17 American Foods Europeans Say A Strong “No Thanks” To And Why

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America’s daring and delightfully eccentric food scene—think marshmallow-smothered sweet potato casseroles and vibrantly neon Kool-Aid—often leaves Europeans both puzzled and intrigued. Europeans prioritize natural, minimally processed foods compared to Americans. Around 58% of staples in U.S. leading supermarkets are ultra-processed, 41% more than in Europe.

Many U.S. favorites rely on high sugar content, artificial dyes, or rich combinations that clash with European tastes and stricter food regulations. For example, Lucky Charms are banned in parts of Europe due to dyes like Red 40. At the same time, the Pumpkin Spice Latte, with over 420 million sold annually in the U.S., is dismissed as overhyped abroad. These cultural and dietary differences help explain why the following iconic American foods get a firm “No, thank you” across the Atlantic.

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

American Foods Europeans Say a Strong “No Thanks” to and Why — Image Credit: Th78blue/Wikimedia Commons

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, a beloved candy in the U.S., feature a chocolate shell filled with sweet peanut butter. However, their appeal doesn’t translate well in Europe, where consumers favor less sugary and more natural treats. Studies show that Americans consume about 22 teaspoons of sugar daily on average.

Moreover, though iconic in the U.S., the chocolate-peanut butter pairing is unfamiliar in European confectionery, which leans toward combinations like chocolate with fruits, nuts, or nougat. This divergence in flavor preferences contributes to Reese’s limited success abroad.

Root Beer

Root beer, a uniquely American soft drink, boasts a complex flavor profile derived from wintergreen, anise, and vanilla. Despite its popularity stateside, European consumers unfamiliar with such beverage combinations often describe its distinctive taste as medicinal.

Root beer’s high sugar levels and reliance on artificial flavors contrast sharply with Europe’s growing demand for natural, low-sugar drinks. Experts from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) have also raised concerns over some artificial ingredients, further discouraging its adoption.

American Cheese

American cheese, commonly sold as individually wrapped slices, is a processed product made with additives like emulsifiers to ensure its smooth texture and extended shelf life. This manufacturing approach diverges from European cheese-making traditions, prioritizing natural ingredients and artisanal techniques.

A self-described “guerilla cheesemaker,” Asher travels from community kitchens to local farms advocating for raw milk cheese made with natural fermentation. Unsurprisingly, American cheese’s mild flavor and artificial elements make it less appealing across the Atlantic.

Grits

Grits, a Southern U.S. staple made from boiled ground corn, are unfamiliar to most Europeans. The porridge-like texture often served with butter, cheese, or gravy, contrasts with Europe’s lighter grain-based dishes such as polenta or risotto. This heavy preparation style may seem excessive to those used to subtler flavors and less rich side dishes.

Corn Dogs

Corn dogs are a quintessential American street food. They consist of a hot dog encased in cornmeal batter and deep-fried on a stick. While cherished at state fairs in the U.S., deep-frying a sausage in a sweet batter alienates Europeans, who typically favor grilled or cured sausages paired with bread or mustard.

Corn dogs’ high fat and calorie content also clashes with Europe’s growing preference for healthier, less processed snacks. 60% of Europeans actively seek food products with natural ingredients, highlighting why corn dogs struggle to find favor.

Jell-O Salad

Brightly colored and wobbly, Jell-O salads are a fixture of American potlucks but rarely seen on European tables. The dessert’s reliance on artificial dyes and flavors, such as Red 40 and Yellow 6, clashes with Europe’s stricter food regulations, which restrict or ban many such additives.

Furthermore, the gelatinous texture is off-putting to those unfamiliar with it, as Europeans generally favor baked or creamy desserts over gel-based ones.

Biscuits and Gravy

An iconic American breakfast, biscuits, and gravy consists of soft, flaky biscuits drenched in rich sausage-based gravy. This dish feels excessively heavy to Europeans, whose breakfasts typically include lighter fare such as pastries, yogurt, or fruit.

The calorie-dense combination, alongside its unfamiliar presentation, often deters adoption. Nutritionist Sarah Brewer notes, “Europeans gravitate toward meals that balance richness with freshness, which biscuits and gravy lack in both texture and flavor variety.”

Twinkies

With their sponge cake exterior and creamy filling, Twinkies are a cultural icon in the U.S. but face resistance in Europe due to their perceived artificiality. The snack’s extended shelf life—thanks to preservatives—and its high sugar content make it less appealing to European consumers, who prioritize fresh and natural baked goods.

