# Europe Forum > European Culture & History > European food and recipes >  What European food DON'T you like ?

## Maciamo

The same poll was made about Japanese food on Wa-pedia. 

Almost all the Japanese believe that Westerners have difficulties appreciating their cuisine. It is almost impossible to meet a Japanese person in Japan without being asked whether we _can_ eat sushi, natto, umeboshi, etc. It is like a "test" that every foreigner in Japan is subjected to. But this also reveals the strong stereotypes the Japanese have of Westerners, as the poll shows that sushi is one of the most liked food, while other dishes that hardly ever get asked are some of the least appreciated (crab brains, raw horse, chicken joints, salmon eggs...).

I was wondering what Europeans and non-Europeans alike disliked among Europe's vast culinary heritage. Personally there is only the good old British marmite that I can't stand approaching my taste buds.

This site has an extensive list of disgusting food around the world, but there are many I have never tried in Europe. Some sound much worse than they actually taste (Spotted Dick, Bubble and Squeak...)

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## Mycernius

Ther are others, but the ones on your list that I have tried in the past and dislike are Haggis, Blood sausage and Goats cheese.
Haggis manily because of the herbs, usually varies from person to person, and the fact is I find some offal disgusting to eat ie: tripe and liver. Blood sausage, called black pudding in the UK, because blood and fat a good meal do not make. I'd rather eat rubber. Goats cheese because when I was young I used to have a reaction to any products made with goats milk, I'd throw up, so it put me off goat products fro the rest of my life.

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## Maciamo

I forgot to say that I disliked peanut butter too. I think that when the Belgians I know think about British food, they think more about jelly, peanut butter and marmite than fish & chips, roastbeef or Cornish pies. Probably because fish & chips and roastbeef are also common in Belgium and Cornish pies (or meat pies) are so unknown here that it doesn't spring to mind.

But black pudding is also very common in Belgium and the neighbouring Rheinland region of Germany (although not in Eastern Germany, I noticed). I love them with mashed potatoes and apple compote, the whole mixed till it gives an distgusting-looking mish-mash. :Liplick: 

Goat cheese is almost sacred in Belgium and France. My wife doesn't like it, like most Japanese, apparently...

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## Mycernius

> Goat cheese is almost sacred in Belgium and France. My wife doesn't like it, like most Japanese, apparently...


I must have a Japanese gene :Smiling:  
I forgot to vote for tripe. Absolutely disgusting, vile, horrible thing I have ever had the misfortune to try, and I have had some pretty disgusting crap in the past.

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## Minty

> I must have a Japanese gene 
> I forgot to vote for tripe. Absolutely disgusting, vile, horrible thing I have ever had the misfortune to try, and I have had some pretty disgusting crap in the past.


I don't think if a person dislike goat cheese is because s/he has Japanese genes. Japanese people don't like goat cheese is because they are not used to the taste, just like many westerners don't like tofu.

I think just about all the Asians except south Asians dislike goat cheese, especially North East Asians. The Indians probably would like goat cheese is because their food contains dairy products like yogurt and cream. I do know one Asian family however who are born and brought up in western lifestyles who like goat cheese though.

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## Minty

> I forgot to say that I disliked peanut butter too. I think that when the Belgians I know think about British food, they think more about jelly, peanut butter and marmite than fish & chips, roastbeef or Cornish pies. Probably because fish & chips and roastbeef are also common in Belgium and Cornish pies (or meat pies) are so unknown here that it doesn't spring to mind.


My husband doesn't eat peanut butter but I wouldn't say he dislike peanut butter. Hmmm, my husband says roast beef is French food too!




> But black pudding is also very common in Belgium and the neighbouring Rheinland region of Germany (although not in Eastern Germany, I noticed). I love them with mashed potatoes and apple compote, the whole mixed till it gives an distgusting-looking mish-mash.
> Goat cheese is almost sacred in Belgium and France. My wife doesn't like it, like most Japanese, apparently...


I have heard of black pudding from the British before, from the look of the ingredients I think I will pass.

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## Minty

> The same poll was made about Japanese food on Japan Reference. 
> Almost all the Japanese believe that Westerners have difficulties appreciating their cuisine. It is almost impossible to meet a Japanese person in Japan without being asked whether we _can_ eat sushi, natto, umeboshi, etc. It is like a "test" that every foreigner in Japan is subjected to. But this also reveals the strong stereotypes the Japanese have of Westerners, as the poll shows that sushi is one of the most liked food, while other dishes that hardly ever get asked are some of the least appreciated (crab brains, raw horse, chicken joints, salmon eggs...).
> 
> I was wondering what Europeans and non-Europeans alike disliked among Europe's vast culinary heritage. Personally there is only the good old British marmite that I can't stand approaching my taste buds.
> This site has an extensive list of disgusting food around the world, but there are many I have never tried in Europe. Some sound much worse than they actually taste (Spotted Dick, Bubble and Squeak...)


