An ancient 'superfood' sent from heaven
The worst-rated dishes in the world have been revealed by TasteAtlas, and some of these are truly difficult to swallow! While disgust is subjective and varies from person to person, we can agree that some might be very sensitive to strong smell, while for others it's simply the texture that evokes disgust. And sometimes things just taste bad! However, the strongest reactions are usually a combination of many types of disgust in one dish.
From cured shark flesh to fried spiders, click on to discover the worst-rated foods in the world.
Rating: 2.8
Hailing from the South Korean province of Jeolla, hongeo or hongeo-hoe consists of skate fish that gets fermented in its urine. This cartilaginous fish is known to eliminate urine through its skin, thus allowing for natural fermentation, which helps to preserve it. As it has a strong odor, restaurants that specialize in hongeo often offer their customers the option to keep their jackets in sealed bags and spray them with deodorant upon leaving.
Rating: 2.8
This Flemish specialty consists of chopped eel in a green sauce made from white wine, parsley, spinach, mint, tarragon, sage, dill, and lemon juice. It's served hot, with some fresh bread or fries on the side.
Rating: 2.8
Caen-style tripe is a popular French stew that has been around since the Middle Ages. It includes tripe, a mix of French herbs, spices, ox feet, apple brandy, cider, and vegetables. It's usually paired with boiled potatoes.
Rating: 2.8
Kholodets is a traditional Russian dish consisting of meat in gelatin. The name is derived from the Russian word kholod, meaning "cold," which refers to the dish being served cold. It's recommended it be enjoyed with mustard and a glass of vodka.
Rating: 2.7
Dating back to the 18th century, jellied eels are a traditional Cockney street food. The eels are chopped, boiled for approximately half an hour in herbs, then cooled, which is when the fish produces its own gelatin. They are commonly accompanied by white pepper and vinegar.
Rating: 2.7
Maranho is a traditional Portuguese dish hailing from Sertã in the region of Beira Baixa. It's made with a combination of goat meat, chouriço, dry-cured ham, rice, and mint, which are sewn into a goat stomach. It's often prepared during the festive Christmas period.
Rating: 2.7
A popular street food in the Philippines, Cambodia, and Vietnam, balut is a duck egg that has been fertilized, incubated, and then hard boiled. Traditionally, the cooked embryo is consumed straight from the shell.
Rating: 2.6
This Armenian dish is typically prepared by stuffing a pumpkin with rice, various nuts and dried fruits, butter, honey, and cinnamon. Some recipes also call for meat. It's traditionally prepared during festive occasions, like Christmas and New Years.
Rating: 2.6
A Jamaican dessert, sweet potato pudding is made from sweet potatoes, flour, coconut milk, dried fruits, and flavored with vanilla, nutmeg, sugar, and salt. It's popularly served with a glass of milk.
Rating: 2.6
Originating from the north of Extremadura, morcilla patatera is a Spanish sausage made with pork meat, fat, and mashed potatoes. The ingredients are flavored with paprika, salt, and pepper before being stuffed into a pig intestine casing. It can be served fresh or cooked.
Rating: 2.6
Although it's filled with exotic ingredients, riz Casimir is a Swiss dish by the owner of Mövenpick restaurant, Ueli Prager, who first put it on the menu in 1952. The dish is made with chicken, cream, coconut milk, rice, toasted almonds, pears, pineapples, peaches, and curry powder.
Rating: 2.6
These fat-bottomed ants are an unusual delicacy from Santander, Colombia. A source of protein, their bottoms get soaked in salted water, and then are strained and fried. The wings get removed by hand.
Rating: 2.6
A traditional Basque soup, porrusalda is made with vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, leeks, and onions. Dried salted cod is sometimes added to enhance its flavors.
Ranking: 2.6
A Russian fish salad, indigirka has its origins in the Far Eastern Republic of Sakha. It consists of diced frozen whitefish that is combined with onions, oil, salt, and pepper. It's traditionally served in ice bowls and paired with vodka.
Rating: 2.6
Prepared in Norway, Sweden, and Finland, this Scandinavian dish is made from dried whitefish that's been treated with lye. This gives it a gelatinous consistency and a very strong, pungent odor.
