* To all the Balut fanatics out there, be sure to get your very own “Balut- the REAL breakfast of Champions” T shirt on our Shameless Commerce page
When I was growing up eating balut, callos, sisig, dila, dinuguan, banana-Q, etc. it never occurred to me that I was doing anything exotic or adventurous. I still don’t think so, or at least any more weird than eating sea urchin, sushi, calamari, or escargot. Now, thanks to the Travel Channel, we can share our special food culture with our Starbucks drinking, McDonalds eating friends and relatives and introduce them to the tastes and wonders of traditional Filipino food.
Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern is a documentary-styled travel and cuisine program hosted by Andrew Zimmern on the Travel Channel.
Bizarre Foods focuses on regional cuisine from around the world which is typically perceived by the American masses as being gross, unique, or, of course, bizarre. In each episode, Zimmern focuses on the cuisine of a particular country or region. He typically shows how the food is procured, where it is served, and, usually without hesitation, eats it.
Bizarre Foods draws many parallels to Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, which airs Mondays on the Travel Channel immediately after Bizarre Foods. Whereas No Reservations can be seen more as a mix of travel, unique food, and nightlife, Bizarre Foods focuses more on the ethnic foods and culture of the regions and in particular what Americans see as oddities.
Among the many weird foods sampled by Zimmern in the show, some of the most bizarre include haggis, nutria, balut, goose intestines, coconut grubs, callos (blood sausage and tripe casserole), fruit bats, and a still-beating frog heart, among many other dishes.
Featuring: Balut
Featuring: Palawan, Banana Q, IUD
