“Local” foods that international friends don’t understand!
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God, how could I have brought up Cincinnati chili and forgotten to mention goetta? One of these days I'm going to acquire a terrine pan and then it's over for y'all I'm gonna make some dang goetta. Maybe you don't need a terrine pan but it seems like a good way to form the goetta-loaf and get it back out again.
Goetta, for the uninitiated, is basically sausage-flavored oatmeal patties, and you can't get it outside of the greater Cincinnati area unless you make it yourself. You form the oatmeal-slop into loaves, freeze it, slice it thin and grill it up crisp, and it's breakfast food that occupies a similar niche as the hash brown, only with oats instead of potatoes. My husband experienced goetta for the first time when we were visiting my mom a few years back. He should have been a Cincy boy, as much as he loves our hyperlocal cuisine.0 -
Here in Pennsylvania, we have "chipped ham". Its basically super thin sliced deli ham (usually Isaly's brand). I don't know why, but it tastes different than thicker slices. A lot of people make hot chipped ham bbq sandwiches with it.
When I visited another state and tried to get chipped ham at the deli, they looked at me like I was crazy. That's when I realized that it was just a weird PA thing.
PA has a few of those. Lebanon Bologna is not known in much of the east coast of the US even,
Both me and my wifes families are from PA, and both areas have unique food stuff to the region. Drive a couple hours away and people look at you like you are from Mars or something.1 -
Here in Pennsylvania, we have "chipped ham". Its basically super thin sliced deli ham (usually Isaly's brand). I don't know why, but it tastes different than thicker slices. A lot of people make hot chipped ham bbq sandwiches with it.
When I visited another state and tried to get chipped ham at the deli, they looked at me like I was crazy. That's when I realized that it was just a weird PA thing.
Yess! I never realized that chipped ham wasn't a thing until I moved away!
Also salads with mandarin oranges and french fries!0 -
I find, anywhere but the South, people don't know what I'm talking about.
Moonpies and Cheerwine
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Bangers n mash
Sanga
Vegemite
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I have weirdest cookies on my laptop now from googling so many of these foods! 🤣3
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I once googled cricket protein powder, and got all kinds of much more disgusting sounding insect or other crawly creature based snacks promoted to me for a while, including in the MFP ads. No, thanks, not interested in Larvets, the original worm snacks! Don't care if they are cheddar cheese flavored.
(So far as I know, none of these are local specialities, at least not in modern times.)1 -
Indian cuisine is more than butter chicken and naan. Back in 2015-16 when I was active here a lot of my foreign friends didn't understand the local foods I logged in my diary 😂 so I'll list some interesting middle class indian foods not found mostly in hotels in western countries.
Poha-> flattened rice flakes usually a breakfast staple
Tondli-> ivy gourd
Rava sheera-> semolina pudding
Shakar para-> small baked biscuits and a lot of other stuff!! the list is too long....😂🤣
P.s glad I found this thread!!3 -
claireychn074 wrote: »claireychn074 wrote: »
Best way I can describe it is like fluffy caramel covered in chocolate.
https://www.yourerie.com/digital-first/digital-exclusive/digital-exclusive-sponge-candy-explained/
Oh that’s hilarious - I clicked on the link but the content is banned for Europeans 🤣🤣 so I can’t even find out what it is!
It's caramel (corn syrup, sugar and butter) that you add baking soda to in the final stage .. it bubbles up. You pour it on baking paper to set then break it in chunks and dip in melted chocolate. It's bubbly and airy but crunchy too. I used to make it in the microwave many years ago but haven't made it in years.1 -
LeeAWatt2021 wrote: »claireychn074 wrote: »claireychn074 wrote: »
Best way I can describe it is like fluffy caramel covered in chocolate.
https://www.yourerie.com/digital-first/digital-exclusive/digital-exclusive-sponge-candy-explained/
Oh that’s hilarious - I clicked on the link but the content is banned for Europeans 🤣🤣 so I can’t even find out what it is!
It's caramel (corn syrup, sugar and butter) that you add baking soda to in the final stage .. it bubbles up. You pour it on baking paper to set then break it in chunks and dip in melted chocolate. It's bubbly and airy but crunchy too. I used to make it in the microwave many years ago but haven't made it in years.
Also known as honeycomb? Seen it on TV shows lots of times, it looks like a science experiment to make it
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I grew up in Cape Breton, NS where many Scottish migrants settled so there was a lot of Scottish influence in our daily lives. My grandfather and his siblings still spoke gaelic (he was from Ayr, Scotland) as did many of the older generation in my village. We have a Gaelic college, there were always bagpipes and fiddles. (Big Irish influence there too). I had tablet and biscuits made by my great-aunt. I had blood pudding for breakfast with kippers on toast. I knew of haggis but never really had it until I went to Scotland as an adult. We ate porridge every morning. Oatcakes and treacle toffee.0
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I find, anywhere but the South, people don't know what I'm talking about.
