Does anyone have a favorite international cuisine item(s) that they like?
My typical go to lunch is my homemade hand-held Mexican food like street tacos and quesadillas. But I also like enchiladas, burritos rancheros, fajitas, flautas, tortilla soup.
Indian/South Asian: I like Northern Indian cuisine which is Butter Chicken, Samosas, Mattar Pullao, Rotis/Chapatis. Other regional Indian dishes I like also but Northern Indian food is the best.
Western Asian/Middle Eastern: Biryani, Chicken Kabobs, Naan bread, Shawarma
East Asian: I've never had real Chinese food, just your typical Americanized Chinese and Indo-Chinese; I also like Thai Chili Basil dish, Thai fried rice, crispy spring rolls; Korean barbecue is good too.
The only Italian I like are pizza and bruschetta.
The only African dish I've had was Jollof Rice.
Caribbean: I like Arroz con Pollo, Jerk Chicken, Doubles, Jamaican Curry Chicken.
For Mexican food, just give me a plate of beans and rice, plus some salsa and tortillas. Simple, cheap, filling, and I love it. Swap out the rice for fried eggs, and it's good too. If you feel like it, throw some extra goodies in with the rice or eggs: diced potatoes, bits of leftover hot dog, onion, diced tomato, a crumbled-up hamburger patty, whatever you need to get rid of.
When it comes to Italian food, I'm a sucker for gnocchi. For a quick lunch at home, though, we often opt for frozen tortellini and some pesto.
For Middle Eastern food, I like things wrapped in little packets, such as cabbage rolls. That kind of thing can also be found in many Eastern European cuisines and East Asian cuisines as well, and I generally like them all.
No French food beats a good old pain au chocolat–a croissant with chocolate inside.
But, to answer this question in a different way... When I read "international cuisines", I first through of foods that blend two different countries' cuisines together.
For Tex-Mex, I like burritos, and I also like burrito bowls.
For Chinese-American food, I especially like chicken cooked in garlic sauce or General Tso's sauce, and I also like the meat-on-a-stick things you can find at Chinese buffets. Also, I like the way Chinese buffets cook green beans.
A sampling:
Mexican - Anything with Mole
Central American At Large - Pupusas
Caribbean At Large - Bake & Shark
Peruvian - Ajà de Gallina
Argentinian - Churrasco con Chimichurri
Spanish - Boquerones
French - Sole Meunière
German/Austrian - Jägerschnitzel
Italian - Cacio e Pepe
Turkish - Iksender Kabob
Georgian - Satsivi
Russian - Ostera Caviar
Lithuanian - Cepelinai
Moroccan - Pastilla
North African At Large - Shakshouka
Ethiopian - Kittfo
Indian - Lamb Korma
Burmese - Mohingga
Thai - Pananh Curry
Malaysian - Laksa
Indonesian - Rendang
Filipino - Sisig
Japanese - Uni
Chinese - Lazi Ji
Polynesian - Ota Ika
I've tried baba ghanoush once and hated it.
I heard stuff that the Mexican Food in the United States was born in Southern California and Texas + the Chinese food in the USA was born in the Bay Area and Sacramento areas.
https://www.nps.gov/places/locke-historic-district.htm
Some of the food we say is Chinese Food have some of their origins in Locke, California during the Gold Rush era.
This is like "Filipino Food" some of their origins came from other countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Spain, Japan and the United States before landing in the Philippines.
Case and point Lechon some of it's origins came from Spain before going to Philippines.
https://foodicles.com/lechon-history/
Quote from: bing101 on September 28, 2022, 10:00:04 AM
I heard stuff that the Mexican Food in the United States was born in Southern California and Texas + the Chinese food in the USA was born in the Bay Area and Sacramento areas.
https://www.nps.gov/places/locke-historic-district.htm
Some of the food we say is Chinese Food have some of their origins in Locke, California during the Gold Rush era.
This is like "Filipino Food" some of their origins came from other countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Spain, Japan and the United States before landing in the Philippines.
Case and point Lechon some of it's origins came from Spain before going to Philippines.
https://foodicles.com/lechon-history/
But Lechon tastes way better when you're eating it with your feet in Boracay sand.
Quote from: kphoger on September 27, 2022, 02:28:08 PM
When it comes to Italian food, I'm a sucker for gnocchi.
