Whilst we can try
chicken feet, century eggs and durian in some parts of Australia, Asia offers a
wider variety of delicacies to suit all tastebuds. Some describe these delicacies as weird, but others
think they’re wonderful. You won’t know whether
they will suit your tastebuds unless you try them at least once in your
lifetime. So immerse yourself in the
local culture. You’ll be pleasantly surprised
by how it will provide one of the most memorable experiences of your travels.
Stinky tofu is
a popular street food in Asia which originated in Taiwan. You can often smell stinky tofu approximately
one kilometre away but that shouldn’t stop you from trying it!
Chicken, pig
and duck blood cubes are usually skewered and grilled in Philippines but part
of curry noodle soups in Malaysia.
If you are more
adventurous, you can try Jibachi Senbei (wasp rice crackers), Inago (locusts
such as crickets and grasshoppers) and Hachinoko (bee larvae) in Japan, Beondegi
(silkworm pupae) in South Korea and even fried tarantula in Cambodia.
Bird’s nest
soup is one of the most popular and expensive delicacies in China due to its
traditional Chinese medicine properties for nourishing the body. It is made from swiftlets and swallows’
solidified saliva.
Other popular soups
are turtle soup in China and white ant eggs soup in Vietnam, Cambodia and
Thailand.
Japan offers
many delicacies to eat with your meals.
These are Natto (a fermented soy product with a strong pungent smell), Shiokara
(minced fish stewed in fish guts and miso), Shirako (Male fish sperm sac), Fugu
(puffer fish) and Barashi (raw horse meat).
If you are
travelling to India or Singapore, it’s worth trying Tulang Merah (mutton bone
steak) and frog legs cooked in a clay pot.
Turtle jelly is
a dessert in China made from boiling powdered turtle shell and letting it form
up into gelatin.
A popular drink
is Kopi Luwak (also known as Cat Poop Coffee) in Indonesia which are made from coffee
beans eaten and excreted from the Asian palm civet, a weasel-like creature,
then washed and sold.
Japan Uncovered, 18 days
Grand Tour of China, 26 days
Grand Tour of Indochina, 27 days