Southeast Asia quite rightly has a good reputation for some of the most delicious food in the world:  Vietnamese Pho, Cambodian Prahok, etc. Even Western travelers can eat Asian food all days of the week. But the unavoidable fact is that there are also some unusual foods in Southeast Asia that challenge even the most ardent of food lovers.Southeast Asian cuisine can also offer the Western travelers some of the weirdest delicacies in the world(well, strange to a western palette anyway). This article will show you the top 10 most unusual foods you may encounter in Southeast Asia, among which, 5 are recommended to give a try (provided you are up for such an experience!) and 5 are best to avoid. Of course, it depends on your own taste. Tours in Indochina

5 dishes to try

Tarantulas (in Cambodia): some people love them while other don’t. The general consensus is that the body is full of bitter pus and so makes for a bit of an unpleasant surprise at the end although the deep fried legs are fine as they are crispy. It will certainly be an acquired taste!

Locusts (can be found all across Southeast Asia) – initially, you can find it hard to get them into your mouth but they are actually a great bar snack. With the taste a bit like pork scratchings, these snacks go really well with beer.

Bamboo worms (available all across Southeast Asia): salty and crunchy like popcorn, bamboo worms may be your favourite! As fresh bugs are widely available and waiting to be your next snack, throw away your artificial bag of preserved cookies and chips!

Fried ants and eggs (all across Southeast Asia) – strangely salty and sour, great with ginger, spring onions, chilli and sticky rice, fried ants and eggs pop in your mouth and are pretty satisfying.

Deep fried chicken hearts (available all across Southeast Asia)  –if you are a huge fan of chicken livers, deep fried chicken hearts are actually not too bad. They are best served with sweet chilli sauce.

5 dishes to avoid

Congealed spicy blood (laab lua) (in Laos and Thailand) – Served throughout Laos and Thailand with khao niew (sticky rice) and mainly eaten with the hands, laab, or spicy meat salad is one of the most favorite foods in Laos and Thailand. Laab is often made of fish, or minced chicken or beef, but laab lua is the raw version of laab. It is raw pork or beef with plenty of blood, bile and spices well mixed in. Indochina travel Laos

Duck egg and fetus (in Cambodia, Vietnam) – you tap through the shell of a whole egg to see the half-developed fetus inside. Locals assure that as long as you do not look at what you are eating, it will be fine. However, when it comes to these things, you should have got a pretty strong stomach.

Chickens feet (available all across Southeast Asia): Making the most of all of the chicken, in Vietnam , Laos and Thailand, locals process chicken’s feet into a tasty treat. Often sold on the side of the street as a snack, either barbecued or deep fried, chicken’s feet are crunchy, gelatinous, a little rubbery and well slightly bony (as you might expect).

Scorpions (Thailand, Laos and Vietnam): Some say it tastes like crab/crap, other say it tastes like chicken. Scorpions, eaten deep-fried, are a scary snack favorite in Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. But aren’t dead scorpions poisonous? Apparently, once it is fried (alive) in the boiling oil, the poison in the scorpion is neutralized. Once again, it is also believed that eating the sting will make you stronger and it is really good for male virility.

So, what exotic Southeast Asian dishes do you strongly recommend or advise against?

See more:

REASONS TO VISIT SOUTHEAST ASIA IN LOW SEASON

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE GOING TO CHAMPASAK, LAOS

CHEAP EATS IN SIHANOUKVILLE

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