Looking for foods to try and share a bit of my own culture. My family is cantonese viet and I grew up eating in a lot of traditional banquet hall restaurants. Usually these are dim sum menu for lunch and traditional shared foods for dinner. Most people have tried the common ones like siu mai (pork wrapper dumpling) and haw gow (shrimp rice dumpling) but my favorites are the uncommon ones like ngau zaap (beef offal) and baak wan fung zaau (pickled chicken feet).
Ngau zaap is basically braised brown sauce using off cuts, usually stomach and whatnot, with chinese radish. Its very savory, kinda like if you made an asian gravy.
Baak wan fung zaau is just chicken feet pickled in white vinegar. If you had pickled radish it’s essentially the same pickling and the chicken feet is gelatinous and a bit crunchy. You can also get them sometimes boneless since eating around the bones is kinda a pain. I really like pickled foods so this is one of my faves
Germany, grilled sausage and sauerkraut I guess. But if you ask a native about the national food or a food that they miss when living abroad, it’s usually bread, specifically sourdough made from mixed rye and wheat flour. Goes great with butter and slices of cheese or cold cuts (“Käsebrot”, “Wurstbrot”).
Well, now I want to see if I can find or make that bread.
Döner :)
Currywurst!
TBH I prefer plain ketchup with my grilled sausage…
If I’m honest I prefer mustard, but Currywurst is quite iconic imo
But more internally I think. Outside of Germany, it’s sauerkraut.
Ja, dieses Kommentar hier, Herr Officer
Can confirm.
Went to a dinner party at a friends house last year; there was a German who now lives in NZ. My partner makes sourdough from scratch; that German engineer just about cried when he tasted it. Said it was just like the ones at home.
Zefix!
Leberkassemmel oder Brezn!
I’m too pigprussian for that lol
Hmm never heard of rye and sourdough at the same time. I’ve seen them separately overseas in the US but never as one bread
It does sound good though, i like sourdough
I make sourdough rye (mixed wheat flour and rye flour) with my regular starter all the time! I think Whole foods usually has a sourdough rye - some years back I bought some and that was why I started making sourdough bread. It’s so delicious. Any version from rustic and crusty more like what you think of as sourdough to very dense dark and bouncy, sourdough rye is great.
There’s actually an English Wikipedia article on it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mischbrot
Rye-only sourdough is also a thing, gets pretty dense and bitter though. I prefer Mischbrot with more wheat than rye.
Krustenbratensemmel
Fish and chips. And despite all the jokes about British food, you really do owe it to yourself to learn just how good this meal can be when cooked well.
Samin Nosrat argues, in her book of the same name, that all cooking comes down to salt, fat, acid, and heat. Fish and chips is the perfect synthesis of this theory. It is cooking stripped down to this core idea. Done right, it is an absolute delight; beautifully flaky fish cooked to delicate perfection within a crunchy shell of light, crispy batter. Malt vinegar brings acidity to cut through the fat and salt. Everything works in harmony. There are contrasts in texture to enhance the melding of flavors.
Fish and chips, done well, is culinary perfection. But it is very hard to do well. There is nothing to hide behind. It is cooking stripped to the essentials, which means that those essentials have to be perfect. Most people outside of the British Isles have probably never had a good fish and chips in their lives, and even in the UK there are plenty of bad examples.
Anyway, those pickled chicken feet sound incredible. I had paper wrapped duck feet once and those were absolutely delicious.
Although I have had good fish and chips in the UK, I think New Zealand generally does better - although we do have some shit examples that are over cooked or cooked too cool etc
Although we do tend to do lemon instead of vinegar.
I’ve had pickled chicken legs and chili in rural Sarawak, quite OK but maybe a little out there for many westerners
I’ve found some decent fish and chips in Oz too, though of course I have a bottle of malt vinegar at home to complete my lore accurate fish supper.
I like fish and chips but in the US it’s so expensive, it’s about 17 USD for a 3 piece
I’d like to visit the UK once since I heard the old school edm scene is still pretty alive there
We don’t call it EDM here, that is a dirty “word” ;) but yeh, there are still some great nights depending on where you are. I went to an old skool hardcore night recently that was fucking sick and most big towns and cities you can find decent drum and bass nights. Plenty of Jungalist nights in that same vein too.
