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Andrew Zimmern ate plenty of foods that challenge a viewer’s expectations on Bizarre Foods. But the available episode descriptions do not verify a definitive ranking of exactly 25 “grossest” dishes. The examples below are documented encounters across the original series and its related Bizarre Foods America; “grossest” is a subjective hook, not a judgment on the people or traditions behind the food.
What counts as a Bizarre Foods example?
Apple TV identifies Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern as a Travel Channel series released in 2006. Its early episode descriptions name foods Zimmern encountered in the Philippines, Ecuador and Spain. A later Travel Channel season-nine announcement, published August 25, 2015, describes additional foods from Croatia, Paris and Guatemala, as well as a family dinner featuring wild opossum. These sources support a selection of documented examples, not an official countdown or a conclusive list of 25.
Some foods below come from Bizarre Foods America, a related series with its own episode listings. They are identified as such rather than folded into the original international show. The available descriptions do not provide a verified episode-by-episode record for every candidate in the secondary compilation, so this list leaves out unconfirmed items rather than guessing at names, places or preparations.
Foods named in Bizarre Foods episode descriptions
1. Balut — Philippines
Apple TV’s early-series episode description names balut among the foods Zimmern encounters in the Philippines. The listing does not specify the preparation details, so it is best to stick to the dish name and location rather than embellish them.
2. Crickets — Philippines
The same Philippine episode description includes crickets. The listing establishes their presence in the episode, but does not give a particular species or cooking method.
3. Stuffed frogs — Philippines
Stuffed frogs also appear in Apple TV’s summary of the Philippine episode. The description does not identify the stuffing or provide more detail about the dish.
4. Live worms — Philippines
Apple TV’s episode summary names live worms among the Philippine foods. It does not establish a local dish name or further preparation context.
5. Guinea pigs — Ecuador
An Ecuador episode description mentions guinea pigs. The listing presents them as part of the foods Zimmern encounters there but does not specify the preparation.
6. Piranhas — Ecuador
The same summary names piranhas. Beyond the country and the episode encounter, the listing does not provide a recipe or preparation method.
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7. Coconut grubs — Ecuador
Coconut grubs round out the Ecuador examples in Apple TV’s description. The listing does not give a local name or more detail about how they were served.
8. Suckling pig brains — Spain
Apple TV’s early-series listing names suckling pig brains in Spain. The description identifies the food, but does not say how the brains were prepared.
9. Bull testicles — Spain
The Spanish episode description also mentions bull testicles. The available summary does not specify a dish name or cooking method.
10. Roasted dormice — Croatia
Travel Channel’s August 25, 2015 announcement for season nine names roasted dormice in Croatia. The release places the food among the season’s encounters with local culinary traditions and stories.
11. Calf’s head hot dogs — Paris
The same season-nine release describes calf’s head hot dogs in Paris. It is a more specific description than a generic reference to offal: the release names both the ingredient and the hot-dog form.
Rank #3
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12. Bull testicle ceviche — Guatemala
Travel Channel’s release also names bull testicle ceviche in Guatemala. The source identifies the dish and location; it does not offer further detail about its preparation.
13. Wild opossum — family dinner
The season-nine announcement describes Zimmern eating wild opossum at a family dinner. It does not name a country in that item’s description, so assigning a location would go beyond the source.
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These candidates are from Bizarre Foods America, not necessarily the original international series. Food Network’s episode listings identify the foods and locations below.
14. Moose fat — Alaska
Food Network’s Alaska episode listing includes moose fat among the foods Zimmern encounters.
15. Muskrat — Alaska
The same Alaska listing names muskrat. The episode summary does not specify a preparation method.
Rank #4
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16. Roasted cow head — Dallas
Food Network’s Dallas listing includes roasted cow head, a preparation the episode description names directly.
17. Goat stew — Dallas
Goat stew appears alongside the Dallas examples in Food Network’s listing.
18. Frog shakes — Lima
Food Network’s Lima episode summary names frog shakes. The listing does not supply a recipe or further details about their ingredients.
19. Snails — Lima
Snails are another food named in the Lima listing. The available description does not specify how they were prepared.
20. Fried guinea pig — Lima
The Lima episode summary explicitly says fried guinea pig, making this a more detailed preparation description than the generic “guinea pigs” named in the Ecuador episode.
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21. Calf brains — Atlanta
Food Network’s Atlanta listing includes calf brains. The episode description does not identify a more specific preparation.
22. Goat heart — Atlanta
Goat heart is another Atlanta example in the listing.
23. Monkfish liver — Atlanta
The Atlanta summary also names monkfish liver.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why “grossest” is a viewer’s judgment, not a cultural verdict
The show’s host has described its aim as more than a parade of shock foods. In a 2012 Esquire interview, Zimmern said, “It was the story of the people who ate these things. We weren’t setting out to do Fear Factor. People are interested in the deeper story.” He also said, “Food is great, but food with a story is even better. Especially when people have never heard the story.”
That perspective matters when revisiting the more startling episode descriptions. A food may seem unfamiliar or challenging to one audience while belonging to a culinary tradition or a particular meal for another. The Travel Channel’s 2015 season announcement likewise framed its examples as part of local foodways and stories. The episode listings establish what the show described; they do not make one universal measure of disgust possible.
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A Mashed compilation published January 22, 2020, offers a larger discovery list, including enset, suri, hákarl, rotten ketchup, jellied moose nose, lutefisk, horse rectum, “staked rat,” palolo and cane toads. Its chapter list is a secondary source, however, and the available material does not independently verify each item’s identity, context and appearance in a particular episode. Those foods are not added here as confirmed entries.
Accordingly, the numbered examples are a documented selection, not a claim that these are the 25 worst foods Zimmern ate, or even a complete count of 25 verified dishes. The evidence supports examples from the original series and its America spin-off, while leaving the ranking subjective and the record incomplete.
Sources: Apple TV, Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern; Travel Channel, season-nine announcement, August 25, 2015; John Mariani, Esquire, July 9, 2012; Food Network, Bizarre Foods America; Mashed compilation description and chapters, January 22, 2020.
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