Food is more than just sustenance—it’s a reflection of culture, history, and tradition. Around the world, people celebrate food in ways that might seem unusual or even shocking to outsiders. From time-honored rituals to unexpected eating customs, these traditions offer a glimpse into the deep connections between cuisine and identity. Some may leave you in awe, while others might challenge your idea of a typical meal. Here are some of the most fascinating food traditions from around the world—would you try any of them?
Note: The content of this article does not reflect the Writer's personal beliefs.
Blood drinking - Tanzania & Kenya
Argh! Kenya and Tanzania, what are you doing?
All right, I’m not calling this tradition horrible because it’s an important custom practiced by the Maasai tribe in Kenya and Tanzania. But something about literally ingesting blood makes my stomach feel weird.
The Maasai puncture the soft part of a cow and then mix the spurting blood with milk to consume. Weird, yeah. Gross? I’d rather not say.
Urine drinking - Siberia
Alright, I admit it, we’ve only just started, but I hate this one. I’m not saying anything about the people who do it, and I certainly don’t mean to barge in and decide this custom is horrible, but who chooses urine?
It turns out that the Koryak people of Siberia do. And the story gets weirder. Koryak shamans make a concoction of hallucinogenic toadstools and then give it to rich members. The drinkers then go on a hallucinogenic rampage, ultimately peeing it out. And this pee is drunk by poorer members, so they can get high, too.
Yep. That’s a hard thing to forget.
Eating with the dead - Indonesia
It seems food traditions keep getting weirder and creepier. Indonesia is surely taking it to the top.
Apparently, when the Toraja people lose their loved ones, they don’t bury them. Instead, they preserve the bodies, dress them in fresh clothes, and even prop up the bodies when it’s time to eat.
This goes on for years, and when they finally bury them, they pick a day and repeat the process annually. The Torajans believe the spirits of the deceased remain in the house for a long time, so they show their love in a weird way.
Slurping to express pleasure - Japan
If you’ve always grown up with your mom glaring daggers at you every time you slurped a drink, you know how rude it is to do it in public. But Japan has a different idea. In Japan, slurping on dishes like soups and noodles is a compliment to the chef’s cooking.
Take that, Mom!
Using only forks and knives - Chile
Multiple cultures rely on hands to eat. But Chile believes touching the food with your hand is gross, and you shouldn’t eat anything without using a fork or knife.
Yes, this goes out for traditional Chilean dishes and even other internationally loved fast foods like burgers, pizzas, and chicken wings!
Yikes, I can’t imagine how hard it must be to grab a slippery chicken wing with a fork!
Spoons can’t touch the cup – United Kingdom
We all know sticking out your pinky while drinking tea is an old English etiquette. But did you know that hitting your spoon in the cup while mixing tea is considered rude?
The Brits have strict rules regarding tea. Mixing tea without accidentally clanging the spoon in the cup is pretty hard, but that’s just how customs go.
Asking for salt and pepper is a no-no - Egypt
If you want your host to think you’re insulting them, you should definitely sprinkle loads of salt on what they cooked.
If you’d rather continue the visits and keep seeing the host, you’d better not ask for the salt shaker; otherwise, they’d think you didn’t like their food!
What do you do when the food’s good but lacks salt? Well, that rarely happens, so don’t worry!
Farting is Good - Canada
The Inuits believe relieving your stomach and farting is a great thing because it means you loved the food and ate until you couldn’t anymore.
In fact, many Inuit hosts feel happy when their guests farts. Some even get upset if they don’t smell the room stinking up!
Fork shouldn’t go in your mouth - Thailand
Here’s a confusing one: in Thailand, you can use a fork but can’t eat from it.
Apparently, the fork is just a helping utensil; you can use it to put food into your spoon, but you mustn’t ever take the fork to your tongue. This goes on for a lot of local foods, including those starring noodles.
You can have vodka…but on its own - Russia
We all know Russians love drinking, but apparently, there’s a thing about drinking vodka pure. Russians believe you should only drink vodka on its own, without mixing it into other drinks. This is because you should enjoy vodka in its purest form, and adding it to other stuff dilutes its essence.
Eye contact while toasting - Austria
Austria has a weird one. Raising your glass to toast is kind of awkward enough unless you’re one of those bougie people who are always shown in movies.
But in Austria, raising a toast is socially traumatizing because you must individually look into every person’s eye while toasting; otherwise, you’re being rude. This is done to make the listeners feel included.
Ah, so this is what an introvert’s nightmare is like!
Eat the worm if you’re mature - Mexico
There’s a unique tradition that proves if you’re worth drinking or not.
Some Mexican pubs serve alcoholic drinks with a worm at the end of it. And as gross as it sounds, eating the worm means you’re a grown-up or man, but if you gag or skip it, it means you’re probably not ready to sit with the adults yet.
Vegetarianism For Good Luck - Thailand
Every year, Thailand holds a vegetarian festival during which no meat is allowed. Locals believe that abstaining from meat will bring them good luck for the rest of the year.
Some of the other rituals of the festival include walking over hot coals and eating sharp blades. It doesn't sound like a festival we want to attend.
Burping While Eating - Egypt
The highest compliment one can give to a chef is to burp loudly after a meal. In Egypt, this means you really liked your food. While burping is not very polite in the rest of the world, you can feel free to burp away when in Egypt!
Eldest Eats First - South Korea
In South Korea, you are not allowed to take a bite of food until the eldest person at the table eats. That means you have to wait and stare at your food until Grandpa finally decides to lift his fork. You may be waiting quite a long time! However, respect is important, and this odd food tradition is just one way to show it.
Wine Fighting - Spain
Imagine throwing wine at your neighbors. This is what the Spanish wine fight is all about. The annual wine fight takes place in the La Rioja region of Spain. Everyone must dress in white with a red scarf, and then they are free to throw wine anywhere and everywhere.
While the fight is symbolic of a centuries-old feud between towns, we are not so sure about wasting so much wine! We would rather just drink it.
Right Hand Only - Middle East
Head to the Middle East, and make sure to put your fork in your right hand only. It is considered rude and inappropriate to eat with your left hand. You may even be asked to leave the table if you try eating with your left hand.
We aren't sure why this is such a big deal, but every place has its customs!
Christmas with KFC - Japan
If you head to Japan on Christmas, you will find tons of people ordering KFC to celebrate. A big bucket of fried chicken wings is the traditional Japanese Christmas dinner. This holiday practice started around 1974 and was one of the first Christmas traditions in Japan.
Cheese Rolling - England
Once a year, people gather in Gloucestershire, England, to chase a large wheel of cheese down a hill. The cheese is rolled down the hill, and everyone runs after it to try to catch it.
The event used to be loosely connected to fertility and a woman's right of passage. However, these days, the winner just gets to keep the cheese.
Sardine Festivals
One of the oddest British food festivals takes place each year in Surbiton. Crowds gather to cheer on fishermen as they try to catch sardines in the Thames River. The catch is that there are no sardines in the Thames River, so everyone just pretends there are for a little bit. Then, they all follow four large guinea pigs back to the town center for sardine-themed games and food. We just really don't understand this entire festival at all.
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