9 of the world's most controversial foods
世界上最有爭議的食品9
This critically endangered largest species of amphibian sells for $1,000 apiece in China, due to over-harvesting for the food trade.- Shark fin still consumed regularly in China, though hotels and airlines have recently removed the dish from menus
- Green sea turtle is a delicacy in Cayman Islands, though travelers are advised to avoid it
- Gorillas nearly extinct due to hunting, but still sold as bushmeat in central and Western Africa
(CNN) -- Exotic food is part of the global travel experience.
But recent efforts by conservation groups to ban the much-loved deep fried shark sandwich in Trinidad and Tobago have proved these experiences are often fraught with cultural difficulties, especially for travelers who like to experiment with new experiences.
Here are some of the more exotic food items travelers might encounter, along with reasons some say you should avoid them.
Ortolan (France)
The ortolan is a songbird found throughout Europe.
In France, home to one of the largest populations, it's a delicacy traditionally consumed beneath a napkin, because it's eaten whole, the entire creature devoured in one mouthful. The dish featured in the latest "Hannibal"TV series.
Poachers illegally kill thousands every year and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimates that the species has declined by 30% over the past decade.
"The population has declined steadily due to illegal hunting purely to satisfy epicurean appetites," says Professor Stanley Temple, a conservation expert at the University of Wisconsin.
"We have a terrible history of decimating birds like the ortolan, which are hunted solely for illicit profit."
MORE: 10 best French restaurants in Paris
Shark fin (China)
"One quarter of species of shark are at risk of extinction and demand for fins is a substantial component of this threat," says Professor Michael McCarthy, a conservationist at the University of Melbourne.
You're mostly likely to come across shark fin soup in China, where the expensive dish is traditionally served at weddings, or to welcome guests and to show respect at other formal occasions.
In Asia, consumption of shark fins and meat is legal, and Taiwan is the only Asian country to ban the controversial practice of finning, which involves removing the shark's fin and discarding the rest of the carcass at sea.
Recently some airlines and hotels in Hong Kong removed shark fin from their menus in response to the controversy and China banned the serving of shark fin at official government banquets.
MORE: More airlines ban shark fin cargo
MORE: China bans shark fin dishes at official banquets
Green sea turtle (Cayman Islands)
Travelers are most likely to find green sea turtle meat in the Cayman Islands (where it's regarded as a national dish and legal to consume and breed the species), throughout the Caribbean, Asia and some of the U.S. southern states, although it's illegal to import, sell, or transport the species in the United States.
Diminishing numbers and the widely condemned breeding conditions found at the world's only legal breeding facility in the Cayman Islands mean travelers should avoid this dish, according to some.
"Whilst some local communities may depend on turtle meat for subsistence and cultural reasons, there's no need for travelers or tourists to eat this endangered animal," points out Elise Neve at the World Society for the Protection of Animals.
MORE: 10 top Caribbean secrets
Pangolin (China)
If you're keen to impress friends with tales of exotic foods the pangolin might tick the box, but increased demand has wreaked havoc for the creature, despite its unappetizing appearance.
You're most likely to find a plateful of pangolin in China, where it's now illegal to hunt the animal.
The pangolins' secretive, solitary and nocturnal habits have made it hard to estimate numbers, although records point to a sharp decrease.
"Pangolins look like armor-plated lizards, but are shy, nocturnal mammals," explains Simon Pope, director of campaigns and communications at World Society for the Protection of Animals.
"The wildlife trade network TRAFFIC has reported that the insatiable demand for pangolin meat has decimated populations and demand from China is now seeing pangolins in Africa being hunted for the Asian restaurant market."
MORE: Off the menu: China moves to protect endangered species
Western long-beaked echidna (PapuaNew Guinea)
The Western long-beaked echidna's native home is New Guinea, but the threat of extinction looms large due to hunting for human consumption.
It's one of only two species of mammal to lay eggs (the other is the platypus), and is key to understanding mammalian evolution.
The Papua New Guinean government has banned commercial hunting but traditional hunting with dogs is permitted.
They're now incredibly rare in New Guinea, but breeding programs carried out by zoos in other countries are going some way to safeguard the species' future.
