British cuisine has its fair share of unique dishes, and while some are beloved by locals, they can be quite off-putting to those from other countries. These traditional foods often surprise and sometimes gross out foreigners.
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1. Boiled Vegetables
"Over-boiled veg gets my vote," offers our first Brit. Vegetables can be wonderful morsels of joy when prepared right. The U.K. has two main forms of vegetable treatment — from a can or nuked beyond recognition.
Of course, you can relax if you find that rare spot where the chef learned how to cook (or is from) abroad. However, catch a dingy pub on the wrong day, you will get soft, boiled cabbage, mushy carrots, and don't even get me started on boiled cauliflower.
2. Jellied Eels
Sometimes, a dish's name may not reveal the depths of the ingredients' despair, but thankfully, jellied eels are not that dish. Anything with jelly and eels in its title should be self-explanatory. However, those who dare will discover boiled eels, cooled down and set in the same gelatinous eel liquor their boiling created. The result is a clear, glassy jello with boiled eel suspended therein — you have been warned.
3. Piccalilli
Not to be confused with Piccadilly Circus in London, I consider Piccalilly a British cousin to the equally foul American ambrosia. A combination of sharp-pickled cauliflower, zucchini, and onions in a vomit-colored sauce made yellow with mustard powder and turmeric; piccalilli is served with luncheon meats or cold cuts. If I never see it again, it will be too soon.
4. Haggis
North of the border in Scotland, people like to eat sheep's stomachs filled with ground heart, liver, and lungs mixed with oatmeal and flavored with whisky. Scots people are proud of this anything-but-delicate delicacy, but there is a good reason you can only get it in Scotland. I don't see this catching on in Italy.
5. Salad Cream
It hurts me to even write about some of these ingredients, as many are my idea of culinary Hell. However, I must also be brave and blow the whistle on these things, if anything, to warn the innocent U.K. visitor. Salad cream is a sugary, vinegary version of mayonnaise that some heathens use on salad — think ranch dressing past its sell-by date.
6. Boiled Pudding
Boiled pudding is a classic British dish, often enjoyed during holidays and special occasions. But let's be honest, the thought of a boiled dessert can be quite off-putting to many people. Unlike the soft, baked puddings they're used to, this British treat has a denser texture and is often flavored with fruits and spices. If you can get past the initial strangeness, you might find it to be a delightful surprise.
7. Tripe
Tripe is the edible lining of a cow's stomach, and it's a beloved ingredient in various traditional British dishes. However, for a lot of Americans, the very idea of eating an animal's stomach lining is hard to stomach. Prepared in a variety of ways—from being boiled to sautéed—it has a unique texture that's either loved or loathed. Tripe dishes are definitely an acquired taste and can be a culinary culture shock for many.
8. Liver and Bacon
To most Brits, organs are something you hear in an Anglican church on a Sunday, not something one eats. There are ways to make organs sing, though the British are still searching for the right note.
A bum note is liver and bacon, which may look like goulash or stew, though there is one problem — it contains over-cooked, rubbery liver.
9. Pickled Eggs
Need we even discuss this monstrosity? You will find huge jars of these aberrations in fish and chip shops or behind pub bars — hard-boiled eggs pickled in spiced white vinegar that cure for two weeks before unleashing their sting on the eyes of any unfortunate passer-by. Never mind Devilled eggs — these are the Devil's eggs.
10. Marmite
The strange thing about Marmite is that 50% of you will enjoy it, while the rest will run a mile at any suggestion. Marmite is a sandwich spread made from concentrated yeast extract — a byproduct of beer. I have this spread on toast and butter every morning — my son is the same.
I can only describe it as thick, beef-flavored syrup with a sweet, umami finish. However, others cannot endure its powerful aroma. Even Marmite's marketing campaign says, "You either love it, or you hate it."
Source: Reddit
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