While America easily pulls ahead of Europe in several areas (Netflix, Wifi, and pizza delivery, to name a few), there are still some areas where we lack piquancy. And what friendlier competition to be in than food? From breakfast options to sweets, to more popular eats like fries and pizza, American snacks just can’t compete with the high quality flavor of those in Europe.
So if you needed any more convincing that Europe is the place to be, here are some snacks that are twice as good, European-style.
1. Gummy Bears
Gummy bears originated in Germany back in the 1920’s, so, naturally, they taste better from Germany. Created by Hans Riegal of Bonn, it wasn’t until the late 1980’s that American markets picked up on the gummy trend. Known today as Haribo Gold-Bears, the candies are pretty popular. But ones fresh from Germany have a softer texture, fruitier flavor, and are larger than the typical gummy bear found in a Haribo Gold-Bears bag.
2. Pizza
In America, we have pizza delivered to us for a late night grease-fest. We eat it because it’s quick, cheap, and delicious, and it’s the easiest food to serve at a party or during a study session. But in Italy, pizza is a delicious thin-crusted, brick-oven crafted pie. This European food is more of a gourmet food, with finer ingredients like olive oil, pureed fresh tomatoes, garlic and oregano.
3. Stroopwafels
These little Dutch cookies are one of the world’s best. A thin wafer cookie with melty caramel layered in between, these Netherland cookies pair best with a steamy hot cup of coffee or tea. Sold fresh off the streets from vendors, these tasty treats are packaged in front of you to eat on-the-go, but they are difficult to find anywhere in the states. The Good Batch bakery in Brooklyn is one of the only places known to sell these tasty treats. Sigh.
4. Fries
Both the Belgians and the French claim to have invented the fries, but every country has its own twist. Around the world, fries have become a universal dish that can be added to any meal. But this European food is even better in Europe, where Belgians are extremely proud of their frites and compete to serve the best. Sold in a cone as a quick snack on the street and covered in different spices and sauces, fries are sometimes even the centerpiece of a meal — not just a side dish.
5. Biscuits
Cookies and milk or biscuits and tea? These exquisite biscuits from London may tip the scale. Crispier than American-styled cookies, biscuits are baked all the way through, as opposed to the crispy-edged, squishy-middle cookies that Americans love. Both are great, and to each their own, but in Europe, you can basically eat cookies for breakfast. Pinkies up.
6. Chocolate
True chocolate lovers know that the world’s finest chocolate comes from European countries such as Britain, Switzerland, or Belgium. American chocolate is said to be too sweet, powdery, or cheaply made. British chocolate is richer and smoother, with higher fat and cocoa content. In fact, according to U.K. rules, to even be considered as milk chocolate, the product must contain no less than 25% cocoa solids. In comparison, the U.S. only demands that no less than 10% must contain chocolate liquor.
Not all European foods overcome American cuisine, but Europe definitely remains several steps ahead when it comes to higher-quality food products. With hardly any artificial dyes, growth hormones, or chemicals leaking into their food chains, perhaps a trip to Europe would be good for everyone, after all.