10 of the worst-rated dishes from America
America is known for the American Dream. For the 50 states where every conceivable landscape can be found, from snow-capped mountains in Alaska to the golden coast of California. For the many celebrities who live there and the countless films that have been shot there. What it isn’t really known for: a good food culture. There is plenty of food to be found that we consider far from normal – sometimes even horrifying. Want to know what the 10 worst-rated dishes from America are? Taste Atlas compiled a top 10 list.
They based the list on ratings from foodies worldwide. Foodies who actually tasted the dish and shared their honest opinion with the rest of the world. Check out the list below (and be warned: you won’t agree with everything…)
10. Tomato pie
A while ago, I wrote my ode to the tomato. A genuine declaration of love for my delicious red friend. So I am deeply outraged that something like tomato pie is in the top 10 of the worst-rated American dishes. Isn’t this basically a kind of pizza? What’s bad about that? I’m already starting this list with resistance – sorry. In protest, I’ll immediately share a delicious tomato pie recipe with you, namely this Provençal tomato pie with tapenade. There.
9. Rocky Mountain Oysters
If I tell you that Rocky Mountain Oysters are deep-fried bull or boar testicles, do you understand why this dish is in the top 10 of the worst-rated American dishes? Or do you need more explanation? I don’t think so. This dish also features prominently on the list of the weirdest snacks in the world. That doesn’t require any explanation either, I think.
8. American chop suey
American chop suey is fried pasta with ground beef and tomato sauce. Comfort food with nothing wrong with it, you’d think. Yet it isn’t rated all that highly. Even worse than Rocky Mountain Oysters – something I can understand from the deep-fried balls. The reason: the majority (67%) of voters feel indifferent about it. So they are indifferent to this dish and don’t find it special. Hmm. It may not be the most innovative dish from American soil, but does it really deserve such a high spot on this list…
7. Poi
Poi is a traditional Hawaiian dish. It is made from the taro plant. The tuber of this plant is boiled, pounded and turned into a thick, sticky paste. The result: a purple, slimy substance that looks like a pile of cement or a gray turd. It may be very healthy – packed with vitamin B and calcium and capable of lowering your cholesterol – but it certainly isn’t delicious. I only wonder why this dish is rated better than numbers 6 and 4 on this list.
6. Chicken Riggies
Chicken Riggies originally comes from the Utica area of New York. In the late seventies, it was an enormously popular dish among lawyers and doctors in that area. What it is: rigatoni pasta with chicken, peppers and a creamy tomato sauce. In Utica, the dish is so popular that it even has its own festival. Many visitors from outside the city don’t attend, because Chicken Riggies is far less loved outside Utica. The reason is a mystery to me.
5. Bacon with chocolate
Someone once thought: I need to dip my bacon in chocolate. Because that will taste good. That person hasn’t received much support, because this dish is ranked number 5 on the list of the worst-rated American dishes for a reason. Still, I am curious about it. Sweet and salty are a delicious combination – just look at the hugely popular salted caramel combination. Perhaps the greasiness of the bacon is what makes people find this disgusting.
4. Pizza strips
Pizza strips are a kind of incomplete pieces of pizza. They are literally dough with tomato sauce on top. No cheese or other toppings. Okay, sometimes the strips are sprinkled with some herbs, such as rosemary or basil. But that’s it. Most people aren’t crazy about them. I also prefer my pizza to be more exciting. Like this naan pizza, for example: yummy. Still want to try pizza strips? You are guaranteed to find one in the bakeries (not pizzerias!) on Rhode Island. This dish originated there.
3. American goulash
Sometimes – often, in fact – it is better to leave a good, traditional recipe as it is. Goulash, for example. The traditional Hungarian version is a meat soup (or a stew, if it is heavily reduced) with beef, mutton or pork, seasoned with onions, garlic, paprika, paprika powder and bay leaf. Americans came up with their own version of goulash. It contains pieces of hamburger (?), noodles or macaroni (?) and cheese (?). Nope, this simply isn’t goulash. That is probably why this dish ranks so highly on the list of the worst-rated American dishes.
2. Snickers salad
Yes, you read that right. Snickers salad. Salad with pieces of Snickers in it. Okay, I’ll immediately get you out of your state of shock: it isn’t a traditional salad with lettuce, tomato and cucumber. Snickers salad is actually a dessert. The ‘salad’ is a mixture of pieces of Snickers, Granny Smith apple, whipped cream and pudding. At least, that’s the base. You can supplement it with anything you like. Popular additions include bananas, crushed pineapple, buttermilk, lemon and sour cream. People, I’m passing. Sorry. And apparently many others are too, since Snickers salad is ranked number 2 on this list for a reason. No, give me this Snickers MonChou pie instead. Much better.
1. Spaghetti pie
I understand that Snickers salad is poorly rated. But spaghetti pie? To me, that sounds like heaven. Made with spaghetti, ground beef, onions, tomatoes, bell pepper, butter, beaten egg and cheese, how could that be bad? I think it tastes like lasagna. But then again, I’ve never eaten spaghetti pie, whereas the reviewers at Taste Atlas have. So there must be a good reason why this American dish is rated the worst of all. In any case, I think it is a fine way to reuse leftover spaghetti.
Read also:
- American school lunches are ridiculously unhealthy (and just look at France!)
- WTF?! This food is banned in America
- Eating in America: here’s what stands out
Source: Taste Atlas
