Around the world in food!

[Freya]

For 2017 I don't plan on visiting any foreign countries. I'm kinda poor, that's hard. I love food though and I love to cook! I'm in a bad place to actually go to authentic restaurants that serve other cultural food outside of Mexican. Woo, middle America for you.

So I need some help and advice from our more worldly EoFFers! I want to cook a meal from a different culture once a month. Except.... I don't know what food I'm missing to be able to pick something! This is where you guys come in! I know many of you are FROM other countries and cultures. So tell me! What's a good meal that represents you and your culture!

Mind you, I'm American so, I don't need American recipes, I make those all the time.

I'll come up with a list of 12 meals from 12 different cultures and I'll work my way through it throughout the year! I appreciate all the help in advance!

[Fynn]

Okay, so there's a bunch of things in Poland that are good and easy to make. Pierogi are the most popular, but they can be kinda hard to make. I'll try to think of something simpler and come back to you later!

[FFNut]

From Canada try bannock. It's not great for you, but once in a while it's not bad. Good as a side dish to a meal.

[Pheesh]

Australia gets a lot of its culinary identity by poaching things from other cultures and mashing them together, so it doesn't really have well known dishes.. That said, you could go with a couple of well known desserts; pavlova, lamington, or ANZAC biscuits.

As for Italy, I can't imagine you'll need any help finding a dish that you want to cook. There is a ridiculous amount of choice and if America is anything like over here, then most people eat Italian food as commonly as any other cuisine. If I were you though, I would try pasta aglio olio, assuming you've never had it before. It's my favourite kind of pasta and often times not something that non-Italians have tried. It's simple, cheap, and if you do it right it's absolutely amazing.

[Night Fury]

For English food I would recommend Toad in the Hole. It's sausages cooked in yorkshire pudding batter, served with mash and gravy. It's comfort food at its finest imo.

[FFNut]

For English food I would recommend Toad in the Hole. It's sausages cooked in yorkshire pudding batter, served with mash and gravy. It's comfort food at its finest imo.


Ohh that sounds really good. May make that tonight!

[Gu-fu-fu]

So, I love to travel and new types of food are one of my favorite things about getting to go on a trip. I also tend to seek out friends who aren't necessarily from my country as I went to Uni in another country and loved it.

So that said, here are some of my favorite things to eat/make from other cultures (so far).

I know this may be odd, but I love the Japanese version of a Chinese dish, Mabo Tofu (or Ma Po Tofu). I usually end up buying the sauce packets because I am not a great chef, and here they are on amazon! https://www.amazon.com/House-Foods-Medium-Chinese-Sauce/dp/B018UIYMRA/ref=sr_1_4_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1481034547&sr=8-4&keywords=mabo+tofu

There are other levels of spicy, btw, and overall this brand is really not very spicy. Oh, and if you buy stuff on Amazon, you can totally use that EoFF link to give the site some money.

Anywho, I am actually vegetarian so I make it with veggie ground beef, soft tofu, and scallions, but obviously, as the package says, it is supposed to be ground pork. I have the habit of throwing in veggies I have on hand as well, because I always need to eat more veggies. So no, this is in no way a really authentic dish when I do it. Buying Chinese or Japanese rice to eat it with makes a ton of difference though, so I totally recommend that. Mmmm, superior rice.

My favorite Japanese tea is Genmaicha, a green tea with toasted brown rice in it, which you can also buy on amazon, though it totally does not pair very well with this dish, imo. But it general, worth trying.

As is mochi! I love it best in soup though it is more popular in its sweet forms here on the East Coast of the U.S. You can buy squares of it like this https://www.amazon.com/Takano-Mochi-Rice-Cake-Japan/dp/B008F2M2WE/ref=sr_1_10_s_it?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1481036403&sr=1-10&keywords=mochi

Crepes are surprisingly not that hard to make, though it may take a few tries to really get the hang of making them thin enough, cooking them just right, etc. You can of course serve them with butter and sugar (my fave for sweet), lemon juice and sugar, nutella, etc., or you can make them savory. My favorite savory crepes are folded around spinach and swiss cheese.

As for family recipes, I have a great recipe for a sharp cheddar Welsh Rabbit (a cheese sauce, no rabbit involved, and sadly the name is an insult to the people of Wales) served over hard toast (toast very slowly dried out in the oven, not browned) and tomato slices. Feel free to message me if you want to try it. It is very rich (so much cheese) but lovely once in a while, especially in winter.

Mushroom blintzes are amazing too, as are homemade latkes. I make Spinochnik, which is the Bulgarian version of Spinakopita, with feta, Phillo dough (I so buy the Phillo Dough, or Phyllo if you prefer that spelling) and spinach. The trick is to brush the layers of dough with butter as you layer them, imo.

Moussaka is also delicious and not overly heavy, and cheese fondue is actually pretty easy to make, though I have never tried to make it without a fondue pot, but if you invest in one you could always make Raclette (kind of a broth that you then cook meat and veggies in at the table) and/or a nice dessert fondue. Totally impresses people more than the work it takes to make.

And I am going to stop now as I could keep going until you are totally overwhelmed. :D

[Freya]

So suggestions so far:

Canada - bannock
Australia - pavlova, lamington, or ANZAC biscuits
Italy - pasta aglio olio
England - Toad in the Hole (this is an amusing name I love it)
Chinese/Japanese: Mabo Tofu
Japanese: Genmaicha, Mochi
Bulgarian?: Spinochnik

What is the Moussaka one from?

ahhh so many from gu-fu-fu

Lots of good suggestions so far! You guys are great!

[Fynn]

Moussaka is Greek!


