"It Smells Like Ammonia" Andrew Zimmern Eats Rotten Shark In Iceland | Bizarre Foods

Andrew Zimmern goes to Iceland, where he eats one of the country's specialities: rotten shark. According to the locals, eating this dish without gagging separates the men from the boys!
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[@fallinginthed33p]

"It smells like something died." "I'll bring you a very good piece!" Durian from the sea then.

[@kalebgonzales4009]

Haha

[@northcackalacky4694]

Great comment 👍

[@crossedfingers8445]

Weak

[@slook7094]

Except he hates durian. He liked hakarl.

[@angusmacgyver]

The sharks indeed died in the process.

[@lixxxxit]

Think about the circumstances that led up to these people realizing that after the shark has rotted for 3 months, its finally safe-ish to eat if you have a strong gut!

[@samyim3365]

what about oysters?

[@Jpsk1981]

Probably someone ate a rotten shark because was starving. There is a history about a japanese island whose population survived during the WWII eating a poisonous plant, that they discovered to be edible after fermentation.

[@tomcollins5112]

@@Jpsk1981 Our ancient ancestors fermented a lot of the food they ate, both meat and vegetables. It aids in digestion and is healthy for you.

[@hunterbear2421]

@@samyim3365 you mosty eat oysters still alive that why they have to be cooled

[@juuk3103]

Super healthy for your gut, it's safe to eat not safeish

[@tial9135]

This man set an example to be respectful towards other cultures.

[@DDOMINICK]

Agreed!

[@adamsmith-wi3qg]

Completely agree. But i sadly will never forget the one episode (maybe in Mongolia?) where he snapped a reindeer's antler and it was bleeding 😬 that was rough. Total accident but tough to watch.

[@MsAmique]

m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/h5_NpaGwrrmBpbM

[@shakes.dontknowwhatyergettin]

An excess of fake gushing positivity is more irritating than respectful

[@gavcom4060]

@@shakes.dontknowwhatyergettindidn’t think he was too giddy eating this shark

[@degov5]

"Can we see the boxes? To Andrew Zimmern, "No, we have to keep it secret" To Ju Shardlow from Insider: "sure, we'll show you the entire operation."

[@zechsblack5891]

I was scrolling for this comment

[@bigchungus2667]

IKR lol same dude, same farm

[@WakandaBabe]

I just made the same comment because I just watched that video. Maybe he liked her. She is very Icelandic-looking.

[@Sadiyyah314]

He trying to "keep it a secret" AS IF we are interested in letting sharks rot in boxes ourselves lol

[@murdah4474]

Or maybe it's covered in maggots

[@Jisim33]

@Ya boi yum lol

[@bg357wg]

Well this was aired over 13 years ago…he appeared again in this much more recent video kzbin.info/www/bejne/h5_NpaGwrrmBpbM …and you get to see them in the boxes and everything. It’s also notable how much his onscreen presence changed and he looks so much more comfortable now in front of the camera

[@papabear9481]

@@murdah4474 What!? You've never had dry aged and smoked maggots?!? They are smoky and nutty, absolutely fantastic 👏

[@unlimon6382]

It is apparently very expensive, so yeah. A lot of people would be interested in doing it to basically live

[@leemotts5201]

One of the best episodes of this show ever. Love bizarre foods. Throws me back to my childhood

[@arielmiller3976]

Same!

[@RBoyle-fn5hh]

Natural "rotting" of meats and fish is a totally organic way of preserving the food without the need for refrigeration...thus the obvious reason it's a traditional food of our ancestors. What astounds me is the question of just HOW they figured it all out! I guess there were a LOT of sick and/or dead ancestors along THAT process!

[@copperlemon1]

Nordic people had likely been eating gravlax ('grave salmon") for a long time before they encountered the shark, so they probably weren't working with nothing in this particular case.

[@SuperHuscarl]

I went through a history class where we studied ancient people, and the Sumerians figured ways of preserving meat, and they even have records of people dying from eating food that hadn’t fermented long enough, almost like test subjects. Crazy how we as a species figured it out.

[@EXPLOBRO3]

Everyone on every food network show ever “It’s sweet, it’s nutty”

[@RB-br8tr]

This nutty flavor is in every exotic or expensive food they eat for some reason

[@lovingone]

@@RB-br8tr so true

[@1ChxnceLxnce]

Tastes like chicken

[@tonyjackson4078]

A nutty flavor is pleasant. It's basically palate, you can make anything, but if it hits a certain flavor, it's enjoyable.

