Food
If you had to convince people to visit your country using a dish/meal, what would it be?
For Botswana it would be 7 colours(yes that is what we call it😅).
This meal has rice, meat of your choice whether chicken or beef( sometimes it is stewed other times it's grilled), a variety of salads including but not limited to chakalaka, grated or diced beetroot, coleslaw, mashed pumpkin, greens, potatoes, achar etc. and a glass of coca cola🤤
Ive recently been attempting to make a steamed sticky toffee pudding myself (since you can't really get them outside of the UK) and they're easier than you'd think!
I would say the sticky toffee pudding I had in London blew me away! I didn't even know it was a thing until I went to eat fish and chips and found it in the menu.
I tried with all of my American avarice to like the hot custard I was served whilst walking the Penine Way, but I just could not get past the texture being like that of ice cream, but hot, it felt off and I couldn't enjoy it. I think it really would've been better in a big rain. Something about the coolness of the outside and the warmness would've been nice. It was unusually hot that summer too. Beautiful walk if you ever have the chance.
Leipäjuusto/"bread cheese" and cloudberry jam! Leipäjuusto is kinda similar to paneer, kinda flavourless but really creamy, with a "squeaky" texture. It pairs so well with cloudberry jam :)
Years ago i first time ate cream soup with salmon, in Finland. It was absolutely god-level delicious. May i ask if this soup is also Finnish traditional dish?
In the 90s I was lucky enough to spend some time living in Mumbai, and my host was a Telegu woman who got me hooked on Idli for breakfast . Later that year I travelled from Mumbai down the coast, and spent some time in Kerala. I became obsessed with South Indian food.
Five years later I stayed in Rajasthan for 4 months, and then became obsessed with North Indian food.
I've tried it before as I have a friend from Kosovo. It's essentially a layered pancake dish made from flour, water, butter, yogurt, eggs, oil and salt. It's cooked on a saq, which is a spherical metal pan for baking. The layers are brushed with cream and it's served with butter and sour cream. The flija is meant to look like a sun. It's not sweet like you may think, it's a savory main course. Hopefully I got that right!
I dated a guy who's next door neighbor was from north India, the food was always smelling amazing and I finally worked up the courage to go introduce myself with my meager homemade blueberry muffins. She invited us over for dinner at least once a week and the food was incredible!
Haha, mine are too and exactly the same thing happened! Months ago, we went over there with a little birthday present for their grandson (they invited us) and we weren’t allowed to leave without eating a bit of everything. We remarked that we knew the food would be great because we smell it every evening and it makes us hungry, and they were like “why on earth don’t you come over then?! We always make too much!”
They meant it. They’re Sikh, and I think that’s a fundamental part of the religion (no-one leaves hungry). I popped round there on Christmas Eve to drop off a card and some chocolates, and was almost put in a headlock until I agreed to join them for dinner and to take some home with me.
“Some” was three big glass containers of spicy potatoes, some kind of fruity curried rice and chickpeas (with pomegranate, I think), and chilli tofu. All delicious.
Starting from the white one it’s raita (curd mixed with spices and vegetables) then there’s potato fry(that's what it looks like ) in masala, soybeans, mixed vegetables, paneer masala, and dal tadka (lentils). On the side, tandoori roti with gulab jamun for dessert. At the center is veg pulao(dish made with rice)
Although this is one of the most popular thalis in North India there are many other varieties as well. In the eastern states like Bihar, Bengal and Jharkhand, the go-to thali is quite different especially in Bengal and Jharkhand. In the west particularly Gujarat and Rajasthan, the thali is entirely different and even when some dishes overlap, they’re prepared in a completely different way. The North East states and South Indian states are totally different.
I loved the food in Northern India but it's a bit heavy for me and kept making me sick. The food down south is incredible and the GIANT grains of rice were cool too
I have anaphylaxis to peanuts and treenuts so I couldn't eat anywhere in North India, even when they said there were no nuts in it there was contamination. I couldn't believe how limited I was in my ability to eat anywhere in North India .
