Andrew Zimmern's Most Bizarre American Foods

James Beard Award-winning TV personality Andrew Zimmern marks the 100th episode of his Travel Channel show "Bizarre Foods America" July 9. Preceding the milestone episode is a one-hour retrospective that airs at 8 p.m. before the new season of "Bizarre Foods America" airs (Photo Credit: wiki / TheMuuj).

Click here to see Andrew Zimmern's Most Bizarre American Foods

The sixth season includes such highlights as Zimmern eating armadillo in Central Florida and lamb's tongue at a one-night only pop-up restaurant in Los Angeles. During the season, Zimmern travels to Austin, Los Angeles, Miami, Mississippi, and San Diego to explore each city's quirky subcultures and the enduring culinary traditions.

Click here to see the World's Wildest Dining Experiences

In the 100th episode, Zimmern travels to Las Vegas to uncover Sin City's extremes, including the Bellagio buffet, which feeds 4,000 people a day.

Click here to see Fuselage Feasts: Airplane Restaurants and Hotels Around the World

"Our show is all about exploring cultures through food," said Zimmern, "and the new season reveals even more eternal truth about our food, our country, and our relationship to the rest of the world."

Click here to see the Tastiest Factory Tours in America

In honor of the 100th-episode milestone, the man who has traveled around the world and documented his gastronomic adventures eating bat paste, durian, and other bizarre foods, presents, in his own words, his observation on the top nine most bizarre American foods and where to get them:

Because so many truths in labeling laws are non-existent, you don't hear a lot about nonstick chemicals in microwave popcorn bags, rennet made from cloned cow parts, bugs in cereals and canned goods, red dyes made from ground pests, pink slime, tuna scrape, tri-poly-phosphate-soaked shrimp and scallops... these everyday food experiences are sadly commonplace in our culinary landscape, and they make most of what I eat pale in comparison. But here are a few of my "favorites," that fall into the overt category:

- Lauren Mack, The Daily Meal

More from The Daily Meal:
How to Eat Like an Olympian on the Road
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Eat on the Wild Side

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Comments

[Tunghoy]

08:59 PM on 07/08/2012

Gimme a pigfoot and a bottle of beer.
—Bessie Smith

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhfPP-YUEMQ

[c-tom]

01:32 AM on 07/07/2012

A lot of it has to do with what foods you had to eat (in both senses) when you were young. pickled pigs feet, pickled tripe and head cheese are hard sells for uninitiated adults. Not big favorites but no big deal for me. On the other hand I'm not trying boiled chicken feet; not even if they pickle it first.
Liver, tongue, and heart OK, but brains, kidneys, and sweetbreads no thanks.

[climbing panda]

03:21 PM on 07/05/2012

regarding pickled pig's feet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iz3rubGrGZQ

[lsuhysr]

02:46 PM on 07/05/2012

God ,like people that eat,that is good for you, NOT EVERY THING ON THE EARTH, the only thing left is DIRT, ( O ) you eat that to???

[garystartswithg]

08:21 PM on 07/05/2012

there are people that eat dirt, more specifically clay. its got lots of minerals and stuff. Kaopectate contained kaolinite clay until about 10 yrs ago.

[mnwildfan]

01:21 PM on 07/05/2012

What's so weird about walking tacos? The only difference is that I use Doritos Nacho Chips

[nevaehs mama]

04:11 PM on 07/06/2012

those are DELICIOUS. in Los Angeles we can buy those on every single ice cream truck that passes by...we also can get hot cheetos with nacho cheese, OMG, delicious!

[heymack]

01:21 PM on 07/05/2012

My grandparents in NC ate turtle soup, calf brains with eggs and other organ meats.  My father comes from a farm in Canada and ate beef heart, blood sausage (made from beef blood) as well as all the other organs.  In West Virginia they eat mountain oysters (pig or sheep testicles).  Protein is protein I guess.

[jojothedoggirl]

06:58 PM on 07/06/2012

My Mom used to cook calf's brains with eggs . I remember tasting them . They were'nt bad . But it was my Dad that really liked them . I bought their groceries after my Mom could'nt and can remember Dad coming in a rooting around in around in the sack and finding something I had bought that I knew he liked . Pigs feet were one of em'. Here in Oklahoma people wait for mushroom season and hunt them for several weeks . Deep fried they are good .

[c-tom]

01:33 AM on 07/07/2012

Snapper or terrapin?

[David Hauser]

01:19 PM on 07/05/2012

Zimmern has obviously never been dirt poor.

[Toastmaster182]

02:15 PM on 07/05/2012

he was homeless for almost a year :o

[nevaehs mama]

04:12 PM on 07/06/2012

very true

[CR46]

01:17 PM on 07/05/2012

Whats wrong with BBQ'd racoon?

[enhancedvibes]

01:08 PM on 07/05/2012

Frito bags filled with chili, cheese, sour cream, etc is called a Petro. I was first introduced to it at the World's Fair in 1984. It is awesome and has become a family tradition since then.

[nevaehs mama]

04:12 PM on 07/06/2012

they are AWESOME...love those things!

[Bigrcube]

01:05 PM on 07/05/2012

So stinkheads must be a favorite delicacy of Wasilla's own Sarah Palin ?!!?

[serialcoma]

01:31 PM on 07/05/2012

That's what she's naming her next child....

[ohsaydidyousee]

12:50 PM on 07/05/2012

...granddad used to make one helluva groundhog spaghetti sauce...

[CR46]

01:19 PM on 07/05/2012

Does it taste like squirrel?

[ohsaydidyousee]

02:05 PM on 07/05/2012

squirrel is a bit chewier and lighter kinda like pork...ground hog is more like beef...tender, kind of lean...beefy

[Ami Munro]

12:21 PM on 07/05/2012

I've eaten Pickled Pigs feet. Mild flavor, kind of chewy and sour but good. (Fried Pigs ears also.)

Fried Spam was a favorite with white rice and nori. I ate a lot of it when I lived in Hawaii.

I've been a vegan fo 20 yrs. but do miss it at times.

[nevaehs mama]

04:14 PM on 07/06/2012

i love spam...with over easy eggs and a tortilla and some chunky salsa...mmm, poor people food :) delicious

[oldwolf49]

12:14 PM on 07/05/2012

Stinkheads not so much.

[nevaehs mama]

04:15 PM on 07/06/2012

lol yeah i'll knock that one without a second thought.

[oldwolf49]

12:14 PM on 07/05/2012

Roasted Prairie Dog is pretty darn good eatin'. Raccoon is also good if roasted in an oven or a smoker. And if ya ain't tried it don't knock it.

[catboycolo]

12:07 PM on 07/05/2012

Pickled pig's feet were consumed by slaves because the free whites would not eat them. It was a source of protein and should not be dismissed as a weird food but recognized as the result of of the tyranny of slavery. Spam lasted a long time in all conditions ( unopened) and was a staple of many of our fighting troops in WW2. Some of these "bizarre" food have a history and a tradition that should be recognized.

[satanlite]

12:31 PM on 07/05/2012

I find neither one of them belong here. Eat them all the time (well not all the time lol).

[Knowbetter]

12:38 PM on 07/05/2012

We used to have an annual soiree in Austin called "Spamarama," which featured a Spam cookoff, a Spam throwing contest, and of course lots of live music and beer. I think it was discontinued due to a threat of legal action by Hormel, but I'm not sure.