Fried Spider
Fried spider is a delicacy in Cambodia. This specialty snack is a popular attraction for tourists. The spiders are bred in holes in the ground in villages north of Skuon, or foraged for in nearby forestland, and fried in oil. The spiders are a species of tarantula called "a-ping" in Khmer, and are about the size of a human palm. At nicer restaurants the cost is $4.25 for 4 spiders.
Silkworm Aka Beondegi
Beondegi, boiled silkworms, is a popular snack in Korea. They are served warm in a giant pot and soaked in boiling water, where the vendor will spoon a handful of them into a cup for you. It's only $3 for a healthy-sized portion that's definitely enough to make you feel nauseous.
Rotten Shark Aka Hákarl
Kæstur hákarl, Icelandic for "fermented shark", is a national dish in Iceland consisting of a shark which has been cured with a particular fermentation process and hung to dry for up to 5 months. Kæstur hákarl has a strong ammonia-like smell and fishy taste. Kæstur hákarl is sold in Icelandic grocery stores and is eaten all year-round.
Roasted Guinea Pig Aka Cuy Bien
Cuy Bien is a traditional dish and a major part of the Peruvian diet. It is also eaten in Ecuador. Roasted guinea pig is high in protein and very low in fat. Its taste has reportedly been compared to a number of different meats including, the dark meat of chicken, rabbit and even rat.
Turtle Soup
Turtle soup, made from the flesh of the turtle, is a Chinese delicacy. The soft-shelled turtle was commonly used for turtle soup in Singapore while the snapping turtle, found mainly in the US was typically used there. The meat, skin and innards of the turtle are used in the soup. Turtle soup was U.S. President William Howard Taft's favorite food. He brought an experienced chef into the White House who specialized in this dish.
Scorpions
In China it is said they eat everything with wings, except airplanes, and everything with legs, except tables, and everything that swims, except submarines. But scorpions? Yes, those too at $3 per skewer.
Starfish
Starfish is not something you would necessarily think of as being edible. The hard outer shell certainly does not look very enticing. However, the strange brown fish substance inside, with a texture in-between toothpaste and ground beef and a flavor of spoiled seafood sticks, is edible, if not particularly tasty. It sells for 3.75 a pop in Beijing.
Shiokara
Shiokara is a Japanese food made from various marine animals including cuttlefish. It consists of small pieces of meat in a brown viscous paste of the animal's heavily salted, fermented viscera. It is mixed with about 10% salt, 30% malted rice and packed in a closed container, left to ferment for up to a month. Shiokara is sold in glass or plastic containers.
Termites
Bugs account for up to 60 percent of dietary protein in the rural African diet. For many people in Ghana, eating termites can be an important means of survival. The insects provide crucial proteins, fats, and oils, especially when other food sources are in short supply. Termites are often eaten raw straight out of the mound in places like Kenya.
Fried Grasshopper
In Mexico, grasshoppers are roasted with chile and lime, and are known as chapulines. They are high in protein and calcium. Other ways to prepare them include: dropping them into a boiling broth, cleaning them off, and rolling in a mixture of flour, coriander seeds, garlic and chilli powder. Then deep-fried. Pan-frying is another option, and they are described as "crunchy, tasty and sweet" when mixed with caramel and sprinkled into meringue. But they do get stuck in between teeth.
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