Top 9 weird dishes in America you might not have heard of
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| Photo: justsomething |
Listed below are top 9 weird dishes that can bravely be called real American traditional ones, you probably haven’t even heard about. These meals are not only real American and hard to find in other nations, but also kind of weird and usually considered as being one of the strangers things tourists see in the United States.
1. Chicken and Waffles
It sounds not so appealing at first because one part of this dish is made from meat and it pretty sour while another one is considered to be a sweet breakfast meal. However Americas love this, and you can order this meal in many fast food restaurants easily.
What is even better (or worse – it is your call) that usually this dish is being served with maple syrup, and some might not hesitate to dip their chicken wings in it for more flavors. Weird for outsiders, but definitely loved by locals, this dish is truly one of the weirdest.
2. Corn Dog
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| Photo: justsomething |
Corn dogs are a pretty common at street carts, fairgrounds, and parks, but most of the world still consider this meal kind of weird, as this is just a hot dog dipped in batter and deep-fried. Stranger still is when such snacks are soaked in ketchup and mustard before being eaten.
3. Grits
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| Photo: justsomething |
While preparing for this article, we found tons of lists where grits were mentioned as one of the weirdest and hardest to understand American dishes for foreigners.
This dish is primarily made from corn kernels boiled in milk and is usually enjoyed mushy. Locals often add a bit of butter (and/or), cheese, and gravy, so the texture and the taste are quite difficult to tell. But Americans, for some reason, just love this mess, and they do use it as a side dish near meat too.
4. Brain Sandwiches
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| Photo: justsomething |
Deep fried cow’s brains (sometimes from pigs too), date back all the way to the Dutch and German pioneers who used every single thing they had at that time. That is easy to understand – sometimes the lack of food might make people improvise a bit and use parts of animals many of people today won’t consider being eaten. However, even today in the Hilltop Inn in Evansville, you can order this sandwich and taste real brains!
5. Chitterlings
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| Photo: thethings |
Chitterlings, usually referred to as chitlins, are a traditional Southern food made up of the small intestines of a pig that are boiled or stewed, and sometimes even battered and fried. They are often topped with apple cider vinegar and hot sauce, and served with such foods as collared greens and fried chicken. They originated during the 18th and 19th century, when institutional slavery existed. Slave owners would feed this dish to their slaves as to not have to share the “better” cuts of the pig. If you ever plan on making them yourself, beware — they can be quite stinky when they are cooking.
6. Rocky Mountain Oysters
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| Photo: thethings |
Despite the name, this dish is not comprised of shellfish. They are, in fact, bull testicles, and are considered a delicacy in ranching states such as Colorado, Montana, Idaho and Kansas. The testicles are usually removed when the bull is young and being branded. They are then washed, peeled, rolled in flour, seasoned with salt and pepper, and then pan fried. The testicles are either fried whole, cut into thin and wide slices, or marinated, and often topped with some hot sauce. They go by a few other names, such as prairie oysters, calf fries, cowboy caviar, huevos del toros (which in Spanish means “bulls’ eggs”), Montana tender groins, and swinging beef. If this sounds tasty to you, then be sure to check out one of Montana's numerous testicle festivals held every spring and fall. They are also rumored to help men's sexual performance as well, so if you are having problems in that area, be sure to load up!
7. Fermented Fish Heads
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| Photo: thethings |
This Alaskan dish is also known as Stinkheads, which doesn't make it sound any more appetizing. It's a traditional dish of the Yupik people in Southwest Alaska, and traditionally made out of the heads of King salmon. The heads are buried underground in special fermentation pits. They are left there to rot for a few weeks, then are removed, ready to be consumed. I'm sure you now can guess why the word “stink” is used. Unfortunately, Alaska has been suffering from an ever growing increase in botulism, and these fish heads are a big reason why.
8. Pickled Pigs' Feet
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| Photo: thethings |
Pickled pigs' feet are exactly what they sound like. The pigs' feet are salted and smoked, then cured in vinegar, salt and spices . They are usually served as a meaty snack, topped with hot sauce. You can even buy a jar of them in their pickling juice at some supermarkets, especially in the South. In fact, years ago, if you lived in the South, it was likely that your local ice cream truck served them as well. Lovers of this dish will suck every bit of meat and fat right off the bones.
9. Red Eye Gravy
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| Photo: Homemade Hooplah |
| This Southern gravy is made from the leftover fat juices of fried ham, sausage or bacon. Black coffee is then added to the skillet, and as it sizzles, the skillet is scraped to dissolve the particles that cling to the bottom and sides of the pan. This must've been created by someone who didn't want to waste a single drop of that black liquid gold. It also goes by the names of poor man's gravy, bird-eye gravy, bottom sop and red ham gravy. It is served with biscuits, ham and eggs. The official name comes from the blob of grease in the center of the gravy that looks like a an eye staring up at you – though there is a rumor that it came from Andrew Jackson, after he was served the gravy and noticed his hungover cook's bloodshot eyes. |
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