Stories of trekking through jungles, deserts and mountainous terrain, avoiding poisonous snakes, armed militias, crocodiles, lions, snakes, swarms of bats and zebra stampedes, is the stuff we associate with the adventures of Indiana Jones. What one person defines as a treasure quest may not seem like any quest anyone else would want to take.

The unlikely protagonist in our story is a professor of food science. His quest was to answer and sate his curiosity about the history and science behind some interesting foods. Be warned this is not for people with weak stomachs!

• Dr. Massimo Marcone, assistant professor of food science at the University of Guelph and author of his new book In Bad Taste? The Adventures and Science Behind Food Delicacies