Do you dare to taste bizarre foods at Beijing's night market

When I saw the words “night market” on the Beijing city map, my stomach rumbled at the thought of vendors with assorted dumplings and classic Chinese sweets which are tasted by many tourists for their affordable China tours.
But when I arrived at Donghuamen Night Market, a street food landmark in Beijing, the plates were heaped with bugs and unconventional animal parts.
The 200-meter-long food street has been around since 1984 and is a hot spot for daring foodies. Sure, there's the tame candied fruit, lamb kebabs and stuffed buns, but the other end of the spectrum is rather more challenging.
With a selection ranging from scorpions to sea horses, the market carries one of the world’s most bizarre food selections.
Here’s the six weirdest items.
1. Fried scorpions
According to the vendors, frying scorpions neutralizes their poison. The tail, ironically, is the most nutritious part.
TCM masterpiece "Compendium of Materia Medica" (written in the 16th century) promoted scorpion as a precious ingredient, with such medicinal values reducing pain and promoting the circulation.

Fried scorpions at the market come in both adult and baby varieties. The adult ones have a black glaze and the babies are smaller and more transparent.
Both taste a lot like greasy popcorn with a buttery aftertaste.
Some vendors top the delicacy with a bit of chili powder.
Price: RMB 15 (US$2.4) per stick
2. Silkworm cocoons
With a crispy dark brown outer shell, the silkworm cocoon is not the most palatable insect. It’s spongy on the inside with a bit of slime.
It has a nutty flavor similar to shrimp, but some people find its texture plain disgusting.

It’s hot inside and can burn your tongue if you’re not careful. You should taste it to color your China tour
Price: RMB 15 per stick
3. Centipedes
It’s hard to maneuver this long and leggy insect into mouth. They’re bitter, but taste better seasoned with salt and pepper.

Bring some dental floss -- their sharp legs will get stuck in your teeth.
Price: RMB 30 per stick
4. Locusts
Chewing on locusts is nothing new in Asia. Japanese and Thais are partial to them too.

Donghuamen vendors tout these six-legged insects as an environmentally friendly alternative to meat, and also for their high fiber content.
Loaded with protein, deep-fried locust tastes a bit like fried chicken. Although it is favored by Chinese, the foreign tourists who join China vacation packages may feel disgusted.
Price: RMB 18 per stick
5. Sea horses
Another valuable item for TCM, sea horses are said to possess medicinal qualities that boost your kidneys.
TCM buffs boil sea horses in soup, but in Donghuamen these marine delicacies are dipped in oil and fried on a stick.

It's one of the most expensive items on the street.
To me, they taste like dried fish with a hint of garlic. Others say it tastes like fishy bacon.
Price: RMB 50 per stick
If you plan to have popular China tours in Beijing, you should witness the weird food in this night market.