23 American Foods That Non-Americans Can't Get Enough Of
Recently, Redditor u/remyleboi00 asked a controversial food question: "Non-Americans, what is the best 'American' food?"
Non-Americans chimed in with some seriously tasty suggestions of the best "American" foods they've ever had, and honestly, reading it all made me hungry. So I dug up some recipes for each dish in case you want to cook them up for yourself!
1.Lobster Rolls
"OMG these would be soooo popular back home. They are the perfect seafood sandwich!"
—u/W8sB4D8s
Wanna try making lobster rolls? Here are a couple of recipes:
Traditional lobster roll recipe
Vegetarian lobster roll recipe
2.Smoked Brisket
"Wow! I tried this in some small Texas town and that place deserves a Michelin star!"
—u/W8sB4D8s
Wanna try making brisket? Here are two recipes: One is a roast for those who don't have access to a smoker, and the other is a full-blown smoked brisket!
3.Key Lime Pie
"I think I ate a whole one by myself when I was in Miami."
—u/W8sB4D8s
Wanna try making key lime pie? Here are three recipes, including a dairy-free one made with avocado:
Traditional key lime pie recipe
Key lime pie with toasted marshmallow meringue recipe
Dairy-free key lime pie recipe
4.Reuben Sandwich
Suggested by: u/pineappledan
"And it is somehow so much more than the sum of its parts. On paper, it sounds disgusting. 'Corned beef, thousand island dressing, and SAUERKRAUT?!'
But holy hell, the Reuben is a member of the sandwich royalty."
Wanna make a Reuben sandwich? Here's a how-to:
5.Pecan Pie
Suggested by: u/DuneTerrain
Wanna try making a pecan pie? Here's a traditional recipe, a twist on the original involving cheesecake, and — if you want to get REAL American — a deep-fried version:
Kentucky Derby pecan pie cheesecake recipe
6.Cheesy Jalapeño Bread
"I worked in California for a while and this bakery near me used to have this spicy bread that was packed with cheese and jalapeños. It was greasy as fuck but holy shit it was good."
Wanna try making cheesy jalapeño bread? Here are recipes for a larger loaf for slicing, and for the more cheesy kind:
Dutch oven jalapeño cheddar bread recipe
7.Tex-Mex
"Given the level of Mexican food in Europe generally, Tex-Mex is insane compared to what we get over here."
—u/Angrylettuce
Wanna try making some Tex-Mex? Here are some recipes to start with:
Cheesy chicken enchiladas recipe
Loaded chicken fajita nachos recipe
8.Chicken Parmesan
![<div><p>"American here, but recently spoke with an Italian exchange student and asked him what he would miss most about the States. Dead ass, he said 'chicken parm.' That's not an Italian thing. He said the first time he had it, he called his friend back home to tell them about [it], and she hung up on him."</p><p>—u/<a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=74679X1524629&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.buzzfeed.com%2Fandyneuenschwander%2Ffavorite-american-foods-of-non-americans&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2Fuser%2FSpiridor%2F&xcust=6250691%7CBF-VERIZON&xs=1" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Spiridor;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link "><u>Spiridor</u></a></p></div><span> Tasty / BuzzFeed</span>](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/ha0d3.lPPey.BR7u5KBnHA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTYyNA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/buzzfeed_articles_778/a760d62a75d1ba02e88c79491cfcd877)
"American here, but recently spoke with an Italian exchange student and asked him what he would miss most about the States. Dead ass, he said 'chicken parm.' That's not an Italian thing. He said the first time he had it, he called his friend back home to tell them about [it], and she hung up on him."
—u/Spiridor
Wanna try making chicken parm? Here's a traditional recipe and some ~variations~:
The best crispy chicken parmesan recipe
Chicken parmesan sliders recipe
9.Chicken-Fried Steak
Suggested by u/MagnifyingLens
"Gotta appreciate it when a Scot compliments another country's deep frying."
—u/Kongo204
Wanna try making chicken-fried steak? Of course you do, here are some recipes:
Country fried steak with gravy recipe
Chicken fried steak bites recipe
10.Philly Cheesesteaks
Suggested by u/Cannabis_Sir
"Greasy bready cheesey are the three most important parts of the American food pyramid."
