National Delicacies

[Marius_Ursus]

Fried green tomatoes are American. Kalo, Stefanos!

So is fried okra. Now you've jogged my memory about how many fried foods come from here.

Is there any wonder why America is the most obese nation on the planet? :roll:

Okra :?: sorry too lazy to go for a dictionary.:oops:

Hmm from what I know by law the portions in the US are bigger than Europe and there is a feeling that you overdo it when you go to the supermarket.

As for me corn oil is my choise if I cannot find olive oil in regards to frying.
Kind regards

Okra:

They're quite tasty, but I prefer it lightly boiled to battered and fried. If you overcook them, they get very, very slimy.

Yes, portions here are huge. Some places pride themselves on how big their servings are. There's one restaurant chain in the States called "Claimjumpers" that sells food on plates a half-meter across. The scary thing is some people actually eat the whole meal served on these plates. hock:

What really kills me is how nutritionists and doctors in the US keep having study after study about how the French have such a low incidence of heart disease and arterial problems when their food has such a high fat content. All you have to do is look at the amount of food they eat. There are so many tricks and ways the Americans look to cheat their bodies into trying to lose weight. There's low-fat food, low-carb food, sugar-free sweeteners, diet soda...Oh, yeah...and Europeans walk and bike a lot more than Americans, too.

Jeeze...all you have to do is stop eating so much.

For frying, I like canola oil. It has a high smoke point, and it's lighter than corn oil. For anything else, it's olive oil. (I even put a tablespoon of olive oil in my protein shakes! )

[hoplite14gr]

Tom ever relaible. You also proved true the chinese proverb about "image worths 1000 words".
We call them BAMIA(one) BAMIES (plural) in Greece. No 1 recipy is chicken with them boiled in olive-oil and tomato sauce. Fresh are magnificent but saddly they latelly appear mostly frozen in the supermarkets. :evil:
Thanks for teaching me anew word.
Every "local-kitchen" was developed in a certain locality with the materials and conditions of this locality. You must have more fats in the north fewer in the south. More aromatic plants were in the south, thats why recipes looked "exotic". If you visit a locality different to yours perhaps its good to follow-if you can-local eating habbits.
People are simply lazy sods who take convenience over best interest.
Its not the recipy´s fault. I even catch my self wanting to dodge the Gym but I force myself to go.

This is one of the bestof topic threads so far. Can we voted the best off topic thread? Admins? :wink:
Kind regards

[jsantell]

Spam on rye toast, mustard and a slice of american cheese, YUM!

[Marius_Ursus]

Tom ever relaible. You also proved true the chinese proverb about "image worths 1000 words".
We call them BAMIA(one) BAMIES (plural) in Greece. No 1 recipy is chicken with them boiled in olive-oil and tomato sauce. Fresh are magnificent but saddly they latelly appear mostly frozen in the supermarkets. :evil:
Thanks for teaching me anew word.
Every "local-kitchen" was developed in a certain locality with the materials and conditions of this locality. You must have more fats in the north fewer in the south. More aromatic plants were in the south, thats why recipes looked "exotic". If you visit a locality different to yours perhaps its good to follow-if you can-local eating habbits.
People are simply lazy sods who take convenience over best interest.
Its not the recipy´s fault. I even catch my self wanting to dodge the Gym but I force myself to go.

This is one of the bestof topic threads so far. Can we voted the best off topic thread? Admins? :wink:
Kind regards

I didn't know okra grew anywhere other than in the southern part of the US! That's very interesting. Living up here in NY, I, too, have to buy frozen okra. When I lived in California and in Texas, I could get it fresh. I even could get it grom local farmers for twenty cents for a pound of it.

When I travel, I eat the local food and love it. The "Chinese" food in China (Funny thing...they just call it "food". :wink: ) is far better than the "Americanized" versions they sell here. I want to travel through Vietnam and Thailand and try the foods the way they're prepared "at home".

I agree with you completely that you have to blame the people and not the food. A calorie is a calorie, and if you eat too many of them, you're going to get fat. Hard work pays off in that area, and I can relate to what you wrote about pushing yourself to exercise. Just last night I didn't want to work out. I was feeling pretty lazy, but I did it anyway. I ended up feeling much better for it.

Have you been to the US, Stefanos? I just wonder how Greek food here compares to the stuff in your homes and local restaurants.

[john m roberts]

Where I live, we have chiles rellenos, chile stew, tacos, enchiladas, and just plain chile. Note that here in New Mexcio the main ingredient is spelled "chile," not "chili" as in the rest of the country, where people don't know how to spell. In the good old days, the meat ingredient would likely be the arms, legs or buttocks of a sacrificed prisoner. This extremely sensible and economical religious/culinary practice accomplished three things: 1, you got rid of an enemy. 2, you didn't just leave him dead on the field, you bought the favor of your gods by sacrificing him. 3, you had him for dinner. I think it's a shame that this extremely sensible practice was abandned for a very boring and dietarily unsatisfying alternative.

[Gaivs Antonivs Satvrninvs]

Hi,all.

AFAIK-okra(sometimes,I believe known as gumbo)
came to the southern US by way of African slaves
way back when. I forgot about this odd vegetable
when I was mentioning local foods.
For my tastes-you can have it.
Here they eat it boiled or fried,with fried being
the only way palatable to me(dipped in cornmeal batter).
Cooked with stewed tomatoes is ok.

