Popular American Foods That Are Served Differently Everywhere Else

“Birthday Cake” Flavor Isn’t a Taste Sold in Other Countries

It appears that Americans are occasionally growing bored with their food options. They may have had too many choices and are now trying to come up with tastes that don’t make much sense. Birthday cake is one of these flavors. The term “birthday cake” doesn’t actually refer to a specific taste around the world. It’s pointless to name a birthday cake after the event since there are many flavors.

On the other hand, many items in the US go by the name “birthday cake.” Most of the time, they taste like vanilla with frosting and sprinkles on top.

Bread Around the World

America isn’t known for having food that is very healthy or high in nutrients. Most likely, if you ask people around the world, the opposite is true. In the US, white bread typically enjoys the highest popularity due to its nutritional value. Despite its reputation as the least healthy option and its tendency to taste like air, most people continue to consume it. In other parts of the world, though, that’s not true.

In many other places, people like different kinds of bread that are both healthier and more interesting. A lot of people like rye, sourdough, pumpernickel, and other types of bread.

The French Don’t Quite Know What to Do With Canned Cheese

From a non-American point of view, the idea of cheese in a can is pretty strange and different. Cheese should not come from a can; it should be made from good dairy products and be of high quality. They are very proud of the quality of their cheese, and they don’t want anything to do with cheese from a can. The French seem to have the most trouble understanding this.

You can’t really compare it to real cheese that is made the old-fashioned way, even though it’s easy and cheap. “Cheese in a can” exists, but is it truly cheese?

Ice in Soft Drinks Is an American Thing

It can be very different to order drinks in the US than in other places, especially Europe. Just the fact that refills are free in the US can be shocking; most places charge extra for anything else. But what’s even better is that almost all cold drinks in the US come with ice. In the rest of the world, you generally have to ask for ice; otherwise, there is none.

Drinks with ice are almost never served in English places, and the water is almost always at room temperature. It’s not even cold. It’s possible that most of the people there like it that way.

A Croissant Is Not Always Meant to Be a Sandwich

In the US, you can usually find either a croissant or a croissant sandwich. However, sometimes it seems easier to find the sandwich than the bread. You might be surprised to learn that this pastry is meant to be eaten by itself and not bread if you are an American who hasn’t moved much outside of the US.

There’s no doubt that the croissant sandwich tastes great, and it’s been popular in many places around the world. That being said, most people in Europe still eat it as a dessert.

Smarties Are a Bit Different Depending on the Country

If you’re an American, the word “Smarties” instantly makes you think of the colorful, pebble-shaped sugar candies that come in a long, old-fashioned box. People think of very different things in most other parts of the world. In Europe, Smarties are candy-covered sweets that come in a small box. They are also brightly colored candies.

These two treats don’t even taste the same, so you can’t really compare them. They are most alike in that they share a name.

Waffles in the US Versus Hong Kong

People in the US love waffles. Anywhere you go for breakfast, you can almost always find different kinds of waffles. Most waffles in the US are sweet and come with syrup, fruit, or whipped cream on top. Sometimes, they also incorporate meat into the mix. Things aren’t quite the same in Hong Kong, though. There, you’ll discover waffles that resemble filled pitas more closely.

In Hong Kong, unlike the US, people stuff waffles with various foods, similar to a pita, and create a hole in the middle. It could be sweet, spicy, or a mix of the two.

Hungarian Goulash Became Pasta Bolognese

The US is a huge mix of many different countries, which is not a secret. Many American dishes have their roots in traditional European foods. This can be attributed to the rich history of the US and its people. In this case, classic Hungarian goulash looks a lot like pasta bolognese, even though bolognese has pasta in it and goulash actually is a stew made with meat.

It’s not clear if Hungarian goulash is the source of pasta bolognese, even though the two dishes look a lot alike. Someone from Italy may have met someone from Hungary, and they decided that mixing their cultures was the best way to go. The rest is history.