Each City's Signature Dish

[fredbram]

Cocido Madrileno (and I'm sure someone else from Spain could do more justice to it) is the soup/stew of chickpeas, cabbage, beef, sausage, chicken etc. that they serve in three parts--vegetables, meat and I remember I think that the broth is then served with noodles in it?

Pasteis de Nata are these pastries made from a closely guarded recipe-- they are in a deep little tartlet shell, the pastry is very buttery flaky pastry (sort of a cross between puff pastry and filo) and filled with an extremely rich eggy custard.

[Pan]

Rome:

Pasta Carbonara,

Fettucini all'Alfredo,

Artichokes, Roman-Style (steamed, and stuffed w/garlic, lemon, parsely, mint)

Otherwise called Carciofi alla Giudia (Jewish-style artichoke), a product of Rome's ancient Jewish community.

[rkolluri]

Here's one:

Bombay (or Mumbai): Pav Bhaji

Pav Bhaji is a vegetable curry (Bhaji) served with a toasted bun (Pav). Tastes a lot better than it sounds!

rkolluri

[ludja]

Zurich: "Zürcher Gschnätzlets mit Rösti"

Oops. Already mentioned.

Nice to have a recipe though; sounds like something I'd like to try.

edited to add: Thanks Pan for the additional history and proper name of Carciofi alla Giudia (Jewish-style artichoke).

Edited February 18, 2004 by ludja (log)

[KatieLoeb]

Salzburg - those chocolate truffles with the picture of Mozart on them!

Ah, those Mozartkugeln! Our city guide explained that the gold-wrapped ones were superior to the silver-wrapped ... and sold only in Salzburg ...

Mozartkugeln have a core made of marzipan, surrounded by a layer of dark and a layer of light nougat crème, coated in the finest chocolate.

They are divine!! Thanks for reminding me about them once again! I bought a number of them on my visit to Salzburg a few months ago ... but gave them all away upon my return....

Ohmigosh! Aren't these the absolute BEST! The most decadent chocolates with the loveliest presentation. So delicious.

These were favors for the guests at my wedding. I placed one Mozartkugeln in a small box and had a silk rose glued to the top of each box. When the little boxes were all on a tray it looked like a lovely bouquet. So very Martha and so very unlike me under normal circumstances. But everyone loved them.

[Franky2Times]

New Orleans: Gumbo, Jambalaya

Puebla: Mole

Merida: Pibil

Montreal: Smoked Meat

+ weren't hot dogs created somewhere in Pennsylvania?

[Franky2Times]

Woops, just realized it was all about outside the US

[Stigand]

Am I the first to correct Katie on the Fish n Chips thing?

The signature dish of London must be Chicken Tikka Masala! (or curry in general)

Or pie & mash with liquor, or jellied eels.

[jackal10]

No, no. London is the Great British Breakfast, or possibly Roast beef...or Pea Soup (London Peculiar).

[Stigand]

One of the problems about extending this thread to the UK is that a lot of traditional dishes that spring to mind are traditional to areas, rather than cities. To me, roast beef is more a national thing: the Roast Beef of Old England. I'm not sure I'd want to assign a city to Haggis or Cawl or pasties or grouse for that matter. I agree with you on the breakfast though - especially if we're talking Leadenhall Sausages.

I wonder if it's fair to generalise that the UK's traditional food culture is primarily a rural rather than an urban one? I certainly find it had to think of many town-related UK foods. Someone's already suggested Balti, and then there's Barnsley Chop and Bath buns and Eccles cakes - but what else?

[ludja]

+ weren't hot dogs created somewhere in Pennsylvania?

Not sure if I understand your comment. but hot dogs (frankfurters, wieners, etc) definately have Germanic roots. (With PA's Germanic roots, Pennsylavania "Deutsch" it isn't surprising that hot dogs have been there for awhle).

hot dog history

[Pan]

One of the problems about extending this thread to the UK is that a lot of traditional dishes that spring to mind are traditional to areas, rather than cities.

Bring 'em on, or if you prefer, start a separate thread about regional specialties.

[tryska]

One of the problems about extending this thread to the UK is that a lot of traditional dishes that spring to mind are traditional to areas, rather than cities. To me, roast beef is more a national thing: the Roast Beef of Old England. I'm not sure I'd want to assign a city to Haggis or Cawl or pasties or grouse for that matter. I agree with you on the breakfast though - especially if we're talking Leadenhall Sausages.

