Sift Picks: Weirdest Desserts From Around the World - Sift Dessert Bar

Sift Picks: Weirdest Desserts From Around the World

Apr 25, 2018

The world is full of strange and wonderful things, including desserts. It’s always a blast to take a virtual “world tour” to see what the rest of the planet is enjoying. Here are a few of the most unusual desserts we found, but even at their weirdest, we still want a bite.

Light Bulb Drinks

light bulb drink

Here’s a new one: have you had boba tea or a milkshake out of a light bulb yet? If not, you’ll likely be seeing them soon at a smoothie shop or dessert bar near you! One of the weirdest, but coolest, trends we’ve seen popping up lately is serving any sort of drink – from the sweet to the alcoholic – right out of a light bulb. Yes, you read that correctly. The uniquely-shaped “glass” lets you really see the swirls and pops of color in your drink, which makes them extra appealing.

Japanese Water Cakes

Also known as “raindrop cake,” this weird and truly delicious concoction looks exactly like a giant glistening water droplet. In Japanese, they’re called Mizu Shingen Mochi, and some clever dessert lovers have been making their own and even including blooming “flowers” in the middle for an added effect. Made with superfine sugar and Japanese agar powder, this delicate dessert has to be chilled and eaten quickly when served, or else it’ll melt back to nothing. You can find a recipe for water cake on this blog!

Chicken Dessert Pudding

If you just did a double take, you’re not alone. Chicken’s not the first ingredient we think of when we think about dessert, either, but in Turkey, it’s called tavuk göğsü and it’s considered a delicacy. Chicken is typically boiled until it’s super soft, then pounded to a delicate consistency and mixed with sugar, milk, rice, spices, and other flavors until it becomes a pudding. Sounds weird, but it’s apparently beloved by locals.

Chocolate Rice Pudding… with a Fishy Twist

Rice pudding doesn’t sound unusual at all, and chocolate is far from being considered “weird” when it comes to dessert. In the Philippines, both are used to create a tasty rice pudding called champorado, along with milk and sugar for sweetness. Sounds delicious! However, this treat is often served alongside a salty dried fish called “tuyo.” Puts a new spin on sweet and savory, doesn’t it?

Cherpumple Cake

This one’s our own weird local creation: a pie in a pie in a pie in a cake. Huh? You’ll find it in Los Angeles, where it started out as a joke. It’s all America’s favorite pies – apple, cherry, and pumpkin – layered on top of one another and surrounded in spice cake with sweet buttercream icing. That’s a sugar bomb if we’ve ever heard one!

Ais Kacang – Rainbow Shave Ice

Rainbow Shave Ice

People who frequent Hawaii won’t be strangers to shave ice, and they may not even bat an eye at the azuki beans mixed with sugar that can serve as its base. However, in Malaysia, this dish is taken even further with the addition of flavors like lychee, green grass, corn, or even pungent durian fruit. Top it all with red syrup or condensed milk and you’ve got a rainbow colored concoction of interesting flavors!

Chocolate Covered Insects

Chocolate Covered Insects

Enough said, right? These are exactly what they sound like: insects with a chocolate coating. Most frequently, they’re crunchy crickets, but you’ll also find grasshoppers, mealworms, or even spiders. In America, we tend to be squeamish about eating bugs, but they’re an excellent source of protein and, by all reports, quite tasty.

Have you heard of any weird or unusual desserts from around the world? Share them with us! We’d love to hear all about them. Have you tried any of the desserts on this list?

Check out our list of the most expensive desserts we've come across.

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