7 American Foods That The Rest Of The World Thinks Are Totally Bizarre!

What the World Just Doesn’t Get About Classic American Foods Like PB & J and Mac and Cheese!

I was recently reminded of how American food was, well… different, when my Italian landlord here in Saranda asked me about peanut butter.

We were having an espresso, and I had just come back from the local mini-supermarket. I pulled out a small jar I was able to find miraculously find to give it a try.

It’s rare that I’m able to find peanut butter in many of the places I have lived in or have traveled to.

It’s even rarer, that I find American “quality” peanut butter, so I never miss an opportunity to give it a try….

My Italian landlord dipped a cautious spoon into it, tasted it, and immediately looked like I had just tricked him into eating cement.

“This is… sticky. And salty. And sweet? How do you Americans each such things? What do you use it with?” he was asking, horrified.

That day I realized something which prompted this article: Americans eat a lot of things that make the rest of the world recoil in confusion. 

Sure, every country has its own food quirks.

Georgia puts walnuts in everything, Ukrainians love dill like it’s oxygen, and in France, they act like not knowing anything about cheese is a personal failure.

But there’s something about certain American foods that truly baffle the global palate.

Peanut butter isn’t even the worst offender. 

• Ever tried explaining mac and cheese to a French person?
• Or ranch dressing to someone from Spain? 

They look at you like you just confessed to a crime. 

And don’t even get me started on Twinkies, because the rest of the world sure doesn’t understand how that counts as food.

I’ve spent years abroad watching people react in horror, fascination, and sometimes reluctant acceptance of American culinary oddities.

And trust me, it’s hilarious.

So, let’s take a journey through the seven American foods that the rest of the world finds absolutely bizarre and why, despite the judgment, we still love them.

1. Peanut Butter & The Sticky Mystery of American Breakfasts

I once offered a spoonful of peanut butter to my Italian landlord here in Albania, and you would have thought I had just handed him cement.

He rolled it around in his mouth, struggling against its glue-like texture, before finally forcing it down. “You eat this… on purpose?” he asked, genuinely baffled.

Americans spread peanut butter on toast, mix it into smoothies, and even pair it with jelly (PB & J) in the most iconic of childhood sandwiches.

But outside the U.S., peanut butter is a culinary oddity.

In much of Europe, it’s either nonexistent or relegated to the import aisle, while in places like Georgia and Ukraine, nuts belong in desserts, not mashed into a spread that welds your mouth shut.

What to Try Instead: If you’re in Italy, swap your PB toast for a fresh Pane pomodoro which means “tomato bread” in Italian. It’s 4 simple ingredients: a slice of bread, olive oil, salt, and a ripe tomato!

I promise it won’t glue your mouth shut.

2. Mac and Cheese: Comfort Food or Glorified Pasta?

If you’ve ever tried explaining mac and cheese to an Italian, you know the pain.

I made the mistake of doing so once in Brescia, describing the glory of the neon-orange Kraft box, only to be met with a look of sheer betrayal. “So… you boil pasta, cover it in powder, and call it dinner?”

My newly made friend nearly disowned me on the spot.

Mac and cheese is the pinnacle of American comfort food, but to much of the world, it’s an insult to pasta.

In France, a dish of pasta drowning in processed cheese is borderline offensive.

In Spain, where cheese is an art form, the idea of powdered cheese sauce is enough to induce outrage.

What to Try Instead: If you’re craving cheesy pasta abroad, opt for a rich, baked gratin in France or a creamy carbonara in Italy.

Just don’t mention Kraft.

Or American cheese…. It doesn’t exist in any other part of the world. If you find it, it’s more of a curiosity item, than a food people buy and eat….

3. Ranch Dressing: The American Sauce That’s Just Too Much

Americans treat ranch dressing like liquid gold. Salads, pizza, fries, fried zucchini, if it exists, someone in the U.S. has drowned it in ranch.

I once brought a bottle to a dinner in Poland when I was doing my CELTA in Krakow, thinking I was doing my host a favor.

