Guiltless gourmand Nigella Lawson recently shocked Anthony Bourdain -- known for drinking the blood of cobras -- with a tale of having a pig aborted for her in France and devouring the "crispy fetus." We asked foodies: What's the grossest -- um, most adventurous -- thing you've ever eaten?
Ruth Reichl, editor of Gourmet:
"I have happily consumed sea slugs and armadillos. But I had a hard time with the deep-fried worms I once shared with Alice Waters in Tijuana. They had an electric flavor that still sends sparks shooting down my spine."
Christian Delouvrier, Lespinasse:
"When I was in Hong Kong, I ate a soup with 'black chicken.' Later, I was told that in Hong Kong, black chicken is actually bat!"
Mario Batali, Babbo:
"A raw shellfish in Puglia that had this creamy white mucus inside. It was called fungo del mare, or sea mushroom. They thought it was a delicacy."
Rocky Aoki, Benihana:
"In Japan, I ate a bowl of 100 live, white, tiny fishes with soy sauce. I could feel them swimming in my mouth."
Zarela Martinez, Zarela:
"Maguey worms -- they're an aphrodisiac. When I started out fifteen years ago, I had a meeting with this group of investors and I served a roast pig, and I kept on telling everybody, 'Please try the worm sauce.' Everybody was eating it, and as somebody was leaving, I said, 'So how did you like the worms?' And the guy says, 'Worms? I thought you said warm and you couldn't pronounce it!' "
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