9 Must-Have Global Grubs

9 Must-Have Global Grubs

1. La Mallorca Sandwich in Puerto Rico

I had this delicious sandwich in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico at a small, local restaurant called La Mallorca (aptly named after this sandwich). The sandwich is made with a sweet brioche bread, sliced in half to hold ham, cheese, and a fried egg. Then the finishing touch, now hear me out, powdered sugar on top. For some of you, the whole sweet and salty thing might not be appealing, I’m usually in that category, but this sandwich?? That powdered sugar took it to a whole other level. Jake and I had breakfast at this café every morning we were in San Juan. “Una Mallorca con jamón, huevo, y queso, y un cafe con leche, por favor.”

2.Jägerschnitzel in Germany

My mouth is watering just thinking about this. Jägerschnitzel is a breaded schnitzel (pork) with mushroom cream sauce and homemade spaetzle which is like an egg noodle dish. I have had a few in the States but nothing comes close to authentic German Jägerschnitzel. If you are ever in Stuttgart, stop by Onkle Otto for all different types of schnitzel, they even have All You Can Eat schnitzel Mondays.

Onkle Otto

3. Hot Dogs in Iceland

There was a time where fermented shark, hákarl, was considered Iceland’s most iconic food. When Anthony Bourdain said it was "the single worst, most disgusting and terrible tasting thing" he's ever eaten, I wasn’t too excited to try it. Jake had it the time he went to Iceland before and he said it was so absolutely awful. Yeah thanks, I’ll pass. But what I could not pass up were the hot dogs. Jake is a HUGE fan of hot dogs so for him to rave about how these were the best he’s ever had, I had to give them a try. They taste different than what we have in America because their hot dogs are mainly made with Icelandic lamb, with some pork and beef. Did you know the sheep in Iceland outnumber the people by at least 2 to 1? Iceland also does not import live animals so all the lamb eaten is free-range, organic, and grass-fed. Well, you can find hot dog stands pretty much anywhere in Iceland and when you can’t find a stand, I think just about every gas station sells them as well. Also different from the States are the toppings. The true Icelandic way is to have chopped white onions, crispy fried onions, and a sweet brown mustard called pylsusinnep. Don’t ask me how to pronounce it because my tongue simply can’t do it. You don’t have to order the hot dog that way, they do have regular ketchup and mustard to dress your dog how you want. Head to Reykjavik Sausage Company for hot dog (or two or three), followed by ice cream in the same location after.

4. Breakfast in the UK and Ireland

I’m sure I have mentioned before how much I love breakfast food. So needless to say, I was beyond excited to have an authentic full English breakfast. This breakfast typically comes with fried eggs, baked beans, fried tomatoes, fried mushrooms, bacon, sausages, toast, and tea or coffee, whatever you fancy. YUM. I mean yes, clogged arteries much? But it wasn’t like I was eating this every single day for years. I was on vacation so I splurged a bit. And it was well worth the splurge. Mind you, I rarely finished the entirety but I damn sure tried. The combination of the tomatoes, mushrooms, yokey goodness, ugh, scrumptious. We had this dish in London, Dublin, and Belfast.

5. Baleadas in Honduras

I have to give a shout out to my other nationality, Honduras. In Honduras, these tasty treats are everywhere. They’re basically Honduran tacos. We use handmade flour tortillas, so you know they’re just warm and fluffy, we put refried beans, this cream (almost like a buttery sour cream?) and white cheese (queso fresco). You can also add whatever else you like. At home, my mom made ours with scrambled eggs and avocado. You don’t just have to travel to Honduras to find them, there are Honduran and Central American restaurants in the States that sell baleadas as well. The perfect comfort food.

6. Mike and Patty’s in Boston, MA

I just put the name of the location for this one because just about anything you get from here is going to be amazing. Mike and Patty’s sells breakfast sandwiches, if you can’t tell, I love sandwiches. Be aware though, this location is extremely small, the chances of you having a place to sit are pretty slim. But they do offer online ordering so you can just stop by and pick up your order. They do offer beverages like coffee and juices as well.

7. Deep Dish Pizza in Chi-town

Now, the only place I got deep dish pizza from was Giordano’s. That was the only place we (my dad and I) really knew about. Since then, I have heard of a few different places but I can’t speak to those. I’m sure they are just as good if not better. Either way, find a place and try some! It was SO good. The sauce, the cheesiness, plus the toppings we added, the experience was everything I was hoping for it to be.

8. Seafood in Monterey, CA

I lived in Monterey for about a year. My friends and I would head down to the Old Fisherman’s Wharf to walk around and get some dinner. When you walk down the Wharf, you have restaurant workers standing outside giving free samples of their clam chowder. Other than Boston obviously, this was the best clam chowder I ever had. My favorite clam chowder came from a restaurant called Crabby Jim’s. even hosts a clam chowder festival where I tried clam chowder ice cream, not for everyone folk. Not only did they have fantastic clam chowder, they also gave you a free basket of calamari with purchase of entrée. I didn’t even like calamari before that but it was that good! That calamari was fresh caught daily. One of the more popular restaurants there is the Old Fisherman’s Grotto, plus all of the other restaurants on the Wharf or out in town and Cannery Row.

9. Desserts in France

What’s dinner without dessert? I have a major sweet tooth, especially for sweet breads and pastries. As you can imagine, France is a haven for desserts. I made sure to try a little bit of this and a little bit of that; from crepes to macarons, and chocolate croissants to crème brûlée. Paired with a glass of wine or café au lait, need I say more?

petite cakes

crepes

gold macaron

croissant

creme brulee

macarons

If there are any places you recommend, please drop them down below! I am always looking for those hidden gems and must-have foods. Thanks so much for reading, everyone! À plus tard.

Goose, out.