As a home-cook and foodie I love taking inspiration from as many cultures as I can when I cook. One of my personal goals is to make at least 1 dish from every country and every major city around the world, and I’ve been compiling a list of my favorite dishes from each country to research and create versions of my own. I have tried and created many dishes from well-known countries, but I would love to know more about the culture and cuisine of places that are less talked about or less well represented.
So what are your favorite dishes and cuisines from your local city or country? Or local dishes you know of from other places? Or maybe you have your own list of your favorites?
My addition: Garbage Plates from Rochester NY. They sound strange at first but have become one of my comfort foods. When they are done well, they hit the spot like no other. As for a lesser known dish I absolutely love Roti Canai which is a type of curry and bread from Malaysia.
My list so far:
Japan: Spicy Miso Ramen
South Korea: Curry Tteokbokki
China : Lo Mein
Taiwan: Mongolian Beef
Thailand: Pad Thai
Malaysia: Roti Canai
Singapore: Singapore Street Noodles
India: Lamb Marsala
Syria: Maqluba
Libya: Couscous Bil-bosla
Turkey: Gozleme
Greece: Lamb over Rice
Russia: Stroganoff
Italy: Carbonara
Germany: Rahmshnitzel
Belgium: Liege Waffle
France: Croque Monsieur
UK: Lamb Tikka Masala
Sweden: Kottbullar
Iceland: Pylsur
Canada: Poutine
US: Garbage Plate
Mexico: Carne Asada Tacos
El Savador: Charamuscas
Trinidad: Dahl
Jamaca: Peanut Punch
Guyana: Pepper Pot
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The Netherlands is proud to present: the kapsalon.
I live in South Limburg, so ‘Zoervleis’.
I want to make a comment about poutine for Canada. A lot of places do poutine as “fries, cheese, gravy, done”, which never does it justice.
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You have to use cheese curds, not anything else. A lot of places will use shredded cheese or mozzarella, and it never works out the same.
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Bland fries = bland poutine. If your fries are just a normal russet potato with a bit of salt, it’ll probably be alright but not great. Some of the best poutines I’ve ever had have used seasoned potato wedges as a base, usually with “New Potatoes” (the variety name) instead of russets as the base.
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Use more gravy. However much you think you’ll need, use more. Just trust me on this one.
I had it somewhat like this in NYC, and the cheese curds are definitely a game changer. I believe it was made with russet crinkle fries though. Potato wedges are a great idea
Respectful disagree on point 2. Seasoned wedges are too much for poutine (prefer a well seasoned gravy), and there’s nothing inferior about russets if you prepare them correctly i.e. brine, double/triple fry
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My favourite American dish is a nothingburger right now.
Portugal - Bacalhau á Gomes de Sá Salted Cod Cassarole
Absolutely my favourite meal ever.
Pepperoni rolls - West Virginia
Adobo or milkfish - Philippines
Dirty rice - southern states
Dutch guy here. We don’t have many things to boast about culinarily, but the one that doesn’t get any mention is Smoked Eel (gerookte paling). It’s typically dutch, fatty, smokey and delicious. It’s such a pity nobody took Antony Bourdain to eat this when over here.
Gumbo or red fish courtbouillion from south LA (Cajun food). Also boudin and cracklins.
My dad was old New Orleans and oh my God the restaurants there are so good that when my brother was in school there he literally never cooked, never learned to cook, at all. They have such a ridiculous tradition of hospitality, absolutely top notch food, drink, and service.
Gumbo I make once in a while and it can make people cry, it’s so good, that can certainly be one of the most delicious things ever if you take your time with it, but my best memory of food there is the soft shell crab po boy with the legs hanging out of the sandwich.
For sure. There was a place in Baton Rouge that had great fried soft shell crab poboys. So many good things to eat down in LA. I’m in the Fingerlakes region of NY now and miss all of the good food from LA.
I don’t eat animal products anymore, but I did eat a Kentucky hot brown once and that was interesting at the time. Unfortunately the restaurant I ate it in that was in Kentucky was so scary because there were actual Klan members in there and they were smoking in the restaurant. It was the absolute only place open on a Sunday to eat and it was kind of scary.
Hehe you answered twice
I did!
Garbage plates! I don’t eat animal products anymore but that was a fun thing to eat. Also a Kentucky hot brown was an interesting dish, even though I ended up eating that in a restaurant that had actual Klan members in it.
Haven’t had it yet but I so gotta try out khachapuri from Georgia.
It’s exactly as good as you’re hoping it is
Which Georgia ?
The actual country or america
Please don’t start american defaultism on lemmy
But I’m assuming it’s the country due to the dish name
The country.
I got to try it last year (in Wash. DC, not Georgia) and really liked it. They brought it out all pretty like in your picture, but then table side they stirred up all the egg and cheese to make a more homogeneous filling. Good stuff!
Corned Beef Reuben. A fuckton of corned beef, sauerkraut, Russian dressing, and Swiss cheese on rye. Jewish-American, but regional origins are disputed.
A good tip is to use recipes actually from a local or person who grew up in the country
Don’t use some random persons recipe
For Japanese recipes I recomend.
Sites I’ve found from locals or people who grew up in Japan but don’t know if I’d recommend them yet:
Also use Metric, us Customary / Imperial has no place in recipes because it can’t reproduce a recipe accurately and should have stopped being used some time in the 1700’s-1800’s
A scale isn’t expensive either
To answer your question, I’m live in Australia I don’t have a local food that a favourite of mine unfortunately
I prefer Japanese food to my own countries food
Regional favorites from my travels in the US off the top of my head…
Northeast? Lobstah. Syracuse Salt Potatoes.
Creole and Soul Food in the South. Jambalaya, Etoufee, corn bread, collard greens…so much good food.
BBQ. Pick your region. From lean brisket to fall apart sweet and sticky or Carolina tart.
West Coast…I’m gonna say Mexican. Weird to say another country’s food in a US state, but California does it awesome.
Texas brisket was honestly a close second for me. It’s so good when it’s done right.
I totally agree on the West coast pick. San Diego and Tijuana have some of the best mexican food anywhere, and it greatly outshines the other food in the area
California was once Alta California and part of Mexico. Not surprising that it has authentic Mexican dishes.
