Let me begin by stating categorically that I am a vegetarian. Yip, it's all greens, grains and dairy for me. That being said, I'm not too sanctimonious about it. If others choose to eat chicken, dog or horse — raw or cooked — that's their call.

Meat is meat as far as I'm concerned and I find the idea of biltong and haggis equally icky. Coming from this perspective, it has always surprised me how cow/pig eaters are so vehemently opposed to the consumption of horse or dog and how the French's gastronomically praised snails (escargot) and frog's legs are more acceptable than fried grasshoppers or chocolate-dipped ants.

It seems that every culture has its own set of weird delicacies and how peculiar or distasteful others find these depends largely on their beliefs about what is clean, safe and humane. There are those delicacies however, which stretch even my vegetarian impartiality.

Rocky Mountain oysters

As those who frequently watch 'Fear Factor' will know, these are not shellfish found in the Rocky Mountains. These oysters are land-dwelling and generally found in the scrotum of a bull. Yes, bull's balls.

And while eating another creature's genitalia is not for everyone, this delicacy — otherwise known as prairie oysters, Montana tendergroin and swinging sirloin — has found popularity in the American West and Canadian Prairies where cattle ranching is prevalent as well as in Spain and Mexico. Cowboys will be cowboys.

Should you ever be taken by an urge to castrate a bull and consume its virility, wash and peel the balls before rolling them in flour and pepper and frying or grill and serve with butter and olive oil based sauces.

Balut

Ducks? Yes. Eggs? Yes. Duck embryos? Why not? Balut is sold as a roadside snack in the Philippines. The fertilised duck egg, containing an almost completely developed embryo, is boiled alive, seasoned with salt and eaten from the shell. In its entirety!

This hearty snack is believed to be something of an aphrodisiac. And while it seems a little inhumane to boil tiny almost-ducklings while they are still alive, lobsters — which are coveted in many western countries — are also boiled alive. Did I mention that I'm a vegetarian?

Fried Tarantulas

Tarantulas usually evoke terrified screaming and scrambling, but not in Cambodia, where these finger-sized arachnids are regarded as a tasty snack.

The practice of munching on spiders developed during the dark days of the Khmer Rouge, when food was scarce, but the eight-legged creatures have subsequently become a national delicacy, earning themselves the moniker of 'caviar of Cambodia'.

On the upside: tarantulas are cheap and easy to prepare. Toss them in salt, pepper (and MSG for extra flavour) and then fry in garlic-infused oil until the legs become stiff and crunchy. Just like crisps, really.

On the downside — you're eating spiders.

Fugu

Tarantulas are dangerous whilst alive; fugu is dangerous all the time. Puffer or blowfish — as it is otherwise known — is a Japanese delicacy, which if made incorrectly can kill the diner.

Fugu contains lethal quantities of poison in its skin and internal organs. Unless it is prepared by a specially licensed chef (and hey, even a good chef can have a bad day), it can result in a horrible and painful death. The venom paralyses the victim's muscles while they stay fully conscious and eventually die from asphyxiation.

Every year people die from indulging in this risky and expensive treat and yet an estimated 10 000 tons of fugu are still consumed annually.

Hákarl

On the topic of things that probably shouldn't be eaten, it is necessary to mention the Icelandic tradition of Hákarl (pronounced HOW-kurl). Hailing from the Viking era, Hákarl is literally putrefied (yes, rotten) shark.

What, why, how? I hear you ask.

Well, here’s something you probably didn't know about sharks — they have no urinary tract and secrete urine through their skin. To purge the urine from the shark's blood and skin, Icelanders would bury the gutted and washed slab of shark in gravel for eight weeks. After this curing period, the chunk of shark would be covered in a thick brown crust which would be cut off to reveal the edible white flesh beneath.

These days the shark meat is soaked in large vats filled with brine and then cured in the open air for another two months. More of a novelty item eaten during certain traditional festivals than a delicacy, Hákarl is usually washed down with a strong Icelandic liquor called Brennevin.

Cobra heart

Spiders, sharks and — yip, you guessed it — snakes. Immortalised in an Indiana Jones film, the practice of eating snakes and more particularly cobras' hearts is fairly common in Indonesia, Vietnam and South China.

The live cobra is presented to the customer for approval. It is beheaded, slit open and its heart is extracted, sometimes still beating. The heart is served raw, chased by a shot of snake blood or dropped in a glass of rice wine. The rest of the blood is then drained from the snake (for your drinking pleasure) and meat is prepared for the meal.

Enough said really.

Monkey's brains

Monkeys fare no better than snakes in China, South Asia and certain areas in Africa. The belief that monkey brains can cure impotence has made this dish a sought-after delicacy.

Admittedly the brains of all sorts of animals are consumed the world over, but there is something slightly disturbing about a species so close to our own in the evolutionary chain. The word cannibalism comes to mind.

Although the brains are often eaten raw, general consensus is that they are not in fact eaten out of live monkeys. The 'live monkey brains' legend has it that the monkeys are strapped under tables with special head-shaped holes. The top of the monkey's head is then cut off (while it screams helplessly beneath the table) and the brains are scooped out and consumed.

Live octopus

While monkeys escape the live torture, baby octopi are not quite so lucky. In South Korea, the live baby octopus is dipped in oil or a spicy sauce and eaten whole while it is still alive. The octopus tries to stay alive by gripping with its tentacles onto the face, tongue and throat of the person trying to eat it. Not a pretty sight.

An alternative to eating the whole octopus is to simply eat the tentacles. These continue to writhe and wriggle for a few hours after they have been chopped off. This way you can conquer them one at a time — if you manage to get them off your plate with your chopsticks.

Point to bear in mind: It's probably not a good idea to eat anything that tries to eat back.