Thread: What is the best Exotic Food your country has to offer?

It is nice to see a fellow Filipino on this site. Balut is one of my favorite street foods and it is a very nutritious also. Just don't eat too much Balut 'cause it will make your blood pressure rise because of it's cholesterol contents.

I have tried it and just did not like it. I do remember a food item, but cannot think of the name. I simply loved it. It was like chopped beef in gravey wrapped in bread or dow. Does anyone know what that is? I really like this and just have never seen it any other place then this little stand in Angeles City.

There aren't that many exotic foods in the US that don't originally come from some other country, but there is a very large clam that is native to my state that's exotic looking. The geoduck. Pronounced "gooey-duck"



It's very good. My favorite ways to eat it are sauteed in butter, grilled and dipped in soy sauce or in geoduck fritters.

Originally Posted by summerRain

It is nice to see a fellow Filipino on this site. Balut is one of my favorite street foods and it is a very nutritious also. Just don't eat too much Balut 'cause it will make your blood pressure rise because of it's cholesterol contents.

Thanks SummerRain I'm grateful too. Yah right the elders used to prescribe it for those who are sick. Eating moderate amount, not more than one per day will make you feel strong but more than that will cause you headaches.

Originally Posted by obriness

Every country in the world have something unique to offer and Asians are renowned for it's exotic cusines. Most of the exotic foods actually tastes really good despite of the disgusting look and smell. When you visit Philippines I suggest you try our famous and loved street food BALUT. It's a fertilized duck egg, boiled and ready to eat on it's shell. We usually spice it up w/ salt and vinegar. It's adventurous to eat because of the nearly developed embryo inside.

I have that in mind as well. In general, we have the balut. As for what we have to offer as an Ilocano, we have the gamet and pinakbet. The latter is not really an exotic one. It's "mainstream" but that is arguably what we are really known for, as far as food is concerned. :-)

Originally Posted by mariaandrea

There aren't that many exotic foods in the US that don't originally come from some other country, but there is a very large clam that is native to my state that's exotic looking. The geoduck. Pronounced "gooey-duck"



It's very good. My favorite ways to eat it are sauteed in butter, grilled and dipped in soy sauce or in geoduck fritters.

I haven't seen a clam this big before! Does it taste like typical clams or oysters? I know clams are a good source of Iodine and I would like to know what other benefits you can get from eating geoduck clam? Thanks in advance.

Those clams look really weird. Actually I have no clue what on Earth was in the picture until I read your post. I want to try some hope they'll export that sometime.

Originally Posted by summerRain

I haven't seen a clam this big before! Does it taste like typical clams or oysters? I know clams are a good source of Iodine and I would like to know what other benefits you can get from eating geoduck clam? Thanks in advance.

Geoduck is a good source of iron and low in fat and calories. It tastes like clams, but a little richer and saltier I think. They're fun to dig on the beach, but harder to get than regular clams because they can dig themselves deep really fast and you can only find them at really low tide. Here's a page on their nutrition. Nutrition*-*Underwater Harvesters' Association
They're only found on beaches here in Washington state and in British Columbia in Canada. I don't think there are enough to ever be a really big export market, although I've heard they're a delicacy in China where some are exported to.

China has tons of cool dishes- you can get the weird touristy stuff at the tourist areas- like fried silkworms and scorpions and such, but no one actually eats that for real.
Hairy crabs are a big delicacy in China- they are only available in the fall.
In winter, the snack of choice is hawthorne berries on a stick dipped in a candy coating- it's kind of like a sour-sweet candied apple.
Peking duck is amazing, but expensive, so that is a special-meal kind of thing.
Yunnan has a fried cheese thing that you dip in salt, pepper, and powdered sugar- soooo good!
Sichuan cold chicken or roasted fish- both great.
For quick Chinese food at any local place - gan bian si ji dou (twice friend green beans) are a treat.

Originally Posted by mariaandrea

There aren't that many exotic foods in the US that don't originally come from some other country, but there is a very large clam that is native to my state that's exotic looking. The geoduck. Pronounced "gooey-duck"



It's very good. My favorite ways to eat it are sauteed in butter, grilled and dipped in soy sauce or in geoduck fritters.

Geoduck is very, very good. Whenever I visit family on the west coast, I make sure I get a serving. We usually have to catch our own however so it is quite a challenge to dig them up given their ability to move so much earth with that foot of theirs. They are also very good in a creamy pesto sauce in case you want to mix things up.

