15 Secret Dishes You Shouldnt Leave Europe Without Trying

You’ll kick yourself if you go home without trying any of these. Think beyond steak frites, gelato and roast dinners with our delicious picks.

Welsh rarebit, Wales

Melted cheese, beer and seasoning melted together, poured onto toast and grilled.

Toast is covered with the cheese mixture and it’s then grilled

Pot-au-feu, France

Meat and vegetables stewed in a savoury stock, traditionally served with the meats first and vegetables second.

Caracoles, Spain

Snails boiled in a spicy, aromatic broth, eaten straight from the shells with toothpicks. Often served as tapas.

Stonska torta, Croatia

Buttery pie filled with pasta, flavoured with cinnamon, almonds and lemon, and covered with pastry.

A pasta pie might seen odd, but it’s delicious

Poffertjes, the Netherlands

Tiny yeasted buckwheat pancakes served in a pile with powdered sugar and sweet toppings.

These pancakes are served with powdered sugar

Lángos, Hungary

Deep fried flatbread topped with sour cream and grated cheese.

This deep fried bread is served with sour cream and cheese

Spätzle, Germany

Soft egg noodles made by pressing pasta dough through a wide-spaced sieve straight into boiling water. Served with dishes that have sauce or gravy, such as stroganoff.

Spätzle is a soft pasta dough pushed through a wide sieve

Porchetta, Italy

Rolled pork stuffed with fennel, rosemary and garlic and roasted until crispy, served in chewy white rolls.

Spanakopita, Greece

A pie made with filo pastry, stuffed with spinach, boiled egg, feta and onions.

Salmiak, Sweden

Liquorice flavoured with ammonium chloride, which makes it very salty.

Scotch egg, UK

A soft-boiled egg encased in seasoned sausage meat, which is then covered in breadcrumbs and deep fried.

Piernik, Poland

Gingerbread cake made with spices and honey.

Champ, Ireland

Mashed potatoes with chopped spring onions and cheese.

Cheesy mash with scallions is an Irish speciality

Pide, Istanbul

Boat-shaped baked flatbread topped with various fillings, commonly cheese and an egg.

Still hungry? Check out our map showing the most popular foods in Europe, regional dishes from France you should try and ten foods you have to eat when you’re in the UK.

About the author

Alice Johnston

Food Editor

Alice is always planning her next meal. She studied English at the University of Bristol before getting her Master’s in newspaper journalism from City University London. She worked on Femail at Mail Online for 18 months writing about lifestyle and food and has also worked at Metro.co.uk, The Guardian, Mumsnet and The Sun. After starting at Culture Trip as a Social Content Producer writing travel and lifestyle stories, she was promoted to the role of Food Editor and now specialises in culinary culture, trends and social issues around food. When she’s not writing, eating or travelling, she can be found cooking overly elaborate dinners, reading cookbooks in bed or playing with her cat, Orlando. Her favourite foods include fishfinger sandwiches, burnt caramel panna cotta, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and oysters.