Mountain chicken/giant ditch frog (Dominica, Montserrat)
This super-sized amphibian may not look too appealing as a delicacy, but its popularity in the Caribbean has seen the population decline by 80% over the past decade.
The meat regularly appears on restaurant menus, although it's now only found on Dominica and Montserrat.
The IUCN, which lists the species as critically endangered, says up to 36,000 were being killed every year as recently as 2002, and estimates there are now just 8,000 remaining.
Gorilla (Republic of the Congo)
Gorillas have been pushed to the brink of extinction due to their popularity as bushmeat.
In cities such as Pointe Noire in the Republic of the Congo, smoked gorilla meat is sold openly (but illegally) at markets.
It's believed that more than 400 gorillas are killed for bushmeat every year, despite the fact that the species is listed as critically endangered by the IUCN.
The species' low productive rates mean that even low levels of hunting have a devastating effect on populations.
MORE: 10 things to know before visiting Democratic Republic of Congo
Chinese giant salamander (China)
Chinese giant salamanders are the largest species of amphibian and live in lakes and rivers in southern China.
Over the past 30 years, over-harvesting for the food trade -- they sell for $1,000 a piece -- has seen an 80% decline in numbers, and it's now classed as critically endangered by the IUCN.
Over-harvesting hasn't just threatened its survival but stunted its growth -- scientists believe that hunters' preference for larger salamanders is the reason they no longer grow beyond six feet in length.
"Chinese giant salamander should always be avoided," says Claire Christian at the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition. "This species has declined to extremely low levels."
Dolphin (Japan, Taiwan)
Sale of dolphin meat for consumption is common and legal in Japan, although it's often mislabeled and sold as whale meat, which sells for much more.
Although the way in which the dolphins are killed is controversial, most notably as highlighted by the movie "The Cove," none of the species being hunted in Japan are listed as endangered.
In Taiwan, the catching, selling and consumption of dolphin meat was banned in 1989.
