13 International Aldi Items We Wish The US Had

A supermarket is truly one of the most impressive systems humanity has developed, and no supermarket is quite like Aldi. The cheapest grocery chain in the United States is a treasure trove, filled with almost any food item you could want for an affordable price. We say almost anything, because there are plenty of delicious-sounding foods that haven't made it to U.S. soil. Sure, you can get hidden gems for under $5, like Bake Shop Blueberry Muffins and frozen pork potstickers. But what wonders could be found at, say, a German Aldi?

The United States is uniquely good at incorporating new staples and delicacies from other cultures into our own ever-evolving cuisine. It's historically been one of this nation's great superpowers, welcoming immigrants and other newcomers from around the globe and asking them what's for dinner. We here at Daily Meal are hungry for more. Here are some international Aldi products we wish we could grab off U.S. shelves.

Bao buns, those pillowy soft bites of heaven, are wonderful. Frozen food is a time saver and luxury. That's why we're jealous of Aldi shoppers in Ireland, who can saunter their carts over the freezer aisle and grab some Duck Bao Buns. Now, there is a difference between buns and dumplings, and these are buns. They are a little softer than dumplings, and also much thicker. Some bun dishes are served folded, almost like a thick taco, and some buns fully encase their filling. Aldi's Duck Bao Buns are the latter, so take a moment to appreciate the beautiful swirl on the top before biting. 

The fact that these are made with duck is even more of a selling point. People in the United States aren't as likely to consume duck as people in Ireland, Britain, China, and other places. That's a shame, because it means that U.S. grocery stores don't have quick, easily prepared frozen products with duck. Any time the powers that be want to change that, we're down. Starting with adding Aldi Ireland's Duck Bao Buns to U.S. shelves.

At Aldi in Ireland, you can buy something called Taco Fries. This pre-made treat appears to be big potato wedges accompanied by a dip made with ground turkey, onion, peppers, and corn. Literal meat and potatoes from the Emerald Isle, but with a Mexican twist. We're more than intrigued by this idea. Judging by the picture, those fries are thick enough to handle all of that ground meat, which seems to sit in a tomato-based sauce. Is it better to dip one fry at a time? Should two fries be used, like salad tongs or even chopsticks, to grab big hunks of taco dip? We'd sure like to find out. 

Food is not a competition. Moreover, the United States does not have a monopoly on outlandish snacks that seem like they taste better when sports are on TV. That said, why isn't this product stateside? Frankly, it's embarrassing that Ireland beat us to the punch on this. Whether or not the taco part would pass the Pepsi challenge against authentic Mexican food is immaterial. It is shocking that a prepared meal that is a basket of fries with a fajita-adjacent dip isn't available on U.S. shelves.

On name alone, we'd like to head across the pond and try some British Minted Lamb Kebabs. Lamb is delicious, and having a supermarket butcher grind it up, add some mint seasoning, and put the whole thing on a stick for us? Yes, please. 

Lamb and mint are a particularly British pairing. Traditionally, lamb was slaughtered in the spring, right around the same time mint starts growing everywhere. Of course, what British dish doesn't have a bit of royal trivia? In the 1500s, Queen Elizabeth I decreed that lamb could only be eaten with bitter herbs (which doesn't include mint). Unfortunately for the will of the monarch, mint and lamb taste too good together. Centuries later, British Aldi shoppers get to grab minted lamb kebabs right off the shelf.

Like duck, people in the U.S. don't eat lamb as much as many other countries. Now that we've gazed at the aisles across the pond, though, throwing some minted lamb kebabs on the grill this Fourth of July sounds pretty good.

Pizza Tonno features plenty of delicious toppings, like mozzarella and edam cheese, spicy tomato sauce, and onions. None of those are the "tonno," though: Tonno means tuna. There isn't much that people in the U.S. won't try as a pizza topping, but certain things definitely inspire debates. Go on social media, or down to your local bar, or to a PTA meeting, and ask everyone if they like pineapple on pizza. You'll a variety of responses. We imagine that tuna would inspire similar debates. The point — Aldi France, if you're reading — is that we'd like to try some.