According to the European Commission, demand for artisanal bakery products grew by 1.8% between 2019 and 2021, starkly contrasting America’s mass-produced treats like Twinkies.

Mountain Dew

Mountain Dew, a neon-green citrus soda, is often associated with its high caffeine content and bold flavor. Yet its use of artificial dyes, like Yellow 5 (restricted in parts of Europe), and exceptionally high sugar content make it unappealing overseas.

The average 12-ounce can of Mountain Dew contains 46 grams of sugar, far exceeding recommended daily limits and putting it at odds with Europe’s preference for more natural, lightly sweetened beverages.

Canned Cheese (Spray Cheese)

Spray cheese, like Cheez Whiz, is a convenient but polarizing product. It is popular in the U.S., where convenience often takes precedence, but Europeans view cheese in a can as a far cry from their cherished cheese traditions.

In Europe, cheese-making is considered an art, emphasizing high-quality milk, natural processes, and aging techniques. The long list of additives in spray cheese cements its rejection across the continent.

Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows

Sweet potato casserole topped with marshmallows is a holiday classic in the U.S., but the combination of sweet and savory flavors often confounds European palates. Sweet potatoes are enjoyed in Europe, but they are typically prepared as savory dishes rather than paired with sugary toppings. This dish’s high sugar content also clashes with Europe’s preference for less sugary fare.

Deep-Fried Butter

Deep-fried butter, a carnival novelty in the U.S., epitomizes excess and is widely viewed as unappealing in Europe. This dish involves dipping frozen butter sticks in batter before deep-frying them, resulting in a product containing over 1,000 calories per serving.

European consumers, who often prioritize balanced diets, tend to reject such calorie-dense, high-fat foods. According to the European Heart Network, cardiovascular health concerns drive many European food choices, making deep-fried butter a hard pass.

Bacon-Wrapped Everything

The American obsession with bacon-wrapped foods—the bacon-wrapped hot dogs, bacon-wrapped jalapeños—hasn’t translated well to Europe. Bacon is popular globally, but European standards consider its use as a wrapping for everything excessive and unnecessarily indulgent.

This preparation style often doubles the fat and calorie content of the dish, a concern for health-conscious Europeans. Americans consume more red and processed meat than Europeans, reflecting different dietary priorities. The per capita consumption of meat was highest in North America, at roughly 78.5 kilos per person in the period between 2021 and 2023.

Kool-Aid

Kool-Aid, a brightly colored powdered drink mix, is a childhood staple in the U.S. but struggles to find a market in Europe. Due to health concerns, the drink’s artificial dyes and flavors, such as Red 40 and Yellow 5, are tightly regulated or banned in many European countries.

Additionally, a single serving can contain up to 25 grams of sugar, making it far too sweet for European tastes. In contrast, fruit juices and mineral waters dominate the European beverage market.

Pumpkin Spice Everything

Pumpkin spice, a flavor blend popularized in the U.S. by Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte, has been met with skepticism in Europe. Pumpkin is enjoyed in savory dishes, but combining cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove is considered overly sweet and artificial. Pumpkin spice-flavored products, which range from cereals to deodorants, often seem gimmicky to Europeans.

According to Euromonitor International, European consumers favor authentic, seasonal flavors rather than heavily marketed, trend-driven products, which explains their lukewarm reception to pumpkin spice.

Lucky Charms

With its colorful marshmallows and sugary oat pieces, Lucky Charms cereal is iconic in the U.S. but perceived as overly sweet and processed in Europe. A single serving contains 12 grams of sugar, nearly half the daily limit recommended by European health authorities for children. Additionally, using artificial colors and flavors clashes with stricter EU food standards.

Many European consumers opt for whole-grain cereals or muesli, which are considered healthier alternatives. This preference for natural, minimally processed breakfast options has kept Lucky Charms off most European shelves.

Chicken and Waffles

Chicken and waffles, a Southern U.S. comfort food pairing crispy fried chicken with sweet waffles and syrup, is considered an odd combination by European standards. In Europe, chicken is rarely served with sweet accompaniments, making this dish seem overly rich and unconventional.

A serving of Chicken and Waffles can contain up to 1050 calories, which is far heavier than the typical European breakfast or brunch. This fusion of sweet and savory flavors, while adored in the U.S., is often seen as excessive and overly indulgent abroad.

Disclaimer – This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.