# What Expensive Delicacies Have You Tried? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 18, 2014, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-expensive-delicacies-have-you-tried/681628 "2014-02-18T16:52:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2014, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-expensive-delicacies-have-you-tried/681628/61 "2014-02-19T22:57:18Z")
Really surprised that the truffle mentioners haven’t distinguished between white and black truffles. They taste quite different to me, and I really prefer the black ones. Had most of what’s on the poll, with exception of kopi luwak, fugu, true Kobe, and shark fin. Of those, I’m curious to try the first three. I’ve had Waygu from Texas, liked it, but couldn’t tell what it was unless you told me. I like Kimstu’s additions to the poll, especially tradizionale. I’d add abalone to the list. Of course, if we get into booze, the delicacies can get ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![Uther\_Penguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Uther\_Penguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uther_Penguin)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2014, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-expensive-delicacies-have-you-tried/681628/62 "2014-02-19T23:47:04Z")
**Bird’s Nest Soup** : No **Caviar** : Had it, tasted nice, but would not pay for it. Not _that_ much better than lumpfish roe. **Kopi Luwak** : Had it. Really tasty coffee, reasonably prized in some Indonesian shops in the Netherlands. **Durian** : Had it. Strong taste, very exotic. Difficult to find. **Escargo** t: The garlic-drowned variant is very common and cheap, the better on with herb butter is harder to find. But much better. **Foie Gras** : No. I dislike all kinds of liver **Fugu** : Too much of a stunt for me. **Iberian Ham** : Serrano is very good, its taste is not oily or greasy unless it is overripe. Good, dry-aged Spanish ham has a find accent of hazelnuts or almonds. One kg is about 20 Euros. **Kobe Beef** : No **Shark Fin Soup** : Once, in Chinatown. Unremarkable. **Truffles** : Once. Fine but vey expensive. Olive oil with Italian truffle bits are a tasty add-on for pasta as well. **Sweetbreads** : No What else can I think of? **Whelks** : Sea snails. Better than escargot, IMO **Reindeer** : Had it before Chernobyl. Like very tasty venison. **Oysters** : Some are delicious, most taste like fishy snot. **Horsemeat** : Delicious when from controlled husbandry, a bit like high quality beef. **Quail eggs** : More of a visual than gustatory attraction, IMO **Ostrich eggs** : The same in the opposite direction **Saffron** : Very fine, very good, very expensive. **Crocodile** : Once. Tasted like stringy, watery, slightly fishy chicken. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2014, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-expensive-delicacies-have-you-tried/681628/63 "2014-02-20T00:31:22Z")
Caviar: Love it, but wish they had a low-sodium version. Escargot: I had it with butter and garlic; it tasted like a piece of rubber with butter and garlic. Foie gras: OK as a spread; not since I learned how it’s made. Iberian ham: Had it as tapas in Seville. Much more tasty than “American” ham. Kobe beef: Was I missing something? Isn’t it supposed to taste better than other beef? Truffles: Wonderful. But the only truffles I truly LOVE are Godiva. A few not mentioned: Crocodile: Like chicken, but fishy. Tongue: Had it a lot when I was a kid. I prefer roasted to pickled. Haggis: I had to force myself to swallow one small bite, then flushed the remainder down the toilet. Vegetarian haggis: Somehow they made oatmeal taste as bad as the original. Limburger cheese. Smells and tastes just like in the cartoons. See haggis. Frog legs: Tasted more like rabbit than chicken. Grass hoppers: Strangely, tasted a bit like peanut butter. Caterpillars: Freeze-dried; tasted like cheese doodles without the cheese. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2014, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-expensive-delicacies-have-you-tried/681628/64 "2014-02-20T00:52:51Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Frog legs: Tasted more like rabbit than chicken. 'Round here, frog legs are neither expensive nor a delicacy; you can buy them in a bar for $8.99 a half dozen. To me they taste like extra-greasy freshwater fish. I _hate_ freshwater fish. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2014, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-expensive-delicacies-have-you-tried/681628/65 "2014-02-20T00:55:24Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Caviar: Love it, but wish they had a low-sodium version. Wouldn’t that be kind of like low-fat ice cream? ---
**Author:** ![bare](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bare/32/471_2.png) [@bare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bare)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2014, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-expensive-delicacies-have-you-tried/681628/66 "2014-02-21T00:06:32Z")
I see others have tried it, but so far I get to be the only one to vote for durian. Honestly if it wasn’t for the gal pal and kids trying it first, then when I got curious, tried to hog it all, I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere near it. Saw too many episodes of Zimmern trying time after time to get the stuff down without gagging. [Zimmern Vs Durian - YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5V5mWjOzkgk) ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2014, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-expensive-delicacies-have-you-tried/681628/67 "2014-02-21T00:43:55Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > 'Round here, frog legs are neither expensive nor a delicacy; you can buy them in a bar for $8.99 a half dozen. To me they taste like extra-greasy freshwater fish. I _hate_ freshwater fish. I grew up in Louisiana so I know frog legs. They tend to taste a lot like really delicate white chicken meat to me but we fried them and ate them with ketchup. That tends to make most meat taste similar. I have had them in France as well in some type of wine, garlic and butter sauce. Those were outstanding but it was a highly rated restaurant and nothing was cheap there. Alligator is similar. It is so light that everything depends on how you cook it. Almost all non-vegetarians like basic fried alligator because it really does taste like chicken nuggets but there are many more elegant ways to prepare it as well. It goes well with a mix of fancy dipping sauces. The only way to really screw either of those two up is to use too much oil which sounds like what you got. They don’t have to be that way at all but many cooks don’t know that because they are delicate meats that dry out or burn easily if you don’t know how to prepare them. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2014, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-expensive-delicacies-have-you-tried/681628/68 "2014-02-21T03:06:31Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Spanish ham: there are two types, Serrano and Iberico. Both are very tasty, but also very fatty. They are not two types of ham, ibérico is a pig race whereas serrano is the way the ham or arm is dried. You can have ibérico chorizo, ibérico lomo, ibérico serrano or ibérico york (although the last one would be a damn waste of pig). Bird’s Nest Soup - yes Caviar - yes Kopi Luwak - I don’t even drink regular coffee Durian - nope Escargot - both French ones with butter and herbs and Spanish-speaking in tomato sauce Foie Gras - mais oui, as well as patés thereof Fugu - nope Iberian Ham - got some arm on my fridge right now Kobe Beef - nope Shark Fin Soup - yes Truffles - yes, both kinds Sweetbreads - no, they were Grandpa’s choice and I don’t eat “gut stuffs” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-expensive-delicacies-have-you-tried/681628.md?page=3)