Ten Unusual (and Possibly Gross) Food Items from the USA

Weird and unusual foodstuffs abound around the world-and although it's often foreign entrees that may strike one as the strangest and most unsettling, there are plenty of peculiar edibles right here in the USA, some of which are just odd, others of which are downright unpalatable, depending upon one's tastes. Here are ten unusual foods from around the USA. How many have you partaken of?

1. Chitterlings-- Also known as chitlins, these are somewhat popular in the Southern part of the country. In fact, they are so popular in some areas that one can buy a big bucket full of them at Walmart. What are they? Pig intestines!

2. Scrapple-As if the intestines alone aren't unusual enough, Scrapple basically consists of a gelatinous mass of sundry leftover nontraditional pig parts, including snouts, lips, and internal organs. The spare parts are mashed together with corn meal and spices and then poured into molds to solidify, after which they can be sliced and fried and served up for breakfast or a freakish little after school snack. Another variation involves the rather disgusting sounding head cheese, which is basically derived from boiling a pig's head, grinding up the results, combining that with organ meat, and forming into grayish loaves of horror or delight. This dish originated amongst the Pennsylvania Dutch.

3. Spam-Speaking of questionable gelatinous masses, what is up with the American predilection for potted meats and other highly processed food products such as Spam, Treet, Wonder Bead, Velveeta, and American Cheese "food product" in its various incarnations ranging from individual slices to "cheese" that sprays out of aerosol cans like some sort of edible silly string? No, that's not a rhetorical question.

4. Turducken--Speaking of strange American proclivities, what is the deal with Turducken? In my humble opinion, this is like fusion cuisine gone terribly wrong or a greed-based sleazy hybrid (or looking at it from a more positive perspective, I guess I could posit that in a group setting, maybe this dish offers a little something for everyone?). In case the name doesn't make it clear enough, Turducken is a man-made bastard child of three different kinds of bird meat-a boneless turkey stuffed with a boneless duck stuffed with a boneless chicken. Better a man-made bastard child than a genetically modified one, at least.

5. Fried Dill Pickles--Thinking about Turducken got me to thinking about the Deep-Fried Turkey craze that gained in popularity some years back, which then got me to thinking about the American inclination to deep fry just about anything, including food items that might be better left unfried. I guess it all boils down to individual tastes and I can kind of grasp the appeal of dishes like fried dill pickles and fried green tomatoes, but the newish fair food trend of deep frying everything from cheese on a stick to candy bars to Twinkies seems specifically catered to lead to increased morbid obesity.

6. Chocolate Covered Bacon-While we're on the topic of fattening new trends, have you noticed that bacon is suddenly all the rage? It's not just bacon for breakfast anymore; it's bacon for dessert-from maple bacon flavored lollipops to bacon-flavored chocolate bars to actual bacon strips dipped in chocolate. I guess that's better than chocolate dipped grasshoppers, or is it?

7. Squirrel Brains- Back to the land of squeamishness-inducing innards, you've probably heard of eating cow brain, but what about squirrel brains? Another Southern delicacy, this involves cooking the head of the squirrel along with the rest of its body and then cracking open the skull, digging out the brain, and eating it. Acting like a zombie is optional.

8. Pork Brains-In case that's not enough brain or pig for you (maybe I should add a warning for Kosher people not to read this pig-heavy list), pork brains are apparently quite common in the South, where they are often sold canned in milk gravy (and are very high in cholesterol). They are often served atop scrambled eggs.

9. Crayfish-Also known as crawdads, these little critters look kind of like a cross between a shrimp and a very small, rustic lobster. The tail is the most commonly eaten part and some think these freshwater crustaceans are mighty tasty indeed. Whatever you do, don't eat them raw, though; you could end up with a hideous parasite called the lung fluke.

10. Geoduck Clams-Also known as "gooey duck", these clams, popular in the Northwestern U.S., are set apart from other clams by their unusual appearance, featuring a very long neck that looks rather, well...penile. Happy dining!

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http://foodnetworkhumor.com/2009/06/disgusting-foods-from-around-the-world/