SFoodie may have just discovered the secret to world peace: The tenets of Islam, Judaism, and Hinduism all agree that the consumption of horses is forbidden. If we can all come together on what's just plain icky to eat, we might be able to all just get along. This list of foods forbidden around the world just might help us all gauge how far we are from being on the same page.
8.
GumSingapore is no fan of kissing a little longer. You're not allowed to bring chewing gum into the country, and stiff fines await those outlaws who dare to litter with the sticky stuff.
7.
Shark's fin soup
A staple in Chinese restaurants even in the Western world. Opposition to shark's fin soup begins with the "finning" process: cutting fins from sharks still alive, then dropping them back into the water, defenseless, to die. Even though California Cuisine godmother Alice Waters
isn't a fan anymore, at this point shark's fin is still only a private taboo.
6.
"Downer" cowsThe U.S. Department of Agriculture banned the slaughter of cows too sick to stand up (called "downers")
just this year. Before that, pretty much any old diseased bovine had a fair shot at your plate.
5.
Bear
Another commonality between Islam and Judaism: Don't eat bear. Ted Nugent, however, is
still a believer.
4.
CamelStrictly a no-no, states the Torah, and somehow we think it doesn't taste like chicken. Though it might make for some
tasty chocolate.
3.
Foie grasSubject of a two-year ban in Chicago (it was overturned in 2008) and soon to be outlawed in the state of California. Production methods for fattening duck and goose livers continue to be called into question.
2.
DogCanine still appears as a not-too-exotic ingredient in Vietnam, but it's recently popped up in Europe, too. The illegal manufacture of dog lard was discovered on a farm in Poland earlier this year.
1.
Forbidden riceChinese black rice is not banned or even frowned upon anywhere in the world. But its alluring name has been part of the draw for Western shoppers in the relatively short time it's been on the market here.
