Lately, there are new ways to lead a healthier way of life, including eating raw food. Lots of people embraced it, and we applaud them, bravo! Since the beginning of civilization, people have eaten raw food just because it was the only option. Our habits have been changing through the centuries, and now it feels like we're making a full circle. However, our top ten list isn't about healthy food, vegetables, as it focuses on some quite gruesome stuff that people are eating raw. So forget about veggies and prepare as you might wanna find a bucket to puke.

10. Steak Tartare

This one is most common, as probably everyone has heard about Steak Tartare. This is raw, high-quality minced beef served with onions, pepper, and other seasonings.  Allegedly the name came from Mongolian warriors called the Tatars, emphasizing their wild nature as they were eating raw meat.

Even though we already said that it's a well-known dish, a waiter could ask you if you know what you are ordering.  Although today it's considered a delicacy, not many people have the stomach for it.

9. Sashimi the Raw Octopus

We are all familiar with sushi, but there are other raw meat dishes, including raw sashimi meat! There's a variety of sashimi, so let's start with kangaroo sashimi – kangaroo meat sliced thin and served on a plate.

As you can guess, frog sashimi is sliced bullfrog meat served raw. You can even find a restaurant in Japan where the cook will prepare the sashimi in front of you! Among other types of sashimi, we must mention rat sashimi. In Japan, you can only order it in high-class restaurants as it's expensive.

8. Century Egg

This one is not just raw, but rotten, so just imagine its "beautiful" smell! The story about it takes us back to the Ming Dynasty when the homeowner discovered the duck eggs in shallow clay pool water, which stayed there for two months. He found them delicious, so from that moment, eggs were produced by putting them in clay, ash, salt, and quicklime mixture for a couple of days to a few months.

Today this delicacy is served on special occasions all over China. The preservation turns egg white into a dark brown translucent jelly, and egg yolk gets green or black and slimy. Mmm, delicious!

7. Drunken Shrimp

We all love shrimps, as they are tasty and delicious. Nevertheless, why fry them when you can eat them alive? In some parts of China, people do eat them this way!

Before consuming them, they will be soaked in alcohol for a few minutes, just to make them dizzy, so they won't put up a lot of fight. People often chop off their heads first to prevent the shrimps from pinching them. 

6. Worms and Larvae

Firstly, we will start with big fat sago grubs or sago worms, which can be cooked, fried, or eaten raw.  Nevertheless, if you eat them alive, you might wanna squeeze their head first and then consume their bodies, just to be sure they won't attack you. Sago worms are full of proteins and are said to taste like chicken.

Secondly, we have escamol, or insect caviar, a dish made from ant larvae. Finally, there's a Hachi no ko, or baby bees and baby wasps larvae. They are a delicacy in Japan.

5. Casu Marzu – Rotten Cheese and Raw Maggots

Eaten rotten cheese is common to many people, but Casu Marzu is also full of live maggots. Its origin is the island of Sardinia in Italy, and it's illegal to sell it elsewhere. Eating Casu Marzu means you will take a bite of cheese with its inhabitants and enjoy it. Just a taught of something squiggling in your mouth makes us wanna puke! However, you need to chew thoroughly because these little suckers won't go without a fight.

After being eaten alive, they can replace the cheese with your body and live in it happily ever after until death do you apart. We may have used a bit of sarcasm, but they are really dangerous! If the maggots end up alive in your body, they can slowly eat you from inside and finally cause death. Bon appetit!

4. Sannakji - Raw Octopus

Sannakji is a feisty one, as every bite could serve you a payback! Sannakji is a Korean dish with the main ingredient being the raw octopus. It's prepared by chopping off the baby octopus tentacles and serving them with soy sauce and sesame seeds.

Do you wonder why we mentioned the possible payback? Well, as this meal is still squirming on your plate when served, it could attach to your throat and cause suffocation.  We think it's about time that some raw food takes a stand for themselves. So enjoy your meal, it could be your last one!

3. Cherry Blossom Meat

When raw horse meat is served on its own or like sashimi or sushi, it's called cherry blossom meat. It looks as if some rich people have a food fetish, and eating a cooked horse is too plain and common. Presumably, for that reason, they decided to up the game by eating raw horse meat.

Cherry Blossom Meat or raw horse is called sakura in Japan, being named after its pink color. In many countries consuming raw horse meat is banned. However, if you wish to try it, you should probably go to Japan, as it won't be a problem to find it in local restaurants. 

2. Cobra Heart

Wanna try cobra's heart? Vietnam is one of the countries where they love strange animal meat, so you can order a cobra or even pick one for your meal. The cook will bring the snake to your table, break its neck, cut the belly, and pour the blood into the glass. After that, he will remove the still-beating heart, mixes it with blood and rice wine, and voila, your meal/drink is served.

However, if you think this deadly-looking meal is over, brace yourself, as after eating a pulsating heart, it's time to drink a venom! Since the toxin is dangerous only if injected, drinking it won't be a problem. That's unless you have some wound in your mouth, then it's bye-bye! Finally, the rest of your cobra will be grilled, fried, and served as a meal.  Maybe you can try snake wine with it?

1. Yin-Yang Fish

This one is raw, but maybe not so raw! The Ying-Yang fish is deep-fried while kept alive, so it's an extremely cruel practice. The fish is being gutted and deep-fried in the oil while its head is protected. Afterward, it's being served with vegetables while the head still gasps for air.

It's usually made from carp fish because this type of fish can still stay alive while the head is removed from its body. To conclude, if you order a Yin-Yang fish, know that the food could wink at you.

As we said in the beginning, this top ten isn't about the food that most people would eat. This list wasn't about acceptable food in general. This was about the strangest food that people are willingly eating raw, although cooking it wouldn't make it more appealing. You might be braver than us, and you might have already tried something from the list.

If you have tasted some of the raw meals, please write it in the comment section as we would like to hear your impressions. Also, we would like to know: what was the strangest thing that you have eaten raw?

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