—u/xavier120
Wanna try making a Philly cheesesteak? Here are a couple of options to try at home:
Vegan mushroom "cheesesteak" recipe
11.Cheesy Potatoes aka Funeral Potatoes aka Twice-Baked Potatoes
Suggested by u/BadBadGrades
Wanna try making cheesy potatoes? Here are some recipes to try out:
Cheesy potato casserole recipe
12.Cornbread
"Oddly enough, no one seems to have mentioned it… but cornbread. Yeah, as a guy who moved here, Americans have got cornbread down to a T. Combined with some soul food? Makes me smile on the inside."
Wanna try your hand at cornbread? Here's a traditional skillet cornbread recipe, plus a traditional Mexican cornbread to show you where this southern dish got its roots:
Savory pepita pan de elote (Mexican cornbread) with charred poblano butter recipe
13.Arby's Beef & Cheddar Sandwich
If you want to try an Arby's Beef & Cheddar, you should probably go to Arby's. BUT, if you don't have one near you, here's a copycat recipe!
Arby's beef and cheddar copycat recipe
14.Biscuits & Gravy
"Nothing even comes close. A good buttermilk biscuit with a proper sausage gravy is heaven on earth. Because by the end, your heart stops beating anyway."
—u/Screye
Wanna make this breakfast of champions? Here are recipes for fluffy biscuits and sausage gravy:
15.Gumbo
"I’m talking cooked by somebody raised south of I-10."
—u/Bigstar976
You might not be a Louisiana meemaw, but you can try making gumbo with these recipes:
New Orleans seafood filé gumbo recipe
16.Grilled Cheese
"I showed my cousins who live overseas grilled cheese for the first time and they absolutely loved it."
—u/Sprizys
Grilled cheese doesn't really require a recipe, but here's one anyway (along with some variations):
Salted honey apple brie grilled cheese recipe
17.Coconut Cream Pie
Suggested by u/Appropriate-Secret80
"I’ve never met a Texan who doesn’t love coconut cream pie."
Here's a coconut cream pie recipe for you to try, plus a recipe for coconut cream PUFFS if that's more your thing:
Coconut cream pie puffs recipe
18.Buffalo Wings
"Are Buffalo wings American? Because that's modern-day Ambrosia."
You want Buffalo wing recipes? We got Buffalo wing recipes:
The best crispy Buffalo wings recipe
Super easy no-fry Buffalo wings recipe
19.Chocolate Chip Cookies
"In Vietnam, chocolate chip cookies are called American cookies."
—u/JDBerezansky
Everybody's got a different way to do these, here are some to try:
The best chewy chocolate chip cookies recipe
Brown butter toffee chocolate chip cookies
Stuffed chocolate chip cookies
20.Pancakes
"I may be a simpleton, but an average diner with bottomless filter coffee, pancakes, bacon, and syrup was my favourite part of the day."
Wanna try out some different types of pancakes? Here are some variations:
Fluffy buttermilk pancakes recipe
21.Banana Pudding
"That s**t is LIFE-CHANGING."
—u/Madmagican-
Wanna try banana pudding? Here are some options, including a Magnolia Bakery copycat and a cheesecake version, because why not:
Traditional banana pudding recipe
Magnolia Bakery banana pudding with a twist recipe
Banana pudding cheesecake recipe
22.Fried Pickles
![<div><p>"I love [the] fried pickles I ate in North Carolina… now I make them at home and spread it a lot! I know at least 10 of my friends make them now."</p><p>—u/<a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=74679X1524629&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.buzzfeed.com%2Fandyneuenschwander%2Ffavorite-american-foods-of-non-americans&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2Fuser%2FDedadrda%2F&xcust=6250691%7CBF-VERIZON&xs=1" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Dedadrda;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link "><u>Dedadrda</u></a></p></div><span> Tasty / BuzzFeed</span>](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/_N0d5JX5uZptvjcUl9c0kg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTYzNg--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/buzzfeed_articles_778/5eda49a2ea511e3d8d61d6a7837b2cf9)
"I love [the] fried pickles I ate in North Carolina… now I make them at home and spread it a lot! I know at least 10 of my friends make them now."
—u/Dedadrda
Wanna try making fried pickles? Here are a couple of ways to make them:
Nashville hot fried pickles recipe
23.Mac & Cheese
"I hate to sound like an ignorant foreigner but a made from scratch mac & cheese with at least three different cheeses plus a crispy breadcrumb crust on top is one of my favorite American dishes."
—u/Mona_Moans
Listen, I'll link a few recipes here, but you might want to check out all the mac and cheese recipes here as well:
Momma's deep-dish mac and cheese
