Unusual Canned Foods You Need To Try At Least Once In Your Life

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Ever since the French inventor Nicholas Appert figured out a reliable way to can food in the early 1800s, humanity has looked at these humble vessels and asked, "What can we shove in there?" From Spam to Campbell's soup to Chef Boyardee ravioli, there's almost no limit to the variety of comestibles we've sealed in cans over the years. Canned food, with its convenient format and zero need for refrigeration, is incredibly useful to have around. We bet just about every person reading this article has a couple of canned items sitting in their pantry right now. 

One thing canned food isn't, however, is exciting. Nobody over the age of five thinks of SpaghettiOs as a thrilling food experience. It doesn't have to be this way though, and there are numerous canned foods that aren't boring and are in fact, downright unusual. Not only are these foods unique, but they're often quite delicious. This list highlights some of the tastiest unusual canned foods you can buy. Keep a few of these in your cupboard for the next time you want to crack open a can of adventure while sitting in the comfort of your own kitchen.

Yes, we know: This food has a funny name that can be used as the basis for an infinite number of juvenile jokes. However, the name doesn't mean what the childish part of your brain thinks it does. According to British Food History, spotted describes how the dessert is speckled with dry currants. Meanwhile, the source indicates that dick comes from the Old English term puddick referring to pudding. If you're from the U.S., you might be thinking that spotted dick doesn't look like the goop you find in little plastic cups in grocery stores. That's because as Vox explains, in British English pudding either means any kind of dessert or a dish that's steamed or boiled inside a container. Spotted dick actually fits both British definitions of pudding, as it's a steamed dessert.

In its recipe for spotted dick, the BBC Good Food calls for the traditional ingredient suet, aka raw beef fat. If you don't feel like trying to source suet and currants to make the BBC version from scratch, Heinz has you covered with its canned spotted dick. Simply microwave it or boil it inside the can, whip up some custard to serve over top, and you're set. 

Unlike many of the foods on this list, canned deviled ham spread is pretty easy to find at most grocery stores, but its appeal is still niche enough that many of you have probably never had it before. It's a canned version of a classic spread that you can make at home if you're in the mood. As for the devil, Food Republic explains that the term deviled originated in the 18th century and refers to heavily seasoning foods with pepper or mustard.

Underwood deviled ham consists of finely minced ham mixed with seasonings. Although canned meats have a bad reputation as mystery foods laden with chemicals, the ingredients list of Underwood's product is reassuringly small, with just two basic components: brown sugar-cured ham and a seasoning blend made of mustard, turmeric, and other spices. Deviled ham spread is rich, salty, and a little spicy, perfect for making party hors d'oeuvres.

When you think of canned cheese, you probably imagine something that's sprayable or spreadable like Kraft Easy Cheese, Cheez Whiz, or canned nacho cheese sauce. While these products all serve their purpose, the bright orange cheese product in those cans could hardly be called gourmet. There is, however, one manufacturer producing cheese in a can that you could happily serve at a fancy party: the Washington State University Creamery.

As Gastro Obscura explains, the university's product known as Cougar Cheese is a product of 20th-century food science innovation. Traditional natural cheese does not can well, as the bacteria that turns milk into cheese produces carbon dioxide gas as a byproduct of the fermentation process. Fermentation continues even after the cheese is canned which can cause the cans to bulge or even pop. Washington State University figured out that by adding a newly-invented bacterial strain, they could prevent the lactic acid bacteria used in cheesemaking from producing too much CO₂.

Although Cougar Cheese was invented as a way of extending cheese's shelf life, today it's mostly enjoyed for its special flavor. The original product — Cougar Gold — has a very sharp cheddar taste like what you would expect from a high-quality aged cheese. In addition to Gold, you can now find nine other flavors of Cougar Cheese on the WSU creamery website.

Lurking next to the tuna and sardines in your grocery store's shelf-stable fish selection, you'll find another type of canned seafood with a decidedly smaller number of fans: smoked oysters. If the idea of smoky mollusks in a can turns you off, you might be missing out on a delicious, flavorful snack opportunity.

Oysters are an undeniably divisive food, but smoked oysters may be able to convert some haters to the other side. One aspect about raw oysters that repels many people is their — to put it politely — mucilaginous texture. Since canned smoked oysters are cooked, they're significantly firmer than raw oysters, with a texture similar to cooked clams or mussels. Their powerful smoky flavor also covers up some of the briny, oceanic taste that some may find objectionable in oysters. Plus, they're also pretty healthy. Per Boss Oyster, canned smoked oysters are high in vitamin B12, protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and minerals. Not bad for something you can eat straight out of a can.

On the opposite end of the fancy food spectrum from truffles, though no less delicious, are boiled peanuts. If you live outside of the Southeastern U.S., you may have never tried this regional delicacy, which is made by boiling green (fresh) peanuts in their shells, per What's Cooking America. Boiled peanuts are sold all over the South during the growing season when fresh peanuts are readily available. When peanuts are cooked this way, in contrast to being dried and roasted as they typically are elsewhere in the country, they taste much more like the legumes they actually are than like nuts.

Fresh boiled peanuts go bad very quickly, so they have not historically been widely accessible outside of the peanut-growing regions of the U.S. Fortunately, now you can buy canned boiled peanuts from Peanut Patch no matter where you live. Available in several different flavors, these boiled peanuts will be sure to satisfy homesick Southerners and tickle the curiosity of adventurous eaters everywhere.

We want you to eat braaaaaains (sorry). You might think of brains primarily as zombie food, but they've historically been a popular dish in a variety of cultures. Per Taste of Maroc, calf brain stewed with tomato sauce and vinegar is a classic dish for the holiday Eid al-Adha in Morocco. In the U.S. Midwest, fried pork brain sandwiches are a regional specialty (via Gastro Obscura). Brain has an incredibly soft texture and a fatty, unctuous mouthfeel. The closest comparison we can make to a slightly more popular offal is veal sweetbreads, which are similarly creamy.

Canned pork brains in milk gravy hail from the Southern U.S. where they are customarily scrambled with eggs to make a hearty breakfast. We encourage you to try this regional delicacy if you can, but steer clear if you're watching your cardiovascular health: One can of Rose pork brains in gravy contains almost 1000% of your recommended daily allowance of cholesterol.

Evaporated milk certainly isn't an unusual canned product, but evaporated goat milk is another story, at least in the U.S. Despite the fact that goat milk is by far the most popular dairy product in the world, in America, we're all about cattle (via WebMD). A company called Meyenberg sells cans of evaporated goat milk, and they say it adds a special twist to desserts and tastes great in coffee. It's more expensive than standard evaporated milk, but it's not terribly pricey, running a little over three bucks a can if you buy a 12-pack.

If you're watching your health or if cow milk upsets your stomach, then the extra expense of goat milk may be worth it. Also, people with allergies to cow milk may be able to drink goat milk without problems. According to WebMD, goat milk has more protein than cow milk and most plant milks, and the protein content is easier to digest. If that isn't enough to convince you, drinking goat milk might also help manage your cholesterol levels.