[@imthedab]

5:03 it's smells like ammonia "That's because it IS ammonia" squidward voice

[@alexiachimciuc3199]

😁🤣😂🧽😂🤣😁

[@kennyhollidayjr5206]

They pretty much piss through their skin

[@YouPousti]

Is it just me or everything this guy eats is the "perfect mixture" of sweet,salty,smokey and spicy lol

[@mycostipe2581]

Not walnuts. Somehow he can eat every kind of rotten garbage but not a walnut.

[@samgerardi8742]

Lol agreed. And no matter how rancid something is he loves it.

[@DaShishtys]

😂🤝

[@voltrondefofunv5708]

@Chuck Manson 😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝😝

[@Da_Pimp_Nugget]

It might be just you. 😅

[@hypeboi676]

“It’s very healthy, it’s very good for your stomach” okay bro keep telling yourself that 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@sasquatch8268]

It is healthy lol

[@Whiterun_Gaurd]

Could be. Kimchi, cambucha, kefir. All fermented. All good for your gut.

[@adrianaslund8605]

Yeah the fermentation makes it more digestible and often comes with healthy bacteria for your gut. Also the Icelandic accent is the closest to a Skyrim accent you get in real life.

[@urielmartinez6279]

I tried this once. It’s gooey and chewy at the same time. And your burps smell like rotting fish for 3 days after.

[@dannygreen5477]

Wonderful.......

[@SrJrXVIII]

Amazing...

[@Jcastro9444]

Lmao

[@theoriginalrudeboy2916]

i wonder how the fart smells

[@Jcastro9444]

"It's sweet & nutty " everybody knows he pulled that one outta his ass LOL Andrew is a character

[@Matt-og5kd]

nutty, not gamy at all...

[@adrianaslund8605]

I don't think he did. It's probably pretty good.

[@bomber16]

Everything is always nutty to Andrew

[@jmjosemora16]

Including non seasoned farmed chicken

[@TimothySlickback]

Because he is a nutty buddy!

[@uzibenisrael6917]

He may be a swallower.

[@goatz4u]

Yet he hates walnuts 🤔

[@tempest206]

@@uzibenisrael6917 👀

[@joevan2995]

Also the oldest shark species alive can live up to 500 years old

[@raulmorales5155]

Witch shark

[@brogastlol1239]

@@raulmorales5155 the wone they just eat

[@stiperaddaraddaraddamiocic9708]

@@brogastlol1239 witch wone?

[@stiperaddaraddaraddamiocic9708]

🤣

[@alexanderreider7552]

Actually longer. Not sure if you knew that.

[@baltoslowdown3982]

Puke blood? Spend years trying to figure out how to eat it? What kept them going lol I wonder if anybody sat and thought “maybe we should NOT eat this” lmfao

[@erickcarreno2929]

There was nothing else to eat

[@tomcollins5112]

Our ancient ancestors fermented a lot of the food they ate, both vegetables and meat. It is healthy for you. Aids in the digestion.

[@SeriviusR]

When you get hungry enough, you'll do and eat almost anything lol

[@baltoslowdown3982]

@@SeriviusR I’d prolly live off those pigs lmao

[@scruffmcgruffthecrimedawg5661]

@@baltoslowdown3982 those pigs weren't there when vikings settled.

[@papabear9481]

I remember this episode back when it originally aired. Was a different world back then.

[@jackuzi8252]

Remember how bad everything smelled before running water, soap, etc. Rotting shark was probably not a bigger deal than spicy nachos are to us.

[@eln0n01]

Seems like you have never been to a place without running water, these places exist and the most of the people DONT stink

[@makokx7063]

@@eln0n01 Was probably thinking of middle-ages developed towns where people through piss and shit into the streets. Small villages with people that at least scrubbed their bodies periodically wouldn't be any worse than a present day subway lol

[@venomgoldenreaper3834]

@@eln0n01 they still wash , he is talking about the before 1800 colonisers and they believed washing wasnt good for you so I guarantee u everything smelled (there was no garbage truck btw) so trash shit piss dirty ppl everywhere

[@dannygreen5477]

No I don't and neither do you......