Most foods here came with whoever was on the boat
or due to their adaptability to make "home"style foods
from local ingredients.
I'm sure the Romans did too.

[Goffredo]

Hi guys
years ago while I lived in the US (California, Illinois) I managed, over time and with patience, to spot several small, family run, hamburger joints and ate some excellent hamburgers, a true American food. Get some good beef over a grill, good buns (bread!), tasty tomatoes, onions, pickels, GOOD mustard and PRESTO you have a real delicacy!

Now that my mouth is watering I am going to make myself a real treat: a down-to-earth, simple, no frills, no bells and whistles, authentic US-of-A HAMBURGER!!!!

[hoplite14gr]

No Tom, not been yet in the US.
Every one of us who is lucky to go somewhere and have a friend there is possibly more likely to eat real food instead of restorant staff. But if you have a friend ther of Greek roots, you might be very lucky if his grandmother lives and can cook, trust me!
If you ever be in Athens drop me aline and you will see the meaning of real food.
My wife when told of the "chinese food" comment told me:
Russian salad is called Salad Oliviere in Russia. Atributed to the French vallet of Peter the Great. Ingredients: Potato cubes basis with green peas carrots and green peppers. 3 lobster tales, salmon cubes, crab cubes and black chaviar. Tendelry engulfed in mayonesse. This Peter fellow knew how to eat!
Damn you only get the veggies and the mayonesse usually!
She also cannot understand why in the West, they call the boiled egges stuffed with mashrooms eggs "a la Russ". They call them just staffed eggs there.
Kind regards

[Comerus Gallus]

:roll:

[Carlton Bach]

Here in North Germany we have all the style, taste and refinement of Yorkshire coupled with the typical German sense of propoprtion and fine aesthetic sensibilities...

Which gives us:

Labskaus (lobscouse - I think it's a North Sea universal), locally that's mashed potatos with fried onions and corned beef, crushed pickled beetroot, and pickled herring, served with gherkins and fried eggs.

Grünkohl (green cabbage). A regional cabbage verietal (think of the lovechild of Brussels sprouts and broccoli) boiled with fat, highly seasoned sausages and cooked ham

Rote Grütze (red fruit jelly). This is actually good. IN summer, grab every variety of red fruit you can get (Northern European summers make for an abundance of excellent strawberries, raspberries, redcurrants, cherries and such), boil some till they fall apart, add sugar to taste and a dash of lemon, then add more whole fruit and thicken with tapioca or gelatin. Chill and serve with cold milk or whipped cream.
No matter what grandma says, do NOT ADD RHUBARB!!!!!!

Currywurst (curried sausage). This is one of Germany's favorite diner foods, for some reason. Take a bratwurst, roast it on the griddle, then cut it into bite-sized slices and pour a plentiful amount of heated German-style ketchup (more viscous and less fruity than the Heinz variety) over it and liberally dust with yellow curry powder. Serve with chips. Hamburg and Berlin are fighting over the honour of its invention, though if I had come up with it I certainly wouldn't brag about it...

Stint. It's a small - about finger-sized - fish that annually migrates up our rivers. You catch them, fry them in oil and eat them. That's about it. It's strictly seasonal and ridiculuosly expensive.

Potato pancakes with apple puree.

[Tarbicus]

Labskaus (lobscouse - I think it's a North Sea universal),

Aha! Which is supposed to be how I and my fellow Scousers got our name - from the viking settlers there. We even have a stew called scouse.

[hoplite14gr]

Well Carlton in Germany you make good wines except your Splendit Beer!
So I belive it is one reason you developed a cooking tradition not widely known. You will not hold it against me if I be "traditional" because I like Nuremberg sausages (with liver) and the splendit WEISSBIERS!!!!!!!
Kind regards

[Carlton Bach]

Well Carlton in Germany you make good wines except your Splendit Beer!
So I belive it is one reason you developed a cooking tradition not widely known. You will not hold it against me if I be "traditional" because I like Nuremberg sausages (with liver) and the splendit WEISSBIERS!!!!!!!
Kind regards

You are, of course, thinking of SOUTHERN Germany...

I like Nuremberg sauages (just had the chance to get the real stuff this week), and the Rhenish and Mosel wines are supposed to be particularly fine. But all of that (and the famous cakes and Torten, too) are from the southern half of the nation. Up north, we have a different take on things. Not least, it's cold and wet, not much worthwhile grows (except for great fruit and berries), and until recently you were just grateful you had stuff to eat.

[andym]

Of course the Caledonians have Tatties and Neaps (potatos and Swede) along with Haggis.Although they claim Haggis as theirs it is actually a Roman invention,just like the burger and many other foods that appear common to most of europe.(A lasting legacy no doubt)It might be interesting to see if anyone can turn up any other Roman foods that are still around today.I am slightly dissapointed that there hasnt been much of a mention of Preserved meats and Pickles.I am addicted to both!you cant beat a good Salami and a dollop of Pickled chillis or Courgette.So any regional preserved specialities?

[Tiberio]

Hmm when the talk comes to Hagis, there is in Germany something which is simualr. It is a specialty called "Saumagen" comes from the Pfalz former chancelor Kohl like to serve that to his guests. Its a pigs stomach filled with potatos, carots and various meats, then the whole thing is sewen up and cooked. After cooking it is cut like a thick sausage. It tastes good but is not that pleasing to the eye!
Martin