exotic-foods

What is myoga? Also known as Japanese ginger, myoga is a plant native to China, Japan and Korea. Learn all about it right here!

Specialty melons that have been grown into perfect shapes cost a small fortune in Japan. Strawberries can also cost nearly USD$5000.

Mastika, or as we know it, mastic, is a resin derived from the Pistacia lentiscus tree. Nuggets of this dried resin are among the first recorded substances chewed by humans for its refreshing flavor, an early predecessor of modern-day chewing gum. (Mastic is the root of the English word "masticate," which means "to chew.") It's sweet,…

Even the most die-hard produce lover might be intimidated by the magnificent jackfruit. It is the largest tropical tree fruit in the world — each one can weigh up to 100 pounds. Both the flesh and juice have been used in numerous culinary applications, and modern-day preparations range from chips to ice cream to fake meat. In its…

[caption id="attachment_73053" align="alignnone" width="700" ] Author Nevin Martell (left) chronicles a childhoood full of exotic eats in his new memoir, Freak Show Without A Tent[/caption] Nevin Martell didn't grow up like the rest of us, with the usual summer vacations to the beach house or amusement park. His father, Ralph, owned Martell's, a popular Manhattan…

When developing the recipe for an all-new kind of plat du jour this week, Rodney Scruggs didn’t merely step outside his usual comfort zone. He hopped. His selected protein: dehydrated grasshoppers. It’s the first time that Scruggs, executive chef at the historic Occidental Grill in Washington, D.C., has experimented with such insectual ingredients. To be…

Andrew Zimmern, dude has range. When not filming his popular Travel Channel series Bizarre Foods (and various offshoots), writing for magazines and serving as Entrepreneur in Residence at Babson College — as well as hosting events at food festivals around the globe (he gives good cooking demo) — he’s a dedicated family man, as we…

For Fantasy Travel Week, we asked a medical professional, Dr. Jason Ough M.D., for the medicine kit essentials for traveling to more, um, turbulent parts of the world. Okay, first off, this is not going to be a list of street drugs (sorry, hardcore Kitchen Confidential fans). This is intended to be more of a…

What looks like a cross between a snap pea pod and a lime and contains "citrus caviar?" That would be the humble finger lime. Rather than containing the pyriform or pear-shaped sections that comprise the flesh of citrus fruits, finger limes range in color from dark green to pink and have tiny spherical sections that…

A trip to an American supermarket is rarely revelatory. So you need OJ and a couple of rolls of paper towels. So what? At your neighborhood spot, you know where everything is. You know what everything is. You are maybe on a first-name basis (or at least a nod-of-recognition basis) with the dude stocking personal-size…

When most people think of alpacas, they think of sweaters made from their ultra-soft wool. When Ricardo Zarate thinks of alpacas, he thinks about how they'd look on a plate. As LA's best Peruvian chef (and Food & Wine's 2011 People's Choice Best New Chef), Zarate has the tough task of introducing finicky Angelenos to…

Before I complete my descent into Burgers And Dogs-land, transforming from a global food enthusiast into an obsessive patty-sculpter, sausage-sourcer, guardian of ketchup and mustard, champion of macaroni salad and other jobs one might have in Burgers And Dogs-land, I'd like to briefly talk about Japanese food — fish necks, in particular. The Japanese eat…

It occurred to me while researching the fun facts you never knew about mustard, that while necessary for certain sandwiches (Reubens), it's not actually my favorite sandwich condiment. It's my second favorite. My real favorite is weirder, which I've gauged by the fact that nobody else seems to want this stuff near their sliced turkey.…

I tell myself this every time I go to India: wait until the last day to eat street food, if you absolutely have to. Well I absolutely had to and I was unable to wait until the last day. There were a few contributors to my mild affliction — questionable straws in my otherwise reliably…

At Food Republic we like to bring you a wide variety of exotic recipes from every corner of the world. Whether it's Indian comfort food or an easy Cuban black bean soup, there is something for everyone. For me, comfort food means Middle Eastern fare. Growing up in Cairo gave me access to delicious falafel,…

When the weather gets cold, folks tend toward standby comfort foods like macaroni and cheese, chili and pot pies. Rather than go with a trendy riff on an original, this weekend we're bringing you recipes from around the world. That's right, America did not invent comfort food. From Mexico to Greece and beyond, this is…

You may think the Food Republic office smells like fine aged scotch, rich mahogany and many leather-bound books, à la Ron Burgundy. I won't dash your hopes there. But come lunchtime, it smells like at least three of us eating some of the best cheap Indian food in the city from Minar. This hole in…

Welcome to Parachilna, South Australia — Population: 7. It’s hard to call it a town – it’s more of a way station – but it’s the only place you’ll come across between the Flinders Mountain Ranges and a salt lake called Lake Torrens. There’s just one business in Parachilna and it’s the Prairie Hotel, a…

We love the local food movement. We love local cheeses, veggies and fruits — and the closer to our homes they were grown, the better they taste. But let’s be reasonable: We’ve got ocean liners and cargo jets crisscrossing our planet in fleets, skipping over lines of latitude eight per hour and bridging the continents,…

When I walked into one of my favorite Asian markets in San Francisco last week, a potpourri of smells slammed me. This is nothing unusual, for these shops are wild and fantastic gathering centers of tropical fruits, fish, meats and various other products – but in this circus of aromatics, I plainly smelled them: jet-fresh,…

Unlike other animals that will actively avoid food that can kill them, only we humans are adventurous enough (or dumb enough, depending on who you’re asking) to eat food that could kill us. Last week we brought you five foods that may be trying to kill you, now here is a list of five dangerous…

Everyone has an equally gross opinion on what sea urchin looks like. A slimy orange tongue, baby droppings, rotting banana…we could go on. What on Earth is it? Sea urchin, or uni as it’s known in Japanese restaurants where you’re most likely to encounter it, is the sex organ harvested from the frequently poisonous spiky…

By no means are we referring to the unadulterated, pesty slime machines currently munching away at your garden; however, something must be said of snails that ooze their way into fame. Renowned chef Heston Blumenthal of England's Fat Duck has won the the hearts of food enthusiasts worldwide for his snail porridge. The French have…