Non US regional specialties, food edition
October 14, 2020 3:20 PM Subscribe
Looking to expand my global kitchen repertoire. Philadelphia has cheesesteaks, Louisiana has gumbo, Poland has pierogies ... Australia and Tanzania have ??? What would be good examples of delicious regional specialties that you might not commonly find in an "ethnic" restaurant in the US? Thanks in advance!
Chiles en nogada is a dish I seem to very rarely see in a US Mexican restaurant but is common throughout central Mexico for a few months each year.
posted by eotvos at 3:43 PM on October 14, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by eotvos at 3:43 PM on October 14, 2020 [2 favorites]
From my little corner of Lincolnshire in the UK (about 1% of the population live in Lincolnshire, and possibly a plurality of the cows) you'd get Lincolnshire sausages, Grantham gingerbreads, chine and haslet (pronounced 'haicelet' by those in the know). Two of those are probably unknown to most Brits, one is available in every supermarket, and none are commonly seen outside the country (Ireland possibly excepted).
Going 40 miles farther afield you would find Melton Mowbray pork pies, which are also well known across the country.
I think in all the above cases they're something you could make with regular US sourced ingredients (though haslet would need a friendly butcher) and you would find recipes for online.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 4:05 PM on October 14, 2020 [2 favorites]
Going 40 miles farther afield you would find Melton Mowbray pork pies, which are also well known across the country.
I think in all the above cases they're something you could make with regular US sourced ingredients (though haslet would need a friendly butcher) and you would find recipes for online.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 4:05 PM on October 14, 2020 [2 favorites]
Canadian reporting in.
Poutine. Ontario craft beer. Nova Scotia lobster rolls. The Bloody Caesar. Quebecois Tourtiere. Butter tarts and pouding chaumeur. Montreal style bagels and smoked meat.
posted by mhoye at 4:13 PM on October 14, 2020 [7 favorites]
Poutine. Ontario craft beer. Nova Scotia lobster rolls. The Bloody Caesar. Quebecois Tourtiere. Butter tarts and pouding chaumeur. Montreal style bagels and smoked meat.
posted by mhoye at 4:13 PM on October 14, 2020 [7 favorites]
Gastro Obscura has a pretty comprehensive resource covering just this.
posted by carrienation at 4:37 PM on October 14, 2020 [7 favorites]
posted by carrienation at 4:37 PM on October 14, 2020 [7 favorites]
As a Canadian is was going to suggest poutine - French fries with cheese curds and gravy. There a many variations on it now.
Also, as a Canadian we encourage our immigrants to be themselves so we have all sorts of foods from around the world in our restaurants.
We have a large Indian population in my city and oh my they make some amazing dishes: Chicken Tika is with mango chutney. Or a good Beef Vindaloo are two of my favourites. Allo Gobi is another yummy dish. Always with Nan bread.
From some of my travels:
If you ever get to France their pastries are something special: Croissants, baguettes, eclairs, not sure why but so much better in France. I had all sorts of fancy French dishes (Pate, Vichy Swoi, Coco Vin . . .) and good to try for the experience. But pastries, cheese and wine is a good life as far as I am concerned.
Korean street food is amazing. There are videos about on YouTube. Their sandwiches are a mouth party.
Fresh roasted nuts from New York street vendors. Boston Clam Chowder on a rainy day. Cabbage roles from Eastern Europe.
posted by Airos at 4:42 PM on October 14, 2020
Also, as a Canadian we encourage our immigrants to be themselves so we have all sorts of foods from around the world in our restaurants.
We have a large Indian population in my city and oh my they make some amazing dishes: Chicken Tika is with mango chutney. Or a good Beef Vindaloo are two of my favourites. Allo Gobi is another yummy dish. Always with Nan bread.
From some of my travels:
If you ever get to France their pastries are something special: Croissants, baguettes, eclairs, not sure why but so much better in France. I had all sorts of fancy French dishes (Pate, Vichy Swoi, Coco Vin . . .) and good to try for the experience. But pastries, cheese and wine is a good life as far as I am concerned.
Korean street food is amazing. There are videos about on YouTube. Their sandwiches are a mouth party.
