12 Weird Foods in Europe You’ll Either Love or Never Forget

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When it comes to food, Europe is one of the world’s most diverse continents. At every turn, travelers can discover unique foods and dishes that are vibrant, fresh, and downright delicious. Europe has everything, from hearty pasta in Italy and roast dinners in the United Kingdom to tasty French onion soup in France and paella in Spain.

However, beyond Europe’s famous foods lies a realm of food reserved for only the bravest eaters. You’ll find terrifying foods like maggot-infested cheeses and bull testicles. To give you a sense of the strange side of European cuisine, here are 12 weird foods in Europe you might not be able to stomach.

Casu Martzu, Italy

Weird Foods in Italy Casu Martzu — © Gengis90 / Adobe Stock

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Let’s start this list with casu martzu, a terrifying dish that puts the fear of god in even the toughest taste buds. Once banned by the European Union Food and Safety Commission, casu martzu, or maggot cheese, is a traditional Italian cheese made from Sardinian sheep milk.

What makes this cheese so scary is how it’s made. As you can probably tell by the name, casu martzu is made using maggots. Insect larvae are added to the cheese deliberately to increase fermentation and break down fats. The end product is a soft cheese with an overbearing, intense flavor and smell. It’s also not uncommon for a mysterious-looking liquid called làgrima to seep out of the cheese.

Criadillas, Spain

When you thought things couldn’t get worse than maggot-infested cheese, the Spanish came with criadillas. If you’ve never had the pleasure of eating criadillas, first of all, lucky you, let us explain what they are. This stomach-churning food is fried bull’s testicles. No, we’re not talking a load of bull; they seriously eat testicles in Spain.

While bull’s testicles are the most common choice, buffalo, lamb, and boar testicles are also popular. We’re unsure what the difference is; maybe it’s the size. In Spain, testicles are breaded and fried until golden and crispy. Unsurprisingly, they have a chewy texture. Regarding flavor, they reportedly taste slightly like chicken.

Tortilla del Sacromonte, Spain

If the thought of eating bull’s testicles made you feel queasy, this next Spanish dish will leave you running to the bathroom. At first glance, tortilla del Sacromonte looks like an ordinary omelet, or frittata, as many people in America call it. However, upon further inspection, we found that this dish contains some wild ingredients.

To make tortilla del Sacromonte, eggs are mixed with peppers, potatoes, lamb ham, lamb brains, and testicles. If you can tackle this dish, you can eat anything. The brains have a soft and creamy texture, while the testicles are still chewy. Supposedly, the dish tastes surprisingly good, but we’re not sure we want to stick around long enough to find out.

Blood Soup, Greece

Weirdest Foods in the World_Blood Soup, Poland — © Bowonpat / Adobe Stock

Today, blood soup is widespread across Europe, but its origins can be traced back to ancient Greece, where it was once a traditional Spartan meal. The Spartans would boil pig blood and pork to make the soup. Now, it is commonly made using chicken, pig, or duck blood and a broth.

In addition to Greece, blood soup is found in Poland, Lithuania, Finland, and the Czech Republic. You can expect a rich-tasting soup with a gelatinous texture and a solid metallic flavor. People across Europe use blood because it helps to thicken sauces and is an excellent source of protein. So, what do you think? Are you willing to give blood soup a try?

Surströmming, Sweden

Weirdest Foods in the World_Surströmming, Sweden — © Marina Khlybova / Adobe Stock

Surströmming is part of a viral food-eating challenge that makes people eat it without throwing up, which tells you almost everything you need to know about the next food item on our list. A Swedish delicacy, surströmming is tinned, lightly salted, and fermented Baltic Sea herring.

While it might not sound scary, this weird food has the most horrific smell. It’s often considered the world’s smelliest fish. Meanwhile, others believe it has the world’s most putrid smell. With such high praise, we’d be crazy not to try it, right? As soon as you open a tin of surströmming, you’re hit with an immense pungent aroma. Its flavor is salty and tangy.

