6 Delicacies That Make You Gag

Eager to figure out just how thick your stomach lining is? Well, the folks at mental_floss rounded up a couple Iron Chef recipes to put your iron stomachs to the test. Of course, you might need a bit of alcohol to work up the courage. The following are six courses to get you in the swig of things.

_01:: The Appetizer: Snails From the ancient Romans to today's upper crust, snails, or as the French call them, escargots, have been a favorite starter of the rich and famous. As the Romans expanded their empire, the tasty little gastropods inched along with them and became a culinary prize, especially in France. In fact, Napoleon was even known to have issued snails as rations to his troops. But if you're about to get your grub on, you should know that a snail is not just a snail. While there are two basic snail groups, the achatine and the helix, you'll be dining on the latter. Helix snails are indigenous to Europe and are the snail gourmets' favorite. The young creatures feed on grapevines with the most famous coming from the Champagne and Burgundy regions. The pet.i.t gris escargot is considered the best, especially in November when they are the plumpest. And while rumor has it that the best snails are three to four years old, one question always remains for the uninitiated (mainly among the under-10 lot): If you salt the snail, will it disappear before you can eat it?

Touch of Evil The Summer 1983 issue of Mothering magazine featured recipes for the human placenta, including placenta stew, placenta c.o.c.ktails, placenta lasagna, and placenta pizza. Some believe that ingesting the organ is natural and healthy.

_02:: The Salad: Indonesian Sago Worm and Balinese Dragonflies The Indonesian sago palm was once cultivated for its starchy substance used to thicken soup and make puddings. Today, however, the tree's extract has taken second place to its inhabitants. In fact, sago palm larvae, which seem to offer the same starchy taste, are a delicacy sold live in the marketplace. And harvesting the sago worm is actually an art form. It starts out by roaming the forest looking for fallen sago palms. If you happen to stumble across one, you knock on it checking for movement. If you hear a little rustling, you should feel free to hack open the tree and collect your jackpot. As for preparation, the worms can be eaten raw or toasted. And back to the salad, just combine the sago worms with deep-fried Balinese dragonflies, add a little coconut paste, fermented fish sauce, garlic, chiles, tamarind juice, basil leaves, ginger, and lime juice. Then, wrap the whole thing in banana leaf and you have a salad that should tickle your taste buds (literally, if you decided to keep those larvae raw!).

_03:: The Soup: Bosintang (Dog Soup) What's a full-course epicurean delight without the soup? For course number three, we've chosen Chinese Bosintang, or dog meat soup. Relatively easy to make, a.s.suming Bowser is agreeable, the soup requires taking strips of dog meat and boiling them in a soy paste. Then vegetables like green onions, taro stalk, and perilla are added to the mixture, and the broth is brought to a boil. Finally, a sauce made from mashed garlic, red pepper, and ginger is mixed in. And before digging into your bowl of man's best friend, you should probably season the dish with pepper. Rumor has it that it goes very well with a gla.s.s of soju (liquor). Of course, the dish has a bit of versatility. Rice can be served with the soup or the combination can be mixed together to make sumptuous leftovers or a warm meal the kids can take in their lunch box...or a doggie bag.

_04:: The Entree: Horse Meat Pie Seabiscuit sauteed and simmered? No way! But outside the United States horse meat is accepted in such cultures as the French, Italian, Swiss, and j.a.panese. That's because horse meat is an excellent source of high-quality protein, vitamin B12, iron, and zinc. Plus, its lean red meat can easily be mistaken for premium beef. As for quality cuts, though, the mare is often considered the best source, followed by the gelding and then the stallion. There are actually numerous horse meat dishes, including horse meat stew, pony Stroganoff, horse parmesan, and chicken-fried horse meat. However, today's entree is Welsh horse pie. Just take strips of horse meat and sear them in a skillet. Next, arrange the strips in a stew pan with layers of potatoes, cheese, and tomatoes. Once tender, just remove the concoction to a baking dish lined with pie dough, cover the top with crust, and then bake until brown. You'll want to serve the dish with a heavy burgundy wine. Of course, caution while cooking is required. Underprepared horse meat can turn the epicurean into the Galloping Gourmet.

