Strange or Exotic Foods Part I

Welcome once again, dear people of read.cash. I hope your day is excellent.

Tuesday, November 2nd

Today is the Day of the Dead, some people in my country celebrate it, some people don't... In my family we don't celebrate it, do you celebrate the Day of the Dead? If you celebrate this holiday are you free to comment on what you do on this day, do you do dances, songs, some kind of special food? Always in the festivities there is some food, a traditional dish or an exotic dish to try. You can comment what dish you prepare. You will not be judged hahaha

This time I will talk about strange or exotic foods. All these days have been festive and a celebration involves food of any kind.

What is a strange or exotic food? 🥗🥔🍝🌯🍜🥘🍲

It is a type of food according to my point of view, that for some people is common and for others is a food out of the ordinary, something they have never eaten or do not want to eat. Normally this type of food is of animal origin. Join me in this article to know what I mean by strange or exotic foods according to each person's point of view.

The topic of my article came up at a family dinner with my couple’s family. We were talking about anything, mostly horror stuff, because we were on Halloween, but someone asked a question and we were all left thinking, the question was the following:

"What weird or exotic food have you eaten?"

The weirdest food I have eaten is busco or curito soup. This soup was prepared with lots of vegetables and the pot was put on the firewood by my father-in-law. The soup was exquisite, but I find this fish very strange, it is very tasty but I don't like the look of it. The busco is a freshwater fish that is covered with a hard shell, its scales are very different from any other fish I have ever eaten. Normally this strange fish is found in the Amazon River and the Orinoco River, it can also be found in the caños or lagoons. This fish tolerates oxygen deficiency and adapts easily to the environment and in the dry season it can be found in puddles. Sancocho de busco is a traditional dish of the Venezuelan plains. Many people consider the taste of the fish to be similar to the taste of lobster.

Another strange food I have tried is fried snake. I was with my family visiting the countryside and what they had for dinner was snake, I didn't know anything, it was very small, they told me it was chicken. My father told me that he brought more than 1 meter of snake to where we live and here he prepared it, he shared it with the neighbors. I ate the snake again thinking it was chicken. I admit it was delicious, even though I didn't know what I was eating hahaha.

My father-in-law used to tell us that he had eaten a lot of animals in the countryside, since he used to hunt with his brothers. My father-in-law has eaten chigüire, guacharaca, iguana, pigeon and pufferfish.

Chigüire 🥗🍲🥔

It is said that the chigüire or capybara is the largest rodent in the world and that its meat can weigh up to 80 kilos. In Venezuela, the chigüire has been consumed since colonial times, especially in the country's plains. The chigüire became an essential dish in our country, being part of the tradition of consuming this dish during Holy Week as well as eating fish, since it is forbidden by the Catholic Church to eat beef during Holy Week. The government banned the poaching of this species, since the population of 1968 was finishing with this animal.

However, for many people buying the certified meat is too expensive (US$20 per kilo) and they opt for illegal hunting.

Guacharaca🍜🥘🍲

The guacharaca is a bird that is very loud, so you can easily spot where it is found. This bird is very similar to the chicken but has a long tail, robust wings, is brown in color, and lives in thickets or areas near the forest. This bird can be found in northern Venezuela, northeastern Colombia and Tobago. In Central America there is a similar species known as the chachalaca. These birds measure between 53 to 61 cm in length and weigh approximately 450 to 800 grams.

Normally the guacharaca as a dish is eaten in soup, but there are many other ways to prepare it. Researching I found a guachara soup with rice and coconut milk. For this dish is prepared like cooking chicken, water is placed to heat and when it boils the guacharaca is placed until it softens, add the seasonings and rice until it cooks, when the preparation is thick coconut milk is added, let it stand and ready, it is served as a broth. You can add carrots, potatoes, peas, onions, etc. to this preparation. I really don't know if I would eat this dish, I don't like guacharaca, but it looks like a chicken soup.

Iguanas🥗🌯🥘

Iguanas are green reptiles, these reptiles are very observant and calm. Many people hunt them for consumption or to eat their eggs, or they are also adopted as pets. This peaceful reptile is usually between 2 meters long from head to tail. To me it seems evil to eat this peaceful animal, since they usually hunt them during the breeding season to take their eggs. What they do is to grab the female to cut her open and remove her eggs, then they stitch her up, leaving her in a bad state and sterile. The weight of the iguana is normally between 15 and 17 kilograms. The iguana is highly sought after in Panama and Colombia, where its meat is prepared with coconut milk. The iguana in coconut is one of the most sought after dishes in the Colombian Guajira. The trade of this animal is illegal, however its consumption is huge. In Nicaragua it is prepared in soup, it is illegal, but the country has no laws against it. In Mexico it is used as an ingredient in tamales, but only the meat of adult iguanas is used. It is said that its flavor is sweet and gives a different "touch" to the tamale, but a special permit is needed for hunting.

