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The Many Disgusting Dishes & Culinary Horrors of Europe

February 24, 2015 41 Comments

culinary horrors of Europe Map

Map created by Yanko Tsvetkov from Atlas of Prejudice 2: Chasing Horizons

While European food has a very positive international reputation, it’s not all steak frites and pasta. As the map above shows, the continent also has its fair share of disgusting dishes and culinary horrors.

The map is the work of Yanko Tsvetkov and appears in Atlas of Prejudice 2: Chasing Horizons (also be sure to check out his first book Atlas of Prejudice: Mapping Stereotypes, Vol. 1)

For those of you curious about the various foods mentioned, here’s a bit more information:

  • Austria: Veal Heart Ragout (Salon Beuschel)
  • Balkans: Tripe Soup
  • Belarus: Pig Blood Soup (Chornaja Poliwka)
  • Benelux: Head Cheese (zult, hoofdkaas, preskop, kop or kopvlees)
  • Denmark: Liver Paste (Leverpostej)
  • Czech Republic: Sour Dough Soup (Kyselo or krkonošské kyselo)
  • England, Ireland and Wales: Blood Pudding (Black Pudding)
  • Estonia & Latvia: Blood Sausage (verivorst or vedarai)
  • Finland: Blood Pancakes (veriohukainen, verilätty or verilettu)
  • France: Pressed Duck (Canard à la presse, Caneton à la presse, Caneton Tour d’Argent, or canard au sang) and Frog Legs (cuisses de grenouille)
  • Germany: Blood Tongue Sausage (Zungenwurst)
  • Greece: Cow Lung Soup
  • Hungary: Fried Blood
  • Iceland: Rotten Sharks (Hákarl)
  • Italy: Horse Steak
  • Lithuania: Goose Blood Soup (Juka)
  • Norway: Lutefisk
  • Poland: Duck Blood Soup (Czernina)
  • Portugal: Rice in Blood (Cabidela)
  • Russia: Dressed Herring (Сельдь под шубой; Seld Pod Shuboi)
  • Sardinia: Maggot Cheese (Casu marzu)
  • Scotland: Deep Fried Pizza
  • Sicily: Raw Sea Urchin
  • Slovakia: Lard (Chlieb s Masťou)
  • Spain: Bull’s Testicles (Criadillas) and Squid Ink (Arròs negre)
  • Sweden: Fermented Herring (Surströmming)
  • Switzerland: Nestlé
  • Turkey: Boiled Animals Heads
  • Ukraine: Salted Pig Fat (Сало; Salo)

You can find more maps like this from Yanko’s books:

  • Atlas of Prejudice 2: Chasing Horizons
  • Atlas of Prejudice: Mapping Stereotypes, Vol. 1

For more on food and/or other disgusting things have a look at:

  • The Language of Food: A Linguist Reads the Menu
  • The Old World Kitchen: The Rich Tradition of European Peasant Cooking
  • 100 Most Disgusting Things On The Planet

Have you ever tried any of the foods above? How were they?

Share your thoughts in the comment section below:

Filed Under: Europe Tagged With: food

Comments

  1. Carol Langloy says

    February 27, 2015 at 4:30 pm

    All these things are really good, some are more than good ! You are really ridiculous !

    Reply
    • Thomas says

      June 10, 2018 at 9:11 pm

      Carol Langloy–> I can´t agree more!

      Reply
  2. Arnold says

    February 28, 2015 at 3:25 pm

    I obtained a third degree burn while trying to make two of these (at the same time) 😀 also, most of them are delicious + seriously, if half of these things involve blood, you might reconsider calling them disgusting…

    Reply
  3. Giorgio says

    March 1, 2015 at 2:26 pm

    First: in Italy we also have pig blood used in different ways. Tripe soup as well. We do not ear raw sea urchins but raw sea urchins EGGS. Do you est cooked caviar?

    Reply
    • farar says

      August 15, 2017 at 11:42 pm

      Ahh, trippa! 🙂

      Reply
  4. T says

    March 8, 2015 at 10:36 pm

    I like this map, though the title needs some work. You’d find many of these meals are good. Eating out of the ordinary/mainstream is oftentimes good.

    Reply
  5. MikiDos says

    March 10, 2015 at 2:12 pm

    i’ve just seen the map of the 2nd largest nations in europe and this map – and they are both full of mistakes and pure fantasy. is there any point in bothering with this website or is it all like this?

