The

Joy of Exotic

cooking

Kopi Luwak

Imagine starting your day with the rarest, most expensive gourmet coffee in the world.

Originating from Indonesia this coffee is created from the feces of a weasel-like animal called the Luwak.

“The first thing I noticed was the smoothness of the coffee, devoid of bitterness or acidity. There were chocolaty undertones that mixed with a sweet earthiness.”

The Luwak eats only ripe coffee berries which it is unable to digest. When the beans are de-posited they are collected by the locals.Each cup of coffee costs about $50 and a pound of these beans go for $300.

Preparing Kopi Luwak

Collect raw matter and sepa-rate beans.

Clean and let air dry.

Pound beans to loosen shells

Shake to seperate beans from shells.

Roast and prepare your gourmet coffee!

Balut

Bault, meaning “wrapped” is the name of a delicacy found in the Philippines.

A balut is a fertilized duck egg with a nearly-developed embryo inside that is boiled and eaten in the shell.

Believed to be an aphrodisiac and considered a high-protein, hearty snack, balut are mostly sold by street vendors in the regions where they are available. They are often served with beer.

Balut are most often eaten with a pinch of salt, lemon juice, plus ground pepper and Vietnamese Coriander leaves (Southern Vietnamese style), though some balut-eaters prefer chili and vinegar to complement their egg.

Fertilized duck eggs are kept warm in the sun and stored in baskets to retain warmth. After nine days, the eggs are held to a light to reveal the embryo inside. Approximately eight days later the balut are ready to be cooked as regular hard boiled eggs, sold, and eaten.

The eggs are savored for their balance of textures and flavors; the broth surrounding the embryo is sipped from the egg before the shell is peeled and the yolk and young chick inside can be eaten.

Casu Marzu Sardinia

Casu Marzu Sardinia is a traditional Sardinian sheep milk cheese, notable for being infested with live insect larvae. Although outlawed in Europe for health reasons, it is found mainly in Sardinia, Italy on the black market. Casu marzu literally means "rotten cheese" in Sardinian, and the cheese is known colloquially as maggot cheese.

These larvae are delib-erately introduced to the cheese, promoting an advanced level of fermentation and breaking down of the cheese's fats. The tex-ture of the cheese be-comes very soft, with some liquid seeping out.

Casu marzu is considered toxic when the maggots in the cheese have died. Because of this, only cheese in which the maggots are still alive is eaten.

When the cheese has fermented enough, it is cut into thin strips and spread on moistened Sardinian flatbread (pane carasau), to be served with a strong red wine.

Casu marzu is believed to be an aphrodisiac by local Sardinians. Because the larvae in the cheese can launch themselves for di-tances up to 6 inches when disturbed, diners hold their hands above the sandwich to prevent the maggots from leaping into their eyes. Those who do not wish to eat live maggots place the cheese in a sealed paper bag. The maggots, starved for oxygen, and jump in the bag, creating a "pitter-patter" sound. When the sounds sub-side, the maggots are dead and the cheese can be eaten.

Casu Marzu begins as Pecorino Sardo (Fiore Sardo), a cheese that’s typically soaked in brine, smoked, and left to ripen in the cheese cellars of central Sardinia. But to produce Casu Marzu, cheese makers set the Pecorino Sardo outside in the open – uncovered – and allow cheese flies (scientifically named Pi-ophila casei) to lay eggs inside of it.

Baby Mice Wine

Baby mice wine is a traditional Korean health drink, which is brewed by drowning live baby mice, maximum three days old, in rice moonshine and letting them to ferment in the bottle for about a year. According to local Korean belief, mouse wine is a cure to just about any illness imaginable, in-cludin asthma and liver problems among others.

Codfish Sperm

Shirako looks a lot like a piece of human brain, white soft, squishy and very slip-pery.

Most Japanese appreciate its light, delicate taste, with enough fishiness to remind you that it’s not a dairy product.

Shirako is the milt, or sperm sacs, of male cod. It's served in both raw and cooked form in restaurants all over Japan, but many Japanese consider it an acquired taste.

The word "shirako" means "white children," and it is in season in the winter.

Shirako looks a lot like a piece of human brain, white soft, squishy and very slippery.

It is often cooked in a light salty broth with or used in sushi.

Sago Worms

Sago worms are the larvae of the Sago Palm Weevil

In New Guinea sago worms are roasted on a spit to celebrate spe-cial occasions.

Sago grubs have been described as tasting like bacon or meat, and are often cooked together with sago flour.

To clean the worms, pick up each individual worm and shake off its dust; then rinse them in running water. Let them dry of moisture.Heat up a dry wok on medium heat. When the wok is hot, throw in the worms and toss and turn them using a spatula. When the worm are not wiggling - dead - they are done. Don't over fry them, because its inside will start to boil and will bust at its tummy.

Placenta

Each placenta weighs approximately 1/6 of the baby's weight. Cut the meat away from the membranes with a sharp knife. Discard the membranes.

Placenta Cocktail: 1/4 cup raw placenta, 8oz V-8 juice, 2 ice cubes, 1/2 cup carrot. Blend at high speed for 10 seconds

Placentophagy is the act of mammals eating the placenta of their young after childbirth.

Placenta

Placenta Lasagne: Use your favorite lasagne recipe and substitute this mixture for one layer of cheese. In 2 tbl. olive oil, quickly saute meat of 3/4 placenta, ground or minced plus 2 sliced cloves of garlic, 1/2 tsp. oregano, 1/2 diced onion & 2 tbl. tomato paste, or 1 whole tomato.

Placenta Spaghetti:

Cut meat of 3/4 placenta into bite size pieces, then brown quickly in 1 tbl. butter plus 1 tbl. oil. Then add 1 large can tomato puree, 2 cans crushed pear tomatoes, 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 tbl. molasses, 1 bay leaf, 1 tbl. rosemary, 1 tsp. ea. of salt, honey, oregano, basil, and fennel. Simmer 1 1/2 hours.

Bull Fries

Rocky Mountain oysters, also known as prairie oysters, are a North American culinary name for edible offal, specifically buffalo or bull testicles. They are usually peeled, coated in flour, pepper and salt, sometimes pounded flat, then deep-fried. This delicacy is most often served as an appetizer.

Remove the membrane from the outside of the testicles.Bring a pan of water to the boil with the next four ingredients.Simmer meat for ten minutes; remove from liquid and pat dry.Slice into 1/4 inch slices.Combine the breadcrumbs and seasonings.Preheat oil to 350F in a frying pan.Dip slices in beaten egg followed by a dip into seasoned bread-crumbs.Fry until golden brown and serve immediately.

SERVES 4 -6 Ingredients

• 1 lb bull testicles • 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar • 1 teaspoon salt • 1 slice onion • 1 bay leaf • 1 egg, beaten with • 1 teaspoon water • 1/4 cup breadcrumbs • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne • 1/8 teaspoon thyme • olive oil, for frying • lemon wedge, for garnish

Directions

Day old chikens

One-day old chicks are actually rejects from poultry farms. They only choose the female chicks for egg production and the male chicks end up as "One-Day Old Chicks".The baby birds are eaten batter-fried. You eat the whole chick because the bones are so soft. People usually dip the chicks in vinegar and/or red chili sauce. They are often consumed along with beer.

Many snacks and strange things can be found on the streets of the Philippines such as the “day old chicken”