While taste is certainly subjective, an online experiential travel guide just released a list of 100 of the world’s worst rated foods, with many coming together in agreement that these dishes don’t sound the most appetizing.
Taste Atlas rounded up 100 dishes around the world with dismal points ranging from 1.5 to 2.8 out of a possible five stars, based on over 330,000 ratings from users of the website.
Despite some of the nausea-inducing descriptions, the site maintains that the list actually intends to “promote excellent local foods” and “instill pride in traditional dishes”. At the very least, readers might be curious about some of these foods and perhaps give them a try!
With some of the top finishers including blood dumplings and fermented shark meat, you might be surprised to learn a Canadian dish actually made the cut – and no, of course it’s not our beloved poutine!
Coming in at 37 on the list, Canada’s boiled fiddleheads earned a 2.6 rating. If you haven’t tried them before (or perhaps don’t even know what they are), fiddleheads are native Canadian greens often called “ostrich ferns” or “fiddlehead ferns”, a long green stalk with bright green curled leaves.
Grown in Ontario, Québec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, fiddleheads are typically thoroughly rinsed before being boiled in salted water, then consumed hot and usually topped with melted butter.
“Boiled fiddleheads are said to have a flavor reminiscent of asparagus, broccoli, and artichokes,” reads the site. “In Canada, this dish is enjoyed as a spring delicacy, especially in those parts where ostrich ferns grow.”
Honestly, compared to Thailand’s curried fish entrails, boiled fiddleheads sound pretty delightful to me.
The top ten worst rated foods are as follows:
- Coxão duro, Brazil
- Blodpalt, Finland
- Aginares salata, Greece
- Hákarl, Iceland
- Bocadillo de sardinas, Spain
- Ramen burger, United States
- Jellied eels, England
- Chapalele, Chile
- Thai fish entrails sour curry, Thailand
- Czech bread soup, Czech Republic
Other standouts include Thailand’s deep fried silk worms at 14, Cambodia’s fried spider at 18, United Kingdom’s devilled kidneys at 29, and Peru’s oven-baked guinea pig.
Our neighbours to the south had a surprising number of entries on the list, such as Utah’s frog eye salad (don’t worry, it’s not actually made with frog eyes), chocolate-covered bacon, Colorado’s spaghetti pie, California’s fortune cookies, tuna casserole, and Hawaii’s poi, among several others.
How many have you tried on the list, Toronto? You can see the full rankings here!