[@Maggot9004]

Watched every single episode of bizarre foods as a kid and would love to see a collab with this guy and Best Ever Food Reviews

[@emland123]

It smells like Ammonia!...Yea...You want one? Very good very healthy 👍🏼

[@Lake3015]

Andrew: "I appreciate that, can we see it in the drying room?" Gudjon: "No" Andrew: "Ok, well I guess that's the end of this shoot"

[@bladerunner_559]

Lol not mention years later they revealed the secret on a different segment

[@xentrix89]

What level of food enthusiast do you have to get to unlock "rotten shark meat"?

[@LAK_770]

Think about the desperation and ingenuity that went into figuring out how to eat this. I tried this on a business trip to Reykjavik right before COVID, and it took everything I had to not wretch. I probably looked like that meme of the kid with the forehead vein. It was like huffing soiled kitty litter while eating old fish from a dumpster in August.

[@Initium1000]

I think people even way back in the day used to store/ferment/age meat. I imagine why they decided to eat this though unless it was a starvation issue. It looks disgusting

[@youboob6297]

so i assume that when Andrew Zimmern says its "nutty" , fermented shark meat does NOT taste "nutty" like peanut butter nutty but more like peanuts found in someones poop nutty? gross

[@hellojelen2598]

Shit I could feel the smell for that description

[@mokebang7526]

Hahahahahha gave second thoughts on trying it reading this.

[@audranicolio]

This description made me retch. Ick

[@BenDover-sm3th]

5:34 dude didn’t take the comment very well, expression changes 🤣

[@1989inception]

This is coming from a guy who hated Horchata when he drank it lmao

[@Bischlarbo69]

Horchata sucks butt

[@Ryan-ry7oq]

@@Bischlarbo69 More for me I guess

[@oscard.lisboa6105]

Horchata ass

[@nightmarefanatic1819]

What? Horchata is the shit.

[@thatclaudiakid]

What? Horchata is amazing

[@aloysiuseng8086]

Did a food tour in Reykjavik in 2016.. Part of the tour was the trying hakarl and brennivin.. It basically tasted like preserved cuttlefish followed by a shot of fragrant gripewater.. We couldn't get enough of the stuff because both reminded us of childhood treats.. Our Icelandic guide was surprised we enjoyed ourselves, especially when we asked if we could have the remainder on the plate and in the bottle.. (The food tour group comprised of our party of 4 Singaporeans and 4 Americans..)

[@beamzsalt4252]

so quirky

[@surprisinglyroomy]

@@beamzsalt4252 no u

[@Phearsum]

*Is surrounded by shark corpses that have been butchered and left outside to rot.* Host : "I'm a little hesitant, it smells like something died."

[@philbecker4676]

I love KZbin for putting up 30 seconds of unskippable adverts the moment he's about to take a bite.

[@sablewright8053]

Thanks for posting this. ❤ this was one of my favorite 😍 episodes.

[@ariannagardiner6301]

Like we’re gonna steal the secret of rotten shark meat? No thank you sir😂

[@dbells626]

His description of the shark was spot on with my wife.

[@oriolopocholo]

Laughed my ass off when he said that after reading your comment

[@darealblakk]

🤣🤣

[@franciscocruz803]

LMFAO IM DEAD 😂😂😂😂

[@natedawg865]

EWWWWWW HAHAHA

[@dbells626]

UPDATE: Ex-wife Turns out she reads my KZbin comments. Who knew.

[@dabajabaza111]

I love how honest this guy is.

[@philiphahn6086]

Think about the trial and error that had to occurred for them to get this process down pat

[@elcambiollego]

Just WHY? It´s like they hate the sharks so much that they vowed to find a way to eat it even if it was the most gruesome and inefficient way possible.

[@nightmarefanatic1819]

**vomits blood** "Maybe I should let it rot?"

[@darrenbyrnt4349]

My grandma said he's gay and I laughed

[@isaiah2536]

Imagine living 500+ years only to end up in a dirty shed, chopped up, and strung on meat hooks to rot for months! i would be pissed... 😂🦈

[@isaiah2536]

@YESHUA is GOD Dang, this is the last place i would expect a random comment like yours but it’s actually very relevant to my current struggles with “porn addiction”. I haven’t exactly had an easy go of it lately and i’ve struggled for years now trying to control it, everytime i relapse i ask god to forgive me but it’s never dawned on me to pray BEFORE acting on my urges instead of after. I need to call on him to strengthen me when the urges hit despite the shame and fear of failing him. Thanks bro👌🏽 sometimes we gotta hear it from someone else in order to gain clarity.