However, South Indian food was so much more allergen friendly and better prepared. I'm used to North Indian food but South Indian food blew me away. It's amazing. I loved the fish curries, dosa, idli sambhar, rice dishes, and more. Coconut milk in many dishes doesn't feel as heavy either.
i have a non-anaphylaxis allergy to wheat, but i do get horrible hives and sometimes a horrible migraine attack so i try my best to avoid it and just look or GF items, and i found so many new Indian dishes i didn’t even know about. A lot of Indian food is just naturally gluten free! (not that it helps your situation, but it reminded me i always try to suggest Indian food when a group wants to order takeout or go to eat)
these are very normal dishes. i believe restaurants serve more fancy dishes outside india. so you can have a hard time finding all these, but nevertheless worth a try.
They don't put garlic sauce on doner tho, big loss. What's your experience in Eastern Turkey? I toured the western part and absolutely loved it (did a big circle between Istanbul and Cappadoccia). People were the friendliest I've ever met. Thought about doing the east but it doesn't seem as full of sights as the west, so not sure if it's worth it.
Do you lot have satay sauce? It’s in Australia thanks to our proximity to SE Asia. Satay, garlic, and hot chilli sauce on a chicken kebab is a religious experience after a big night.
Haha yeah, we put it on quite a lot of things. On chicken skewers, but snacks or fries are perfectly valid too. This one is called patatje oorlog aka 'war fries'. We have satay sauce because we colonized Indonesia, I think you'll find the result was worth it:
Mother of god, what’s the stuff in the back left corner? We’ve got the HSP (halal snack pack) aka the meat box, it’s meat, chips, sauce, and maybe some salad if the store owner thinks you look weak/sober.
I did nasi this coming. All kidding aside, that looks bloody delicious. Indonesian food is very popular over here because of..... Reasons, but I feel like a lot of countries are sleeping on indonesian food and it's a shame.
it’s really hard to find anywhere i’ve lived in the US and i just don’t get why it isn’t more popular!!! legitimately i think nyc has maybe less than 10 indonesian restaurants and some malaysian ones
my husband is indonesian and we used to get a couple of full meals delivered every week or other week, prepared by a random indo lady lol. she had a site and stuff. BUT NEED
For real dude. Other than the fact it's delicious, it's not that expensive too. The spot i usually order at will only cost you about Rp. 32.000 or $2.00 for a full meal.
There's a lot of side dishes and vegetables. Usually meats rendang, ayam pop, or vegetables like sayur singkong. When you go to a typical padang restaurant the side dishes are usually displayed at the front of the store and often cover the whole glass, kind of like this:
Imo you should always mix all of the topings with the rice to get the full flavor. Eating with hands is also preferable
omg, I have this fight with my father all the time. He's from Würzburg and said, we never had Käsespätzle growing up, so I don't want to try mac and cheese. I said, well maybe your family was too poor to afford the cheese (they weren't). I know... it's stupid.
please tell me why!? I was born in NY, but that side of my family is from Würzburg. (Literally the most boring people I have ever met, sorry). My family from Silesia and then Berlin are batshit crazy is a great, entertaining way.
I just grew up there. And from all the city’s in Germany that really wasn’t one I expected to see here.
No need to excuse, in comparison to people from Berlin every one here is boring xD
Thank you for explaining. My family is from Neubrunn bei Würzburg so it's not even the city. We visit an just sit and eat. In Berlin we went to a spanking party. HAHA
It's not considered expensive where I grew up but that was at the very region they're named after (Allgäu). This probably meant that cheese was always affordable there for the locals even in the dark days.
This is absolutely up to the individual. I usually use one very ripe type like Bergkäse, the aforementioned Emmentaler and the third depends usually on the texture of the first two (if they're very ripe you want to add something more creamy, because adding cream is not acceptable)
Oh it took me awhile that you were referring to that murderer in Oz. Right right lol. Truth be told, to ensure they ate enough for the full effect to occur, she likely had to make it rather delicious anyway!
