Sole Food: Funky Food from Southeast Asia
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Warning: Don't read this post while you're eating or if you're squeamish. I don't want to ruin your appetite. Or worse, make you run to the nearest bathroom!
Just when I thought the Filipinos eat the quirkiest food yet, I venture into Laos and Cambodia where they eat things I couldn't even mention. Here are a few we've sampled so far:
Jumpy Frogs
No explanation necessary. Just grab a bunch of frogs, clean them up and fry them in deep oil. In Cambodia, they don't just eat the legs, they eat the whole thing- skulls, legs spine and all!
Balut or Duck Fetus
Before I arrived in Ban Lung, Cambodia I always thought that balut or duck fetus was a Philippine delicacy. Then I see the Khmers gobbling it up on the streets! What's interesting about it is how the egg is presented to you. It's gourmet balut with herbs, spices, peppers, sauces and a slice of lime!
Slimy Snails
We ate the snails at the same restaurant as the balut. We saw some locals eating them and washing them down with some Anchor beer. Our curiosity got the best of us so we asked for the same dish. They served us a plate filled with boiled snails and it came with sticks to get the meat out. Snails are a tasty treat!
Sundried Squirrel
The first time I saw this was in Mouang Ngoi, Laos when the woman who ran the neighborhood buffet was drying them out. They had split it in the middle and she was about to dry it on her roof. They would roast it afterwards. I never had the chance to try it but Hutch did. He ate some when he went hiking in the nearby mountains 2 years ago. He said it was really tasty and chewy. Not much meat on them though but they have a great smokey flavor.
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| Photo Credit: makkeboome |
Fried bamboo worms are a big delicacy in Northern Thailand especially in the Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai area. Locals usually trek during rainy season to find these worms. They search bamboo shoots for signs of worm colonies. Once they find an abundant colony, they chop them down and collect the insects. The worms are cooked alive and sizzled in oil.
Innards and Intestines
On our trip to Sapa, Vietnam we found a restaurant that offered gourmet innards and coagulated pork's blood on a stick. We tried a few of them and they were delicious! In the Philippines we eat a lot of isaw which is roasted chicken intestines so this wasn't so strange to us.
Crickets, Cockroaches, Beetles and Tarantulas
Insects were in abundance in Laos and Cambodia. You can see a lot of roadside stalls selling them by the kilo. I had the chance to try some crickets at the farm guesthouse where we stayed in Vang Vieng. Every night, they would place a bright purple light in the middle of the garden and catch crickets by the thousands. They collected them in the morning and fry them in oil. It was very crunchy and tasted a bit like small dried fish.
We chanced upon some tarantulas at a food stall on our way to Phnom Penh. I thought I was brave enough to try them. But the thought of biting into those gooey, alien-looking creatures didn't seem so appealing.
As far as cockroaches go, No thanks!
What weird and wonderful food have you tried lately? Did you regret trying it? Or do you look forward to trying new dishes whenever you come across a new place?
Check out other Sole Food from Incredible India and Vietnam.They would make you forget the horrible food you've just seen, we promise.
Looking forward to more funky food in Myanmar,
Sole Sister Lois
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28 sole trails
Holy $#!+ .... Almost fainted from looking at the pictures! Ask me to jump over a cliff and I'd do it but eating these quirky dishes.. No thanks! Way to go sistahs!
ReplyDeletesiguro keri pa ang frogs. pero cockroaches - hell no! =)
ReplyDeleteand whoa, they also have balut!
Good warning label at the beginning of this post. Pero I felt the remnants of my lunch go up my throat when I saw the creepy crawlies, especially the tarantula. I may be on a see-food diet but I say 'no thanks!' to those! ;D
ReplyDeleteI love exotic foods but I can't handle the squirrel.
ReplyDeleteSnails and frogs, very French! Our goal is to eat a fried tarantula in Cambodia this year, ayayay! But pass for the squirrels and cockroaches, eeeewwww!
ReplyDeleteMore power to you girls! The cockroach is just plain disgusting. I hate them so I cannot imagine eating them and the squirrel. Yuck. The rest I think I would be game to try.
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing...i'll be spending a week across Indochina and will probably try some suggestions above hehehe
ReplyDeleteI'm very open to the kinds of foods that I'll try, but I'd still be hard pressed to eat some of these. Some of them are just too gross. Of course, I thought that sundried squirrels was more funny than gross.
ReplyDeleteAt least you had the choice to eat or not eat these delights! When I was in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan, a group of hardened warriors invited me to their quarters for a meal, which consisted of a redolent broth of horse intestines and goat heads. Concerned that I may offend my hosts, I somehow managed to swallow my endless servings of the broth. The goat eyeballs were most difficult to swallow, as I did not want to masticate them.
ReplyDeleteBalut and snails are probably the easiest ones to stomach for me. Is there such thing as edible roaches like the rice fields rats or are those house roaches?
ReplyDeleteOMIGOD. and you're right. I thought us Filipinos eat the quirkiest of things but the photos you just posted from Laos and Cambodia.. Uglk!
ReplyDeletebut this is one interesting post!
Andresa
Wow, that was a pretty strong reaction Pia. I guess it is quite repulsive especially the tarantulas!
ReplyDeleteAgree with you on that Chyng! Yes, balut is very popular especially in the provinces of Cambodia.
ReplyDeleteHaha.. see food diet! Nice one Mel! Yeah, but photos may be deceiving. Malay natin, masarap pala ang tarantula.. especially the hairy ones! ;-)
ReplyDeleteThe squirrel might actually be the tastiest of the bunch. I just feel bad for the little critters though!
ReplyDeleteLet me know how the tarantulas taste Kim and MJ. Natakot lang talaga ako i-try. Hopefully I will do that on the next trip.
ReplyDeleteYeah, to each his own Graciel. Sakin parang game ako sa squirrel. I think it will be tasty!
ReplyDeleteDo share your experience with Sole Sisters Supertikoy! We would love to hear about your picks!
ReplyDeleteNow I see why they can be funny Steve. I thought initially these were the flying squirrel kind. But they were filleted then impaled on a stick!
ReplyDeleteWow! That sounds like my cup of soup Jody! I've heard that the one who gets the goat's eyeball is actually the most honored guest. Boy, were you lucky!
ReplyDeleteNaku Claire, di kami umabot sa conversation na yan with atend tindera. But I would say these were huge and dark coloured. Not your garden variety roaches for sure!
ReplyDeleteNasuka ka ba Andresa? The thing is that it's all relative. I'm sure Europeans and Americans also eat things that to them seem normal, but for us can be really gross. Like blue maggoty cheese for example.
ReplyDeleteAnd all the while i thought balut is rare and is just found in the Philippines 0_o
ReplyDeleteI think i can eat all except the squirrel hehe :))
There were a lot of food I thought were native to the the Philippines but are not actually. Like durian, rambutan, lechon. Many SEAsian countries share the same tastes. I think I will like the squirrel best.
ReplyDeleteAwwww i don't know if I felt hungry or almost passed out after seeing all those photos.
ReplyDeleteIt was a brave feat for you guys to try some of those funky food :)
nom nom and ewwww.. i thought coagulate is only applicable for milk but the term is also used for blood.. magka ano ano sila sa dinuguan dito?
ReplyDeleteNot brave enough Yvonne. I'm sure we'll have a chance to try even more funky food.
ReplyDeleteMagkapatid ata ang dinuguan at Betamax Kathleen. We do eat a lot of strange stuff. But Asians always eat every single part of an animal. Can't waste anything!
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