16 Foods That Pretend to Be Something They’re Not

Up for a guessing game? It’s gonna be pretty simple: I’ll be giving you the name of some food, and you must guess what it is! This might seem easy, but the farther you get, the tougher the questions are! Let’s start!

The first food on our list is Cheetos. So, what are they?

If your answer was chips, sorry, but you’re wrong! The right answer is puffs, and it’s explained by the method they use to make Cheetos. They’re made of corn, and they have their signature shape thanks to an extruder that shapes them. The main difference between chips and puffs is that chips are fried, and puffs, like Cheetos, can be processed in many different ways, for example, they can be baked.

Next, we have a dish called Welsh Rabbit. All I can say now is that it’s super yummy. Can you guess what the Welsh Rabbit is?

The name is pretty misleading, I know that. But in reality, a Welsh Rabbit has nothing to do with rabbit. It’s actually an 18^th Century recipe with hot melted cheese generously poured over toast. Told ya it’s delish!

Lion head. Yes, that’s a dish, and we already know that the name is quite misleading. Any ideas?

This is pretty simple. A dish called a Lion Head is just a meatball. It’s a traditional Chinese dish, and it has many alterations. Hey, if you add up some broccoli on your plate it might even look like a mane, and the meatball can resemble the head. But you need to have quite a poetic mind for that.

Let’s imagine you’re having dinner at a posh restaurant, and you see Sweetbreads on the menu. You don’t wanna seem ignorant and ask the waiter about the dish, so you have to make a decision yourself. Can you guess what it is, and would you grab it?

To grab or not to grab — that’s the question! Sure thing, tastes differ, but if you expect to have a cake or a fancy muffin when you order sweetbreads, you’re gonna be terribly disappointed. The thing is, sweetbreads are the thymus gland of animals. Good news: you’re not very likely to get into such a situation in a restaurant, as sweetbreads aren’t common today.

Another thing that may sound fancy, but it’s not fancy at all — Prairie Oysters. I believe you’ve already guessed these are not oysters. Any ideas about what it really is?

Okey-dokey, here’s the recipe for Prairie Oysters! One version is a drink. All you need is a raw egg, some Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce, and if you wanna spice it up a little bit, just add some vinegar and a bit of tomato juice. There’s another version that uses the part that turns a bull into a steer, and I’ll leave it right there.

Alright, this name is truly poetic! You need to use your imagination to guess what it is. So, Ants Climbing a Tree — what kind of a dish could it be?

No ants are involved here. Actually, it looks very much like pasta bolognese, but it’s a Chinese dish, Sichuan, to be more precise. It’s made of ground meat that represents ants, and bean noodles that represent trees. It’s pretty hot, as there is chili paste. There’s no info about what exactly chili paste represents, but I guess it might represent a hot summer day.

Next, we have a dish called Bubble and squeak. This one seems pretty simple though, just think a bit: what can squeak when we cook it?

So, some foods do squeak when we put them over the heat. Bubble and squeak is a hash, and you can cook it with different leftover veggies you’ve got in your fridge. They say it’s the cabbage that gives that signature squealing sound, but it’s not the only ingredient for sure. It’s commonly made with potatoes, onions, and yeah, cabbage. But you can play with the recipe a little bit.

What about a dish called Hen of the Woods? Any ideas?

Nope, these are not chicken wings. It has nothing to do with hens or chicks, actually. It’s a mushroom! And it has plenty of names, too. You can call it a ram’s head, a sheep’s head, a dancing mushroom, and even a monkey’s bench! These mushrooms can be consumed fried, but traditionally they are considered to be medicinal mushrooms. They’re usually about the size of a potato, but sometimes they can grow to up to 100 pounds! SO big, that there’s not mush room left. Okay, sorry.

Congrats, you’ve made it through the 50% of the questions! Next up is Parson’s Nose. Yeah, it’s tough. So I give you some hints here! Pick one of the options:

It’s a dish made of veggies.
It’s a dish made of chicken.
It’s a cake.

Time’s up! Hen of the Woods may not be made of chicken, but Parson’s nose definitely has some chicken in it! Technically, it’s a chicken’s behind. Look, right here, this triangular little thing. Some chefs don’t like leaving this part on the chicken before roasting it, but others believe it’s quite good. The thing is, the flavor of that part is pretty rich because of the oils the birds produce.

Now it’s getting even harder. So, what do you think cat’s tongues are?

This one is pretty popular around the world. I mean, who doesn’t like cookies? Right, cat’s tongues are the cookies that are popular in France, the Netherlands, and even the Philippines! There are different techniques of how to achieve this specific shape, some chefs use pastry bags and others prefer molds. The cookies are delicate and sweet and sometimes can have buttercream filling. They can also be served with ice cream or even dipped in chocolate. Yumbo!

Egg hoppers is the next misleading name we have on the list. What’s your guess?

Egg hoppers may sound a bit like grasshoppers, but sure thing this dish can not jump. This dish looks very similar to an average French crêpe, but the ingredients are pretty different. Instead of wheat flour, they use rice flour, and regular milk is replaced with coconut milk. Not hard to guess, it’s a dish that you can find in some parts of Southeast Asia and in India.

We know that egg hoppers don’t relate to grasshoppers, but what about a grasshopper pie?

Even though bugs can be cooked in some countries, and they can be a part of national cuisine, a grasshopper pie is 100% bug-free. It’s made with graham cracker crumbs, crème de menthe, crème de cacao, and some heavy cream. So, it has such an exotic name because of its color. And it’s delicious.

Next, we have a dish with quite a particular name. It’s called “The priest fainted”. I’m gonna help you a little bit with this one. It’s made with veggies, so all you need to do is to guess what veggie you need to cook this dish.

The main ingredient here is an eggplant! Also, there should be some tomatoes and a lot of olive oil. The flavor of this dish is super intense.

Eskimo Ice Cream — does this sound sweet to you?

Sorry to break it to you, but you won’t find this one in an ice cream parlor. Yeah, it has some berries in it, but it also has some reindeer fat, seal oil, and even some ground fish. They say the texture is nice and pretty creamy, but it still doesn’t sound like a dessert.

Next up — egg cream! You might have already guessed it has neither eggs nor cream. What could it be?

First off, it’s a drink. It’s made of some milk, fizzy water, and any syrup to your liking. Typically, they use chocolate or vanilla syrup. It’s mostly a fountain drink. Some entrepreneurs tried to bottle it, but to keep it as refreshing as it should be, the ingredients should be mixed right before you drink it.

The last but not the least! The final thing to be guessed here is Bombay Duck. So, what do you think it is?

For some unknown reason, it’s fish. Lizardfish, to be more specific. In Sri Lanka, people dry it first and then consume it. Otherwise, they temper it, fry it, or can even cook it as a curry. That’s it for today! Share the most deceptively named foods you know in the comments!