Balut

This Filipino delicacy is not as cute as the name might imply: put simply, balut is a hard-boiled, fertilized duck egg with an 18-day old duck fetus inside it. When one considers that the total typical incubation period for a duck is around 24 days, that means that the duck fetus is nearly fully formed by the time it hits your plate, complete with eyes, beak, and feathers. These fertilized eggs are cooked for 20 - 30 minutes, then eaten directly from the shell, with the wider part cracked open to make it easy to sip the amniotic fluid and access the yolk and fetus, which are typically seasoned with salt, vinegar, or soy sauce. This dish -- which is even considered an “acquired taste” by many Filipinos -- is typically served with beer.

If you have an aversion to duck fetuses, this dish is also sometimes prepared with fertilized chicken eggs - although they are only incubated for 13 - 14 days, because the total incubation period for a chicken is only 21 days.

Tuna Eyeball

Tuna eyeball is another Japanese delicacy to make the list. These eyes are found in supermarkets around the country, with attached fish fat and muscle, and are so large that they are served by the pound. The dish is prepared by boiling and seasoning the eye, and is said to taste like squid.

The eyes are typically served atop a bowl of rice, and are said to be far more pleasing on the taste buds than they are on the eyes (pun intended).

Fruit Bat Soup

Fruit bat soup is exactly what it sounds like, but perhaps made more horrifying by the fact that the bats are not actually processed in any way prior to being cooked. The entire bat, including fur, entrails, wings, claws, and fangs, is boiled with vegetables and coconut milk and boiled down. Because these animals survive on a diet of toxic plants that have been linked to neurological problems in humans, consuming the whole fruit bat is not only gross, but may be hazardous to your health.