"World's Worst?" Confusion Over Bean Sprout Rice and Tofu Pancake Selection: "Should Have Tried with Sauce"

Fermented Skate Ranks 51st, Bean Sprout Rice 81st
Iceland's "Svið" Tops the List of Worst Foods

Bean Sprout Rice and Tofu Pancake. Taste Atlas

Four Korean dishes have been included in the "100 Worst Foods in the World" list published by a global gourmet evaluation company. While some of the selections, such as fermented skate, are known for their strong aroma and tend to polarize opinions, others like Yeot (Korean traditional taffy), Tofu Pancake, and Bean Sprout Rice are relatively mild and widely enjoyed, raising questions about the criteria for the list.

On December 1 (local time), Taste Atlas released its "100 Worst Foods in the World," based on a total of 450,000 valid votes.

The first and second places were both occupied by Icelandic dishes. Svið, which took the top spot, is a traditional Icelandic dish made by singeing a sheep's head, splitting it in half, and roasting it over a wood fire. Although those who have actually tasted it often describe it as delicious, many people find its appearance-featuring an intact sheep's head-off-putting and even repulsive.

Svið, Iceland's traditional dish ranked as the world's worst food. Taste Atlas

The second-place dish, Thorramatur, is also made from a sheep's head. It is served with sourdough bread alongside roasted sheep's head, fermented shark meat, and blood sausage. Like Svið, this traditional Icelandic food divides opinions due to the visible form of the sheep's head.

Fermented skate from Korea ranked 51st. Taste Atlas explained that the ammonia smell produced during the fermentation process is reminiscent of a dirty public restroom, and the unpleasant odor lingers long after eating. However, it also noted that, despite the smell, the chewy texture and unique flavor make it popular to eat with pork belly, kimchi, and Makgeolli.

Fermented Skate Three-Combination. Taste Atlas

Unlike fermented skate, which even many Koreans find polarizing, mild dishes such as Yeot, Bean Sprout Rice, and Tofu Pancake also made the list, ranking 68th, 81st, and 84th, respectively.

Online users expressed confusion. They questioned why these dishes were selected as some of the worst foods, even though Taste Atlas described them as foods typically eaten with dipping sauce. Comments included, "I can understand fermented skate being divisive, but Tofu Pancake and Bean Sprout Rice are surprising," "Maybe they tried them without the sauce," and "Objectively, these are dishes anyone would find tasty-it's strange."