Phan Pyut

Though potatoes are an irreplaceable ingredient of most dishes, eating rotten tubers could be a far-fetched idea for most. Another popular delicacy is one where over riped tubers are left to rot in the soil and then picked thereafter to be treated with spices. The dish is then eaten as a standalone meal or side dish.

Rat Meat

A popular delicacy among the marginalized Musahar tribe of Bihar finds a place in the list of the oddest foods in the country. The tribe is known to be a traditional rat eating community and usually hunt rats in paddy fields. While it is hard to imagine those long-tailed rodents in your plates, the tribe is known to consume rat meat as a delicacy.

Jadoh

Another unique dish coming from Meghalaya looks like biryani and is popular among the Khasi tribe of the area. In their language, the word &lsquoJadoh&rsquo stands for meat rice. While most variations of the dish are cooked in pork fat but there is a local variation that is cooked in carefully chosen chicken blood. The dish makes use of minimum spices and oil.

Bhang Thandai

With consumption of narcotic substances illegal in the country, a special drink in North India, associated with Maha Shivratri and Holi is prepared with cannabis leaves ( popularly known as marijuana). The ingredients include milk, saffron, sugar, rose petals and leaves extract of the cannabis. The drink has psychoactive effects and causes temporary euphoria.

Fire Paan

Chewing betel leaves is not an unusual sight in India. It is common to see betel leaves consumed with spices and berries but it becomes a rare eatable when consumed with a burning flame. The paan is made of spices, dried fruits, nuts, sugar, cloves and ice which is then set on fire and put straight into the mouth of the customer. The fire lasts for a second or two and gets extinguished as soon it enters the mouth. The ice and clove cool down the mouth, thus causing no burning sensation. The paan was famous in Delhi and Mumbai but now is popular in many other places.