50+ Foods to Try in Europe: What We Loved (and Didn’t)

I thought it would be fun to do a culinary wrap-up from our European adventure. I also thought: this is going to be such an easy, fast post to write.

It. took. so. long!!!!

We aren’t fine-dining folk, but we do enjoy trying local cuisine, especially in food-market settings. As with any trip, there is always so much to see (and eat!) and too little time. That said, we sampled dozens of local specialties. Here are more than 50 foods to try in Europe—from familiar favourites to some decidedly adventurous options.

If something shows up on this list, it means the kids almost certainly tried it as well. They’re not the world’s most adventurous eaters, but they’re usually up for at least one taste of just about anything new (so long as bell peppers are not on the ingredient list).

When I was editing this post, it seemed like a constant parade of very fatty, calorically-dense foods, but it was spread across almost four months of living abroad. In other words, I promise there were lots of fruit and vegetables in our everyday diets!

Let’s go!

FOODS TO TRY IN GERMANY

Spätzle:

I know I have a picture of Belle trying this, but can’t seem to find it right now. Spätzle is a form of soft egg noodles. We bought Käsespätzle (I think??) which is a bit like an elevated mac and cheese, topped with crispy onions. I only had one bite, but that one bite was all it took to confirm this is a very delicious German staple!

Leberkäse:

I have never tried bologna in my life, but I’ve been told that is the most similar culinary comparison to leberkäse. It’s basically a meatloaf of pork and beef that you can buy by the slice, cold or heated. It’s very common to serve it in a warm bun with condiments like ketchup and mustard. It was delicious! We had this a few times in Germany and Austria. The kids were big fans. There are different versions, too, with unique flavours. I think their favourite was one filled with gooey cheese.

Currywurst:

This was Indy’s pick at the open-air German food market. It’s sliced sausage smothered in a curry-spiced ketchup. It was messy but incredibly tasty. He was a HUGE fan.

German Pretzel:

Thanks again to the blog reader who suggested we check out Julius Brantner. A few hours after I read the comment, we happened to walk by the store without any advance planning. It was chewy, salty, and still warm from the oven. Salt + carbs = my favourite combination.

Bratwurst:

I don’t have much to say about this classic German sausage. Per tradition, ours was served alongside sauerkraut and a grainy mustard.

Sauerkraut:

Fermented cabbage! I’m not normally the biggest fan of sauerkraut, but it was great with bratwurst. When we were at the restaurant eating, I saw a few people come in and order a GIANT bowl of sauerkraut.

Wiener schnitzel:

A thin breaded cutlet fried until golden and crisp, usually served with lemon. This was fine, but a bit bland, in my opinion.

FOODS TO TRY IN AUSTRIA

Lángos:

This is a traditional Hungarian fried dough. You can get it savoury (topped with things like garlic or cheese) or sweet (cinnamon sugar, Nutella). It reminds me a lot of Canadian Beaver Tails. Ironically, though we did go to Hungary on a day trip, we actually bought our one and only lángos at an Easter market in Vienna.

Viennese Coffee

Coffee culture is a big deal in Vienna. It’s known for being knock-your-socks-off strong (it was), served with a glass of water (it was), and cafes are designed for people to stay for as long as they want (we did). In fact, the coffee culture in the city actually has a UNESCO designation!

FOOD TO TRY IN HUNGARY

Goulash:

Sadly, only John tried this and I don’t have a picture, but it sounded delicious. I’ve had goulash a few times in North America, but it would have been nice to try it in Hungary, where the dish originates. It’s a rich stew with lots of paprika.

FOODS TO TRY IN SWITZERLAND

Lindt chocolate:

Gracious we ate A LOT of Swiss chocolate when we toured the Lindt Home of Chocolate with Catrina. And not just any Swiss chocolate. We ate Lindt Swiss chocolate made with Swiss milk. It was so, so good.

Emmental cheese:

My family absolutely loves Swiss cheese, so it was a no-brainer to pick some up when we were actually in Switzerland.

FOODS TO TRY IN ITALY

Gelato, pizza, and pasta in Italy:

These are perhaps the three most classic items of Italian cuisine and for good reason! Things tend to be made with a small number of simple ingredients, but the quality and preparation is superior to food from just about anywhere else. Also, comparatively, good food tends to be much more affordable.

