A cheese maker from the Emmental region of Switzerland has been experimenting with various musical genres to see if they can make his cheese taste better. Since September, cheese maker Beat Wampfler has been blasting musical masterpieces by legends such as Led Zeppelin and A Tribe Called Quest to his wheels of Emmental cheese, hoping to prove that music can influence the development, characteristics and, most importantly, the flavor of the cheese. He is convinced that humidity, temperature and nutrients are not the only things that can have an impact on the taste of cheese, and that sounds, ultrasounds and music can make an impact on flavor as well. Read More »

Pinhead’s Pizza, a popular pizza place in Dublin, Ireland, is offering fans of the Italian delicacy the chance to fill their bellies and their pockets at the same time. Anyone who can finish their 32-inch pizza and down two milkshakes in under 32 minutes is guaranteed a prize of 500 euros. When Anthony Kelly, the owner of Pinhead’s Pizza, put the 32-inch pie on the menu of his restaurant in 2015, it didn’t really have a name and was simply called “Ireland’s largest pizza. Since then, he settled on a proper name for it – The Notorious Pizza – a fitting one considering that no one has been able to finish one, although many have tried. In the beginning, Kelly offered challengers a voucher for 50 euros plus the pizza for free if they managed to finish the whole thing and wash it down with two milkshakes in under 32 minutes. Since then, he has become so confident that his challenge is unbeatable that he is offering a 500 euros prize to anyone who beats it. Read More »

Ningen, a pop-up restaurant in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district, attracted a lot of media attention over the last two weeks for giving patrons the chance to order the last meals requested by infamous death row inmates before their execution. The controversial eatery was opened by a Japanese art collective called Chim↑Pom and for two weeks served the last meals of infamous American criminals like armed robber and double-murderer Gary Mark Gilmore, Judy Buonoano, Florida’s “Black Widow”, or real-life killer clown John Wayne Gacy. Read More »

Angulas, the Spanish word for baby eels is one of Spain’s most expensive foods, but no one seems to understand why. They hardly have any taste at all, their texture is best described as slimy and they look like limp worms on a plate. So why are people paying hundreds of euros to eat angulas at expensive restaurants? Legend has it that in the past angulas were used as fodder for chickens and pigs, and there is historical evidence that they were once a staple food of the working class in northern Spain. But today they sell for astronomical prices of up to 1,000 euros ($1,150) per kilo, so only the richest of the rich can afford them. So what happened? Well, scarcity definitely played a big part in their surprising transformation. River dams, the general degradation of the environment and overfishing have seriously affected the baby eel population, and the rarer they got the more expensive they became. They may not taste like anything, but apparently many people like to act like snobs every once in a while, so they pay a premium to enjoy a food that most people can’t afford. Read More »

Mike Roman, a teacher from New Jersey, recently got his five minutes in the internet spotlight after coming on a podcast to discuss his unusual eating habits. The 41-year-old claims to have eaten pizza at least once a day for the last 37 years. Roman’s longtime love affair with pizza began at age 3 or 4 (he doesn’t remember exactly), when his mother introduced him to the Italian dish for the first time. He apparently loved it so much that he kept asking for more every day until his parents finally gave in and stopped trying to convince him eat other foods as well. He has been eating pizza at least once a day ever since, all through his childhood, teenage years and into adulthood. Mike has reportedly eaten pizza for all three meals of his life, for many years, but he recently started switching between pizza and peanut butter sandwiches for lunch. He still has pizza for dinner every day, though. Read More »

Because to their thick, finger-like trunks and their eerie claw-like feet, the gooseneck barnacles growing on the rocks of Portugal’s most south-western coastline are known as Lucifer’s Fingers. They are sometimes referred to as the truffles of the sea, both because of their rarity and high price, but also because of how hard and risky they are to harvest. Restaurants in Portugal and Spain charge up to $115 for a plate of Lucifer’s Fingers, which may sound sound outrageously expensive two some people, but is justified by their rarity and the dangers barnacle hunters expose themselves to when harvesting them. Lucifer’s Fingers, or percebes, cannot be farmed and only thrive on the on rocks in the ocean intertidal zone, where crashing waves provide them with plankton. This makes them notoriously dangerous to harvest, with hunters risking getting crushed against the rocks by crashing waves, or being rendered unconscious by the impact and drowning. The lucky ones escape with broken limbs or severe abrasions. Read More »

Chemotherapy has many nasty side effects, and one that patients often find particularly frustrating is dysgeusia. This side effect causes food and drink to taste bland, bitter, or metallic. Now, a Prague based cancer advocacy group has come up with a solution to that problem – a non-alcoholic beer called Mama Beer. Mamma Beer has been formulated to help breast cancer patients overcome the symptoms of dysgeusia. Its flavor profile has been engineered to make it taste good to those undergoing chemotherapy, but in addition to it’s great taste, the beer also contains a range of vitamins and minerals that have been known to help people deal with cancer treatment.  Read More »

