List of foods considered delicacies - Have you eaten them and what did you think

[melty]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delicacy


Abalone[2][3]
Akutaq[4][5]
Ambuyat – A delicacy of Brunei[6]
Bao yu (Abalone)[2][7]
Balut[8]
Biltong (South African)
Bird's nest soup[9]
Black-headed gull eggs[10][11]
Bottarga
Casu marzu[8]
Caviar[12][13]
Cempedak
Century egg[8]
Champagne[citation needed]
Civet coffee[14][15]
Conpoy[16]
Droëwors (South African)
Durian[17]
Escamol[8]
Escargot[18][19]
Filet mignon[citation needed]
Foie gras[20]
Fried-brain sandwich[8]
Fried tarantula[8]
Fugu[21][22]
Guinea pig[23] – considered a delicacy in several areas of South America.[24]
Haggis[25]
Hákarl[26]
Huitlacoche[8]
Iberian ham (Jamón ibérico)[27][28]
Ikizukuri
Edible Jellyfish is considered a delicacy in Japan.[29]
Karasumi[30][31]
Kiviak[8]
Kobe beef[32]
Lobster[1]
Ortolan bunting[20]:34
Raw oysters[33]
Quail eggs, including pickled quail eggs[34][35]
Rocky Mountain oysters[36][37]
Scallops.[38] Scallop roe, called coral, is also a delicacy.[39][40]
Sea cucumber[41][42]
Shark fin soup
Shiokara[8]
Shirako (Milt)[8]
Smalahove[8]
Snail caviar[43]
Snake penis wine[8]
Surströmming[44][45]
Truffle[46]
Tuna eyeball[8]
Turtle soup[47]
Tyrolean grey cheese

Sorry for the shitty copy paste. One of my life goals is to eat everything from this list that isn't stupid (snake penis wine, wtf) or overtly cruel (shark fin soup or Ikizukuri)

 

[Sailor_Jupiter]

I've eaten lobster, and PROBABLY durian (I'm not sure, but it's a popular candy flavoring in the Far East and I love strange Asian candies and pastries...)

Nothing in the world could compel me too eat an animal's downstairs organs, even if EVERYONE insisted they were a delicacy. Who first got the idea of trying that?!

 

[Staffy]

I steer clear of animal penises/balls whatever and things that are either dangerous or icky to eat.

Casu Marzu is a fermented cheese left in the open from Italy that's filled with jumping maggots. Never in my life I'm going to eat that one.

Quail eggs are delicious and I wouldn't even consider them a delicacy since they're really similar to your everyday boiled chicken eggs.

 

[AnOminous]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delicacy

Caviar[12][13]

I thought it was overrated at the time, but that was before I tried and liked other kinds of fish eggs in sushi and sashimi. So I might like it now, but still doubt it's worth the absurd premium.

Champagne[citation needed]

Good, but again, I don't see why it's all that much better than less pricey alternatives like prosecco. Maybe I'm a lout. Or maybe champagne is just somewhat overrated.

Civet coffee[14][15]

This is actually really good, but as with many trendy things hipsters have now ruined, it's now vastly overpriced and most of the stuff on the market is just fake or, at best, farmed.

Escargot[18][19]

What can I say? They're okay but dip anything in enough garlic butter and it's okay.

Filet mignon[citation needed]

I actually do really like filet mignon but it is a rather bland cut of meat. The texture is marvelous, though.

Foie gras[20]

Tasty, but I don't like how it's made.

Fugu[21][22]

This is on my bucket list. I've heard it's also a rather bland fish, though, so it would be all about the neurotoxin for me.

Iberian ham (Jamón ibérico)[27][28]

This is seriously a delicacy? It's a great ham. But so is Virginia ham.

Kobe beef[32]

Great but overpriced. There are probably "Kobe-style" variants that are just as good.

Lobster[1]

Great.

Raw oysters[33]

They taste like snot with Worcestershire sauce. Plus if they're out even a couple hours before you eat them you get deathly ill. Why bother?

Quail eggs, including pickled quail eggs[34][35]

I've only had this on uni (sea urchin roe) hand rolls. It makes a decent garnish, I suppose.

Scallops.[38] Scallop roe, called coral, is also a delicacy.[39][40]

Both good.

Truffle[46]

Good but not worth the price. I've never had the priciest kind, the white truffle, though.

Turtle soup[47]

Delicious. Although most of my experience is just the Bookbinders canned variety, and what they used to serve at the original Bookbinders restaurant when it existed.

The selection criteria, whatever they are, is pretty spotty. It seems to vary between stuff like fugu that not many people would have the opportunity to have, to shit like scallops that you can literally buy at Wal-Mart.

 

[melty]

Quail eggs are semi rare which is why, but lots of stiff on the list is probably not well thought out. Like, are fried tarantulas really that good?

 

[Staffy]

Quail eggs are semi rare which is why, but lots of stiff on the list is probably not well thought out. Like, are fried tarantulas really that good?

