In recent decades, more and more international foods have made their way to the US. But even America’s most diverse cities don’t offer every delicacy available overseas. Here’s a list of the top 5 foods you’ll have to travel internationally to taste.
Mos Burger
Mos Burger is a Japanese fast-food chain that’s popular in China, Taiwan, and Japan. Instead of bread, this burger uses packed rice buns. There is also no burger patty, just sweet and savory beef strips, similar to Korean bulgogi. And of course, since this is a chain in Asia, where most people are lactose intolerant, there is no Mos Cheeseburger either. Truth is, it’s not really a burger.
Pickled Veal Skin
Pickled veal skin is a dish often served in a traditional Lyon Bouchon restaurant in France. These bistros specialize in the cuisine of Lyon, France’s third-largest city. While some restaurants in the US serve Lyon-style food, most of the dishes are modified for the American palate. The Lyonnaise custom of passing around a ceramic bowl of cold, picked veal skin never quite caught-on in the States.
Bizarre Kit Kat Flavors of Japan
Japan has taken Kit Kat flavors to a whole new level. Some of their fan-favorites, like green tea matcha, have made their way to speciality stores in the States. But out-of-the-box flavors like baked potato, Hokkaido roasted corn, and cough drop can only be found in Japan.
Mitraillette
Mitraillette literally means “sub-machine gun” in French. This Belgian sandwich takes its name from the weapon. To Americans, this dish probably looks like a sub, but it uses a mini baguette for bread. Inside is a fried hot dog. Meanwhile, the sauce is usually some sort of gravy, and its loaded with toppings like french fries. Just like a machine gun drops spent shells as it fires, your messy mitraillette sandwich will lose fries as you chow down.
Trappist Westvleteren
Belgian beers are expensive in the US and the most exclusive of all Belgian beers don’t even make it into the country. But many brew experts rate Trappist Westvleteren as the best beer in the world. It can only be brewed in Belgium’s Trappist monastery. Each retail store or restaurant is allotted a certain number of cases a year, and that’s it. Even in its home country, Westvleteren is not cheap; one 11 oz. bottle costs anywhere between 15 to 25 euros. They’re wine prices.