He took one whiff and recoiled like I had just uncorked a bottle of industrial cleaner.

In Europe, salad dressing is a light touch of olive oil and vinegar.

In Georgia, it’s yogurt-based sauces.

But thick, creamy ranch?

That’s an American obsession that just doesn’t translate.

What to Try Instead: If you’re abroad, go local. A drizzle of balsamic vinegar in Italy or a spoonful of tzatziki in Greece will do wonders for your taste buds.

4. Hot Dogs: The American Icon That Confuses the World

Hot dogs are an American classic. Just like baseball games, summer cookouts, and street carts on every corner.

But outside the U.S., they range from “mildly accepted” to “what exactly is in this?”

I once ordered a hot dog in Alsace, France. I was expecting a familiar taste of home.

Instead, I was handed a fresh baguette stuffed with an entire grilled white sausage, with mustard, of course.

Honestly? It was better.

Sooooo much better! 

Meanwhile, in Eastern Europe, hot dogs often come unadorned. No endless topping options, just the sausage and bun, if you’re lucky.

What to Try Instead: If you’re in France, especially in Alsace, embrace the fancier version.

If you’re in Eastern Europe, grab a hearty kielbasa instead, you won’t miss the processed mystery meat.

5. Twinkies: The Immortal American Dessert

Twinkies are so aggressively artificial that they’ve become a joke. There’s an entire myth that they can survive the apocalypse.

I once handed one to a friend in Albania, and his first reaction was, “Is this plastic?”

Most of the world prefers their pastries fresh: flaky, buttery, and made the same day.

In places like Spain and France, the idea of a snack cake with an indefinite shelf life is downright disturbing.

What to Try Instead: Swap the Twinkie for a warm, freshly made churro in Spain or a delicate, cream-filled éclair in France or a pain au chocolat.

Trust me, your taste buds will thank you.

6. Popcorn: The Overpowering American Movie Snack

Americans eat popcorn by the bucketful, drenched in artificial butter and salt.

Meanwhile, in most of Europe, popcorn is either nonexistent at the cinema or comes lightly salted at best.

I once bought popcorn in Spain and was alarmed by how… subtle it tasted.

No artificial butter, no excessive salt… just plain corn.

A French friend once asked me why Americans insist on turning their movie snacks into a salt explosion, and honestly? 

I had no defense.

What to Try Instead: If you’re in Europe, embrace the local cinema culture, maybe swap the popcorn for a glass of wine in France or a pastry in Spain.

7. Sweet and Savory Combos: The American Flavor Crime

Bacon on pancakes. Fries dipped in milkshakes. Syrup on eggs. 

Americans love mixing sweet and savory in ways that make the rest of the world deeply uncomfortable. I’m guilty of it myself….

I once suggested maple syrup on bacon to a Polish friend, and you would have thought I had committed an act of treason.

In much of Europe, sweet and savory are kept in separate lanes.

The idea of drizzling sugar over meat? A nightmare.

What to Try Instead: If you’re abroad, stick to the local pairings, prosciutto with melon in Italy, cheese and honey in Spain.

You might just discover that food doesn’t have to be a sugar bomb to be delicious.

Are American Foods Actually Bizarre, Or Just Different?

At the end of the day, food is cultural. What’s comfort food to one person is a culinary horror to another.

Americans love their peanut butter, mac and cheese, and ranch dressing with a passion, while the rest of the world shakes their head in confusion.

Despite the tone of this article, I have to say, I do side with my fellow Yanks on most of it. lol… 

Thanksgiving turkey with stuffing, sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce? 

Yes, yes, yes and double yes!

But that’s the beauty of travel, seeing what others eat, sharing a laugh over our differences, and maybe, just maybe, convincing a French person to take a bite of a Twinkie.

What’s the weirdest American food you’ve ever introduced to someone abroad?

Or, if you’re not American, what’s one U.S. food you’ll never understand?