Given the right amount of thought, just about anything we people consume can sound strange. But there are some dishes that are just downright weird. Whether it's made out of unusual ingredients or the process of preparation is, um, unorthodox, there's just something odd (and traditionally unappealing) about the following delicacies.
The Century Egg
I'll admit, this one wins the award for most off-putting appearance. The name is a bit of an exaggeration, as Century Eggs are usually only a few months in age. But still, that's a couple months past the expiration date for the majority of eggs consumed by people as food. That's not to say Century Eggs are simply left in the open air. Traditionally, the eggs were individually caked in alkaline clay. The clay would not only cut off any air supply that would potentially ruin the egg, but the high alkaline pH actually made it an unpleasant environment for any nasty microbes. These days, Century Eggs are more often made by brining an egg in salt, calcium hydroxide and sodium carbonate, then wrapping the egg tightly in plastic.
Regardless of the method employed, the egg becomes chemically altered by the alkaline agents and lack of air. The whites naturally solidify and change a brown, amber, or even black color. The yolk, unlike a hard-boiled egg, becomes a highly viscous, jelly-like substance that smells strongly of ammonia and provides almost all of the flavor of the dish.
Fried Brain Sandwich
Weird foods aren't the exclusive territory of ancient cultures. In the American Midwest, particularly the Ohio Valley region, is home to the cow's brain sandwich. There's nothing fancy about the way brain sandwiches are prepared. The (meat?) is sliced, cleaned, coated in heavy batter and deep fried. I know I just described a significant portion of American fare, so I guess there's nothing overtly unusual about the brain sandwich.
Despite their lack of obvious intellect, cow's brains are fairly large. You'd be hard-pressed to find a bun that can actually hold one. Since the Mad Cow Disease outbreaks of the past decade, it's getting harder to find brain sandwiches. Those that are around tend to be made with pig brains instead. You can usually tell you've got a pig brain because it's smaller.
Most people describe fried brain as having a "creamy" taste. Being organ meat with no actual muscle, I suppose that makes sense.
Gefilte Fish
Just to prove that I'm not aiming for bias with this list, I'm going to grab a weird food from my own childhood. Gefilte Fish is the very definition of an acquired taste. For a lot of people, they acquire it in association with family or specifically with the Passover holiday. Gefilte Fish's origin is like so many ethnic foods in the world. It was a recipe developed as a means of making low-quality ingredients somehow palatable. The word "Gefilte" is Yiddish for "filled". Why is it called "filled"?
Gefilte Fish is made by de-boning a fish of lower quality, like pike, mullet or whitefish, skinning it and grinding the meat together with eggs, onion and usually matzoh meal. The ground-together product is then stuffed back into the skin and poached with carrots and onion. The final product is a very soft, small loaf of fine fish meat that is served cold with a healthy dollop of horseradish.
The flavor of Gefilte Fish is fairly unique. It tastes slightly pickled and is surprisingly not very fishy. Being served cold actually does it a great service, as a warm piece of Gefilte Fish would like be too pungent and might just fall apart. It is dense and heavy, though it cuts very easily with a fork. Gefilte Fish is most often served as a small, stand-alone course prior to soup and after salad.
I encourage you all to go out there and try some strange food for yourself. No matter how weird or off-putting it seems, it's likely somebody else's favorite thing.