10 Idaho Foods That Look Strange But Taste Surprisingly Amazing

Idaho might be famous for potatoes, but this state serves up some seriously weird-looking dishes that’ll make you do a double-take.

From desserts disguised as vegetables to foods with names that sound downright alarming, the Gem State’s culinary scene is full of surprises.

Don’t judge these quirky creations by their odd appearances, once you taste them, you’ll understand why locals can’t get enough of these bizarrely delicious treats.

1. Ice Cream Potato

Picture ordering a baked potato for dessert and actually getting excited about it. That’s the genius behind this Idaho original that tricks your eyes while delighting your taste buds. What appears to be an ordinary spud is actually a scoop of vanilla ice cream rolled in cocoa powder to mimic potato skin.

The toppings seal the deal with whipped cream standing in for butter and white chocolate shavings playing the role of cheese. Some versions add extra toppings like chocolate shavings, sprinkles, or nuts to sell the illusion. It’s served on a regular plate with a fork, making the illusion absolutely perfect.

This playful dessert began as a creative way to celebrate Idaho’s love of potatoes and is especially famous at Boise’s Westside Drive-In, becoming a beloved tradition that honors the state’s most famous crop in the sweetest way possible.

2. Finger Steaks

Before chicken tenders dominated menus everywhere, Idaho invented something way better—beef strips that changed the finger food game forever. Born in a Boise restaurant during the 1950s, these crispy golden strips look like oversized french fries but pack a meaty punch that’ll surprise first-timers.

Tender sirloin gets cut into finger-sized pieces, breaded with seasoned coating, and deep-fried until perfectly crunchy on the outside. The result resembles fried chicken strips, which throws people off until that first bite reveals juicy steak instead of poultry.

Served with sauce or fry sauce for dipping, they’re messy, delicious, and uniquely Idahoan. You’ll find them at mom-and-pop diners across the state where locals guard their secret recipes fiercely.

3. Idaho Spud Bar

Nothing says Idaho pride quite like a chocolate bar shaped like the vegetable that put the state on the map. This lumpy, brown confection has been confusing candy lovers since 1918, looking more like something dug from the ground than a sweet treat. The bumpy exterior mimics potato skin so convincingly that newcomers often hesitate before taking that first bite.

Dark chocolate coats a light cocoa-flavored marshmallow center, creating a texture that’s surprisingly soft and airy. The bar is drenched in chocolate and sprinkled with coconut flakes, completing the earthy potato appearance. Despite zero actual potato content, the name and look honor Idaho’s agricultural heritage perfectly.

Made by the Idaho Candy Company in Boise for over a century, it remains a nostalgic favorite and quirky souvenir.

4. Rocky Mountain Oysters

Here’s where things get really interesting—these aren’t oysters, they’re not from the ocean, and they’ll definitely test your adventurous spirit. What looks like innocent fried appetizers are actually bull testicles, breaded and deep-fried to golden perfection. Ranching culture brought this protein-packed dish to Idaho, where wasting any part of the animal just wasn’t done.

Sliced thin, coated in seasoned flour, and fried until crispy, they resemble calamari rings or popcorn chicken at first glance. The mild, tender meat surprises most brave souls who try them, tasting more like chicken or pork than anything intimidating.

Served at western bars and steakhouses, they’re a rite of passage for visitors and a nostalgic comfort food for ranch-raised Idahoans.

5. Frog Eye Salad

Despite its creepy-crawly name, no amphibians were harmed in making this beloved potluck staple. The tiny pasta pearls floating in creamy fruit mixture do look suspiciously like frog eyes staring back at you, hence the unsettling name. Acini di pepe pasta gets mixed with pineapple, mandarin oranges, marshmallows, and a sweet custard-whipped cream dressing.

The combination sounds absolutely bonkers—pasta in a dessert salad?—but somehow it works beautifully. Chilled overnight, the pasta absorbs the fruity sweetness while maintaining a pleasant chewy texture. It shows up at every Idaho church potluck, family reunion, and holiday gathering without fail.

