Skip To Content
BuzzFeed Homepage
Sign In
Search BuzzFeed

    23 American Foods That Non-Americans Can't Get Enough Of

    "I had a friend from France here for nearly six months, took him around the Mid-Atlantic and NYC... and all he wanted to do was keep going back to Arby's for the Beef 'n Cheddar."

    Andy Golder
    by Andy Golder

    BuzzFeed Staff

    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

    Tasty / BuzzFeed

    "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

    Lauripatterson / Getty Images

    "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!

    Best beef brisket recipe

    Smoked brisket recipe

    3. Key Lime Pie

    Tasty / BuzzFeed

    "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

    Tasty / BuzzFeed

    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."

    —u/ThirdFloorNorth

    Wanna make a Reuben sandwich? Here's a how-to:

    Reuben sandwich recipe

    5. Pecan Pie

    Tasty / BuzzFeed

    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:

    Basic pecan pie recipe

    Kentucky Derby pecan pie cheesecake recipe

    Deep-fried pecan pie recipe

    6. Cheesy Jalapeño Bread

    Tasty / BuzzFeed

    "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."

    —u/ButtholeQuiver

    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

    Jalapeño cheese bread recipe

    7. Tex-Mex

    plate of rice, refried beans, an enchilada, steak and onions, and quesadila
    Jeff R Clow / Getty Images

    "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

    Tex-Mex guacamole recipe

    8. Chicken Parmesan

    Tasty / BuzzFeed

    "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

    Chicken parm lasagna recipe

    Chicken parm bites recipe

    9. Chicken-Fried Steak

    Tasty / BuzzFeed

    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

    Lauripatterson / Getty Images

    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:

    Cheesesteak hoagie recipe

    Vegan mushroom "cheesesteak" recipe

    11. Cheesy Potatoes aka Funeral Potatoes aka Twice-Baked Potatoes

    spoon in a casserole dish of cheesy potatoes
    Bhofack2 / Getty Images/iStockphoto

    Suggested by u/BadBadGrades

    Wanna try making cheesy potatoes? Here are some recipes to try out:

    Cheesy potato casserole recipe

    Twice-baked potatoes recipe

    Funeral potatoes recipe

    12. Cornbread

    Tasty / BuzzFeed

    "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."

    —u/Thatmixedotaku

    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:

    Skillet cornbread recipe

    Savory pepita pan de elote (Mexican cornbread) with charred poblano butter recipe

    13. Arby's Beef & Cheddar Sandwich

    Arby's / Via arbys.com

    "I had a friend from France here for nearly six months, took him around the Mid-Atlantic and NYC... and all he wanted to do was keep going back to Arby's for the Beef 'n Cheddar."

    —u/bwave1

    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

    Stephaniefrey / Getty Images/iStockphoto

    "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:

    Flakiest biscuits recipe

    Sausage gravy recipe

    15. Gumbo

    Tasty / BuzzFeed

    "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

    Vegetarian gumbo recipe

    16. Grilled Cheese

    Tasty / BuzzFeed

    "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):

    Grilled cheese recipe

    Vegan grilled cheese recipe

    Salted honey apple brie grilled cheese recipe

    Ultimate spicy grilled cheese

    17. Coconut Cream Pie

    Ehughes / Getty Images/iStockphoto

    Suggested by u/Appropriate-Secret80

    "I’ve never met a Texan who doesn’t love coconut cream pie."

    —u/PlaceboRoshambo

    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 recipe

    Coconut cream pie puffs recipe

    18. Buffalo Wings

    Tasty / BuzzFeed

    "Are Buffalo wings American? Because that's modern-day Ambrosia."

    —u/CronkleDonker

    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

    Tasty / BuzzFeed

    "In Vietnam, chocolate chip cookies are called American cookies."

    —u/JDBerezansky

    20. Pancakes

    Tasty / BuzzFeed

    "I may be a simpleton, but an average diner with bottomless filter coffee, pancakes, bacon, and syrup was my favourite part of the day."

    —u/BasedEvidence

    Wanna try out some different types of pancakes? Here are some variations:

    Fluffy buttermilk pancakes recipe

    Blueberry pancakes recipe

    Cinnamon roll pancakes recipe

    21. Banana Pudding

    Tasty / BuzzFeed

    "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

    Tasty / BuzzFeed

    "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:

    Stuffed fried pickles recipe

    Nashville hot fried pickles recipe

    23. Mac & Cheese

    Tasty / BuzzFeed

    "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:

    Basic mac and cheese recipe

    Momma's deep-dish mac and cheese

    Truffle mac and cheese

    Vegan mac and cheese

    Is there a food that you think Americans do better than anyone else? Let us know in the comments!