Originally Posted by Alli

China has tons of cool dishes- you can get the weird touristy stuff at the tourist areas- like fried silkworms and scorpions and such, but no one actually eats that for real.
Hairy crabs are a big delicacy in China- they are only available in the fall.
In winter, the snack of choice is hawthorne berries on a stick dipped in a candy coating- it's kind of like a sour-sweet candied apple.
Peking duck is amazing, but expensive, so that is a special-meal kind of thing.
Yunnan has a fried cheese thing that you dip in salt, pepper, and powdered sugar- soooo good!
Sichuan cold chicken or roasted fish- both great.
For quick Chinese food at any local place - gan bian si ji dou (twice friend green beans) are a treat.

The Chinese and Mexicans (my family background) will eat anything. When I eat food in Mexico or visit large China town regions in major centers, I always look at what I haven't tried and try to eat that. I am often more surprised than I thought I would be at how good some of the dishes are. When I was in Japan, I had grass hoppers in my rice and lots of sea urchin which was very good. The jelly fish textures was something I didn't like. In Thailand and Mexico, I tried insects. The bamboo grubs in Thailand were very good although they were like eating shrimp with the shell on. The ones in Mexico that people eat when in season were just too much shell for my liking.

The only thing that I make sure of now is that I check the sustainability of the products before I buy them. Shark fins for example are a really destructive idea as are some snakes and sea cucumber. In Mexico, several types of river shrimp are non-sustainably harvested as I learned from a brother in law who is also concerned about the environment.

Originally Posted by mariaandrea

Geoduck is a good source of iron and low in fat and calories. It tastes like clams, but a little richer and saltier I think. They're fun to dig on the beach, but harder to get than regular clams because they can dig themselves deep really fast and you can only find them at really low tide. Here's a page on their nutrition. Nutrition*-*Underwater Harvesters' Association
They're only found on beaches here in Washington state and in British Columbia in Canada. I don't think there are enough to ever be a really big export market, although I've heard they're a delicacy in China where some are exported to.

Thank you for that great information mariaandrea! I'll just make a research if this yummy giant clams are available in our country. There are many Chinese restaurants here in the Philippines and I am hoping to find this delicious delicacy. I am very curious to try it!

Originally Posted by mariaandrea

There aren't that many exotic foods in the US that don't originally come from some other country, but there is a very large clam that is native to my state that's exotic looking. The geoduck. Pronounced "gooey-duck"

I finally got a chance to get my son to look at the geoduck. He might be willing to try it when we get up that way (2014? 2015?), but he's not real sure about the big foot.

My mother is from Indonesia, the home of Rendang. Rendang is usually beef cooked slowly in coconut milk with delicious spices and flavours. My mother toasts coconut, pounds it up to add to the curry, this is called kerisik and I love it!

Originally Posted by shaun

My mother is from Indonesia, the home of Rendang. Rendang is usually beef cooked slowly in coconut milk with delicious spices and flavours. My mother toasts coconut, pounds it up to add to the curry, this is called kerisik and I love it!

Hmm sounds delicious but I doesn't seem to be an exotic delicacy.
There is a mollusk that grows inside the rees in a mangrove forest in Palawan, Philippines and we call it Tamilok. It is best when dipped in vinegar, we ate it raw and fresh from the tree branch. It tastes like a bone marrow.





The locals who live nearby these mangrove areas have found a livelihood in collecting tamilok and selling them in wet markets and even in the streets to tourist passersby. Even in Sitio Sabang where the Underground River is located, a child carrying a pale of live tamilok is a common sight.

One of the exotic foods my country has to offer is ox tail in thick peanut sauce. This one is a must in every family gathering in my country. It is basically a composition of the main ingredient which is ox tail, as the name implies, but now that the dish is evolving, it is now common to see ofal there or most commonly known as internal organs of either cow or pig, plus the peanut sauce. I know no one in my country who shy away from this dish. Aside from the meats (ox tail and internal organs) and the peanut sauce, there are also vegetables put there. The crispier and fresher the greens, the better.

Well in England I can not think of anything exotic... it would have to be cockles... not much of a delicacy

In India, people are more interested in spicy food.

Most of the times, it creates a problem for the tourists to get used to it, but I will recommend you to try Butter Chicken out here in my country.
The Capital Delhi, especially, is famous for chicken Mughlai. All the delicious chicken dishes are available in the capital.

I'm from England, we don;t have many exotic foods here because of the climate. Saffron is probably the most exotic ingredient produced here. There is a little village in South East England called Saffron Walden, the name relates to saffron is produced there.