I am afraid to go to Mexico and eat a tamale with iguana meat, I don't know if all tamales will be like that or it is a special tamale they sell.

Pigeon🍜🥘🍲

There are many types of pigeons, both their size and weight vary a lot depending on the species. Their length ranges from 15 to 75 centimeters and their weight varies between 30 and 2000 grams. The largest pigeon species can weigh up to 4 kilograms and is the size of a turkey. The smallest pigeon weighs 22 grams. It is said that pigeon meat provides a lot of protein, minerals and saturated fats, but I understand that pigeon has a lot of parasites. The pigeon casserole is a very popular dish in Catalan gastronomy. This dish belongs to the traditional cuisine and is mainly consumed during autumn or winter. It is said that by marinating this dish well the wine softens the fibers of the pigeon giving it a very exquisite flavor. Some time ago I read a news article where pigeons were disappearing in Venezuela due to the crisis. This article was published on April 30, 2018. It comments that began to decrease the amount of these birds in the state of Táchira, because of the problems of the country there was not enough food for the population, I do not know if this will be true. In the news they comment that there were many witnesses seeing several inhabitants hunting the pigeons for their consumption. Some people said that it was a crime and other people did not agree, because the economic problem of the country was very big.

If you want to read more about pigeons you can read my article:

https://read.cash/@ArteFM/my-new-neighbors-601d5c4f

I'm not talking about how to eat them, it's a story about my neighbors who are pigeons.

Pufferfish🥗🍝🍜

A rather strange fish that belongs to the order Tetraodontiformes, this family of fish includes many species that are considered to be pufferfish, porcupinefish or sea ostrich. This fish, when it feels threatened or frightened, swells by taking in water or air, which makes its size increase dramatically and prevents the predator from devouring it. The pufferfish is the third most venomous vertebrate in the world, after the poison dart frog and the stonefish. Some internal organs of the pufferfish, such as the liver and skin, contain tetrodotoxin which is a deadly neurotoxin that deprives the potential actions of neurons or muscles in humans. This neurotoxin accumulates in the skin while the fish is still alive. The venom of this fish is said to be greater than the venom of cyanide and is capable of killing 30 adult humans. Despite the fact that this animal is highly toxic, many people consume its meat. Japan is the main consumer of pufferfish, as its meat is considered a delicacy. Korea and China also consume a lot of pufferfish. Chefs have to be specially trained to prepare dishes that contain pufferfish, they must know what part of the animal can be eaten and how much of it is safe to eat. The average size of pufferfish is between 30 to 50 centimeters, but some species have reached more than 100 centimeters. Pufferfish teeth are always growing, but due to their diet their teeth wear down, otherwise they would grow abnormally. These fish feed on clams, snails, sea urchins, algae and sponges. Chefs who prepare dishes with pufferfish must study this fish for 3 years, must be licensed and authorized by the Japanese government. For the preparation of pufferfish, the meat must follow a strict protocol. There are different ways to accompany or garnish a dish with pufferfish, Sashimi is the most popular way where the fish is cut into thin, almost transparent slices and place these slices in the shape of a flower. You can also prepare fried puffer fish known as Kara-age, it can also be prepared in salads, Sake or stew. I think I am more afraid of eating puffer fish than iguana meat. And of course as it takes great skill to prepare this deadly food it is also very expensive. 

Have you eaten any of these strange or exotic foods?

What exotic food have you eaten that I have not mentioned?

Are you ready for part two? You can leave a comment if you liked this article

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Thank you again for making it to the end of the article.

Links to the information I searched for on the internet

https://www.bbc.com/mundo/cultura_sociedad/2009/04/090410_chiguire_vzla_mr

http://islamargaritatuya.com.ve/fauna-de-margarita/guacharaca/

https://haimaneltroudi.com/la-escandalosa-y-peculiar-guacharaca/

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ortalis_ruficauda

https://cumbrepuebloscop20.org/animales/iguana/

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iguana_iguana

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbidae

https://sevilla.abc.es/gurme/recetas/palomas-a-la-cazuela/

See you in the next article! 🥗🥔🍝🌯🍜🥘🍲

All content is original

The information obtained from the web is indicated

Greetings from Venezuela