Profiles in Carnage IDI AMIN (1924/5?2003) Skeletons in the Pantry: Start with his fridge: Probably a big fan of plastic wrap and aluminum foil, Idi Amin kept the heads of some of his victims fresh by storing them in his fridge. Of course, he had plenty to choose from: Estimates are that Idi tortured and murdered up to 300,000 victims while he was president of Uganda.

Idi the Connoisseur: Of course, what good's a fridge if you can't make use of it? Amin once reportedly told his minister of health that he found human flesh "rather too salty." So, maybe Idi wasn't that into dark meat.

Idi the Sharp Dresser: If that isn't enough to make you retch, you should check out his style sense: The guy wore so many medals that his shirts sometimes tore.

Idi the Practical Joker: Amin often sent nonsensical telegrams to other countries' leaders, and he loved to romp about playing his accordion.

Idi "I Am the Most Modest Dictator in the World (and I Have a Medal to Prove It)" Amin: Apparently, he didn't suffer from low self-esteem. By the time Amin had fled into exile to Libya, and then Saudi Arabia, his official t.i.tle was "His Excellency President for Life, Field Marshal Al Hadji Doctor Idi Amin, VC, DS, MC, Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Sea, and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular." Tough to get that on a business card.

_05:: The Piece de Resistance: Haggis The crown prize of any culinary feast, haggis is typically served with great fanfare on January 25, or Burns Night, in celebration of the Scottish poet Robert Burns's birthday. In fact, the specially prepared feast is ceremoniously escorted into the room by a bagpiper, and Burns's poem "Address to a Haggis" is then read. So, what exactly is haggis, you ask? How about a sheep's stomach loaded with minced sheep liver and heart. Take one sheep pluck, or stomach bag, turn it inside out, sc.r.a.pe the surface with a knife, and then let it soak overnight in cold salt water. Boil the liver and heart and then parboil an onion. Simply mince this mixture, add toasted oatmeal and suet, and then fill the pluck, making sure to sew closed both ends. Now you just have to place the haggis in boiling water and slow boil for about four hours. For serving, you'll want to slice the haggis and garnish it with neeps (mashed turnips), tatties (mashed potatoes), and nips (sips of Scotch whisky). Actually, you may want to bring the whole bottle.

_06:: The After-Dinner Treat: Rocky Mountain Oysters OK, so where does one find seafood in the Rocky Mountains? Well, you probably guessed it. Not really a seafood dish, Rocky Mountain oysters are actually bull t.e.s.t.i.c.l.es. And in fact, this famed western U.S. delicacy has its own t.e.s.t.i.c.l.e festival every September in Clinton, Montana. According to connoisseurs, the deep-fried gonads are best served with hot sauce and a beer. And for the strong of stomach the recipe's really quite simple. First, cut and pull away the skin around the testes, then place 'em in salted water for about an hour. Next, parboil the "oysters" in salt water, drain, and then let cool. Simply slice the delicacy into chip-size pieces and then roll them in a batter of flour, corn meal, and dried garlic. Finally, dip the oysters in red wine and fry 'em up. To serve, just place the oysters in a hot sauce, drain them, then pile on the potato chips and ply your guests with plenty of beer.

Fed Up with People:

5 Facts on Cannibalism

You are what you eat, or is it who you eat? Following are five facts on the ritual value of cannibalism and some of its biggest gluttons.

_01:: Missionary Accomplished Remember those cartoons showing natives placing captives in a big caldron of boiling water, tossing in the vegetables, and brewing up a large bowl of missionary stew? In most cultures, this couldn't be farther from the truth. While eating others' flesh may have been, at times, necessary for survival, in most cases it was out of ritualistic respect. In many locations cannibalism was the ultimate honor for the victimwhen tribes ate their enemies, they did so to take on valued characteristics of that enemy. Blood was drunk in order to achieve some of the victim's bravery. Likewise, the brain was eaten for knowledge, the heart for courage, and the legs for swiftness. In some cases, a small portion of a recently deceased family member was also consumed out of respect as long as the departed one was not diseased or very elderly.

