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Journalist Shane Mitchell traveled around the world eating some pretty strange things for her new... [+]
When most people hear about eating bizarre food around the globe, they think of Andrew Zimmern and Anthony Bourdain shocking television viewers with their showmanship antics.
For journalist Shane Mitchell, eating unfamiliar food has been part of her job for the last eight years as she traveled the world researching her new book Far Afield: Rare Food Encounters from Around the World (Ten Speed Press), with stunning photography by James Fisher. “Zimmern and Bourdain are great entertainers, dining on maggot fried rice or cobra hearts,” she says. “But this books gets back to grassroots; it documents a day in the field, not a night at the dinner table.”
For Mitchell — who is also a contributing editor at Saveur — observing how people in other places keep the food chain vital was an immersive cultural experience.
The cover of the new culinary travel book, “Far Afield.” (Photo courtesy of James Fisher)
“I wanted to find people who represent their traditions, whether it was farming or ranching or fishing, and could give me a sense and taste of their place in the world. And I learned that hospitality is a universal concept, even though it differs region to region,” she says. “Most times, it was exhilarating and delicious. I rarely ever said ‘yuck.’”
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And while she doesn’t condone the consumption of endangered species or banned foods, Mitchell had to chow down on a lot of uncommon dishes along the way. Here, she shares some of the strangest. Would you dare?
Fried Grasshoppers in Mexico
In the streets leading toward the Church of San Andrés Apóstol in the village of Mixquic, an hour southeast of Mexico City, vendors sell fried grasshoppers. “Grasshoppers are crunchy and taste a little like grass,” Mitchell says. “Best served wrapped in a warm tortilla and eaten with beer or tequila.”
Sheep Skull in Iceland
In Iceland, Mitchell tried some real nose-to-tail eating: svið, which is cured sheep’s head. “The skull is sawed in half, singed, boiled, then cured in lactic acid and served with the teeth and eye sockets exposed. It’s similar in some ways to head cheese," she says. “The shepherd who shared it with me scraped meat off the cheek with a knife; you pop it into your mouth.”
Mitchell ate sheep in Iceland. (Photo courtesy of James Fisher)
Whale in Japan
This dish is a rare delicacy, found in very few restaurants in Japan — and it wasn’t as easy for Mitchell to try. “I’ve struggled when presented with whale sushi,” she says. “That’s not simply a personal distaste, but when offered such dishes, I had to weigh my own ethical stance with appearing rude to my hosts.”
Barbecued Rabbit in Mexico
Mitchell wound up loving barbecued rabbit in Mexico and included a recipe for it in her book. "The bunny is basted with a smoky chile marinade, and seared on a grill above a pit of hot coals,” she says. “I still have the lucky rabbit’s foot that our waiter presented with the bill.”
Horse Meat in Iceland
Horse meat is a protein that has been eaten in parts of Europe — Italy, Belgium, Germany — for centuries. In Iceland, during harsh famines in the 19th Century, its consumption was considered an indication of poverty. “But it’s part of the comfort food revival taking place there,” says Mitchell, who tried horse meat in a restaurant. Was it upsetting for her? “No, I wasn’t upset. It’s like with whale or shark fin. You have to try to understand why it’s culturally appropriate and maintain objectivity in the moment. But I wouldn’t ask for it.” And she didn’t mention it in the book. “It was like eating 'My Friend Flicka,’” says Mitchell, describing the flavor as closer to venison than beef.
Guinea Pig in Peru
Another recipe that didn’t make the cut in Mitchell’s book was Peruvian cuy (guinea pig), but she tried it nevertheless. “Domestic guinea pig has been a food source for thousands of years in the Andes. Farmers keep them like they do chickens,” she says. “And yes, it tastes a little bit like chicken.” In the cathedral at Cusco, a depiction of the Last Supper by famed Quechua painter Marcos Zapata shows Christ and his disciples dining on guinea pig.
Mitchell witnessed a tribe drinking blood in Kenya. (Photo courtesy of James Fisher)
Blood in Kenya
The one thing Mitchell didn't try was blood, which along with milk and meat is one of the three pillars of the nomadic tribal diet in parts of Africa. “In Kenya’s Loita Hills, in the Great Rift Valley, I watched Maasai warriors slaughter a sheep at an improvised olpul, or meat-eating camp. They slit the throat and allowed the hot blood to pool in a pouch improvised by stretching the neck skin. Then, one by one, each warrior leaned down to drink.” Mitchell says she wasn’t offered the blood. But would she have tried it? Absolutely. “I haven’t drunk blood, but I have eaten it cooked into dishes like blood sausage and pudding. And yes, I would have tried it,” she says. “At this point, I’m not grossed out by much.”
Far Afield: Rare Food Encounters from Around the World (Ten Speed Press) is available on October 25.
