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Europe offers a culinary adventure of unexpected delights that will surprise the American traveler. Imagine a world in which blood sausage is served for breakfast, snails are a gourmet treat, and pickled herring is as common as apple pie.
A large portion of Americans consider themselves ‘adventurous eaters,’ but European spins on everyday ingredients still shock even the most open-minded foodies. Here are 15 European dishes that might make you raise an eyebrow.
Haggis (Scotland)
Haggis is as Scottish as kilts and bagpipes. It is a pudding made of minced sheep’s heart, liver or lungs, with onions, oatmeal, spices, and suet enclosed in the animal’s stomach.
It’s traditionally served with turnips and potatoes, or ‘neeps and tatties’, as the Scots say. For Americans, it’s an odd delicacy, but it’s celebrated on Burns Night in Scotland, honoring poet Robert Burns.
Blood Sausage (Germany)
It’s called “Blutwurst” in Germany, and in many other countries of Europe, such as Spain and France, blood sausage is a staple. A sausage is made by cooking blood with fillers such as meat, fat, oats, or barley, and stuffing it into a sausage casing.
Blood sausage, often cut and fried, has a rich and hearty taste. It is eaten with traditional heartier sides such as sauerkraut or even potatoes.
Lutefisk (Norway)
Norway’s traditional dish, lute fish, is made of whitefish (often cod) treated with lye. Following this process, the fish becomes gelatinous and is then rehydrated and ready for serving.
Lutefisk is usually enjoyed around Christmas in Nordic countries. It may have a pungent aroma, but it is beloved by those who eat it.
Black Pudding (United Kingdom)
Despite the name, black pudding isn’t a dessert. It’s a blood sausage made from pork or beef blood and mixed with fat and oatmeal. It is a staple for breakfast in the UK, part of a traditional ‘full English breakfast.’
Americans find it daunting because of all its ingredients. It’s becoming popular in the states, however, and a few gourmet restaurants are putting it on their brunch menu.
Surströmming (Sweden)
Fermented Baltic herring is known for its strong odor. Traditionally, it is eaten with flatbread and potatoes, often outside, due the smell. Several airlines, such as British Airways, Air France, Finnair, and KLM, banned surströmming as a pressurized can poses a safety hazard.
During the fermentation process, gases such as carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide form, and if they build up, cans may expand and rupture at high altitudes.
Escargots (France)
Escargots (land snails), are a classic French delicacy, cooked with garlic, butter, and parsley. Americans may find it strange, but in France, escargots are celebrated as a tender appetizer full of rich flavors.
The French consume an estimated 30,000 tons of snails each year because of this popular delight.
Marmite (United Kingdom)
Marmite is a spread made from yeast extract with a particularly strong, salty taste. Made from the byproducts of beer brewing, it’s a vegan source of the important vitamin B.
Either loved or loathed, there’s no middle ground—hence the phrase ‘Marmite effect’. It’s a staple on the UK breakfast menu and is spread thinly on toast or used to flavor broths, gravies, and other dishes.
Tripe (Italy)
Tripe is the edible lining of the stomach of any farm animal. It is cooked in stews or soups. In Italy, the ‘trippa alla Romana’ is popular and flavored with tomatoes, onions, and mint.
Tripe may be avoided by some in the US, but it’s a comfort food in many European cultures.
Pickled Herring (Netherlands)
The traditional Dutch snack is pickled herring, usually with sliced onions and pickles. It is part of the ‘Nieuwe Haring’ tradition in which herring is caught, salted and preserved for consumption.
Curing herring fish in a mixture of vinegar, sugar, and spices preserves the fish and adds a tangy flavor. This fishy treat is a beloved street food in the Netherlands, Scandinavia, and Germany.
Head Cheese (Germany)
Head cheese isn’t cheese, irrespective of its name. It is a cold cut made from the meat of a pig’s or calf’s head that is set in aspic. It is cooked, shredded, and served in a gelatinous broth made by boiling the bones and connective tissues.
“Sülze” is a common delicacy in Germany, often sliced and served cold. Its preparation may sound odd, but it is a loved dish, using every bit of the animal in traditional European cuisine.
Sea Urchin (Italy)
The coastal regions of Italy consider sea urchin, called ‘ricci di mare,’ a delicacy. It is often eaten alone, raw, or paired with pasta. The unique oceanic flavour being considered a gourmet treat.
Italy is one of the world’s great consumers of sea urchins because of its rich sea biodiversity and culinary tradition.
Weisswurst (Germany)
Bavaria’s traditional sausage, Weisswurst, is made with veal and pork with hints of parsley, lemon, mace, and cardamom. It’s called “white sausage” because of its pale color resulting from the absence of nitrites or preservatives.
Weisswurst is served with sweet mustard and soft pretzels. Originally, it was breakfast food in Munich, but now Germans widely enjoy it as a snack or lunch food.
Jellied Eels (England)
Although the name suggests it, jellied eels aren’t made with jelly. A traditional English dish, they are stewed eels in a clear broth made from fish stock and spices, which, when cooled, form a gelatinous texture.
It may not be the most appealing food to some, but it’s regarded as a classic British comfort food that is still popular today.
Frog Legs (France)
A French favorite is the ‘cuisses de grenouille,’ or frog legs. It is thought to be similar to chicken in taste and tenderness. Frog legs are coated in flour, sautéed with garlic and parsley in butter, and served with a lemon wedge.
Frog legs are a staple of French cuisine, an entrée proving that France is adventurous with food.
Salo (Ukraine)
Salo is a traditional Ukrainian dish prepared from cured slabs of pork fat. It is often enjoyed raw with bread or as a snack sliced into thin strips. Even though salo contains a lot of fat, it’s known to be rich in omega-3 fatty acids and other nutrients.
To Americans, it may sound a little strange, but Ukrainian culture and cuisine would not be the same without salo, a treasure in flavor and history.
Disclaimer – This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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