Rotting temptation: Where to find stinky delicacies in Madison

Foods that assault the nostrils with a frisky and funky odor aren't necessarily repellent. That said, they certainly give off mixed signals. The A.V. Club set out to determine how skunky smells can belie taste, and how odorous ingredients can fit into a meal.

Lutefisk
Soaking ling or cod fish fillets in water and lye for about two weeks and then cooking produces lutefisk, which reeks of ammonia. The traditional heavy cream sauce does little to mask the odor, which is strong enough to provoke a gag reflex. Often served with onions, Norwegian meatballs, and lemon for squeezing, the surprise is that lutefisk doesn't really taste like much of anything: The smell utterly distracts the palate.
Where to get it: Hie thee to Lakeview Lutheran Church (4001 Mandrake Rd., 608-244-6181) for an occasional lutefisk dinner.

Dried cuttlefish
Cuttlefish have green blood and three hearts, and belong to the same animal class as squid and octopuses. They're amazing creatures, and not unsatisfying snacks when cut up, roasted, and salted. However, dried cuttlefish smell like Lake Mendota's shoreline in high summer, and the stench of fish food stays on a diner's skin for 24 to 36 hours.
Where to get it: Asian Midway Foods (301 South Park St., 608- 255-5864) sells packets of honey-roasted cuttlefish, perfect for a road trip with those who know you best.

Camembert de Normandie
The aroma of this famously pungent cheese hits like a pair of sweat-soaked socks fresh off the feet. Those who can get past that will experience a mild, buttery, slightly earthy cheese that carries a hint of mushrooms. Nice as it is with freshly baked bread and a glass of red Burgundy, this cheese straight up stinks.
Where to get it: Fromagination (12 South Carroll St., 608-255-2430) stocks Camembert along with other smelly cheeses like Limburger and Blue River's "Washed Bear."

Fish sauce
Here’s an enticing recipe: Place anchovies into an earthenware jug with lots of salt and then place the covered jug in the sun for 10 months or a year, occasionally exposing the mixture to direct sunlight to further the fermentation process. Then press the mass through cheesecloth to produce the sauce. Fish sauce: It’s liquefied, rotted fish, and it smells like it—but it’s a principal ingredient in many Southeast Asian dishes, sharpening flavors with its mineral, acidic taste.
Where to get it: Saigon Noodle (6754 Odana Rd., 608-827-9120) will serve uncut fish sauce on the side.

The 1,000 year-old egg
Despite the high-concept moniker, this egg is closer to 100 days old and made by coating the exterior of a duck egg with tea, lime, ash, clay, and salt. Burying the egg in a suitably cool and dry earth then transforms the rotting thing into a gelatinous delicacy, a mutation that typically provokes a strong odor of ammonia when served. The earthy, subtle, and mellow taste is unexpected.
Where to get it: Hong Kong Wok (702 N. Midvale Blvd., 608-236-0622) will add century egg, as it's also known, to congee (rice porridge) on weekends.

Kimchi
The Korean method of fermenting Chinese cabbage along with variable ingredients including daikon, chilies, and scallions with garlic, pepper, salt, and ginger to make kimchi (or kim chee) challenges all but the most stoic nose. The vinegary aroma hits hard but the sweet-and-sour taste is not much hotter than peperoncini.
Where to get it: In kimchi soup at New Seoul Korean Restaurant (2503 University Ave., 608-238-3331), or in a jar at assorted grocery stores.