Chairman Bill asked: "How about trassi? I've heard some hideous stories about it, although I've eaten plenty of it in my time (both as a Dutchman and when in Indonesia/Malaysia)"
This is an amazing fermented dried shrimp paste that smells awful but tastes wonderful.
The big thing is that this is a traditional food; a pretty reliable sign of a good track record for safety.
And the traditional way of cooking it is to stir-fry in a very hot wok. This will kill any bacteria that may be in it. Deviate from traditional cooking processes at your peril.
It must also be remembered that it is usually a dried product and so lacks the available water needed for bacterial growth.
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