# Which country has the worst cuisine? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 24, 2011, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-worst-cuisine/575821 "2011-03-24T07:16:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-worst-cuisine/575821/101 "2011-03-24T17:51:53Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > But I have yet to find any street food/fast food anywhere in the world that isn’t better than our fast food, whether Latin American, French, British, Indian, Singaporean, Chinese, whatever. _shrug_ I love street food, and that’s how I like to get acquainted with a culture when visiting it for the first time. Like I said, I love a Thuringer rostbratwurst, I love the langos (deep-fried potato-dough discs) of Hungary, the piri-piri chicken of South Africa, the cochinita pibil of the Yucatan, etc., etc., etc., but America’s got plenty of fast food that I have just as much a hankering for: a Maxwell Street Polish sausage, an Italian beef, pulled pork sandwiches, a proper hamburger, kimchi tacos, etc. I can’t possibly see with the wide range of street food available in America and across the world, how you can say one is uniformly “better” than the other. There are some American street foods I prefer to anything I get anywhere else in the world. There are some street foods (like the ones I mentioned above) that I prefer to anything I can possibly get in America. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-worst-cuisine/575821/102 "2011-03-24T17:57:57Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I’m also curious what definition of “fast food” is being used. Are we talking “street food”? Are we talking ma & pop quick places to get a bite to eat? Or are we talking chains and franchises like Quick and Nordsee and the like vs. McDonald’s and Chipotle, etc? I really can’t think of any examples where the local “fast food” is uniformly “better, tastier, cheaper and more healthful” than American fast food. I’m taking it all as a group – all convenience foods, whether found on the street or in a storefront. The criteria is that it is served quickly and at relatively small cost. It may be that if you divide the categories, then street food has some inherent advantages over franchised fast food. The problem may be that street food is so constrained in the United States that the major advantages of convenience are squeezed out. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-worst-cuisine/575821/103 "2011-03-24T18:32:26Z")
> [@WotNot](#): > > Vinegar’s traditional on fish and chips, but you’ll have to give me a clue about what else you think we put it on, because I’m drawing a blank. Another Brit here, and yes I was thinking exactly the same thing. Apart from F&Cs can’t think of anything that you would put vinegar on. My vote for worst cuisine is Chinese as cooked in China, not overseas. Also Polish. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-worst-cuisine/575821/104 "2011-03-24T18:49:05Z")
People slagging off on Eastern European food need to go further south. There’s lots of nice food in the Balkans: the national cuisines most people here are probably familiar with are Greek and Turkish. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-worst-cuisine/575821/105 "2011-03-24T18:56:07Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > People slagging off on Eastern European food need to go further south. There’s lots of nice food in the Balkans: the national cuisines most people here are probably familiar with are Greek and Turkish. Actually, I think Greek food is really overrated. And what they do to coffee is frankly criminal. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-worst-cuisine/575821/106 "2011-03-24T19:01:35Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Actually, I think Greek food is really overrated. And what they do to coffee is frankly criminal. I don’t drink coffee, so I have no opinion. And actually I’m not a huge fan of Greek food per se, but there is generally good food that doesn’t resemble what people are talking about when they are complaining about Eastern European food. In the Balkans, you get lots of cheese- or rice-stuffed peppers, spicy tomato dishes, yogurt, moussaka, cucumber salads, stews and soups. Not a lot of cabbage, nothing like Russian food. However, I am a vegetarian and never attempted some of the scarier-looking meat dishes that appear on menus. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-worst-cuisine/575821/107 "2011-03-24T19:06:47Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > I don’t drink coffee, so I have no opinion. And actually I’m not a huge fan of Greek food per se, but there is generally good food that doesn’t resemble what people are talking about when they are complaining about Eastern European food. In the Balkans, you get lots of cheese- or rice-stuffed peppers, spicy tomato dishes, yogurt, moussaka, cucumber salads, stews and soups. Not a lot of cabbage, nothing like Russian food. > > However, I am a vegetarian and never attempted some of the scarier-looking meat dishes that appear on menus. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate Greek food (or Turkish, which I think is better) but I find it gets a little monotonous. Good fish though! ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-worst-cuisine/575821/108 "2011-03-24T19:11:25Z")
