The moment I picked up a slice of sea penis fish with chopsticks and delivered it to my mouth, I almost threw up. I didn't even know why I wanted to try it. Fortunately, I failed trying, however, the experience motivated me to think–how many different "weird" foods do only Chinese people eat?
1. Sea Penis Fish (Urechis Unicinctus)
I actually did think it was someone's penis harvested from the sea when I first saw people preparing this dish. This type of worm-like creature lives in wet sand or mud nearby the sea. It plays a great role in Chinese seafood cuisine, especially in Shandong province, which is famous for its recipes of sea penis fish (and where I was born). You may see the chief stir fry it with other vegetables, and it could also be served raw!
2. Jellyfish
When I told one of my friends that I had eaten jellyfish before, she shockingly looked at me and said to me seriously that, "you will get hurt!" Living nearby the seashore, I have tried various seafoods, which might seem harmful to other people. I'm not claiming that jellyfish are not harmful, however, some of the species are edible. Normally, this type of jellyfish would be served as an appetizer in a form of salad, a barely absent dish, in Chinese cuisine.
3. Preserved egg
Also called Century egg or Pidan, it is made of duck egg or chicken egg, and buried in the ashes, clay and salt for months. When shelling the preserved egg, a strong pungent odor resembling Ammonia will strike your nose first and you may see the dark green colored egg yolk hidden inside the brown and transparent egg white. You may ask, is it edible? The answer is definitely yes, and it serves as a delicious meal with rice porridge and pulled pork.
4. Stinky Tofu
Even you were told about how stinky this food is, so you might be extremely disgusted by this unforgettable stinky tofu. The water inside the tofu stirs your mouth accordingly as you have your first bite. Then the sweetness and a meat flavor would make it up to your mouth and lure you to have another bite.
5. Blood cake
I know this sounds a little bit bloody, but I have to clearly say myself that I'm not a Chinese Vampire. I just simply love the taste of the blood cake. Blood cake is popular in Chinese culture, especially in spicy food. The semi-spongy and jelly cake sucks in plenty of red oil and becomes especially juicy when you chew it in your mouth.
Even though these foods look weird or bloody to most people, as a foodie, I have to admit they're delicious. At the same time, they are part of Chinese cuisine culture, which separates China from other countries by food. If you are a qualified foodie, it's time to challenge yourself with these Chinese foods!
