Slashfood points us to a list of some of the world's more "disgusting delicacies":We prefer to think of them not as disgusting, per se, but as ...daring. Different. Deconstructed...Some of the more colorful examples? In Morocco, you can indulge in oil made from goat excrement. The goats climb the trees in search of food, and the resulting oil is though to have medicinal purposes. Or you could hop over to Italy and try some Casu Frazigu. Sound exotic? It's made when a fly lays its eggs on cheese, and maggots hatch and crawl throughout the cheese. So, essentially, it's rotten maggot cheese. But that's just kids' stuff compared to what awaits you in Southeast Asia: balut, a fertilized duck egg, comes complete with a partially formed duck fetus inside - at no extra charge! Just season with salt and pepper, and dig in.And for dessert, engage your senses with Sumatran coffee beans [ed. note - pictured]. Not adventurous enough for you? Well, they come fresh out of the digestive track of a civet, a small, cat-like creature. The civet eats the beans, and when they are excreted, they are scrubbed clean and brewed.Happy Valentine's Day! Use this as an open food thread. Link to some recipes or cooking gadgets or something. I, for instance, am making these tonight.Update: Actually, here's my link. Good friends know that well-made chocolate chip cookies are actually my favorite food in the world (well, along with salmon nigiri). And this is about the best explanation I've ever read as to why. It's not that they're delicious, though they are. It's that, as Jessica writes, "The Chocolate Chip Cookie, when executed properly, is one of few very foods in the world capable of producing happiness." And, beyond happiness, it's one of very few foods able to induce an actual, almost tangible, feeling of comfort. It's like Prozac made from saturated fat.(Photo used under a Creative Commons license from Flickr user Esti.)