Given that there are quite a lot of Nigerian people in London, it’s amazing how few Nigerian restaurants there are. They exist, but in tiny numbers compared to other cuisines. This leads me to wonder if their food is really terrible. British food is delicious, but then so is American - it’s one of my favourite cuisines, esp. Cajun food. I’d count curry as British, btw; curry certainly counts, since it’s been a regular in home cookery books since the 1700s, in forms which were markedly different to the ones in India, and surely 300 years is long enough for a dish to be considered native. ---
**Author:** ![Pyper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pyper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyper)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-worst-cuisine/575821/109 "2011-03-24T19:20:09Z")
I’m not going to say that Spanish food is the worst, but it definitely is an acquired taste. They have a lot of tasty potato dishes, olives, gazpacho, ice creams and yogurts, and the coffee is great. But can we talk about jamon iberico? My first bite of that stuff and I thought I was eat spoiled meat. Don’t insult jamon in front of a Spaniard, though, or you might get beaten in the street. Also, seasoning. Spaniards like their food very bland. Salt, and perhaps garlic or paprika. If you order any kind of fish or meat, that’s what you will get without any seasoning, and probably deep-fried. They don’t like to put too many ingredients together. A Spanish sandwich (bocadillo) is a large chunk of dry French bread with one slice or either meat or cheese. Can’t put meat and cheese together, that would be crazy! And no fresh vegetables are allowed of any kind, except for iceberg lettuce. My friends and I went to Morocco on a vacation and we thought we were in heaven. Fresh produce! Spices! Food that is not fried! ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-worst-cuisine/575821/110 "2011-03-24T19:28:39Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > This has been done before, and I’m sticking with my vote for Nepal. Nepali cuisine is basically some sort of foul lentil gunk. I ate Indian or European whenever I could in Nepal. And Kathmandu has some surprisingly nice Italian food. YES! Other than the momos it just tastes like runny and underspiced Indian food to me. Ditto Afghani. ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-worst-cuisine/575821/111 "2011-03-24T20:21:57Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Japan. By far Japan. Yak butter is a delight compared to what the Japanese eat on a regular basis. Wow, really? Just…wow. Wow. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-worst-cuisine/575821/112 "2011-03-24T20:26:45Z")
I’ve never had yak butter, but if I was forced to live on a single cuisine for the rest of my life, I’d happily settle for Japanese. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-worst-cuisine/575821/113 "2011-03-24T20:43:20Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > In Austria I barely saw a fresh piece of produce, or a lightly cooked one. Where on earth (or when) did you go to Austria? I’ve spent lots of time there and one thing notable is the quality of the salads and the food in general. Gulaschsuppe? Schnitzel? Kaiserschmarren? ---
**Author:** ![NiceGuyJack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/niceguyjack/32/3069_2.png) [@NiceGuyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NiceGuyJack)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-worst-cuisine/575821/114 "2011-03-24T20:46:07Z")
Japanese food is my favorite. Not sure why that would turn people off. I also love Thai food. Perhaps instead of worst food, we should be discussing the best food. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-worst-cuisine/575821/115 "2011-03-24T20:48:45Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate Greek food (or Turkish, which I think is better) but I find it gets a little monotonous. Good fish though! I fell in love with Greek food at the age of 15, with my first visit to a foreign country for long enough to eat the local food – including time spent on Greek ships. Yes, it’s very similar to Turkish food, and other Middle Eastern food (probably thanks in part to the Ottoman Empire), but I wouldn’t call it monotonous. ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-worst-cuisine/575821/116 "2011-03-24T21:00:16Z")
