Can You Brave These Worldly Cuisines?
It’s a long-standing joke that when Brits go on worldly trips they stick to what food they know. Usually, it’s a meal that comes with chips because we like them.
What is it that makes us so afraid? Is it the colour, texture or is it simply because we don’t want to? Are we restricting ourselves from a mouthwatering meal or are we making a wise decision?
Some cuisines we are missing out on but some we might be avoiding for good reason. Then again it’s also wise to avoid certain British foods. For we have our mighty range of strange combinations and an addiction to tea.
Here are five countries that have brought us the good, the bad and the slightly disgusting cuisines.
France

France is renowned for it’s delightfully rich tasting food. Whilst this may be true, the rich food comes in both delightful and not so delightful, to say the least.
Délicieux (Delicious)
On the whole, the French make incredibly rich, creamy wholesome dishes and food that is heavenly.
Take for instance the beautiful things they’ve done with cheese. They introduced Baked Camembert, the perfect melting cheese for a cheesy fondue (one of their idea’s). Then, of course, for meat lovers, there is Bœuf Bourguignon, otherwise known as tender beef, soaked in a red wine stew. Plus Hachis Parmentier also referred to as the French, Shepherd’s pie, with a beef soaked in red wine and topped with creamy mash potato.
And one of their famous delights, the croissants. AKA, the buttery, soft, flakey pastry that just melts in your mouth. Team that up with jam and you’ve got the perfect breakfast or snack to delight in.
Brut (Gross)
Despite gracing us with such treats as listed above, the French have been somewhat experimental when creating other delicacies.
Many French dishes include peculiar ingredients and the dish escargot is in favour of that statement. Escargot is a dish with the primary meat being a snail, that you have to scoop out of the shell. There’s just something that’s slightly unnerving about eating a snail but each to their own.
While escargot seems bad to believe it or not, there are worst. Thymus gland of a hog is another treasured delicacy, to order at a restaurant just ask for Ris De Veau.
Hog is a favoured animal and another key ingredient in the meal Tete De Veau. Once translated it means head of a calf. The entire head is served up, alongside all the trimmings. Something just a bit off with that one, wouldn’t you say?
French food is a mixture of mouth-watering and stomach-churning dishes. In whole French cuisine isn’t that bad and in the end their experiments with food paid off.
Italy

Italy is probably one of the most flavourful countries that many enjoy. It’s a country that is behind some of the most fabulous food creations and sadly some of the worst!
Delizioso (Delicious)
As mentioned above, Italy is the homage to some of the most desired food, especially after a night out. Without Italy, we wouldn’t have pizza and without pizza, is life worth living?
Let’s not discount the amazing things they do with pasta? Lasagna the perfect layers of pasta meat/veg and cheese. Then they have the pasta masterpiece of Ravioli, which involves meat/spinach and ricotta being wrapped in pasta all of which is coated in herby, tomato sauce. And let’s not forget spaghetti bolognese, yet another tomato, meat/veg, pasta combination. You just can’t beat it.
Not to mention the gelato otherwise known as Italian ice cream. In comparison Gelato, makes all other ice creams taste like a sham. The smooth, flavoursome gelato melts in your mouth and glides down your throat. Once again, you can’t beat it.
Schifoso (Gross)
Although Italian food is adored and has been adopted into various cultures there are some rather gut-wrenching foods that really shouldn’t exist.
For instance, maggot cheese. Yes, cheese that is squirming with maggots. Maggots which have to be eaten whilst alive or you could get ill. Whereas eating them alive will save you from horrendous stomach cramps…
It’s said that the maggots help with the fermentation of the cheese and provide added flavour. Apparently.
Similar to the French, Italians like snails also but there is just one slight difference. Italians prefer them to be raw. Cooked or uncooked snail, what would you choose?
Although raw snails and bug infested cheese are a thing, on the whole, the Italian’s did well. We wouldn’t cast them away just for a few bug infested meals, not while there is pizza in the world.
Portugal

Despite being a renowned place to visit given it has produced legendary athletes and actresses alike, their cuisine isn’t very well known. Just like the others though, it has its fair share of tasty and not so tasty dishes.
Delicioso (Delicious)
Portugal has, like many other countries, experimented with its cuisines, some which have been highly successful.
Take for instance Bolo Do Caco, a dish that has a slight twist on garlic bread. Instead of a flat bread or ciabatta design, the Portuguese prefer to bake a large dome-shaped loaf. You can’t complain about that, the more the merrier when it comes to garlic bread, right?
What seems to be a key ingredient in many cuisines is cheese and the Portuguese are certainly in the mix. Oneidas De Sintra is a delicacy in which cheese is surrounded by egg pastry. Buttery pastry that’s rich in flavour. It’s the perfect snack or entrée.
Given the close proximity to the sea, Portugal have access to fresh fish, making fish quite the delicacy. Bolinhos De Bacalhau is a mixture of herbs, spices and fish that have been lightly battered to create a tasty fritter.
Bruto (Gross)
While there are many dishes that have been crafted with a mixture of fresh ingredients, there have been a few food experiments that shouldn’t have been attempted.
One of Portugal’s most famous and popular delicacies is Polvo a Lagareiro otherwise known as, octopus. Typically, a dish that is strangely enough (to us Brits) eaten on Christmas Eve. While it may be a dish that many may try, the squidgy yet chewy texture just seems a little off-putting.
Another dubious creation is the meat and bean stew, Feijoada Tramontana. Whilst that sounds pleasant enough, the meat in the stew is the remaining cuts of a pig. This usually includes knuckles, eyes, ears, snout and any other imaginable and gross leftovers.
Portugal’s interesting food combinations are certainly unique whether you find them tasty is another matter. But on the whole, Portuguese food has a good reputation for comfort food that is rich in flavour.
Spain