If you are in Brighton, Bristol or London you can find decent proper dubstep nights (not that American brostep crap) and I’m sure there are others out there.
I’m certain all kinds of flavours of house and techno etc are out there too just less my wheelhouse.
The best part about all of these nights though, at least in my area of interest, they are all taking place in small, dark and dingy clubs with absolutely sick sound systems. The way it should be! You haven’t lived until you are chewing your face off at 5 am standing next to the bass bins feeling the music course through you whilst having a life altering epiphany xD
Haha yea edm is a funny word. People who listen always like to say edm is not a genre, it’s just a label, but whenever I tell someone who doesn’t listen about things like frenchcore or dnb they get confused, so I just default to edm.
I’ve been following this scene in the UK for a while and it seems fun
Haha yeh I get you, it is definitely used more in the US as here the general populace tend to know what the bigger genres such as dnb, house etc are so dont need a catch all concept.
Ah Dom Whiting, yeh I know that guy. I remember seeing his videos years ago when he only had a few people following around. He was in my city this year and I joined in the ride for a bit. Absolute chaos but mad vibes! Definitely need more of that in the world these days!
Damn, it’s been so long since I’ve been to a proper dubstep night. It was never that popular here in Germany, but it’s been ultra-niche for a while. Though it’s probably for the better for my hearing :D
I tried Gordon Ramsay’s recipe, and i can see why some of them is bland. Fnc basically are lightly seasoned because you’re supposed to taste the freshness and sweetness of the fish, just like how sashimi are. So if your fnc taste bland it’s usually the fish.
So go back to the ramsay’s recipe, i did that, it isn’t as crispy as it should be because i opt out of using beer(i don’t drink), but it still a really nice fnc.
The alcohol in the batter burns off during cooking. But if you’re still opposed to using it, substitute club soda.
The flavour of the fish is extremely important. Cod, haddock or halibut are the only acceptable options, anything else isn’t fish and chips. Personally I always go haddock. But I also find that when people say it tastes bland it’s because they’re treating the salt and vinegar as optional; they’re not. That’s like sushi without wasabi. Liberally season the finished result with both. Not just the chips, the fish too. And it must be malt vinegar. Do not substitute.
The issue not with the alcohol i might consume when i eat it, the issue lies with…what the heck am i supposed to do with the rest of the beer after cooking fnc, i sure as hell won’t drink it.
Poutine. Fries topped with gravy and chewy cheese curds.
What do you think second would be? Tourtière?
Maple syrup is pretty high up there. How about bannock, or butter tarts?
I see maple syrup as more of an ingredient I guess. I also thought the original commenter was talking about Québecois culture, not Canadian, although I guess poutine works for both. I’d say butter tarts are better known though
vegemite
Never tried, it seems like either people love it or they hate it and I am afraid I might fall in the latter LOL
If you do get around to trying it, most people who hate it use way too much. Start with a very very very thin spread. Thinner than that. No, like so it’s barely there. Then if you like that, you can add a tiny bit more. But it’s sort of like spreading bouillon paste - you need such a tiny amount.
Bouillon paste is a good way of putting it, I add Vegemite to a lot of my stocks and soups.
I love it and I’m not even from oz
I tried it once. Turns out, a very thin layer is all you need.
Um actually I think it’s spelled vedgemoight
Hear me out: vegemite fried crab.
The thumbnail looks like a Dark Souls boss lol
Added to the bucket list.
that looks amazing
To me, it tastes like wakamoto for some reason.
Tacos.
Not the “hard shell” variety that is sold in the USA. There is a whole universe of tacos all over Mexico: beef, pork, goat meat, sheep meat, boiled egg, rice, hot peppers, shrimp, crab, octopus, many insects and larvae (chapulines, ant eggs, mosquito eggs, caterpillars), nopales (prickly pear), many kinds of herbs, sausages, etc. The list is almost infinite.
Those all sound delicious. I think the insects and larvae might be a weird texture for me but I’d still give it a try.
Tacos are great, never tried the more exotic ones though, except nopale. My college had it once for some reason but tbh it just kinda tastes like the seasoning they put LOL
“Exotic” is a strong word for nopales. (Nopal is the singular, not nopale) You can get it at every grocery store in the Seattle area. And yeah it doesn’t have a strong flavor on its own. Kinda like green beans?