_02:: The Scottish Mr. Bean During the time of Scotland's King James VI, later James I of England, there allegedly lived a highwayman named Alexander Bean, who along with his wife, eight sons, six daughters, 18 grandsons, and 14 granddaughters robbed any traveler unfortunate enough to cross their path. In order to hide the evidence and to feed an ever-growing family, each victim was killed and dismembered, with some body parts served immediately and the rest pickled for use later. Legend has it that close to 1,000 victims ended up the meal du jour for the Bean family. When finally captured, the adult male members of the Beans were executed by being dismembered and allowed to bleed to death. The women and children were then burned at the stake. However, there is no mention of what the Bean family had as its last meal.

_03:: Eddie Gein: Hollywood's Favorite Cannibal On November 17, 1957, the Plainfield, Wisconsin, police began searching the farmhouse of Eddie Gein, a suspect in the robbery of a hardware store owned by Bernice Worden. As the police searched the dark, trash-covered house, they happened across a carca.s.s hanging from the kitchen ceiling. At first they thought it was a deer, but upon closer inspection the officers discovered that it was the decapitated and gutted body of Bernice. But it didn't end there. More ghoulish items were soon found in the house. A bowl was made from the top of a human skull; lampshades, wastebaskets, armchairs, and an entire suit were made from human skin; and, most ghastly, a belt was made from nipples, a human head, four noses, and a heart. The police could only speculate as to how many female victims were used to make Eddie's collection. Eddie soon became a Hollywood favorite. Norman Bates of Psycho fame is based on Eddie, bits and pieces of The Texas Chainsaw Ma.s.sacre are taken from Eddie's story, and the character of Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs was inspired by Mr. Gein.

Touch of Evil The word "cannibal" came from Christopher Columbus's journeys to the New World. He described the Caribs of Cuba and Haiti, whom he saw making meals of their own kind, as "Canibalis."

_04:: Jeffrey Dahmer: Milwaukee's Notorious Cannibal On July 22, 1991, Milwaukee police officers questioned an individual whom they had spotted wandering incoherently down a street with a handcuff on one hand. The individual told them that he had been drugged and handcuffed but was able to get away from his a.s.sailant. He then led them to the apartment of a 31-year-old chocolate factory worker named Jeffrey Dahmer. As they searched Dahmer's apartment, the police came across one of the most ghoulish scenes in American history. Upon opening the refrigerator, the officers found a recently severed head staring back at them. They also found three more heads and human meat stored in the freezer along with several hands and a p.e.n.i.s in a stockpot. As the case unfolded, it became clear that Dahmer had killed, dismembered, and eaten as many as 17 victims, most of whom were poor transient blacks, Asians, or Hispanics. Dahmer would lure the victim to his apartment to watch TV and drink beer. Once there the victim was drugged and then stabbed or strangled. The body was then dismembered, with the head and genitalia saved as a trophy, the biceps and other muscles frozen to be eaten later, and the rest destroyed by acid and then disposed of. Dahmer was sentenced to 15 life sentences, or 957 years. He'd served only about two years when in 1994 he was murdered by another prison inmate.

_05:: Christian Cannibals and Communion As with any upstart religion, the powers that be look at it with disdain and ridicule. This was the case with early Christianity. Late-firstand early-second-century Greek and Roman writers, such as Tacitus and Pliny the Younger, viewed the early Christian movement as a small group of superst.i.tious fanatics who were a new sect among the hated Jews. Among both the upper cla.s.s and common Romans gossip quickly spread about this group, including that as part of their religion they ate human bodies and drank human blood. Obviously a misrepresentation of the Christian ritual of communion, the rumored practice was viewed with disgust by the "civilized" Romans. Not only did this misinterpretation, coupled with other seemingly strange Christian practices, help to sway sentiment against the Christians, it made it easier for the Roman emperors to justify the persecution of the Christians. After all, there was no room in the Roman Empire for such barbarianism.

Too Much of a Bad Thing:

4 Deaths of Famous People Caused by

Overindulgence in Drugs, Drink, or Dessert

Before you eat that last french fry, swallow that last dram of Drambuie, or sample a sedative or three, you should probably read on.

_01:: Henry I (10691135) Henry I wasn't exactly given the throne. As the third son of William the Conqueror, Henry became king only after one of his older brothers died and he'd beaten the other out of the throne. He had quite a run of it, though, reigning for a good 35 yearsthat is, until he was toppled by one-too-many lampreys. If you're not familiar, a lamprey is a nasty-looking beast of a fish with a round mouth that can reach three feet in length. And it's as mean as it looks. Lampreys will attach themselves to other fish, rasp a hole in them, eat their flesh, then detach, leaving an often fatal wound. They are, however, reputed to be great eating (fit for a king, in fact), especially if you like meaty fish with a high fat content, which Henry clearly did. Sometime before Christmas, England's king sat down to a heaping platter of the fatty fish, ate a few too many, and breathed his last.

