Local specialties around the world

[Norm Matthews]

I just found this in a remote corner of my computer.  I don't remember when or where I saw it but I thought I'd share it with you.

What food do Americans eat that nobody else in the world eats?

 

Grendel Khan

 

I moved from England to the US. Some foods that were unique to me that come to mind are listed below. I've tried all of them. I would order some again (but not all of them)

 

•Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

•Smores

• Gumbo

•Jambalya

• Muffuletta

•Grilled Rattlesnake

* Fried catfish

• Chicken fried steak

• Buffalo wing with a blue cheese dip

* Chili dogs

• Grits

•Biscuits and gravy

•Indian tacos ( made on Indian fry bread)

• Green beans with grilled onions on top

• Lobster roll

• Lobster bake

• Tuna melt

• Po'boys

• a ton of Tex-Mex dishes

• Peanut butter and grape jelly sandwiches

• A bunch or "salads"( peas and peanuts, pistachio salad. Cobb. Ceasar, etc)

• Twinkies ( the only "food" that has enough preservatives to survive a nuclear attack).

• Meatloaf?

 

So, what did I miss?

 

 

Staff note: this post and response to it have been moved from Food Funnies, to maintain topic focus.

[AlaMoi]

hmmm, I think the one"un-miss" is the meatloaf item.
 

seasoned ground beef - except for the literal physical "shape" - is very widespread, goes by many different names - but it's the same thing - ground beef + egg + seasoning + (?bread for) thickening."

"Frikadellen" and associated near-same-name kin in northern Europe/low countries/et al . . . is basically a 'mini-meatloaf'

 

"rattle steak" anything, obviously not going to appear in Europe...

Cajun 'aka NOLA' may indeed appear in France - not qualified to answer that . . but Cajun is a blend of 'stuff' migrated 'down south' from the upper/bordering French settled/speaking areas 'up nawth'

 

 

 

Edited October 8, 2024 by AlaMoi (log)

[liuzhou]

I find it very difficult to believe that anyone from England wouldn't know grilled cheese sandwiches. I'm British have been eating them for about 70 years. They are common.

 

Cobb and Ceasar (sic) salads, too. Meatloaf, although not so common as in the USA, is also well-known.

Edited October 9, 2024 by liuzhou (log)

[haresfur]

Yeah, grilled cheese is the most basic of the toasties that are very popular here. Often made on a panini press but with basic bread. A coworker would have the same cheese toastie every day and had a carefully calibrated system using a beer glass to hold the lid up so it wouldn't squish the sandwich too much (later replaced by a stand with a threaded rod and plastic prop that our techo made for even more precise adjustments. A friend ran a toastie shop for a long time before he turned it into a pseudo diner. I miss the toasties.

 

I have seen Caesar salad here (not exactly authentic) and am pretty sure tuna melts. 

[liuzhou]

Yes. And Twinkies have been sold in the UK for years. Most supermarkets have them, Damn, I can even buy them in China. Not that I want to!

 

The whole list is seemingly written by someone who never gets out much. Most of the list can be found in the UK, certainly in the larger cities. London has many American eateries selling most of these. I ate  Jambalaya for the first time in London in the 1970s.

 

Also, much of the list exists in the UK, but under different names. I remember my mother making what was basically chicken fried steak but she didn't call it that. The very similar Scottish dish seems to be older than chicken fried steak, appearing on menus and in cookbooks  earlier thatn any American reference to CFS.

