Europe’s landscapes are beautiful, its cultural past rich, and some of the world’s most renowned food traditions. French flaky pastry, Italian spaghetti, Spanish tapas spring to mind. But under all the gourmet élan there’s another, rather less glamorous face of European food a more boisterous, usually pungent, occasionally downright frightening one.
We’re talking about dishes that push boundaries, challenge expectations, and in many cases, make people squirm. These aren’t your standard comfort foods. They’re born from a mix of history, necessity, and fearless tradition, turning ingredients most would never touch into regional delicacies. Ready for a tour through Europe’s most stomach-churning eats? Let’s begin.
1. Casu Marzu (Italy)
From Sardinia we have Casu Marzu, literally “rotten cheese.” Sheep milk is used to make a cheese that is taken beyond typical fermentation into decomposition. Live insect larvae are quite helpful in this process. Yes, the maggots are on board and are commonly added to the final product.
Producers keep a single wheel of Pecorino open for cheese flies to lay eggs. Once the maggots hatch, they break down the fats, making the cheese literally liquid. Citizens refer to the ooze as lagrima “tears.” The odor is strong, and maggots will leap several inches, so some diners keep their eyes closed while they eat.
Although banned by the EU on health grounds, Casu Marzu still is produced and consumed in rural Sardinia. For those that grew up on it, however, it’s not quite a novelty – it’s a part of their heritage.
2. Hákarl (Iceland)
In Iceland, Hákarl is such a fermented shark meat with the odor of so much ammonia that it carries more of a test than a meal. Traditionally made from Greenland shark, which is toxic when fresh, Hákarl is said to be buried underground to ferment for weeks and then dried out for months.
This is a square piece of rubbery fish imbued with a smell that is best described as urine and flavour that can overwhelm even the bravest foodie. They generally serve it in Icelandic native society with Brennivín, strong local schnapps, which acts to temper experience, but nevertheless it is a symbol of Icelandic resilience and resourcefulness.
3. Surströmming (Sweden)
Surströmming is a fermented Baltic herring that is so potent that it’s typically opened outside sometimes even underwater to avoid the pressure spray and the smell. Fermentation will continue even if it is canned; it causes human tins to bulge up with pressure.
Despite the pungent smell, though, there are Swedes who fall in love with this meal. It is often accompanied by flatbread, potatoes, onions, and sour cream to temper the ostentatious flavor. Most foreigners, though, cannot stand it. One whiff already pushes them away.
4. Smalahove (Norway)
Smalahove is a Christmas treat in western Norway created from the entire head of a sheep. The head is split, de-brained, singed, and subsequently steamed or boiled until tender.
Traditionally, it’s consumed from front to back, beginning with the eyes and ears which are deemed by many to be the tastiest bits. Cheek meat and tongue are particularly prized. It’s a nostalgic meal for Norwegians of earlier times when nothing on an animal was wasted, and nowadays it’s still contended to be worthwhile for its heritage and tradition foundation.
5. Andouillette (France)
In a nation renowned for sophisticated cuisine, Andouillette is a rugged reminder of peasant origins. Prepared from pork intestines, the sausage has an odor so pungent that it gags some individuals before they have the courage to try the substance.
It’s gritty in texture and pungent in aroma, tasting somewhat of wine, onion, and black pepper. It’s a regional favorite in some parts of France, especially Champagne, where it is an authentic delicacy. For most visitors, though, a single bite is one too many.
6. Kishka (Central Europe)
Kishka is a sausage made of organ meat like liver or lung with grains such as barley and buckwheat. Earthy, heavy, and undeniably pungent.
Breakfast Sausage Casserole
Equipment
- 1 Casserole Dish 9x13x2-inch recommended
- 1 Medium Skillet For browning sausage
- 1 Slotted Spoon For draining sausage
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl For preparing the custard
- 1 Whisk
Ingredients
Main
- Butter for greasing
- 1/2 loaf of sliced white loaf bread
- 1 pound fresh bulk pork sausage with sage
- 10 ounces sharp Cheddar grated
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 large eggs lightly beaten
Instructions
- Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes and spread in the bottom of a greased 9- by 13- by 2- inch casserole dish.
- In a medium skillet, brown the sausage over medium heat until fully cooked and no longer pink. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon to drain the fat. Spread the cooked sausage over the bread and top with the cheese. Then stir together the, half-and-half, dry mustard, salt and eggs. Pour this mixture over the cheese. Cover the casserole with aluminum foil and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
- The next day, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bake the covered casserole until set and slightly golden, about 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the casserole to set for 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
Filled casings and boiled, it’s a thick, heavily seasoned meal, although often divisive. Flavors are rich, textures coarse, and smell unmistakably strong. Reluctantly to be devoured by anyone who doesn’t know, it is a cultural staple in the countries of Poland and Hungary.
7. Salo (Ukraine)
Salo is really just smoked slices of pig fat, occasionally retaining the skin. It’s usually sprinkled with pepper and garlic and then pickled or smoked to enrich it. Alone, it’s quite strong chewy, fatty, and intensely flavored.