Cannoli:

I’m just… not a big cannoli fan. I find them a bit tasteless and dry. They’re crisp pastry tubes filled with cream (ricotta, I think?) and a variety of flavours/toppings. I had one years ago in Florence that was quite good (at least paired with coffee), but the ones we tried in Venice were nothing to write home about. (And yet, I’ve just devoted three sentences of a blog post to them.)

FOOD TO TRY IN SLOVENIA

Bled Cream Cake:

We tried one thing in Slovenia and we made sure it was good. Bled cake is famous, not only in the region directly surrounding Lake Bled, but more widely in Slovenia. It’s fairly basic and reminded me a lot of coconut cream pie… minus the coconut. Flaky pastry and lots of cream layers.

FOODS TO TRY IN HELSINKI

Reindeer:

I tried this in a filled pastry. It’s very lean and slightly gamey. I only tried reindeer once and that was enough for me, but it’s a common thing to find on menus in Helsinki in a variety of preparations (stew, jerky, minced).

Finnish salmon soup:

This is a basic, but very popular creamy fish chowder made of salmon, potatoes, and dill. It was simple, but delicious, especially when enjoyed sitting in sunshine along the waterfront.

Finnish blueberry pie:

This is an iconic dessert from Finland. I was a bit underwhelmed; it’s more like a cake, with a bit of a creamy topping (and a hint of almond paste, maybe?) and then lots of wild blueberries.

Cinnamon bun:

Oops. I thought I had a picture of a cinnamon bun; instead, I have this picture of us waiting for a cinnamon bun at Cafe Regatta. These show up everywhere in Scandinavia/the Nordics. They’re quite dry, and very different from the soft, sticky North American version.

Pickled herring:

I had this at the cafeteria at John’s office. I grew up eating pickled herring and quite enjoy it, but realize it’s an acquired taste.

Archipelago bread:

This is a dark, dense rye/malt bread that people usually top with butter, cheese, and/or fish. John is a huge fan.

Funnel cakes:

This is a fried batter usually dusted with sugar, but at Ekberg (Helsinki’s oldest bakery) they have all sorts of fun options. This was my first funnel cake. The kids and I split it three ways—John was working and missed out—so I only had a few bites and that was… enough. It was good, but nothing I felt drawn to try again.

FOODS TO TRY IN SWEDEN

Swedish meatballs:

I did not want to leave Sweden without having Swedish meatballs. I’ve had them in various forms over the years, but these ones were especially delicious. They’re traditionally served with gravy, creamy whipped potatoes, and lingonberries. And that’s exactly what I got!

Lingonberries:

I’m not the biggest fan of these tart berries; they remind me a bit of cranberry. But, they offer a sharp contrast to the rest of the heavier food, so I was glad to have them on the plate. And the pop of colour is pretty!

Toast Skagen:

Toast topped with a creamy shrimp mixture, dill, and lemon. Indy got this twice and loved it and John has long been a big fan.

Swedish fish:

This was on Belle’s bucket list for Sweden. Chewy candy is not my cup of proverbial tea, but it was a fun nod to our location.

Cardamom bun:

Fika, or an afternoon coffee break, is a HUGE part of Swedish culture. And there are many shops that cater specifically to this cultural habit. Including Bröd & Salt, which specialize in cinnamon and cardamom buns! I prefer cinnamon, but I’m glad I got the cardamom version since it felt more authentic to the location.

Semla:

A Swedish cardamom bun (have I mentioned they really like cardamom in this region) filled with almond paste (and almond!) and whipped cream.

FOODS TO TRY IN DENMARK

Koldskål + Kammerjunkere:

This is a cold Danish buttermilk-esque dessert served with crunchy little cookies and fresh fruit. It’s refreshing and very summery. Belle in particular was a huge fan and has already requested we try to recreate it here in Canada.

Danishes:

Flaky, buttery pastries; what made them special was that we were consuming them IN Denmark.

Smørrebrød:

Dark rye topped with just about any filling: meat, fish, veg. Yummy!

FOOD TO TRY IN NORWAY

Norwegian Brown Cheese (Brunost)

This cheese has a sweet, caramel-like flavour (the milk sugars are caramelized, hence the colour and taste). It’s fine, but not something I need to go out of my way to have often.

FOOD TO TRY IN PORTUGAL????

Pastel de nata.

This feels like a bit of a stretch because we have had pastéis many times and we weren’t actually in Portugal, but I feel it’s only right to let you in on a little secret. Outside of Portugal, the best pastéis I’ve ever had came from Nata in Vienna. Actually, the pastéis at this little shop were better than most of the pastéis we had in Portugal.

