While it’s easy to imagine Parisians living on a steady diet of wine and croissants, or Bostonians downing their doughnuts with some coffee in lieu of a meal, the reality is that people tend to eat all sorts of things.
Someone asked “What's a food in your country that is stereotyped for your country but really, nobody eats?” and people from around the world shared their best examples. So get comfortable as you scroll through, bring a snack, upvote your favorites and be sure to share your thoughts in the comments down below.
#1
People act like all Irish people eat is potatoes but we have a super diverse food culture. We also eat cabbage.
Image credits: brainbox08
#2
Fortune cookie. We dont even have this in China.
Its actually American food created in California.
Image credits: TuzzNation
#3
Most "Chinese" food consumed in US is not Chinese food.
Image credits: icypriest
#4
Corned beef and cabbage. ~~Literally **nobody** eats that here~~ **Edit:** Seems it's a thing in parts of Munster, based off what people are commenting here. I'm from Mayo, so maybe it's a regional thing or a reimport.
The original meal is bacon and cabbage, which people do eat. When Irish people emigrated to the US they were often in the same neighborhoods as Jewish people, so bacon was replaced with corned beef.
Image credits: Beach_Glas1
#5
Canada’s stereotype buffet: apparently we eat poutine three meals a day, chug maple syrup straight from the tree, and ride our pet moose to Tim Hortons. Reality check: most Canadians barely eat poutine, maple syrup is a once-in-a-while thing, and moose will stomp you if you get too close. Sorry to ruin the fantasy.
Image credits: cupofteaf
#6
I think in Germany lots of people really do eat stuff like pretzels, potato salads and sausages somewhat regularly (not every week but they are a regular occurrence). However, I know many Germans who really dislike beer and never drink it. Speaking of beer, most Germans have never been to Oktoberfest and don't want to go.
#7
Nobody in Iceland eats the fermented shark. We just foist it on unsuspecting foreigners for a laugh.
#8
Frog legs? I mean. Frog are better eating up mosquitos than being chased for food. But we do eat snails and they are very good.
Image credits: Extension-Peace-8652
#9
I would love to say surströmming. But people eat that rancid stuff every summer. I don't know why.
Image credits: EnderPerk
#10
With the caveat of prepackaged waffles, most Belgians don't really eat all that many waffles. All the fresh waffle stands are mostly kept afloat by tourists.
Image credits: bangsjamin
#11
Chicken Tikka masala. Not the main thing in India.
Image credits: oobree
#12
What I've seen in American Chinese restaurants. Well most of them. No one in China ever heard of general tso chicken.
Image credits: 2030peter
#13
Jellied eels, 99.9% of British people have never had them. They are only found to my knowledge in one area of London.
Image credits: AverageCheap4990
#14
Yes, we produce a lot of maple syrup and yes, we love it but really there’s only so much you can do with it. It’s not an every day thing. It’s very tasty but also very sweet.
Image credits: Mysterious-Region640
#15
I personally don’t know anyone who eats spray-on cheese
I’ve had it before, but it’s not something I’d buy. And it doesn’t seem all that popular with people I know. I imagine the only people who eat it don’t care about their health or food quality and have the palates of raccoons.
Edit: Ok so apparently the main (human) consumers of spray cheese are people from Pennsylvania. I’ve never lived there so I didn’t know that was a popular thing.
Image credits: MagicPigeonToes
#16
Egg rolls are not actually Chinese food but invented in America.
Image credits: polymonomial
#17
I’m Hungarian, and I don’t know anybody who eats goulash regularly. I wouldn’t say that nobody eats it ever, but I really don’t think it’s as common as tourists believe.
Image credits: _jeffreydavid
#18
“Canadian bacon”
If you ask for bacon in Canada, you get regular ol, “streaky bacon” from the pork belly.
What Americans refer to as “Canadian bacon” is called back bacon and is a more standard bacon in the UK (and Ireland) and what you get when you order a “Full English breakfast.”