I can vouch for ant eggs (escamoles) and roast grasshopper (chapulines), they’re tasty but a lot harder to find around here.
Maybe niche then? Didn’t realize exotic had a negative connotation
I don’t remember the last time i saw cacti for sale in a supermarket. Though in all fairness I go to asian ones maybe 70% of the time and standard american ones for the rest
I don’t think exotic is negative, it’s just too commonly available for me to think of it as strange or foreign. Even the Asian groceries around me carry it.
They do here too, the leaves and the fruit of the tuna, but it’s probably exotic outside of the Americas.
From my particular part of Ireland, Ulster fry probably. Sausages, bacon, eggs, soda bread, potato bread, fried mushrooms. Sometimes with tomato, black pudding, and baked beans if you’re into it.
Looks like a good breakfast, though usually I skip breakfast haha
San Diego has a delicious blend of Baja ingredients and flavors and an American sense of too much. Case in point, the california burrito. Carne asada, french fries, guacamole are the essential ingredients. From there pico, cheese, sour cream are other common inclusions. They are delicious. I nominate carne asada fries as well. Its basically the ingredients i listed above without the tortilla, think like chili cheese fries but with carne and guac. So good.
California burrito is always good, it’s like everything you’d like wrapped in one. I miss when I could get one from the random food trucks in LA for like 8 bucks
We also perfected the fish taco.
Wait, they put fries in the burrito? And that’s like the expectation?
Frybread I guess.
Samoa?
Samoan fry bread is; pure golden perfection when done well; with lots of butter and jam.
Lakota. I like fry bread more when it’s savory, like for a fry bread taco or something.
Probably meatballs,
… or Surströmming.
Its likely to be Chicken Biryani and Mango Lassi. Though the specific area I am from has a different variant of the dish. I actually don’t like Mango lassi and would rather just drink Mango juice.
I have tried Nasi lemak once and enjoyed it. And thanks to the fish and chips comment, am curious about that as well.
The indian supermarket near my work always hooks me up, i get a whole lunch box with 3 curries for just 10 bucks when other places charge 20 for a lunch box
Fuck I gotta check out indian supermarkets then
Chocolate sprinkles on a sandwich
Goudse kaas is much more well known. Also stroopwafels.
Gehaktbal met stamppot!!!
Misread this as ‘Chocolate sprinkles on a sardine’ and thought, yeah, there’s probably somewhere in the world that does that.
G e k o l o n i s e e r t
Or something like that
G E K O L O N I S E E R D
Koloniseer: ends with r, not in kofschip/fokschaap, ergo followed by d als voltooid deelwoord. /teacher’s pet
I’m from Valencia (Spain), one of our mainly known food is Paella.
The other is Horchata with fartons
I’m so hungry now
Paella is very pretty, never really got to try an authentic version of it though. Maybe soon!
I’ve made a Vallencian paella a few times and it’s always a massive crowd pleaser. But it’s so stressful trying to get a good socarrat without burning it!
A barbecued sausage in a piece of white bread, purchased from a tent out the front of a hardware store (it is the glue that holds a multicultural Australia together)
You had me at
A barbecued sausage in a piece of white bread
This is a Kiwi staple; if there isn’t a sausage sizzle, is it even an event?
Cheeseburger
Cheesesteaks (South Jersey, near Philly).
What is your opinion on cheesesteaks from the big sandwich chains like jersey mikes?
Jerseyite here… I find big chain sandwiches usually have subpar bread compared to smaller shops. I have enjoyed many a Subway cheesesteak but it’s fairly different from Philly style.
I have to wonder where in Jersey and until what age you lived there if you think Subway serves cheesesteaks.
Exit 148
In before “you are from the wrong place and your opinion is wrong” 🙃
You clearly have not read my other comments on the topic. I still have yet to find any fast food place that serves something that can be called a cheesesteak. And I’m not a Subway hater.
I have not! If you put bread and meat and cheese together, with onions and peppers, what does it lack before you would consider it a legitimate cheesesteak?
Doesn’t count as a cheesesteak.
I was going to say cheesesteaks but thought Philly might kill us. So my second thought was salt water taffy maybe!
Best cheesesteaks are in South Jersey.
I thought salt water taffy until I brought it as a gift to represent our area at one point and nobody had ever heard of it.
Well then I need to give out more salt water taffy so people know it!
