Every culture has its unique cuisine, but some dishes can be more daunting than others. Hong Kong is no stranger to having some eyebrow-raising dishes – think snake soup or century eggs – but what if we told you that mooncakes have been listed among the world’s worst dishes?
Online travel guide platform Tasteatlas has released its list of the 100 worst-rated dishes in the world for 2025, compiled from over 600 thousand ratings by global users. To our surprise, single-yolk mooncakes landed in 25th place on the list and earned a mere 2.7 points out of five. What’s more, these traditional treats also topped Tasteatlas’ list as the worst pastry in the world. While one user described mooncakes as a “hard-boiled egg in a sweet cake”, others defended them, saying “it’s nice to have a filling snack that isn’t too sweet”, and that it “definitely doesn’t deserve the low rating it gets”.
The top spot on the list went to Sweden’s blodplättar (traditional animal blood pancakes and lingonberries), which scored a 1.6 out of 5, followed by blodpalt – dumplings made from rye or barley flour dough and animal’s blood – from Finland at 1.8 points, and calskrove – a calorific calzone stuffed with hamburgers and French fries – also from Sweden at 1.9 points.
Aside from mooncakes, several Asian dishes also made Tasteatlas’ list. Among them, Thailand clinched fifth place with deep-fried silkworm pupae at 2.0 points, followed by fish entrail sour curry in ninth place with 2.2 points. Others on the list include fried spiders from Cambodia in 23rd place with 2.4 points, spicy duck heads from China in 40th place with 2.6 points, and balut (fertilised duck egg embryo) from The Philippines in 48th place at 2.7 points.
At the end of the day, it’s essential to take this rating with a grain of salt. What may be off-putting to some can be a cherished delicacy for others. Despite their low score, mooncakes are much more than mere pastries; they symbolise reunion and celebration during the Mid-Autumn Festival and they’re here to stay – whether you find them offputting or not.
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