These dishes, although considered specialties and sometimes prepared by renowned chefs, cannot escape the unsettling nature that makes diners hesitant to consume them.
Live octopus
Live octopus is a traditional and eerie dish in Korea, typically served with sesame and sesame oil.
Live octopus is a familiar dish with Korean people
To consume this dish, the live octopus can be cut into small pieces or enjoyed whole, allowing the sensation of the octopus tentacles wriggling in the mouth. However, due to its raw nature, the suckers of the octopus can potentially become lodged in the diner’s throat, posing a choking hazard.
Live frog
A restaurant in Asadachi Street, Shinjuku district, Tokyo, Japan specializes in serving fresh frog sashimi, although not everyone is familiar with this peculiar dish.
Instead of being used for sashimi, frogs are selected for this dish. After being prepared, the frog is thoroughly cleaned, skinned, and its internal organs are removed, but the head is left intact. Then, the frog meat is placed on a frozen stone plate atop a dish, giving the impression that the frog’s head is still bulging with its eyes still… blinking.
Video about a diner eating a live frog
Live monkey brain
Live monkey brain is a dish with a long-standing origin in China, but it is now considered a “high-end delicacy” of the wealthy due to the belief that this dish can enhance men’s sexual prowess.
True to its name, the monkey’s brain is consumed immediately after being prepared at the table. A hole is carved in the dining table, allowing the monkey’s head to protrude about 1/3, then a horizontal knife is used to remove the top of the monkey’s head. At this point, diners can use a spoon to eat the live monkey brain with the accompanying condiments while listening to the desperate cries of the animal.
Eating monkey brain is considered an unethical act
Although considered a unique dish, it is widely viewed as one of the most inhumane and unethical acts.
Maggots living in rotten cheese
Casu marzu is known as traditional cheese in Sardinia, Italy. Its name translates to “rotten cheese”. This type of cheese is made from sheep’s milk and is fermented with Pecorino flies by laying eggs inside the cheese.
Maggots living in rotten cheese
When consuming this dish, diners can feel the maggots wriggling in their mouths. However, this food has been deemed illegal by the European Food Association due to the lack of food safety and hygiene guarantees.
Live coconut worm
Coconut worm is the larval form of the rhinoceros beetle. Despite tunneling through coconuts, it is considered delicious and a unique specialty in the coconut region of the Mekong Delta.
Coconut worm is quite famous in the Mekong Delta region
The most common dish made from coconut worms involves dipping the live worm in fish sauce and consuming it raw. The live worm is placed in a bowl of spicy fish sauce, and when eaten, one can experience the fatty and chewy texture reminiscent of a slowly melting chicken egg yolk. However, this dish is extremely challenging for first-time eaters.
You could say that cuisine around the world is truly fascinating, isn’t it? Do you know any other unique live dishes? Share them with us in the comments below.