Rating: 2.5
A traditional soup from southeastern Nigeria, this dish is made with a combination of afang leaves, water leaves, dried fish, beef, onions, red palm oil, ground crayfish, and seasoning cubes. It's popularly served at festive events such as weddings.
Rating: 2.5
Once a popular Victorian breakfast option, this English dish is now served as an appetizer or lunch. It's made by frying lamb kidneys in a spicy sauce made with vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper, and sometimes a bit of fruit jelly.
A traditional American pie, originating from Colorado, spaghetti pie is made with a combination of spaghetti, ground beef, onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, butter, beaten eggs, and cheese such as mozzarella, ricotta, or Parmesan.
Rating: 2.5
Zupa truskawkowa is a traditional strawberry-based soup originating from Poland. It's usually made with a combination of frozen or fresh strawberries, sugar, and optional ingredients such as noodles, sour cream, and mint leaves. It can be served hot or cold.
Rating: 2.4
A staple street food in Palermo, this simple sandwich bun is filled with strips of fried calf's spleen and, occasionally, lungs. The meat is also topped with lemon juice and shredded caciocavallo cheese.
Rating: 2.4
The city of Skuon in Cambodia is so infested with spiders that locals adapted and started consuming them in the '70s. A-ping, or fried spiders, are usually made with tarantulas, which are breaded and deep-fried, then served with some fresh herbs on a bed of rice or noodles.
Rating: 2.4
Baked endives and ham is a traditional French dish that's especially popular in the region of Seine-Maritime. It's usually made with a combination of endives, lemon juice, milk, flour, butter, ham slices, nutmeg, Neufchâtel cheese, salt, and black pepper.
Rating: 2.4
Czernina is a traditional Polish soup prepared with duck or goose blood, which is preserved in vinegar. The soup is made with a duck broth, and typical additions include dried fruits and spices, such as cloves.
Rating: 2.2
An invention of the Tre Kronor restaurant from the Swedish town of Skellefteå, this dish is for the indecisive amongst us. It consists of a calzone pizza that's stuffed with hamburgers and French fries.
Rating: 2.2
Made with flour and potatoes, this Chilean bread originates from Chiloé Island. It's traditionally steamed and cooked in curanto, a hole in the ground used for preparing food. The bread can also be fried or baked.
Rating: 2.2
Dating back since the 16th century, this Latvian pie is made from unleavened rye flour. The filling consists of potato and carrots, which are layered atop one another. The top can then be coated with cream and sprinkled with either cinnamon or caraway seeds. The pie is meant to be eaten cold with tea or milk.
Rating: 2.2
Jellied veal, or kalvsylta in Swedish, is a Christmas meat dish made with minced veal, which is simmered in meat stock along with gelatin and seasonings. The jellied veal is then placed in a mold and cooled before serving.
Rating: 2.0
A popular dish from Jerusalem, yerushalmi kugel is a savory casserole made with thin cooked noodles that are coated in caramelized sugar. It's mixed with eggs, olive oil, pepper, and salt, and placed in a pan and then baked until firm.
Rating: 1.9
Created by Keizo Shimamoto, a ramen blogger, this dish consists of a meat patty that's sandwiched between two fried ramen noodle buns. The meat patty is typically slathered in shoyu sauce and topped with arugula and scallions.
Rating: 1.8
An Icelandic delicacy made from cured shark flesh, namely Greenland shark and other sleeper sharks, the meat is first fermented for up to three months, then hung and left to dry for another four to five months. Note: the high ammonia content often makes people gag.
Sources: (TasteAtlas)
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FOOD Dishes
The worst-rated dishes in the world have been revealed by TasteAtlas, and some of these are truly difficult to swallow! While disgust is subjective and varies from person to person, we can agree that some might be very sensitive to strong smell, while for others it's simply the texture that evokes disgust. And sometimes things just taste bad! However, the strongest reactions are usually a combination of many types of disgust in one dish.
From cured shark flesh to fried spiders, click on to discover the worst-rated foods in the world.