(alarm blaring)
- Oh, Ebbers! (boys laughing)
- I've got it. (Barry gagging)
- Oh no, we broke Ebbers! (boys laughing)
- [Mike] We broke him! (egg clinking)
(egg cracking and sizzling) - Hello, and welcome to the
Ultimate Poker Face Challenge. And after a many, many, many requests, today, our chef Ben is in the hot seat, and he'll be joining Mike and Barry in testing some fermented foods. (Mike groans)
- [Barry] Oh, no. - And we'll be seeing if
you can hold a poker face for three minutes whilst you eat them in their individual form, and, because we're not horrible,
in a full dish as well. And remember, the winner
will get to stand where I am in the next episode and not eat anything. Bring on number one!
(soft rock music) Ebbers, lift the cloche. Ebbers, this is belachan, fermented shrimp paste,
and your time starts now. (bell ringing) So this is an Indonesian
fermented shrimp paste. It's used in a lot of Southeast Asian dishes.
- Quite salty. - Quite salty, yep. You wouldn't usually
have it in that quantity. How's it making you feel so far? - I think the overwhelming
flavour is salt. A lot of Southeast Asian
dishes that really benefit from that umami, fermented flavour. - [Jamie] Yeah.
- I see a quiver. - There's a little bit of
sweat under the eyelids, isn't there? There really is. How's that going down? - Not going down. - It's not?
- Stuck in all of my teeth. - Excellent. To make it, it's krill shrimp that are steamed and mashed into a paste before being left to
ferment for several weeks. - [Barry] Oh no!
- The pungent taste adds a depth of flavour
to many Indonesian dishes. Baz, you ready? - Already, I smell like I'm in a fishbowl. - Well, get ready to taste that fish bowl in three, two, one, go.
(bell ringing) - The more that it kind
of sticks in my mouth and swirling it around a little bit, I get a sweetness from it as well. Like, it's not all bitter. - Well, Dragon Neptune, who's one of the people
that recommended this to us on YouTube in the comments
from the last video, said that they grew up with it and putting up to their nose can still make them gag sometimes. Are you getting any of that? - Actually, no. I actually quite find
that strangely pleasant. - Oh dear!
(boys laughing) Oh, I'm in huge trouble here. - Three, two, one go.
(bell ringing) How was that first bite? - Stunning.
- Yeah? - Delicious, mate. - What are you getting from that? - It's a little bit salty,
it's a little bit fishy. Every now and then, you bite
into a little salt crystal. Ah, it's delicious. I'll tell you what it does do, (sputters) - Oh? What's it do? - It puts a warmth on
the back of your throat. - A warmth from the back of your throat. - Yes.
- Would you like to taste it in the stir fried mushroom and tofu? - I really would. - [Jamie] So this is the stir
fried mushroom and tofu dish which is inspired from Meal Packs. - [Mike] He's chowing that down. (boys chuckling) - Got a nice heat to it. - Wow, that is quite spicy. - [Jamie] Is it?
- Hmm. - I think I worked out what he did. - Did he just swallow it? - [Ben] Swallowed it
rather than chewed it. - How's that? You getting the full flavour of it? - That's bloody well spicy!
(Barry laughing) That takes me back to when I cried in a restaurant in Thailand.
(Barry laughing) It's really nice, absolutely delicious. Zingy, fresh, fragrant, little bit spice. - Five, four, three, two, one. So how was that in reality? - Fricking horrific. - Revolting on its own like that, delicious when used in its proper place. - Oh, it's only gonna get worse from here. - Well done boys, we've
eased you in gently. I think you all did fairly well. I do have to pick a winner (Mike burps)
from that round. - [Ben] You alright there Mike? - Ugh, sorry.
(Barry laughing) - I think the winner
for me was Barry Taylor, (scoreboard chirping)
for that round, so well done Baz.
- Probably fair. - One point to you. - Swallowing's the way forward. (crew chucking) - Ebbers, round two.
- I'm excited. - You should be. Lift the cloche. - [Ben] Okay. - Ebbers, you know what this one is? - Yes, and all of a sudden, I feel like it's come back at me, 'cause I think I made you three eat this while we were in Tokyo. - Oh no, I know what this
is, this is natto, isn't it? - This is natto.
(Mike exclaims) And your time starts in three, two, one, go.
(bell ringing) - So, fermented soybean, right? - [Jamie] Yep, Japanese
fermented soy beans. - [Mike] Whoa!
- [Barry] Well done Ebbers. - [Jamie] Stringy.
