Hello, it’s me Harry from Away With The Steiners. In this blog, I’m going to share my 10 favourite European foods that we got to try on our trip through some pretty chilly countries!
We spent two years driving in our campervan to every single country in mainland Europe, and all of these dishes are what I reckon are the must-tries if you ever visit – personally taste-tested and approved by me, of course!
1. Montenegro – Palaçinke
Palaçinke is a thin pancake type dish a bit like French crepes in Eastern European countries. It is served with honey, jam and other toppings. We first tried it in Serbia. Then next in Bosnia and in Montenegro we knew we had to try it.
In Belgrade we had to find a small kiosk around the city that sold Palaçinke which wasn’t too difficult, especially after we met this young, student on his skateboard that told us about the best kiosk for Palaçinke. Obviously, we were impressed!
The thin pancake with cream, and honey was a perfect combo in my books.
2. Netherlands – Stroopwafels
Stroopwafels are like wafer circles stacked on top of each other with a sweet, sticky caramel syrup called “Stroop“. We tried Stroopwafels in lots of places, but it ended up our favourite was the stack of dense, heavy stroopwafels from Spar supermarket! We always looked out for Spar shopping in our campervan, and we always asked Mum and Dad to add Stroopwafel to the list!
3. Italy – Gelato
Italian gelato was a must while in Rome. At the Pantheon, and near the Trevi Fountain we found exactly what we were looking for! The smooth creamy taste was perfect.
Gelato is a MUST when in Rome and Italy. We also continued trying and tasting Gelato in Milan, Venice and all other Italian cities we visited.
4. France – Pain au Chocolat
The warm, fresh (chocolaty) bread rolls in the morning were great for our trip around France in our campervan. We always looked out for patisserie bakeries.
Since we had our Christmas there, we even got pain au chocolat while walking to the Eiffel Tower on Christmas Day. Having a warm pain au chocolat was always the right choice while traveling through France!
5. Norway – Reindeer Meat
Now, this was an interesting one! While we were travelling in Norway, our friend Grete invited us to stay in her hometown. We had the opportunity to try reindeer meat! Grete cooked us dinner with reindeer meat in a very tasty sauce.
You should definitely try this if you want a cool food experience in Norway. It was one of the most unique Europe foods I got to try!
6. Ukraine – Borscht
Borscht is a hearty, beetroot, potato soup dish which is popular in Ukraine. I had seen a video about it before we went to Ukraine, and this was on my bucketlist of Europe food to try.
The restaurant itself was unique as we had to walk down a flight of stairs. I really liked the Borscht. It is what put Ukraine on my list of favourite countries that I’ve visited! (See my other blog about My Favourite Countries).
7. Portugal – Pastel de Nata
This alone was a big reason why we wanted to come Portugal! It was another Europe food I wanted to try. We literally crossed over the border from Spain in our campervan and it was the first town we arrived in that had a bakery selling pastel de nata.
It is a small pastry tart with custard in the middle and it was so delicious in the bakery we had it in.
8. Germany & Austria – Bratwurst & Currywurst
These are one of the most famous Europe foods. And for good reason! Because it was so cold when we were travelling through Germany and Austria, having bratwurst and currywurst was nice and warming. We were there in December when the Christmas markets were on, so there were lots of stalls and shops selling hot sausages and buns.
9. Croatia & Montenegro – Burek
This was the most famous savoury Europe food we had heard about in Eastern Europe. Burek is like a flaky pastry pie in a roll.
In Zagreb we found a really old shop that had been making Burek since 1967!
10. Belgium – Loaded Fries
The Netherlands was our first stop when we got to Europe to start in our campervan, and we tried their loaded fries there after learning about the competition between Netherlands and Belgium.
When we crossed the border to Belgium, it was a rainy, freezing day, and we got some hot loaded fries. We ordered them with curry sauce, tomato sauce, and mustard. We found a cool takeaway in an old yellow bus, but because it was so cold, we had to enjoy our food in the warmth of our home on wheels.
My Favourite Europe Foods
It is so awesome getting to try different foods around the world. Before this trip, I had no idea Europe had so many foods and dishes that I’d never even heard of back at home!
Every food on this list is a must-try. I hope if you ever go on a Europe trip, you get the chance to taste them and love them as much as I did!
Thank you for reading!
By Harry 🙂
Travel Planning for Europe & Beyond
These are the companies we use and can recommend for planning and booking travel.
- Booking.com – The best all-around accommodation booking site that constantly provides the cheapest and lowest rates.
- 12GoAsia – Book trains anywhere in Asia.
- Skyscanner – This is by far our favourite flight search engine. They are able to search small websites and budget airlines that larger search sites often miss. We book all our flights through Skyscanner.
- GetYourGuide – Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace for tours and excursions offered all around the world including everything from walking tours, adventure ticket, local tours and more!
- SafetyWing – A global travel insurance that covers people from all over the world while outside their home country. You can buy it short or longterm; and even if you are out of the country.
- World Nomads – Travel insurance tailored for longterm travel and nomads (including those who have already left home). Make sure you have insurance before travel anywhere in the world!