Despite this, 1,000 dolphins are caught illegally there every year and dolphin fishcakes are often sold openly at street food stalls, especially in Western Taiwan.
- 魚翅在中國仍然經常食用，但酒店和航空公司最近從菜單中刪除的菜
- 綠海龜是在開曼群島美味，但遊客應盡量避免在它
- 大猩猩由於狩獵幾乎絕跡，但仍作為叢林肉賣中部和西部非洲
（CNN） -異國情調的食品是全球旅行體驗的一部分。
但是，最近的努力，保育團體，以取締備受寵愛的油炸鯊魚三明治在特里尼達和多巴哥已經證明這些經驗往往是充滿了文化的困難，特別是對於誰喜歡嘗試新的體驗的旅客。
這裡有一些旅客可能會遇到更奇特的食物，以及一些理由說你應該避免他們。
Ortolan（法國）
該ortolan是整個歐洲發現了一個女歌手。
在法國，家中人口最多的一個，它是傳統的消費餐巾紙下方的美味，因為它是吃整個，整個生物吞噬的一口。該菜特色的最新的“漢尼拔”電視劇。
非法偷獵者殺害數以萬計，每年和國際聯合為自然（IUCN）的保護估計，該品種已在過去十年中下降了30％。
“人口不斷減少，由於非法狩獵純粹是為了滿足口腹之欲享樂主義，”斯坦利寺教授，保育專家在威斯康星大學。
“我們有抽取鳥像ortolan，這是純粹獵取非法利益的一個可怕的歷史”。
魚翅（中國）
“一季度的鯊魚物種處於滅絕和鰭的需求的風險是這種威脅的主要組成部分，”教授邁克爾·麥卡錫，一個環保主義者在墨爾本大學。
你最有可能碰到魚翅湯在中國，昂貴的菜是傳統供應婚禮，或歡迎客人，並尊重其他正式場合。
在亞洲，魚翅和肉的消費是合法的，台灣是唯一的亞洲國家禁止割鰭的有爭議的做法，其中包括切除魚翅，在海上丟棄屍體的其餘部分。
最近，一些航空公司和酒店在香港去掉魚翅從菜單響應爭議，中國禁止魚翅的份量在官方宴會。
綠海龜（開曼群島）
遊客最有可能找到綠色的海龜肉在開曼群島（在那裡的視為國菜和法律消費和繁殖的品種），在整個加勒比地區，亞洲和一些美國南部各州，雖然是非法的進口，銷售或運輸的品種在美國。
減少數量和在開曼群島是世界上唯一合法的養殖設施中發現的廣泛譴責飼養條件意味著旅客應避免這種菜，據一些。
“雖然一些當地社區可能依賴於龜肉的生存和文化的原因，也沒有必要為旅客或遊客吃這種瀕臨滅絕的動物，”指出埃莉斯韋迪在世界社會為保護動物。
穿山甲（中國）
如果你熱衷於朋友們留下深刻的印象與異國食品的故事穿山甲可能在方框裡打勾，但需求增加，肆虐的怪物，儘管它不好吃的外觀。
你最有可能找到穿山甲在中國的滿盤，它現在非法捕獵的動物。
該穿山甲'隱秘，孤獨和夜間習慣已經使得它很難估計的數字，雖然記錄指向急劇下降。
“穿山甲看起來像裝甲蜥蜴，但害羞，夜行哺乳動物，”西蒙教皇的宣傳和傳播總監在世界協會動物保護的解釋。
“野生動物貿易網絡流量報告說，對穿山甲肉貪得無厭的需求銳減的人口和來自中國的需求現在看到在非洲穿山甲被獵殺的亞洲餐飲市場。”
西長喙針鼴（巴布亞 新畿內亞）
西長喙針鼴的老家是新幾內亞，但滅絕的威脅織機由於狩獵供人食用大。
它只有兩個種哺乳動物下蛋（另一個是鴨嘴獸）之一，關鍵是理解哺乳動物的進化。
巴新政府已經禁止商業捕鯨，但傳統的狩獵與狗是允許的。
他們現在非常罕見的在新幾內亞，但在其他國家動物園開展繁殖計劃要去一些方法來保護該物種的未來。
山地雞/巨溝蛙 （多米尼加，蒙特塞拉特）
這個超大型的兩棲動物可能不會看起來太吸引人作為美味佳餚，但其在加勒比地區普及在過去十年見過的人口下降了80％。
肉經常出現在餐廳的菜單，雖然它現在只發現在多米尼加和蒙特塞拉特。
世界自然保護聯盟，其中列出作為極度瀕危的物種，說高達36,000，正在每年被殺，最近在2002年，並估計目前有8,000只剩餘。
大猩猩（共和國 剛果）
大猩猩一直推到了滅絕的邊緣，由於其受歡迎程度獸肉。
在城市，如黑角剛果共和國，煙熏大猩猩肉被公開出售（但非法）在市場上。
它認為，超過400只大猩猩，每年殺害獸肉，儘管該物種被列為極度由世界自然保護聯盟瀕危的事實。
該物種的低產率意味著，即使是低狩獵的水平對人群產生破壞性的影響。
中國大鯢（中國）
中國大鯢是兩棲動物最大的品種，生活在湖泊和河流在中國南部。
在過去的30年中，過度採伐食物業 - 他們賣1000美元一件 - 已經看到了數字的80％的跌幅，而它現在歸類為審慎由世界自然保護聯盟瀕危。
過度採伐已經不只是威脅其生存，但阻礙其成長 - 科學家認為獵人“偏好較大的蠑螈是他們不再增長超過六英尺長的原因。
“應始終避免中國大鯢，”克萊爾說，基督徒在南極和南大洋聯合會。“這個物種已經下降到非常低的水平。”
海豚（日本，台灣）
出售海豚肉的消費是普遍的，合法的，在日本，雖然它經常被貼錯標籤和出售的鯨肉，其售價為多。
雖然其中海豚被殺害的方式是有爭議的，最主要的是所強調的電影“海豚灣”，沒有被獵殺的日本種被列為瀕危。
在台灣，捕捉，銷售和海豚肉的消費量被禁止在1989年。
儘管如此，1,000海豚被發現有非法每年都會和海豚魚餅往往是在街頭食品攤位公開出售，尤其是在台灣西部。
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