17 different European dishes that are traditional in their countries

Traveling to another country is the dream of many, because it means discovering a place based on its culture, art and delicious or, sometimes, somewhat unusual food. From Italy we know lasagna or pizza, from Belgium fries and from Holland waffles, but there are other dishes on the menu that are completely different and very popular.

O incredible.club brings today the lesser known dishes from different countries in Europe so you can get to know them and keep them on your gastronomic radar.

1. Hákarl: fermented shark (Iceland)

It is a fermented Greenland shark meat, consumed since the Viking era.

The animals are decapitated and buried in a pit for 6 to 12 weeks to drain out poisonous elements not fit for consumption, then filleted and finally hung for months to dry.

When the parts of the animal turn completely brown, it means that the Hákarl is ready to be consumed. They say it takes a long time to adapt to the taste and aroma of this typical dish, but it is a delicacy that you cannot miss.

For those who like to eat other parts of animal meat, Kokoreç certainly won’t be a problem. It is a dish made with sheep or pig intestines, which is then roasted and usually accompanied by drinks or street food.

It is so traditional that the locals taste it in the morning and do not recommend eating it in any establishment, as there is a preparation that requires professional care.

Although Italy is recognized thanks to such well-known flavors as pizza, pasta, lasagna and many desserts, Casu Marzu cheese is everything that perhaps you never imagined.

The so-called rotten cheese originates from Sardinia, where it was thought to fill sheep’s cheese with larvae of live insects, so that the worms would ferment it to the state of decomposition.

Those who have tried this adventure say that the cheese has a foamy texture and that eating it with worms enhances the flavour.

Although its name does not bode well, anyone who knows or has tried this dish says that its flavor is delicious.

Haggis are sheep organs inside a bag made from the animal’s stomach, spices, onion and oats, which are boiled and then consumed. Its ideal accompaniment is with whiskey, and locals prefer to eat it on Burns night, January 25th.

Another unusual dish for our palate is Kholodets, or meat jelly. It is a gelatinous mass obtained by cooling the broth with pieces of meat. It has been known since the 16th century and is usually prepared with meat (including feet, tails and pieces of meat) or pork (ears, tails and legs). It is traditionally served with a radish or mustard sauce.

Tradition says that it is ideal to eat it during winter festivities, but there are those who prepare it at any time of the year.

Have you ever had delicious pancakes with honey or maple syrup, scrambled eggs, bacon and fruit? It’s amazing! But in Finland they were bolder and created Veriohukainen (pig’s blood pancakes) also known as Blödplattar in Sweden, or Blodpannekake in Norway.

Its preparation has ingredients such as beaten blood, beer, rye flour, onion, butter and spices. The accompaniment is nothing to be missed and usually has pork or reindeer meat, salad or red fruits and apple.

Baby eels are one of the most expensive foods in Spain and, although they have almost no taste, the strangest and most peculiar thing is their price, which reaches 1,000 euros per kilo.

The most classic preparation of the dish is the one with garlic, bell pepper and olive oil. Another way to eat it is with salads, fish or seafood. In some corners of Spain, they prepare it for the Christmas menu or for St. Sebastian’s Day.

8. Surströmming: fermented herring (Sweden)

Surströmming is herring fermented for 6 months, which has a very acidic taste. According to a Japanese study, opening a can of this dish exudes “one of the most fetid odors in the world”.

The origin of the product dates back to the 16th century and has a very complex chemical and production process. Its accompaniment can be with salads or potatoes, and it can also be eaten for breakfast with milk or as an aperitif with beer.

The most important recommendation is to eat outdoors so the smell doesn’t get carried away.

Bull testicles have a peculiar history of “supposed” aphrodisiac value. For many, it is simply a culinary delicacy. This dish is hard to find and prepared as a filling for empanadas, for roasts, ceviches or soups. Historians believe that bull testicles were the main cause of the life-threatening indigestion suffered by the King of Castile and León, Ferdinand the Catholic, in the 15th century.

10. Pferderostbraten: horse roast (Germany)

Germany has a very particular culture regarding the consumption of horse meat. From it, various products are prepared, such as Sauerbraten, a condiment that is part of the ingredients used to prepare horse meat. There is also Rosswurst, horse meat sausages, and Pferderostbraten, the roast.

It is not easy to find the animal’s fillets, but there are specialized stores that sell exclusively the meat, the Pferdemetzgereien.

Eating horse meat remains a controversial issue today in some countries, such as England, which, despite producing the meat, avoids consuming it, as it sees the horse as a pet and not as food.

Another unusual dish in Spanish cuisine is rooster combs. Few are those who can taste them, as they have a gelatinous texture very similar to pig’s feet and those who have not tried it may not like it.

Despite the strangeness, it has been found that it is a low-calorie meat and that it is best accompanied by vegetables and rice. There are also many ways to prepare it, but the ideal is to cook it with lots of vegetables, oil and salt.

For many years it was believed that this food was too tempting for Leonardo da Vinci, and that he made a recipe in his book on culinary techniques “Codex Romanoff”. However, chef Koketo completely denied this fact in a survey he carried out.

12. Sausage from Andouillette (France)

Andouillette is a sausage made with the intestines and stomach of a pig or veal. It is a very traditional dish in some regions of France, such as Lyon, Troyes, Cambrai, Rouen and others.

For almost 20 years, the consumption of this veal sausage was banned due to mad cow disease, and replaced by that of pork meat, until in 2015 the consumption of veal was allowed again.

The dish oozes an intense aroma and flavor and perfumed with alcohol or wine, is rich in fat and is usually sold cooked to be prepared on the grill, in the oven or in a frying pan.

13. Cibreo Sauce (Italy)

Cibreo is a sauce of chicken livers, eggs and other remains of the same animal, very popular in Florence.

There were many royalty who tasted the dish, the best known being Catherine de’ Medici, who tried to export the sauce to France, but was unsuccessful. The queen also got dangerous indigestion from over-consumption of Cibreo.

Patsas comes from ancient Sparta and consists of a kind of stew with calf hooves and the animal’s stomach. It is a very nutritious dish and has progressively evolved to the point where a personalized order is possible with traditional ingredients, minced meat or in large pieces and paprika oil extracts, vinegar and seasonings.

The dish is believed to have a high content of collagen, which helps in rejuvenation. Also, some doctors recommend it as food after orthopedic surgeries.

Czernina is a typical Polish soup, made from broth and duck blood. Due to its strong taste, Poles often add sugar, syrup or honey. It also includes pasta or potatoes and can be found at any local food restaurant. A curiosity of the dish is that the black czernina was served to the boyfriend as acceptance of the marriage proposal. Otherwise, and as a reason for rejecting the request, the groom was received with a golden czernina, that is, a soup without the duck’s blood.

Lard is very popular lard in Slovakia, so much so that any bar or pub offers it as an accompaniment to aperitifs. Many people in the country make their own preparation, saving bacon or pork fat in a pot and leaving it for one or several minutes.
nights in the fridge.

Lutefisk is a very popular dish in Norway and has an incredible preparation: the first thing is to leave the fish in water for 6 days (the water must be changed). Subsequently, it is soaked in chlorine for another 2 days, so that it can swell, reduce proteins and generate a kind of gelatin.

Once the first part is finished, the fish is in caustic mode, which is equivalent to maximum danger and inedible. So, in order to be able to eat it, another treatment of 4 or 6 more days of immersion in water is necessary. People who enjoy the dish usually accompany it with potatoes or salad.

Undoubtedly, in gastronomy everything is valid. That’s why every food, no matter how different, deserves a chance. Do you know another exotic and different dish worth trying? Tell us in the comments!