Fresh roasted nuts from New York street vendors. Boston Clam Chowder on a rainy day. Cabbage roles from Eastern Europe.
posted by Airos at 4:42 PM on October 14, 2020
Australia has pies. I bought a pie once and it was listed as, like, peas and carrots or something. And then it had MEAT in it! Without that being on the label! And the people I was with were all like, "well, obviously! it's a pie!"
posted by aniola at 5:28 PM on October 14, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by aniola at 5:28 PM on October 14, 2020 [3 favorites]
Japan is extremely into regional specialties. Okonomiyaki is a great example of one that’s kind of busted out and sushi is a great example of one that has totally busted out.
posted by aubilenon at 5:45 PM on October 14, 2020
posted by aubilenon at 5:45 PM on October 14, 2020
The thing I miss most from Michigan are sour cherries, which I guess most non-foodie US folks don't know about unless they grew up in a cherry-producing region. They're richer-tasting and better for cooking with than sweet cherries. (If you're used to cherry pie tasting cloyingly sweet and one-dimensional, it's because you've always had it made with sweet cherries instead of sour.)
The only way I can seem to find them in Boston, where I live now, is in the freezer at a Slavic foods store. Conveniently, Polish has different names for sour and sweet cherries, so it's easy to know what you're getting. The good stuff is wiśnie.
posted by nebulawindphone at 6:02 PM on October 14, 2020 [3 favorites]
The only way I can seem to find them in Boston, where I live now, is in the freezer at a Slavic foods store. Conveniently, Polish has different names for sour and sweet cherries, so it's easy to know what you're getting. The good stuff is wiśnie.
posted by nebulawindphone at 6:02 PM on October 14, 2020 [3 favorites]
Australia has hamburgers. Same word, totally different referent.
posted by flabdablet at 6:25 PM on October 14, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by flabdablet at 6:25 PM on October 14, 2020 [1 favorite]
A friend has been cooking recipes from different countries for several years on her blog. The recipes by country page may give you some insights.
posted by icaicaer at 6:52 PM on October 14, 2020
posted by icaicaer at 6:52 PM on October 14, 2020
Fufu with okra sauce.
West African food isn't really widely available in the US, so really, anything from that region - but fufu is a widely eaten staple. It's called many things, fufu being only one of them. English-language resources seem to think it's mostly made with cassava flour, but where I did my field work during my dissertation, it was more often corn or millet.
It's eaten with a lot of different sauces, but okra sauce stands out to me because many prefer it very thick and slimy, to better cling to the fufu. That is, they capitalize on the sliminess of okra, instead of trying to minimize it like a lot of Americans would. The result is something very different.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 9:23 PM on October 14, 2020 [1 favorite]
West African food isn't really widely available in the US, so really, anything from that region - but fufu is a widely eaten staple. It's called many things, fufu being only one of them. English-language resources seem to think it's mostly made with cassava flour, but where I did my field work during my dissertation, it was more often corn or millet.
It's eaten with a lot of different sauces, but okra sauce stands out to me because many prefer it very thick and slimy, to better cling to the fufu. That is, they capitalize on the sliminess of okra, instead of trying to minimize it like a lot of Americans would. The result is something very different.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 9:23 PM on October 14, 2020 [1 favorite]
You could write for years about Indian regional food, but you could start with the relatively lesser known outside India:
Kerala beef fry
Goan beef cutless sandwich
Avial
Poriyal
Shorshe Ilish
Keema pav
Dhokla
...
If I had to wager a representative dish from the Maharashtrian desh, it'd be barli vangi (stuffed eggplants). Delicious.
posted by athirstforsalt at 11:40 PM on October 14, 2020 [1 favorite]
Kerala beef fry
Goan beef cutless sandwich
Avial
Poriyal
Shorshe Ilish
Keema pav
Dhokla
...
If I had to wager a representative dish from the Maharashtrian desh, it'd be barli vangi (stuffed eggplants). Delicious.
posted by athirstforsalt at 11:40 PM on October 14, 2020 [1 favorite]
Denmark is most famous for open-faced sandwiches. A classic Danish lunch is a highly ritualistic thing where you have to eat the different smørrebrød in a particular order and specific combinations, drink beer and snaps and have a toast with every snaps. But many Danes eat less formal håndmadder every day. (These are less ornate, though you still have to eat them in the right order, or your table-mates will be disgusted).