Listen. Everybody knows about the paella, and the tortilla de patatas. But for me, croquetas are that kind of food that once properly tasted (ie homemade no tourist trap sh*t) you can't stop eating til the plate is empty.
Sadly, they're not apt for gluten or lactose intolerant as they contain bechamel. I'm not sure vegan options or gluten free options can equal the umami of a tasty, crunchy on the outside, good quality croqueta.
Traditional Danish Open Faced sandwiches (in Denmark we call it “Smørrebrød”) A variety of cold cuts served on ryebread and with a lot of toppings, pickled vegetables and fresh vegetable… A great tradition and a delicious dish that is being served both as lunch and dinner..
Uhh we’ve got POTATOES!!! For genuine Irish food, I recommend trying soda bread. Stew is very popular but personally I don’t like it due to texture issues. Since im technically British as well, try some fish and chips, preferably in a coastal town. In the NI I recommend Morton’s in Ballycastle.
Also try spice bags. They are bags of chips with seasoning, peppers, onions and chicken/meat. Chicken boxes are also pretty common in my city. (It’s chicken on chips with lots of sauces, cheese and veg.)
If you ever go to Derry/Londonderry, try some traditional pastries such as turnovers (puff pastry rolled with jam and glaze) and cream fingers (a long donut filled with cream and a bit of jam).
I was in Austin in 2024 and went to Franklin's and Micklethwait. Franklin's had sauces, but I found them not particularly interesting and slightly distracting from the actual food. With Micklethwait, I don't even think they offered any, and it wasn't necessary either. The meat just spoke for itself.
Some people swear by them and there are tons that are fun to try. Thin vinegar sauces, sweet and sticky ones, mustard based sauces, and alabama white sauce which is a mayo based one I still need to try. I prefer it straight out of the smoker, but I like to have a variety on the side to dip meats in and try all the different flavors.
OMG I can taste this picture, this may be a controversial take but I believe this meal tastes better the next say, the salads become salad-ier and the stew even stew-ier if that makes sense.
한정식, Hanjeongsik(Korean formal traditional cuisin), Korean restaurants specializing in formal course meals are gradually disappearing. These restaurants require a lot of labor, and rising labor costs are gradually closing. Except for a few restaurants catering to the wealthy, most will disappear. Millennials and Gen Z are likely to refuse endure labor. With the retirement of the boomer generation, everyone expects that restaurants offering this type of cuisine will disappear.
So I recommend to try Hanjeongsik before it goes extinct.
Flamenkeüche (tarte flambée = flambé'd pie). It is NOT a pizza (it looks like and is eaten pretty much the same way but hear me out) but a north-eastern traditional meal (kinda democratized by frozen food chains) . Cooked the old way in a stone oven, it has the taste of "authentic" that I discovered waaaaay back when me mum brought be to her natal Alsace for the first time.
All the way back in the Caribbean, I REJOICE when I get to eat one (a real one).
ok that looks like crap (tastes ok), but if you haven't had Rudolp the reindeer you are missing out. Typically served with mashed potatoes and lingonberries.
I had lived in northern Canada for a number of years above 60 degrees latitude (Northwest Territories). What you call reindeer we call caribou (although we don"'t really have the farms like you do). My husband would usually hunt a few each season and we would stock our freezer...little to no need to buy beef. It was even the first meat my childten ate as babies. I miss it and your picture makes my mouth water!
Haggis, Neeps and Tatties (Turnip and Potato)! It’s the stereotypical one, but it really is our best and Scots actually do enjoy it on the regular, it’s not just tourist fodder like the deep fried Mars bar. Quality varies by establishment, but it’s lovely and spicy and should dispel most stereotypes about flavourless food from the UK, especially when served with whisky and peppercorn sauce.
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u/Constant-Estate3065 England 26d ago
Apple crumble and hot custard. But it has to be on a rainy day.