1.WASP COOKIES CREATING A BUZZ IN JAPAN
In the Japanese village of Omachi, elderly wasp hunters set traps in the forest. The digger wasps they ensnare are intended for jibachi senbei—rice crackers with a smattering of wasps baked into every bite. The insect-studded snack is the brainchild of a Japanese fan club for wasps and a local cracker-baker.
Digger wasps stings and paralyze other insects before eating them, but after the wasp-loving club members capture their prey, the bugs don’t stand a chance. They’re boiled and dried, then added to rice cracker mix. A hot iron cracker cutter stamps out the finished rounds. According to one reviewer, the finished cracker has a mild sweet and savory flavor, while the wasps themselves taste like burnt raisins (but with a bitter, acidic note). He also mentions the unsettling sensation of wings and legs getting stuck in his mouth.
On handing out cracker samples around town, the president of the Omachi digger wasp lovers club noted that young people are deterred by the presence of bugs, “But seniors, they love them. We even have an order from a nursing home.”
2.Kiviak
Kiviak is a bizarre Inuit delicacy originating from Greenland. It consists of numerous dead auk birds that are stuffed into a dead seal, and the combination is then left to ferment under a rock, usually for around three months. The seal needs to be packed tightly, so around 400 or 500 auk birds are used, including the feet, beaks, and feathers.
The dish was originally prepared to ensure easily-accessible food during the harsh winter months, and nowadays it's especially popular during the Christmas season. The seal fat repels flies, while large rocks are used to keep the air out to prevent the dish from going bad.
Various oils are often applied to the seal skin in order to prevent a maggot infestation of the carcass. In August 2013, a few people died from eating kiviak made from eider instead of auk, and because eider doesn't ferment as nicely as auk, they got botulism.
3.Shirako — All About Japan’s Weirdest Delicacy
Shirako (sometimes spelled shiraku) is perhaps Japan’s weirdest dish. While this white paste may look like mayonnaise, it’s actually fish semen. Served on top of rice, fried in tempura batter, or even on top of custard, this dish is revered for its rich, velvety texture and mild sea-like taste.
Is Shirako Really Fish Sperm?
fish milt, fish semenYes. It’s not even that weird, really. We eat roe, which is fish eggs, so why not fish semen? While shirako is a bit more difficult to harvest, it’s not really any more disgusting than a number of foods I could name. Shirako’s taste and texture are quite pleasant, meaning that many people who would otherwise be grossed out find it somewhat enjoyable.
4.Bats - Food & Feeding
On a global scale, bats take a wide variety of food, including fruit, leaves, bark, nectar, pollen, winged insects, beetles, bugs and termites, spiders, small mammals (especially rodents) birds, lizards, amphibians (especially frogs), scorpions, other bats and fish. Some bats, i.e. the notorious vampire bats, will feed on the blood of mammals and birds.
On a global scale, bats take a wide variety of food, including fruit, leaves, bark, nectar, pollen, winged insects, beetles, bugs and termites, spiders, small mammals (especially rodents) birds, lizards, amphibians (especially frogs), scorpions, other bats and fish. Some bats, i.e. the notorious vampire bats, will feed on the blood of mammals and birds.
A black flying fox (Pteropus alecto) feeding on silky oak flowers at Camira in Queensland. - Credit: Paislie Hadley
As their name suggests, fruit bats are frugivorous, feeding on fruit, berries, leaves and bark, sometimes taking nectar and pollen, and invariably a few insect larvae that dwell on leaves and fruit. These bats often pick the fruit from the tree and return to a feeding roost where they will eat it. The fruit is crushed and the juices and soft parts swallowed; some seeds will be spat out, others are eaten and pass out later in the bat’s droppings. Some Fruit bat species, such as the Mexican long-nosed bat (Leptonycteris nivalis), have a specialized brush on their tongue to help in the collection of nectar. As in humans, the lack of the gulonolactone oxidise means that Fruit bats cannot produce ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and this important vitamin must be obtained from their diet.
5.Deer Placenta Soup
The placenta is a temporary organ which provides oxygen and nutrients to growing spawn while removing waste products from the spawn’s blood. It attaches to the wall of the uterus and the umbilical cord is attached to it.
In Traditional China Medicine there is a belief that some postpartum women are cool due to losing Qi (life force) and drinking tea with placenta broth can help aid her recovery.
Stem cell therapies may be able to treat many diseases and conditions, but the hype has run ahead of reality and many treatments are not FDA approved.
The placenta is a flexible organ, yielding a rather chewy texture. Deer placenta soup can be served with mushrooms, flowers, black chicken, and deer tendon in the broth. It is believed to be good for skin, kidneys, vitality and sexual vitality.
Deer placenta extract is sold online at many alternative health websites, though it is often sold using scientifically unproven claims via pyramid schemes claiming it as a cure for cancer. Countries ranging from Singapore to the Philippines have warned against extreme marketing promises like reversing the aging process.
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