Despite a reputation for the ridiculous, both in calories and portions, the United States has a deep and colorful food culture. There is an abundance of items, from snacks to ingredients that tend to not exist anywhere else.
Someone asked, “Non-Americans, what’s your favorite American food you can’t get in your country?” People shared their experiences and dishes that they simply could not recreate outside of the USA. So get comfortable, assemble some snacks, and get scrolling. Be sure to upvote your favorite posts and comment your thoughts below.
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A friend of mine who’s a foreign exchange student misses Wisconsin deep fried cheese curds the most.
These are a separate food group in the upper Midwest, I live there(MN) and can confirm
American pancakes. Doughnuts. Basically diner food! I want American diners in Norway!
Come to New Jersey, Land of the Midnight Diner. NJ is known for its excellent, twenty four hour diners.
Was in Houston in August 2016. Me and my girlfriend (British) went to a mexican bar/restaurant called Paparruchos.
Honestly, ruined Mexican food for us. We can't ever have it in the UK again, I've tried three or four times since from various places and it just doesn't even begin to compare to the pure culinary joy we got from Paparruchos.
While internet culture and memes have perhaps skewed most people’s perception of American food, the reality is that many, very common ingredients all hail from North and South America. Tomatoes, potatoes, squash, and pumpkin, to name a few. Think about a handful of your favorite dishes and you will no doubt find an ingredient that came from the Americas.
Given the massive size of the nation and all the different cultural influences, it’s no surprise that certain American dishes are simply better. This is a country that takes every single meal very seriously, so it simply stands to reason that non-Americans will encounter some dish so powerful that they can’t stop thinking about it.
Dr Pepper is for the ascended Gods who have transcended the coke vs pepsi debate
Mozzarella Sticks with Marinara Sauce! Ugh I loved that when I went to the states. Come back to Australia, and cannot find them anywhere!!
Jesus hasn't anyone still mentioned MAC AND CHEESE?
Creamy, tasty, super delicious
In fact, the US is so large that it becomes hard to pin down what exactly is “American cuisine,” despite the stereotypes of burgers and fries. Each region has its own variations, and every group of immigrants brought with it techniques, dishes, and concepts, which were then tailored for the host of ingredients available in the USA.
It’s almost sacrilegious of me to say as an Englishman but I miss breakfasts. I love my full English but breakfast is something the US does so well. I lived in Manhattan for a few months and a diner, somewhere on Essex I think, did poached eggs with fried potato and onions for about $2-3 and I must’ve eaten that dozens of times whilst there. Pancakes and bacon too, we have US style places here but it is not the same.
As a Welshman, I prefer bacon in the states over bacon in the UK, and I love bacon.
When I was living in the UK, I couldn't find good Tex-Mex for the life of me. People would swear by some places, "no, this place has THE BEST burritos in all of the UK! The chef is from Tijuana, gets all the ingredients imported, it's amazing!" I show up, it's burnt and dried-up meat, a half a can of s****y beans, and some other stuff rolled into a tortilla in the shape of a softball. Terrible.
To be fair, I think it's not the fault of the restaurants, but the lack of ingredients. Even my own home-made guacamole was terrible over there. The avocados just weren't the same as the standard California ones, they had no flavor at all. No matter how you try to make the Tex-Mex over there, it's just never going to be the same.
You also might run into a problem of the good stuff being too far removed from the local familiarity. As in, make it the good way and people won't touch it because they can't recognize it or the taste is too far off what they know/like. Many a restaurant has gone under because of it.
Every time I'm down in Montana, Sonics is my go to. I barely eat fast food in Canada, but I'm drawn to those cherry lime slushies, and those delicious massive f*****g chili dogs. God damn it. I'm hungry now.
At the same time, the United States might be the undisputed fast food king of the world. To the degree that for many people, Mcdonald's was the first bit of exposure to American “culture,” for better or worse. Love it or hate it, fast food is a massive, dominant industry, and the US has restaurants to satisfy every craving.
Can’t get biscuits and gravy in the UK. Or goldfish crackers.