- He's like a duck. (Jamie giggles) Above and below water, his
little legs were just like, up and down.
(boys laughing) - So these Japanese fermented soybeans (Barry groans)
have been eaten for thousands of years,
- Oh, I can smell it. - usually as a breakfast meal with soy sauce, mustard, chives, and rice, and sometimes, even raw egg. Have you had that with raw egg before? - I have done. I wouldn't do it again by choice. - What is the spider
web that comes off it? What's that? Why is it gluey?
(Ben gags) - Oh, Ebbers!
- Oh no! (Barry laughing)
(Ben gags) - Oh no, we broke Ebbers!
(boys laughing) - It got to one minute,
30 seconds before the gag. Now, it's worth pointing out
that all of the ingredients that we're using today are delicacies in countries around the world. They're loved, they
have been for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Is it just our Western palate
that can't handle them? - Now Baz, you've
actually got to sit down. - No wait, gimme a minute,
give a minute, give a minute. (Jamie giggles) - Oh, you gotta chew this one, mate. So gutted. - Baz, your three minutes
starts in three, two, one, go. (bell ringing)
(Barry shudders) - Lovely. - Now, it's often
considered an acquired taste because of its powerful
smell, strong flavour, and sticky, slimy texture. Some describe it as nutty. You getting any nuttiness? - Honestly, I wouldn't say it's
the most unpleasant of tastes. How do you eat this?
(Mike laughs) - Okay Mikey baby. Three, two, one, go.
(bell ringing) - Mm, that is delicious.
(Barry chuckles) This is my favourite bit about it, because just when you've finished it, and you think it's over, there's more! - When recommending that we eat this, the comments in the last
video, Katie W. said, "I explain it as having
the smell and taste of gasoline with the texture of snot." Natto is especially nutritious because soy beans undergo
a process of fermentation, which creates conditions
that promote the growth of probiotics. - [Barry] Oh god.
- There's so much on your chin. (Jamie giggles) - This is outstandingly delicious. Well, J, I really hope there's more. Oh, thank goodness there is. - [Jamie] There really is.
- What excellent news! - So here we have steamed sticky rice with a raw egg yolk and
nori seaweed with the natto. - Okay.
(boys laughing) - [Jamie] Whoa, that's
a really stringy bit. - When it's yolky, it's better! Raw egg, you say?
- Raw egg, yep. - I'll be using that in a
future battle, that's for sure. I just crack on with this, do I? - Just crack on with it,
you've got 30 seconds left. (boys snickering)
(Barry groaning) - It's definitely challenging. I'm not, it didn't make
me want to gag at all. - I have so much respect
for you for going back in. (Barry groans) - I'm so sorry you had to see that. Sushi rice's been slightly
vinegared and seasoned. Helps a little bit. The richness of the egg yolk doesn't. - Do you know what? The best thing-
(boys laughing) - 10 seconds left, Mike. - What I love about food is when it leaves a spider web behind. (Barry chortles)
- [Jamie] Five, four, three- - I could get another one.
- -two, one, you're done. - [Ben] Wow.
(boys laughing) - I've got it.
(boys laughing) - I've got it, I've got it. (boys snickering) - I don't feel like I really
need to ask you Ebbers, but how was that? - Not my favourite breakfast item. - That was something. (Mike speaks gibberish)
(boys laughing) I can't talk. - It's so different to any
fermented food I've had before. - I think we can wrap
this one up quite easily. I don't think there'll
be any disagreement here, Mike, you get the point. - Not worth it.
(scoreboard chirping) (boys laughing)
Round three! Lift the cloche Ebbers. - Oh dear, oh dear. - [Mike] Oh, what are they?
- [Barry] What is that? - There is only one food
that I've previously eaten that I said I don't
ever need to eat again. - Oh, I know what this is! I know what this is. - Ebbers, in front of you,
you have century eggs. - [Barry] No! - [Mike] That is so harsh.
- No, no, no no no no. - There are quail's egg.
- No. - And there is duck eggs that we've turned into deviled eggs. - It looks vile. (nervous chuckle) - Well Ebbers, switch on your poker face, 'cause you're three minutes starts now. (bell ringing)
- [Mike] Oh, straight in, like an olive. - [Jamie] What are you tasting? - Not tasting anything.
(Mike and Barry laugh) - Well, what are you tasting? - It's a texture thing. It's a balance, a cross
between quail's egg... - I don't like olives. - ... meets gummy bear.