From Poland, I think I'm gonna give you a recipe for Chłodnik, which is a type of cold soup - a perfect dish for the hot summer days. Do you prefer the more Lithuanian-inspired, pink beetroot version, or the cucumber-and-garlic, white Polish version?

[Freya]

Well Seeing as i've never had beetroot anything.... I'm going to probably go for cucumber and garlic

[Fynn]

It's the version I prefer, really. My mom is all about that pink one, though. It just depends on what you like.

I'll try to translate the good recipe I have for you soon. But like I said, make sure you make it during one of the hotter months! :D

[Shauna]

I would suggest haggis but it's illegal over there so. :gator:

[Fynn]

Haggis is illegal in the US?! Why!

[Shauna]

It's banned because of what it's made of.

[Freya]

Ahhh it's the lung part. The heart and liver is fine but the lung is a no-no. I guess. Honestly that sounds crazy of a combo

[Shauna]

Eh, it's all minced down and mixed up with oats and spices. If you were told it was just minced mutton you'd not know any difference.

[Aerith's Knight]

I'll give you one, but Dutch food is bloody bland.

Stamppot en Worst:
- Potatoes
- Endive
- Smoked sausage (Bologna-type) and/or bacon (thick-cut)
- Brown gravy

Cook the potatoes and Endive, mash them together.
Heat the sausage and/or fry the bacon.
Add the mash to the center of the plate, make a little hole in the center, add gravy. We love playing with dikes, okay?
Add the meat on the side.

It's usually consumed with some mustard (spicy type), and is filling, at least.

It should look something like This (http://053e44c254414925813d3f8f1212f0b3.objectstore.eu/w3tc/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2014/02/stamppot_andijvie_aardappel_rundersaucijs_worst_jus_hollandse_pot.jpg?6034bf)

[Gu-fu-fu]

Yeah, Moussaka is Greek, and is described as an eggplant casserole in some recipes here. The version I make is vegetarian and so has no ground beef in it, more eggplant and peppers and potatoes.

Welsh Rabbit (or rarebit) is definitely a cold weather dish, so now I totally want to make myself some. It has a lot of mustard and a bit of Worcestershire sauce so it is a bit spiced and warm.

Yeah, Spinochnik is Bulgarian but it is so much the same as Spinakopita (Greek) that I use them interchangeably. You simply lay out a few layers of dough at a time, using a pastry brush to sweep butter or olive oil over the dough, adding cooked chopped spinach (often the mixed with egg and spices - which will cook in the oven) that you have drained as much moisture from as possible after cooking, then another layer of dough brushed with butter or oil, then the feta, again, drained and often mixed with egg and spices, then dough, etc. You probably need to keep a wet towel or paper towel over the unused Phyllo dough as you work. Then you bake it all up, slice it, and have deliciousness. :)

Blintzes are popular in a lot of eastern Europe; my friend from Azerbaijan who worked in a Russian food store made me some, and I know they are popular with a lot of my Jewish friends as well. Definitely a thing in Russia and the Ukraine. Here is a nice recipe for mushroom blintzes, though I had them served with a bit of mushroom gravy on top, which I recommend. http://secret-ingredient.net/post/391053585/mushroom-blintzes

Latkes are yummy yummy Jewish food! Often called potato pancakes they are shredded potato and onion or shallot with beaten egg fried in vegetable oil. Serve with applesauce and sour cream. I have only made them the once at a friend's house for Passover but wow did we make a lot!

See, I really could go on forever about the noms of the world! I buy what I can from local food import stores and am lucky I can find so much here. But yay for amazon!

I also like plain mochi toasted with a bit of ponzu sauce. It gets all crispy on the outside and while warm and dense and chewy on the inside. It tastes like very little on its own but I love the texture. In soup I slice it up so so it gets nice and soft. I even put it in ramen or miso soups, which my Japanese friends find odd.

I would try genmaicha perhaps with sweet mochi, Daifuku, and the best brand I can find on amazon that I have tried is this one https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Fruits-Daifuku-Rice-strawberry/dp/B000TRHKGG/ref=sr_1_1_s_it?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1481130542&sr=1-1&keywords=daifuku

Strawberry is probably a great gateway flavor, though I prefer red bean (still sweet!) but can only find melon, orange, and green tea in this brand. https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Daifuku-Strawberry-Flavors-Flavors/dp/B01AR2A6JU/ref=sr_1_2_s_it?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1481130680&sr=1-2&keywords=daifuku%2Bjapanese%2Bfruits&th=1

If you don't like the texture of daifuku, you could totally try dorayaki, pancakes with a filling like sweet red bean, taro root, chestnut, and I have even had custard ones, which are actually my favorite, but harder to find. Here are red bean: https://www.amazon.com/Shirakiku-Dorayaki-Bean-5pcs-300g/dp/B00KTPJD7W/ref=sr_1_1_s_it?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1481131066&sr=1-1&keywords=dorayaki

Taro or Matcha (a type of green tea): https://www.amazon.com/Huitouke-Flavor-Dorayaki-20-32oz-1-27lb/dp/B01KJO9PO8/ref=sr_1_17_s_it?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1481131066&sr=1-17&keywords=dorayaki&th=1

and Chestnut: https://www.amazon.com/Shirakiku-Dorayaki-Beans-Taste-Chestnut/dp/B00KTPGA6Y/ref=sr_1_20_s_it?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1481131066&sr=1-20&keywords=dorayaki

I really need to stop now, especially as you asked for meals to make, not sweets to buy!

[The Summoner of Leviathan]

If you are doing Canada you must do POUTINE. IT IS THE FOOD OF THE GODS, especially when drunk or hung over.

[Gu-fu-fu]

I strongly second poutine, though I am not sure if you will be able to find cheese curds as they are not always readily available in the U.S.