Moonpies and Cheerwine
I didn't grow up in the South, but my mom grew up in NC and my grandparents lived there,so I definitely know about Moonpies,and especially Cheerwine! We'd always take Cheerwine and Sundrop back with us to Indiana after visiting them.
I was happy to see Cheerwine in my local suburban Chicago grocery store a few years ago.1 -
Poutine! For those outside of Canada or who don’t know it’s French fries, gravy and cheese curds. A tasty satisfying indulgence. I don’t know if it has spread to the rest of the world yet. I haven’t had it for years but I’m getting a craving for it just about now! 😃2
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Speakeasy76 wrote: »I find, anywhere but the South, people don't know what I'm talking about.
Moonpies and Cheerwine
I didn't grow up in the South, but my mom grew up in NC and my grandparents lived there,so I definitely know about Moonpies,and especially Cheerwine! We'd always take Cheerwine and Sundrop back with us to Indiana after visiting them.
I was happy to see Cheerwine in my local suburban Chicago grocery store a few years ago.
The Cookout burger chain - which is outstanding, btw- has Cheerwine on fountain.
There was also a brand called Bloodwine, which was really good. Another good one was Nehi, especially the peach.
I regularly ship chocolate Moonpies to my daughter in Europe. Her husband and in-laws were like,”What ARE these things?!”1 -
So, I posted this in a tangent on another thread, and @claireychn074 suggested I post it here. It's . . . hyper-local, and was limited release. I thought it was wonderful, personally, but definitely would not be for everyone.
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LeeAWatt2021 wrote: »claireychn074 wrote: »claireychn074 wrote: »
Best way I can describe it is like fluffy caramel covered in chocolate.
https://www.yourerie.com/digital-first/digital-exclusive/digital-exclusive-sponge-candy-explained/
Oh that’s hilarious - I clicked on the link but the content is banned for Europeans 🤣🤣 so I can’t even find out what it is!
It's caramel (corn syrup, sugar and butter) that you add baking soda to in the final stage .. it bubbles up. You pour it on baking paper to set then break it in chunks and dip in melted chocolate. It's bubbly and airy but crunchy too. I used to make it in the microwave many years ago but haven't made it in years.
Also known as honeycomb? Seen it on TV shows lots of times, it looks like a science experiment to make it
Honeycomb, Cinder Toffee, or in some parts of the U.K. - Hokey-Pokey! Goodness knows where that last came from and it always slightly disturbs me to hear fully grown adults (I’m looking at you, Nigella Lawson) refer to it as such! 😱😂1 -
Parma
Barra
Banger
Sanga
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6monthstilmarch wrote: »Parma
Barra
Banger
Sanga
That just sounds so nice tripping off the tongue.0 -
@AnnPT77 Oh, that beer looks really interesting! Presumably you had a chance to try it? How was it?0
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Another Belgian here. I agree on the "muizenstrontjes". Superdelish!
As for kwark/quark, we have always known it here, but my French family didn't know what it was.
When we went to France to visit them, we always brought Belgian pickles (pickalily), chocolate and also "dried meat". It's the animal that this dried meat is from that is controversial, as it is horse meat.
We have a history of boating transporting goods through canals, and before boats were powered with engines, horses used to pull the boats. Arriving at destination (around the Brussels area), the horses that were not good enough to make another trip were slaughtered. This make a long tradition of eating horse meat in our region. I ate it a lot as a child and I remember it was our favorite meat. You can still order it at local restaurants, or find it in the supermarkets. You can imagine the reaction of some of our international guests when we help them read the menu!0 -
goal06082021 wrote: »@AnnPT77 Oh, that beer looks really interesting! Presumably you had a chance to try it? How was it?
