Bizarre Food #4: Haggis

I’ve been on the search for the most strange and bizarre foods that people eat…with every scroll and click of my mouse, I get more and more hesitant…

There were some foods that I thought were extremely odd and fit the bizarre food category very well, yet I just could not stand to look at the picture or even stand the thought of writing a whole post about it. I hope my bizarre food findings aren’t scaring or grossing anyone else also.

I am thinking that I should directly post this project onto the Bizarre Foods Page. That way my readers are able to click on each bizarre food item for each week verses coming to my homepage and seeing something extremely creepy (last week’s Brain).

Let me know what you think.

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On to it then. This week’s Bizarre Food is Haggis.

Haggis is derived from Scottish cuisine. It’s made of a sheep’s stomach. Yes, stomach. It’s prepared by removing the stomach contents then cleaning it thoroughly. The rest is basically similar to how you would cook any other type of animal protein—flavored with onions, vegetables, and baked until tender.

As Durian, it is considered a delicacy, however, Haggis was once thought of a poor man’s meal. Now it’s sitting in the ‘gourmet’ foods category.

How to prepare Haggis:

You can choose to simmer it slowly aka poaching it. The length of time depends on how much the stomach weighs (not referring to yours). 1 kg of Haggis takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes to cook.

Another option is to bake it. In this method it is advised pour a little bit of water in a casserole dish with the Haggis inside and then bake it for 1 hour at 350 F

Microwaving is also another cooking method that is used, but you would have to cut it up into even sized chunks to promote proper and even cooking.

When it’s cooked, you can enjoy it with potatoes on the side or a bottle of Whiskey!

Source:

Eat Scotland

According to Livestrong, Haggis is about 28% carbohydrate, 17.3 protein and a whopping 54.7% fat!

Here is an interesting article in the UK Guardian about Haggis and the U.S.

US to Lift 21-year Ban on Haggis

Bizarre Food #3 Brain

Talk about eating brain food. This new bizarre food that I am going to write about is literally just that—brain.

Apparently, it is so common that you could find the nutritional contents online via calorie counter & Livestrong

Was lamb or sheep brain on a menu that I somehow missed it?

Here’s a breakdown of the types of brains eaten:

Cow brain is firm and full of red veins. The younger variety, calf brains, even more red in color and is preferred. The type of brains that people look for are those of sheep and lamb brains, which are very pale in color and are more tender and delicate.

Caution: Eating brains is a very dangerous game, so make sure that you buy from someone you know and trust. Most importantly, make sure that the animal was alive at the time of slaughter. You wouldn’t want to eat one that came from a dead or diseased animal.

When buying you want ones that are pink, plump and do not have any foul smell. If you see red spots discoloration, do not eat, as there may be something seriously wrong.

 

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Brains are best eaten right away, but can be refrigerated for up to two days. Or you can preserve them with a little bit of salt and acidity.

They are normally eaten stir fried into your dishes with vegetables. It can be also made into a pate. Even cooked like any other type of meat. I imagine you could probably grill it as well.

They are rich in protein, minerals, and vitamins. Not surprisingly, it’s loaded with vitamin B12. I guess if you feel that you’re deficient in Vitamin B12, try having a 3 oz serving of brain to get your day’s worth.

It’s also full of saturated fats and cholesterol, so eating too much may lead to adverse health issues.

Bizarre Food: Durian

Have you ever taken a bite out of a fruit that was considered the “King of fruits?” Maybe you have heard of it. Or even smelled it from a far? This well sought after fruit is called Durian. Many people love it and many, including myself can’t get close enough to try it without wanting to vomit from the smell. The smell is so intense that you wouldn’t have to cut open the fruit to have the “aroma” penetrate the air around you.

for a funny video, check out this smell test: “How Smelly is Durian”

Native to Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Thailand, Viet Nam, Malaysia, etc.), durian can be found growing in clusters on trees. Their appearance resembles that of jackfruit, with the large spikes around the outer shell. There is also a rod that is usually sticking out from the top.

It’s nutritional benefits are surprisingly plentiful. It’s very rich in antioxidants, minerals, carbohydrates, unsaturated fats and a good amount of protein.

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Because of the outer spikes (what’s up with me and spiky foods? See: Sea Urchin), you must wear protective gear, such as thick gloves. You’d break open the fruit and expose the insides. You’ll see yellow soft fleshy fruit, there is usually about 4-5 of them per fruit. The flesh can be eaten straight from the fruit shell, or they can be used to make confections, such as ice cream, cookies, muffins, candies. The possibilities of combining durian are endless!

Follow this link to watch a little tutorial on how to remove the soft fruit inside.

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I’d like to try this fruit some day in my lifetime, however as I mentioned earlier, I cannot get close enough to it to even touch it! I am extremely curious as to how this tastes like. Who knows maybe I may end up liking it. I wonder if I brought one home, how long would my apartment, would my neighbors complain?

Q & A

What do you think of this fruit? Have you heard/seen of it before? Would you try it?

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References:

How Smelly is Durian

Tropical Fruits

10 Health Benefits of Durian

FoodScout: Durian

Power Your Diet

Bizarre Food: Sea Urchin

For my Foods and World Culture class, our instructor is having us keep a food blog documenting the bizarre foods that people eat.

Last time I wrote about the bizarre food that she showed us in class. Now, it’s my turn to find out information on foods I think it are bizarre.

I will also be keeping a page at the top and will be updating it on a weekly basis.

Bizarre food #1 — Sea Urchin”

They are found in the sea and there are about 500 different species, however, not all of them can be consumed.

A couple of weeks back, I was flipping through the books I had bought for my classes. (bought online, so they came early). In my Food Service Purchasing class (love this book!), I came across a section for Sea Urchin. I thought it was the grossest and scariest thing on the planet, aside from spiders (gives me the shivers). I thought, who would eat this thing!

Reading the information on how it is eaten or more like what part of it is eaten grossed me out even more.

The picture diagram below shows you the sections and parts of this invertebrate. On the Left picture, you see the mouth. When you flip the sea urchin over, you’ll get the genital plate, which is considered the edible portion also known as Roe.

I just want to add, Eeeeeeew!!

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The Sea Urchin is unisexual, meaning it can reproduce on it’s own because it has both overies and testicles! You would find this in the orange colored ringed muscle, known as the coral.

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When purchasing them, you want to get ones that are whole, have firm spikes, and closed mouths.

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If I have enticed you to try this bizarre food out, here’s some more information on how to cook it:

First off, you want to wear protective gear by wearing gloves so that the spikes won’t hurt you.

Over a bowl, take a knife or pair of scissors and cut around the mouth opening. There will be liquid running out (you want to pour that and the genitals into your bowl). Toss out the spikes.

Sea Urchin is best eaten fresh, but it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

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References:

Garlough, Robert. (2011). Modern Food Service Purchasing. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Cengage Learning

Enchanted Learning Sea Urchin. Retrieved from http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/invertebrates/echinoderm/Seaurchin.shtml

Rosso, Sara. (2007, Aug 28th). Catching and Eating Ricci di Mare – Sea Urchins. Retrieved from http://www.msadventuresinitaly.com/blog/2007/08/28/catching-and-eating-ricci-di-mare-sea-urchins/