‘Tis the season of friends (finally) coming home from abroad. If you were not trekking across Europe last semester, hearing about all of their adventures can give you some serious FOMO, especially when they start listing all of the amazing food they got to try. Here is the definitive list of the 10 foods your abroad friends won’t shut up about (and that I’m dying to try).
1. Hungary: Chimney Cakes
Described as: “Heaven in an oddly shaped cake”
Real deal: The all-time winner for most interesting-looking street food. Made from wrapping the dough around a wooden spool and turning it over an open fire, chimney cakes are definitely a dish you wanna try abroad (and not in your own kitchen). The sugary outside and soft center will make you wanna trek to Hungary regularly.
2. Belgium: Waffles
Described as: “Melts in your mouth AND warms your heart.”
Real Deal: There’s a reason you’ve heard of Belgian waffles before—they’ve been perfected here and are the perfect snack to keep your hands warm while you are exploring the streets of Brussels, just ask your Euro friends.
3. Copenhagen: Cinnamon Rolls
Described as: “The size of your face and still not big enough.”
Real Deal: You can’t go wrong with cinnamon rolls, especially when they’re only $3 on Wednesdays at the local favorite Sankt Peders Bageri. If anyone’s down to make the trip, please find out if they do delivery and let me know asap.
4. Germany: Pretzels
Described as: “You haven’t experienced pretzels ’til you’ve been to Munich.”
Real Deal: Honestly, you can’t go wrong with pretzels in Germany whether you opt for sugary, salty, cheesy, or even pepperoni. The Pretzel Factory is gonna have to seriously step up its game to compete with these.
5. Italy: Pizza
Described as: “The thin crust pizza in Italy is unreal. It puts New York-style pizza to shame.”
Real Deal: They aren’t exaggerating. Tbh, if you go to Italy and do not eat pizza for at least two of your three meals, you’re making a mistake. There’s so much hype for a reason. You gotta buy into it.
6. Ireland: Irish Beef & Guinness Stew
Described as: “You had to be there… it sounds gross but was actually so amazing and super cozy pub food.”
Real Deal: This traditional Irish dish is famous for a reason. Although stew may not be your preferred method of having a beer, it adds just the right amount of flavor to the typical beef stew.
7. Sweden: Meatballs
Described as: “So unbelievably good. The sauce makes it.”
Real Deal: If these sound too good to be true (or to good to wait for a trip to Europe), head to your nearest Ikea to get a taste of Sweden without having to cough up airfare.
8. Spain: Churros
Described as: “Churros dipped in hot chocolate is to die for.”
Real Deal: A traditional Spanish breakfast that tastes more like dessert. Lucky enough to travel to Madrid? Check out the San Ginés Chocolateria (open 24 hours a day!) to get your churro fix. For the rest of us mere mortals, we’ll make do with some homemade churros and pretend not to be extremely jeal.
9. France: Macarons
Described as: “Blair Waldorf was onto something with these. They are the perfect amount of sweet, because Europe does everything better.”
Real Deal: Honestly, I am not the biggest fan of macarons, but I so wish I was cause let’s be honest, they’re super pretty. If you wanna find out for yourself, Ladurée is the place to go (but it won’t be cheap).
10. Switzerland: Chocolate
Described as: “No…you might think you know how good this is but you really need to be there to truly understand.”
Real Deal: Switzerland and chocolate goes together like the Kardashians and babies (shoutout to Khloe for finally announcing her baby news). I’m leaning toward believing those abroadies, especially when I think about how delicious freshly made Swiss chocolate would be after a day of walking around the freezing Alps.
So, is abroad really that great? YES. If the traveling doesn’t speak to your soul, the food definitely will. With that in mind, we really only have one choice: Listen to all the foods your abroad friends won’t shut up about and try to keep track of them for your future Euro adventure. And if you are planning on heading to Europe, know that you’re gonna be the one reminiscing soon enough, so try not to roll your eyes too much.