    Reply
  6. Juan says

    March 11, 2015 at 9:44 pm

    Criadillas are not bull but pig testicles…(i guess that doesn’t make them more apealling though;)). However it is not a popular or typical dish, just something you can find from time to time. I never tried them, neither have most people I know. That said, ink is really delicious.

    Some of the “disgusting” dishes in other countries are also eaten in Spain. We have blood sausages (“morcilla”) and raw sea urchin. Both are absolutely wonderful.

    Reply
  7. Matt says

    March 12, 2015 at 4:37 am

    Deep fried Pizza sounds wonderful, not gross – however Scotland is famous for Haggis, which is actually truly yucky: sheep stomach wrapped oatmeal/sheep innards, baked with herbs.

    Reply
    • FourQ says

      March 31, 2016 at 7:52 pm

      Deep fried pizza sounds like something from a Saturday Night Live skit. It also sounds delicious, especially after a night at the pub!

      Reply
  8. Raffaele Spr Nolli says

    March 12, 2015 at 12:04 pm

    Dude horse meat is amazing! Very tasty and healthy as well.

    Reply
  9. Y says

    March 13, 2015 at 2:39 pm

    Salo is delicious.

    Reply
  10. Roberto Sedda says

    March 20, 2015 at 7:30 pm

    As others have said, many of these dishes are really good. If you don’t want them, feel free to send them to my address!!
    (I would pass on the Swiss, however)
    As a native born Sardinian, I would also say that maggot cheese is really a delicacy, the name notwithstanding…

    Reply
  11. Fredrixen says

    June 10, 2015 at 5:50 am

    Mostly a map of culinary prejudices, more like.

    Reply
  12. Ella Stiniguță says

    June 11, 2015 at 5:27 pm

    Can anyone please tell why is Nestle disgusting?

    Reply
    • Yacea says

      March 9, 2016 at 6:59 pm

      Because industrial chocolate is shit compared to real good swiss or other handmade chocolate

      Reply
  13. Anna says

    June 12, 2015 at 7:12 am

    Just to clarify, in Spain, squid’s ink should be translated as “tinta de calamar”. “Arròs Negre”, as used above, refers to a particular rice dish cooked with squid’s ink. There are also other dishes made with squid’s ink.

    Reply
  14. Annette O. Corona says

    June 12, 2015 at 12:15 pm

    As a food writer and cookbook author, I have to say, articles like this really piss me off. Who are you to say what people eat in other parts of the world are disgusting???? Making use of all parts of a slaughtered animal is humane and respectful. Read my Ukrainian Cookbook…..and LEARN about the culinary practices of a country—-educating is key. I would not subscribe to this site for all the money in the world! Good day.

    Reply
    • Michele Sifuentes says

      June 14, 2015 at 8:33 pm

      Annette, thank you! I thoroughly agree! The only exception and what belongs on this map/list is “Nestle” from Switzerland. With all its artifical ingredients and preservatives, it’s not only disgusting and bad for your health, it shouldn’t even qualify as a food at all!

      Reply
    • William Barton says

      January 6, 2016 at 9:31 pm

      Annette, its meant to be whimsical. As a food writer I would have thought you’d know when something needs to be taken with a pinch of salt.

      Reply
    • FourQ says

      March 31, 2016 at 7:45 pm

      Lighten up, Frances.

      Reply
  15. Kakelefse says

    September 14, 2015 at 7:58 am

    Lutefisk is not that bad tbh, Western Norwegians traditionally eat cooked sheep’s head: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smalahove

    Reply
  16. DMN says

    September 17, 2015 at 12:58 pm

    I have eaten many of these foods and they are delicious.

    Reply
  17. Martin Bodlák says

    September 28, 2015 at 8:08 am

    This map was really poor 🙁

    Reply
  18. Guille Duplessis says

    February 20, 2016 at 2:08 am

    Wow it’s really an american focused map… But the matter is that they don’t know anything about food, sorry guys but horse steaks, pig blood and frog legs are amazing, certainly better than big mac.

