While the occasional Currywurst or plate of Spätzle make for a treat, on the international culinary stage, Germany isn't often given a standing ovation. The Turkish-imported Döner proffers a greasy shred of hope that the federal republic could one day compete with esteemed European neighbours - at least in the sandwich department. But for now, two traditional German dishes are unlucky enough to find themselves ranked among the worst meals worldwide.

Most questionable dishes according to TasteAtlas

To create the list, TasteAtlas used the user reviews from the more than 10.000 different meals listed in its online encyclopedia. Those with the worst overall reviews were then compiled into the 100 worst meals of 2023.

This year, Indigirka salad from northeastern Russia was crowned the worst dish in the world. Hailing from Yakutsk - the coldest city in the world - the dish combines diced frozen fish with onions, oil, salt and pepper. The dish is then accompanied by fish roe, lemon wedges or a dressing. Yum.

In second place with an average score of 1,8 out of 5 is Canadian pizza cake - a multi-layered pizza cooked in a pot and designed to strike fear in the heart of any Italian. Another top-ranking dish on the list is Hákarl from Iceland - a dish made from fermented Greenland shark meat, the smell of which is likely to induce a gag reflex in even the most strong-stomached among us. 

Brotsuppe and Anisplätzchen crowned Germany’s culinary disappointments

German Brotsuppe came in 25th place in the TasteAtlas ranking. And we know what you’re thinking, “Brotsuppe - how foreign and fancy”. But it is actually quite affordable. A regional speciality hailing from southern Germany, bread soup has a meagre six ingredients (bread, onions, salt, pepper, egg and cream) all of which are likely store cupboard ready, so you might not even have to nip to the shops to whip it up. Depending on how fancy you’re feeling, one can leave the bread floating or blend the ingredients into a yellow puree. 

Germany’s chewy and moist Anisplätzchen stole 19th place in the ranking. These small, round disks are the pale cherry on top of any beige meal. Traditionally eaten around Christmas in Germany, Anisplätzchen are flavoured with cinnamon and, unsurprisingly, aniseed - a very controversial flavour indeed.  

10 most unpalatable dishes in the world

At the time of writing, here are the 10 worst dishes in the world, according to the TasteAtlas reviews:

1. Indigirka salad (Russia)
2. Pizza cake (Canada)
3. Hákarl (Iceland)
4. Anis de flavigny (France)
5. Fried spider (Cambodia)
6. Stegte sild (Denmark)
7. Erter gule (Denmark)
8. Vegetable roll (United Kingdom)
9. Deep-fried pizza (Scotland)

Did your national dish make the list?

Keen to be ashamed of your homeland's cuisine? You can check out which dishes made the complete ranking on the TasteAtlas website.

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