Well, I took my husband back in Malaysia for vacation not long ago, my father's friends are surprise my husband is able to use chopstick. Hmm I guess this is some sort of culture shock...




> France: Escargot, Tripe, Frog's Legs, Bleu Cheese, Roquefort, Steak Tartare, Brains, Truffles, Camel's Feet, Boudin


What is wrong with snails and frogs legs? I love them!!! My husband likes steak tartare; if people can eat raw fish then people can eat raw beef!  :Laughing:  What's the big deal?




> Hong Kong: Monkey Brains


Hmmm huh? I thought this is Korean food, we saw a report about it on national geographic! :Sou ka:  




> Malaysia: Ice Kachang (Shaved Ice) Belachan


Eh? What is wrong with this food? It is sweet condensed milk with red bean and shaved ice, I love this! :Cool:  It is also eaten in Taiwan, and Hong Kong under different names. Singaporeans eat it too!!!

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## Kinsao

AH, there are quite a number of foods on that list that I have never tried, but I'd be happy to give any of them a try! Can't say until I have tried!  :Cool: 

Hmmm, I LOVE Haggis (must be my Scottish blood! XD) and also black pudding.  :Liplick:  I also love Marmite, saurkraut... and, is 'jelly' the kind of sweet stuff? or the sort you get in meat?  :Doubt:  

Peanut butter I can take it or leave it, it's not one of my faves but I can eat it in small amounts.  :Smiling: 

The only food I've ever tried so far that I don't like is green olives. :S

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## Mycernius

> is 'jelly' the kind of sweet stuff? or the sort you get in meat?


I took it as he meant Jam. He's been around Americanisms too long :Wavey:

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## Maciamo

Jelly is a dessert made from gelatin. It can have very strange colours: pink, orange, green...

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## Mycernius

:Sou ka:  I see Jelly, or as our colonial cousins call it jello. Not only different colours, but also different shapes, always rabbits when I was young

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## Minty

> Jelly is a dessert made from gelatin. It can have very strange colours: pink, orange, green...


Yep, that's my definition of Jelly too!!!

On a note about marmite, I don't like marmite but yet I love Bovril, you know they are quite similar but not exactly the same! :Poh:  

But I don't eat Bovril the way British people eat it, I put it in my Chinese porridge (no milk, Chinese never put milk in their porridges, I feel I need to state that because in the past I had a conversation about Chinese porridges with a Finnish guy, and he thought Chinese porridges have milk because Finnish porridges have milk). :Sou ka:

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## cursore

In Japan everyone was impressed I could use chopsticks and I could eat all Japanese food including raw horse meat.

I love Haggis, and I have one or two toasts with Butter and Marmite a day.

I think I won't like black Pudding in Italy is known as Sanguinaccio.. But I never tried it...

Strangely in the list there is no Italian food specified,,,,

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## Kinsao

^ lol, obviously there is no Italian food that is or sounds horrible enough to be included!  :Giggle:  

I don't see why jelly should be particularly disliked...  :Sou ka:  it's popular as a children's food...

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## Maciamo

> ^ lol, obviously there is no Italian food that is or sounds horrible enough to be included!


Trippe alla Fiorentina (Florence-style tripes)

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## Minty

> ^ lol, obviously there is no Italian food that is or sounds horrible enough to be included!  
> I don't see why jelly should be particularly disliked...  it's popular as a children's food...


I think the French don't like Jelly; they had a commercial making fun of it.

French donft eat peanut butter or oats, you need to seek in the special foreign food section in the hypermarket to find them, not only are they expensive here, there are only one choice of each.

However Jelly has been popularly introduced in East Asia. I have been brought up with foods like Jelly and peanut butter. With Jelly, we used to play with it, as they comes in little packaging with different colors and pictures.

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## Maciamo

> I think the French don't like Jelly; they had a commercial making fun of it.
> French donft eat peanut butter or oats, you need to seek in the special foreign food section in the hypermarket to find them, not only are they expensive here, there are only one choice of each.


