13 International Foods You Can Never Taste In The US

America is the world's melting pot, so you might think you can find anything and everything to eat in the United States. But you would be wrong. In fact, there are lots of international foods that will never be allowed into the states for one reason or another. From haggis, Scotland's infamous national dish, to horse meat, bat meat (yes, some people do eat that), and even innocent-looking candies, a surprising inventory of foods from around the world have been deemed too dangerous or otherwise problematic to be allowed on American soil.

For instance, have you seen a bird's nest on a menu in the U.S.? Yeah, we didn't think so. There are reasons why there's an ongoing embargo on certain international foods — for either human sanitation and safety or to protect American crops and livestock from imported diseases. Some reasons are obvious, others will surprise you. Here are 13 international foods you'll never taste in the U.S. 

You may have wondered why international markets can sell imported treats such as cheese and meat products, but if you brought home the same things in your carryon, they'd be confiscated. The reason is that food products must pass a strict set of standards, and sometimes inspections, before they can be legally brought into the United States. This means any animal product that hasn't been fully vetted for unwanted pathogens or other problems is a no-go at the border – and this includes bushmeat, which the CDC defines as "raw or minimally processed meat that comes from wild animals," especially those from Africa.

Indeed, bushmeat is considered so risky not even experienced, vetted importers can bring it into the country. Bushmeat can include everything from bats to monkeys to cane rats, deer, and more, and if you're an especially daring diner, you might be tempted to taste these while traveling just to say you've done it. Do your due diligence, though — because improperly cleaned or cooked bushmeat can carry disease-bearing pathogens, such as ebola and monkeypox, and some game feasts include endangered or threatened animals. For all of these reasons, bringing any of it back to the U.S. is strictly forbidden. 

Haggis is Scotland's national dish and a point of pride. To the sensibilities of many Americans, however, it's a strange choice for a national symbol: It's a mince of sheep liver, heart, and lungs mixed with oatmeal and seasonings, then stuffed into a sheep's stomach and cooked. It's thought to have originated in ancient times as a means of making use of organ meats that would otherwise have gone to waste. Today, haggis — which is basically a large, round, crumbly sausage – is traditionally served with mashed potatoes, mashed turnips, and good Scottish whisky. It's traditionally served on January 25 to honor the birthday of haggis superfan and poet Robert Burns.

Where you won't find traditionally made haggis served, however, is on American tables — because the importation of haggis is banned in the United States. This is because livestock lungs have been deemed unsafe for human consumption by the Department of Agriculture.  The intent of the ban was to prevent the accidental consumption of fungal spores, pollen, and other contaminants inhaled by animals and trapped in their lungs. Some critics, however, have pointed out that people also regularly inhale fungal spores and pollen and safely process them, meaning the ban on animal lungs in food is unneeded. For now, however, you'll need to travel to get your haggis fix.

A frequently confiscated food at United States border crossings is one you probably never gave any thought to, unless you have family roots in Mexico — Mexican-made bologna. While bologna is not something one often sees on the menus of Mexican restaurants, it's a beloved staple in Mexican home kitchens and for many expatriate Mexicans, it serves as an edible reminder of home and family. And no, Oscar Mayer is not a worthy substitute: Fans say Mexican brands are richer with a more distinct pork flavor than their American counterparts. 

Unfortunately, Mexican-made bologna is illegal in the U.S. Mexican pork and pork products are banned because the meat can potentially introduce animal diseases and thus pose an unacceptable risk to American livestock and commercial agriculture. But this hasn't stopped smugglers from trying to get Mexican bologna into the country. On several occasions, border patrol agents in Texas have caught smugglers with hundreds of pounds of Mexican bologna hidden in their cars.

In the minds of most Americans, horses, like dogs and cats, are privileged among animals — we give them names, value them for their personalities, and even (attempt to) train them to work and play in the human world. One thing Americans rarely ever do with horses today, however, is eat them. The reasons for this are purely cultural: Part of the taboo against eating horse meat may be rooted in early Christian edicts banning the practice (which some historians suspect was a way to ensure the availability of horses for warfare). A more direct cause, however, may be the valorization of horses as work and companion animals during America's westward expansion.

But eating horse meat hasn't always been so stigmatized in the United States. During World War II, when other meats were scarce, it was sold openly in butcher shops, and in 1973 — another time of unusually high meat prices – a Connecticut butcher shop pivoted to selling horse meat exclusively, at one point selling up to 6,000 pounds a day. But in 2007, the U.S. banned federal funding of horse meat inspections. And because it's illegal to sell or distribute uninspected meat in the U.S., this amounted to a ban on the sale of horse meat. The ban on funding horse meat inspections was lifted in 2011, but the stigma remains — at least in the U.S. Other countries, including France, have a long tradition of horse cookery – but bringing horse meat home from overseas is illegal.

To Western sensibilities, the idea of eating a bird's nest is nearly impossible to picture, and the reality is probably even more surprising than what you imagined. No, a bowl of bird nest soup – made from the nests of swiftlets, small, cave-dwelling birds native to Indonesia and Malaysia — does not contain a pile of interwoven twigs. Instead, it consists of the organic glue holding the twigs together: The birds' solidified saliva. Edible bird nests are thought to have been introduced to China by Chinese sailors and traders traveling to Indonesia and Malaysia, where they somehow figured out that swiftlet nest bases were edible. 

In traditional Chinese food culture, bird nests have become a luxury item, valued for their gelatinous texture when cooked as well as for their reputation for promoting healthy skin and reducing stress. Before being used in cooking, the brittle nests (which come stripped of twigs or other nesting material) are soaked in cold water until swollen and softened, then heated in a double boiler before incorporated into savory soups or desserts. While you can import edible bird nests into the U.S. through a rigorous permitting process – this involves approvals from both the USDA and FDA, as well as thorough vetting of your overseas provider — don't try to bring some back after your next trip to China or Malaysia. Birds nests from unvetted sources will be confiscated to protect people and livestock from diseases such as avian flu or Newcastle disease.

Black pudding is yet another iconic food that's beloved in its country of origin but a bit of a head-scratcher to many Americans. In the British Isles, black pudding — which is not a pudding in the American sense, but a sausage made from pigs' blood, oatmeal, and flavorings — is traditionally served for breakfast, where it's sliced, pan-fried, and enjoyed with eggs. British cooks also use it in other preparations, such as stuffing it into roasts, using crumbles of it to garnish soup, or folding pieces into mashed potatoes.

There are a few reasons why you're unlikely to see black pudding in a typical American supermarket. First and most obviously, American consumers aren't exactly clamoring for a ready supply of it. Another is that some varieties — such as Stornoway black pudding, a Scottish variety said to be a favorite of Gordon Ramsay's — are banned in the United States. The reason for the ban isn't the blood in the pudding, but the inclusion of animal lungs, which have been banned for human consumption in the U.S. since 1971. But if you're a serious connoisseur of full English breakfasts, don't despair – you can still buy American made, USDA-approved black pudding that's close to the real thing.