10 Fun Facts About Smelliest Foods Quiz

Which fermented fish dish from Sweden is infamous for its extremely pungent odor, often causing its cans to bulge due to continued fermentation?

Surströmming is a Swedish delicacy of fermented Baltic Sea herring. The fermentation process continues even after the fish is canned, producing gases that can cause the cans to bulge and contributing to its famously strong, often described as putrid, smell upon opening.

What tropical fruit, known as the 'king of fruits' in Southeast Asia, is notorious for its strong, distinctive odor that often leads to it being banned in many public places?

Durian is widely recognized for its unique and extremely pungent aroma, which some describe as a mix of sulfur, sewage, and rotten onions, while others find it sweet and pleasant. This strong smell has led to bans in hotels and public transportation in parts of Southeast Asia.

This Chinese delicacy, often preserved for weeks or months, features a dark, gelatinous egg white and a greenish-black yolk. What is it commonly called?

Century eggs, or Pidan, are preserved duck, chicken, or quail eggs. They are cured in a mixture that includes clay, ash, salt, quicklime, and rice hulls, which transforms the egg white into a dark, translucent jelly and the yolk into a creamy, greenish-black substance with a strong sulfuric and ammonia-like smell.

Which semi-soft cow's milk cheese is famously associated with a strong, pungent aroma often compared to sweaty feet?

Limburger cheese is well-known for its powerful aroma, which is often likened to sweaty feet. This distinctive smell comes from the bacterium Brevibacterium linens, which is also found on human skin.

What Icelandic national dish consists of fermented shark meat, characterized by its strong ammonia smell due to the breakdown of urea?

Hákarl is a traditional Icelandic dish made from fermented Greenland shark. The fresh shark meat is toxic due to high levels of urea and trimethylamine oxide, which are eliminated during a months-long fermentation and drying process, leaving behind a potent ammonia-like odor.

This traditional Japanese food, often eaten for breakfast, is made from fermented soybeans and is known for its sticky, stringy texture and pungent aroma. What is it called?

Natto is a Japanese dish of fermented soybeans, famous for its distinctive strong smell, often compared to old socks or aged cheese, and its slimy, stringy consistency. It is a popular breakfast food in Japan.

A popular street food in China and Taiwan, this fermented soybean curd is famous for its powerful, often offensive odor. What is this dish known as?

Stinky Tofu, or Chou Doufu, is a Chinese fermented tofu with an extremely strong odor, often compared to rotten garbage or smelly feet. Despite its potent smell, it is a beloved street food, particularly in Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Which blue cheese, made from sheep's milk and aged in natural caves, is renowned for its distinct pungent aroma and sharp, salty flavor?

Roquefort is a French blue cheese made exclusively from sheep's milk and aged in the natural Combalou caves. Its pungent aroma and sharp flavor come from the Penicillium roqueforti mold and the unique cave environment.

This Korean dish features fermented skate, a cartilaginous fish, and is noted for its powerful ammonia-like odor. What is the name of this unique dish?

Hongeo-hoe is a South Korean specialty consisting of fermented skate. The skate's flesh naturally contains urea, which breaks down into ammonia during fermentation, giving the dish a very strong, distinctive odor often compared to public restrooms.

A Japanese fermented fish delicacy, often made from mackerel or flying fish, is known for its intense, pungent smell and is a specialty of the Izu Islands. What is this island-specific food called?

Kusaya is a Japanese fermented fish, typically horse mackerel or flying fish, that has an extremely pungent odor due to its unique brine fermentation process. It is a traditional product of the Izu Islands.