Bird's Nest Soup

Bird's nest soup is a delicacy in Chinese cuisine. A few species of swift, the cave swifts, are renowned for building the saliva nests used to produce the unique texture of this soup. The edible bird's nests are among the most expensive animal products consumed by humans. The nests have been used in Chinese cooking for over 400 years, most often as bird's nest soup. Right now you’re probably imagining a nest made out of twigs and leaves, but Swiftlets make their nests predominantly out of saliva. It’s something in the saliva of the bird that makes it have this unique gelatinous, rubbery texture and it’s one of the most expensive animal products consumed by humans. It’s expensive because the swiftlets build the nests during breeding season over a period of 35 days and nests can only be harvested around three times a year. The nests are typically built in coastal caves and collecting them is a treacherous process involving climbing and nimble skill, which adds to the hefty price tag. With an increase in demand for birds nest soup however, manmade nesting sites are often constructed. Hong Kong and the US are the largest importers of birds’ nests and a bowl of soup can cost around $30 to $100 per bowl, whilst a kilo of nest can cost between $2,000 and $10,000. The soup has been a tradition for centuries and is believed to be nutritious in proteins and minerals and have aphrodisiac qualities.

Snake Wine

Snake wine is an alcoholic beverage produced by infusing whole snakes in rice wine or grain alcohol. The drink was first recorded to have been consumed in China during the Western Zhou dynasty and considered an important curative and believed to reinvigorate a person according to Traditional Chinese medicine. It can be found in China,Vietnam and throughout Southeast Asia. The snakes, preferably venomous ones, are not usually preserved for their meat but to have their "essence" and snake venom dissolved in the liquor. However, the snake venom is denatured by the ethanol; its proteins are unfolded and therefore inactive.

Sokushinbutsu

Sokushinbutsu were Buddhist monks or priests who allegedly caused their own deaths in a way that resulted in their being mummified. This practice reportedly took place almost exclusively in northern Japan around the Yamagata Prefecture. Between 16 and 24 such mummifications have been discovered.

For three years the priests would eat a special diet consisting only of nuts and seeds, while taking part in a regimen of rigorous physical activity that stripped them of their body fat. They then ate only bark and roots for another three years and began drinking a poisonous tea made from the sap of the Urushi tree, normally used to lacquer bowls. This caused vomiting and a rapid loss of bodily fluids, and most importantly, it killed off any maggots that might cause the body to decay after death. Finally, a self-mummifying monk would lock himself in a stone tomb barely larger than his body, where he would not move from the lotus position. His only connection to the outside world was an air tube and a bell. Each day he rang a bell to let those outside know that he was still alive. When the bell stopped ringing, the tube was removed and the tomb sealed.

Sati

Sati was a Hindu funeral custom, now very rare and a serious criminal act in India, in which the dead man’s widow would throw herself on her husband’s funeral pyre in order to commit suicide. The act of sati was supposed to take place voluntarily, and from the existing accounts, most of them were indeed voluntary. The act may have been expected of widows in some communities. . It is frequently stated that a widow could expect little of life after her husband’s death, especially if she was childless. However, there were also instances where the wish of the widow to commit sati was not welcomed by others, and where efforts were made to prevent the death.

Blackening The Bride

Every country, tribe and family has it’s own wedding traditions. Scotland actively practices a pre-wedding tradition called "blackening". Originally just the bride was to be blackened by her friends but now the groom may also be blackened. They are taken by surprise and covered in foul and disgusting things, anything they can think of. Some examples are curdled milk, rotten eggs, soiled curry, smelly fish sauces, mud, flour, sausage, and feathers. Due to the popularity of this tradition brides and grooms rarely try to run or hide from the blackening. After the blackening they are either tied to a tree or paraded down the local streets and into the pubs (still covered in nasty) with friends clanging pots and pans to announce the wedding. Scots believe that this humiliation prepares them to face all the difficulties they may come across in marriage, as nothing could be more humiliating than their blackening. 


As a side note, Scotland (in 2010) has the lowest divorce rate that they have seen in their country in 30 years, with divorces dropping and marriages raising.

Black Pudding

Blood sausage is made by cooking fresh or dried blood with a filler until it is thick enough to congeal when cooled. This dish is found all over the world served hot or cold, deep fried, for breakfast, on a stick, just about any way you can think of. Pig, cow, sheep, duck, and goat can all be used depending on what country you look. Typical fillers include meat, fat, bread, sweet potato, onion, chestnuts, barley, and oatmeal. In some coin tries potato is often replaced by rice.
German Americans are one of the largest groups in the United Stated and foods like blood sausage are still eaten in the country, though usually by older generations. British-style black pudding is also consumed by immigrants from Great Britain, Ireland, and Australia, French Canadians, and Cajuns. Blood sausage is very difficult to find in American supermarkets and is often made at home. Due to the large Belgian American population, Wisconsin produces the sausage that can be found in local markets. It can also be found throughout Maine and southeastern Michigan
All across Asia various people create foods from congealed animal blood. In China whole coagulated blood is fried or steamed as a snack and is not made with a casing. In Taiwan pig's blood cake is made of pork blood and sticky rice and is served on a stick as a very popular snack.
Black pudding in the United Kingdom is generally made from pork's blood and has a high portion of oatmeal. It can be eaten uncooked but is often grilled, fried, or boiled in it's casing. In the Black Country and the North West black pudding is considered a delicacy. It is served throughout the UK as part of a full breakfast and is also served this way in Ireland, New Zealand, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland. Some British towns are especially noted for their blood pudding such as Bury, Didley, Ramsbottom, and Stornoway. In Scotland it is served battered as an alternative to fish and chips.

Haggis

Haggis is a traditional Scottish dish; a kind of savory pudding consisting of sheep's heart, liver, and lungs that are minced with onion, oatmeal, suet (beef fat found around the loins and kidneys), spices, salt, and stock. Traditionally the filling is encased in the stomach and simmered for about three hours. Haggis is produced commercially in Scotland using a prepared sausage casing. The Gastronomique claims that haggis has an excellent nutty texture and delicious flavor. Haggis is most often served with "keeps and tatties", or rutabaga and potato, that are boiled and mashed separately, and accompanied by a glass of Scotch whisky.
Haggis is served with the Burns supper on the week of January 25 to commemorate Scotland's national poet, Robert Burns. In Burns' youth haggis was a dish of the poor. It was nourishing yet cheap because it was made with the leftover parts of the sheep that would otherwise be thrown away.
Haggis is widely available in supermarkets all year round. Sometimes it is sold in a tin or container which can be microwaved or oven baked and is also sometimes made from pig instead of sheep. It is served also in fast-food restaurants battered and deep fried with chips for a "haggis supper" or as a parry on a bun as a "haggis burger". In higher class restaurants you can find the "Flying Scotsman" which is a chicken breast stuffed with haggis. It can be wrapped in bacon to create "Chicken Balmoral" and can also be used as a substitute for minced beef in many recipes. Since the 1960's various nuts and vegetables have been substituted to create vegetarian haggis.
Haggis is also popular with Scots in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Sometimes it is imported from Scotland however since 1971 it has been illegal to import into the United States from the  United Kingdom due to a ban on food containing sheep lung, as well as 1989 when all UK beef and lamb was banned due to the mad cow disease crisis.