A CHINESE dish of stir-fry rocks has gone viral on the internet – with people insisting it is delicious.
The bizarre meal has reportedly made a resurgence in China as people turn to cheaper meals during the cost-of-living crisis.
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Called Suodiu – meaning suck and discard – the dish can be traced back to ancient times.
But recent videos of chefs preparing the stir-fried rocks have emerged and taken social media by storm.
Footage showed the cooks frying up the pebbles at extreme heats.
They were then seen adding flavours into the mix that included garlic and chilli.
Once the rocks were al-dente they were served up in a bowl and garnished with local greens.
Some online chefs claimed it was a “delicious dish” while other videos showed diners spitting out the stones in disgust.
One clip posted on TikTok had more than 1.5 million views, which appeared to show a chef selling a dish of rocks for £1.74.
The video had mixed reviews, but most viewers could not comprehend the meal.
“I don’t understand, you can chew it,” a TikTok user said.
“Hard to digest,” one added.
“Is that even edible,” a second questioned.
“They reuse the same pebbles,” a third claimed.
“I could never eat this, the impulsive need to bite the rock would shatter my teeth,” another said.
According to a food blogger, the river stones have a naturally fishy taste that is enhanced when fried at a high heat.
It was reported the dish dated back centuries to the Hubei province, where local fisherman would scoop the rocks when they ran out food.
According to The Guardian, the strange meal lost its popularity after economic development and motorised vessels came to Hubei.
It meant that supplies could be carted out to the boatmen if their supply ran low.
The Asian nation has made headlines in the past for odd choices of meals.
In 2022, a food blogger faced up to five years in prison after they illegally cooked and ate a protected great white shark.
One woman went viral after she was filmed eating food from a toilet urinal to prove how clean it was.
