Challenge Yourself with Chengdu's Weirdest and Wackiest Food

Here are five palate adventures … Do you dare to try?

"There is no other place in the world where all people are crazy for delicious food," said Andrew Zimmern, the host of the Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern, a travel and cuisine television show hosted by Andrew Zimmern on Travel Channel. On his culinary trip to Chengdu in 2011, Andrew tasted some special Chengdu foods, and was brought to tears by hot pepper and his lips were swollen from eating Sichuan peppercorns. But he said he was surprised at Chengdu food and he still loved it so much.

Chengdu people's passion for food can be reflected by the fact that they make the best use of everything edible and try every possible way to cook everything they can imagine and find. Here are five palate adventures … Do you dare to try? To defeat the "horror", you’d better do as Chengduers do and then you can enjoy all local delicacies as local residents.

Chicken Feet
Level of Challenge: ★★

In Chengdu, chicken feet can be served as a beer snack, cold dish or after-meal snack. Cooked in a variety of ways, the food is chewy with a rich flavor in it.

Duck Tongue
Level of Challenge: ★★★

A duck tongue offers different taste experiences: the texture of the middle and the tip of the tongue are tender, that of its root is unctuous and tasty, and its bone is chewy.

Pig’s Intestines
Level of Challenge Level: ★★★★

Pig intestines can be cooked into dishes of many distinct flavors. The famous Sichuan food sweet potato starch noodles with stewed pig intestines has become very popular in many other parts of China for its tender intestines and smooth sweet potato starch noodles.

Rabbit Head
Level of Challenge Level: ★★★★★

Rabbit head is one of the most famous delicious snacks in Chengdu. It has become popular in many other parts of China. The heads are skinned, with eyes, teeth and brain intact. It is cooked in either a five-spice or mala sauce.

Pig Brains
Level of Challenge: ★★★★★★

It is scary enough for foreigners to even hear the phrase "eating pig brains". Chengdu people give pig brain dishes a more palatable name: "flower of the mind." Luckily, the mouth-numbing broth of the pig brain dishes does a good job in covering the slightly rotten meaty taste of the brains, although it is powerless against the disagreeably squishy texture.

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