I agree that jelly and peanut butter are unpopular in France (and Belgium), but it isn't the case of oats if you mean 'porridge' ('oats meal', as they say on the other side of the Atlantic). Porridge (_gruau d'avoine_ in French, lit. "oats gruel") is readily available in any supermarket (even the tiniest village mart), and has always been since I was a child. Btw, most of the French supermarkets are well implanted in Wallonia (Carrefour, Champion, Match, Intermarch&#233;, Ecomarch&#233;...). One notable exception is Monoprix.

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## Minty

> I agree that jelly and peanut butter are unpopular in France (and Belgium), but it isn't the case of oats if you mean 'porridge' ('oats meal', as they say on the other side of the Atlantic). Porridge (_gruau d'avoine_ in French, lit. "oats gruel") is readily available in any supermarket (even the tiniest village mart), and has always been since I was a child. Btw, most of the French supermarkets are well implanted in Wallonia (Carrefour, Champion, Match, Intermarch&eacute;, Ecomarch&eacute;...). One notable exception is Monoprix.


The hypermarkets/supermarkets I have been to are: Cora, Auchan, Super U, Hyper U, Marche U and Coop. There are others. The ones you have mentioned besides Carrefour, Monoprix and Intermarche the rest I donft know them. I get other hypermarketfs brochures in my mail box I don't remember seeing those that you have mentioned that I don't know of, but it could be because they are far from where I live.

I have found a brochure in my mail box recently advertising an oat bran kind of cereal, it is written new. 

I have asked my husband that I want to buy oats before and he has no idea what I am talking about just like he doesn't know what Bovril taste like or what it is. 

I have found Quaker Oats in the foreign food section in a hypermarket here where as Barilla products from Italy are found in the normal food sections in French hypermarkets.

I can see there are some differences of opinions of yours about French and my husband's, maybe this is regional difference. The side of France next to Belgium must be somewhat different to the side that we live in.

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## Gwyllgi

For myself I detest tripe and other organs through which animals have passed their food, similarly all ductless glands, I would never eat anything an animal has been looking through, thinking with, or using for reproduction, and lungs appall me.

On that basis I will not eat haggis (which I don’t like anyway) and I certainly don’t eat British sausages and a whole lot of French cuisine much of which seems to incorporate all of my dislikes in each dish.

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## Nasturtium

*Braunschweiger*—a spreadable smoked liver sausage enriched with eggs and milk; the most well known of the liverwurst sausages

I had to look that up because I had not the slightest idea how to spell it. My grandpa used to eat that as a sandwich with mustard and lettuce. I can still remember the smell that would linger for hours.

Here in Wisconsin, the 2 favorite foods are bratwurst and cheese (lager to wash it all down). I myself can't stomach the bratwurst...truthfully though it's the big fat globules you can see that makes my stomach turn. I guess I'm just not a sausage fan, though the occasional hot dog slathered with mustard is ok.

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## Gwyllgi

Obviously likes and dislikes in food is quite literally a matter of taste (as well as knowledge and to a lesser extent tradition).

I happen to love Braunschweiger and its variants. Actually Braunschweiger is a variant of smoked mettwurst but no point in being picky. 

There’s a shop in the Grosskölnstrasse in Aachen that does the most wonderful cooked meats, and serves both hot and cold on an assortment of bread or bread rolls (Brötchen) to just sit and chew on while wandering amongst the various shops, or just sitting by the quite spectacular modern fountain.

There’s several (it’s a wurst,and so being Germany there’s many) types of what are in essence mettwurst, and I’m an aficionado (the word I used for some reason fell foul of the bad word filter!) for all of ‘em! 

What I will point out is that just as it’s virtually impossible to find good cheese or chocolate in the US, so I’m yet to find a good German style wurst. Maybe it’s a matter of my Eupnoea pallet and what I’m used to, maybe the preparation or recipe is different.

Good bratwurst should be made from lean cuts of pork and veal. It is essential to use veal and young veal at that. 

There’s several varieties of bratwurst depending on the region, mostly the variations are in the spices used and on the size of the things, but what I have noticed is that in the US every one of the domestic Bratwurst that I’ve met seems to use beef as opposed to veal, and to contain far too much fat.

Bratwurst should always be grilled. 

I know that they are sometimes cooked by boiling them, I know that the “brat” is sometimes (wrongly) translated as a diminutive form of the German word “braten”, whereas it actually refers to the way the sausage is made, even though the German word “brat” translates to roast, but the best bratwurst when made properly _and grilled_ are great. 

If you like that sort of thing!

