Some of us don’t eat to live. We live to eat. We travel great lengths to sate our thirst for new and invigorating gastronomical experiences. To the considerably "tame" palates of us Sri Lankans though, some food deemed delicacies in other countries go above and beyond what we can stomach.

While we need to respect the cuisines of other cultures, sometimes, we simply have to agree to disagree. These dishes worthy of a Halloween spread, are the stuff of nightmares, and words like "strange" and "revolting" come to mind. Find durians gross? I'll have you know that the gross-o-meter for durian pales in comparison to some of the dishes on this list. If you are squeamish and have a weak stomach, you may want to stop reading. Seriously, just stop already! For the brave souls willing to forge ahead and continue reading - this list is intriguing and most eats are an acquired taste, but you'll probably want to put that double cheeseburger away for a bit. Just to be safe.

Balut

If you can get past the image and/or have embryocidal tendencies, you should give balut a try. It's basically a developed duck embryo boiled alive and eaten in its egg. Yum. Balut is found in Southeast Asia and served with beer. Which probably helps cloud the unpleasant memory you're better off forgetting.

Century Eggs

Contrary to the name, these eggs are not actually a hundred years old. You'll be surprised - and disappointed - to know that these eggs are only a few weeks or months old at the most. Century eggs are made by preserving quail or duck eggs in a mixture of clay, ash, salt and quicklime for a long period. The yolk does actually smell like it's a hundred years old. If a hundred years smelt like sulphur and ammonia. Interestingly, century eggs are served at special occasions in China.

Escamoles

Escamoles - a Mexican delicacy - look deceptively like buttery beans. Which is why you probably shouldn't eat stuff that "looks" good. The buttery beans you just put in your mouth may turn out to be the larvae of black Liometopum ants - highly venomous - that are found on the tequila plant. Escamoles are usually eaten in a taco with guacamole and are also known as insect caviar.

Blood Tofu

Continuing the theme that looks can be pretty horrifically deceiving when it comes to food, what are seemingly chocolate chunks are actually jelly consistency pigs' blood. This popular Cantonese delicacy, also known as blood pudding, is found in Hong Kong and Southern China. Duck, sheep, chicken and cows' blood is also used to make this tasteless curd that is served with noodles and congee.

Cobra Blood / Snake Wine

Because, why not? Served as is or mixed in drinks, blood collected from slain king cobras is said to have properties that aid in magical healing besides increasing virility. Snake wine is made by infusing whole venomous snakes in rice wine or grain alcohol. Found in China, Vietnam and Southeast Asia.

Fugu

Fugu may not come across as an unappetizing meal. In fact, it looks like a pretty unpretentiously run-of-the-mill seafood dish. Which it probably would have been if this Japanese puffer fish wasn't filled with very lethal toxins. Which could - quite literally - kill you. Prepared properly, it's safe and bland. All things considered, Fugu is the equivalent of looking death in the face, then eating it.

Virgin Boy Eggs

Yes. Its exactly what you're thinking. Or maybe not. The name IS kinda deceiving and so its open to interpretation. Before you wrack your brains guessing - virgin boy eggs are made by being cooked in the urine of prepubescent - and you guessed it, virgin boys. And get this: since your average eggs don't quite have health benefits ranging from treating arthritis to preventing heatstroke, virgin boy eggs are sold for twice the price of a standard boiled egg! Apart from being medicinal, the eggs are known to be delicious.

Casu Marzu

What happens when you take nice big wheel of parmesan and leave it to sit out for a bit? You end up with Casu Marzu, rotten cheese that is popular in Sardinia and contains live insect larvae. Bizarre Foods' Andrew Zimmern described the taste of this maggot infested cheese as "so ammoniated" that "...it scorches your tongue a bit." Sounds fun. Especially since it leaves an aftertaste that lasts a couple of hours.

Puffin Heart

Puffins are the ridiculously adorable little birds we love to coo over - then break their neck, skin them and eat their fresh heart. Raw. Yeah - I think I'll pass. Eaten as a delicacy in Iceland, Puffin heart apparently tastes like a seafood-y version of duck and chicken.

Sannakji

We are taught to be nice to people we hate. And what better way to show them some love than to offer them a plate of Sannakji? Baby octopus is the star of this dish that has the octopus sliced up and seasoned with sesame oil. The squirming tentacles put up a fight to the death while you chew on them. Or maybe not. Cuz they aren't "technically" alive. The tiny suction cups on the tentacles may stick to your throat causing you to choke. Unsurprisingly, this dish kills around six people a year in Korea. Sannakji is definitely one for thrill seekers.

By Rihaab Mowlana