Introducing National Cuisine

[DodinBouffant]

[Pan]

What's a Monte Christo?!

[DodinBouffant]

I'm not so sure I can provide the definitive answer as to what a monte christo is (so maybe it shouldn't be on my list)but this is pretty much the way I make them.

It is a sandwich.

I usually use a thick sliced white bread or wheat bread, inside is Roast Turkey, Ham, Swiss(sometimes meunster) and a light spreading of mustard. Take the sandwich and dip it in beaten eggs and then griddle it(like french toast). Cut it and serve. I usually accompany it with warmed and buttered maple syrup or currant jam.

[prasantrin]

I tend to think of roast turkey, cranberry sauce, pecan pie. It sounds like a typical Thanksgiving meal, but to me they are made of things indigenous to the Americas (esp. the US). If I can name 5, I would add pumpkin pie and barbeque ribs.

If I were to name three foods that represent Canada (where I am from), I'm not sure I could think of three. I identify maple syrup more with Canada than the US, and perhaps wild rice, too. Aside from those, tourtiere and tarte au sucre might be considered Canadian, but I always thought they were French in origin. Oh, Nanaimo bars, but I try to ignore those.

[jwagnerdsm]

Jello salad, tuna casserole, meat loaf

[babka]

Living in D.C., I wind up doing this a fair amount....have to find something to trade for home-made tandoori, bonitsa, mueseli, kitfo....aie.

so I start with the regional stuff. Very little of the food that I like has filtered up to a national food--we're a big country, with enormous variation in both agricultural and cultural roots. Beginning with national, for me, would be a bit like trying to learn about Germany by asking for "european" food (and that's coming from a place [iowa] with enormous Germanic influences.

Barbeque. preferably vinegar-based and tomato-based, dry-mustard-based too if we can find it.

Crabs: Maryland-style hard-shell, soft-shell, crab-cakes.

Chili. my mom's recipe, which is probably Chicago-style.

Hush-puppies and fried catfish. (foist hush-puppies off on any visitor...you'd be amazed at the places from which you receive requests for cornmeal afterwards. :).

Roasted New Mexican chilis in anything.

Pupusas.

Sedar dinner.

and yes, Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixins....for the last few years, I've co-hosted dinner for 12 to 20 people, asking everybody who would like to to please bring a favorite dish, while I and the one or two other Americans in attendance squabble over what's necessary. Always, though, we have the turkey, a squash gallette, cranberry sauce, pecan pie, green bean cassorole with fried onions....okay, that's what I make. can't remember what the others say are necessary.

edited to add: just re-read thread. Corn on the Cob too, but only if there's been a traveling connection to Iowa recently...don't care what the genetics are, it's not the same. Also, three fun cookbooks on this:

Frugal Gourmet Cooks American

America: The Vegetarian Table by Deborah Madison

Frugal Gourmet on our Immigrant Ancestors (only place I've found my step-father's Bostonian Portugese recipes written down.)

Edited November 2, 2003 by babka (log)

[Pan]

I'm not so sure I can provide the definitive answer as to what a monte christo is (so maybe it shouldn't be on my list)but this is pretty much the way I make them.

It is a sandwich.

I usually use a thick sliced white bread or wheat bread, inside is Roast Turkey, Ham, Swiss(sometimes meunster) and a light spreading of mustard.  Take the sandwich and dip it in beaten eggs and then griddle it(like french toast).  Cut it and serve.  I usually accompany it with warmed and buttered maple syrup or currant jam.

I've never heard of it by name, nor seen a sandwich of this description. Am I un-American.

[Fat Guy]

The Monte Cristo is a pretty popular American sandwich -- you can find it in lots of diners and the like. It comes from California, like the Cobb salad. The Monte Cristo is really just an Americanized version of the Croque Monsieur, though.

[Pan]

I tend to think of roast turkey, cranberry sauce, pecan pie.  It sounds like a typical Thanksgiving meal, but to me they are made of things indigenous to the Americas (esp. the US).  If I can name 5, I would add pumpkin pie and barbeque ribs. 

