Chunchullo – slightly blurred by the steam that came from the freshly squeezed  lime juice

When the Colombians eat their lovely deep fried fat, they thought, ‘What would go best with that? Ok, let’s fry up some intestines to go with it!’

The plate of chopped up sizzling tubes may look grotesque. It may look more at home on the table of Adam’s Family than in a restaurant. But how many times have we learned in life that we can’t judge by appearance?

As a Chinese, I have tried many stranger things before,  including lungs, spleen, fish stomach, ears and tongues. So,  I was ready for this. My knees were still going strong when the dish arrived to challenge me.

However, these do look more ‘literal’ than what I am used to. So even though intestines may be bread and butter to me, they required more courage on my part.

Upon the first bite, both texture and taste bring familiarity. I guess, at the end of the day, pigs across the world are the same. They all have fat-lined intestines.

It’s chewy. So be prepared for some jaw work. It has a distinctly strong aroma of animal fat so if you’re not a meat-lover you may not be too delighted with it. For those who are too proud to eat organs because they think they can pay for their meat, lower your dignity-filled capsule, give it a try before saying no! It makes an interesting alternative to your chorizo or nachos as a party snack, and will definitely light up the crowd!