10 Types of Food Foreigners Just Can't Understand
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Chicken feet with soybean sauce. Photo from: blog.xiachufang.com
It looks really weird when you first look at it. Lots of people would prefer not to try it at first impression. Gross, random and nothing good about it. This is the first impression. But once you tried, you'll be hooked!
Photo from:openrice.com
If you can brave a thousand-year old egg, you can consider yourself an honorary Chinese. I personally love it. But lots of my expat friends just don't like the concept of it and refuse to try.
Chinese Name:皮蛋/pí dànPopular dishes of this category:1. Tofu with thousand-year Egg/皮蛋拌豆腐/pí dàn bàn dòu fǔ2. Cold thousand-year egg dressed with sauce/凉拌皮蛋/liáng bàn pí dàn3Stinky tofu
Photo from: xinmin.cn
Your nose tells you that it is not something you should put into your mouth. But LOTS of Chinese people love it.Reason why? Like durian, it tastes better then it smells.Chinese Name:臭豆腐/chòu dòu fǔGriddle cooked duck. Photo from:nipic.com
1. Rabbit head with chili and wild pepper sauce/麻辣兔头/má là tù tóu2. Griddle cooked duck head with pepper/ 干锅鸭头/gàn guō yā tóu3. Steamed fish head with diced hot red peppers/剁椒鱼头/duò jiāo yú tóu
Spicy pig's intestines. Photo from:959.cn
This dish can be made from (pig/cow/duck/chicken). It is usually prepared spicy and oily. By having a chewy texture one is able to savor the unique, various flavors instilled by cooking. Though it is liked by many Chinese, foreigners tend to feel differently.
Popular dishes of this category:1. Pork tripe and chicken soup with pepper/胡椒猪肚鸡/hú jiāo zhū dù jī2. Sauteed pig's intestines/溜肥肠/liū féi cháng3. Spicy duck intestines/麻辣鸭肠/má là yā cháng6Blood
Duck blood pudding soup. Photo from:mafengwo.com
The texture is like jelly and can be found in various dishes like soups and sometimes with noodles. Commonly liked by Chinese, again, not so popular with foreigners.Popular dishes of this category:1. Plain boiled pork with blood sausage/白肉血肠/bái ròu xuè cháng2. Duck blood in chili sauce/毛血旺/máo xuè wàng3. Duck blood pudding and vermicelli soup/鸭血粉丝汤/yā xuè fěn sī tāng
7Frog
Sautéed bullfrog with pickled peppers. Photo from:mn.sina.com.cn
"Eating frog is supposed to strengthen your bones and improve your eyesight". This is a belief by some Chinese, I have heard it said before. It is cooked spicy, oily, fried, Hotpot, and pretty much whatever else you can think of. It tastes like chicken to me. Give it a try.Popular dishes of this category:1. Sautéed bullfrog with pickled peppers/泡椒牛蛙/pào jiāo niú wā2. Stone pot frog/石锅田鸡/shí guō tián jī
Deep-fried grasshopper. Photo from:360doc.com
Not unique in China but it still freaked me out when I saw it in Yunnan. They were probably grasshoppers. Just tell yourself that they are loaded with protein. It's very good for your health.Popular dishes of this category:1. Dry-fried silkworm/干煸蚕蛹/gàn biān cán yǒng 2. Deep-fried grasshopper/油炸蚂蚱/yóu zhà mǎ zhà
Stir-fried scalloped pork or lamb kidneys. Photo from:ea3w.com
1. Beef and beef offal/夫妻肺片/fū qī fèi piàn2. Stir-fried scalloped pork or lamb kidneys爆炒腰花(猪pig/羊lamb)/bào chǎo yāo huā (zhū pig/yáng lamb)
Dog meat hotpot. Photo from:meishichina.com
This might be the most controversial dish among all of these. It is also not unique in China. Korea is another country where dog meat is quite popular. But would you try any dish prepared with dog meat?
So which one of these you don't understand the most? And which one is your favorite? Comment below!(click "写评论" at the bottom of the page) to let us know. And don't forget to share this article with friends by pressing "..." in the top right corner.
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