 

Edited October 10, 2024 by liuzhou (log)

[Katie Meadow]

I never heard the word "toastie" until I came to eG. In fact, or maybe I'm making this up, it was in a post by Anna N. I guess I never ordered a grilled cheese sandwich when visiting the UK. For the hell of it I googled it, trying to determine if there was actually a difference. Predictably there is a world of dopey confusion as to what that might be. To some people a toastie indicates it is made in a " toastie maker" or press as opposed to flipped on a skillet. Where the butter should go is another topic entirely. My mother, a New Yorker who spent her growing years in Cincinnati never made a grilled cheese sandwich in her life, as far as I can  remember. Nor did she ever make tomato soup, which is a nice traditional go-with. When I proudly got my first cast iron pan at a flea market in college I started making them for myself. If I asked my husband to make me a toastie he would be stumped. However he makes a mean grilled cheese. In a cast iron skillet. The butter goes on the outside. "Toastie" seems more inclusive, as it implies that it need not be just cheese between the slices. But I'm stuck with grilled cheese. Another word I learned being on eG is "melty."

[Amy D.]

I'd say that everything on that list is distinctively american. 

 

While in the uk we have cheese on toast, and cheese toasties done at home in the little toasty machine with two triangular depressions that everyone ends up buying and only using for a week or so before its forgotten about. Grilled cheese is only a definition that we started to hear in the early 00's with the rise of american cookery shows, and only really commonplace now with the street food trend. 

Yeah you can buy twinkies but only in the "american" grocery section (at a premium.

 

 

 

Within about 10 miles of us we have bakewell pudding (not the tarts they have a puff pastry base and almost custardy filling) only found them in bakewell. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakewell_pudding

There are probably lots of local cheeses too such as stichelton cheese 

[TicTac]

16 hours ago, liuzhou said:

 

 

The whole list is seemingly written by someone who never gets out much. Most of the list can be found in the UK, certainly in the larger cities. London has many American eateries selling most of these. I ate  Jambalaya for the first time in London in the 1970s.

 

 

 

The list was penned by Norm.  Not sure if the snarky/rude comment was intended or not, but certainly not necessary.

[rotuts]

@TicTac

 

pleased someone else , thus others ,

 

noticed.  

 

nothing new , really .

[Tropicalsenior]

2 hours ago, TicTac said:

The list was penned by Norm

No, the list was originally posted by Norm as a joke on the Food Funnies Topic. It was something that he found on his computer as a joke.

[liuzhou]

6 hours ago, TicTac said:

The list was penned by Norm.  Not sure if the snarky/rude comment was intended or not, but certainly not necessary.

 

No, the list wasn't penned by Norm, as he explains. It was written by someone using the name Grendel Khan.

 

 

Edited October 11, 2024 by liuzhou (log)

[Kerry Beal]

8 hours ago, Katie Meadow said:

I never heard the word "toastie" until I came to eG. In fact, or maybe I'm making this up, it was in a post by Anna N. I guess I never ordered a grilled cheese sandwich when visiting the UK. For the hell of it I googled it, trying to determine if there was actually a difference. Predictably there is a world of dopey confusion as to what that might be. To some people a toastie indicates it is made in a " toastie maker" or press as opposed to flipped on a skillet. Where the butter should go is another topic entirely. My mother, a New Yorker who spent her growing years in Cincinnati never made a grilled cheese sandwich in her life, as far as I can  remember. Nor did she ever make tomato soup, which is a nice traditional go-with. When I proudly got my first cast iron pan at a flea market in college I started making them for myself. If I asked my husband to make me a toastie he would be stumped. However he makes a mean grilled cheese. In a cast iron skillet. The butter goes on the outside. "Toastie" seems more inclusive, as it implies that it need not be just cheese between the slices. But I'm stuck with grilled cheese. Another word I learned being on eG is "melty."

The butter goes on the inside and the outside!

