If it wins, I get 500 bucks, and for the first time ever, my esoteric knowledge of all things food-related suddenly pays for the rent.
My entry, Kiviak is probably one of the nastiest things that I could ever imagine someone having to use for sustenance. The reason behind its development is likely that in colder climates, people needed a way to preserve meat while keeping it raw. People found that eating little but cooked meat left them with a distinct nutritional deficiency (specifically Vitamin D). As such, the delicacy Kiviak came into being.
Kiviak, quite simply, is fermented auks. Because older cultures did not have the luxury of wooden barrels, they instead used disemboweled seal carcasses to store de-feathered auks. The seal carcass is rubbed with oil and sutured shut, then left to ferment underground for 2-7 months beneath a large, flat stone. The seal meat is not eaten, but instead the birds are split open and their fermented intestinal juice eaten directly or used as sauce.
It's quite hideous, I feel, but apparently, the same concept is used to create fish sauce. When it comes down to it, fermentation, be it alcohol, yogurt, cheese, or even bread, is simply controlled rotting. The primary difference is that eating a fermented food is often very healthful, while just chowing down on rotted anything will make you sick.
Anyway, being the enormous anime geek I am, I discovered this via Moyashimon, a food-science anime:
Lovely.
Anyway, please vote for me if you can. My entry is listed as Kiviak. I'll get 500 dollars if I win.
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