What Was Liam Payne's Favorite Country For Food?

While world-famous British boy band One Direction might have broken up in 2016, that doesn't mean the group's lifelong fans aren't still obsessed with every detail about their favorite members. One former member, the late Liam Payne, appeared on First We Feast's internet show "Hot Ones" in 2017 to take on the spicy wing challenge while answering questions about his life and career. When asked what the best food city in the world was, he narrowed it down to a whole country: the U.S. Payne revealed that he loved American food, specifically calling out mozzarella sticks with marinara. "Mozzarella sticks are just the height of all culinary skill," Payne said after admitting, "I'm a man of simple tastes."

Mozzarella sticks might be a menu staple at your local Italian spot, but this appetizer is decidedly American. While similar fried cheese dishes have been mentioned in ancient European cookbooks, the mozzarella stick as we know it today is thought to have shown up in the late 1960s to early 1970s when deep fryers hit the restaurant scene. You can find some of the best mozzarella sticks in the U.S. everywhere from fast-food chain Arby's to sports bars to food trucks dedicated to the cheesy snack. If you want to try making Payne's favorite American food at home, try our 30-minute mozzarella stick recipe.

We're on board with Liam Payne's love of America's mozzarella sticks and marinara, but that's not the only American food he was fond of. Everyone was talking about One Direction's McDonald's drive-thru order a few years ago when James Corden posted previously unreleased footage of the group ordering lunch on an episode of "Carpool Karaoke." Fans got another glimpse into Payne's American food picks when he ordered a 10-piece chicken McNuggets. The singer was also a fan of another American fast food favorite, Kentucky Fried Chicken (original recipe).

While not exclusively American, Payne revealed in the internet series "17 Things" that his favorite dessert is chocolate, especially dark chocolate, because "it's healthy for some reason," he joked. Payne was also an advocate for change when it comes to food, speaking out against industrial animal farming at a 2022 Future of Food event in Los Angeles. Every, a company that makes animal-free proteins, shared a video on Instagram of Payne at the event, where he said, "It's time for a change." In the video, Payne mentions that he loves a grilled cheese sandwich, seeming to be impressed by the vegan grilled cheese served at the event.