[haresfur]

9 hours ago, Katie Meadow said:

I never heard the word "toastie" until I came to eG. In fact, or maybe I'm making this up, it was in a post by Anna N. I guess I never ordered a grilled cheese sandwich when visiting the UK. For the hell of it I googled it, trying to determine if there was actually a difference. Predictably there is a world of dopey confusion as to what that might be. To some people a toastie indicates it is made in a " toastie maker" or press as opposed to flipped on a skillet. Where the butter should go is another topic entirely. My mother, a New Yorker who spent her growing years in Cincinnati never made a grilled cheese sandwich in her life, as far as I can  remember. Nor did she ever make tomato soup, which is a nice traditional go-with. When I proudly got my first cast iron pan at a flea market in college I started making them for myself. If I asked my husband to make me a toastie he would be stumped. However he makes a mean grilled cheese. In a cast iron skillet. The butter goes on the outside. "Toastie" seems more inclusive, as it implies that it need not be just cheese between the slices. But I'm stuck with grilled cheese. Another word I learned being on eG is "melty."

 

My originally American parents used to do grilled cheese on a waffle iron that I think they got as a wedding present in the 1950s. The waffle part flipped over to give you flat plates for grilling. The sandwiches would end up very squished. Also used for grilled PB and jam. Grape jelly would end up like napalm in your mouth if you weren't careful.

[haresfur]

7 hours ago, Amy D. said:

I'd say that everything on that list is distinctively american. 

 

While in the uk we have cheese on toast, and cheese toasties done at home in the little toasty machine with two triangular depressions that everyone ends up buying and only using for a week or so before its forgotten about. Grilled cheese is only a definition that we started to hear in the early 00's with the rise of american cookery shows, and only really commonplace now with the street food trend. 

Yeah you can buy twinkies but only in the "american" grocery section (at a premium.

 

 

 

Within about 10 miles of us we have bakewell pudding (not the tarts they have a puff pastry base and almost custardy filling) only found them in bakewell. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakewell_pudding

There are probably lots of local cheeses too such as stichelton cheese 

 

I believe those toasters with the triangular depressions are an offshoot of the jaffle irons I recently finally saw in action camping with friends. Basically put the metal triangular bits on hinged metal rods. Assemble your jaffle in the irons, close them and cook over a wood fire or your gas camp stove. I learned a little about the creativity as to what you put into the jaffle, depending on your mood and whether you are cooking for children.

[Katie Meadow]

4 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:

The butter goes on the inside and the outside!

I'll take one grilled cheese sandwich and a heart attack on the side. Which side would that be?

[gulfporter]

I made ersatz pulled pork sandwiches today from leftover chamorro (pork shank in a guajillo sauce).  I pretty much turn ANY leftover cooked pork into "pulled pork" sandwiches.   

 

As I was assembling them, I remembered a friend who came to lunch decades ago and said (in mock horror), "You put cole slaw IN the sandwich?!?"

 

It reminded me of my first trip to Virginia to visit a college boyfriend (now mi esposo of 53 years).  He took me to Three Pigs BBQ.  I had never been to a bbq joint before (grew up in NE Pennsylvania).  He order two pulled pork sandwiches and coleslaw.  When they brought the food, I said, "Jeez, they put the cole slaw ON my sandwich!"  What a greenhorn I was!

 

When I started working in 1973 there was a snack bar in my government building.  In addition to bbq pork with slaw, they served a decent meatball sandwich and it also came with cole slaw on it.  I never really got jiggy with that.  

 

 

 

 

[C. sapidus]

Blue crabs are not unique to Maryland but I have never had good steamed blue crabs or crab cakes outside Maryland, Delaware, or coastal Northern Virginia. Steamed with Old Bay, piled on brown paper-covered tables, wooden hammers to crack the claws, a bowl of Maryland crab soup (clear, red), and a bucket for the shells, gills (“devil’s fingers”), and whatnot.

 

The mindset is that picking crabs is an excuse to spend time with people whose company you enjoy. Oh, and drink beer. For the brave, slurping the crab “mustard” (you don’t want to know) is a special treat.

 

“Pit beef” is a Baltimore thing. Beef, usually top round, cooked rare or medium rare over charcoal, sliced thinly, and served on a kaiser roll with sliced raw onion and “Tiger sauce” (1 part horseradish and 2 parts mayonnaise). Probably my least favorite form of BBQ but pretty tasty.

