Food & Drink
Weird Food Quiz — Real or Fake?
Maggot cheese, fermented shark, ant larvae — can you tell real bizarre foods from made-up ones?
Maggot cheese, fermented shark, ant larvae — can you tell real bizarre foods from made-up ones?
Approximately 2,100 insect species are regularly consumed by people around the world. Cheese infested with live maggots is a protected delicacy in Sardinia. And the world's most expensive coffee is made from beans that have passed through a civet cat's digestive system. The world of food is far stranger than fiction — which is exactly what makes this quiz so tricky.
Each round presents 10 randomized questions from a pool of 50. You'll be given the name and description of a bizarre food and asked whether it's real or fake. Some are genuine delicacies eaten around the world, some are real but incredibly rare, and some are completely made up to fool you. Every answer includes fascinating context about the food's origin and cultural significance.
You'll explore the surprising world of global cuisine, from Icelandic fermented shark to Cambodian fried tarantulas. You'll also learn shocking facts about everyday foods — like how most wasabi served outside Japan is just horseradish with green dye, or how ketchup originated as a Chinese fermented fish sauce. Prepare to have your assumptions about food completely overturned.
While "weirdest" is subjective, some of the most commonly cited bizarre foods include casu marzu (Sardinian cheese with live maggots), balut (fertilized duck embryo eaten in the Philippines), hákarl (fermented shark from Iceland), and surströmming (fermented herring from Sweden that's so pungent it's been banned on several airlines).
Balut is a fertilized duck egg that has been incubated for 14-21 days before being boiled and eaten from the shell. It's a popular street food in the Philippines, Vietnam, and other Southeast Asian countries. The partially developed embryo is visible inside, and it's typically seasoned with salt and vinegar.
Some of the most expensive foods include saffron ($5,000-$10,000 per pound), white truffles ($3,000-$5,000 per pound), Kopi Luwak coffee ($30-$100 per cup), edible bird's nest soup ($30-$100 per bowl), and Almas caviar from Iran (up to $25,000 per kilogram). The high prices typically reflect extreme rarity or labor-intensive harvesting methods.
Last updated: March 2026