I wonder if it's fair to generalise that the UK's traditional food culture is primarily a rural rather than an urban one? I certainly find it had to think of many town-related UK foods. Someone's already suggested Balti, and then there's Barnsley Chop and Bath buns and Eccles cakes - but what else?

cornish pasties and devon cream teas?

[Stigand]

I certainly find it had to think of many town-related UK foods. Someone's already suggested Balti, and then there's Barnsley Chop and Bath buns and Eccles cakes - but what else?

cornish pasties and devon cream teas?

[Carlovski]

On the UK front, how about lobscouse for Liverpool?

And maybe Manchester pudding/tart.

Can't really think of anything else genuinely linked to a particular city.

[Pan]

Carlovski, what's lobscouse?

[rlibkind]

Brussels mussels, with beer, chocolate and frites tied for second place.

Bergen Fish Soup (that its name)

Copenhagen: Danish open faced sandwiches

[Bux]

Barcelona - Paella, tapas

Not really. There's plenty of paella in Barcelona, but Valencia would get the nod for paella, or at least for paella valenciana which I believe would be one with seafood. As for tapas, they're a national dish and neither Barcelona nor the province of Catalunya are the best places for tapas. I think the fact that several of the larger tapas places in the center fashion themselves as Basque tapas bars is proof enough of that. I'd have to go with Donostia (San Sebastian) or Sevilla as home of the best tapas. Perhaps an arroz cremosa or caldosa with seafood would be more typical of Barcelona, or more traditional.

Caracassone, Castelnaudry and Toulouse all get credit for association with cassoulet.

Strasbourg -- choucroute garni, although you'll find it all over Alsace. Tarte Flambe and Backeofe as previously mentioned as well.

Caen -- tripes à la mode de Caen.

Lyon -- almost any dish with tripe, but tablier de sapeur is unique to Lyon as far as I know.

Auch -- magret de canard? It's found all over and the Hotel de France is no longer the destination it was when it was Andre Daguin's, but he was the chef who first served boneless duck breast cooked rare like steak and it was in his restaurant at his hotel.

[Pan]

I loved Gougeres in Burgundy, but they seemed regional and not particularly associated with any one city. Would you concur?

[Eric_Malson]

Pasteis de Nata are these pastries made from a closely guarded recipe-- they are in a deep little tartlet shell, the pastry is very buttery flaky pastry (sort of a cross between puff pastry and filo) and filled with an extremely rich eggy custard.

Not to be pedantic, but pastéis de nata are standard pastries made throughout the country, the basic recipe for which is general knowledge (at least in Portugal). What is unique to Belém is a special type of pastel de nata called Pastéis de Belém. These are truly extraordinary, sort of like a wonderful crème brulée in a flaky tart shell.

They say "write about what you know", so here are some off the top of my head from Portugal and northern Spain....

Lisbon -- Bife à Marrrare: Steak in a style of cream sauce particular to Lisbon.

Sintra -- Travesseiros and quiejadas: Pastries at the famous pastelería Piriquita.

Mafra -- Pão com chouriço: Bread rolls baked with slices of sausage inside. Pão de Mafra (bread baked the local way) is quite famous.

Figueira da Foz -- Frango na Púcara: A chicken stewed in a special covered clay pot with ham, tomato, onions, garlic, butter, mustard, white wine, Port wine, and brandy.

Coimbra -- Chanfana: A stew of lamb or kid goat and red wine.

Mealhada -- Leitão: Roast suckling pig! Best anywhere, including any I tried in Spain.

Viseu -- Rancho à Modo de Viseu: A thick stew of ziti-shaped pasta, chickpeas, chicken, beef, pork ribs, fat bacon, chouriço, potatoes, carrots, and cabbage.

Alentejo (not so much a city as a region) -- Açorda alentajana: The famous soup of bread, garlic, cilantro, poached egg and olive oil.

Ensopado de borrego: A sort-of soup with big chunks of lamb and not much broth.

Sopa de cação: A soup made from a small, domestic shark.

Viana do Alentejo -- Bolos folhados: Round, multi-layered pastries (simple in concept, yet hard to describe somehow).

Beja -- Emapadas de galinha: Small, flaky-pastry pies filled with creamed chicken.

Almeirím -- Sopa de pedra: "Stone soup"--a thick soup of red beans, chouriço, bacon and potato.

Aveiro -- Ovos moles: A sweetened egg yolk candy.

Porto -- Tripas à modo de Porto: Tripe!

Ponte de Lima -- Sarrabulho: Rice cooked with pork, liver and pig's blood.