If you’re a vegetarian who is curious about or misses the taste of smoked ham, you’ll be pleased to learn that there’s an interesting substitute you can try. Will Horowitz, owner of Ducks Eatery in East Village, NYC, has caused an Internet sensation with his new “smoked ham” which actually consists not of meat, but a whole watermelon. At first glance, Will’s creation looks entirely like meat, complete with scoring and charring. And even when you cut into it, the middle has red “flesh”, reminiscent of a rare steak. But the taste is something different; while the initial taste is a salty, meaty one, it quickly transforms into sweetness, especially as you get closer into the center of the faux ham. Read More »

A Chinese restaurant in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, has gone viral for selling the new world’s most expensive beef noodle soup, priced at a whopping 13,800 yuan ($2,014). The outrageously expensive “Haozhonghao Beef Noodle Soup” sold at the Niu Gengtian restaurant in Shijiazhuang has been getting a lot of attention on Chinese social media after a photo of the menu showing its price went viral online. Considering that a bowl of the now second most expensive beef noodle soup sold by Taiwan’s Niu Ba Ba restaurant costs “only” $329, it’s easy to see why this 13,800 yuan ($2,014) soup has become the talk of the town. Read More »

A cafe in Taiwan has been getting a lot of attention online for serving puppy-shaped ice-cream that most people describe as adorable and terrifying at the same time. When you think about food, the first thing that probably comes to mind is taste, but the fact is that eating is a visual experience as well, and sometimes you can be put off by a dish, even though you know it is delicious. That’s kind of the vibe I’m getting from the puppy-shaped ice-cream served at the Sowing the Sweets cafe, in Taiwan. I’m sure it tastes good – it’s ice-cream, after all – but at the same time I find the idea of digging into this realistic puppy with a spoon disturbing and morbid. Read More »

Shaved Ice is a really popular dessert in Japan, so you can find it pretty much everywhere, but if you’re looking for the craziest, most outrageous shaved ice treat in the country, you have to go to Hyakusho Udon, in Miyazaki Prefecture. The only catch is that you’ll probably have to eat it standing up. No, Hyakusho Udon doesn’t have a standing up policy, it’s just that their famous shaved ice desserts are so incredibly tall that it’s almost impossible to eat them with a spoon while sitting down. Just reaching the top of the colorful, syrup-soaked dessert with the spoon is a huge challenge for most people, and then there’s the risk of causing the tower of refreshing goodness to come tumbling down by mistake. Standing up is definitely the safe way to go, and considering you’re getting a lot more than your money’s worth, it’s a decent compromise. Read More »

Visitors at this past weekend’s Car Free Day Festival in Vancouver, British Columbia, had the chance to buy one of the most unusual health food products ever created – unfiltered hot dog water. Gluten-free, keto-compatible, rich in sodium and electrolytes, and bottled in a sleek glass bottle, unfiltered hot dog water has all the making of a health food craze. And with a hefty cost of $38 per bottle, it even has the price tag to match. Like similar “raw” or “smart” waters available on the market these days, hot dog water comes with a series of supposed health benefits: it’s rich in sodium, which helps your body increase its water intake, helps the drinker lose weight, increase brain function, look younger and increase vitality, and triggers anti-inflammatory processes, making it the perfect post-workout drink. And the cherry on the cake – every bottle contains an actual hot-dog. Read More »

Alcoholic ice-cream treats have been around for a while, but actually getting drunk, or even a bit tipsy on them is a challenge, because, well, they aren’t very alcoholic. Enter, Buzz Pop Cocktails, a range of gourmet Italian sorbets that pack that punch you’ve been looking for. Buzz Pop Cocktails are made from fresh fruits and premium liquors, but what really sets them apart from other boozy frozen treats is the alcohol content. While most so-called alcoholic ice-creams have an alcohol content comparable to beer – around 4.5% ABV – Buzz Pop Cocktails are three times stronger, at 15% ABV, which means one is probably enough to get your head buzzing. They come in packs of eight, so you can get yourself hammered on ice-cream, although it will cost you. Read More »

Deep-fried chicken wings aren’t usually considered a fancy gourmet meal, but one restaurant has come up with away to raise the raise the fast-food staple to luxury status. Introducing the world’s first gold-plated chicken wings. Created by New York City restaurant ‘The Ainsworth’ in collaboration with socialite and reality TV star Jonathan Cheban, the FOODGŌD 24k Gold Buffalo Wings are the definition of flashy fare. After being soaked in a coconut butter, chipotle, and honey batter for 24 hours, they are deep fried and then tossed into a metallic gold sauce that gives them a shiny, gold-plated look. Finally, they are sprinkled with edible gold dust for extra pizazz. Read More »

At just 31 years of age, Elena Gnut, Pastry Chef from Kaliningrad, Russia, is already recognized as one of the world’s most talented cake artists. And looking at her impressive portfolio, it’s easy to see why. Elena Gnut’s cakes look more like artistic sculptures than treats meant to be eaten. Browsing through her popular Instagram, you often feel like you’ve found the most amazing cake you’ve ever seen, but then you scroll further down and find even more impressive ones. Whether she’s molding the frosting into whimsical shapes or using edible dyes to paint incredible scenes or portraits, the young confectioner is always coming up with new and intriguing ideas that keep her Instagram fans coming back for more. Read More »