Trying new food has been one of the best aspects of studying abroad. It's also been the worst for my budget - I can't walk five steps without a pastry shop, restaurant, bakery, or cafe luring me in. Of course you have to eat pizza in Italy and crepes in France, but here is a list, in no order, of not-so-obvious foods to try while in Europe:
Beef Tartare in France. It's raw meat, chopped or ground, mixed with onions and capers, and marinated and seasoned. At a restaurant on one of my first nights in Paris, I noticed the table next to me house four plates of beef tartare with a raw egg cracked over it. I'm pretty good about trying anything, but this was pretty crazy to me! I'm always too curious, however, so a couple weeks ago I ordered steak tartare. I managed three bites before pushing the plate away, but hey, I can say I tried it.
Lemon-flavored anything in Amalfi, Italy. It's a coastal town with lemon trees EVERYWHERE! During my visit over spring break, I tried lemon chocolate, limoncello (lemon liquor), lemon yogurt, lemon ice, pretty much everything but a lemon itself.
Boxty from Ireland. It's a potato pancake, and depending on where you get it, it's served with all sorts of fillings (meats, cheeses, gravy, vegetables, seafood...) I had no idea this was such a traditional Irish dish, but at the Dublin restaurant I went to everyone ordered a plate!
Steak in Florence. Supposedly they're known for their meat? I ordered a filet mignon at a restaurant/wine bar and it was one of the best steaks I've ever had. No sides, no dipping sauces, just a delicious steak in itself.
Nutella on ANYTHING. You would think it was its own food group here. We have Nutella in the states, but for some reason my obsession didn't start until I came to Europe. Nutella crepes, bananas and Nutella, Nutella croissants, Nutella gelati, Nutella on waffles, Nutella subs, Nutella dessert sushi (not kidding!), Nutella straight out of the jar - the list goes on and on.