De-Pudged Pigs in a Blanket
Equipment
- 1 Chef's knife
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Large Baking Sheet Preferably non-stick or lined with parchment paper
- 1 Rolling Pin Optional, for stretching dough
Ingredients
Main
- 8 fat-free or nearly fat-free franks about 40 to 45 calories each
- 1 package refrigerated reduced-fat crescent dough
- Flour for dusting
- Mustard as dip, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Cut each hot dog into 4 even pieces. Set aside. Place the eight triangle-shaped portions of dough on a lightly floured work surface.
- One at a time, stretch or roll each triangle out slightly, making it into a larger triangle. Cut each piece of dough into 4 long, narrow triangles. Beginning at the base of each of these triangles, roll one hot dog piece up in each until the point of the triangle wraps around the center. Place your blanketed pigs on a large, ungreased baking sheet.
- Repeat with remaining ingredients, so that you have 32 pigs in a blanket. Be sure to evenly space them, as the dough will expand while baking.
- Place sheet in the oven and cook until dough appears slightly browned and crispy, about 12 minutes.
- Serve with mustard for dipping, if using. Enjoy!
Notes
Typically served with vodka, raw garlic, and rye bread, Salo is less delicacy than sustenance. In Eastern Europe, it is a cultural institution and point of pride, linked to generations of toughing out cold winters.
8. Blodplättar (Sweden)
Blodplättar, or pancakes made of blood, are precisely what they’re called pancakes made of animal blood, either reindeer or pig blood. Spiced and mixed with flour, they’re cooked like regular pancakes but turn dark-colored, dense, and have a metallic taste.
Found throughout northern Sweden, they are an ancient wastefulness of slaughtering an animal. Served with lingonberries or sour cream, they possess a strong, iron-flavored taste devoured by some, avoided by others.
9. Haggis (Scotland)
Arguably the most famous “yucky” food on this list, though a number of Scots would angrily dispute this assertion, is haggis. It’s a pudding made out of sheep’s liver, heart, and lungs combined with onions, spices, suet, and oatmeal, then boiled inside a sheep’s stomach.
Haggis
Equipment
- 1 Large Stock Pot For boiling organs and the final haggis cook
- 2 Large Mixing Bowls One for soaking the stomach, one for combining ingredients
- 1 Chef's knife For mincing organs and suet
- 1 Cutting Board For mincing ingredients
- 1 Butcher's Twine or Needle and Thread For sewing the stomach closed
Ingredients
Main
- 1 sheep stomach
- 1 sheep liver
- 1 sheep heart
- 1 sheep tongue
- 1/2 pound suet minced
- 3 medium onions minced
- 1/2 pound dry oats toasted
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried ground herbs
Instructions
- Rinse the stomach thoroughly and soak overnight in cold salted water.
- Rinse the liver, heart, and tongue. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook these parts over medium heat for 2 hours. Remove and mince. Remove any gristle or skin and discard.
- In a large bowl, combine the minced liver, heart, tongue, suet, onions, and toasted oats. Season with salt, pepper, and dried herbs. Moisten with some of the cooking water so the mixture binds. Remove the stomach from the cold salted water and fill 2/3 with the mixture. Sew or tie the stomach closed. Use a turning fork to pierce the stomach several times. This will prevent the haggis from bursting.
- In a large pot of boiling water, gently place the filled stomach, being careful not to splash. Cook over high heat for 3 hours.
- Serve with mashed potatoes, if you serve it at all.
Notes
The prize is a dense, juicy, intensely flavored dish with a crumbly but tacky texture. Haggis isn’t just a meal in Scotland; it is a national symbol, which the Scots raise glasses to each and every year with recitations of poetry, music, and ritual. For others not aware of organ meat, however, the ingredients themselves are a sell.
10. Blood Sausage (Black Pudding)
Spread all over Europe, Black Pudding is made of cereal like oatmeal, pork blood, and spices. It’s normally cooked by boiling or frying and has a firm yet spongy texture with a very strong, mineral-rich flavor.
It’s a breakfast food in England, Ireland, and France. But to those individuals elsewhere in the world, the thought of biting into a congealed-blood sausage is enough to turn them off entirely.
11. Liver Pâté (France)
While at times deemed fancy, Liver Pâté has been known to be divisive. It’s made from duck or goose livers blended with butter, cream, and spices, and it’s prized for its velvety texture and rich, earthy flavor.
But not everyone agrees. That pungent liver flavor will turn people off, particularly those who aren’t familiar with organ meats. For some, it’s sophisticated and decadent; for others, it’s an irrevocable turn-off.
The Takeaway
These foods will be strange or nauseating but each one has a story to tell. They are all symbols of survival, tradition, and the creative ways that people have adapted to using every single resource that exists. Gross in one location may be a warm comfort food in another.
Playing with them isn’t just about being bold. It’s a dip into cultures that hold heritage, ruggedness, and more intimacy with food. So if you ever catch yourself staring down fermented shark or maggot cheese, perhaps don’t run. Bite in, if you dare and you might just learn to appreciate the weird, crazy universe of European food.
