5 British Foods Some May Think Weird

Indulging in local food is one of the best ways to experience local culture. But, when it comes to sampling local food, most stick to the popular food dishes. Only the most adventurous ones search for authentic and at times quirky food dishes for a true cultural experience. For those adventurous ones, here are five British Foods that are weird for most.

Star Gazey Pie

Just a photo of this dish sends jitters down most people spines. It is difficult to eat a pie with fish staring out of it. Star Gazey Pie has an interesting legend attached to it. Tom Bawcock of Mousehole, Cornwall went fishing in stormy weather and ferocious seas to save his starving village. He returned with enough fish to save his village. Locals cooked a pie with fish coming out of it just to prove the existence of fish in the pie. Around Christmas, the village of Mousehole honours Tom Bawcock by preparing pies with fish poking out it staring at the stars. It is difficult to find it in the UK but you can head to Cornwall around Christmas to sample this strange pie.

Haggis

Let’s move further north for one of the weirdest British foods out there – Haggis. Haggis, the national dish of Scotland, usually raises quite a few eyebrows with its strange ingredients. Sheep’s pluck is the main ingredient of haggis. What is a sheep’s pluck? Pluck is a sheep’s throat, lungs, liver and heart mixed with onions, suet, oatmeal and spices. And, that’s not it! The mixture is then stuffed into a sheep’s stomach and then boiled in water. If you can’t digest all this then try having it with some fine single malt Scotch. You will find Haggis being served at most Scottish breakfast joints.

Laver Bread

We go from Scotland to Wales in search of strange British foods. Prepared with laver seaweed, this dish is not a bread at all. Laver seaweed is sourced from the western coast and minced or pureed after boiling it. It looks a lot like other boiled and pureed greens such as spinach, kale or collard greens. However, it tastes completely different from any of them and has a very earthy and salty flavour. It has a very strong aroma which some people find hard to overcome. Patties of laver bread, oatmeal, eggs and bacon are served at most traditional Welsh breakfast joints.

Scotch Woodcock

Have you guys heard of a dish called Spotted Cock? Scotch Woodcock gives Spotted Cock a run for its money when it comes to weird names. While the name is surely strange, the dish itself is quite a delicacy. It is actually scrambled eggs and anchovy paste on buttered toast along with a hint of cayenne pepper. Scotch used to be served after a grand meal during the Victorian era. Times have changed and these days it is eaten for breakfast or even as a snack. It is quite easy to find in most restaurants serving British foods.

Faggots

From Spotted Dicks to Faggots, British dishes surely have very innovative names. So, what are faggots? Faggots are meatballs made of pig’s heart, liver and stomach. It is an acquired taste and you either love it or hate it. They were eaten a lot during the Second World War as food rations. They lost their popularity over the years and are harder to find these days. Some older restaurants, butcher shops and farmer’s markets are your best bets. You can also find them in the frozen section of some well-stocked supermarkets.

Have you sampled any of the above-mentioned weird British foods? Or, do you know of any other strange British dishes that should be included in this list? Kindly, leave a comment below and let us know.