Most of us are excited about eating desserts or sweets after having dinner. Some of the most popular desserts are cakes, chocolate, and ice cream. But did you know that aside from these, there are many other desserts enjoyed by a lot of people from all over the world? Yes, and some of them can be really weird.
Imagine desserts that include insects and other strange ingredients. Would you dare to eat them? Well, if you’re willing to try some out of this world desserts from different places, then we’re giving you a list of the world’s strangest desserts.
The Brief History of Desserts
The word dessert came from the 17th-century French word desservir, meaning “clear the table.” The word context was derived from the etiquette of clearing the table by changing the table napkins and tablecloth before the final course. The last meal course served was usually a fruit course.
The fruit course was known as ‘le fruit’ but eventually changed to dessert. This origin is considered suitable as the first use of dessert was to wash down the aftertaste of a large meal with something sweet. After the French Revolution, the aristocratic “fruit” was fully replaced by “dessert.”
From the 17th to 18th century, desserts were mostly fruits, but this tradition revolved, leading to more fruity sweet treats such as jams, jellies, and wafers mixed with exotic fruits, nuts, and butter. Custard then came to life as one of the first-ever eaten sweet desserts in the middle ages.
In the late 18th to 19th century, sugar, together with the advancement of technology, became an opportunity for more delectable sweets. Sugar became widely available while refrigeration kept the temperature for desserts to achieve consistency and preservation. Today, any celebration is only complete with serving delicious desserts.
1. Cendol, Malaysia
Don’t worry, those are not green icky worms. Those are actually green jelly noodles that make this popular dessert complete. Cendol is a popular dish from Malaysia that is made with coconut milk, shaved ice, jelly noodles, palm sugar, and red beans. It may sound like they are an odd mix, but it surprisingly goes very well together. This delicious dessert is also popular in other parts of Southeast Asia like Singapore, Brunei, Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia.
2. Crème de Abacate, Brazil
It may look like a green goo at first but don’t be fooled because this dessert tastes heavenly and we’re here to thank the Brazilians for deciding to turn an avocado into a dessert. Whoever said avocado is just a dip or a salad ingredient? And even if you’re not in Brazil, this dessert is easy to make, just take a medium-sized avocado, one can of condensed milk and a tablespoon of lemon juice. Blend it all together and chill it in the refrigerator for a good thirty minutes and you’re done. All you have to do is indulge yourself in a cup of cold, creamy and delicious Crème de Abacate.
3. Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream, Philippines
If you want a little excitement in your ice cream then you should head on down to the busy streets of Manila and get a taste of this liquid nitrogen ice cream. There is an ice cream shop there named The Iscreamist that serves ice cream that is dipped in liquid nitrogen. You can also dip S’mores, Oreos and macarons, name it and you can dip it. Liquid nitrogen can be extremely cold but if you use it properly, like dip a dessert in it and eat it, you can enjoy it.
4. Tangyuan, China
This popular Chinese dessert symbolizes family unity and traditionally marks the end of the Chinese New Year. This dessert is so popular in China that they make and eat it even if it’s not the 15th day of the Chinese New Year. These colorful, ball-shaped dumplings are made of glutinous rice flour. They are covered in sweet broth and you can dip them in anything like black sesame, red beans, and peanuts. They can also be eaten on their own.
5. Chocolate Covered Crickets, Thailand
Almost 80 percent of the world eats insects, but the people in Thailand have their way of eating their insects, they dip it in chocolate. If you’re searching for some excitement then these sweet and crunchy dessert is something that you may want to try.
6. Picarones, Peru
Picarones is a dessert that is made in Peru ever since the Colonial Era. These donut looking treats are made from sweet potato or squash. It is dipped in a syrup that is made from unrefined sugar which makes this dessert a little bit more healthy than its American counterparts.
7. Šakotis, Lithuania
We included this one on our list because of its weird appearance. Šakotis was first made in the 1500s and it is still common until today. This yummy delicacy is made from eggs, butter, flour, sugar, and cream. It requires a special oven that has a rod that is spun on an open fire while the batter is being slowly dipped into it. This process gives the dessert it’s unusual shape. Making this dessert can take several hours depending on the size. But as they say, anything that is sweet is worth waiting for.
8. Ras malai, India
Ras malai means “juice cream” in Hindi. Although this dessert doesn’t resemble any juice. This dessert is made out of chhena, a type of cottage cheese that is popular in India and it is soaked in reduced milk. They add saffron and ground cardamom for extra flavor and they cook it in sugar syrup or milk. This soft dessert is topped or stuffed with almonds, pistachios and dried fruit.
9. Veriohukainen, Finland
Also known as blodplättar or blood pancakes, this dessert is really made out of real pig blood. They whisk it together with milk and other ingredients to make one disturbing breakfast. This crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside dessert is typically served with lingonberry jam. Blood pancakes are still commercially available in some stores in Finland.
10. Tavuk göğsü, Turkey
One of Turkey’s signature desserts is Tavuk göğsu. It is made of rice flour, cinnamon, sweetened milk and wait for it, chicken. It tastes like sweet pudding and chicken. Don’t expect to bite into a chicken leg because the chicken’s meat is separated and is cut into very thin fibers. They pound it until it turns into powder and then add it into the mixture. If you will go to Turkey, this dessert is a must try.
These are some of the world’s strangest desserts around. They are certainly created using unusual ingredients that seem to be weird when mixed together. But since they’re quite popular in certain countries someone certainly likes them. So, which of these strange desserts would you like to try soon?