Escargots, France

For those who don’t know, escargot is the French word for snails, which is a delicacy in France and other European countries, such as Portugal, Italy, and Spain. Eating snails might sound pretty horrific, but they are a staple cooking ingredient and a top choice in many 5-star restaurants across France.

They are arguably the tastiest weird food on this list. In France, escargot is usually served as an appetizer. The snails are typically boiled in a vegetable broth and flavored with garlic and herbs. Regarding flavors and textures, snails are salty and have a mushroom-like texture. Often, they are served in their shells, along with a specialized fork called pince à escargot to extract them.

Salo, Ukraine

Salo is a popular traditional Ukrainian food made of boneless pork belly or cured pork fatback, with or without the skin. This intriguing dish is usually mostly fat. It can be salted or fermented in brine, smoked, or treated with condiments. It makes our list because of how and why it’s eaten.

In Ukraine, salo is commonly served as an appetizer with a glass of vodka. It’s believed that eating the food while drinking will prevent you from getting drunk, allowing you to drink as much vodka as you want. We don’t want to find out if that’s true. Interestingly, salo is also a butter alternative, often spread on bread. It can also be eaten with salad and vegetables.

Svið, Iceland

As far as unappetizing European foods go, they don’t get much worse than Svið, a traditional Icelandic dish that wouldn’t look out of place in a Hannibal movie. Simply put, Svið is a sheep’s head cut in half. Leaving nothing to the imagination, this dish is just that. If you order it in Reykjavik, you’ll receive half a sheep’s head on a plate.

If there is any consolation, the fur and brain are removed first, and the head is usually served with swede and mashed potatoes. The head has a tough texture and a meaty flavor. Svið rose to stardom when the Icelandic people couldn’t afford to waste any part of an animal.

Creier Pane, Romania

Creier pane is a traditional Romanian dish with heaps of pig, lamb, and cow brains. The brains are usually boiled, coated with flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs, and deep-fried in oil until golden and crispy. The result is a unique food with a crispy exterior and a creamy but firm interior.

The deep-fried brain has an intriguing buttery and savory flavor that isn’t that bad. The hardest part about eating creier pane is getting over what it is. In Romania, fried brains are most commonly served with veggies or fries, although they can also be eaten with a slice of lemon.

Mão de Vaca Com Grão, Portugal

Weird Foods in Europe_Mão de Vaca Com Grão, Portugal — © PhotoStk / Adobe Stock

Mão de Vaca Com Grão is an inviting Portuguese dish bursting with flavor and vibrance. However, as appealing as this dish looks, it hides a dark secret. A cow’s hoof lies under the delicious Portuguese sausage, vegetables, and chickpeas. Seemingly unnecessary, this huge twist puts many people off eating Mão de Vaca Com Grão.

This strange dish originated in Angola, Central Africa, but Portuguese explorers brought it back to Portugal. Served as a main dish, the cow’s hoof is known to have a robust, meaty flavor and a gamey texture. For us, adding rich Portuguese sausage and earthy chickpeas saves the dish. Although, we’re still not sure it’s something we’d want to eat every week.

Jellied Eels, England

The penultimate food on our list is jellied eels, a traditional English dish that originated in the 18th century in the East End of London. I’m from the United Kingdom and hate this food, so I don’t blame you if you don’t want to try it. Jellied eels consist of chopped eels boiled in a well-spiced stock.

Once boiled, the stock is allowed to cool and set, forming a unique jelly. The eels are then ready to be served. In London, the eels are usually eaten cold on their own. They have almost no taste but an unpleasant texture. Eels became popular in England because they were cheap, readily available, and nutritious.

Beuschel, Austria

The final weird European food on our list is beuschel, a horror movie special from Austria that will terrify even the fiercest eaters. This dish is typically a ragout or stew made from the worst parts of an animal, including lungs, heart, kidneys, tongue, and spleen. These meats are usually taken from pigs, calves, and cows.

If it’s any consolation, this medley of weird ingredients is often served with bread dumplings and a sour cream sauce. This is a popular dish in Viennese cuisine, but you’ll also find it in Bohemia and Bavaria. Although we’re not so sure you’ll want to see it unless you’re looking for a severe food challenge.