Saturday, December 18, 2010

Some Delicacies To Be Found Around The World

By Byron Jonas


Delicacies are foods that are famous for regional or taste differences. They are often foods that might otherwise be common but are made to special perfection in certain areas of the world. They become famous when travelers take specialties from one place to another.

Foods that are made in special ways to make them more attractive to the eye and the palate get on the list of tasty finds that people need to try sometime in their lives. When people travel, it is the best time to experience and introduce new foods to different parts of the earth.

Cultural differences can make something that is not eaten in one place a rare and special find in another. One example of this would be the puffer fish, or fugu, so delicately prepared in Japan. This fish is known to be highly toxic if not prepared absolutely perfectly. People take their lives in their hands whenever they eat it and the chef takes the lives of his customers into his hands, as well. It was because of the toxic nature that only certain people were allowed to prepare this dish. It was made illegal for anyone else to prepare it, which led to many deaths from black market fugu. Another favorite in Japan that is much less dangerous but just as rare is chocolate covered ants.

New and rising chefs like to put their own spin on old favorites, making them a rare find that people will often seek out. Bakers are well known for creating new tastes in cakes, desserts and pastries that can only be found in their own shops. Once a new taste hits the nationwide circuit, they are highly sought after. Regional and nationwide specialty sweets always seem to taste better, however, when you get them where they originally were made.

In Africa, people are fond of grasshoppers. This choice snack is usually fried to taste. Insects are eaten in many different places such as Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Some other rarities are silkworms, cockroaches, crickets and scorpions, all cooked to taste. Some say that lobsters are cockroaches that serve the same purpose, except in the sea instead of on land.

There are some countries that boast delicacies like turtles, crocodiles and iguanas. Reptiles are cooked in some common ways with different types of herbs and spices in countries like Australia, the Philippines and New Zealand. Arctic natives are known to partake in recipes consisting of whale blubber while those in Scotland enjoy recipes containing sheeps stomach.




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