Eating habits and preferences vary drastically from country to country, and even sometimes between regions of the same nation. And China, as many of you must know by now, is no stranger to peculiar dishes.
1. Chicken/duck feet
Yes, they look weird, both in their shape and when you witness hungry locals suck anything edible off of them. But once you get past aesthetics and give them a try, you'll realize they taste much better than they look! And chances are you might get hooked.
Chinese Name:
Chicken feet/凤爪/fèng zhǎo
Duck feet/鸭爪/yā zhǎo
Popular dishes:
1. Chicken feet with pickled peppers/泡椒凤爪/pào jiāo fèng zhǎo
2. Chicken feet with soybean sauce/豉汁凤爪/chǐ zhī fèng zhǎo
2. Thousand-year-old egg
This has once been dubbed one of the world's "most horrible" dishes, and for credible, visible reasons. But once again, it often takes strong will to overcome what our eyes see as unpalatable and once we taste it, free of judgment, many have come to adore such strange-looking eggs.
They are widely popular and used for preserved egg porridge among locals.
Speaking for myself… I hate those eggs! I have not-so-fond memories of my dad cooking them and making me try them. The outcome? I regurgitated them and cried.
Chinese Name:
皮蛋/pí dàn
Popular dishes:
1. Tofu with thousand-year-old egg / 皮蛋拌豆腐/pí dàn bàn dòu fǔ
2. Cold thousand-year-old egg with dressing / 凉拌皮蛋/liáng bàn pí dàn
3. Stinky tofu!
Nothing beats the iconic smell of stinky tofu (except maybe durian), which gets a lot of rap yet tastes pretty good once people get past what feels like an open toilet that hasn't been cleaned in over a month.
Right… not a pleasing thought.
When garnished with cayenne pepper, scallions, and a special sauce, I can eat a dozen pieces and still crave for more!
The best part? It's cheap! You can grab 6 pieces for only RMB 10.
Time to unleash your inner foodie.