Dare to sss-sink your teeth into this? Hong Kong's Pizza Hut releases a new snake meat pizza

We have yet to settle the ongoing debate about controversial pizza topping like pineapple, and now, a new contender emerges. 

Instead of another fruit though, this new topping ingredient is actually no stranger in Southeast Asian cuisine: Snake meat. 

Yes, they're actually putting that on top of pizzas now. 

American fast food chain Pizza Hut has teamed up with a century-old Hong Kong restaurant, Ser Wong Fun, to create a snake meat pizza.

Apart from shredded snake meat, other toppings on the nine-inch pizza include black mushrooms and Chinese dried ham, which are also the ingredients used in snake stew, a Cantonese delicacy dish that is commonly found in Hong Kong and China. 

This latest pizza is inspired by the traditional snake stew, a specialty dish of nine-time Michelin's Bib Gourmand eatery Ser Wong Fun, and uses a variety of three types of snake meat. 

Unfortunately (or not), the pizza is only available in Hong Kong from now till Nov 22.

So, if you're jetting over anytime soon and your tastebuds are feeling adventurous, you can try it for yourself. 

Is snake meat actually good for you?  

To many, consuming snake meat in general sounds like a bad idea. 

But it's actually believed to be good for your health as it contains many beneficial health properties. 

According to CNN, some diners in Hong Kong and southern China enjoy the slithery reptile in their soups, especially during colder months. 

They believe that snake meat has medicinal properties that can help improve skin conditions and warm up the body. 

"Paired with cheese and diced chicken, the snake meat becomes richer in taste," Pizza Hut Hong Kong said in a statement, adding that the "nourishing" meat "can boost blood circulation", which is a common belief in traditional Chinese medicine.

"Combined with pizza, it marks a breakthrough from the conventional concept of what maintaining good health means while challenging one's taste buds," it added.

What about isopod ramen and crocodile meat? 

Earlier in the year, a restaurant in Taipei went viral after it launched a limited edition isopod ramen. 

Hundreds of excited people had joined a waiting list to dine at the restaurant and some customers said that the meat tastes like a cross between crab and lobster, with a dense texture and some chewiness. 

A few months later, another Taiwanese noodle eatery, introduced an even more bizarre dish — Godzilla crocodile ramen. 

The dish is topped with a monstrous crocodile paw that sticks out of the bowl, as well as the usual ramen ingredients such as baby corn, bamboo shoots and eggs.

Customers had to pre-order the dish before heading over to the restaurant and a food-wastage charge was even imposed to prevent diners from ordering the crocodile ramen just for some photos. 

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melissateo@asiaone.com