Before jetting off on an exotic culinary adventure, it pays to read up on a country’s favourite regional fare. After all, when it comes to food, every culture has its own version of what constitutes a tasty snack. To help, we’ve rounded up a collection of some of the world’s most uncanny edibles, from fried spiders to local lizards and great big mouthwatering worms! Adventurous eaters beware: not everything tastes like chicken and one man’s pet may be another man’s delicacy.

Takha and Sanya Khuna are two of the wintertime favourite foods of the Newars of Nepal, especially in Kathmandu. Takha (originally Ta Khwa, meaning ‘frozen stuff’) is a frozen dish made from buffalo meat (only male buffalo meat is acceptable in a typical Newari kitchen). Sanya Khuna (sanya is ‘dried fish’; khuna means ‘boiled or cooked’) is a frozen fish soup. Both Takha and Sanya Khuna are often prepared and served together, due to the similar preparation methods.

Every month, we delve into the travel experiences of people in the extended WHL Group network. This month we talk to Ny Sandayvy, office manager at angkorhotels.org, the whl.travel local connection based Siem Reap, Cambodia.

I peered into the dark, foul-smelling room. Down on all fours, pacing back and forth in anxiety, the victim awaited his death sentence. About 15 paces away, standing in front of a dirty wooden shed, holding a sharpened knife and dressed in a bloody apron was the stoic old executioner flanked by his young wild-eyed henchmen. I hadn’t realised what I was getting myself into months earlier when I accepted my friend’s invitation to a “very special family event in the countryside.” Her devilish grin should have tipped me off, but the dea of a traditional Czech pig-killing feast, or zabíjačka, really intrigued me.

Forget ritzy restaurants and fine gourmet dining. If you want to taste the real essence of a place, you need to hit the streets and see what’s cooking. These eats are more than just for locals and budget travellers, they’re also a sure-fire way to get straight to the heart of a country and its people. Just look for the busiest pushcart, stall or street hawker you can find and say hello to the tastiest and cheapest, although not necessarily healthiest, grub of your trip.