“Local” foods that international friends don’t understand!

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Replies

  • 75in2013
    75in2013 Posts: 360 Member
    vanmep wrote: »
    Any Dutch people? Hagelslaag (chocolate or candy sprinkles to put on toast) and dropjes (salted black licorice).

    Not Dutch ... but my kids love Vla :D

    Whenever I visit the Netherlands (usually to go sailing) I bring back some Vanilla Vla or Dubbel Vla.

    Also Chocomel ...

    Man I miss going to the Netherlands now ...
  • ZoneFive
    ZoneFive Posts: 570 Member
    My best friend's partner J is English - the two of them came to visit me and my husband last year right before The Great Unpleasantness began, and when they got in the first thing we did was go grocery shopping. It was J's first time in the US, and they were really excited when we got to the breakfast aisle and they saw the 30,000 flavors of Pop Tarts. I think they bought three or four boxes, LMAO. They also had a good laugh at the "British Foods" section of the international foods aisle.

    Rec for The Great Unpleasantness. I shall have to purloin this locution.

  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,334 Member
    Lietchi wrote: »
    Lietchi wrote: »
    vanmep wrote: »
    Any Dutch people? Hagelslag (chocolate or candy sprinkles to put on toast) and dropjes (salted black licorice).

    Also called "muizenstrontjes" here in Belgium (mouse droppings :D cause it looks similar)

    Known as ‘Fairy Bread’ in the U.K. - or parts of the U.K. anyway. Wasn’t something I knew about as a child but learnt about later when I had children of my own. Lots of their friends were given it by parents who had had it as children. Not appealing to me, as a child or an adult!

    I googled it, but what I found is white bread with butter and colored sprinkles? Not my thing either.
    While hagelslag can be sugary colored sprinkles, the real stuff (in my mind anyway) is chocolate!
    I used to put it on bread with, instead of butter which I hate, nutella! Chocolate OD but so yummy 🙂

    Hagel is as different as can be from American “sprinkles”. It looks like them but the chocolate is really tiny bits of milk or dark chocolate. If you’re a chocoholic you’d go nuts over them.

    For a low calorie dessert, I whip a serving of Greek yogurt with 7grams of sugar free white or chocolate pudding mix, chill for an hour and then top with a spritz of canned whipped cream and sprinkle 6grams hagel. Delish!

    @am0000r I love falafel! My treat to myself before I got my vaccination a couple of days ago was falafel, pita and baba ganoush.
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  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,334 Member
    lemurcat2 wrote: »

    Hmm. I can buy the pecan pie for Georgia. Although we’re both natives and while we love our biscuits, can’t stand them with gravy.

    But what really caught my eye was the last line I happened to see as I scrolled down. Maine’s grilled cheese and apple sandwich just upset my lunch plans. I’m making that!!!!!
  • lilithsrose
    lilithsrose Posts: 752 Member
    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.
  • gsjrgrizzlies
    gsjrgrizzlies Posts: 2 Member
    This thread w/o pics is kill'n me.
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,570 Member
    edited March 2021
    This thread w/o pics is kill'n me.

    Masochist. :)
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,334 Member
    This thread w/o pics is kill'n me.

    I think you want the Happy Pi Day thread. OMG. That one hurt me to my heart.
  • goal06082021
    goal06082021 Posts: 2,130 Member
    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.
  • robertw486
    robertw486 Posts: 2,379 Member
    rhaiin wrote: »
    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.
  • kali31337
    kali31337 Posts: 1,048 Member
    rhaiin wrote: »
    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!
  • Thoin
    Thoin Posts: 942 Member
    I find, anywhere but the South, people don't know what I'm talking about.

    Moonpies and Cheerwine

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  • anna_nintey3
    anna_nintey3 Posts: 843 Member
    Bangers n mash
    Sanga
    Vegemite
  • claireychn074
    claireychn074 Posts: 1,311 Member
    I have weirdest cookies on my laptop now from googling so many of these foods! 🤣
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,899 Member
    edited March 2021
    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.)
  • Mangoperson88
    Mangoperson88 Posts: 339 Member
    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!!
  • LeeAWatt2021
    LeeAWatt2021 Posts: 14 Member
    festerw wrote: »
    festerw wrote: »
    Sponge candy, ox roast, and pepperoni balls.

    Okay what’s sponge candy then?!

    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.
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,033 Member
    festerw wrote: »
    festerw wrote: »
    Sponge candy, ox roast, and pepperoni balls.

    Okay what’s sponge candy then?!

    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 :smiley: