Exotic meals from around the world

Stacey Wang, Editor-in-Chief

Living in a state where diversity is commonplace and a willingness to try new things is embraced, food can often act as the bridge to understanding another culture.In Pasadena alone, a person can feast on American dining or walk a few blocks further down to experience the exotic flavors of another country. But at times, some international dishes may be too exotic for those with even an open-mind and an open-stomach to try. Although it may be commonly enjoyed in its home country, these foreign foods can still seem unusual to others seldom exposed to it.
Haggis Traditionally a Scottish dish, haggis is traditionally made of a sheep’s stomach, stuffed with its heart, liver, lungs and various ingredients for taste. It is boiled and, for those who can get past the ingredients, it is enjoyed on the Scottish New Year’s Hogmanay, as well as Burns Night, the birthday of poet and author of ‘Ode to a Haggis’ Robert Burns.

Black Pudding Also known by a more revealing name, blood sausage, this European dish is not at all like pudding or even American cuisine. A sausage casing is stuffed with animal blood, typically pig, with other ingredients such as onions, oatmeal or fat. Before it is boiled, baked or grilled, the blood has a pudding-like consistency when stuffed into its casing. It is usually served for breakfast and has a grainy texture.

Durian Encased in a hard, spiky shell, durian is a popular fruit from Southeast Asia. The oddly-shaped fruit has an even odder odor that can penetrate throughout a home and linger for days. Besides the difficulty of getting to the fruit through the exterior, this ‘King of Fruits’ has caused many to be repulsed its smell to try it.“My family eats it, but I don’t. They say it smells like hell, but it tastes like heaven,” said Celia Tran, 19, graphic arts. “I can’t eat it because the smell just really gets to me.”

Balut This delicacy is prepared by boiling a fertilized duck egg, with a partially developed fetus inside, and served from the shell. It is commonly eaten with salt, but can also be paired with chili and vinegar. Depending on preference on how developed the duck fetus is, the egg is usually incubated for several weeks.

Chicken Feet As a common dish for dim sum, a type of Chinese cuisine consisting of various small dishes, chicken feet are usually fried then marinated in a black bean sauce. Although this food may ward off Chinese food connoisseur because of the chicken part being consumed,it has a chicken skin texture and salty taste. “It’s an experience,” said Matthew DeBlasis, choosing his words carefully. The 20-year-old telecommunications major ordered the dish in Chinatown to try something new, but he would not order it again because the taste was not as good as he would have hoped.

Escargot Possibly one of the most popular responses for exotic foods, this French delicacy is none other than cooked land snails. “I heard it’s very chewy, but it’s good if it’s cooked right,” said Andi Gallardo, 20, theater. Much like Gallardo, most people hear about the cuisine based on word-of-mouth. Usually served as an appetizer, the snail is taken out the casing, commonly prepared with a garlic and butter sauce and then stuffed back into the shell.“You eat a little and it goes a long way. A little is enough to satisfy you, but a lot is just too much,” added DeBlasis.