Spain the country that introduced us to tapas. It’s a meal that effectively lets you choose different dishes when you’re tied between which meal to order. Their fiesta of spices and sauces have made revolutionary culinary advancements. Yet there are still some Spanish dishes which really shouldn’t have been created.
Delicioso (Delicious)
As mentioned above, one of Spain’s traditional menu items is tapas. There is a multitude of dishes that can be included in a tapas, many of which are filled with exquisite flavours.
Tapas is usually a choice of three smaller portioned dishes. They can include:
- Patatas Bravas: Potatoes that are coated in a spicy tomato sauce.
- Empanadas: Pastry filled with meat not too dissimilar to a British pasty.
- Albóndigas: Saucy meatballs
- Chorizo a la Sidra: Slow cooked chorizo sausage.
There are so many it’s hard to list them all but let’s just say, very few are let downs.
Further dishes and treats included Paella. A dish rich with rice and prawns infused with red sauce. Over the past few years, Paella has grown in popularity following the fish health kick.
And of course, let’s not forget the delectable taste of Churros. Sweet, fried batter smothered in sugar and coated in chocolate if desired.
Bruto (Gross)
Spanish food is somewhat a fine and treasured food producer, however, they still have their fair share of disturbing delicacies.
The main one being the blood sausage. For those who don’t know, a blood sausage is made up of the congealed blood of a hog. Which is then is cooked in lard and wrapped in a hogs intestine. Every part of the animal that should have been chucked is combined as one to create the blood sausage.
However, that not as bad as the disturbing dish, head cheese. The name is highly deceiving as this is not a dairy product. Head cheese is another pig infused dish that combines all aspects of its head. It’s often described as a meat jelly or terrine. The dish is that frowned upon that people believe it to be a myth, sadly it is not.
Spain has definitely been daring when it comes to their cuisine, some have worked and some sound like they shouldn’t. However, they are dishes that are highly rated by the Spanish nation. The question is, are you brave enough to try?
England

Brits aren’t just funny about what they eat when they’re abroad there are many English dishes that aren’t highly rated. Just like any country we have dishes that people would consider strange, unnatural and downright disgusting.
Then again we also have food that is part of British lifestyle. It’s the food that brings comfort on those cold, rainy days, so that’s every day really.
Delicious
One of the nation’s favourites is Fish n’ Chips. You’d be hard pushed to not find a chip shop in every corner of England. Naturally, the best chip shops reside at the seaside for that is where the best and fresh fish is.
Another tasty treat/meal that Brits go mad for are pasties. Imagine pastry filled with an assortment of meats, cheese, sausage, potato, you name it we’ve got it. In recent years there’s been some development on the pasty front with a multitude of wonderful flavours gracing pasty shops across the nations. Such as:
- Sausage & Bean Melt
- Chicken Tikka
- Steak Bake
- The Festive Bake (A Christmas Dinner in Pastry)
- The Spicy One (Fajitas in Pastry? It’s a Limited Edition Often on Sale Near Halloween Time)
Delightful or not us Brits can’t get enough of them.
Whilst these are firm favourites there are many other home cooked delights such as cottage pie and bangers and mash. Plus the traditional roast dinner, a meal consisting of meat, veg, Yorkshire puddings and crispy roast potatoes.
Finally the dessert aisle. Apple pie, toffee sponge cake, custard and Victoria sponge cake, yum.
Oh, and of course the obsession with tea. Tea, tea, tea, tea. That’s what we’re really famous for and one we’re proud of.
Gross
While we have many delicious dishes there are quite a few unflattering foods.
Take, for instance, black pudding which is often served as part of the English breakfast. A breakfast that is made up of sausages, bacon, hash browns, beans, toast and black pudding. While the other ingredients sound appealing, the black pudding is actually made up of pork blood and ground up pork and beef bits. It’s an acquired taste that many avoid.
Then, of course, there is offal which appears in many British dishes. Offal is a mixture of animal organs that are added to thicken and add flavour to certain English dishes.
Further meals also include haggis which is derived from the sheep’s intestine. Typically this is a Scottish dish but it’s enjoyed by many all over the UK.
With a mixture of blood, organs and intestines, Britain is certainly guilty of having some disturbing culinary traits. Yet it’s balanced out by many culinary desires that are full of comfort and wholesome flavours.
Katie Hetherington, travel enthusiast on a quest to provide fun and informative articles. I’m always on the lookout for new places to visit, food to indulge in and for more holiday home articles, ideas and information follow Schofields on Twitter and Facebook.
