No matter where you go in the world, chances are you'll find some local dish or delicacy that is inexorably tied to its home turf. But many of these regional foods are so unique to their location that, to outsiders at least, their taste, texture, ingredients, and even appearance might prove puzzling — if not completely off-putting. Six of the culinary world's most bizarre and misunderstood regional dishes are explored here.
We're starting off strong with a unique Swedish dish so extraordinary that it has sparked a viral trend of people trying it online. Surströmming is salted and fermented herring, typically served inside an infamously bloated and misshapen tin can — the result of the fermentation process continuing after the fish have been sealed away.
A regional delicacy with centuries of history, most viral videos of people trying surströmming online almost immediately go wrong: the tin should always be opened outdoors, as the fermented fish inside carry a lingering and intensely foul smell, and the pressurized can can sometimes spray foul-smelling liquid on the unwary.
The fish shouldn't really be eaten as is, but should be cleaned and deboned, leaving just the soft, salty, and umami-rich flesh behind. It works almost like a piquant relish, and is best enjoyed with plainer-tasting accompaniments such as buttered bread or boiled potatoes.
British food has always had something of an unfair reputation around the world. One perennial British staple that seems forever to bamboozle outsiders is also one of the UK's simplest: beans on toast. This two-ingredient staple has even inspired a recent trend on social media for Americans trying it for the very first time.
A serving of tinned baked beans (haricot beans cooked and stored in a simple tomato-based sauce) atop a couple of slices of buttered toast might not sound like the most appetizing meal, but beans on toast really needs to be tried in order to be understood. There's a reason this deceptively simple dish was recently ranked fifth in a YouGov survey of Britain's favorite meals, alongside roast chicken and fish and chips.
A much-loved childhood staple in Australia and New Zealand, often served at kids' birthday parties and other special occasions, fairy bread is the local name given to colorful sugary sprinkles — known locally as "hundreds and thousands" — simply served atop slices of buttered white bread.
Fairy bread is so iconic in Australia that it was even honored with a Google Doodle, and the name "fairy bread" is said to have been coined by author Robert Louis Stevenson in an 1885 poem — though the dish itself seems to have emerged a little later, in the 1920s.
Also known by the local Yupik name of akutaq, Alaskan ice cream might sound appealing — and might indeed look like a serving of berry-rich sorbet — but with little to no dairy available in the high Arctic, this isn't a traditional ice cream, despite its name. Instead, akutaq is typically made by mixing berries with whipped animal fat, and occasionally a handful of snow to give it a chilled, ice cream-like texture.
Like many local dishes, there are countless variations depending on what is locally available: walrus tallow and seal oil might be the chief ingredients at coastal locations, whereas moose or caribou fat might be used inland, and flakes of dried pike or freshwater whitefish elsewhere.
Forever associated with Rochester, New York, perhaps the most confusing thing about the garbage plate — besides its somewhat unpalatable name — is its bizarre mix of ingredients. Although different U.S. towns have different versions, a typical serving will feature either hamburger or hot dog meat (or both), alongside fried potatoes, onion, tinned beans, macaroni, and sliced bread.
Dating back to the first half of the 20th century, the dish was supposedly created when customers at a fast-food restaurant in Rochester asked for a dish with "all the garbage" on it. This high-piled combo plate was the result, and has remained a popular U.S. staple — and a perennial source of confusion to outsiders — ever since.
Traditional French delicacies come in all shapes and sizes, with frog's legs and snails among the most famously bizarre and forever misunderstood among outsiders. But a traditional tête de veau will be a staple of many a local bistro across France, as well as a popular offering in local marketplaces and butchers. For outsiders, this dish might raise a few eyebrows: a tête de veau is a whole calf's head, typically deboned and rolled up into a sausage-like mass, which can then be roasted or poached and served in slices.