Great moments of cultural exchange happen when people compare pizza toppings. Perhaps tuna on pizza sounds strange to U.S. readers. The counter, of course, is: What about the tuna melt? The classic staple of American dinners features tuna and melted cheese between bread. Often with a thick slice of tomato. How different could pizza tonno be?

If there was ever something we wanted in our freezers, it's a bag of frozen bitterballen. A Dutch favorite, bitterballen are little fried balls of beef stew. That's right, a thick stew made with beef and roux gets chilled until it's firm enough to bread and fry. Then, boom: bitterballen. Contrary to the name, this is not a bitter snack. Rather, it's a snack meant to be consumed with bitters — aka beers. Imagine coming home after a long day of work, popping a few of these in the air fryer, and cracking open a cold one. Dutch people get to live like that all the time.

A good frozen snack should be able to slot into multiple different situations. You should be able to serve it at a party, it should be a comforting late night bite, and it should be able to be part of a dinner. Bitterballen checks those boxes, while also being portable stew. Portable stew! That Aldi in the Netherlands sells pre-made and frozen! The human capacity for invention is wondrous.

Sample the cuisine of any culture that reveres pork, and you'll find an example of crispy, fried pork skin. Humanity's gotten so advanced with snack foods that we don't even have to roast a pig all day to get pork skins, either. Any gas station or supermarket on the North American continent has some good crispy pork skin. What could another country have on us? Well, at Aldi in Australia, they sell an oven-roasted Pork Crackle With Himalayan Salt. The additional of the big, flaky, pink salt is what has us jealous. Himalayan pink salt is all the rage in our hemisphere, too, but we never thought to put it on our multitudinous varieties of pork skin. 

One thing about Americans, whether it's pork rinds, cracklins, or fatback, we want to put a flavor on it and eat it. We've got BBQ pork skins, we've got salt and vinegar pork rinds, we've even got Flamin' Hot cicharrones.  Can we also have some Pork Crackle With Himalayan Salt? 

This is one of those products where simply saying the name should be enough: Prawn Gyoza. Are you hungry and/or jealous of Australia yet? Frozen gyoza, like frozen potstickers, is always a hit. Especially if you have an air fryer to get the food properly crispy. Aldi makes great versions of these delicious appetizers, but usually with chicken or pork. Down under in Australia? They have gyoza with prawns, those lucky ducks. The thought of sinking our teeth into one of these has us wanting to buy plane tickets, boat tickets, catamaran tickets, whatever it takes to get across the Pacific and to the prawn gyoza.

Prawns are not just larger than shrimp. They actually come from different suborders of the crustacean family, and prawns taste slightly sweeter. Whatever the difference between shrimp and prawns is, they're both delicious. In the U.S., we're far more likely to encounter shrimp. Crustacean-stuffed gyoza, though? That's a whole next step, and it's not something we have in our Aldis.

Bubble and Squeak is a delicious British and Australian side that's meant to be a way to use leftover veggies after a big meal. Vegetables, usually cabbage and potatoes, get fried up. What happens if you're craving bubble and squeak and haven't recently cooked Sunday roast? You reach for pre-made frozen Bubble 'n Squeak patties that you got at your local Aldi, of course. Wait. You can only find that product in Australia.

Bubble and squeak gets its name from the sound the potato and veg make when frying in the pan. Which ingredient bubbles, and which ingredient squeaks? We don't know, we're Americans. The auditory aspect of this dish is, however, a great reminder that food is a multi-sensory experience. When you cook and eat, all five senses bringing something to the proverbial table. Bubble and squeak is typically a breakfast food, and we imagine the sound of bubble and squeak with some eggs frying in a skillet is the one of the best sounds in all of home cooking. Send us over some frozen Bubble 'n Squeak, Australian Aldi.

This one might have a strange name to readers in United States: Fetta & Spinach Gozleme. Let's break it down, starting with the "gozleme" part. Maybe the easiest way to explain gozleme is that it's like a Turkish quesadilla. Instead of tortillas, of course, the wrapping is flatbread. Grilled flatbread? Already, we're interested. It has to be stuffed with something, of course. Filling can vary, but we're especially intrigued by the cheesy, vegetarian fetta and spinach version sold at Aldis in Australia. Savory, slightly bitter spinach combining with the funkiness of fetta cheese is an all-timer of a combination. Maybe you're used to have a few pinches of these ingredients in a salad, but they shine bright as a duo in applications like this. 

