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Svið is an unusual and unique dish from Iceland consisting of singed, halved, and cooked sheep's head. The head is then cooked in an open fire (in order to remove the fur) and consumed. The dish is traditionally served with a side of mashed turnips, rhubarb jelly, and mashed potatoes, especially during the traditional Icelandic mid-winter festival known as Þorrablót.
Originally, the dish was invented at a time when people could not let any part of meat go to waste. Although svið has a reputation of being really tasty, some may find it strange to literally look their food in the eye.
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Thorramatur is a selection of traditional Icelandic foods consumed predominantly during the Nordic month of Þorri, taking place from mid-January to mid-February each year. Cured fish and meat products are cut into slices or bite-sized pieces and served alongside rúgbrauð and butter on numerous buffet tables.
The standard choice includes specialties like fermented shark meat, smoked lamb, seared lamb head, blood sausages, and much more, all of which can be additionally soured according to personal preferences. Typical accompaniments include brennivín, Iceland's flavored spirit drink, and seasonal Þorri beer that is traditionally produced by local breweries specifically for the occasion.
Ramen burger is a unique variety of a hamburger consisting of a meat patty that is sandwiched between two fried ramen noodle buns. The meat patty is typically slathered in shoyu sauce and topped with arugula and scallions. The dish was created by Keizo Shimamoto, a ramen blogger, who debuted it in 2013 in Brooklyn.
The ramen burger was so popular that it had been voted by Time Magazine as one of the 17 most influential burgers ever created.
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Traditionally made by the native Minahasan people and hailing from North Sulawesi, this Indonesian dish employs fruit bat as the main ingredient. Though bats are often fried or grilled, the most popular way is to incorporate them into paniki, the traditional soup-like dish.
The usual procedure starts with grilling the bat to remove all the hairs covering its body. The bat is then cleaned, its intestines are removed, and it is cut into smaller chunks and boiled in water. The dish is finished off with the addition of fried onions, garlic, ginger and chili paste, leeks, curry leaves, lemongrass, and coconut milk.
This vibrant red Vietnamese dish is prepared with fresh animal blood that is mixed with fish sauce. The base is then seasoned and incorporated with fried or roasted meat before it is left to coagulate. When set, the base transforms into a thick, gelatinous pudding that's usually garnished with chopped peanuts, Vietnamese coriander, and mint.
The dish is traditionally prepared on special occasions, and though it has caused much controversy due to the danger of ingesting meat bacteria, it has not been officially banned.
VARIATIONS OF Tiết canh
Duck's head is a spicy local specialty from the Chinese city of Wuhan, but it is also a snack that is commonly eaten throughout China, most notably in Shanghai. The dish is made by stir-frying a head of duck with the addition of herbs and spices.
Duck's head has a crispy taste as a result of the stir-frying method, and it is claimed to be a healthy food, with one of the duck's head store owners claiming that it helps one's brain power when consumed. Some say that the taste of the dish is not unlike eating a spicy chicken wing, while the others, such as Kellie Schmitt of CNN, describe it as one of Shanghai's weirdest foods.
When the head is served, it should be pried open with one's fingers to get to the tender meat on the interior.
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Cuy al horno is a traditional preparation of baked guinea pigs originating from Peru. This dish is popular in the region of Cusco, but it can be found in most tourist-oriented restaurants in the country. The guinea pigs are marinated in a combination of garlic, aji amarillo, cumin, oil, chicha de jora, huacatay, black pepper, and salt for at least one hour.
It's then placed into a pan with potatoes and baked for an hour. Once done, the guinea pigs are served with the baked potatoes and a salsa consisting of tomatoes, onions, coriander, lemon juice, and salt. One guinea pig is usually served for more than one person because the dish is accompanied by various side dishes.
MOST ICONIC Cuy al horno
View moreKhoresh alou esfenaj is a traditional spinach and dried plum stew. It's prepared with esfenaj (spinach), alou (prunes, especially the dried yellow variety known as alou bokhara), cubes of lamb or veal, onions, turmeric, lemon juice, saffron, cinnamon, and olive oil.
The stew is usually served in a deep serving bowl and it should be piping hot. It's recommended to serve it with fluffy rice or a flatbread on the side.
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Olive burger is an American burger variety originating from Michigan. It’s made with a combination of ground beef, oil, white buns, mayonnaise, and pitted green olives. In order to prepare it, the meat patties are fried, topped with a mixture of olives and mayonnaise, then placed in a burger bun with no other condiments.
Some like to add a bit olive brine to the olive-mayo mix, while others put the mayonnaise on a bun, and the patties are topped with olives before they’re placed into the buns. There are many theories about the origins of this burger, and some people claim that Olympic Broil in Lansing made the first olive burger in the 1960s, while others say it was made much earlier at Kewpee Hotel Hamburgs in Grand Rapids.
MOST ICONIC Olive Burger
View moreMAIN INGREDIENTS
Khoresh bāmieh is a traditional stew originating from Iran. The stew is usually made with a combination of beef or lamb, tomato paste, okra, onions, garlic, tomatoes, olive oil, turmeric, cinnamon, beef stock, bay leaves, salt, and peper. The meat is browned in oil and it's then mixed with all the other ingredients except okra.
The pot is covered and the dish is simmered until the meat is tender. Near the end of cooking, okra is added to the pot and cooked until soft. The stew is served warm and it's usually accompanied by rice on the side.
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