10 strange-sounding foods travelers say you must try before judging

Let’s be honest, sometimes the foods that sound the weirdest are the ones that surprise us most.

Travel enough and you’ll quickly realize that what one culture calls “weird,” another calls “lunch.”

I’ve spent years hopping between countries, chasing flavors that make me rethink what I thought I knew about food.

And honestly, some of the strangest-sounding dishes turned out to be the most memorable.

So, let’s drop the judgment for a minute and explore ten of these foods that travelers, myself included, say you need to try at least once.

1) Balut, the Filipino delicacy that tests your courage

If you’ve ever traveled through the Philippines, you’ve probably heard of balut.

It’s a fertilized duck egg, partly developed embryo and all, boiled and eaten straight from the shell.

I remember my first time trying it in Manila. The vendor handed me the warm egg with a pinch of salt and vinegar.

The broth was rich and comforting, almost like chicken soup. Then came the main part, soft, savory, slightly gamey. Was it strange? Absolutely.

But also, surprisingly delicious.

The thing is, balut isn’t meant to shock. For locals, it’s comfort food, street food, and sometimes even a late-night snack after a few beers.

Once you get past how it sounds, it’s all flavor and tradition.

2) Hákarl, Iceland’s infamous fermented shark

Anthony Bourdain once called hákarl “the single worst, most disgusting thing” he’d ever eaten. That’s quite an endorsement, right?

Hákarl is a Greenland shark that’s been fermented for months and hung to dry.

The result is a strong ammonia smell that hits your nose before it reaches your mouth. It’s the kind of aroma that clears your sinuses faster than any cold remedy.

But if you power through the smell, the taste is interesting. Chewy, a little fishy, and oddly clean.

Icelanders eat it to honor tradition, often washing it down with a shot of Brennivín, their local schnapps.

Would I eat it again? Maybe not for breakfast, but as a cultural experience, it’s worth every bite.

3) Century eggs, China’s misunderstood gem

Few foods get as unfairly judged as century eggs. Despite the name, they’re not actually a hundred years old, more like a few weeks to months.

Duck eggs are preserved in a mixture of clay, ash, and salt until the yolk turns dark green and creamy, and the white becomes amber and jelly-like.

Sounds strange, looks stranger. But when I first tried one at a market in Beijing, it completely flipped my expectations.

The flavor is bold, earthy, umami, slightly funky, but paired with pickled ginger or rice porridge, it works beautifully.

It reminded me of strong cheese: intimidating at first, addictive later.

4) Escamoles, Mexico’s insect caviar

If you’re squeamish about bugs, brace yourself. Escamoles are ant larvae harvested from agave plants, sautéed with butter, garlic, and spices.

It sounds like something out of a wilderness survival show, but in Mexico, it’s a delicacy dating back to the Aztecs.

I had escamoles in a small restaurant in Puebla, tucked inside a soft tortilla with guacamole.

The texture? Like tiny grains of couscous. The taste? Nutty, buttery, and somehow elegant.

Honestly, if no one told you what it was, you’d just think you were eating a high-end seafood taco.

5) Surströmming, Sweden’s infamous fermented herring

Now, if hákarl smells strong, surströmming laughs in its face.

This Swedish specialty is fermented Baltic herring, canned while still fermenting, meaning it continues to bubble and expand even after sealing.

Open one indoors and you’ll regret it instantly. The smell has been described as “rotting fish and gym socks,” and that’s being polite.

But eaten the traditional way, with flatbread, potatoes, and onions, it transforms. The saltiness hits first, then a funky tang, then something oddly satisfying.

It’s an acquired taste for sure, but if you ever find yourself in northern Sweden, it’s a rite of passage.

6) Stinky tofu, the street food legend of Taiwan

You can smell it before you see it. Stinky tofu, fermented bean curd fried to golden perfection, is one of those foods that divides people instantly. Some cross the street to avoid the smell. Others follow their nose straight to the stall.

When I tried it in Taipei’s night market, I was skeptical. The aroma was strong. But once I took a bite, everything changed.

Crispy outside, soft inside, and that fermented depth of flavor, it’s like blue cheese met fried tofu and had a funky, delicious baby.

There’s a reason locals crave it and tourists can’t forget it.

7) Black pudding, the breakfast staple with a twist

If you’ve ever had a full English breakfast, you’ve probably seen a slice of black pudding on the plate.

What most travelers don’t realize until later is that it’s made from pig’s blood mixed with oats and fat.

Yep, blood sausage.

But before you turn up your nose, hear me out. When cooked right, it’s savory, hearty, and rich, with a texture somewhere between sausage and pâté.

Pair it with eggs, toast, and some roasted tomatoes, and you’ve got one of the most satisfying breakfasts imaginable.

It’s also a reminder that “strange” is often just “different from what I’m used to.”

8) Natto, Japan’s sticky breakfast superstar

Natto is one of Japan’s most divisive foods.

Made from fermented soybeans, it’s slimy, sticky, and has a smell that could politely be described as challenging.

But the Japanese swear by it, and once you try it, you might understand why.

It’s packed with protein, probiotics, and a unique flavor that sits somewhere between cheese and miso.

I had it for breakfast in Tokyo with rice, mustard, and green onions. The texture threw me off at first, but the flavor grew on me, savory, tangy, a little nutty.

If you can get past the texture, it’s one of the healthiest starts to the day you’ll ever have.

9) Huitlacoche, Mexico’s prized corn fungus

Imagine biting into a corn cob and finding it covered in black, puffed kernels. Most people would toss it out. In Mexico, they cook it.

Huitlacoche, sometimes called corn truffle, is a fungus that grows on corn and turns it into something extraordinary.

Earthy, smoky, and rich, it’s used in quesadillas, soups, and tamales.

I tried it in a quesadilla at a small Oaxacan stall. The taste blew me away, like a cross between mushroom risotto and roasted corn.

It’s proof that beauty and flavor can come from what others might see as imperfection.

10) Rocky Mountain oysters, the cowboy classic

Don’t be fooled by the name; there’s nothing oceanic about these oysters. They’re bull testicles, battered and fried, and served across parts of the American West.

I know what you’re thinking. But truthfully, if someone handed them to you without explanation, you’d think they were fried chicken bites.

The flavor is mild, and the texture is tender; nothing scary about it at all.

In cowboy culture, eating them is almost a badge of honor. For travelers, it’s a chance to challenge your comfort zone and discover that sometimes the joke food isn’t a joke at all.

The bottom line

If there’s one thing travel teaches you, it’s humility. What seems strange to us might be sacred to someone else.

Food is one of the purest expressions of culture, shaped by history, geography, and necessity.

Trying these dishes isn’t just about bragging rights. It’s about broadening your palate and your perspective.

When I think back on the weird foods I’ve tried, they all share something in common: they tell a story.

They remind me that curiosity tastes a lot better than fear.

So the next time you see something on a menu that makes you raise an eyebrow, ask yourself, What if it’s delicious?

Because you’ll never know until you take that first bite.