By far the strangest food I've ever tried is Hot Vit Lon. Also known as Balut in the Philippines, it is a delicacy known throughout Southeast Asia and some parts of China. Hot Vit Lon in Vietnam is a soft-boiled, partially incubated duck egg, which is traditionally eaten with salt, pepper and herbs. It is served much like the way a western soft-boiled egg is. It certainly is not for the faint of heart because of the fact that you find the partially developed fetus inside the egg. The Vietnamese version is eaten at 20 days of incubation and the duck embryo is slightly more developed than the Philippine version at 17 days.
I tried it for the first time from a Vietnamese-American friend, who lived a few doors down from me. It was quite challenging, even for the adventurous eater that I am, but I actually enjoyed it. It's very difficult to explain the flavor, but it is very, very rich. He explained how it was good for men's virility and also for women who have just delivered. The fact that their culture goes back way further than mine, I took his word.
If you have a good Asian market, you can probably find them there. Or you can also mail order them here, if you're up for a food challenge!
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