If I were to name three foods that represent Canada (where I am from), I'm not sure I could think of three.  I identify maple syrup more with Canada than the US, and perhaps wild rice, too.  Aside from those, tourtiere and tarte au sucre might be considered Canadian, but I always thought they were French in origin.  Oh, Nanaimo bars, but I try to ignore those.

Good thoughts. What are Nanaimo bars? The first food I think of when I think "Canada" is Poutine, then maple syrup, then beer with crazy names (La Fin du Monde, Maudite) or funny slogans like "Molson's, un gout qui pete le feu" (Molsons, a taste that farts fire). I guess you can tell I've spent more time in Quebec than other parts of Canada.

Maple syrup is bigger in Canada than the U.S., but tell that to a Vermonter. Actually, there are several pretty significant sugar maple states. You'd probably expect states that neighbor Vermont like New York and New Hampshire to be on the list, but did you know that a lot of maple sap is harvested in northeast Pennsylvania?

[Shiewie]

The first three things that popped into my head were:

- hamburgers

- hot dogs

- apple pie (if drinks count, then Coke)

[prasantrin]

Good thoughts. What are Nanaimo bars? The first food I think of when I think "Canada" is Poutine, then maple syrup, then beer with crazy names (La Fin du Monde, Maudite) or funny slogans like "Molson's, un gout qui pete le feu" (Molsons, a taste that farts fire).      I guess you can tell I've spent more time in Quebec than other parts of Canada.

Maple syrup is bigger in Canada than the U.S., but tell that to a Vermonter.    Actually, there are several pretty significant sugar maple states. You'd probably expect states that neighbor Vermont like New York and New Hampshire to be on the list, but did you know that a lot of maple sap is harvested in northeast Pennsylvania?

It's one of those sickeningly sweet bars served at teas everywhere. I don't think I've been to a potluck that did not have Nanaimo bars. It was supposedly created in Nanaimo, BC (hence the name) so here's the official recipe from the city's website.

I had forgotten about Poutine. I like it, but it's only good if the fries aren't. Good fries are ruined by gravy, in my opinion, so the fries have to be pretty mediocre for me to order poutine. I don't think we get those raunchy slogans out west. We're far too puritanical compared to Quebecers . As much as Quebec wants to separate, did you notice that most of the foods thought of as Canadian are from Quebec? Poutine, tarte au sucre, tourtiere, and maple syrup are all very much a part of Quebec (I know maple syrup can be found elsewhere in Canada, but Quebec is the primary producer afaik). The first three are also big in Manitoba (because of the large French-Canadian population here) but they are definitely identified with Quebec first.

I didn't know that Pennsylvania produced maple syrup, as well! I spent a year in Vermont, though, so I know how much they like to "own" it out there! I spent a lot of time visiting my sister in New Hampshire, and I don't remember any food being associated with NH except Stonyfield Farms yogurt . Vermont at least had some good food places, but New Hampshire was pretty much a wasteland! If I were to associate it with a Canadian province it would be Saskatchewan (not in terms of geography, but all the other stuff).

[Mabelline]

To me, all American food is fusion food.As a card-carrying member of the side that hosted Thanksgiving, I see American food as a whole big old pot of stew. And fusion, dang, lot's of national foods in other countries are already fusion cuz they contain major ingredients from the Americas. I was only thinking about what I'd give a visitor in my own home, where I know the results would be good . But if the visitor could request, then I do feel they'd want hamburger, hot dog, apple pie, fries and Coke. All the stuff we overlook.

[fifi]

I don't think you can get away from regional American food. This is a really big piece of real estate. Hell... Even hamburgers have some regional preferences on how they are put together. I really wouldn't try to find THE American specialty. (Well, the hamburger comes close.) I would go ahead and take a tour of regional specialties. Different styles of BBQ comes to mind. Then there is the whole South Louisiana thing with gumbo, crawfish boils, shrimp boils, jambalaya, etc. etc. etc. The evolution of Tex-Mex. The origins of chili and the stories about the San Antonio chili queens... So many wonderful stories. Even the traditional Thanksgiving feast has regional differences. The type of stuffing/dressing comes to mind. The regional differences should be embraced and the history of those cuisines explained. The diversity of this very large and varied country should be celebrated.