Yes. That was my photo of my own personal bottle (well, one of them). I'm mostly an IPA gal, but will try a sour ale now and then. Usually they're fruity, and not what I'd think of as beer-y, flavor wise
I thought this was wonderful, but it would be a niche taste, I think. Hard to describe: Flavor profile over in the direction of a margarita (tartly sour, salty), but with cucumber tones (with the sourness, a hint of cucumber/vinegar salad flavor, but not strictly vinegar-y). I love cucumbers, salt, so it worked for me.1 -
We’re nearing Easter, so I was just reminded of two traditional Finnish Easter delicacies, one of which I love and one I loathe with all my heart. Starting with the bad so we can end with good, I’d like to introduce you to mämmi. It’s essentially cold sweetened rye porridge that looks like, well, mud or runny poop and is eaten with heavy cream. Here’s a wikipedia link for those interested. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mämmi
My actual favorite is pasha, which is a ridiculously calorific dessert made out of quark, cream, sugar and butter. All the ingredients are mixed together and put in a mold to set overnight, and it becomes a firm sponge-like thing you can cut into. It’s delicious, but I’ve only had pasha a few times since my grandma passed away in 2015. She used to make it every Easter and had a specific pasha mold that made some beautiful ornamentation in the pasha. She always served it with fresh fruit, like grapes.4 -
We’re nearing Easter, so I was just reminded of two traditional Finnish Easter delicacies, one of which I love and one I loathe with all my heart. Starting with the bad so we can end with good, I’d like to introduce you to mämmi. It’s essentially cold sweetened rye porridge that looks like, well, mud or runny poop and is eaten with heavy cream. Here’s a wikipedia link for those interested. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mämmi
My actual favorite is pasha, which is a ridiculously calorific dessert made out of quark, cream, sugar and butter. All the ingredients are mixed together and put in a mold to set overnight, and it becomes a firm sponge-like thing you can cut into. It’s delicious, but I’ve only had pasha a few times since my grandma passed away in 2015. She used to make it every Easter and had a specific pasha mold that made some beautiful ornamentation in the pasha. She always served it with fresh fruit, like grapes.
Another Finn here! I actually don't mind mämmi and often eat it a couple of times around Easter. It's pretty low-calorie and filling, which is how I like my desserts and food in general. I eat mine with vanilla custard.
I actually can't readily think of another food that is as exclusively Finnish as mämmi. Even pasha apparently is eaten in Eastern Orthodox countries (I had to google this after the discussion of quark availability upthread - I figured that since pasha is traditional and uses quark as an ingredient, quark has to have been available in the countries that make pasha for much longer than a few decades).
Maybe kalakukko (fish baked into a loaf of bread) might be another only-found-in-Finland food?0 -
@MarttaHP you might be right! Most ”traditional” delicacies I can think of are shared with either Sweden or Russia. Kalakukko might be, but I’d imagine baking fish into a bread is done around the world in different ways. Christmas casseroles like lanttulaatikko, porkkanalaatikko and imelletty perunalaatikko (rutabaga, carrot and sweetened potato casseroles) might be quite exclusively Finnish, and possibly munajuusto (a type of fresh cheese made with eggs)?
The biggest upside of my IBS-caused rye and barley intolerance is that I have a non-arguable health reason to decline mämmi... yes, I loathe it that much.0 -
Clapshot
And
Cranachan
(Though not in the same dish!)0 -
Southern items here. Scrapple, Head Cheese, Stone Milled Hominy Grits, Raw Oysters in season, collards, mustard greens, beet greens, kale, BBQ in infinite variations and styles, southern slaw, pimiento cheese, funeral cake and funeral pudding. Foods I craved when I lived in South Korea because so many of them were not available. Briefly lived up north and these were no where to be found in Connecticut and Colorado 20 plus years ago. I loved living in Columbus, Ohio because with so many Southern transplants whose families had moved north to escape Jim Crow. Found many of my family favorites there and restaurants serving the foods I craved.0
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Speakeasy76 wrote: »I find, anywhere but the South, people don't know what I'm talking about.
Moonpies and Cheerwine
I didn't grow up in the South, but my mom grew up in NC and my grandparents lived there,so I definitely know about Moonpies,and especially Cheerwine! We'd always take Cheerwine and Sundrop back with us to Indiana after visiting them.
I was happy to see Cheerwine in my local suburban Chicago grocery store a few years ago.
Oh wow, it's made it up there now?0 -
Walking Tacos, I'm in Austin TX.
You just crack open a bag of Doritos or Fritos, crunch them up a bit, then directly add in cooked beef, shredded cheese, lettuce, sour cream, salsa, and jalapenos.
They're a hit at Friday night football games too.2 -
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My Dad always had cheddar cheese with apple pie- he said it was a Yorkshire thing (UK). I don't know about that as I've never seen it in Yorkshire! He always used to say (& apologies if this no longer politically correct), "Apple pie without cheese, is like a kiss without a squeeze"!goal06082021 wrote: »Apple pie and cheddar cheese is definitely not country-wide, I always thought of that as a Vermont thing specifically though? Maybe just the first person to tell me about it was a Vermonter.
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