10 American Foods Brits Secretly Find Disgusting (But Americans Swear By)

For all the similarities between the UK and the US, food is where things start to drift. We share a language, a history, and even some overlapping traditions, but our taste buds seem to have evolved in entirely different directions. While the US has some excellent dishes (Texas BBQ ribs, clam chowder, and proper southern fried chicken to name a few), there are just some American foods that Brits refuse to entertain. 

Here are ten American classics that many people in the UK simply can’t get behind, no matter how beloved they are across the pond.

1) Cheez Whiz

The name alone raises eyebrows for many Brits. “Whiz” doesn’t feel reassuring, and “cheez” spelt in that way suggests that it’s not really cheese. With a tradition that runs from Cheddar and Wensleydale to Stilton and Cornish Yarg, the bar for what counts as cheese in the UK is set quite high. So when Americans introduce a bright orange, ultra-gooey cheese in a jar to put on your rib eye steak sandwich, most Brits are wondering if they’ve lost the plot.

2) Grits

Fancy some grits? Say this to most Brits, and you’ll probably get a polite “err… no thanks.” After all, “grit” in the UK refers to the rock salt used to treat icy roads in winter, which doesn’t exactly make the dish sound appetising. Grits are made from ground corn, boiled until creamy, and in the US they can appear alongside both sweet and savoury dishes, forming a staple of Southern cuisine. To many Brits, though, they taste a lot like salty porridge, and the soft, slightly lumpy texture is unfamiliar and off-putting.

3) Root Beer

Root beer is one of those drinks that instantly divides opinion. Many Brits try it for the first time and pull a face that says, “Was that… mouthwash?” There’s a reason for that. Root beer often contains wintergreen, the same flavouring used in some toothpastes and mouthwashes. Americans insist it’s refreshing and nostalgic. Brits insist it tastes like something you gargle, not drink.

4) Chocolate

One blind-taste study found that when Americans didn’t know the origin of the chocolate they were eating, they overwhelmingly preferred US chocolate. Brits, under the same conditions, favoured British chocolate. For many Brits, the problem comes down to taste. US chocolate can leave a sour or slightly tangy aftertaste, thanks in part to butyric acid that is included. It’s not bad, it’s just… different, and not like the smooth and creamy Cadbury’s and Galaxy chocolate that we’re used to.

5) Meatloaf

Minced beef is a kitchen staple in the UK, whether cooked as part of a hearty cottage pie or melt-in-the-mouth lasagne. But, shaping it into a loaf, baking it, and slicing it like bread, just sounds wrong. Then there’s the fact that some versions of meatloaf are glazed or topped with runny tomato ketchup. To many Brits, meatloaf just doesn’t sound appetising. Even when Americans explain it’s pure comfort food, it’s one dish Brits can live without.

6) Corn dogs

Brits love an American hotdog in a soft bun with ketchup and mustard, but the corn dog doesn’t tempt their taste buds in quite the same way. Taking a hot dog, putting it on a stick, then coating it in deep-fried cornbread batter is where Brits start to hesitate. You’ll find corn dogs everywhere in the US, from state fairs to fast-food counters, but for Brits the salty hot dog and sweet, donut-like coating feel like two foods that should never have met.

7) Biscuits and gravy

This dish is a classic case of being lost in translation. In the UK, a biscuit is a sweet, crunchy treat enjoyed with a cup of tea. In the US, it’s more like a soft, savoury scone, often served at breakfast or alongside dinner. Brits can usually get on board with the US-style biscuit, but once Americans add the white, creamy, slightly lumpy sausage gravy, that’s where things start to wobble. Most Brits would prefer to top their US biscuit with jam and cream, and stick with their brown, meat-based gravy for Sunday lunch.

8) PB&J Sandwiches

Brits have their fair share of odd sandwich combinations, from chip butties and fish finger sandwiches, to the unique flavour of coronation chicken. Peanut butter and jelly though, still feels like a cultural hurdle. “Jelly” in the US is seedless jam, unlike the wobbly dessert jelly in the UK, which helps a bit. However, the combination of rich, sticky peanut butter and sweet grape jelly often turns mushy in the bread, and feels more like a kid’s science experiment.

9) Bacon

The UK and US agree on many things, but bacon is not one of them. Brits adore their bacon in a thick-cut, meaty form in their bacon bap or as part of the full English. American bacon, on the other hand, is thinner, crispier, saltier and more like streaky bacon. To Brits, it tastes more like a crunchy topping than the main event. Perfect on a burger or sprinkled over something, but in a bacon butty? No thanks.

10) Twinkies

Twinkies are American nostalgia in sponge-cake form. Soft, golden, cream-filled and around since the 1930s, they’re an iconic snack in the US. Brits, however, tend to give them a less enthusiastic review, often calling them dry, overly sweet and strangely synthetic. Highly processed snacks exist in the UK too, but Twinkies just don’t hit that same childhood-memory sweet spot for Brits.

Wrapping up

Food is often where the funniest cultural differences show up, and these 10 dishes highlight this perfectly. But it works both ways. Americans are often baffled by Britain’s love of black pudding for breakfast, baked beans on toast for lunch, or mushy peas with fish and chips for dinner. What seems strange to one nations, is completely normal to another else. And that is exactly why the food debate will rumble on.