Conan O'Brien Saves An Octopus In South Korea; 5 Weird Korean Food For The Brave

A combination of nomadic and traditional culture, Korean cuisine has truly evolved over generations. But there is more to Korean cuisine than what you may already know. Some may require courage and bravery.

Sannakji (산낙지)

Korea's own version of sushi in the form of an octopus, this dish is, indeed, a challenge to some. A dead octopus with its tentacles still moving and feeling its suction cups in your mouth, one needs to be brave to consume it. You would probably be thinking like Conan O'Brienn, an American comedian, who instead of having the octopus for dinner, chose to buy it as a pet.

He even wanted to bring his new friend Samuel home. He, however, failed to bring his friend, which he later found to be a girl due to some legality issues, Earthables reported.

Went to the fish market today and bought a pet octopus. I named him Samuel. #ConanKorea #southkorea #travel #SamuelTheOctopus

A photo posted by CONAN (@teamcoco) on Feb 14, 2016 at 7:00pm PST

Dalkbal (닭발)

Seasoned with lots of spices that bring a numbing sensation to the tongue challenging how brave you are, this chicken foot delicacy simply shows how Koreans, as they say, does chicken well.

Jokbal (족발)

This dish is perfect for dinner social gatherings. Pig feet sliced thinly, sprinkled with garlic and ssamjang and wrapped in sangchu this Korean specialty goes well with dongdongju, a Korean rice wine, according to Seoulistic.

Hongeo (홍어)

When talking about fermentation, Korea is one of the first countries to come in mind. But this special dish gives Korean fermented products such as ganjang (soy sauce), doenjang (soybean paste), gochujang (chili paste) a twist. Featuring fermented skate with a pungent odor that stinks like ammonia, you truly need to be brave if you want to experience this real Korean delicacy.

Beongdegi (번데기)

Exotic as it may seem to some, these steamed silkworm larvae is widely sold in parks and markets in Korea. The juice that comes out during steaming is what makes it special. Koreans love to have a cup of it, enjoying every bite while walking around a park.

There may be so much more to discover in Korean cuisine that people has yet to explore. Some food may only be for the brave, but one principle remains the same in how Koreans prepare their dish -- food is the key to health, illness and medicine should only come when food fails to do its job, as per Korea.Net.