Forbidden Fruit and Other Illegal Eats

Don't know about the puffer fish or live maggot cheese, but I'd be willing to give some of this stuff a try.

Forbidden Fruit and Other Illegal Eats

Fois Gras is available in many places.

Durian cannot be brought to the US fresh, as the odor is too strong, and even in Malasia (where it is grown) cannot be taken in public busses or other mass transit. You can buy it at Jungle Jims, and at several places in Chicago (maybe more, but I'm aware of those). It's like eating vanilla pudding out of a shell - very sweet and sort of bland, and while the smell is that of a baby's diaper (polite way of describing) it's very mild (freezing cuts down the pungency.

I am pretty sure they sell durian at the Valu Market next to Vietman Kitchen. If I remember right, it was in a little stand alone freezer with a lock and bold signs saying not to handle the fruit. I'm sure if dropped it would clear out the store for a day...I have had delicious durian sorbet at Basa.

I've seen and smelled fresh Durian before in Singapore, just folks carrying it walking past on the sidewalk.

It was banned on all public transport there also. I never pursued an opportunity to try it.

I've seen durian sold in NYC in Chinatown so I wonder about the import ban. I've never tasted it though I would love to try- just to say I did. I did try some durian candy in China. meh.

I don't understand haggis making this list because of it's "awful" ingredients. are there any health risks associated with eating lungs or esophagus, or did congress just decide they had to protect us from what they deemed to be un-appetizing?

[Robin Garr]

are there any health risks associated with eating lungs or esophagus, or did congress just decide they had to protect us from what they deemed to be un-appetizing?

There was a ban on imported offal in general - not just lungs or sheep's "pluck" - because of concern about BSE, bovine spongiform encephalitis or "mad cow" disease.

However, the ban has been lifted:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/jan/2 ... fted-burns

Tony Bourdain, in his last book, claimed he dined on Ortolan with a group of chefs at an undisclosed location in New York. There is high theatre involved in eating this bird.


You catch the ortolan with a net spread up in the forest canopy. Take it alive. Take it home. Poke out its eyes and put it in a small cage. Force-feed it oats and millet and figs until it has swollen to four times its normal size. Drown it in brandy. Roast it whole, in an oven at high heat, for six to eight minutes. Bring it to the table. Place a cloth—a napkin will do—over your head to hide your cruelty from the sight of God. Put the whole bird into your mouth, with only the beak protruding from your lips. Bite. Put the beak on your plate and begin chewing, gently. You will taste three things: First, the sweetness of the flesh and fat. This is God. Then, the bitterness of the guts will begin to overwhelm you. This is the suffering of Jesus. Finally, as your teeth break the small, delicate bones and they begin to lacerate your gums, you will taste the salt of your own blood, mingling with the richness of the fat and the bitterness of the organs. This is the Holy Spirit, the mystery of the Trinity—three united as one. It is cruel. And beautiful.

— Brendan Kiley[5]

[Robin Garr]

There is high theatre involved in eating this bird.

Nothing personal, Tim. Just sayin' ...

i don't mind eating animals but prefer my prep to be torture free.

Let's just say that Ortolan doesn't have to be illegal for me to avoid it.