I found this interesting article, the bad smell food ranking in the world. AU = Alabaster, the unit of the odor measuring device.
No.1 freshly-opened Surstromming - 8070AU : I knew, I smelled it before. It was amazing -- a cloud of flies came around the can as soon as we opened it. My friend said it was okay, but I couldn't get close to it.
No.2 Fermented skate - 6230AU : I have never seen this. It looks like regular sashimi, though they said it has a strong ammonia smell.
No.3 Canned Epicure cheese - 1870AU : I couldn't find canned Epicure cheese on the web. Some said it is a very sticky, heavy cheese made in New Zealand.
No.4 kiviak - 1370AU : This is the Eskimo's food when small auks are packed whole (innards, feathers and all) into a sealskin and buried for several months to age. It can be a dip for other foods. I saw Anthony Bourdain eat it on TV.
No.5 freshly-cooked KUSAYA - 1267AU :Yeah!! Japanese food ranked in! But I have never eaten Kusaya in my life. Maybe I don't need to eat later too. :-)
No.6 Narezushi -486AU : This is a fermented sushi that is said to be the oldest form of sushi in Japan. I can't eat much, but I like this one.
No.7 Natto -452AU : Finally Natto ranked in, but its smell is only 1/20 of Surstrming. I think now you feel easier to try natto :-). After the Natto Craze, we can buy it without a problem.
No.8 Pre-cooked Kusaya -430AU : Kusaya again. I wonder how bad it really smells. (What? I should check it as Japanese? )
No.9 Stincky Tofu -420AU :What a straight name it is. Wiki said Stinky tofu, but I am not sure that is the real name of this food. I am not sure I have ever eaten this before....maybe not.
No.10 Fish sauce -390AU : I call this nam pla or nuoc mam, it's stinky and I don't like this so much but I didn't think this stuff ranked in. My impression is there are not so many stinky foods in the world. What do you think?
Which one can you try? You won't try any? By the way, they checked the AU of dirty baseball socks after a game, and it was 420AU. Did you change your socks today? No? You can experience those food levels on yourself. Try it.
Two Chinese stuff are smelly to others:
hum nyee - dried salted fish
Hum ha - shrimp paste
But boy are they tasty!
Posted by: Okihwn | Monday, July 09, 2007 at 05:16 PM
Hi Thanks. Stuz Durian story is very funny and I understand Brian's feeling very well. Your Dorian make you feel down. :-)
Posted by: Mari | Friday, June 29, 2007 at 01:15 PM
Surströmming... I have a can waiting here in my fridge, but none of my Japanese friends are brave enough to make a party. We need nubbe too, the aquavit liquor that could perhaps be replaced by a nice dry shouchu. Stinky? Sure. What's wrong with that!
Posted by: Martin F | Wednesday, June 27, 2007 at 11:08 PM
Durian doesnt smell that bad (not of rotting flesh)! But it smells strange and the smell is very pungent. I hate it when it is put in the fridge because everything else starts to smell like durian.
The taste is much better than the smell. It has a creamy texture and if you buy a good one, can be quite sweet. There is no bad smell when you eat it. But I don't like durian anyway. (I'm Singaporean!)
Posted by: mj | Wednesday, June 27, 2007 at 03:07 PM
Honestly, I don't understand why everybody keeps saying natto is so disgusting... I think it's just collective hysteria...hahaha
Posted by: Pilarcita | Wednesday, June 27, 2007 at 02:02 PM
8490AU was my AU phone bill last month.
Although I prefer the look and style of Docomos phones
Posted by: Gabriel | Wednesday, June 27, 2007 at 09:44 AM
8045AU that was my AU phone bill this month. AU funny. I prefer docomos phones though.
Posted by: Gabriel | Wednesday, June 27, 2007 at 09:43 AM
stuz's comment about the durian made me laugh. I have always wondered about this fruit. How could it taste so good and yet smell so bad?
A month ago I bought a durian at a local Asian market in Phoenix. Since it was sold frozen, I put it in my freezer until I was ready to eat it. However, even after a month, my wife and I are still not brave enough to try this thing.
The bulky package containing our durian continues to take up space in our tiny freezer. Every time we get out the ice cube trays or freeze some vegetables, we are reminded of the durian and feel guilty, sort of like the way a murderer must feel when confronted with his victim's dead body.
Posted by: bshock | Wednesday, June 27, 2007 at 08:08 AM
Natto is the worst. It stinks bad and it is slimy.
Posted by: Jon | Wednesday, June 27, 2007 at 04:57 AM
Stinky Tofu is from Taiwan, it is one of the most popular food in the night market. As a Taiwanese, I think it is absolutely delicious. ;)
Posted by: gina | Wednesday, June 27, 2007 at 04:42 AM
Haha... I love the description this guy wrote about Durian. Here you go:
"Durian - the world's smelliest food...?
The smell of surstromming is not good, clearly, but it is allegedly not the most disgusting smell in international cuisine.
That honour (just pipping your half-eaten kebab that is inches from your head when you awake the next morning) falls to the durian. A staple of South East Asia, the durian is a large, spiky fruit with a yellowish flesh that has the consistency of raw brains.
It is said to smell of a combination of rotting flesh, old gym socks and sewage. Yum! Yet it is also rumoured to taste sweet and delicious, and is a gourmet delicacy to millions of people. One is left to ponder at the brave/foolhardy individual who must have thought "Hmmmm, it smells like s***, but maybe it's delicious".
The durian hums so obnoxiously that it is banned on public transport in Singapore, and in rental cars in Malaysia. Nevertheless, durian cultivation is a growing industry, so much so that plantations are now heavily guarded due to a spate of recent robberies. But durian eaters should beware - the lingering effects ensure it is not the most romantic of dishes - indeed, it makes garlic look like a pulling tool.
Apparently durian-eaters have breath that makes them smell like corpohiliacs* for hours afterwards. And durian burps are said to often render the burper nauseous, so foul do they taste.
One more interesting fact - durians are only ready to eat when they fall from trees, which they only ever do at night, and no-one knows why. (17 August 2001, PM)"
Posted by: stuz | Wednesday, June 27, 2007 at 12:00 AM