Hákarl hanging to dry in Iceland

Kæsturhákarl (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈhauːkʰartl̥ ]) (Icelandic for "fermented shark") is a national

dish of Iceland consisting of a Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus) or other sleeper
shark which has been cured with a particular fermentation process and hung to dry for four to five
months. Kæsturhákarl has a strong ammonia-rich smell and fishy taste.[1]
Kæsturhákarl is readily available in Icelandic stores and is eaten year-round, but is also served
as part of a þorramatur, a selection of traditional Icelandic food served at þorrablót in midwinter.
Kæsturhákarl contains a large amount of ammonia and has a strong smell, similar to many
cleaning products. It is often served in cubes on toothpicks. Those new to it may try to vomit
involuntarily on the first attempt to eat it because of the high ammonia content. [1] First-timers are
sometimes advised to pinch their nose while taking the first bite, as the smell is much stronger
than the taste. It is often eaten with a shot of the local spirit, a type of akvavit called brennivín.
It comes in two varieties; chewy and reddish glerhákarl (lit. "glassy shark") from the belly, and
white and soft skyrhákarl (lit. "skyr shark") from the body.

Salty liquorice or hard liquorice, is a variety of liquorice flavoured with ammonium chloride,

common in the Nordic countries, Benelux, and northern Germany.[1] Ammonium chloride gives
salty liquorice an astringent, salty taste[2] (hence the name), which has been described as
"tongue-numbing"[3] and "almost-stinging".[1] Salty liquorice is an acquired taste[1] and people not
familiar with ammonium chloride might find it physically intense and distasteful. [4][1]
Salty liquorice candies are almost always black or very dark brown and can range from very soft
to very hard, and sometimes brittle. The other colours used are white and variants of grey. Salty
liquorice is also used as a flavouring in other products, such as ice creams and alcoholic
beverages.
Marmite (/ˈmɑːrmaɪt/ MAR-myte) is a British food spreads currently produced by Unilever.
Marmite is made from yeast extract, a by-product of beer brewing. Other similar products include
the Australian Vegemite, the Swiss Cenovis, and the German Vitam-R.
Marmite is a sticky, dark brown food paste with a distinctive, powerful flavour, which is extremely
salty. This distinctive taste is reflected in the marketing slogan: "Love it or hate it." Such is its
prominence in British popular culture that the product's name has entered British English as a
metaphor for something that is an acquired taste or tends to polarise opinions. [1][2]
The image on the front of the British jar shows a "marmite" (French: [maʁmit]), a French term for a
large, covered earthenware or metal cooking pot. Marmite was originally supplied
in earthenware pots, but since the 1920s has been sold in glass jars shaped like the French
cooking pot.
A version is made in South Africa using the same jar design. It is made by Pioneer Foods (pty)
Ltd.
A similar spread called Marmite has been manufactured in New Zealand since 1919. This is the
only product sold as Marmite in Australasia and the Pacific, whereas elsewhere in the world the
British version predominates.
The durian (/ˈdjʊəriən/ or /ˈdʊriən/)[2] is the fruit of several tree species belonging to
the genus Durio. There are 30 recognised Durio species, at least nine of which produce edible
fruit, and over 300 named varieties in Thailand, 102 in Indonesia,[3] and 100 in Malaysia.
[4]
Duriozibethinus is the only species available in the international market: other species are sold
in their local regions.
Some people regard the durian as having a pleasantly sweet fragrance, whereas others find the
aroma overpowering with an unpleasant odour. The smell evokes reactions from deep
appreciation to intense disgust, and has been described variously as rotten onions, turpentine,
and raw sewage. The persistence of its odour, which may linger for several days, has led to the
fruit's banishment from certain hotels and public transportation in southeast Asia. By contrast, the
nineteenth-century British naturalist, Alfred Russel Wallace, described its flesh as "a
rich custard highly flavoured with almonds". The flesh can be consumed at various stages of
ripeness, and it is used to flavour a wide variety of savoury and sweet desserts in southeast
Asian cuisines. The seeds can also be eaten when cooked.
Natto – Let’s stay with Japan for one more.  Even the Japanese are split on about natto.  If you
were speaking  Japanese English, you might say “the flavor and texture are, well… a little bit
difficult.”  Natto is simply soy beans fermented along with a specific bacterium. The process
results in smelly mixture of beans and paste. When you draw it up to your mouth, long strings
form between your chopsticks and your dish.  It’s usually eaten for breakfast over rice.  I spoke to
an older Japanese gentleman who told me that when he was a boy, a “natto man” came through
the neighborhood early every morning  with a wood box of natto on a on a bike.  He’d yell out
through the neighborhood “Natto! Natto!” and this became the boy’s alarm clock.  Of all the
Japanese people I’ve polled on natto, about 30% like it and 70% don’t, but then there are
the health benefits.  There are unique compounds in natto that are thought to reduce blood
clotting and aid in the prevention of Alzheimer’s.  I think as more Japanese people age, they will
come to acquire a taste for natto