[woodsyi]

So,  I was in Iceland and ordered a recommended dish that the chef was proud of.  I noticed that he spent time in NYC and we chatted about food and wine.  He takes pride in his sauces that enhance the game meats prevalent in Iceland.  So I got talked into ordering his "proud" dish.  I was aghast when I found out that one of the trio of meat was whale.  I don't support whaling but I know it is legal in Iceland.  I didn't like it.  It was similar to liver with that powdery aftertaste.  It did not go well with a bottle of CDP I had either.  I won't be ordering any whale steak in the future.  And I am asking what's in the dish before ordering it. 

OTOH, I liked arctic charr.  It really tasted like a combination of trout and salmon.  I would take it over cod which is the other main fish in Iceland.

 

[JohnR]

And I am asking what's in the dish before ordering it. 

I think I'd double that recommendation if traveling in Japan, especially anything that is lauded as a "local delicacy."   

OTOH it was San Francisco where I was talked into a taste test between "east coast sea urchin" and "west coast sea urchin."

Iceland seems like a cool place.

[FireGuy]

Interesting thread.  While in Antigua, order Iguana soup.  It was on the lunch menu as a special.  I indulged because it was different.  Quite neutral tasting, nothing memorable.  Veggies helped the dish to make it somewhat palatable.  No seconds on this one.  Maybe grilled with BBQ sauce?  Prob not.

[Audiovista]

Nice thread. I don't take a lot of pictures of food, but will scramble for a few "interesting ones".

[Art_Chicago]

Calf kidney with sautéed onions! Enjoyed it in Montpelier, France last month. The place was flooded with locals, and one of them recommended me that particular dish to try.

[woodsyi]

Iceland seems like a cool place.

Definitely.  Temperature ranged between 8 to 13 C in July.

It's cool in other sense too.

A video of the land of fire and ice


Super friendly, no traffic and not crowded at all but most of all it offers majestic display of natural wonders.

[Bob in St. Louis]

BBQ 

[LesterSleepsIn]

In Nepal I practically lived on dal bhat; I ate it at least twice a day. And a favorite 'special' dish was gundruk - a soup of fermented and dried cauliflower leaves served with rice. Yummy.

Beef is not served in Nepal but there is a delicacy in which leaches are attached to the nose of a cow until they swell to the size of fat sausages - then fried in yak butter. I didn't try it but I understand they're quite tasty.

[Bob in St. Louis]

Beef is not served in Nepal but there is a delicacy in which leaches are attached to the nose of a cow until they swell to the size of fat sausages - then fried in yak butter. I didn't try it but I understand they're quite tasty.

.... But they won't eat the cow.... 

[woodsyi]

.... But they won't eat the cow.... 

Of course not, Bob.   It's sacred.    

You don't eat a sacred cow.   Get it? 

[Bob in St. Louis]

....But they'll eat leaches filled with cow snot fried in yak butter. Yea. I get that.

(Not) 

Bring 'em to my house, I'll show them how to cook a brisket. It'll be fun.   

[mcgsxr]

During the mid 90's when I lived in Taiwan for 2 years I tried a number of dishes I had never seen before.

Loved - stinky tofu - the pungent odor kept a lot from trying it but I really really liked it!

Did not love - pig intestines, deep fried crickets, duck feet

[WGH]

The blood filled leaches reminded me that when Grandpa came to visit he would bring the good stuff from his neighborhood Chicago butcher: Real blood sausage (white and dark) and Sultz (head cheese). I have had scrambled eggs with calf brains at his house too. It was like traveling to the old country without leaving home.

[Devil Doc]

So,  I was in Iceland and ordered a recommended dish that the chef was proud of.  I noticed that he spent time in NYC and we chatted about food and wine.  He takes pride in his sauces that enhance the game meats prevalent in Iceland.  So I got talked into ordering his "proud" dish.  I was aghast when I found out that one of the trio of meat was whale.  I don't support whaling but I know it is legal in Iceland.  I didn't like it.  It was similar to liver with that powdery aftertaste.  It did not go well with a bottle of CDP I had either.  I won't be ordering any whale steak in the future.  And I am asking what's in the dish before ordering it. 

OTOH, I liked arctic charr.  It really tasted like a combination of trout and salmon.  I would take it over cod which is the other main fish in Iceland.

 

Could be because they're related and are an oily fish unlike cod.

Doc

[mresseguie]

Oh, goody!

Stir-fried bumble bees, monkey meat, and wild boar in ShenZhen, China.

Before there was an awareness of how the fins were procured, I ate shark fin soup. Once I understood the practice of cutting of the fins and throwing the sharks back into the ocean, I ceased eating it. It is banned in Taiwan, but there are places that are known to still serve it.

Stinky tofu is delicious! I dislike pig intestines, too.

 

[Audiovista]

I could never get myself to try stinky tofu... can't get over the smell. When visiting Zhouzhiang, the whole city was smelling of the food. 

Ate alligator intestines in Shanghai. Lot of garlic and parsley took over the taste, and that was a very good thing.

Not being a fan of seafood, never enjoyed sea cucumber, hairy crabs, crispy jellyfish or softshell turtles.

[S Clark]

Blood sausage in Spain, black bear in Colorado, raccoon in East Tx, then lots of stuff that I never knew what it was in Corsica and Sardinia.  A group of 8 of us took a 42 ft sailboat down the coast of the islands.  I did the cooking and would head out to the markets  in the early mornings.  My favorite tactic was to buy whatever the little gray headed lady in black bought- there was always a little gray headed woman head to toe in black.  Most the time it worked out well, sometimes it was hard to bring the flavors together as the cheeses varied soooo much in flavor profile.  It was hard to miss with cheese, pate, sausages, fresh veggies, fresh bread, and plenty of wine.  And garbanzo beans.  And more wine. 

[rockadanny]

While in Sao Paolo, Brazil, on business I did try some grilled chicken hearts, washed down with several Caipirinha (k-eye-per-reen-yah). So, got queasy and blitzed.






Cachaca (kashasah) is the name of the alcoholic spirit/liquor used in the drink Caipirinha. Cachaca is a Brazilian distilled liquor that starts from unaldulterated sugarcane juice (unlike rum, which is made from what is left over after the main sugar removal process).

[charmerci]

Just FYI - if you fly IcelandAir, (inexpensive - though you have to pay for meals at a reasonable price - and good service), you can stay in Iceland for a free 7 day layover if you buy a ticket to Europe. Plus, you only need to go through customs once.