I thought it be cool if we could have a thread where people from differant backgrounds can discuss their country or state's traditional dishes, compare or exchange recipes or just recommend various dishes to members.

What do you guys think?

[ 02-17-2003, 02:09 PM: Message edited by: Sigmar ]

Fine with me. The official dish of Texas is Chili, a meat stew composed of beef and other meats, masa flour, cumin, and chile peppers. No beans and no tomatoes, thank you kindly. Beyond that there is vast dispute. Runnerup is Barbecued Brisket of Beef, which is smoked until tender and served with sauce (opinions vary, again. My father's favorite was Worchestershire sauce, lemon juice and butter.) The official dish of the USA, AFAIK, is the hamburger.

You forgot Tube Steak!!!with all the fixens.

Hutspot met klapstuk. :D

Yeah baby! You forget to mention the 'kroket' which is close second, or top of the list even. ;)

Hmm Canadian traditional dishes? How about Beaver Tails? ;) I actually don´t know many "Canadian" dishes. I get my inspiration from Mediterranean food. I know several Canadian desserts tohugh.Add some maple syrup and there you go! LOL! And then there´s salmon and potato pie, also very tasty IMO. Tortiere is also Canadian I believe, French Canadian to be precise. ;)

Sigmar, did you find your cook book? You promised to share some recipes. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Did you forget back bacon, Willow? [img]smile.gif[/img]

My background is Polish (primarily), so things like Pierogie (pasta pockets filled with things like cheese, sauerkraut, plums, blueberries... but not all at the same time) and golompkie (cabbage rolls stuffed with a meat and rice mixture) were perpetual things growing up. Except I hated the cabbage in the golompkie, and just liked the insides. My mom and I fought over whether I was going to eat it one year, while we were at Grandma's. After two hours of sitting over the now cold plate, I finally won, and didn't have to eat it. I won't tell you how, because it would spoil this thread, but I did win...

For me personally, I really enjoy cajun and creole food. A good jambalaya or gumbo, and I'm a really happy man. Really happy. I like the "garbage can" feel of Jambalaya, where you put in whatever meats and stuff you have available.

And I make my own chili every so often, although up here in the north (just south of the great white north), I do use beans in my chili. Several kinds, typically, for some additional flavors. And yeah, Attalus, I know that if you know beans about chili, there ain't no beans about chili.

And for any Polish Ironworkers out there, I know I butchered the spellings above. I plead ignorance; Polish would be about my sixth or seventh language, and I can't even order water consistently there.

<font color=deeppink><H1>BLASPHEMY!!!</FONT></H1> LOL, just kidding, I don't really care what you do with your beans, as long as you don't put 'em in my chili. Shh, don't tell <font color=pink>Galadria</font>, she is much more dogmatic about it than I. ;)

I love cooking, but I'm not sure what I can say about English food really (I could give you an essay on the historical socio-economic reasons why English traditional food is generally bland and with few ingredients, but I'd bore you witless so I'll leave it).

However some of it is really nice, good hearty fare. My favourites:

Yorkshire pudding - flour, eggs and milk, whisked up and baked.

Toad in the hole - sounds disgusting, but it's actually sausages baked in yorkshire pudding

Shepherd's Pie - Lamb mince and onions with a mashed potato topping

Steak & Kidney pudding - as it sounds, chunks of steak and kidney with gravy in a suet pudding

Fish and Chips - a fillet of white fish (cod, haddock or plaice) coated in batter and deep fried. Served with chips - thick wedges of potato deep fried. This is then liberally sprinkled with salt and malt vinegar. Can have a number of accompaniments, including mushy peas, pickled onions, pickled eggs, gherkins etc.

Cornish Pasty - A shortcrust pastry parcel filled with meat and potato - and a handy way for miners to eat their lunch with dirty hands since there is a pastry ridge around the edge - they would hold the pasty by the ridge which would be discarded.

Ploughman's lunch - a chunk of hard English cheese served with a slab of crusty bread and pickle (chopped root veg pickled in vinegar and brown sugar)

Lancashire Hotpot - Chunks of lamb and black pudding cooked in a casserole with sliced potato on top

Bubble and Squeak - mashed potato and vegetables (usually cabbage) mixed together and fried

Sausages - We English love sausages - usually pork with herbs, a mix of pork and beef, or sometimes just beef. Many many varieties, popular ones are Cumberland sausage or Lincolnshire sausage. Also black pudding - a large sausage made of blood and fat, usually served sliced and fried.

Pies and puddings - I've already mentioned steak and kidney pudding, but we're very keen on all sorts of savoury and sweet pies and puddings. Pies - baked with a shortcrust or puff pastry lid; savoury fillings: Steak and kidney, steak and ale, chicken and ham - sweet fillings: apple, cherry, apple and blackberry. Puddings - flour and suet (the fat from around an animals kidneys), steamed in a glass bowl floating in a pan of water; savoury puddings: steak & kidney, bacon & sage, bacon & onion - sweet puddings: treacle (golden syrup), jam, spotted dick (suet pudding with raisins). Savoury pies and puddings usually served with potatoes and one or 2 other veg such as peas, carrots, cabbage. Sweet pies and puddings served with custard.

English breakfast - contrary to popular opinion, we don't eat this every day - usually only when we're on holiday. A combination of any of the following: Fried egg, sausage, bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, fried bread, toast, usually served with tea.

Bakewell Tart - A sweet flan with a pastry base, a layer of jam, and almond sponge on top. Served hot with custard, or can be eaten cold.

Cream tea - a pot of tea served with scones, jam and clotted cream. Pile up the jam and cream onto the scones, and wait for heart disease to set in.

Chicken Tikka Masala - The most popular dish in England, is an invention of Indian restauranteurs living in England so is Anglo-Indian. Pieces of chicken coated in yoghurt and spices, and baked.

[ 02-18-2003, 08:18 AM: Message edited by: Epona ]

Haggis with mashed potato and mashed turnip. Combine with liberal quantities of whisky and good company.

Yummy :D