> [@Pyper](#): > > I’m not going to say that Spanish food is the worst, but it definitely is an acquired taste. They have a lot of tasty potato dishes, olives, gazpacho, ice creams and yogurts, and the coffee is great. But can we talk about jamon iberico? My first bite of that stuff and I thought I was eat spoiled meat. Don’t insult jamon in front of a Spaniard, though, or you might get beaten in the street. > > Also, seasoning. Spaniards like their food very bland. Salt, and perhaps garlic or paprika. If you order any kind of fish or meat, that’s what you will get without any seasoning, and probably deep-fried. They don’t like to put too many ingredients together. A Spanish sandwich (bocadillo) is a large chunk of dry French bread with one slice or either meat or cheese. Can’t put meat and cheese together, that would be crazy! I found that food in Madrid tended to be fried and heavy, but I found that the food in San Sebastian and Barcelona was quite good and much lighter. My vote for the worst is Russian food. It seems to be based on a desire that the person regularly eating it die from cardiac arrest by the time that they are fifty. It’s also just kind of gross. The stuff I’ve had lacks spices as well. Look at this image of [herring in a fur coat](http://www.google.com/images?q=herring+in+a+fur+coat&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi&biw=1280&bih=862), and tell me if you feel hungry. Here is a [recipe](http://www.enjoyyourcooking.com/salads/herring-under-fur-coat-herring-salad.html) with preparation instructions and pictures. Bon Appetit! ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-worst-cuisine/575821/117 "2011-03-24T21:10:52Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > The main issue with British cooking is actually recent - post WW1. The cuisine took a hit because after WW1 and up until the mid 60s there was a lot of supply line trouble in Britain. There was actually food rationing until 1954 IIRC… Just when they started getting back after WW1 in the mid 30s, they took a hit with WW2 starting. British wartime food certainly left a distinct and unfavourable impression on the American troops stationed there (according to the Stephen Ambrose books I’ve been reading). It seems reasonable to assume that rationing and shortages were about as constructive to British cuisine as prohibition was to US beer. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-worst-cuisine/575821/118 "2011-03-24T21:15:25Z")
That actually does look really good to me. Then again, I love pickled herring, beets, and potoatoes, so what’s not to like? Russians do have some nice dishes: pilmeni, stroganoff, borscht, blini, etc. Yum. I guess overall, it can get a bit monotonous. Of the former USSR, you should look to Georgian cuisine for some interesting food. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-worst-cuisine/575821/119 "2011-03-24T21:38:46Z")
I had nasty fish and chips from a place near the University of London. I’ve had a quite mediocre dinner in the Barbican center also. But we’re watching \*\*Pie in the Sky[b/] now, and any country that has a show about a classy chef doing steak and kidney pies gets a pass. I’ve had Ethiopian food in Berkeley, and it was pretty good. I lived in the Congo for 9 moths, and based on what our local cook did the native cuisine was crepes. 🙂 I don’t remember eating Congolese food, but then I got out of there with a stomach. It is hard to call it bad without actually eating it. However, sometime ago a colleague and I went to Amsterdam for dinner, and look how we might we couldn’t find any Dutch restaurants. Indonesian, Hebrew, Spanish, all kinds of cuisine, just not Dutch. The cafeteria at the AT&T/Philips plant did Indonesian food. We finally ate in a hotel restaurant, which I figure was as close as we were going to get. A country embarrassed by its cuisine in its capital must surely be in the running. ---
**Author:** ![Lady\_of\_the\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@Lady\_of\_the\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lady_of_the_Lake)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2011, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-worst-cuisine/575821/120 "2011-03-24T22:21:24Z")
> [@NiceGuyJack](#): > > Japanese food is my favorite. Not sure why that would turn people off. I also love Thai food. > Perhaps instead of worst food, we should be discussing the best food. If you don’t like fish or seaweed you can run into some problems with traditional Japanese cuisine. Also, what insane person decided that tiny fish (with heads!) should be dried and sprinkled on nice safe rice? He was probably a drinking buddy of the inventor of Herring… (Disclaimer: I love many individual dishes in Japanese cuisine. I just understand why a person would have issues with the more traditional cuisine as a whole.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-worst-cuisine/575821.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-worst-cuisine/575821.md?page=7)