_02:: Honore de Balzac (17991850) "Coffee is a great power in my life," this French writer said in his essay "The Pleasures and Pains of Coffee." "I have observed its effects on an epic scale." The thing is, he wasn't kidding. Balzac consumed as many as 50 cups of strong Turkish coffee per day, and we're talking about the days before indoor plumbing! And he was no slouch at eating, either. At one meal old Balzac was reported to have eaten 100 oysters, 12 mutton cutlets, a duck, two partridges, and some fish, along with desserts, fruits, and wine. But coffee was clearly his pa.s.sion, and he was faithful to the end. When Balzac couldn't get it strong enough, the addict was known to down pulverized coffee beans for the jolt he needed. This produced two results: Balzac was an incredibly energetic and prolific writer, writing more than 100 novels. He also died of caffeine poisoning at the age of 51.

_03:: Zachary Taylor (17841850) Perhaps the most apolitical president in U.S. history, Zachary Taylor was an army veteran of four decades and a hero of the Mexican War, but he never voted or held office before being elected president in 1848. Even more amazingly, the cheapskate refused to accept mail with postage due, so he didn't even know he'd been nominated for the office until weeks after the fact! About 16 months after taking the oath of office, during which time he accomplished very little, old Zach attended a July Fourth celebration at the Washington Monument on a sweltering day, and stood around in the heat for hours wearing dark heavy clothing. To cool off, he wolfed down a bowl full of iced cherries and polished 'em off with a pitcher of milk. Not the best idea. Turns out the milk and/or ice was tainted, and Taylor died five days later of typhoid fever or cholera.

Touch of Evil Legend has it that the last words of heavy-drinking poet Dylan Thomas before his 1953 death were: "Eighteen straight whiskies...I do believe that's a record." Natural causes? Probably not.

_04:: Ira Hayes (19231955) "It's funny what a picture can do," Hayes once said, but it had to have been said with bitter irony since it was a picture that ruined his life. Hayes was a Pima Indian from Arizona who, with four other U.S. Marines and a U.S. Navy pharmacist, raised a flag on the battle-ravaged island of Iwo Jima on February 23, 1945. The resulting photo made Hayes and the others heroes, but it embittered Hayes because he thought it denigrated the sacrifices of the thousands who'd died in the battle. The sad result? Hayes became an alcoholic who drifted from city to city and was arrested more than 50 times. In the end, the experience turned him into more of a hobo than a hero, and in the early morning hours of January 24, 1955, a drunken Hayes stumbled into a ditch that served as the water supply for his reservation. There the poor veteran froze to death.

It's Good to Be King, Especially If You Like Food:

5 Monarchs Who Tipped the Scales

Throughout history, whether because of abundant food or lack of exercise or both, monarchs have been plagued with largeness of girth (what hardship!). Here are just a few of the fattest kings and queens on record.

_01:: Itey (ca. 1490 BCE) Sort of an ancient Egyptian punch line, this corpulent queen ruled over the mysterious land of Punt, located somewhere in East Africa. So how exactly do we know of the great monarch's girth? Well, the Egyptian pharaoh Hatshepsut launched a trade delegation to Punt, and carvings on the walls of her temple complex at Deir el-Bahri record the expedition. Itey is depicted as grossly obese and is even pictured standing next to a diminutive husband and a tiny donkey. Under the donkey, in a delightful bit of Egyptian humor, is the inscription "This donkey had to carry the queen." A beast of burden indeed.

_02:: Eglon (ca. 1100 BCE) According to the Bible, Eglon was the king of Moab (in modern Jordan) who united several tribes of highland and desert raiders to conquer the central Israelite tribes sometime in the 12th century BCE. An Israelite named Ehud gained the king's confidence, got him in a room alone, then killed him. Of course, the murder wasn't exactly a smooth operation. The Bible describes vividly that Eglon was so fat that Ehud couldn't retrieve his blade. Luckily, though, he managed to escape with little trouble. As he fled, Ehud told Eglon's servants that the king was using the restroom. The stench coming from the room must have been fairly run-of-the-mill, because by the time they went in to check on their beloved king, Ehud had already rallied his followers and formed an army.