- [Barry] Yeah, yeah. - Meets natto.
- Oh, great! (boys groaning) - You ready for this one Baz? - This might (beep) me. (Mike snickers)
Just saying it out loud. - In three, two, one, eat it.
(bell ringing) - [Mike] In One! - [Mike] Well done.
- [Jamie] Well done Barry. - Now, how much you enjoying that? - You get the same funk from natto, but in a really kind of silky, creamy way, rather than stringy.
- [Jamie] Well- - These are big portions, aren't they? - They are big portions, just for you. So the great thing about century eggs is they're ready to eat. To serve them, you just peel them and
slice them into wedges. - [Mike] I've never seen you play the imaginary piano before. - I'm very talented. - Okay, wait, hang on, I need to get in the zone for this. - [Jamie] You there?
- Eyes on the prize. Three, two, one, off you go.
- Okay. (bell ringing) - [Jamie] Ooh, oh there it is! - Party time! - Oh, we've missed Party Mike!
(Barry laughing) - I got the rhythm in here. Wow, that was, whoa,
that was an eggy yolk! Oh, it coats everything, and there's a delicious, stale
flavour coming right through. Let's try some of this jelly. - Now what you might have noticed is that century eggs are almost translucent. The preserving process turns
the egg white jelly-like with a brown, black hue.
- Oh, that's excellent. - The egg yolks are a deep greenish blue with a slightly cheesy fermented flavour. You picking up on that? - There are too many delicious
flavours going on at once to focus in on one in particular. But I can tell you that it's all stunning. (boys chuckling) - So, century eggs, also known as pidan,
or thousand-year eggs, or millennium eggs, are a
famous Chinese delicacy. (Ben gags)
- [Mike] No, no! Ebbers! - I'm in the middle of explaining
what these are, excuse me. Now, traditionally, the
eggs are pickled in brine, and then buried in a
mixture of coals, and chalk, mud, and alkaline- Are you all right, 'cause
there's some teary bits. - You know what, it just takes me back to
the last time I tried it. Nostalgia's wonderful.
- It is, isn't it? Why don't you have a start
on your duck deviled eggs? - Duck egg, really rich.
- [Jamie] Yeah! So the yolk has been scooped
out, mixed with mayo, and then piped back into the white. I say white, it's not
really white anymore, is it? - Mm, wow.
(Barry and Mike laughing) That, that... What helps this, actually, is when you... (gags) a little bit, you bring up some shrimp paste
(boys guffaw) and it helps to season the entire thing. - Now Uncle Jimbo on YouTube said that the ammonia smell might get to
you if you eat it by itself. - That might be it.
- [Jamie] Is that what it is? - It's a bit (beep), isn't it?
- Right, bit (beep) - Actually, jelly-like, sweet-
- You're not eating it! - There's not much eating of the deviled duck's egg.
- [Ben] How's the yolk? 'Cause that was a bit-
- I'm getting the yolk! - [Ben] The most interesting.
- [Jamie] Lick the yolk. - Okay, you want me to lick it? (boys snickering) - Go on, that deserves a G chord. (Jamie snickers)
(Barry hums a note) - I'm not gonna lie, I've
started not having a good time. (Barry snickers) - So the food team have said that if they were to use
century eggs in cooking, it would be 99% of the time as an accent in a bowl of congee, which is a traditional rice-
(Mike gagging) Porridge.
(Mike sputters) - [Ben] I think his butt is
clenching that stool so hard. - [Jamie] Five, four, three, two, one. (boys and crew laughing) - That was the hardest thing
I've ever had to eat, ever. - It's mind over matter, because actually, I don't think it was as bad. But there was no stopping
the gag reflex when it came. It's like going to a urinal in a nightclub and licking the toilet thing. (boys snicker)
- [Ben And Jamie] Urinal cake? - Urinal cake, it tastes like urinal cake. It's what I imagined.
- How did you know that!? It's what I imagined.
(Mike laughing) - I have a point to award, somehow. As the only one who didn't gag, Barry Taylor has to take the point. (scoreboard chirping)
(Mike groans) Which puts the scores at two, one, zero.
- Yet to score. Ebbers, you've got to get off
the ground in the last round. (applause and cheering) - [Barry] Hah! - There's only one reason
that he's dressed like that. - Ebbers, lift the cloche!
- Whoo! - Ebbers, you've probably
guessed what this is already. This is probably the most requested item that we have ever had to try on the show. This is so surstromming. It is fermented herring. - [Mike] This smells so bad. The last time we opened
this, you were in a tent. Not only did you throw up, but we stunk out the studio
for about three weeks after and we couldn't get rid of the smell. - Barry, are you okay?
