People in NJ eat ‘fried muskrat?’ — Plus, more strange animals used for food

If you think that Lower Alloways Creek Township doesn't even sound like a place that could be in New Jersey, I'm with you. Sounded like Kentucky to me.

To solidify that red-neck, backwoods image in your mind, there's a long-standing tradition with their fire company to get together for a meal of juicy, tender fried muskrat once a year. You think that's strange? Here are some animals that are still eaten in other places.

Silkworms
It is common to eat battered and fried silkworms, boiled silkworms or worm kabobs. Supposedly they have a distinct smell and a bitter taste. Upon biting them – nausea alert — they pop and juices come out.

Rats
In many places where meat is very expensive, getting pork or beef is out of the question. That’s where rats come in. It isn’t uncommon in some Asian countries to serve whole battered rat.

Dogs
In areas where protein sources are scarce, dog makes a suitable dinner and keeps humans from starving and in some areas like Asia and the South Pacific, a doggie dinner is commonplace.

Raw Octopus
Eating octopus is not all that uncommon, especially in Asian countries, and you can likely find it on the menu at many Asian restaurants in the United States. However, this Korean octopus dish is different: it's served raw — and by raw, I mean the octopus is still alive. It's called Sannakji. The octopus is served whole or cut into small pieces and seasoned with sesame oil.

Nutria
More commonly called a river rat, nutria are rodents; major pests that look like a cross between a rat and a beaver. Sometimes it's made into sausage.

Horse
Many Americans are strongly opposed to consuming horse, but horse meat is fairly common in Canada and Europe.

Gorillas
Gorillas are a big part of the bush-meat trade, and their meat is big business in some areas.

Turtles
In some areas, turtles are protected but in others they are fair game. In addition, sea turtles are often illegally poached and consumed. While turtles are a more common menu item in Asian countries, you can easily find recipes for turtle soup online, and people in this country still enjoy a good turtle!

Ants
Ants are a popular addition to sweets and candy in some nations, and in others (where the ants are huge), they are eaten fried or baked. If you want to enjoy ants in France you can buy them in chocolate bars.

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