_03:: Charles the Fat (Ruled 881888) Not many kings actually have "the Fat" added to their names. A series of fortuitous deaths and abdications in the late 870s and early 880s left Charles the ruler of almost all of his great-grandfather Charlemagne's empire, encompa.s.sing most of modern-day France, Germany, and Italy. But Charles lacked the energy of his ancestor and namesake, possibly due in part to his obesity. During his reign Arab pirates raided Italy with impunity and Charles couldn't even be bothered to fight Viking marauders in northwestern France (he found it easier to pay them to go away instead). And while the dreaded moniker does have a certain ring to it, Charles wasn't the only French king of notable girthLouis VI (ruled 11081137) also earned the appellation "the Fat."

_04:: George IV (Ruled 18201830) George IV became king of England in 1820 after serving as prince regent while his father, George III, was alive but incompetent to rule. Apparently, though, the plush lifestyle being "Defender of the Faith" provided him seems only to have whetted his appet.i.te. Known as a gambler, a drinker, and a laudanum addict, among other things, George IV enjoyed the dubious distinction of being far and away the fattest king in English history. His favorite breakfast was two roast pigeons, three beefsteaks, a bottle of white wine, a gla.s.s of champagne, two gla.s.ses of port, and one of brandy...after all, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

_05:: Farouk (Ruled 19361952) Farouk, the last king of Egypt with any real power, was crowned in 1936 and proceeded to live it up. He owned numerous palaces in Europe, hundreds of cars, and thousands of horses. But financing the royal lifestyle turned out to be a bit of a problem, so Farouk turned Egypt into even more of a kleptocracy than it had previously been. He was even renowned as a skilled pickpocket and was known to steal valuable items while on state visits to other countries (including a priceless pocket watch from Winston Churchill and a ceremonial sword from the shah of Iran!). In the end, Farouk was overthrown by a military coup in 1952 and briefly replaced with his newborn son, Fuad. But after a few months of infant rule, Egypt cleverly sc.r.a.pped the monarchy thing altogether in favor of a very slightly less corrupt military dictatorship under Gamal Abdel Na.s.ser (which degenerated into an arguably more corrupt system than Farouk ever could have dreamed possible). As for ex-king Farouk, he lived out the rest of his life in exile. Eating being one of his few pleasures, he died in 1965, at the age of 45, after gorging himself at the table. He weighed out at 300 pounds.

It's a Wrap:

5 Fads from the Slimming Fashion Industry

There's always the question of what to do with those extra pounds. Should you squeeze them back, tuck them in, wrap them up, camouflage them, or simply let hang? Well, whatever your preferred method for masking that extra chub, there's a manmade solution out there for you.

_01:: Kirtles, Corsets, and Coches Women and men alike have used bindings either for religious or fashion reasons since time began. The origin of the use of corsets (derived from the French word corps, for "body") can be found in drawings discovered at a Neolithic archaeological site in Brandon, England. Not particularly confined to women's wear, the use of stays or corsets is doc.u.mented back to 1700 BCE, when corsets were used to train small waists on young men and warriors as part of their culture. In the 13th and 14th centuries CE, dress construction incorporated a corseted effect known as "kirtles" into everyday wear. Iron was used in the 14th century to create the first known artificial support known as a coche in France and a busk in England. Used as a status symbol, Catherine de Medici, in the French court, ordered her ladies-in-waiting to cinch their waists to no bigger than 13 inches around, prompting the use of a steel framework to achieve this extreme state. In the late 20th century, the corset was resurrected as a piece of fashion outerwear made famous by Madonna in the late 1980s.

Touch of Evil Some acupuncturists perform "ear stapling," in which a surgical staple is placed partially inside the ear. Why exactly? Because rubbing the device supposedly curbs hunger pangs.