(Barry vomits) (boys laughing) - [Ben] It's like durian
meets natto meets sewage. - Oh my goodness, yeah, I can smell that. Not over here! - Oh no, it's got in the mask! It's in the mask!
(Barry retches) I can't do it! - Oh dear, oh my. - So Ebbers, the food team
have prepared the surstomming in the traditional Swedish way, which is with Swedish
flatbreads, sliced new potatoes, diced red onion, tomatoes, and beer. - Now has it got bones in it? That's the quick- Oh, hello. - Oof, yeah, that's it, really get into it.
- Oh yeah, cut into it. - Not gutted, little bit of
fish gut in there as well. I brought some sauerkraut.
- Oh, Ebbers! - Me own ferment. - [Mike] You're a ridiculous human being. Barry can't move.
- I can't move. - We haven't even started. - I can't work out how to breathe. Into my nose, out through my mouth? No.
(Barry gags) - [Mike] That is not a handkerchief. (boys laughing) Okay, this is giving me a
headache, it smells so bad. (beep) Do you know what? I don't need a sandwich. What's the point? Might as well just eat it. - Okay Mike, well, your time
starts in three, two, one. You're off.
(bell ringing) So if you don't know, surstromming is an
infamous Swedish delicacy made of fermented Baltic sea herring. In spring, the spawning fish are caught between Sweden and Finland. Then the heads are removed, and the bodies are stored in a series of salted water solutions. After roughly two months, the partially preserved
herrings are transferred to airtight tins, where they continue to ferment
for up to another year. - It's phenomenal.
- [Jamie] Is it? - Yeah.
- And you don't feel the need for the flat breads
- No, it would- - and the potatoes? - It would mask some of the flavour. - It would, wouldn't it? And what is the flavour
that you're getting? - Delicious acrid burn. Unbearable salt. - [Jamie] In three, two, one, go. (bell ringing) - Hmm. - [Mike] Strong munch.
- [Jamie] How is that? - Mmhmm!
(Mike giggles) - Well, lots of Muppet noises, but... - So, the potato and the
bread absorb some of the funk. I wouldn't say enough of it. - If it helps Ebbers, Kristoffer said, "Man, surstromming is easy. It only smells bad,
otherwise it's just salty." How are you finding that?
- Mmhmm! It's as bad as I remember it. - Okay Baz, you now have three
minute Poker Face Challenge starts now.
(bell ringing) - [Mike] Any person to ever
win a poker face challenge by not-
(Barry gags) Oh, bye.
(Barry sputters) Bye now!
- [Jamie] No! - [Mike] It's over. No, okay.
(Barry vomits) Tap out, finish this. - So according to our research, this isn't just an acquired taste that some people find less
appetising than others. People have actually been evicted from their apartments over the stench, and even Swedes only eat it outside. - That's vile. It doesn't taste of fish. It's almost burning. - So paddo05 said, "This is an exciting Scandinavian dish that can clear a room
even quicker than durian." - I'd agree. Oh, lots of bones in that. Who cares? I'm here. Oh, that's a lot of bones.
(boys laughing) - If you're expecting me
to finish it, I can't. - You've got 45 seconds to prove- (Barry slaps table) - [Ben] Lick a fish, lick a fish.
(boys chuckle) - There's no point, 'cause the taste, it attacks you. - I'm gonna do it! - You are, you're gonna do it. - I'm gonna, I'm-
- [Jamie] seven, six, - [Barry] Eat it, eat it!
- [Jamie] five, four, three, - [Ben] Wash it down with beer! - [Jamie] Two, one, you're done. (boys applauding)
(boys snickering) (Mike gagging)
(boys and crew laughing) None of it's, this is not worth it. - But would it be worth it if I told you that I think you take the
point from that round. (scoreboard chirping) - Not much thinking about it.
- Brilliant, brilliant. There is an even draw of two points each between Baz and Mike. Now, the great new is, boys,
we do have a fifth ingredient. It hasn't turned up in time, so what we'll do is we
will do it on Instagram. If you've had a great time as well, make sure that you like the
video and comment down below, what should our next
Poker Face Challenge be? It's gonna be Mike or Baz leading it. Find out on Instagram and
we'll see you on Wednesday. - J, you're steaming up a bit. You wanna take that mask off? - It's all right actually.
(boys laughing) - I'll be fine.
