Top 7 Weirdest Dishes Served in Singapore

Food is one of the quickest and best ways to immerse yourself in a culture, as it provides a feeling of solidarity with the people around you. Enter Singapore whose city-state is in the perfect spot for some wonderfully weird cuisine by American standards.

Photo: Pinterest

Here are top 9 weirdest dishes in Singapore that locals may serve you:

1. Live Octopus (Sannakji)

Sananakji (live octopus) is a wildly popular dish found in Korea but I didn’t expect to find it right here in Singapore. Now, you don’t have to fly all the way to Korea to eat this! The mere imagination of putting the slimy, wriggling and still-alive chopped up pieces of octopus in my mouth reminds me somewhat of Fear Factor.

Notwithstanding the possible choking which could happen when the tentacles’ suction cups stick to your throat, live octopus is actually pretty delicious and it also helps with blood sugar levels. For those who would love to tackle this dish, remember to always consume small pieces. This greatly reduces the chances that you might suffocate to death from alone piece of tentacle stuck to your throat.

Photo: Eatbook

2. Crocodile Paws

Certainly not one for the squeamish. You really do get a whole crocodilian paw, claws, skin and all in your soup or claypot when you order this. It’s frighteningly huge. Once you summon the guts to sink your teeth into it, you’ll find the skin is soft, chewy and gelatinous like sea cucumber. But why would anyone want to eat this reptile? Well, oit is alleged that crocodile gives a whole host of health benefits like improving metabolism, vitality, immunity, and of course, the libido. And it tastes like chicken, as cited by CNN Travel.

3. Fuzhou UFOs (oyster cakes)

Photo: Miss Tam Chiak

These fritters are nicknamed UFOs because they resemble little flying saucers. Anthony Bourdain describes these as “deep-fried Foochow-style beignet of oysters, minced pork, prawns and batter” that are “pure goodness”. Best eaten fresh with some chilli sauce and washed down with a cold glass of sugar cane juice. Maxwell Fuzhou Oyster Cake has been selling these little treats for over 50 years.

4. Fried Fallopian Tubes

How yummy does ‘pig’s stir-fried fallopian tubes’ sound to you? Even though you’ll probably be psychologically disturbed by the fact that you’re chomping on a pig’s female fertility part, there is nothing to fear about the taste and texture of this quirky dish. It is slightly firm and springy; flavoured entirely by the sauce it was stir-fried with, according to Sethlui.

Photo: Discovery SG

5. Raw Beef (Steak tartare)

Steak Tartare features minced, raw beef that is often topped with an aesthetically pleasing egg yolk. It’s normally seen in French or Italian restaurants, and not as uncommon as you think. This will probably appeal most to those who like their steak really rare. Like all raw meats, there are health concerns; such as contamination of the beef by bacteria or parasites. Due to the tight meat structure of beef, this is one of the rare meats you can eat freshly raw like fish (poultry and pork on the other hand tend to harbour more dangerous organisms).

Still, pregnant woman and those who have weak immune systems are highly discouraged from attempting steak tartare.

For all the daring others though, there are a number of restaurants in Singapore which have this dish on their menu. Just make sure that your stomach is up for it, though.

6. Pufferfish (Fugu)

It takes a brave soul and utter trust in the chef for one to put a piece of fugu (pufferfish) in the mouth. There is no antidote available for the poison contained within the organs of the pufferfish and death usually painfully occurs through conscious suffocation.

Not that there is anything to excessively worry about because chefs who prepare fugu need to have undergone at least three years of training and then be legally certified before they are allowed to serve the dish. But sometimes, accidents do happen, so eat at your own risk.

Photo: IExplore

7. Goose Web

Eating the web of a goose might sound weird to many people and even some Asians, but braised goose/duck web is a very popular dish in Hong Kong especially. Waste want not, right? When cooked right, the web is soft, tender and falls off the bone easily as you chew it in your mouth.

Eating webbing supposedly makes you a better swimmer, as the Chinese proverb goes: 以形补形, roughly translated as gaining the benefits of eating something physically similar to what you want to improve.

8. Deer Penis Soup (Deer whip)

In traditional Chinese medicine, deer penis is considered to be an aphrodisiac – a substance which enhances sexual desire and drives when consumed. It is commonly thought of to be beneficial for the males during their bedroom activities. Men in Singapore will be pleased to know that this soup can be found locally. If they are not too concerned with putting a penis in their mouths, that is.

Photo: Twitter

9. Crocodile Tail

Imperial restaurants also has a braised crocodile tail if you thought eating the crocodile’s paw wasn’t weird enough. Crocodile meat as you can imagine is on the tougher side so many restaurants opt to cook the softer regions as a delicacy.

To rid the gamey taste or crocodile, herbs are added and the meat is slow-cooked. Some people say it kinda tastes like chicken.