On the west coast, fish are eaten in unique ways, for instance with a brown gravy and cranberry preserve, as if the fish were game. It sounds weird, but is fine. Which reminds me of my favorite Danish fish meal: boiled cod with "everything", everything being boiled potatoes, a butter sauce, a mustard sauce, chopped eggs, grated horseradish, pickled beets and capers.
There are more pigs than people in Denmark, so all things pork are popular. Danish meatballs are larger and less sweet than the Swedish ones you get at IKEA. (In general, Danish food is less sweet than that of the other Nordic countries). Fried slices of pork belly with a parsley sauce is another classic.
Obviously, there is Danish pastry, which is a thing in Denmark, but called Viennese pastry here. And æbleskiver, little round fried cakes made of pancake batter. A summer favorite is rødgrød med fløde a cooked dessert made of whatever berries you have in the garden or find at the market, and served with thick cream.
posted by mumimor at 12:49 AM on October 15, 2020 [1 favorite]
On the west coast, fish are eaten in unique ways, for instance with a brown gravy and cranberry preserve, as if the fish were game. It sounds weird, but is fine. Which reminds me of my favorite Danish fish meal: boiled cod with "everything", everything being boiled potatoes, a butter sauce, a mustard sauce, chopped eggs, grated horseradish, pickled beets and capers.
There are more pigs than people in Denmark, so all things pork are popular. Danish meatballs are larger and less sweet than the Swedish ones you get at IKEA. (In general, Danish food is less sweet than that of the other Nordic countries). Fried slices of pork belly with a parsley sauce is another classic.
Obviously, there is Danish pastry, which is a thing in Denmark, but called Viennese pastry here. And æbleskiver, little round fried cakes made of pancake batter. A summer favorite is rødgrød med fløde a cooked dessert made of whatever berries you have in the garden or find at the market, and served with thick cream.
posted by mumimor at 12:49 AM on October 15, 2020 [1 favorite]
Arctic Inuit folks have Mikiuq, fermented whale blood and blubber. It’s a great delicacy and beloved by children. Once you get used to the texture it tastes surprisingly like chocolate.
posted by spitbull at 3:22 AM on October 15, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by spitbull at 3:22 AM on October 15, 2020 [1 favorite]
Karjalanpiirakka or Karelian pies are a savory pastry from my home region. They're a bit involved to make, but well worth the effort.
posted by speakeasy at 3:58 AM on October 15, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by speakeasy at 3:58 AM on October 15, 2020 [1 favorite]
There are many varieties of tacos i was not aware of covered in this delicious netflix tv show, in spanish with subtitles. 1 taco variety per episode.
netflix: taco chronicles
Now im starving for tacos.
posted by TheAdamist at 5:33 AM on October 15, 2020 [1 favorite]
netflix: taco chronicles
Now im starving for tacos.
posted by TheAdamist at 5:33 AM on October 15, 2020 [1 favorite]
Nova Scotia lobster rolls.
Interesting. My understanding is that lobster rolls are a New England thing, with the southern varieties tending to be warm with butter and the northern ones cool with mayonnaise. What’s unique or special about the Nova Scotia variety?
posted by slkinsey at 6:00 AM on October 15, 2020
Interesting. My understanding is that lobster rolls are a New England thing, with the southern varieties tending to be warm with butter and the northern ones cool with mayonnaise. What’s unique or special about the Nova Scotia variety?
posted by slkinsey at 6:00 AM on October 15, 2020
In Seattle you can get your late night hotdogs from the cart with cream cheese, which is surprisingly pretty good and easy to do at home.
My favorite homestyle Mexican thing that I have only rarely seen on menus is chicken tinga, I think everyone’s mom or auntie has a different recipe for it and it probably varies by neighborhood. I got a taste for it from my slightly displaced texican neighbors growing up in San Antonio.
My uncle spent a lot of his life in Seoul where he learned to make Korean bbq lettuce wraps with perilla leaves instead of lettuce. Makes for a slightly peppery bite with a different texture. They’re also a bit smaller so make for an easier bite to feed to your friends and family. He got his from a neighbor’s shrub that grew like a weed, she was evidently always bringing him piles of them. Also from the neighbor, home made kimchi, which is a gift he was honestly never appreciative enough of. You can have a lot of fun making your own kimchi and its many variations with your own local produce.