[@isaiah2536]

@YESHUA is GOD Amen brother 🙏🏽

[@mango8794]

@@isaiah2536 😂

[@isaiah2536]

@@mango8794 😂

[@littlejackalo5326]

@@isaiah2536 easiest cure for that addiction is to cut your peen off.

[@alexandriarobinson2510]

I miss this show I used to watch this all the time 😂

[@qkingoftears]

i remember watching this in high school. im in my 30s now 😪

[@natedawg865]

Zimmern: it smells like something died Everyone watching: uhmmm a shark? Haha

[@oscard.lisboa6105]

Try 60

[@Wowxoxo69]

yep youll be pooping for days😂😂😂😂

[@MissPerriwinkle]

'it smells like sumthin died' !!!! lol no kidding

[@Sz..UG14360]

This was such a nice interview in the beautiful environment

[@timothinking9855]

I think Andrew means 'crazy' every time he says it tastes "nutty"

[@ssgss4iammacabeefu_]

Great show Andrew. God bless

[@tamarockstar09]

So he wouldn’t let him see the wooden crates of fermenting shark but I just saw another video where he (the same guy) showed the girl I believe it was a vice video the trailer of the crates of shark meat… mhmm

[@Fromtheforgottengardens]

Oh yeah that was I was wondering, he was perfectly fine showing the entire process to the British girl from Insider. Maybe he was trying to impress her

[@wah-world]

I saw the same producer in another segment where he showed the meat in the wooden crates. Must have relaxed since this segment to have let another show film the wooden crates.

[@Hamoshekabeka]

True

[@TekoMuto]

Raw, Wild, and to the Point. Just how I like it ;)

[@Widderic]

The second bite it looks like he's in heaven and hell at the same time hahaha

[@Frankiarmz]

There is a more recent video on KZbin that shows the pieces of shark in very open slotted wood crates kept in shipping containers. The liquid that drains from the shark is very ammonia like . Brilliant process!

[@Maso777]

8:22 I wonder how she’s doing in life 🤣😍

[@Mila-er6ms]

😂🤣😅

[@lilmarkxlilclip7216]

Even with COVID you can smell that shark

[@MsAmique]

Andrew already knows the process! 😂

[@georgmettmann5722]

"yeahr i was eying that piece before" ofc, we all did. you should felt very honored and eat the hole thing!

[@rias2085]

Chill bruh

[@tribalchief6965]

This man andrew is legend of food vlogger

[@Weezerr420]

i honestly forgot about this guy, he was really popular in the mid 2000s

[@Markerface]

YOU ARE LIVING UNDER A ROCK HE STILL IS POPULAR ONLY A PERSON THAT KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT FOOD CULTURE OR ONLY KNOWS GORDON RAMSEY

[@Lukamty]

@@Markerface calm down you’re scaring me

[@Markerface]

Wispers* Psst hey you your young naive mind is showing...might want to cover up.

[@Lukamty]

@@Markerface wow you’re cringey as hell

[@Markerface]

@@Lukamty your comment just made me cringe

[@bbface21]

8:05 I've been there! (You don't say that very often).

[@GuruishMike]

If I could get it in my mouth without gagging, I'd try it. Believe it or not, it's the first time I have ever used that phrase before.

[@Novarcharesk]

Wish people would stop saying 'rotten' when they are speaking of something 'fermented'. Those two words are entirely different in meaning.

[@benharbak]

It didn't really taste like much when I had it, but the absolute noxious fumes it released when I bit in made me light-headed, hahaha. The shot of Brennevin did wonders to kill that effect.

[@jjjo7352]

I havent seen an Andrew Zimmern video in a very long time and I already expected "its nutty" to pop up some where. lol

[@paulsaul8155]

I like the videos man so much good content

[@sladecolonel9261]

Now I don't feel so bad about sharks eating people.

[@2guns713]

"That's serious food...' Somebody buy that man a bud and put it on my tab

[@RaysYoutubeTv]

Light or Green? 🤣

[@2guns713]

@@RaysKZbinTv bud heavy and a fat spliff. Gonna need that to stomach that food

[@oscard.lisboa6105]

@@2guns713 shid high ashell is the only way im munchin on rotting shark anyway

[@tleecious]

his voice soothes my soul

[@3VAN35C3NT]

Not sure if I’d rather eat a hakarl or receive a hot carl

[@ZosKia523]

Ahhh the chilis fresh :/

[@JackCarregan]

I really want to eat it. He sold me on it big time

[@_ApoIIo]

For reals haha. Bout to go soon just to try it.