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## Cambrius (The Red)

Goat's head gets a minus 1,000 on my good / bad scale.

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## LeBrok

Oh, com'n guys, you discredited good food based on what? 
You know nutritional value of a liver, blood sausage, or other organs? And if it's prepared by a good cook it's simply delicious. 
I think the problem nowadays is that parents are not cooking much or well on this matter. Kids are not exposed to variety of cuisines, except what you can get from fast food chains, or small eateries, serial box, warm up and eat stuff, etc.
Once you can get over of what is the food made of you can enjoy cooking to the fullest.

Liver with onion, or cranberry sauce, mmmmm, anyone?  :Laughing:

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## Cambrius (The Red)

I don't know about cranberry sauce combined liver and onions... :Shocked:

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## LeBrok

lol, I'm not fan of mixing meets and fruits either. But I was amazed eating it in one french restaurant.

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## Chris

Marmite. You either love it, or hate it!

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## Aristander

I pretty much avoid organ meats and blood sausage of any variety. My German farmer grandfather used to butcher hogs at the first cold front to come through south Texas. (Usually wasn't until late November or early December) I can still remember standing outside in a stiff north wind stirring the kettles while we cooked the pig blood and rendered the lard from the fat.
The the smell to come out of the refrigerator while my grandmother cured the head cheese. She called it Sulze (Pigs stomach with all sorts of scraps of hog meat from the head, feet, ears, organs and and other parts that were too small to mess with or didn't make it into the sausage grinder.)
Of course I enjoyed eating the wurst, hams, bacon and roasts that came from the hog, but it seems my elders were just wild about the blutwurst and Sulze.  :Useless: 

BTW, in Maciamo's selection I thought when he had English Jelly, I thought he was talking about Aspic. It seems like half the food I was served in England had a coating of that gelatinous crap! Here in America what he was talking about was Jello. I don't like it, don't eat it or even like to look at it however just about everybody else I know of here loves the crap!

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## LeBrok

I'd have had a feast with your grandfather then. I can't cook though, but love the variety of old european foods.

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## Mzungu mchagga

> I pretty much avoid organ meats and blood sausage of any variety. My German farmer grandfather used to butcher hogs at the first cold front to come through south Texas. (Usually wasn't until late November or early December) I can still remember standing outside in a stiff north wind stirring the kettles while we cooked the pig blood and rendered the lard from the fat.
> The the smell to come out of the refrigerator while my grandmother cured the head cheese. She called it Sulze (Pigs stomach with all sorts of scraps of hog meat from the head, feet, ears, organs and and other parts that were too small to mess with or didn't make it into the sausage grinder.)
> Of course I enjoyed eating the wurst, hams, bacon and roasts that came from the hog, but it seems my elders were just wild about the blutwurst and Sulze. 
> 
> BTW, in Maciamo's selection I thought when he had English Jelly, I thought he was talking about Aspic. It seems like half the food I was served in England had a coating of that gelatinous crap! Here in America what he was talking about was Jello. I don't like it, don't eat it or even like to look at it however just about everybody else I know of here loves the crap!


Could it be you are confusing two things? The meal you described first (Pigs stomach stuffed with other meat) is called "Saumagen" (hog stomach) and speciality from the Palatinate region, while Sülze actually is the scraps in aspic. The latter btw is the *worst thing* i've ever eaten in my life, the only thing in recent years that made me want to vomit. There is nothing in Maciamo's list above that can reach Sülze!

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## marrabel

As for me, I do not like the goat cheese and everything that is connected with coat milk products.

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## ratchet_fan

> I forgot to say that I disliked peanut butter too. I think that when the Belgians I know think about British food, they think more about jelly, peanut butter and marmite than fish & chips, roastbeef or Cornish pies. Probably because fish & chips and roastbeef are also common in Belgium and Cornish pies (or meat pies) are so unknown here that it doesn't spring to mind.
> But black pudding is also very common in Belgium and the neighbouring Rheinland region of Germany (although not in Eastern Germany, I noticed). I love them with mashed potatoes and apple compote, the whole mixed till it gives an distgusting-looking mish-mash.
> Goat cheese is almost sacred in Belgium and France. My wife doesn't like it, like most Japanese, apparently...


Isn't peanut butter Mesoamerican or just American? I think the mesoamerican good is very different from modern peanut butter invented by Americans. I think the same applies to chocolate too.

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## Gwyllgi

I'll settle for a big and really well fried schnitzel with at least a couple of fried eggs, fries, mayo and green salad! (Got to have the green salad to make it healthy!)

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