My wife and I tried making this at home, and it's probably one of the most time-consuming things we've ever prepared. It was a hit with the kids, so they asked us to make it again...which was the last time. Getting the little lumps of potato to stick to the pasta meant lots of waiting. Now we get pre-packaged gnocchi, but it's a rare treat because of all the added salt.
So we'll also get it in Italian restaurants when it's available. Given how much the average American enjoys potatoes, I used to be quite surprised that it's not more common...but now I understand why, after trying our hand at its preparation.
My favorite international food is fresh Vietnamese Spring Rolls with a good peanut sauce, usually called Goi cuon on the menu. They're an appetizer but I've had them as my main meal on occasion. Other international foods I love include Italian fried calamari, Indian tandoori chicken, Southeast Asian lemongrass chicken, Korean fusion fish tacos, Middle Eastern kabobs, Greek gyros, Spanish garlic chicken, and any decent Mexican with a good mole sauce.
https://foodicles.com/halo-halo-history/
Halo Halo a desert in the Philippines have some of it's origins in Japan and Mexico.
A few of my favorite dishes, sorted by region of origin:
Chinese: Hot pot with beef
Japanese: Udon, gyoza, yakitori (grilled chicken skewers), sashimi, manju (rice flour buns), daifuku (rice cakes), taiyaki (fish-shaped cake)
Korean: Bibimpbap (rice bowl in a hot stone pot), gimbpa, kalbi (marinated beef short ribs), jajangmyeon (black bean noodles), japchae (sweet potato noodles), samgyeopsal (pork belly), hoppang (red bean buns)
Thai: Red curry, especially with roast duck
Vietnamese - Phở Bò (beef pho)
Will have to think of more later.
Is there anywhere you can get a Döner Kebab on the street in America like you can in Germany? Best street food ever.
Quote from: Road Hog on September 28, 2022, 10:16:27 PM
Is there anywhere you can get a Döner Kebab on the street in America like you can in Germany? Best street food ever.
...excluding Mövenpick...
Quote from: bing101 on September 28, 2022, 10:00:04 AM
I heard stuff that the Mexican Food in the United States was born in Southern California and Texas
The border region in general. Of course, California and Texas account for a lot of that border. Nachos and burritos both have origin stories/legends that feature border cities–technically the Mexican side, but the popularity of them spread throughout the US before getting any real foothold in Mexico.
I'm a sucker for most Asian food, but especially Asian seafood dishes. When I go to a restaurant, I always like seeing a dish on the menu that includes a mix of various sea meats, or even just sea meats. Also, everyone should try shrimp tempura at least once in their life.
For me Spanish omelette, paella, cured ham, etc. aren't international. Instead, Chicago-style pizza, the various BBQ styles, grits, etc. are. It depends on where one is located.
Quote from: JayhawkCO on September 27, 2022, 02:41:58 PM
A sampling:
Spanish - Boquerones
Nice choice. I wouldn't have expected that.
Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on September 30, 2022, 04:07:50 PM
Chicago-style pizza
Really? You can actually find true Chicago-style pizza over there? That surprises me.
I said that as an example of American food (which for me is "international"), that doesn't mean it is available in my area (and it isn't).
Quote from: kphoger on September 29, 2022, 02:38:44 PM
Quote from: bing101 on September 28, 2022, 10:00:04 AM
I heard stuff that the Mexican Food in the United States was born in Southern California and Texas
The border region in general. Of course, California and Texas account for a lot of that border. Nachos and burritos both have origin stories/legends that feature border cities–technically the Mexican side, but the popularity of them spread throughout the US before getting any real foothold in Mexico.
And it's better the closer you are to the border. The Mexican food in Oklahoma is pretty good, but my wife always said it couldn't hold a candle to the stuff she had growing up in Chula Vista CA, just a few miles from Tijuana... And the best Mexican food I've ever had was a little family place in Port Aransas TX that had an elementary-school kid running the register. (Meanwhile, the worst Mexican food I've ever had was in Johnson County KS.)
I'm curious what the Mexican food scene is like in Las Vegas–it's pretty far from the border distance-wise, but ⅓ of the city identifies as Hispanic/Latino on the 2020 census, so there's bound to be something good
somewhere, I would think.