My Hungarian great grandma brought over her chicken paprikash recipe, which is vastly more simple and better than most restaurant paprikashes I’ve tried. We make really heavy drop dumplings with them to soak up the sauce. There is an entire world of European dumplings to explore, most of which are home cooking and take more labor than skill.
posted by Mizu at 7:01 AM on October 15, 2020
My favorite homestyle Mexican thing that I have only rarely seen on menus is chicken tinga, I think everyone’s mom or auntie has a different recipe for it and it probably varies by neighborhood. I got a taste for it from my slightly displaced texican neighbors growing up in San Antonio.
My uncle spent a lot of his life in Seoul where he learned to make Korean bbq lettuce wraps with perilla leaves instead of lettuce. Makes for a slightly peppery bite with a different texture. They’re also a bit smaller so make for an easier bite to feed to your friends and family. He got his from a neighbor’s shrub that grew like a weed, she was evidently always bringing him piles of them. Also from the neighbor, home made kimchi, which is a gift he was honestly never appreciative enough of. You can have a lot of fun making your own kimchi and its many variations with your own local produce.
My Hungarian great grandma brought over her chicken paprikash recipe, which is vastly more simple and better than most restaurant paprikashes I’ve tried. We make really heavy drop dumplings with them to soak up the sauce. There is an entire world of European dumplings to explore, most of which are home cooking and take more labor than skill.
posted by Mizu at 7:01 AM on October 15, 2020
Not entirely clear whether you are asking for dishes you wouldn't find in a purportedly "ethnic" restaurant for that nationality/region, or nationalities/regions with cuisines that are more generally under-represented in the "ethnic" restaurant sector?
If the latter, the republic of Georgia's khachapuri is friggin delicious (every food in Georgia is delicious). It's hard to find Georgian restaurants in the US, but if you find one, they will definitely have that on the menu. Khinkali is the other common recommendation, also delicious, especially if you can get them fried.
To add to the West African suggestions (and yes to okra sauce!), Senegalese yassa or thiéboudienne. Again, you'll find those if you find a Senegalese restaurant, it's the finding of the restaurant that can be tough.
posted by solotoro at 8:20 AM on October 15, 2020
If the latter, the republic of Georgia's khachapuri is friggin delicious (every food in Georgia is delicious). It's hard to find Georgian restaurants in the US, but if you find one, they will definitely have that on the menu. Khinkali is the other common recommendation, also delicious, especially if you can get them fried.
To add to the West African suggestions (and yes to okra sauce!), Senegalese yassa or thiéboudienne. Again, you'll find those if you find a Senegalese restaurant, it's the finding of the restaurant that can be tough.
posted by solotoro at 8:20 AM on October 15, 2020
I don't think I've ever seen lefse at a restaurant, but it is popular in Minnesota and Wisconsin due to the number of Norwegians who settled here. Wikipedia says the flatbread is made in Norway in many variations, while in the Midwest it always seems to have potatoes in it. My family puts butter and sugar on it and rolls it up.
posted by soelo at 8:40 AM on October 15, 2020
posted by soelo at 8:40 AM on October 15, 2020
Staffordshire oatcakes. Amazing. You can buy the fixings outside Staffordshire but I've not seen them for sale complete elsewhere.
Scouse is a stew mainly found in and around Liverpool. As a result it's also the name of the accent.
Bedfordshire clangers are unheard of outside Bedfordshire. They featured on GBBO in 2017.
More famous English regional dishes include Melton Mowbray pork pies, Cornish pasties, Eccles cakes, Chorley cakes, Kendal mint cake, Lancashire hotpot, Yorkshire pudding, Cumberland sausages, and Lincolnshire sausages.
posted by plonkee at 9:36 AM on October 15, 2020 [1 favorite]
Scouse is a stew mainly found in and around Liverpool. As a result it's also the name of the accent.
Bedfordshire clangers are unheard of outside Bedfordshire. They featured on GBBO in 2017.
More famous English regional dishes include Melton Mowbray pork pies, Cornish pasties, Eccles cakes, Chorley cakes, Kendal mint cake, Lancashire hotpot, Yorkshire pudding, Cumberland sausages, and Lincolnshire sausages.
posted by plonkee at 9:36 AM on October 15, 2020 [1 favorite]
Toronto has butter chicken roti and I miss it so.
posted by quaking fajita at 1:20 PM on October 16, 2020
posted by quaking fajita at 1:20 PM on October 16, 2020
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posted by splitpeasoup at 3:29 PM on October 14, 2020 [2 favorites]