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Americans’ 12 Most Hated Foods, Ranked

America is a country with deep trust issues around anything briny, squishy, or aggressively “acquired taste.”

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Americans will fight about food with an intense conviction usually reserved for politics and religion. Tell people you hate cilantro, and half the room fills with “ugh, me too!” Tell them you hate sushi or mayonnaise, and somebody acts like you just confessed to a murder.

A new YouGov survey put some actual numbers behind all that food hostility, and there’s definitely a theme. Americans are especially united in their disgust for oily fish, organ meat, and a handful of foods that trigger very strong texture opinions. This is a country with deep trust issues around anything briny, squishy, or aggressively “acquired taste.”

Here’s the middle of the American hate menu, according to YouGov’s share of adults who dislike or hate each food.

The 12 Foods Americans Hate Most, Ranked

If you narrow it down to outright hatred instead of the broader “dislike or hate” category, liver takes the crown. YouGov found that 40% of Americans say they hate liver, compared with 36% for anchovies and 35% for sardines. It’s understandable given the “liver and onions” terror that older generations group up with. Personally, I think it’s tasty as hell. 

One of the more interesting parts of the poll is that Americans actually seem pretty generous toward food overall. Even on a list built around foods with lots of haters, 31 of the 40 items were liked or loved by more people than hated or disliked them. Eggs had the fewest detractors, with only 6% saying they hate or dislike them, while 84% said they like or love them. Bananas also did well, with 82% saying they like or love them. It looks like America still has a few shared values left.

The generational split is also pretty revealing. Adults under 45 were more likely to dislike common condiments like mustard, mayonnaise, pickles, and olives, while adults 45 and older were more likely to hate protein-heavy foods like tofu and sushi. Women, meanwhile, were more likely than men to dislike or hate several seafood items, including anchovies, sardines, squid, oysters, caviar, and sushi. Men were more likely to reject vegetables like Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, spinach, and broccoli.

America isn’t united on much, but it can at least agree on something. 

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