First-timers always squint suspiciously at the bowl before someone convinces them to try a spoonful, then they’re hooked for life.

6. Funeral Potatoes

With a name this morbid, you’d expect something grim, but this cheesy potato casserole is actually pure comfort food heaven. Shredded hash browns get smothered in cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and mountains of cheddar cheese, then topped with crushed cornflakes for that signature crunch. The pale, lumpy mixture looks pretty unappetizing before baking, resembling something you’d scrape off a plate rather than serve.

But once that casserole emerges from the oven golden and bubbling, magic happens. The name comes from their traditional appearance at Mormon funeral luncheons throughout Idaho and Utah. They’re so popular that locals serve them at weddings, potlucks, and Sunday dinners too—basically any gathering where carbs and cheese equal love.

7. Wild Morel Mushrooms

These wrinkly, brain-like fungi look like something from a science fiction movie, yet mushroom hunters trek through Idaho forests every spring hoping to find them. With their distinctive honeycomb caps and gnarly appearance, morels resemble dried-up sponges more than edible food. Their bizarre texture and alien looks make first-time foragers wonder if they’re actually safe to eat.

Sautéed in butter, these ugly beauties transform into nutty, earthy delicacies that sell for serious money at farmers markets. The hollow interior soaks up flavors beautifully while the unique texture provides a satisfying meaty bite. Idaho’s forests produce excellent morel crops, especially after forest fires create perfect growing conditions.

Locals guard their secret morel spots more carefully than buried treasure.

8. Huckleberry Milkshake

That unnaturally purple shake might look like it came from a cartoon, but it’s made from real wild berries that grow in Idaho’s mountains. Huckleberries create an intense purple-blue color that seems too vibrant to be natural, making the shake look artificially flavored at first glance. The deep color can stain your tongue temporarily, adding to the weird factor.

Blended with vanilla ice cream and milk, fresh or frozen huckleberries create a tart-sweet flavor that’s completely unique. These tiny berries pack way more punch than their blueberry cousins, offering a complex taste that’s both fruity and slightly floral.

Finding them often means hiking Idaho’s forested slopes and old logging roads, since huckleberries haven’t been domesticated for large-scale farming and are still mostly harvested from wild plants, making every shake a little taste of wilderness adventure in a glass.

9. Basque Chorizo & Solomo Sandwich

Idaho’s Basque community brought this intensely red, garlicky sandwich that looks way too spicy for comfort. Bright crimson chorizo slices and deep burgundy solomo create an intimidating color scheme that screams danger to spice-sensitive folks. The cured meats glisten with paprika-infused oils, making the whole thing look potentially volcanic.

But here’s the twist—while definitely flavorful, it’s not painfully hot, just rich and savory with smoky paprika notes. Solomo, a marinated pork loin, adds tender slices that balance the chorizo’s fattier texture. Piled on crusty bread with roasted peppers, this sandwich represents Idaho’s surprising Basque heritage.

Boise’s Basque Block serves authentic versions that honor the sheepherders who immigrated here generations ago, creating Idaho’s unexpected European connection.

10. Beast Burger with Huckleberry Jalapeño Bacon Jam

When you spot that purple-red jam oozing from a massive burger, your brain can’t quite process what’s happening. Sweet huckleberries mixed with spicy jalapeños and savory bacon creates a color and concept that seems completely wrong for a burger. The jam’s chunky texture and unusual hue make it look more like something from a dessert than serious barbecue territory.

One bite reveals the genius—the sweet-spicy-smoky combination elevates the beef to ridiculous levels of deliciousness. Idaho huckleberries provide fruity sweetness that tames the jalapeño heat while bacon adds umami depth. This creative fusion represents Idaho’s modern food scene embracing local ingredients in unexpected ways.

Available at Red Tail Bar & Grill inside the Coeur d’Alene Casino in Worley, Idaho, it’s proof that weird-looking food combinations sometimes work brilliantly.