Unless you're a member of the Church of Deep Fried Goodness, or from Scotland, it won't be much of a shock to find out that the listed items below can actually be subjected to the sizzles and fizzles of the fryer. Just to be clear, these listed items aren't bizarre in and of themselves, but it's fair to assume that adding them to the list of deep-fried foods is far from… normal.
Deep-frying is nothing new; its origins have even been traced all the way back to those tinkering ancient Mesopotamians. It probably came about when an enterprising Mesopotamian noticed that there were absolutely no yummy or greasy indulgent treats for his fellow Mesopotamians to stuff their faces with after many hours of toiling away on the land under the scorching sun for an ungrateful king.
Whatever the reason for its emergence, deep-frying and deep-fried foods are now a major part of our lives, for better or worse. This list will either make you salivate, or cringe. Either way, here we go.
1. Deep-Fried Tarantulas
Some of us may be aware that tarantulas can be found on the menus of small food vendors in certain parts of Asia, most notably Cambodia. But did you know that they can be eaten deep-fried style? (One wonders if they taste like chicken, too.) Eating them salted and spiced wasn't enough for some starving Cambodian villagers, so they just had to go all Colonel Sanders on the long-legged beasty. Adventurous tourists can now feast on deep-fried spiders, along with other "exotic" items on offer. Cambodia is actually home to a place called "Skuon," the deep-fried tarantula-eating center of the universe (not sure if the people of Skuon should be proud of that or not).
And because they have no armour, it has been said tarantulas taste wonderfully chewy and their "meat" is therefore more easily accessible for those crazy enough to dig into them. Picturing them is bad enough, but actually seeing images of them certainly isn't for the faint-hearted. But hey, one more deep-fried spider gurgling inside someone is one less spider for the rest of us to worry about.
2. Deep-Fried Coca-Cola
This is either the best development in the life of the world's most popular and commercially valuable cola-flavored beverage, or the worst (depending on who you talk to at the bar or around the office water cooler). "And how the hell do you deep-fry a liquid?" you may ask. Well, simply put, you don't. Abel Gonzales, Jr., the inventor, uses Coca-Cola-flavored batter, which he deep-fries, then slathers with Coca-Cola syrup just to create that extra Coky taste.
And it's not just fried Coke; the Texan computer analyst has also introduced deep-fried cookie dough, deep-fried pineapple rings, as well as other deep-fried concoctions that would horrify every dentist and dietician on the planet. So thank you, Mr. Gonzales, for creating new and creative ways for children to eat their way towards childhood obesity.
3. Deep-Fried Breakfast Cereal
A sugar rush simply won't suffice for some people, but perhaps a bowl of sugary friedness will? Charlie Borghosian, the creator, has offered his deep-fried breakfast cereal in two versions: one with deep-fried Trix and one with deep-fried Cinnamon Toast Crunch. It's often said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day—yeah, not for everyone.
Oh by the way, Boghosian is also the inventor of deep-fried Kool Aid, which wowed the salivating crowds at the 2011 San Diego Fair. Chicken Charlie, which serves a dual purpose as the name of his business and his nickname, has been perfecting his craft for many years, but his creations don't always please everyone—but who the hell can?!
4. Deep-Fried Flowers
Haven't we raped nature enough? Seriously, someone felt the need to subject the humble flower to a steaming, hot death? But wait a minute. If we're all used to eating fried vegetables, then surely deep-frying flowers isn't that much of a stretch of the human imagination, right?
They're also eaten in Thailand, home to Thai food, Muay Thai, and of course, the Thai people. It's been said that they taste great with a selection of Thai sauces that could be a concoction of God knows what. Sometimes it's better not to ask—unless you know you're being served by Hannibal Lecter. Due to the rapid spread of Thai cuisine around the world, the consumption of deep-fried flowers may become more common, much to the disdain of hardcore botanists and plant lovers.
5. Deep-Fried Rats
Desperation can take human beings down some pretty dark and gnarly alleys. It's hard to imagine a restaurant or street food vendor here in the West serving such an item, or that there's a demand for such a thing. But just as there are different cultural practices and traditions in the world, so too are there different taste buds. And those differences in taste can be enormous!
Throughout human history, human beings would look for "alternative" sources of meat, especially when people were so hungry that they could eat a horse (literally!). But over time, those alternative sources of meat sometimes become mainstream-ish. The Chinese in particular seem to have a fondness for deep-fried rats and…err…cooked rats in general. And just to add to the bizarreness, there's even a Facebook page dedicated to them. Seriously, people?
6. Deep-Fried Alligators
When the main thought of your day is what sauce you should have with your deep-fried alligator, chances are you're in the Deep South. Yes, even those mighty and ferociously scaly beasts of the waterways aren't safe from the bubbles of the fryer, which begs the question: what the hell is?
We can't talk about deep-fried gators without talking about Cajuns, those famously laid-back, broken-accented folks who love their food, music, and festivals (and probably in that order). People have even compared their taste to chicken (seems like everything and anything that has meat tastes like chicken these days). But maybe it's better to stick with the real thing, cool?