by Laura Howard

Created on: August 02, 2009   Last Updated: August 06, 2009

Food is one of those things that every living thing needs to survive. Whether it's us animals who eat other animals, or the plant world that makes its own food, we wouldn't be here without it. Which makes it a good thing that the majority of us love to eat! With the exception of the L.A fashion set, of course.

Different cultures eat different foods. Fact. Mainly due to what animals or plants live in the area humans do. Not all of these foods are accepted in certain cultures or religious circles however. In this article, I will be examining some of the weird and wonderful foods that different cultures eat. From Bath Chaps to Insects, nothing will be left to the imagination. Bon Apetit!

Let's start with Britain. An explanation for the English cuisine can be found in wartime 20th Century. During the wars, food was scarce and had to be rationed, which left many a household with very little food to play with. Leftovers were unheard of, most people re-used them, just like recycling. But what did they eat? Well:

Bath Chaps: A largely unknown food nowadays, most English have never even heard of them. But they were a very real dish. Bath Chaps are basically pickled or boiled Pig's Cheeks/Jaw rolled and cooked in breadcrumbs. What they were served with is down to the individual. Personally, anti nausea medication would be on the table.

Tripe: Not just an English food, but certainly eaten by the Brits none the less. Tripe is the stomach lining of (usually) Beef. Nowadays it is mainly used in pet food, but the Scottish still enjoy a good old stomach lining. Haggis, as it is known, is Sheep's stomach lining (cleaned out, of course) filled with mince and spices. It may not sound appetising, but it's one of the tastiest dishes I've ever had.

Now, let's move onto the continent. And to Cheese. The Sardinians don't usually rate highly on weird food. But they have a cheese that will make your stomach wriggle. Literally. The Sardinians have developed a Cheese over the years called "Casu Marzu". It's Cheese with live Maggots crawling in it. And the people love it. Apparently the act of the Maggots eating and pooing out the cheese makes it creamier than anything else they've ever tasted. Only the cheese with live maggots will do! Cheese with dead maggots means the cheese has gone toxic, and therefore it is inedible. Incredible!

On to the far east. And to seafood. Now, you may thing seafood is an normal as it comes. But not when it's alive and eating it is sometimes

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