_02:: Jeans and Slimming Cream The quest to lift and shape our derrieres has become an economic boon for denim jean producers. A select line of jeans, trousers, and skirts produced by Miss Sixty carries an extra ingredient, Skintex, combining retinol, designed to stimulate collagen production, and chitosan, produced from sh.e.l.lfish skeleton bone. The serum embedded in the jeans material is designed to be released upon friction between the skin and fabric when worn. According to Cognis, the German manufacturers, 40% of the "medication" is absorbed after 48 hours and the clothing remains effective for another 30 washings. Hand washing is recommended. Doctors, however, are skeptical. One unforeseen problem is that the retinol reacts to sunlight so sunburn might be an interesting by-product of the slimming exercise. These clothes are not cheap; jeans retail at $139 a pair, pants range from $119 to $149, and skirts are $99 dollars. Already the company has said that it will not reissue this line of clothing next season.

_03:: These Shoes Were Made for Walking It Off The latest cellulite-busting phenomenon, MBTs, gives a whole new meaning to the song "These Boots Were Made for Walking." Produced by Masai Barefoot Technology, the company's anticellulite sneakers are designed to help you mimic the gait of members of the Masai tribe in Africa. Why, exactly? Well, the lanky Masai are renowned for their perfect posture. Although definitely not a fashion winner, these bulky athletic shoes sit on a sole of rubber, curved thicker and higher in the middle, to force your legs to work harder with each step. Walking like a Masai ain't exactly cheap, though: it's about $255 for a pair of shoes. Despite the hefty tag, the sneakers move off shelves pretty quickly. And while there seems to be little scientific support for the shoes' anticellulite claims, they are credited with improving posture...a slightly pricey way to put some spring in your step!

_04:: Swimsuits The art of wearing a swimsuit is an acquired technical skill, not necessarily apparent to the naked eye. Every year the agonizing ritual of searching for that ideal magic swimsuit begins. Reality strikes as women start the journey of accentuating the positive and camouflaging the negatives. This focus on body shaping and trend toward exposing more body parts increased in importance at the beginning of the 20th century, spurred in 1902 by the Australian swimmer Annette Kellerman, an "underwater ballerina" who dove into a gla.s.s tank clad in a swimsuit that showed arms, legs, and neck. Although she was arrested for indecent exposure, the damage had been done. Today, you can buy a swimsuit with panel-restricting tummy control, underwires to maintain bust shape, bust enhancers using a gel cup, bust reducers, bottom control and support, and even padded bottoms.

_05:: Wrapping It All Up The fascination (and profit potential) a.s.sociated with the magical effect of body wraps to reduce inches has survived for more than two centuries. Traced back to the time of the Romans, and used in Cleopatra's court, body wraps have worked by shrinking the size of fat cells to reduce, contour, and slenderize the body shape. Creams, lotions, and gels containing a mixture of either herbal extracts, chemicals, minerals, or vegetable products are applied to the skin before wrapping with terry cloth or cellophane. And while the older European full-body wraps sound closer to a variety of mummification, they promise up to six inches off original body measurements, which might last for a year. Using bandages soaked in sea-clay mud, the entire body is wrapped, starting with the feet and ankles, then going all the way to the jaws, with specialized wrapping procedures for the bustline. Recently, at-home body wrap kits sold directly to consumers at a lower price are competing against the high-priced wraps from the luxurious beauty salons.

Scandalicious FEDS FIND COMMUNIST THREAT IN PUMPKIN!.

In 1939, a down-and-out writer named Whittaker Chambers approached a.s.sistant Secretary of State Adolf Berle, describing in detail an underground Communist network in the United States spying for the Soviet Union. Chambers, best known at the time for translating the book Bambi into English, was not regarded as a reliable expert on matters of espionage. Of course, it wasn't until 1948 that anyone decided to take Chambers at his word. Richard Nixon, then a congressman, perked up after Chambers provided a list of alleged Communist agents, a list that included Alger Hiss, a State Department lawyer. After first denying that he knew Chambers, Hiss launched a defamation suit. It proved to be a bad idea. Chambers led investigators to a farm where dozens of doc.u.ments, some of them cla.s.sified and some of them in Hiss's own handwriting, were hidden in a hollowed-out pumpkin. Hiss was eventually convicted of perjury (the statute of limitations barred trying him for espionage), though some people still dispute his guilt. One thing is sure, however: Alger Hiss lost his taste for pumpkin pie.

Turning Over a New Leaf:

5 Plants Known to Cause Hysteria