There have definitely been a few bizarre surprises that Britain has hit me with since my plane touched down at Heathrow. For instance, why does everyone drive on the wrong side of the road? Why do people here think two packets of ketchup are appropriate for a large McDonald’s fry? And what the heck is so “cheeky” about Nando’s, your typical London chicken chain?
As a Texan stumbling through life in the UK, however, the biggest shocks of my British experience have definitely been food-related. No queso here—instead we have blood sausage, haggis, and Marmite! To help any prospective UK study abroad adventurers, I have put together this definitive guide to misunderstood British foods—try not to knock it before you try it!
Marmite
Marmite is a food that lives in infamy in many American tourists’ hearts. An almost too-salty spread made from yeast extract, Marmite is probably one of the most misunderstood British foods I have ever come across.
“A lot of first-timers make the mistake of just eating a spoonful straight from the jar,” says Elana, an England native and Marmite superfan. “That’s gonna taste awful.”
The real way to eat Marmite, according to my British sources, is to coat a piece of toast in butter, and then spread a tiny amount of Marmite on top. “I can’t really describe the flavor,” Elana told me over Marmite and toast, “but it’s good.”
Haggis
Most Americans know haggis as “all that meat shoved in a sheep stomach,” and quite honestly, that is a pretty accurate description. Haggis is made of leftover bits of sheep—the heart, the liver, etc.—and onions. It is stuffed into either a traditional sheep stomach or an artificial casing, and then boiled for a couple hours. Afterwards, you end up with something a lot less disgusting than it sounds!
A note for my fellow Louisiana natives: if you have ever eaten boudin, you know pretty well what to expect from haggis.
Black Pudding
Also known by its more metal name, blood sausage, black pudding is often served fried as an element of the full English breakfast (which also includes fried eggs, bacon, tomatoes, hash browns, and a slew of other delicious foods). I have to say, everything that goes into black pudding is a little bit freaky—it is some kind of wicked concoction of congealed pig’s blood, oatmeal, and lard—but if you can get over the ingredients, the end result is an epic treat for your taste buds.
The UK is full of foods that take some time to have a steady relationship with, but for adventurous eaters everywhere, it is a great place to get some lunch! Here is to many more exciting meals abroad!
Chelsea Teague is a junior majoring in professional writing and rhetoric.