In the spirit of our up and coming Asia trip I decided to take a look at some of the most exotic foods I have come across over the last few years. Some are delicious, some are…not delcious but everything is worth a try right?

5) Caribou, Arctic Canada

Probably the most common food source for Inuit and other northern Aboriginal groups in Canada, caribou is certainly my choice when it comes to wild game. I have had caribou in multiple ways including stews,roasts, and steaks. If prepared properly there is virtually no gamey flavour like I have experienced with deer and since the animals diet is mainly wild lichens, the meat has virtually no fat or grease to it. If given the chance don’t turn Caribou down!

4) Giant Grasshoppers – Bangkok, Thailand

While its not the first thing that comes to mind when one wants a quick bite to eat or a salty snack, deep fried hoppers should not be overlooked. For some reason Western culture has always taught us that bugs are gross and dirty, not a good food source, but in the far east, it’s a little different. When walking the markets of Bangkok the choices are endless when it comes to exotic food. Frogs, snakes, slugs, and of course giant insects often make the menu. Westerners normally come to take pictures and point out the odd foods but I thought it was worth a try. An exchange for a few cents left me with a bag full of giants bugs and I felt as if this might have been a bad idea. After the first few, they actually became addicting having the texture similar a potato chip with long spiny legs. The taste? Since they are sprinkled with chili pepper that is all they really taste like. Needless to say the bag was gone in no time.

3) Kangaroo/Crocodile – Australia

After a bit of searching around I finally found a restaurant which serves Australia’s most well known animal, the kangaroo (with a side of Croc). The restaurant manager recommended medium-rare for the best flavour so i wasn’t going to argue.The kangaroo was very flavourful with only a slight gamey taste, it was very good and something i would order again. The crocodile on the other hand tasted of really rubbery chicken. An exotic meal to say the least.

4) Guinea Pig – Cusco, Peru

Some foods around the world are eaten out of necessity or substinence, but when a food is a local delicacy I think its pretty much a must try for any visitor to that country. While in Peru, instead of turkey for Christmas/Easter it’s cuey or as we know it, Guinea pig that is reserved for those special occasions. This is such a prized food in Peru, inside most cathedrals you can usually find a painting of the last supper with Jesus about to chow down on some guinea pig. It’s common in more traditional homes in the Andes to have a section of the house just for keeping these special little rodents. When an occasion comes along the guinea pig is cooked whole in the heated ground for quite a long time. When its all set to eat it is still pretty recognizable.(Picture at the top of page)

5) Dog – Seoul, South Korea

Now before the Animal Rights activist inside everyone begins to judge the Korean practice of eating dog it’s important to understand why this has become a food source. After the Korean war there simply was nothing much else to survive on. Most South Koreans even turn their nose up at this practice and its really only the older generation and a few traditional restaurants which keeps this practice alive. Nowadays, a certain breed of dog is bred for the specific purpose of consumption and really, is it much worse to eat a cow or pig? This was definatly the most exotic meal I have had and was something I found difficult to stomach. The meat was chewy and had an awful fatty texture which was not something that I enjoyed. Personally, I would never order this again but I at least now know, dog is not delicious.