They're dime a dozen here and they're almost on every corner too. I say it depends on the country

 

[Varg Did Nothing Wrong]

Iberian ham is far different from Virginia ham and is more like prosciutto - it's dried and cured and super salty. It's also got a pronounced nutty taste to it, at least that's how I remember it.

Also when your leg of ham costs like $500 I think it's safe to assume it's a delicacy.

 

[bbbandito]

Balut is one of the truly horrifying ones on this list, it's a half developed chicken fetus still in the shell.

I'm also surprised the Norwegian delicacy "Lutefisk" isn't on this list. It's cod fermented in lye, mostly found in industrial cleaning products.

 

[Hui]

In china fetuses

 

[melty]

I thought it was overrated at the time, but that was before I tried and liked other kinds of fish eggs in sushi and sashimi. So I might like it now, but still doubt it's worth the absurd premium.



Good, but again, I don't see why it's all that much better than less pricey alternatives like prosecco. Maybe I'm a lout. Or maybe champagne is just somewhat overrated.



This is actually really good, but as with many trendy things hipsters have now ruined, it's now vastly overpriced and most of the stuff on the market is just fake or, at best, farmed.



What can I say? They're okay but dip anything in enough garlic butter and it's okay.



I actually do really like filet mignon but it is a rather bland cut of meat. The texture is marvelous, though.



Tasty, but I don't like how it's made.



This is on my bucket list. I've heard it's also a rather bland fish, though, so it would be all about the neurotoxin for me.



This is seriously a delicacy? It's a great ham. But so is Virginia ham.



Great but overpriced. There are probably "Kobe-style" variants that are just as good.



Great.



They taste like snot with Worcestershire sauce. Plus if they're out even a couple hours before you eat them you get deathly ill. Why bother?



I've only had this on uni (sea urchin roe) hand rolls. It makes a decent garnish, I suppose.



Both good.



Good but not worth the price. I've never had the priciest kind, the white truffle, though.



Delicious. Although most of my experience is just the Bookbinders canned variety, and what they used to serve at the original Bookbinders restaurant when it existed.

The selection criteria, whatever they are, is pretty spotty. It seems to vary between stuff like fugu that not many people would have the opportunity to have, to shit like scallops that you can literally buy at Wal-Mart.

I agree with almost everything you have said
-fugu is on my bucket list
-I like oysters a lot
-escargot is good but you're right about the butter, I think dousing something in butter is the majority of french cooking
-I haven't really had much champagne that wasnt Andre lol.
-I love fois gras. I don't like how it is made either, but ethical foie exists. I've never seen it on a menu though.
My favorite foie was the one & only time I went to a Michelin star restaurant, it was well worth it, and actually a normal price for foie gras.
Also ducks are rapists and geese are assholes
-I haven't had turtle soup at all and don't see the appeal.
-mushroom foraging is really popular where I live, sometimes farmers markets have truffles. My father in law bought some and made omelettes.
Portland also has a restaurant called little big burger that adds truffle oil to their fries. It's subtle but it's kinda cool and good.

 

[melty]

Also I haven't had proper caviar in awhile, but I enjoy salmon roe with sushi, this is common, I don't much care for Tobigo or masago (the really small fish eggs they occasionally put on sisko)

 

[TL 611]

Quail eggs, including pickled quail eggs[34][35]

ye, they alright

Foie gras[20]

fucking amazeballs, don't care how they make it. Serves those geese right for being so goddamn tasty

Shark fin soup

Not keen, sharkfin tastes pretty bland IMO, its kinda chewy, and seafood/soup is a kinda gross combo.

Kobe beef[32]

I've heard its extremely difficult to get genuine Kobe beef outside of Japan, but I've bought steaks that say they're Kobe beef on them? It was the tenderest steak I've had, so there's that.

Raw oysters[33]

Why would you want them raw? ewwww

 

[D.Va]

Biltong is the shit. Because of HMRC import laws on meat, any biltong sold here is made here. It's caught on a bit, basically beef jerky but with thicker cuts.

 

[Trombonista]

I think I've had caviar, lobster, Kobe beef, filet mignon, scallops, and champagne.

 

[Positron]

Abalone - Dried abalone from Japan is great but overpriced; you can get smaller shellfish, canned, that tastes much the same for 10% of the price. I know a friend who knows where to buy dried abalone relatively cheaply, but to prepare them and turn them into something edible would take days.

Those tiny live abalone sometimes seen in seafood markets are tasteless.

Bird's nest soup - I steer clear of it. I think of the collectors who endanger their lives to get this shit from caves. What's more, it has no taste of its own (poor-quality samples will have a musty taste that makes them even more objectionable).

Century egg - Love it. Lightly cooked in a rice porridge with pork, or in a light broth with mushrooms, winter melon, and salted eggs. Some people like to eat it raw with pickles or put them in pastries. "Delicacy" is too strong a word because it is really everyday food in much of China.

Champagne - As Cunégonde in Candide puts it, 'I have no strong objection to champagne'. But I do prefer a glass of white.

Conpoy - This one is a winner and is incredibly versatile. One piece of it will immediately enliven your rice porridge pot. Mince it with pork and you'll have the meat patty that makes you sing praise to Allah. Would enhance some fried veggie dishes too.

