Hakarl, Made from the Greenlandic shark, the meat is poisonous when fresh, so in order to eat it, Icelanders let it spoil in the ground for months and then out in the element for a few more to dry.

It’s a revolting dish to many first timers; eating it without gagging is what separates the men from the boys. While the smell of the putrefied shark itself could make the faint-hearted ill, the taste is ultimately sweet, nutty and faintly fishy…if you like ammoniated wax. It was the strangest tasting/smelling food I have ever eaten!