 

“Half-smokes” are a DC thing, traditionally half beef and half pork sausages with a closely-guarded mix of spices.

 

Another thing the DC area is known for is Ethiopian food. I expect that this can also be found in Ethiopia 😉 but the DC area has one of the largest expatriate Ethiopian communities and the food is uh-may-zing. Best enjoyed with tej, an Ethiopian honey wine.

 

[rotuts]

@C. sapidus

 

 

my mouth is watering .  Ive never had BC's as you describe.

 

a big loss I think.

 

BC's were featured several times in ' Homicide : Life in the Streets '

 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106028/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_homicide

 

I liked the little hammers they used.

 

and , of course  in ' The Wire '

 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0306414/?ref_=fn_all_ttl_1

 

The Bunk  liked the ' mustard ' in a memorable scene .  slurped in right down , or what might have been ' mustard , on the set.

Edited yesterday at 10:30 PM by rotuts (log)

[gfweb]

12 minutes ago, rotuts said:

@C. sapidus

 

 

my mouth is watering .  Ive never had BC's as you describe.

 

a big loss I think.

 

BC's were featured several times in ' Homicide : Life in the Streets '

 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106028/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_homicide

 

I liked the little hammers they used.

 

and , of course  in ' The Wire '

 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0306414/?ref_=fn_all_ttl_1

 

The Bunk  like the ' mustard ' in a memorable scene .  slurped in right down , or what might have been ' mustard , on the set.

 

Blue crabs, for me, are a once or twice food.

We have a good crab place,... pine walls...beer...plenty of brown paper...hammers.

But its too much work for a little bit of meat. And the fingers get covered in Old Bay which will remind you just how often you touch your eyes.

 

Edited yesterday at 08:24 PM by gfweb (log)

[rotuts]

@gfweb

 

Id be very happy w Once.

 

with the possibility of twice to be determined 

 

I completely agree , Crabs need work .  and a lot of it .  in the kitchen .  Before service.

 

same as lobxster.

 

in CA , Id get the dungeness crabs , from Coo'ks seafood

 

already perfectly cooked , and spread the newpaper out ion the table

 

and work them through .  save the meat for something else 

 

back then  I didnt use the shells for stock.  

 

only so much ' fishy ' in the morning Id say .

 

but that was ' Stock Lost '

 

 

[weinoo]

18 hours ago, C. sapidus said:

Blue crabs are not unique to Maryland but I have never had good steamed blue crabs or crab cakes outside Maryland, Delaware, or coastal Northern Virginia. Steamed with Old Bay, piled on brown paper-covered tables, wooden hammers to crack the claws, a bowl of Maryland crab soup (clear, red), and a bucket for the shells, gills (“devil’s fingers”), and whatnot.

 

 

My favorite place for these is Cantler's, in Annapolis. Especially arriving by boat!

 

 

Though I often found it easier on the hands (and eyes), to just get crab cakes:

 

 

Even if Faidley's, in Baltimore, are better.

 

18 hours ago, C. sapidus said:

“Half-smokes” are a DC thing, traditionally half beef and half pork sausages with a closely-guarded mix of spices.

 

And is there any place as iconic as Ben's Chili Bowl?

[Katie Meadow]

Blue crabs are a favorite nostalgia food for me. As kids we used to catch them with butterfly nets in Hampton Bays, Long Island.  I especially love them during soft-shell season. I've had tender big ones at NY Noodle Town. They are not a West Coast crab. Surprisingly I saw them for sale, live, at 99 Ranch the other day here in the East Bay. i've become squeamish about killing live crabs in my old age, so I didn't get them. I'll be on Edisto Island off the SC coast in late April and I'm hoping they have some there.  The place we are staying at backs on the marsh, and the property description says it includes a" crab dock." There will be some 3 and 4 year olds with us, so they may object to throwing a living creature into boiling water, and I get that. I'm not one of those people who propagate the myth that lobsters and crabs don't feel pain.