Viana do Castelo -- Rojões: Chunks of pork cooked with garlic, white wine, paprika, bay leaf, bacon, lard, olive oil, cumin and potatoes, often served with sarrabulho.

Vila Real -- Covilhetes: Small pastry tarts filled with seasoned ground meat, each one topped with pretty pastry "crown".

Mirandela -- Posta à Mirandesa: A special cut of beef filet cooked in a clay pot. I could never get anyone to tell me how it's made, but you can bet there's garlic, bay leaf, and lard involved!

Monção -- Cabrito assado à modo de Monção: Kid goat that has been stuffed, larded, trussed and roasted on a rack in a wood oven in such a way that while roasting it drips into a clay pot in which rice is cooking with pieces of beef, ham, bacon, onion and saffron (and, of course, lard).

Madeira (Island) -- Espetada: Chunks of beef skewered on bay laurel sticks, lightly seasoned with salt and coated with chopped garlic and pieces of fresh bay leaf, grilled over a fire of charcoal and bay laurel wood.

Sopa de tomate e cebola: Tomato and onion soup, fortified with chunks of dry bread and a poached egg.

And in Spain.....

Segovia -- Cochinillo assado: Roast suckling pig....here they make a show of how tender it is by cutting with the side of a plate. Still not as good as in Mealhada. Also Judiones de la Granja con oreja y pie de cerdo: A stew of of large white beans with pig's ear and pig's feet, along with the usual bacon, chorizo, onion, paprika and garlic.

Galicia (again not so much as a city, but an area) -- Pulpo a la gallega: Tender octopus served in slices on a wooden plate, sprinkled with paprika and olive oil.

Caldo gallego: Thick soup of white beans, greens and pork hocks.

Pimientos de Padrón: Tiny, succulent green peppers fried briefly in olive oil.

Potes -- Cocido lebaniego: A stew of tiny chickpeas native to the area, fresh and cured meats, served rather like pot-au-feu. Also Cocido montañés, a hearty mountain stew of large white beans, sausages and game meats. A cousin to fabada asturiana.

And of course, there's Asturias....

Cudillero -- Besugo a la espalda: A lightly cured fish dish. Angulas: Baby eels!

Luarca -- Caldereta de Luarca: A very rich fish and seafood stew.

Gijón -- Chopa a la sidra: Sea bream cooked in cider.

Oviedo -- Carbayones: Flaky pastry filled with ground almonds and egg. Solomillo al Cabrales: Steak with sauce made with Cabrales cheese.

Grado -- Cachopo: Veal scallops stuffed with ham, aspargus and mushrooms, breaded then fried, and served in a casserole with a light sauce.

Salas -- Carajitos del professor: Not quite what the literal translation would suggest....a hazelnut and egg pastry.

Pola de Laviana -- Cordero a la estaca: Spit-roasted lamb.

And of course, fabada asturiana throughout the province.

[Carlovski]

Carlovski, what's lobscouse?

It's basically a simple meat stew, food for the poor. See here.

lobscouse

[Stigand]

Carlovski, what's lobscouse?

It's basically a simple meat stew, food for the poor. See here.

lobscouse

Also made at sea, with ship's biscuit instead of potatoes. (At least it was in the C19th.)

Lobscouse and Spotted Dog

[sandra]

Zurich - Züri Gschnetzlets (diced veal in a cream sauce with sliced mushrooms) served with Rösti (grated potato formed into a large patty and fried golden-brown on both sides).

A week's worth of calories crammed into one meal. And so worth it!

Oh yes!! Just had this in Engelberg, 1.5 hours outside of Zurich - amazing dish, so simple, but so perfect... and after skiing, who cares about the calories, right?

[sandra]

Tampico - Carne a la Tampiqueña (grilled with beans and rice and guac)

Oxaca - Queso Oaxaca (stringy cheese)

Oaxaca - Mole Negro Oaxaqueño

Cajeta de Celaya - (goat milk sweet)

Acapulco - Ceviche Acapulco (marinated fish & shrimp with tomato sauce)

Patzcuaro - Pescado Blanco de Patzcuaro - (fried fish from Patzcuaro Lake)

Guadalajara - Pozole Estilo Jalisco

[tryska]

I certainly find it had to think of many town-related UK foods. Someone's already suggested Balti, and then there's Barnsley Chop and Bath buns and Eccles cakes - but what else?

cornish pasties and devon cream teas?

Exactly - associated with counties, rather than cities. (And for what it's worth my relatives in Devon get cross about people talking about 'Cornish' pasties - from a Devon point of view they're definitely just pasties )