictive taste.
04
Ttongsul is a Korean traditional medicine made by fermenting refrigerated human child feces with water. It has a 9% alcohol content and a strong fecal odor.
MONKEY BRAIN, ANCIENT CHINA
05
Monkey brains served in Guangzhou restaurants with a special table that locks the monkey's head in place. Diners eat while the body wriggles under the table, described in "Born Red."
06
Hairless baby mice drowned in rice wine, matured for a year, and consumed as a health tonic for liver diseases and asthma, with unverified benefits.
KIVIAK, SOUTH-WESTERN GREENLAND
07
Kiviak is a traditional Inuit food made by stuffing a freshly disemboweled seal with up to 500 Little Auk birds, burying them for 3 to 18 months to ferment.
08
Balut is a popular street food in Southeast Asia made by boiling a developing duck embryo inside the shell for 14 to 21 days.
SURSTRÖMMING, NORTHERN SWEDEN
09
Surströmming is a Swedish delicacy of fermented Baltic Sea herring that is notorious for its strong smell.
10
Natto is a Japanese breakfast dish made by fermenting soybeans with bacillus subtilis, creating a slimy texture and strong aroma reminiscent of old cheese or socks.