    Reply
  19. Tetyana Korobkova says

    February 21, 2016 at 7:33 pm

    Salted pork fat from Ukraine? Seriously? Have you ever tried it? Ah! Spread it over a slice of pure rye bread (another disgusting product for some people, i guess), add some mashed garlic, and of course, a plate of hot Ukrainian Borsch – and your life will never be the same again, I guarantee you that! )))

    Reply
    • Grillology says

      March 10, 2016 at 11:24 pm

      In Italy we call it lardo. The best one is the lardo di Colonnata, seasoned 6 months in big box made with marble. Delicius!
      Maggot cheese spicy and creamy. Tasty!
      Raw sea urkins, actually urking fresh eggs: the deep sea in few grams.

      This guy only eat at Mc Donalds!

      Reply
  20. Tetyana Korobkova says

    February 21, 2016 at 7:36 pm

    And tripe soup? OMG! My condolenses to all drinking people out there, who never tried tripe soup. ’cause it is the best thing for the “morning after” syndrome )))

    Reply
  21. Yacea says

    March 9, 2016 at 7:02 pm

    Why always Frog legs? The only place i have seen frog legs in france is ..chinese restaurant.
    But we eat head paté, pig feet, blood sausage etc. and SNAILS ! Land snails and sea snails, so good!

    Reply
  22. Grillology says

    March 10, 2016 at 11:25 pm

    Dude?
    Mc Donald is your way of life!

    Reply
  23. Grillology says

    March 10, 2016 at 11:43 pm

    Your knowledge is really poor.
    In italy:
    Pajata: intestines of calf full of the last milk drinked. (Rome)
    Moeche: whole small crabs eaten while they are changing the shell. Soft and juicy!
    Lumache: snails mmmmmmh
    Coda: cows tail cooked in a complex way (Rome)
    Hundreds more….

    Wonderful dishes not for Mc Donalds lovers.

    Reply
    • magnax23 says

      August 11, 2017 at 11:17 am

      I’ve had pajata; it was delicious!

      Reply
  24. Nuno Alvares Pereira says

    March 11, 2016 at 7:00 pm

    Well, I guess in Portugal we eat almost all of them, and from my experience some are the best dishes I’ve ever eaten. 🙂

    Reply
  25. Chris Wood says

    July 15, 2016 at 3:38 pm

    What’s horrid or disgusting about a deep fried pizza? It’s a culinary masterpiece!

    Reply
    • Dayton Marcucci says

      October 9, 2016 at 9:26 am

      Exactly! Fried pizza is even made in Naples, Italy.

      Reply
  26. Jeroen Rombouts says

    July 25, 2016 at 2:08 pm

    I think Belgium has more so-called ‘disgusting dishes’ 😉

    We also have a blood sausage, we have our own version of ‘hutsepot’ that has pig’s trotters and pig’s ears in it, we eat horsemeat, like the Italians.

    Reply
  27. Portugal Drive says

    November 3, 2016 at 8:22 am

    Interesting list! Few of it’s entries features some almost identical dishes made of animal blood. Actually, it is not as disgusting as you might think (pork/duck blood, fried with onions is awesome).
    IMHO, yellow artificial c**p Americans call “cheese” is much worse.

    Reply
  28. JoAnn77PL says

    October 2, 2017 at 5:24 am

    I stumbled upon this map after reading about another one by that author. And to be honest, I’m disappointed by the fact that the soup mentioned as the most famous=”disgusting” (I guess the idea was the name of the dish) is ONLY typical for the very minor part of Poland. What is much more often consumed here and can be perceived as disgusting by some, are: blood sausage (kaszanka), boiled cow’s brain with egg (móżdżek), or tripe (“flaczki”, sometimes poultry, sometimes mixed). All of them are obviously delicious for most of us 🙂

    Reply
    • OtojaPL says

      September 23, 2019 at 12:56 pm

      Duck blood soup – czarnina – has a disgusting ingredient, but it tastes great 😀
      A long time ago it was served to young men applying for the hand of their beloved. It was a symbolic rejection of his proposal 😉

      @JoAnn77PL I don’t agree! Czarna polewka (czarnina) – duck blood soup it was in “Pan Tadeusz”!

      Reply
  29. James the Menace says

    October 2, 2017 at 5:24 pm

    Greece: cow lung soup??? Where did you find this? It is not even in the article you are hyperlinking. Maybe you are referring to lamb organ soup (contains liver, lungs, etc) which is a traditional Easter dish…

    Reply
  30. Richard Davies says

    July 1, 2018 at 2:48 pm

    Scotland – Deep Fried Pizza. Surely that should be Haggis? (not at all disgusting bte but fits the rather odd narrative).

    Reply

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