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5 Worst Rated Utahn Foods

Last updated on June 17, 2026
01

Frog Eye Salad

2.3 ·

Frog eye salad is a flavorful concoction made with the ball-shaped acini di pepe pasta, egg yolks, and a whipped cream topping that can sometimes be enriched with the addition of pineapple pieces, shredded coconut, mandarin oranges, or marshmallows. This crossover between a pasta salad and a fruit salad is especially popular in Utah, where it is a staple at potlucks.

02

Jell-O

2.8 ·

Jell-O is an extremely popular, branded, simple gelatin dessert from the United States. Gelatin, the main ingredient in Jell-O is made by extracting collagen from the boiled bones of animals. Jell-O was invented in 1897 by Pearle Wait, who experimented with gelatine and invented a new, fruit-flavored dessert. His wife May loved it and named it Jell-O. The couple sold the patent and the name to their neighbour, Frank Woodward, who excelled in marketing the new product via ads, recipe books, and Jell-O molds. Because of his marketing techniques, Jell-O became one of the most popular brands in American history. Today, it is used in numerous gelatin desserts, puddings, and cream pies, and comes in an extremely wide variety of flavors such as apricot, lemon, grape, mango, peach, pineapple, tropical fusion, and watermelon.

03

Pastrami Burger

3.4 ·

Pastrami burger consists of a toasted sesame seed bun filled with a beef patty that is topped with pastrami, cheese, tomatoes, shredded lettuce, onions, and fry sauce – a combination of ketchup, mayonnaise, sweet relish, and onion powder. It's an invention of a Greek man named James Katsanevas, who had a restaurant called Minos Burgers in Anaheim, California, and started serving the dish in the early 1970s, while pastrami was brought over to Los Angeles by the Jewish people who came over from New York City in the middle of the 20th century. Later on, in the 1980s, Katsanevas moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, and brought his famous pastrami burger with him. There, he opened a new restaurant called Crown Burgers, where some of the best pastrami burgers are still served.

04

Fry Sauce

3.5 ·

Originating from Salt Lake City, Utah, fry sauce consists of a simple combination of equal parts ketchup and mayonnaise or one part ketchup and two parts mayonnaise. The sauce has a thick, smooth consistency and is characterized by its pink color. Originally, it was invented in the 1950s by Don Carlos Edwards, a chef who first served it in his restaurant called Don Carlos' Barbecue in Salt Lake City. Today, fry sauce is typically used as a dip for french fries or as a condiment for burgers, and some people add extra ingredients to the sauce such as garlic and various spices.

05

Funeral Potatoes

3.8 ·

Contrary to its name, funeral potatoes are the ultimate comfort food, a cheesy au gratin potato casserole that is synonymous with the state of Utah and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It consists of cubed potatoes, cheese, onions, cream soup or sauce, sour cream, and a topping of butter and cornflakes or crushed potato chips. The dish is commonly prepared by the members of the Church to comfort grieving relatives after a loved one's funeral, so it is not just an ordinary dish, but also a sign of care, love, and compassion. Although funeral potatoes started as a dish intended for funerals, today it is a common side dish that can be served at any time. It is best accompanied by ham, pastry rolls, and salads with ranch dressing.

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About this ranking

TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “5 Worst Rated Utahn Foods” list until June 17, 2026, 558 ratings were recorded, of which 507 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.

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