Yeah, most Chinese restaurants outside of heavily-Chinese areas are American-Chinese restaurants (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Chinese_cuisine). Even in Canada, you can find Chinese restaurants serving that kind of food in small towns where there is basically next to no Chinese population.
Given that I grew up in a Toronto suburb with a lot of Chinese people, (and so a lot of restaurants are authentic) I didn't even know American-Chinese food was a thing until I started to travel a lot within Ontario, and noticed these Chinese restaurants in small towns.
For what it's worth, I see a lot of China natives working at these "Chinese-American" restaurants, a lot of Thai natives working at Thai-American restaurants, a lot of Vietnamese working at pho places, etc. The menu is probably bastardized but it's not like Bubba's out back grilling General Tso's Chicken in a smoker.
I can think of only one Chinese restaurant that I've been to that wasn't run by native/ethnic Chinese people. It was run by a Mexican family instead. It wasn't open long, but they re-opened as a Mexican restaurant shortly after and has been much more successful.
It's not unheard of for people of other ethnicities or countries to run restaurants of different origin. While it's not as drastic a difference as Mexican/Chinese, I've been to several Italian restaurants that were run by Greeks, and one run by Guatemalans.
Ironically, however, the most sure-fire way to tell a Chinese buffet is good is that it's where all the Mexicans go.
Quote from: Takumi on October 03, 2022, 05:40:49 PM
I can think of only one Chinese restaurant that I've been to that wasn't run by native/ethnic Chinese people. It was run by a Mexican family instead. It wasn't open long, but they re-opened as a Mexican restaurant shortly after and has been much more successful.
It's not unheard of for people of other ethnicities or countries to run restaurants of different origin. While it's not as drastic a difference as Mexican/Chinese, I've been to several Italian restaurants that were run by Greeks, and one run by Guatemalans.
A lot of Vietnamese and Thai restaurants in Canada are run by Chinese people, that's something I've noticed.
Koreans run a lot of Japanese and Chinese restaurants in Seattle area and are responsible for widespread use of Seattle-style teriyaki (which was invented by a Japanese chef in Seattle).
Something interesting from The Washington Post: The most common restaurant cuisine in every state, and a chain-restaurant mystery (https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/09/29/chain-restaurant-capitals/)
(https://i.redd.it/u5jtsiykgor91.png)
I don't know why, but it's interesting to me that there are states where pizza restaurants are the highest quantity. Most places I've lived, you have your standard Pizza Hut, Domino's, Papa Murphy's, etc., and then you have maybe one or two places that actually do pizza well. Honestly, I'd assume fast food is the highest everywhere. The states that show up in blue above, however, I'm not surprised about. I'm mildly surprised Arkansas is Mexican and not fast food.
Quote from: JayhawkCO on October 03, 2022, 09:23:30 PM
I don't know why, but it's interesting to me that there are states where pizza restaurants are the highest quantity. Most places I've lived, you have your standard Pizza Hut, Domino's, Papa Murphy's, etc., and then you have maybe one or two places that actually do pizza well.
At first that sounded right, but then I remembered Chicago. Heck, I used to buy Chicago-style pizza by the slice on my lunch break when I worked in a warehouse in Carol Stream. Pizza was just that normal.
Quote from: kphoger on October 03, 2022, 09:32:00 PM
Quote from: JayhawkCO on October 03, 2022, 09:23:30 PM
I don't know why, but it's interesting to me that there are states where pizza restaurants are the highest quantity. Most places I've lived, you have your standard Pizza Hut, Domino's, Papa Murphy's, etc., and then you have maybe one or two places that actually do pizza well.
At first that sounded right, but then I remembered Chicago. Heck, I used to buy Chicago-style pizza by the slice on my lunch break when I worked in a warehouse in Carol Stream. Pizza was just that normal.
But West Virginia? Delaware?
I don't know? Are there a lot of Casey's there?
Quote from: JayhawkCO on October 03, 2022, 09:37:43 PM
Quote from: kphoger on October 03, 2022, 09:32:00 PM
Quote from: JayhawkCO on October 03, 2022, 09:23:30 PM
I don't know why, but it's interesting to me that there are states where pizza restaurants are the highest quantity. Most places I've lived, you have your standard Pizza Hut, Domino's, Papa Murphy's, etc., and then you have maybe one or two places that actually do pizza well.
