The 10 Best McDonald's Meals You Won't Find in the U.S.

From French breakfast sandwiches to Japanese shrimp burgers, the international creations that helped McDonald's win the Great Recession.

BY SULOME ANDERSON | OCTOBER 8, 2012

McDonald's has over 32,000 locations in 119 countries, and part of its international success is due to clever attempts to appeal to local customers by inventing food tailored to their tastes. From Paris to Delhi, here's a list of the top ten McDonald's meals Americans are missing out on.

 

India: BigSpicy Paneer Wrap

This fast food take on a common Indian street food is both spicy and vegetarian, making it a hit at the 271 McDonald's locations in India. Made with breaded paneer, a type of South Asian cheese, the BigSpicy Paneer Wrap is one of many vegetarian McDonald's innovations, which have been so successful that the chain plans to open two all-vegetarian locations in India next year.

 

Japan: Ebi Filet-O

Part of McDonald's Japan President Eikoh Harada's push to tailor food to Japanese taste, the Ebi Filet-O generated sales of 10 million in the first three months after its launch in October 2005. Made with breaded shrimp, this Japanese version of the classic Filet-O-Fish is modeled after the traditional Japanese dish of shrimp tempura and costs around $5.70 in Tokyo.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

 

Sulome Anderson is an editorial researcher at Foreign Policy.