Australian here. I have dreams about eating another everything bagel. 😭
NJ here . There's nothing like an everything fresh out the oven .winter. 5:30 in the morning, all the blue collars going to work.. walk into the bagel store , feel the display windows to see which is hot/ freshest.. then getting that healthy (actually quite unhealthy) amount of cool cream cheese spread on. So soft.. Or an egg&cheese. .. homer drooling
I will forever have a empty feeling knowing I may never get to eat American buffalo wings again. I've tried to make them, bought them at restaurants here in Australia but nothing will ever fill the void they left. That and gumbo. I'd F*****g kill a man just to sniff the sponge that washed the plate they were served on. But seriously if anyone has a good recipe/link to a recipe for either gumbo or wings I'll give you and upvote and a personal message of thanks cos I have no idea how reddit gold works or what it is
You dont want gumbo from a restaurant. You want it from a roadside stand cooked by an 89 y/o black woman who only speaks thick Creole. Your taste buds will explode.
This blend has also led to incredible levels of fusion cuisine. While some might argue that this “waters down” original dishes from the rest of the world, there is something to be said for bold combinations, new methods, and ingredients to see what works together best.
Reeses anything
I love peanut buttercups! I buy a least one pack a week. Thankfully sold just about everywhere in the UK.
As these accounts can attest, there are some things that Americans simply do better. It might not be better for your arteries, your wallet or anything else, but when it comes to flavor, it's a class of its own.
Well I moved to the US, so it's not much of an issue anymore, but before recent times, the UK was so far behind on what constituted as BBQ.
If I flip the question, now I miss actual Fish & Chips. It's common to see on a menu here but they come out with tiny thin fries and no malt vinegar to be found. :/
Funny story: I live in the general Kansas City area, so one of the huge BBQ havens. I've even competed in the KC Royal bbq competition so not unfamiliar with good bbq. Last year I was traveling around Scotland and stopped by Edinburgh at the tail end of Fringe Fest. Walking through the equivalent of a farmers/craft market and couldn't pass up the hot sauce & bbq sauce stand. I figured at the least it would be interesting to see what the locals considered bbq sauce. But the flavors genuinely surprised me as the hot sauces were excellent, very American style. And he did a decent job with the bbq sauces too. As in better than 75% of the mediocre but common sauces like Sweet Baby Ray's, and far better than the local Heinz type stuff. Got to chatting with the guy & expressed my surprise and turns out that while he was a Edinburgh local, he went to college only 45 min. away from my area so had strong exposure to the good Q! Small world!
There is absolutely nothing better than good bbq…find the most “off the beaten path” place you can, and you’ll be sitting next to truckers, corporate lawyers, every kind of blue- and white- collar worker imaginable. It’s the great culinary equalizer. Every region swears their style is the best, and they’re absolutely right.
Best 'Q' I ever had was in some unlikely spot in Texas along side of the highway. It was one guy with a patio umbrella, card table, lawn chair and a huge sign that said BBQ. It was ribs and brisket that day and we sampled his deity inspired offerings retrieved from the pit he had dug in the ground. Simply magnificent!
Load More Replies...every time this comes up and I wonder how come, with Britain having access to cultures that have the perfect kind of stuff for BBQ sauce, I remember the phrase "Britain conquered the world for spices, and didn't like ANY of them"
I like bbq as in cooking meat on it, marinated or otherwise, but bbq sauce isn't something I'm a huge fan of. I've had some I've liked, very very rarely ones I loved and then rest I hated and would've rather just had a chunk of well seasoned and cooked steak/ribs etc and that if I'm paying decent money for quality meat I don't want it smothered in something that makes it taste cheap and nasty. I'm not about to dip my steak in ketchup and feel it's on a similar footing. I bought a really yummy cherry bourbon bbq sauce a while back at a farmers market and I wish I could find it again, it was amazing and others are just disappointing now and id rather do without.
There's no substitute for fish and chips from a proper chippy. Thick meaty chips, dripping in the "non-brewed condiment" they have on the counter, and served in a paper bag or cardboard tray. Even when I've had it in pubs on visits it's a pale travesty of the real thing.
