The standard fare at any potluck will consist of things like potato salad, chicken salad, pasta, and chips and dip. Recently, on an online platform, Americans shared the stranger dishes they’ve seen adorning the food tables of their most memorable gatherings. These weird potluck dishes may have to do with regional differences or sometimes just a whacky aunt trying to shock people.
Apples and Beans
One commenter says, “The weirdest I ever saw was at a church potluck in Southern California. Apples and beans. Like, baked sweet apples like in an apple pie, mixed with baked beans. It wasn’t the worst thing I’ve ever tried. But at the same time, I was like why? What’s the point of its existence?”
Bacon-Wrapped Stuffing Balls
While bacon-wrapped stuffing might not be the norm to bring as a potluck dish, many commenters were intrigued by it and thought it sounded quite tasty. The first commenter said, “Bacon-wrapped stuffing balls! I’m not saying it’s why I was so overweight for so many years, but I liked them, and they were at EVERY family holiday and it can’t have helped that they were like 200 calories each, and I would eat like 8 of them.”
Another went on to ask, “Wait, bacon-wrapped stuffing? As in dried bread cubes rehydrated with broth, melted butter, and herbs, and occasionally nuts or fruit, formed into a ball and wrapped in bacon and baked? So dried carb cubes in seasoned liquid fat, wrapped in a fat strip that when baked leaked the fat into the carb sponges? That sounds like a delicious way to die if you have genes like mine.”
Summer Rain Salad
According to one user, a summer rain salad consists of onions and shaved almonds in vinegar. Another reader remarked, “Is it in reference to the warm tears that stream down your face as you eat it? That didn’t even sound like food, it sounds like a punishment or a dare.”
Popcorn Cake
Popcorn cake is a popular potluck food in the Midwest. It’s made from popcorn that is formed into a Bundt cake, which is held together by marshmallow fluff and candy.
Muktuk (Raw Whale Fat)
This is likely something you’d only see at a potluck in an Inuit community in Alaska. One user says, “You can only harvest whale if you are Alaska Native. A family member of the person who brought it had harpooned it.”
Pea Juice Jello
“My auntie swears one old lady used to bring orange jello made with the juice from canned peas. She knew because there was always one stray pea suspended in it,” says one commenter.
Peas, Mayo, Cheese, and Ham (Russian Salad)
“I don’t know what you’d call it, but I was the only cousin adventurous enough to try it… And I found it embarrassingly delicious. Soon my other cousins tried and all agreed that it should not work but it was very tasty,” according to a commenter. (Note from the author: we believe they are referencing a Traditional Russian Salad.)
Cannibal Sandwiches
One user recalls seeing strange sandwiches at a gathering, “At a wedding in August in Wisconsin: cannibal sandwiches. That’s raw hamburger eaten on crackers.” (Note from the author: these are common appetizers at holiday events in Wisconsin, not typically in the summer.)
Sardines and Sauerkraut
“Sardines mashed into cooked brown sauerkraut. My grandfather made it and made me taste it 3 times. I told him it was still awful the third time. Years later I can still remember what it tasted like.” Sounds like something out of a creepy movie.
Litter Box Cake
“My mom would make a litter box cake for every potluck that got a lot of raised eyebrows. Quite a few people refused to eat it because of how realistic it looked,” recalls one user.
Kitty Litter Cake is a dessert that looks like a cat litter box with, ah, poo on top. It’s made with crumbled cakes and mixed with pudding. Tootsie rolls are often placed on top for the poop decoration.
Squirrel Nuggets
Most people would never think they’d find squirrel meat at a party, but it can happen in some parts of the South. One commenter says, “My friend from Kentucky brought deep fried squirrel nuggets, chewy and gamey but pretty doggone good”
Pink Stuff
For those who’ve never heard of pink or green stuff, a commenter states, “Its essentially cottage cheese sweetened with whipped cream and fruits. Pink is strawberry and green is lime (or pistachio up north). “
Snickers Salad
One user got a rude awakening at a church basement potluck: “I was at a potluck last year that had what looked like a couple of potato salads. One of them looked like the skin was still on the potato chunks and had some green onions in it, so I tried that one. When I took it out, the flavors were all wrong. It was actually Snickers Salad, with chopped up Snickers and green apples mixed in Cool Whip and vanilla pudding.”
Source: Reddit
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