Food is a huge part of society today, with Michelin-star restaurants providing the best food has to offer alongside hometown favorites. However, some things edge into the weird category when it comes to food and the past. While it may have been a delicacy back then, some of the strangest foods are unbelievable today. Check out these six strangest foods people used to eat in history.
6. Grey Heron
Starting our list of the strangest foods is the grey heron. A popular find for birders, there was a period when the grey heron was also prized for banquet tables. Second only to swan, these birds were the centerpiece to a monarch or nobleman’s table to show their status. Sadly, the grey heron’s were raised in a terrible manner, stolen from their nests and shuttered in a barn until they were fat enough to be served.
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5. Cockentrice
Fifth on our list of the strangest foods is the cockentrice. This may not sound familiar, which is because the cockentrice is a made-up food served in the palaces of the rich, especially for Tudor kings and queens. Two varieties were created in the kitchen. One was the upper body of a suckling pig sewn onto the bottom half of a capon or turkey, while the other was the front end of a capon sewn onto the bottom half of a pig. The delicacy was more for shock value than anything else.
4. Melas Zomas
Next on our list of the strangest foods is melas zomas, also referred to as “black soup.” The dish was popular amongst the Spartans and consisted of boiled pig meat and pig blood. The mixture was seasoned with just salt and vinegar, and was pretty much inedible to anyone who wasn’t a Spartan. Many outsiders did try the dish, with one even commenting, “I know now why the Spartans do not fear death.”
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3. Beaver Tails
Rounding out the top three strangest foods is beaver tails. During the Middle Ages in England, half the year consisted of fast days when people could not eat meat. However, there was an alternative, as people could eat fish during those days. Things got weird if you couldn’t get access to fish, which is where the beaver tails came in. Beaver tails were similar in shape and had scales, so many used their imagination and believed the food was fish. This partially led to the animal becoming extinct in the 17th century, but it has since been brought back.
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2. Ambergris
Second on our list of the strangest foods is ambergris. Ambergris has been an ingredient in food and drink for hundreds of years, but what is it? The greyish-brown waxy substance is formed in the intestinal tracts of sperm whales over many years to help ease the passage of objects that are hard to digest. The substance is then expelled in the same way whales expel waste, and was found floating in the sea or washed up on beaches. Today, the stuff is used in perfumes, except in countries where the substance is banned.
1. Fish Bladder Jam
Last but not least on our list of strangest foods is fish bladder jam. The jam is squeezed out of the bladders of sturgeon fish and used as a thickening agent back in the 19th century, often referred to as “isinglass.” People happily ate this jam for years until gelatin became a cheaper alternative. Today, isinglass is used in the brewing industry to speed up the sedimentation process.
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