FOODS TO TRY IN FRANCE (John/Belle)

I’m too lazy to upload pictures from their adventures right now; see my note above about this post taking so much longer to pull together than I anticipated!

• Pain au chocolat: A buttery French pastry filled with chocolate. I had perhaps the best version of my life at a little cafe in Monaco (not technically France, I know). When Belle and John were in Paris, they sampled quite a few.

• Crêpes: Yum!

• Duck confit: Duck slow-cooked until tender, then crisped before serving. I think this might have been Belle’s first time trying duck confit??

FOODS TO TRY IN THE NETHERLANDS (John/Belle)

• Dutch pancakes: Thin pancakes served with just about any topping your heart could imagine. Belle opted for Nutella because that girl LOVES Nutella.

• Stroopwafels: Thin Dutch waffle cookies with caramel syrup in the middle. SO GOOD.

FOODS TO TRY IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

Marmite:

I’ve written about this before. I tried it and once was enough. It’s a SALTY, yeasty spread. I love salt. I love nutritional yeast. This is just way too much of two independently good things.

Butterbeer:

An iconic drink from the Harry Potter fantasy world. I think most people feel very underwhelmed when they try it and we fall into that category. That said, I have zero regrets. When in Rome… I mean, Warner Bros. Studio.

Fish and chips:

Crispy battered fish with fries, served alongside tartar sauce. I’ve had fish and chips before, but never in the UK. I’ll admit, I wanted to buy some wrapped in newspaper, so that’s my goal for the next time I visit London.

Mushy peas:

You can’t have a proper British fish and chips without mushy peas, right? I love peas. The texture is a bit wonky, but it’s still peas.

Black pudding:

I took a tiny piece of blood pudding at our buffet breakfast in Scotland. The premise is, quite frankly, disgusting. It tasted fine, but a few nibbles was enough. It’s basically ground meat mixed with blood (WHY???).

Sausage roll:

Sausage meat wrapped in flaky pastry. Iconic for a reason.

Bon Accord soda:

I’d never heard of this Scottish soda brand. Apparently it’s very popular/common. This rhubarb flavour was delicious.

Haggis:

The one food item on my radar for Scotland was haggis. So, Indy and I tried it! It was good. It’s like a crumbly meatloaf with oats, spices, and… sheep offal. I KNOW. That last ingredient is tossed in there very casually but it was pretty tasty. (Not “try to make this at home” tasty but definitely “have this again if I visit Scotland” tasty.)

Scones:

These are what I would call biscuits. So yummy!

Welsh cakes:

Little griddle cakes filled with dried fruit; somewhere between a scone and a cookie? They’re really good, if a bit dry. The best ones I had were definitely the homemade ones at the high tea hosted by Rachel’s friends.

Clotted cream:

I desperately wanted to try clotted cream when I was in the UK. It was not at all what I was envisioning. It’s really yummy, though. A cross between fluffy butter and cream? Apparently the big question is whether to put jam or clotted cream on your scone first. I do not understand this question, because I cannot envision how you could possibly spread clotted cream on top of jam??? Of course the cream goes first, followed by the jam.

Bara brith:

A Welsh tea loaf filled with dried fruit. We tried this at St. Fagans (which I still need to write about!) and it was delicious (and baked on site).

Aged British cheddar cheese:

Sharp, crumbly, and SO good. When we were visiting my brother in Denmark, he had recently gotten back from a trip to the UK and his fridge was full of British cheese. Apparently he loads up his suitcase any time he visits the area. It’s so yummy and relatively inexpensive for high-quality cheese.

Welsh rarebit:

Speaking of cheese… turns out that rarebit is basically fancy cheese toast. There’s a cheesy, gooey sauce that has things like ale or Worcestershire sauce mixed in. It’s very delicious and the kids really enjoyed it (we just split a single slice). A huge thanks to Rachel for reminding me about this local delicacy; we had it on our last full day in Cardiff and it felt like the perfect culinary way to wrap up a trip to Wales.

I’m sure I’m missing things, but that should give you plenty of foods to try when you visit Europe. So much meat! Cheese! Pastry! Cream! Chocolate! But most things were delicious and consumed across a series of months. I’ve had so much less of foods from each of those categories since getting back to Canada which is probably great for my cholesterol, but a bit sad for my soul.

Your turn.

• Of the things I listed, what‘s your favourite?
• Tell me something I need to try on a return trip to one of the countries listed above.
• Or, tell me an iconic dish from another country that’s a Must Try for a future trip.