Svið

From the majestic glacier paradise known as Iceland, you get Svið. What is Svið, you ask? It's a sheep's head, seared so as to remove the hair, and then cut in half to be boiled.

This is like a scene out of The Godfather brought to your table. It's also great if you want to instil a healthy fear of sheep in small children. Other than that, I don't have a huge problem with this. I don't want to eat it, but it's like any other cut of meat, I suppose.

But Iceland is so far away, you say. Well you're in luck. It's also available in Iraq and other middle eastern countries called pacha.

Should I eat this? I am confident you won't die.

Have I tried this? Would you believe it if I said I googled places locally that would serve this?

Hákarl

Let me set the stage for you. You’re a Viking, hanging out in Iceland, and you really want to eat some shark. But you want the shark to be special. Maybe you’re giving it to your lady-Viking companion. Whatever the case, just cooking it won’t be good enough. No, let’s really do some crazy stuff to this shark. You bury it for six to twelve weeks, then hang it up in your shark-meat curing shed for some months. Four or five ought to do it. Yeah, now we can eat it. Yum.

People actually enjoy this rotten shark extravaganza. It’s popularly sold all over Iceland. Anthony Bourdain, noted for eating just about anything said that this was the “single worst, most disgusting and terrible tasting thing”. I suppose it’s an acquired taste.

Should you eat this? I guess if you want to after hearing that delightful description of its creation.

Have I personally tried this? Not yet.

Bonus: Watch Gordon Ramsay try to eat this thing here.