At first that sounded right, but then I remembered Chicago. Heck, I used to buy Chicago-style pizza by the slice on my lunch break when I worked in a warehouse in Carol Stream. Pizza was just that normal.
But West Virginia? Delaware?
There's that weirdo place in Wheeling where they don't bake the cheese with the rest of the pizza.
Yeah, that trend hasn't spread much far outside of that area.
And WV's attempts to sell itself as a good hot dog state are so pathetically adorable.
QuoteThere's that weirdo place in Wheeling where they don't bake the cheese with the rest of the pizza.
I've heard that referred to as Ohio Valley style.
There is a place - Beto's - along Banksville Ave in the southern part of Pittsburgh that does that as well.
Was there once on a "pizza tour" with friends, and have no desire to ever go back.
Quote from: Bruce on October 03, 2022, 09:17:47 PM
Something interesting from The Washington Post: The most common restaurant cuisine in every state, and a chain-restaurant mystery (https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/09/29/chain-restaurant-capitals/)
(https://i.redd.it/u5jtsiykgor91.png)
Just curious what the difference between Bar food and Pub food is.
Quote from: skluth on October 06, 2022, 03:57:25 PM
Quote from: Bruce on October 03, 2022, 09:17:47 PM
Something interesting from The Washington Post: The most common restaurant cuisine in every state, and a chain-restaurant mystery (https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/09/29/chain-restaurant-capitals/)
(https://i.redd.it/u5jtsiykgor91.png)
Just curious what the difference between Bar food and Pub food is.
RIGHT???Why the hell is "bar" excluded, but whatever the hell "pub" is comprises ten states!? :rofl:
Quote from: JayhawkCO on October 03, 2022, 09:23:30 PM
I don't know why, but it's interesting to me that there are states where pizza restaurants are the highest quantity. Most places I've lived, you have your standard Pizza Hut, Domino's, Papa Murphy's, etc., and then you have maybe one or two places that actually do pizza well. Honestly, I'd assume fast food is the highest everywhere. The states that show up in blue above, however, I'm not surprised about. I'm mildly surprised Arkansas is Mexican and not fast food.
There are a whole bunch of non-chain pizza restaurants, mostly takeout/delivery, in this area.
Quote from: skluth on October 06, 2022, 03:57:25 PM
Just curious what the difference between Bar food and Pub food is.
My guess is that bar just includes stuff like nachos and wings whereas pub is burgers, chicken sandwiches, etc.
Quote from: 1 on October 06, 2022, 04:01:42 PM
Quote from: JayhawkCO on October 03, 2022, 09:23:30 PM
I don't know why, but it's interesting to me that there are states where pizza restaurants are the highest quantity. Most places I've lived, you have your standard Pizza Hut, Domino's, Papa Murphy's, etc., and then you have maybe one or two places that actually do pizza well. Honestly, I'd assume fast food is the highest everywhere. The states that show up in blue above, however, I'm not surprised about. I'm mildly surprised Arkansas is Mexican and not fast food.
There are a whole bunch of non-chain pizza restaurants, mostly takeout/delivery, in this area.
Same here, along with many regional chains. The demand for pizza from somewhere other than a nationwide chain is seemingly much greater in the Northeast/Great Lakes than elsewhere in the country. This has been discussed in a few other threads here, can't remember which at the moment.
Quote from: JayhawkCO on October 03, 2022, 09:23:30 PM
I don't know why, but it's interesting to me that there are states where pizza restaurants are the highest quantity. Most places I've lived, you have your standard Pizza Hut, Domino's, Papa Murphy's, etc., and then you have maybe one or two places that actually do pizza well. Honestly, I'd assume fast food is the highest everywhere. The states that show up in blue above, however, I'm not surprised about. I'm mildly surprised Arkansas is Mexican and not fast food.
Taco Bell is fast food, but does it count as Mexican too? :sombrero:
Arkansas has had a long tradition of successful Mexican restaurants going back to Mexico Chiquito founded in the 1930s. The state now has its share of immigrants to expand the genre.
Quote from: Road Hog on October 06, 2022, 10:57:47 PM
Taco Bell is fast food, but does it count as Mexican too?
