76 Worst Rated European Street Food

Jellied eels is a traditional Cockney street food item, dating back to the 18th century. Originally, it was a cheap and easy way to make a good dish, with plenty of native eels readily available in the Thames River. The eels would get chopped, boiled for approximately half an hour in herbs, then cooled - that is when the fish would produce their own gelatin, and a soft, transparent jelly would form on the cut pieces. The texture of jellied eels is delicate and soft, and while some may say it's unpleasant, their flavor is unique - mild, slightly salty, like pickled herring, but without the unusual "fishy" scent. They are commonly accompanied by white pepper and vinegar in order to further accentuate the flavors. The dish can be served either hot or cold, and according to jellied eels experts, it tastes perfect when paired with chili vinegar.Expand

Brathering is a traditional fish dish originating from Germany, consisting of marinated fried herring. Fresh herrings are rolled in flour or breaded, pan-fried, and marinated in a mixture of white wine vinegar, onions, sugar, salt, pepper, mustard seeds, and bay leaves. The dish is traditionally served cold, and it’s typically accompanied by fried potatoes, rösti, or potato salad. The herrings can also be used in sandwiches, and nowadays canned brathering can be bought in most stores. The dish is usually enjoyed for lunch or as a snack at street food stands.Expand

Categorically somewhere between a hamburger and a hot dog, porilainen is a simple Finnish sandwich consisting of slices of white bread filled with sliced pork sausage (usually jahtimakkara), vegetables, garlic flavoring, and condiments such as mayonnaise, mustard, or ketchup. It is believed that the sandwich was named after the city of Pori, although some claim that it was named after hampurilainen, meaning hamburger in Finnish. The sandwich can be bought at fairs and festivals from numerous street vendors.Expand

Nasibal is an unusual fusion of Indonesian and Dutch cuisines, a snack that is usually bought from numerous street vending machines that serve food. Shaped like a ball, nasibal consists of nasi goreng filling (fried rice and various spices) that is breaded and deep-fried in hot oil. It can also be prepared at home, typically with leftover nasi goreng. For the best results, pair the snack with Indonesian peanut sauce.Expand

Stekt strömming or fried herring is a hearty Swedish specialty consisting of herring fillets that are seasoned with salt, white pepper, and fresh dill, coated with flour and breadcrumbs, then fried in butter until crisp and golden brown on the outside. There are many ways to eat and serve these delicious fish fillets, but usually, they are accompanied by mashed potatoes, lingonberries or lingonberry jam, red onions, or pickled cucumbers. Another way to consume fried herrings is by topping them with a mixture of vinegar, sugar, allspice, and chopped red onions, which is also used in another Swedish fish dish known as inlagd sill (pickled herring). In Sweden, freshly fried herrings placed on top of a buttered crispbread or Swedish knäckerbröd are sold as a popular street food item. Other delicious variations of this dish include herring roll (strömmingsrulle) and herring burger (strömmingsburgar).Expand

Named after the county town of Angus, where they originated in the 18th century as Scotland's answer to the already famed Cornish pasty, bridies are shortcrust pastry turnovers traditionally filled with chunks or strips of beef that was browned in suet with chopped onions. As the local stories claim, the delicious Forfar bridies took the other part of their name from a certain Margaret Bridie of Glamis who sold them at Forfarshire's weekly market. In 1896, they were mentioned in James Matthew Barrie's novel Sentimental Tommy, which made them popular across Scotland, and over time it has become a tradition to eat bridies for lunch on Saturdays.Expand

Trippa alla Fiorentina is a traditional Tuscan dish and a street food staple in Florence. The dish is made with strips of tripe that are simmered with onions, carrots, celery, hot peppers, and tomatoes. Once fully cooked and tender, it is served drizzled with Tuscan olive oil and sprinkled with grated Parmiggiano cheese. When reheated the next day, it's said that trippa alla Fiorentina tastes even better. The dish is commonly flavored with bay leaves, but sweet basil leaves are also often added, especially during the summer. It's recommended to accompany trippa alla Fiorentina with a few slices of Tuscan bread.Expand

Pølse med lompe is a traditional hot dog variety. It consists of pølse, a hot dog sausage that can be either grillpølse (fried or grilled) or wienerpølse (boiled in water), and lompe, a small, round flatbread made with a mix of potato and wheat flour. The toppings are usually ketchup, mustard, crispy fried onions, raw onions, shrimp salad, or potato salad. The flatbread is wrapped around the sausage and toppings, and the concoction is enjoyed as a hot dog.Expand

Chips, cheese, and gravy is the national dish of the Manx people. It consists of deep-fried potato chips, grated Manx Cheddar cheese, and beef gravy. This local specialty can be bought at many of the island's takeaways. In order to prepare the dish, chips are first deep-fried, topped with grated cheddar, then gravy, which melts the cheese. Every year, on the last Monday of January, chips, cheese, and gravy are celebrated with their own day, called National Chips, Cheese & Gravy Day.Expand

Who needs tortillas when you have Yorkshire pudding? That's probably what James Dempsey, a restaurant director at the Long Can Hall in Halifax thought when he created this English take on Mexican burrito. The wrap consists of one large Yorkshire pudding that's rolled flat and filled with succulent pieces of roast beef, accompanied by coleslaw, homemade chips, and a big dollop of gravy on the side. Dempsey said he got the idea for a British burrito after a large number of customers asked for sandwiches on Sundays, instead of traditional roasts.Expand