Canadians do have back bacon, but isn’t nearly as common. And when we do have it, we typically cure and prepare it differently, then roll it in cornmeal and we call it “Peameal bacon”.
And peameal bacon sandwiches are delicious.
Image credits: Buttsquish
#19
Probably cucumber sandwiches, it’s something a small number of people have occasionally but pretty uncommon.
Image credits: gridlockmain1
#20
We don’t eat Schnitzel and Kaiserschmarrn near as much as anyone thinks we do. It’s delicious, but generally a once a week thing, max.
Image credits: Americanmalayalee
#21
I realize it's regional but when tourists come and try Cincinnati style chili and leave thinking THAT is chili, I get really upset. Cincinnati chili is an abomination and a war crime. Cincinnati isn't even in Ohio. Don't believe me? Fly to Cincinnati and let me know where you land. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.
#22
Curry
Most of India doesn't eat curry all day the food is so diverse every 2
100 km the food changes even languages to.
#23
Trdelník for 🇨🇿, it’s not even czech but is everywhere in Prague for tourists.
Image credits: clingyfungus
#24
Not a food a drink. Sangría, people drink tinto de verano which has less alcohol but tastes better imo.
Image credits: wangjingman
#25
Deepfried mars bars in Scotland, tbh they deep fry anything here lol....
Deep fried pizza, gads.
Image credits: TinyProgrammer20
#26
Surströmming - the fermented herring that comes in a can and smell like a dead body rotting in a sewage. First of all, it’s only a specialty in Norrland, the northernmost part of Sweden where 10 % of the country’s population lives. Second - even there, they eat it once a year.
#27
Turkish delight.
Yes, it is sold here, and when it is well-made it is tasty, but it is just one out of a few thousand traditional candies and sweets available, and not remotely the most popular one. Honestly, they are kinda bland compared to the other options. Even candy coated roasted chickpeas probably get more mileage, and those are so old fashioned they have become nostalgia bait.
#28
I wouldn't say that nobody in Thailand eats Phad Thai, it's certainly a relatively popular dish.
But certainly not something eaten daily or even weekly for most people here.
Despite being the big dish tourists tend to enjoy, that is on every menu and touristy night market.
The actual local favourite is Kra Pao (Garlic/Chili/Basil Stir Fry) with rice and of course, a fried egg.
#29
Many people especially in the USA think that falafel and hummus is a Greek thing but we don't eat them in Greece. Like my mum has no idea what these thinks are.
#30
I literally have no idea what fettuccine Alfredo are and i don't care to waste 10 seconds to check online, but i bet that many people believe it's something we eat regularly.
Image credits: National_Place_6792
#31
Mango lassi? Don't get me wrong, we do drink a lotta lassi (in punjab, del) but I haven't really heard of anyone drinking mango lassi regularly.
Image credits: reddit.com
#32
The Schabziger. A green cheese (yes, green) that is said to last very long and who has a flavor as strong as Parmesan. Typical east swiss, from the Alps, but I don't know anyone eating it at all.
Image credits: reddit.com
#33
Surströmming. I wouldn't say nobody eats. But only about ish 20% of Swedes eat it "at least once a year". Out of those, half eat it specifically only once a year (a seasonal tradition, eaten the third thursday in august every year). A lot of those will be from the region of Norrland up north in Sweden where it is the regional traditional food.
So 80% of Swedes you meet don't eat it and there is a high likelyhood they haven't even tried it. I have, not a fan. But when prepared and done properly, it is nowhere near as bad as the internet challenges to eat it straight out of the can make it out to be.
Image credits: Antioch666
#34
That deep-fired butter thing kinda looks like smoutebollen (or Oliebollen if you're Dutch). Probably less butter in the stuff we have at our fairs though.
I don't think we have a stereotypical food that nobody actually eats, though. Waffles are genuinely popular to the point we have different versions, we love us some chocolate, beer, moules frites or more standard chips/fries.
#35
Anything you see in the US section of a European grocery store. Except peanut butter. Peanut butter rules.
