Try These Weird Thai Foods… If You Dare

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Thailand has bizarre and exotic foods, which you wouldn’t expect compared to other Southeast Asian nations. We’re talking about edible cobra blood, crocodile flesh, and unusual insects just waiting for you to eat them. Without further ado, check out our list of the best exotic foods in Thailand!

Bamboo Worms (Rot Duan)

Bamboo Worms
Photo by: tripzilla

The most tourist-friendly fried insect for newcomers who want to try exotic food in Thailand is undoubtedly the bamboo worm, referred to as a starter on the exotic food menu for tourists in Thailand. Contrary to appearances, the texture of this exotic food from Thailand, also known as “Rot Duan” or express train due to its shape, is spongy and crunchy. In any of Thailand’s street food markets, bamboo worms are deep-fried and served with spices. Therefore, giving it a try in Thailand may be your chance to unwind while enjoying a cold beverage and some fried bamboo worms.

Silk Larvae (Nhon Mhai)

Silk Worms
Photo by: tripzilla

You might say, “Worry no worms,” after tasting this exotic food in Thailand.

A popular exotic Thai food for drinkers, silkworms or silk larvae is another worm dish on Thailand’s exotic list, in addition to bamboo worms. Tourists who had the opportunity to sample most of Thailand’s exotic cuisine could attest that Silk Larvae are the best exotic food in Thailand. Like bamboo worms, they go well with alcoholic drinks with soy sauce and pepper.

Grasshoppers (Tak Ka Tan)

Grasshoppers
Photo by: tripzilla

Who would have thought a grasshopper hopping around on the lawns could be consumed in Thailand?

If you didn’t know, locals and visitors agree that “Tak Ka Tan,” or Thai fried grasshoppers, taste most similar to fried shrimp and are best washed down with a cold beer. This exotic dish from Thailand has more crunch than any chip you’ve ever had, and it tastes even better when it’s seasoned with golden mountain sauce, chilli powder, or Thai pepper powder. Thai Foods

Crickets (Jing Reed) Thai Foods

Jing Reed
Photo by: hotels

In Thailand, crickets are more than just a noisy nuisance at night; in case you’re wondering, they make a delicious snack for a warm drinking session or a night out at one of the country’s well-known street markets. Similar to other exotic Thai foods, golden mountain sauce and Thai pepper powder enhance the spiciness of this dish.

Tourists enjoy eating Thailand’s fried crickets, which have a texture similar to that of a fried grasshopper. You’ll be spending the night eating crickets, so stop worrying about the noises they make at night and the tears they shed!

Water Beetles (Maeng Kee Noon)

สูตร แมงจีนูนคั่ว 🤤 / Roasted Cockchafers 😋 โดย obob's cooking - Cookpad
Photo by: tripzilla

If you’re not game for a challenge to try this crazy exotic food in Thailand, it will make you shiver—it is, after all, a test of one’s bravery. Aside from cockroaches, water beetles are among the worst pests you can encounter in your home.

This is one of Thailand’s exotic foods that will drive your adventurous spirit crazy. You might, however, enjoy its crispiness when paired with Thai chilli powder and golden sauce. If you’re still afraid of them swarming around your room, travelling to Thailand and having the opportunity to try them will cause you to reconsider and fall in love with these eccentric water beetles, also known as Maeng Kee Noon.

Developing Tadpoles (Mok Huak) Thai Foods

Try These Weird Thai Foods… If You Dare | News by Thaiger
In other nations, frog meals are common, but seeing a tadpole in development on a menu was unusual. Tadpoles are boneless, making them less unsettling than other exotic foods from Thailand. Tadpoles in development, also referred to as Mok Huak, are just one of the many typical foods you’d find in Thailand. To get rid of the bad smell, it is wrapped in a banana leaf, grilled with fermented fish sauce, and seasoned with herbs and spices. Tadpoles are as uncommon on menus in other nations as in Thailand, where they are only available during the rainy season.

Raw Pig’s Blood (Luu Muu)

Luu Muu
Photo by: tripzilla

You will probably vomit if you have never consumed raw pig blood drawn directly from a pig’s murder. But the Thai method might tempt you to give it a shot! Thailand tests its visitors’ bravery to see if they can handle what’s on the menu.

Raw pig’s blood continues to rank among Thailand’s most bizarre and well-known exotic foods, despite health experts’ warnings that the country’s tradition of eating raw blood soup could cause infections. Most often served raw with additional spices, raw pig’s blood, also known as Luu Muu, is sold at ethnic Thai restaurants or nearby markets. It frequently goes well with noodle soup, crispy deep-fried noodles, or raw beef with marinated pig intestines and kaffir lime leaf.

Fried Tarantula Thai Foods

Fried spider - Wikipedia
One of Thailand’s top exotic foods is your least favourite crawler back home. In the market, fried tarantulas are for sale!

If you’re brave enough to brave Thailand’s normalized culture of eating insects, try the strange and intriguing-sounding fried spiders. Although fried spiders are a Cambodian speciality, they are also sold in well-known Thailand street markets. Fried tarantulas can be purchased as sticks or as individual pieces.

Scorpions

Scorpions
Photo by: tripzilla

On this one, you’ll need to exercise caution; make sure the vendor has taken the scorpion’s stinger out of its tail. (As it contains venom, your travel insurance probably won’t cover it.) A horrible, bitter aftertaste soon follows, leaving you wondering, “why the hell did I do this again? for the tenth time that night.”

Tip: If you want to sound more manly, request that the scorpions be alive. Yes, it would help if you had a way to stand out in the modern age, where everything can be found online. It’s time to go all out or stay in.

Kai Khao (Balut) Thai Foods

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Photo by: tripzilla

The infamous Balut, which gained popularity in the Philippines, has also made its way to Bangkok’s streets. For those unaware, this is a fertilized duck egg with a developed embryo inside the shell. Not for the faint of heart, this one.

When trying an exotic food for the first time, most people close their eyes and eat it quickly. Removing any visuals lessens the discomfort and stops you from inadvertently gagging or puking. When you try khai khao, don’t think you can get away with this trick. You’ll be crunching your way through several distinct textures, such as bones and feathers, resulting from the fertilized embryo.

Take a deep breath and good luck. You’ll need it for this one.

Red ant eggs (kai mot daeng ไข่มดแดง)

แหย่ไข่มดแดงขาย รายได้เสริมวันละพันบาท
This list of seasonal specialities is a favourite addition to the northeastern dish gaeng hed. This mushroom soup incorporates red ant eggs, a variety of mushrooms, pumpkin, and pla rah fermented fish. Red ant eggs are often eaten as a component of simpler dishes like the yum kai mot Daeng salad and gaeng Pak wan kai mot Daeng soup. They were combining red ant eggs with a regional sweet green vegetable. These eggs are typically harvested from nests at the top of mango trees. This dish combines all the best ingredients on this list of unusual foods.

Deep Fried Frog Thai Foods

weird Thai food
PHOTO: Fried Frogs via iStock

In addition to tadpoles, another peculiar Thai dish is a deep-fried frog. Before being fried, the frogs are typically covered in flour, salt, and garlic. Larger frogs are cut into pieces, while smaller ones are consumed whole. It isn’t easy to eat frogs, especially in large groups. They resemble chicken meat more than you might think, both in flavour and texture. They might turn out to be tasty once you get past their appearance! It takes some getting used to.

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