Yes! Why does practically no restaurant here in the States serve malt vinegar with their fish & chips? It's a travesty!
UK fish and chips! (chef's kiss). But it's not just the fish and chips, but the person behind the counter asking, "What can I get you, Love?"
Ya need to check out the Codfather in Phoenix. British pub food done right run by Brits. You need to check it out !
I'm in the Pacific Northwest and it's almost impossible to find decent fish and chips. I require my fish to be battered and deep fat fried. Everywhere I go here they bread the fish and then BAKE it! You hold up the filet and it falls over in your hand. You bite into it and there's zero crunch. And it tastes like a piece of cold buttered toast.
The UK doesn't really have the climate to dedicate to proper BBQ. I think US BBQ's are probably top of the line when it comes to meats, but the Portuguese are killing it with the barbecued fish!
I remember back in 2011 when there was a heatwave in Scotland and my friends and I bought these nasty, cheap, little disposable outdoors barbecues and sat outside to cook sausages and burgers. The sausages were all nasty and charred on the outside and still oddly raw in the inside. Delicious! Still can't seem to find a proper Chippy in the U.S. though.
Load More Replies...I'm from the UK and went to America for the first time last Summer. I absolutely loved Cracker Barrel! You can get similar meals back home but their fried chicken and honey mustard sauce were something else.
I LOVED Cracker Barrel. I later found that it wasn't really highly rated in the US, kind of how the UK rates, oh I don't know... Little chef?? Surprised me a bit, it was good hearty home style American food. I just loved the stuff in their shop as well, really worked well with the theme for the tea shop at my farm.
southern style sweet potato casserole with cinnamon and crushed walnuts
Fried Oreos! I was initially horrified at hearing how they were made, but damn, after I had them, it was love at first taste!
I'm American but ran across a guy from the UK earlier this year and he couldn't get enough of gas station beef jerky. He talked about how good it was for a solid 10 minutes.
Readily available in the UK. Not just at petrol stations, but in supermarkets, convenience store, sweet shops, and more.
Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing/dip.
My mum made the dip every Christmas. We had to wait for someone to travel to the US to get us a load. Still got a few boxes left..
this american hates ranch and its ubiquity in american cuisine...bleech
Tie between Crab cake sandwich and Cornbread. Pure heaven
Well in grew up mostly in the UK, but would visit my maternal grandparents every year spending the whole summer.
Whenever I comeback, I always miss BBQ, very few countries have a good BBQ tradition like the US, and none of them are in Europe. British BBQ is burnt bland sausages and either over cooked or undercooked burgers.
Mexican and Tex-mex , Though Pakistani and Indian food, kind of fill that void at times for me.
American Chinese food- I know it’s not authentic but damn if it’s so good.
Chicken sandwiches have improved a lot in the UK, especially thanks to British Asian community, but cheese burgers have a long way to go.
My grans fried chicken, gumbos, cornbread and fried catfish, they the best.
Beans - canned bland Heinz beans aren’t proper beans, Brits think they a nation of bean eaters but they really not.
Here's a 'favorite' I haven't even tried, but as a Canadian who doesn't mind a nice burger & fries, and who has heard so many frustratingly good reports about this place, it *really* bugs me we don't have In-N-Out Burger.
Can vouch for this. We have an in-n-out down the street. We get it when we can, but the line is prohibitively long most of the time
Wendy’s, we dont have it in the UK and I always wanted to try it so i heard they had a few restaraunts in Dubai so when my dad took me to Dubai (not just to try wendy’s btw) We spent hours trying to track one down and wow! It was worth it. Great burgers and not overly expensive considering the size.
If they had Wendy’s in London i would be at a serious risk of getting fat cause I’d be in there on a regular basis. I heard there used to be one in Covent Garden in London but it got closed down i think.
Wendy’s if you’re listening, make this happen.
Lots of things, really, but the true gut-punch is the sheer **variety** of stuff you can get in the US now, especially online. Specialty ingredients can be tough to come by, and substitutes sometimes don't do much - try making Mexican food without the fantastic range of chillies.
yeah, the variety is what pi**es me off. america as well as japan and other SEA countries always get so many good sounding coca-cola flavors every year, while we in Germany are sitting there staring on in envy.
