If you have the chance to visit the following countries, stop by a pub, a restaurant or join a local festival to try one of the world's most unusual drinks.
Tuna Tears Soju - Korea
Soju is a distilled rice wine with a high alcohol content that can be found in almost every restaurant, bar, and convenience store in Korea. There are many different flavors of soju (peach and blueberry are the most popular), and Koreans like to mix soju with beer to create a drink called "maekju." But sometimes they also mix soju with tuna tears.
A glass of "tuna tears," or "chamchi nunmulju," is often served at Japanese-style restaurants or seafood places. When the tears of a tuna are mixed with soju, the resulting mixture becomes thick and jelly-like.
Tourists who have tried this drink share: "The waiters will pour the wine from the teapot into the glasses, but it is so thick that they have to cut it with scissors. Sometimes, you can see yellow fish scales in it."
Sinchicara - Ecuador
Sinchicara is a drink produced in the Sucumbíos province in the northeast of Ecuador. People can buy bottled sinchicara in stores or make it at home.
Sinchicara is a blend of brandy and bark from local rainforest trees, so it can only be found in Ecuador. One of the main ingredients is “aguardiente de cana” (a liquor made from sugar cane). In addition, sinchicara is also a medicine that can reduce arthritis and help you sleep.
Tongba (millet beer) - Nepal
If you’re looking for a familiar drink served in a different way, try Nepal’s Tongba. Tongba is made by fermenting whole millet grains. This process can take several weeks. And it’s typically served in a barrel-like cup.
Before drinking, you have to pour boiling water into the cup and wait for the millet to settle to the bottom. Then, you drink with a bamboo straw to suck up the beer and leave the millet and impurities at the bottom. The special thing is that after drinking, you can add more boiling water to continue drinking until it tastes like plain water.
Boza - Bulgaria
Boza is made from fermented flour, which has a sweet and sour taste. Boza contains a little alcohol, but this drink is still loved by everyone, including children and pregnant women. Some obstetricians even say that boza is very good for pregnant women because it increases breast milk supply.
Nowadays, boza is not as popular as before, but you can still find it in most Bulgarian convenience stores.
Mamajuana - Dominican Republic
Mamajuana is the most famous drink in the Dominican Republic. There is no single recipe for mamajuana, as each family has their own way of making it at home. However, all recipes have one common ingredient: tree bark. People pour red wine, honey, and rum over the bark, then add whatever they like.
Dominicans believe that drinking mamajuana is a way for them to remember their past. In addition, this drink can also cure digestive problems, colds and flu.
Kava - Fiji
Kava is an important part of Fijian ceremonies and is often consumed during important meetings or special occasions. If you attend a Kava ceremony in Fiji, you will have the opportunity to try this special drink made from a type of pepper plant that is crushed into powder and mixed with water.
Kava is a psychoactive drink and while legal in Fiji, it is illegal in some countries, so read up on its side effects before you decide to try it.
Mezcal de pechuga - Mexico
Mezcal is a spirit made from over 30 varieties of the famous Mexican agave plant, there are many different types of mezcal and they are sold in bars both nationally and internationally. However, there is one type that stands out from the rest, mezcal de pechuga, because it is not produced according to the usual mezcal production process.
When making mezcal de pechuga, raw chicken or rabbit breast is hung above the mezcal distillation still and steamed to add a special flavor to the spirit.
Sourtoe Cocktail - Dawson City, Canada
The Sourtoe Cocktail is a popular drink from Dawson, Canada, consisting of a salted human toe dropped into any drink. The toes in the cocktail are real human feet, possibly from people who have died or lost their toes in accidents. The toes are soaked in rubbing alcohol for months and preserved in salt and ice before being added to the drink.
Customers only have to pay about 5 dollars (about 116,000 VND) to try this strange drink. The rule when drinking is to touch your lips to your toes no matter how fast or slow you drink, but do not swallow, otherwise you will be fined 2,500 dollars (nearly 60 million VND).