[@Random_Undead]

@@_ApoIIo did you?

[@prettysoIdier]

It’s similar to the ammonia you’d get with bad crab at a Chinese buffet. But reminds me mostly the same aromatic sensation from 1000 year old eggs. Still delicious.

[@armorykittington]

R.I.P. Anthony Bourdain

[@greydeath4273]

Nice one smell it, “uhhh it smells like ammonia” 😹😹😹😹

[@deonb.9018]

There's a video with a female doing the same as Zimmer but he allows her to see the boxes where the fermentation process is being done but won't let Zimmer see lol. At least I believe it's the same spot

[@Hamoshekabeka]

True.

[@3rd-eye-neenja563]

Beautiful country ,,,,beautiful people ,,,,

[@SamSam-jn2rw]

That tv guy just gobbled it up like a lizard 🦎 lol what was with that tongue flipping 👅 😆

[@adonis819]

I'm not sure you'd get me to eat this but a lot of cheeses are ammonia-y and they're delicious.

[@THESONICSPEEDDEMON]

5:08 he was a bit hesitant about taking the meat off the knife xD

[@toogee1850]

6:49 the Icelandic Bill Burr right behind him

[@harvpot8439]

Well done

[@alecklaucarlhamn8829]

And there goes 300 sharks

[@markyang6751]

a icelandic hotdog is top 10 fav things i've ever eaten

[@muldoon5216]

Rotting shark flesh: *”SMELL IT”* Moments later “the smell is a little intimidating”

[@joe_tipakuah4880]

Fantastic..

[@mr.bannana9048]

I would honestly buy a few of those

[@judiegreer1203]

Does anyone know what episode it is, where he goes to the country that makes blood sausage? I thought it was in Iceland.

[@TheSandwhichman108]

You know it smells bad when even the flies don’t touch it.

[@thegroovyboi9598]

>rotten shark meat Have Have they never heard of fermentation? You realize a lot of shit can be called 'rotten' when it's not

[@lexis2660]

But fermentation is from food that are sealed in something like a jar... right??? And the sharks that they have here are being exposed to the open air the whole time

[@thegroovyboi9598]

@@lexis2660 no? There's lots of ways to ferment things

[@cardinalwilson8034]

it seriously could be a really good partner for beer or wine. I want one.

[@jasondaniel918]

My culinary curiosity is considerable, but I might balk at hakarl. I grew up eating huge quantities of seafood from the Chesapeake Bay and the Ocean. The old rule I learned was, "If it smells like ammonia, do NOT eat it!" Hakarl's ammonia smell would go against a lifetime of conditioning. But, I have understood that hakarl is generally served with brennivin, an Icelandic aquavit. Served in that pairing, maybe ... Maybe I would be moved to try it. I dunno.

[@horsehelp4you]

Is it crazy that looks delicious to me?

[@sanjeetsahay5629]

No

[@schwastypantz8795]

😆 thick steves! Lol get it like fat rick steves!

[@ptfsndsw7028]

Wonder how much of that you could eat without falling ill.

[@imadequate3376]

Those hot dogs sounded good.

[@mitchyoung93]

I totally want to go to Hella, Iceland.

[@MsAmique]

It’s a “secret” yet I just watched a whole video on the process. 😂

[@GabGotti3]

“It smells like ammonia” “Yea….”

[@civilengineeringdesign1514]

when this is recorded? 1998?

[@tituswerner4183]

Sure looks like it

[@Rafa-mw6ob]

No way Andrew was there flies eveywhere???

[@arora.aakash]

Andrew ''Oh my gosh! It smells like ammonia'' Icelander ''Yeah! do you want one?''

[@professorquarter]

I had Hakarl when there briefly and found it good. My friend looked at me like I was insane.

[@aaronlindahl4227]

Not thinkin im gonna combine that with licorice

[@mocarnydzbanerek616]

I just love Zimmerman voyages😏

[@leorodriguez9344]

2:10 the homie is sitting with some random ass family 😭

[@williamgates3312]

I'm down for trying anyting I've never used this is up there I'll try it