There’s a few, but the ultimate is Dippin’ Dots. Holy s**t, that ice cream was *awesome* and I miss it everyday. Also, Taco Bell (though I only had it once) and Starbucks.
im from america and i barley ever get to eat Dippin Dots since its mostly at amusment parks or zoos
Velveeta, Mountain Dew, Twinkies, giant snow crab legs from Costco and Ring Pops.
I lived in Austria in the late 80s and had to have my mother send me taco seasoning. The need for Tex-Mex is powerful.
send taco shells, taco seasoning, and chili spice mix to my cousin in switzerland,,,based on reading here...i should send her cornbread mix with the next batch!
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When I lived in the States, I was in Georgia... so I just miss the peaches and peach-based desserts. You can't get really nice fresh peaches where I live and, probably for that reason, they're not really a huge part of our culinary culture. I just want to be able to walk into any restaurant and know there is probably something peach on the dessert menu. Especially peach cobbler. Also, I really liked Funyuns. I occasionally still cave and buy a bag, even though I have to get them from specialty import retailers and a standard bag is around $10 Australian.
Nobody does peaches like Georgia; that's why they're the Peach State! Every time I drove down there for a comic con, I'd always stop at a roadside farmer's stand and get peach cider, I swear it's the nectar of the gods.
Load More Replies...I visited the States once some years ago and got seriously hooked on Corn Nuts. Imagine my dismay when I found out you can't get 'em in Australia. America also has the best goddamn steaks I've ever tasted.
I remember traveling in Europe and seeing menus advertising imported Nebraska steaks and I just didn't realize it was a thing. We do that to Japanese steak here in the states.
Load More Replies...It's funny and sad that so many people missed the point of this article with their "you can make it at home" or "you can get X anywhere in the world": IT'S NOT THE SAME. OBVIOUSLY. JFC, let people miss the food that they miss instead of making yourself look like an idiot for not getting this simple concept.
Deep fried bacon chunks. They probably kill you if you eat too many, but damn, they're tasty!
Fruit Loops. We have Fruit Loops, but they are missing the fourth color.
The US gets bashed a lot for its food considering the utter GARBAGE people here like.
Bourbon chicken at any mall! The taste is impossible to reproduce at home. We need them in the UK!
Just to make it clear, the things on this list are a major reason we Americans carry a little extra weight, usually around the belly.
When I lived in the States, I was in Georgia... so I just miss the peaches and peach-based desserts. You can't get really nice fresh peaches where I live and, probably for that reason, they're not really a huge part of our culinary culture. I just want to be able to walk into any restaurant and know there is probably something peach on the dessert menu. Especially peach cobbler. Also, I really liked Funyuns. I occasionally still cave and buy a bag, even though I have to get them from specialty import retailers and a standard bag is around $10 Australian.
Nobody does peaches like Georgia; that's why they're the Peach State! Every time I drove down there for a comic con, I'd always stop at a roadside farmer's stand and get peach cider, I swear it's the nectar of the gods.
Load More Replies...I visited the States once some years ago and got seriously hooked on Corn Nuts. Imagine my dismay when I found out you can't get 'em in Australia. America also has the best goddamn steaks I've ever tasted.
I remember traveling in Europe and seeing menus advertising imported Nebraska steaks and I just didn't realize it was a thing. We do that to Japanese steak here in the states.
Load More Replies...It's funny and sad that so many people missed the point of this article with their "you can make it at home" or "you can get X anywhere in the world": IT'S NOT THE SAME. OBVIOUSLY. JFC, let people miss the food that they miss instead of making yourself look like an idiot for not getting this simple concept.
Deep fried bacon chunks. They probably kill you if you eat too many, but damn, they're tasty!
Fruit Loops. We have Fruit Loops, but they are missing the fourth color.
The US gets bashed a lot for its food considering the utter GARBAGE people here like.
Bourbon chicken at any mall! The taste is impossible to reproduce at home. We need them in the UK!
Just to make it clear, the things on this list are a major reason we Americans carry a little extra weight, usually around the belly.