Durian - Love it too, but has become too expensive in recent years.

Escargot - Underwhelming

Foie gras - Enjoy it occasionally but I can live without it. Thank you.

Iberian ham (Jamón ibérico) - Don't understand the fuss.

Edible Jellyfish is considered a delicacy in Japan - And in Southern China too, but actually it has no taste.

Kobe beef - Great but not worth the price.

Lobster - Great but not worth the price.

Raw oysters - Give me runs.

Quail eggs - Forget it.

Scallops - Depending on species and preparation. Razor scallops fried in dark-bean and chili sauce is my favorite. Fan scallops tend to be bland.

Sea Cucumber - Another item that has no taste of its own and soaks up on whatever sauce you put it in. The texture is like firm aspic. The preparation is even more arduous than abalone.

Shark fin soup - OK, but will taste exactly the same without the shark fin.

Truffle - Always tastes like tupentine to me.

What I don't see on the list:

Bluefin Tuna - Awesome (but then I love all sorts of raw fish), although its continuous harvesting is probably not sustainable.

Geoduck Clam - Wonderful. Crunchy and full of flavor. Makes great sashimi.

 

[melty]

Did you have actual shark fin soup?

I had "shark fin soup" at a Chinese wedding but I'm pretty sure it was imitation shark fin, it was alright

 

[melty]

I'm glad people like this topic
I think this list changed since I saw it last.

Here are some that I think are missing:
-Lutefisk as previously mentioned. I really want to try this one and Surströmming although I feel like they are kind of troll foods
Apparently Ikea occasionally has lutefisk but I have never seen it.
-Steak Tartare
-Yin Yang fish maybe. This is a chinese dish where they fry half of the fishes body (its tail) while it is alive so you get a combination of fresh sashimi and fried fish.
It's still alive and moving after they fry half it's body.
...I should just make a topic on horrifying foods because there are a lot.

Worst ones:
-Ortolan bunting is a tiny songbird they drown in alcohol and then roast, it's outlawed, I think.
-Shark fin soup sucks because the sharks die after their fins are cut off.
-Ikizukuri is flaying fish alive to make sashimi

 

[Pikimon]

I bought two 1$ tacos from Taco Bell an stacked them together and ate them.

Was pretty exotic at the time when I was fucking broke.

 

[DuskEngine]

I don't understand the fuss over quail eggs. I tried them fried, boiled and scrambled, and they tasted mostly similar to regular chicken eggs.

 

[Oh Long Johnson]

Abalone - I know I've had it. I must have been shitfaced because I remember nothing.

Balut - I don't care if these freak birds cured cancer. I'll quit smoking.

Caviar - Always been confused about the appeal of roe/eggs. Salty chum.

Champagne - All sparkling wine is absurdly overrated, but none so much as Champagne. Gives me a headache.

Durian - The stink. Can't get past it.

Escargot - Easiest "Eeew" food to cross off the list. Tastes only like what it is cooked in. At the end of the day, you're still eating a snail, though.

Filet mignon - No fat = girl steak

Foie gras - Ducks are related to dinosaurs. Fuck them. Also, they flout evolution by allowing their engorged livers to be so delicious.

Fugu - I'd try it, I guess.

Guinea pig - It ain't the guinea pig that the South Americans go nuts over. It's the capybara - a giant fucking guinea pig. I've got a friend who goes home for weeks long trips to hunt and eat those varmints. Claims they are excellent and he is a talented cook.

Iberian ham - Slightly drier prosciutto. It is good but like all Spanish perishables, highly overpriced. And I still like prosciutto better.

Kobe beef - Nobody gets any outside Japan. The same "real" Kobe bullshit is pulled in half the countries in the world, from burgers to steaks. All bait and switch. I've never had the real deal, as I've never visited Japan.

Lobster - All of them.

Ortolan - Anthony Bourdain wrote about eating one of these birds. Despite the supposed exquisite flavor, the whole idea of crunching on bird bones as part of the experience just doesn't appeal.

Raw oysters - Don't like the west coast oysters I've tried but I love the briny east coast devils.

Quail eggs - Probably produced by pigeons.

Rocky Mountain oysters - Lifelong adherent to the No Cock and Balls Diet here.

Scallops - Next to yellowtail, probably my favorite seafood. I could legitimately consume a 10 gallon pail of these.

Sea cucumber - See above: Cock and Balls

Shark fin soup - Fucking Asians. If one of them found a rusted shovel in a fishing net, they'd simmer it in a miso broth and sell it as a delicacy.

Snake penis wine - Not sure here. If this is the cobra, I might have had a glass. I assume it is the Asian version of the tequila worm.

Surströmming - Got a can of this shit from relatives back when I was just a little fella. There are smells and there are smells.

Truffle - I mean, they are fine but they're just a garnish.

I'm adding one here:

Angulas - Baby freshwater eels sauted quickly in olive oil and garlic, only available for a week or so of the year. If you've had them for tapas over here, they probably came out of a can. Still, delicious.