In case the spelling is throwing anyone, there is a slight difference between fetta and feta cheese. Both have similar overall notes and profiles, but Greek feta cheese is a P.D.O product, or product with a Protected Designation of Origin. Essentially, if the cheese only has one T in the name, that means the milk used most come from sheep and goats living on Greek soil. Fetta, then, is cheese made to taste like feta, but without the Greek livestock requirement. Feta was given P.D.O status in 2002.  

The United States would benefit from more meat pies. Let's start with getting some pork pies on the Aldi shelves. Hey, throw some apple in with the pig, that's a great combination. Six Pack Pork & Apple Pies, the version sold on the shelves of Aldi in the United Kingdom, look like round pockets of heaven. The crispy outer shell is golden brown perfection — at least, judging by the picture, that is. 

The U.S. is such a carnivorous society that it's kind of amazing how much we overlook meat pies. How is it that this nation has multiple kinds of regional specialty barbecue, yet no one's ever wrapped Phyllo pastry around Carolina pulled pork or stuffed a dumpling with Texas brisket? Sure, those things probably exist in a restaurant somewhere, but we want cultural ubiquity. Maybe step one is getting some Pork & Apple Pies in stateside Aldis. Seriously, pork and apple is one of the great American flavor combinations. How did we let the British Aldis get the upper hand here? 

Beans, in portable cups. Far healthier to eat at your desk than pudding. We'd love to see some Heinz Beans Snap Pots on shelves in U.S. grocery stores. These particular beans come in a rich tomato sauce, similar to but not quite the same as the baked beans we enjoy stateside. These are probably great served over toasts or as a side to some fried eggs and sausages. One thing the Brits have over us Americans is their affinity for beans. We should be packing these cups in our kids' lunch boxes, instead of fruit that's been sitting in sugar all day.

Maybe there's an elephant in the room to address. Listen, anyone who has either eaten beans or seen "Mad Men" knows that beans are funny. That rich tomato sauce can get messy, and it's certainly not something you want to spill down your shirt. Portable snack cups are maybe associated with kids' stuff. Still, the people of these United States need to eat more legumes. Let's start with portable bean cups. 

At Aldi in Austria, the PIzz'ah Pinsa label sells salami pizza. Now, sure, somewhere in the U.S., somebody is putting salami on a pizza. It's not like this is the most wild, out-there idea, invented during the most advanced of molecular gastronomy experiments. The question here is, why can't we find salami on a grocery store frozen pizza? Specifically, an Aldi frozen pizza? Well, you can, if you live in Austria. Frankly, we're jealous. The Pizz'ah Pinsa label has a few other varieties that pique our interest, like the grilled vegetables pizza featuring mushrooms and peppers or the Margherita Pizza. That salami, though. That's the one that's got us drooling all over the keyboard.

Why is pepperoni such a default pizza topping in the U.S.? We're not knocking anything here, pepperoni is great. All we're saying is that the world is big, and there are many parts to the pig. Let's give more of the pizza market share to other smoked cold cuts. Like salami. Mainly salami.

Anyone who loves rice should want Aldi Spain's grab and go version of paella on shelves in the United States. Now, we should be upfront: Calling this meal, which is essentially seafood rice in a plastic container, "paella" seems like something of a stretch. Paella is a wonderful dish with such a ritualized preparation that it merits the use of its own special pan. That pan is necessary because its massive surface area enables the bottom of the rice to get beautifully crispy. The size of the pan is because paella is meant to be shared, ideally amongst loved ones. Sometimes, though, you don't have time for all that, and you just want some paella to go.

Is something lost when such a specialized dish gets repackaged as a grab and go belly filler? Undoubtedly. It's not hard to imagine the cognitive separation between a paella prepared by an expert and the paella on Aldi's ready meal shelf. Maybe it's something akin to a good tavern burger with a hand-pressed patty versus a Big Mac. In our opinion? Both cravings are legitimate.