Part of the fun of going on holiday is testing out new cuisines and for the fully fledged carnivore a trip away can take the tastebuds on a tantalising tour through the animal kingdom. Here are some of the best places to horrify friends by chowing down on something cute…
1. Goat in the Caribbean
The rather ominous-sounding Goat Water (it's a delicious stew, not what you're thinking…) is the national dish on the island of Montserrat. However, for those who don't fancy heading to an island with an active volcano, try nearby St Kitts. The Ocean Terrace Inn (
www.oceanterraceinn.com) dishes it up on its Caribbean nights.
2. Guinea pig in Peru
While we have KFC, the Peruvians have health-and-safety-regulation-shunning street stalls offering up fried guinea pig. It's greasy as hell, but that's partly the point. Just don't be surprised if you feel a little queasy the day after.
3. Horse burger in Ljubljana, Slovenia
Whopping great tasty burgers, slathered in salad and sauce, munched in one of Ljubljana's main streets… Delicious, providing you can block out the images of Phar Lap being led into the abattoir. Hot Horse (
www.hot-horse.si) is a popular chain in Slovenia and eating Dobbin is considered as natural as eating beef.
4. Dog in Seoul, South Korea
When the 2002 football World Cup came to town, the Korean authorities tried to erase all traces of dog-eating in the capital. Given that it's a popular delicacy, they didn't succeed, although don't expect to see it advertised in a tourist-orientated restaurant. Head to the back streets and market stalls if you really want to book yourself a one-way ticket to eternal unpopularity with canine lovers.
5. Cat in Shenzhen, China
The Koreans do dog and the Cantonese do cat. In 2006 a restaurant in Shenzhen was forced to stop selling cat meatballs after howls of protest internationally. It's still a fairly popular dish in Guangzhou Province, though.
For the strange meat connoisseur, the Sydney Tower Restaurant (
www.sydneytowerrestaurant.com.au) is heaven. The non-patriotic can eat their way through the Australian coat of arms, accompanying a few nice slices of kangaroo with some juicy emu.
7. Crocodile pizza in Sydney
If you've not filled up at the Sydney Tower, why not head up the road to the Australian Hotel (
www.australianheritagehotel.com) in The Rocks. Its range of gourmet pizzas includes salties. Steve Irwin supporters wouldn't approve, but when was the last time you saw a croc weighing up the moral implications before devouring a misguided swimmer?
8. Shark in Iceland
Sharks aren't exactly vegetarian either, so it's best to get in first. Hakarl is an integral part of Iceland's traditional cuisine, although it's not for those with sensitive stomachs. If being kind, it is fermented shark. If being honest, it's mouldy…
Iceland is a whale-eating country, more than happy to chase down and slaughter the giants of the deep in order to serve them up on a plate. Try telling someone in Reykjavik that whale hunting is reprehensible and you probably won't get far.
9. Reindeer in Helsinki, Finland
Rudolph's good enough to do the job on his own, so who cares if you tuck into Donner, Blitzen and Santa's other minor minions? The utterly ridiculous Zetor restaurant (
www.ravintolazetor.fi) in Helsinki (think a nightclub, but with tractors in it) specialises in this favourite national dish.
10. Brown bear in Tallinn, Estonia
Surely the champion of them all is the roast bear served at the kitschy Olde Hansa restaurant (
www.oldehansa.ee) in the Estonian capital. The concept is simple: capture big bear in the woods, cook it, then get people in pixie costumes to serve it up to morally ambivalent tourists.
