Had lamb brains in Tbilisi once. It was served cold. It was not very tasty.
I chickened out at Clown Bar this summer — the brain did look somewhat good.
Zurek – sour rye soup (Poland)
Haggis – (Scotland)
Black pudding – (England)
Jitrinice – breakfast ring sausage; similar to haggis (Czech Republic (allegedly – when I visited Prague, none of the locals knew what I was talking about, so maybe it’s hyper-local to a different region))
candy-coated fennel seeds – for fresh breath (India)
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Pre-Covid, a local Indian restaurant offered these in dish the way some places offer mints. Love them.
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If you’ve never had kvas (a Russian drink made from fermented rye bread) you should try it on a hot summer’s day. Tastes half way between Coke and beer, sounds bad but believe me it isn’t. The most refreshing cold drink you can have in high summer.
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Same here, offered on a dish on the way out. Delicious.
I love 'em, too. I usually have an open pack from one of my local Indian/Halal markets.
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Anybody eat sweetbreads? Once was enough for me.
first time was no good. I think they were poached and served in sauce. The texture was off putting.
Crispy cooked is or can be good.
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Love sweetbreads.
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Bourgots are a kind of snail/whelk found in (among other places) the shores of the St Lawrence River downstream of Québec city. They’re bigger than usual escargots so… you really have to like snails to enjoy them, but they are tasty and to my palate have a lot more to offer than standard latex-grade snails.
While we’re on out-of-bounds shellfish, I’ll add lapas (limpets) found in the Azores. Absolutely delicious, even for someone (like me) who is not a big fruits de mer guy.
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I do love black pudding. In Sweden we grew up with something similar, but just fried slices of formed loaf, called “blodpudding”. It was the poorest of the poor man’s food, but all over in the 70’s. Nostalgically, me and a buddy sometimes cook it up still when I visit. Often served with lingonberry jam, cabbage and bacon (if you’re fancy).
We have a version of Haggis also, called “Pölsa”. Basically the same thing except ours doesn’t come in stomach lining. Served with pickled beets.
Like with all these old farmer foods, mainly poor man’s necessity foods on a farm - if they’re done right, they can be quite delicious.
I did do our “rotten” sour sausages (called Isterband) this summer for my American family and that didn’t go over too well. I guess you have to have grown up with it - to me, there is almost nothing I’d rather eat in this world. It’s like heaven to me, especially with creamed potatoes in dill.
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Was stil served in schools for lunch frequently at least on the 90s-00s and available in every store (as you know)! As you I every now and then have it, and luckily my son is quite ok with it as well.
Personally I like the blood sausages of Spain or Croatia for example a whole lot more.
But Adam, what about raggmunkar or potatisbullar? should be a hit anywhere, of course also served with bacon and lingon jam
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Love raggmunkar! Might have to make it one day! Thanks for reminding me.
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I would try all of that, although the sour sausage with trepidation.
I do note, missing from your list is an ol’ family standby, which I allegedly wolfed-down as a toddler, but now wouldn’t touch with a pole of any length: lutefisk 
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Yes! I was randomly traveling through Siberia about 15 years ago, and in Barnaul it was +38C, been out all day, and the Kvas vendors on the streets were a lifesaver. Best summer drink ever.
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I spent about 18 months in Russia in the mid-90s, and kvas was always an excellent choice as a thirst quencher. The 1-2% alcohol was enough to kill the bugs but not to get you pissed. I recall that it is/was regarded as a soft drink and suitable for kids to drink also if safe water wasn’t to hand.
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Sweetbreads aren’t that uncommon in restaurants, though I don’t think many make them at home. I love them. They don’t have a strong flavor on their own, thus making a good vehicle for sauce.
Part of the issue in the US is Americans don’t have a tolerance for a wide range of textures in food.
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Daniel in NYC used to have an amazing sweetbread dish.
It’s like you know my wife’s family.
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I’m intolerant of picky eating at the best of times, but the explanation that “it’s a texture thing,” particularly irritates me. It’s not anyone’s fault, and I know that, as Jonathan often reminds me, “it’s a Sarah Problem.” But still…