There are many things that are great about the United States, but food just really isn’t one of those for me. Don’t get me wrong; I dig some Mexican food and Reese’s blasts, but there is just something about all the childhood memories and healthier foods Europe has to offer. So I attempted to compile the 20 foods that I miss the most from my home country.

1. Fruit-Tella

They’re like Starburst, but they taste more like fruit because they are made with real fruit juice and only use natural coloring and flavoring. I would say the consistency is essentially the same, and so is the amount of sugar--they just taste so much more natural than Starbursts. They come in different flavors--the three most basic being orange, lemon, and strawberry (my personal favorite) and then the fancy pear, apple, grapes, raspberry, and blackberry.

2. Raw milk cheese

There is a huge controversy going on about raw milk cheese. In the United States, the production and sale of raw milk products is highly regulated and even forbidden in several states. Pasteurized milk is chosen over raw milk as a means of prevention against potential bacterial contamination, but the pasteurizing process also kills the good bacteria that give cheese its flavorful taste. In Belgium, raw milk cheeses are also regulated, but they can be found on farmer’s markets and even in regular stores. Bacterial infections can occur with raw milk or pasteurized milk, and the symptoms of a bacterial infection are no different than those of food poisoning. I truly believe that too many regulations and pasteurizing help germs to spread. I spent 18 years of my life in Belgium eating unpasteurized milk and have never experienced food poisoning until my third month in the United States.

3. Italian pizzas

At the end of the 19th century, Belgium was at the hegemony of the coal mines and experienced a shortening in the workforce, which brought the country to request some helping hands from Italy. Many Italians moved to the Hainaut--the province in which I live--and settled down. This immigration wave is called the Italian Diaspora and nearly 200 years later, Italians have adapted to the Belgian way of life and (Thank you, Lord) opened many pizzerias. Real Italian pizzas taste completely different--I can’t really put my finger on what makes them so great, but I think the dough, the cheese and the different toppings are of much higher quality. Fun fact: the only Italian words I know are related to pizza (prosciutto, primavera, funghi).

4. Tuna peaches

I’m not sure whether this is going to sound gross to you guys or not but these are tuna peaches. All it is is a tuna salad (tuna + mayonnaise) in peach halves. It’s delicious!

5. Vegetable soups

I know that the United States has soups, but I’m talking about a different kind of soup with just vegetables and no thickening. My grandma used to make soup every day. Scientists say it's one of the best ways to lose weight because you fill up on veggies before starting your meal. There are all kinds of soup. Green soup, red soup, onion soup, cauliflower soup, bouillon, etc. Green soup can be made from many different vegetables: leek, celery, parsley, nettle leaves, zucchini or broccoli. Red soup is usually made out of tomatoes and/ or carrots. In order to naturally and slightly thicken a soup, my grandma sometimes uses potatoes or onions. Here’s a picture of a bowl of green soup. I know, it’s not a very fancy name, but that’s what my cousins and I called it when we were kids.

6. Endives au gratin

Endives are not typically children’s favorite vegetable; they’re actually really bitter, but when young endives are slowly cooked in butter, wrapped in ham, and topped with a white sauce and cheese, they become one of the best winter dishes of the flat lands!

7. Grenadine

It’s kind of like Kool-Aid but not really. Grenadine is a really thick and sweet syrup made from fruit juice that children (and adults) add to their water to give it a sweet and fruity taste. Teisseire juices come in many different flavors, which are all natural.

8. Croquette

 

I seriously do not understand why this one isn’t a thing! It’s basically a tube of mashed potatoes rolled in bread crumbs and fried. They come in three main varieties: plain, crevette and cheese.

9. Biscoff ice cream

 

Biscoffs are known in the U.S. as the airplane cookies--in Europe, they are called Speculoos. While Americans eat peanut butter, Europeans eat biscoff spread (or speculoos paste). Almost every ice cream truck and restaurant has speculoos ice cream, and there's a reason: it’s sooo good!

10. Crumble

Crumble is a Brittish variant of cobbler. I’m not a huge fan of cobbler because I find its crust to be doughy, tasteless, and somewhat disproportional to the amount of fruits. Crumble typically contains more fruit and is topped with a crunchy layer of cookie crumbs. I make mine with speculoos.

11. Bread

I don't know if you have ever heard of this one, but exchange students from Europe have a weird connection when it comes to their hatred of American bread, which is mushy and sweet to us. Many people think I'm crazy because I don't like bread or rolls, but I'm not used to sweet, soft bread that's made with milk. European breads have a much harsher crust and come in many different forms. Some of my favorite childhood memories include getting the crusty heel of the bread from the cutting machine at the grocery store in the bakery section.

12. Pastries

Those look like pastries you would see on cooking shows on Food Network, but they are a weekly reality for many Europeans who enjoy a Sunday treat. Almost every town has a bakery like that one. My sister actually works in a bakery and often brings us crazy good pastries home.

13. Pain au chocolat

This one could technically be categorized as a pastry as well, but I think it deserves a category of its own because of how delicious it is. Literally translated, it would be chocolate bread, but I didn't think it gave a correct idea of what it was, so I kept its French name (and doesn't everything sound fancier in French anyway?) It's made out of puff pastry and dark chocolate. For any of you guys who are unfamiliar with puff pastry, it's made with a square of dough topped with a layer of butter folded over and over and over and relentlessly flattened with a roll pin; it's pretty fastidious but definitely worth it. The butter melts and makes the dough buttery and thinly layered.

14. Double Lait

Same for that one; it means double milk, which doesn't really give you an idea of the deliciousness it brings to your taste buds. Côte d'or is the best chocolate brand in the world; I spoke with a chocolate expert from Utah this summer, and he agreed. Double Lait is milk chocolate filled with a nutty paste that has a consistent of peanut butter. The word praliné that you see under the words double lait simply means "filled" in French. I could have picked many other chocolates, but this one is my absolute favorite.

15. Cassonade

Cassonade is a typical Belgian condiment; I'm not even sure you can find it in France. It's close to brown sugar but is made with beet sugar and molasses. It has a golden color and contains solid pearls of sugar. It's delicious on crêpes or in yogurt.

16. Goat cheese salad

This is my go-to dish that can be found in any restaurant in Europe. It's usually made out of soft lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, apples, toasted bread and fresh goat cheese with a balsamic vinaigrette or a light yogurt dressing. Super healthy and yummy.

17. Chocapic

Surprisingly, Chocapic--or Chocapic-like cereal--cannot be found in American cereal aisles that are highly furnished and in plenty of boxes displaying colorful breakfast cereals. I still can't fathom how people like Fruit Loops.

18. Chipolata

Sausage makes me nauseous. I'm not really sure what does but something in the mixture really makes me sick. I've tried it many times; I simply can't. What I miss is chipolata sausages. They are thin sausages typically made of ground pork or poultry and seasoned with salt, pepper and herbs such as sage and thyme. I love to eat them with homemade mashed potatoes and apple sauce.

19. Waffles

How could I talk about European and Belgian food without mentioning waffles? I had to finish with the most known Belgian dessert. Contrarily to the popular belief, Belgians do not have waffles for breakfast (ever). There are also two types of waffles: Brussels and Liège. Brussels waffles are closer to American "Belgian waffle;" they are light and fluffy and usually covered with powdered sugar and fresh strawberries. Liège waffles are a lot heavier and contain sugar pearls. The best Liège waffles are found in pedestrian commercial streets and train stations which know way too well how to attract hungry students after school.

Now that I have mentioned all the food that my little expatriate self misses while in the New World, why don't you tell me what foods you miss while abroad or what other food you wish could be found in the U.S.