That's like asking if Panda Express counts as Chinese or if Pizza Hut counts as Italian.
Quote from: jgb191 on October 07, 2022, 01:17:59 AM
Quote from: Road Hog on October 06, 2022, 10:57:47 PM
Taco Bell is fast food, but does it count as Mexican too?
That's like asking if Panda Express counts as Chinese or if Pizza Hut counts as Italian.
Still gotta ask. The question remains.
A quick survey of restaurants in my exurban neighborhood, generally within a half-mile of I-5:
9 fast food joints
2 fast casual restaurants
5 sit-down chain restaurants
3 American restaurants (including BBQ)
6 pizzerias (including chains)
5 sandwich shops
1 Mexican restaurant
9 Asian restaurants (2 Korean, 2 Japanese, 2 Chinese American, 1 Vietnamese, 1 Thai, 1 Mongolian)
- includes 3 teriyaki joints and 2 sushi restaurants
4 delis and eateries inside supermarkets
7 coffee shops and espresso stands (including 4 Starbucks)
And they exclude "American", but include fast food? :confused:
Quote from: Road Hog on October 07, 2022, 03:04:00 AM
Quote from: jgb191 on October 07, 2022, 01:17:59 AM
Quote from: Road Hog on October 06, 2022, 10:57:47 PM
Taco Bell is fast food, but does it count as Mexican too?
That's like asking if Panda Express counts as Chinese or if Pizza Hut counts as Italian.
Still gotta ask. The question remains.
You can buy tacos and quesadillas at Taco Bell; those two items are not only authentically Mexican food, but even ubiquitous in Mexico (although quesadillas are generally regarded as kids' food there).
Burritos are Tex-Mex, and I've seen them in far northern Mexico but only rarely farther south.
Chalupas and gorditas are authentic Mexican food, but they're not quite the same thing as what Taco Bell sells; gorditas, especially, are quite different in Mexico.
So it depends on what you're ordering.
^ There is a clear difference between Mexican tacos and American tacos.
Mexican tacos are soft corn tortillas with shredded or sliced meat filling, and salsa topping -- a staple street food in Mexico. This is my go-to homemade semi-daily lunch, I don't think I'll ever get tired of eating them, and very easy to prepare.
American-style tacos are the all-too-familiar crispy hard corn shells filled with ground beef, lettuce, tomatoes, and cheddar. While these are found nationwide in the USA, I don't believe you'll find very many of them in Mexico.
Taco Bell like to twist the other items like gorditas, chalupas, tostadas, etc into something totally Americanized.
Authentic Mexican food are items like flautas, tortas, menudo, tamales, etc. Also chocolate was invented in Mexico by one of their ancient civilizations.
Quote from: jgb191 on October 09, 2022, 02:21:11 AM
Mexican tacos are soft corn tortillas with shredded or sliced meat filling ...
American-style tacos are the all-too-familiar crispy hard corn shells filled with ground beef ...
I cannot agree with your assessment.
Mexican tacos use various types of tortillas, depending on region and personal preference. They're certainly not all corn. I've eaten countless tacos in Mexico on flour tortillas–many more than I have on corn tortillas in Mexico. Last time I was in Mexico (March), I found myself chatting in the kitchen while a local woman prepared flour tortilla dough; she had done this so many times that she didn't have to measure anything–just mixed it by hand until it felt right.
Also, ground beef tacos exist in Mexico; the meat just tends to be seasoned differently and maybe even have some extra goodies mixed in. If you've never had a
picadillo taco, for example, then you've been missing out. Delicious! And most commonly made with ground beef.
As far as American-style hard shell tacos go: yes, the type you can order from Taco Bell is an American invention, and in fact Taco Bell was largely responsible for its nationwide ubiquity. But frying a taco's tortilla until it gets a little crispy isn't exactly unheard of in Mexico. When they're rolled up and fried, they end up being called
flautas or
tacos dorados or
taquitos, but–hey, wait,
taquitos just means "little tacos" anyway, right? Hmm... But, beyond that, they aren't always rolled up to begin with; I've been served un-rolled-up tacos on pan-fried tortillas in Mexico before. Not exactly the tortilla chip-like things you can get at Taco Bell, but definitely a fried corn tortilla.