# Cooking the national dish of every country



## tipplej (Feb 5, 2015)

As said in my personal introduction, a friend and I are attempting to cook the national dish of every country in the world and recording our journey "Cuisine and Country" on video for that well known video website.

We are both absolute amateurs and what we know about cooking between us would barely cover the surface of a small cracker.

Each week we intend to select a country and cook its national dish! We have done 2 out of about 196 so far! So far we have done Succotash from Equitorial Guinea and Stamppot from Netherlands.

We are here for all the advice, guidance, suggesions and experience we can gain from this fantastic community.


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## tipplej (Feb 5, 2015)

Please can I extend thanks to Dawgluver, Cooking4to, Addie, jennyema,CWS4322, CherylJ and Josie1945 for your kind welcome.

To answer some of your reponses to my introduction:

Yes I hope it will be a lot of fun, a great learning experience and a culinary adventure. We did indeed do a couple of easy countries first but really want to tackle a challenging one as soon as possible. I would hate to do 40 easy ones and find that everything else was really hard. I feel we need to get a really tough one under our belt as soon as possible. Suggestions welcome! Indonesia I think was suggested by Cooking4to. Now we are set up and comfortable documenting it, we should be able to take on bigger challenge. 

Addie, we are doing Canada this week (Poutine) at the request of someone. And I also have family there.

jennyema, there are countries that seem to have more than one national dish, so we will look to pick the one that has the consensus as being the most imprtant. Or we will do the most interesting and mention the other ones. We can always go back and cook the others in an additional episode.

Cooking4to, I do know someone who supplies lamb but Im not sure I could stomach doing Lamb's head for Jordan. It looks disgusting! But it would be... an interesting one.

Luckily my kitchen has a well stocked but un-used spice rack, but I sense we may be looking around in some odd places for foreign ingredients!

Thanks for all your support so far.

Any tips on making poutine for Canada welcome. But I won't be making my own cheese curds this time round. Not sure the best way to make my own french fries. And I don't have a deep fat fryer.


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## Cooking4to (Feb 5, 2015)

tipplej said:


> Cooking4to, I do know someone who supplies lamb but Im not sure I could stomach doing Lamb's head for Jordan. It looks disgusting! But it would be... an interesting one.



That is the beauty of making a dish in your kitchen, it is for you to interpret and make your own, for instance with jordan and that specific dish, I would use this recipe, which uses cubed lamb... Jordanian Mansaf Recipe - Food.com  actually sounds good when I read through it...


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## salt and pepper (Feb 5, 2015)

Welcome to DC. This may help you along your journey, go to foods of the world forum.


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## Kayelle (Feb 5, 2015)

salt and pepper said:


> Welcome to DC. This may help you along your journey, go to foods of the world forum.



Welcome to DC from me too. Here's the link for Ethnic foods that S&P mentioned.
Ethnic Foods - Discuss Cooking - Cooking Forums


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## CWS4322 (Feb 5, 2015)

tipplej said:


> Please can I extend thanks to Dawgluver, Cooking4to, Addie, jennyema,CWS4322, CherylJ and Josie1945 for your kind welcome.
> 
> To answer some of your reponses to my introduction:
> 
> ...


I don't know that poutine is Canada's national dish...definitely it is one of Quebec's dishes. 

1. You don't need a deep-fryer to make the fries, a pan will do.
2. I believe we have discussed poutine a few times. I don't have time to search, but I know I always post about poutine. There are many varieties of poutine. The basic is brown gravy (which is, I think, 1/2 chicken and 1/2 beef gravy), French fries, curds. It is not uncommon to ask for vinegar (white) halfway up, and then top with S&P, ketchup, more vinegar. Or, my favorite at a chip wagon is ask for hot peppers 1/2 up, and then more hot peppers on top.When I make poutine at home, I tend to use turkey gravy (to which I've added grated gjetost), add left over turkey, cranberry (or lingonberry) sauce, and curds. This is not one of the numerous "flavours" you'd find at a poutine shop or chip wagon (yes, there are places that specialize in just poutine).


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## CharlieD (Feb 5, 2015)

Welcome to DC. Definitely interesting challenge. How do you even decide what that National Dish really is?
I am from Ukraine, so I am sitting here and thinking to myself, wow, what would be the truly National Dish of Ukraine? Good luck.


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## GotGarlic (Feb 5, 2015)

I don't know if you have a list you're working from, and I'm sure there are many out there and everyone will have an opinion regarding what's "right," but here's one: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/list-of-national-dishes-around-the-world.html


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## RPCookin (Feb 5, 2015)

I was thinking the same.  The United States is too large and diverse to have a national dish, and many other countries have a diverse ethnic heritage, with diverse cuisines as well.  Even that list of state dishes that I saw somewhere a while back was pretty bogus.  THIS list is more reasonable than the last one I saw, but it just emphasizes the difficulty of the project that the OP has taken on.

For the world, here's another one:  270 Really Delicious National Food Of The World.  This list does not even include all countries.

However, I don't want to rain on your picnic.  It sounds like a fun opportunity for a couple of friends to share some time together and if it results in good eating along the way, then that's better yet.  If you have any difficulties along the way, this is a great place to come and ask questions.


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## CraigC (Feb 5, 2015)

RPCookin said:


> I was thinking the same.  *The United States is too large and diverse to have a national dish, and many other countries have a diverse ethnic heritage, with diverse cuisines as well.*  Even that list of state dishes that I saw somewhere a while back was pretty bogus.  THIS list is more reasonable than the last one I saw, but it just emphasizes the difficulty of the project that the OP has taken on.
> 
> For the world, here's another one:  270 Really Delicious National Food Of The World.  This list does not even include all countries.
> 
> However, I don't want to rain on your picnic.  It sounds like a fun opportunity for a couple of friends to share some time together and if it results in good eating along the way, then that's better yet.  If you have any difficulties along the way, this is a great place to come and ask questions.



Absolutely correct! There is no dish that the OP could possibly "represent" as a national dish that will not be disputed in these countries.


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## Kayelle (Feb 5, 2015)

RPCookin said:


> I was thinking the same.  The United States is too large and diverse to have a national dish, and many other countries have a diverse ethnic heritage, with diverse cuisines as well.  Even that list of state dishes that I saw somewhere a while back was pretty bogus.  THIS list is more reasonable than the last one I saw, but it just emphasizes the difficulty of the project that the OP has taken on.
> 
> *For the world, here's another one:  270 Really Delicious National Food Of The World.  This list does not even include all countries.
> *
> However, I don't want to rain on your picnic.  It sounds like a fun opportunity for a couple of friends to share some time together and if it results in good eating along the way, then that's better yet.  If you have any difficulties along the way, this is a great place to come and ask questions.



What a find that link is Rick! Foodie that I am, I've spent more than an hour there and googling  the recipes.


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## GotGarlic (Feb 5, 2015)

tipplej said:


> Addie, we are doing Canada this week (Poutine) at the request of someone. And I also have family there...
> 
> Any tips on making poutine for Canada welcome. But I won't be making my own cheese curds this time round. Not sure the best way to make my own french fries. And I don't have a deep fat fryer.



Making cheese curds is actually very easy and takes about 45 minutes. They're very different from any you can buy. Here's one recipe: http://www.cheesemaking.com/Recipe_CheeseCurds.html

And you don't need a deep fryer to make French fries. A Dutch oven or heavy soup pot will work fine. You only need a few inches of oil and space for it to expand when you put the fries in.


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## Zhizara (Feb 5, 2015)

RPCookin said:


> I was thinking the same.  The United States is too large and diverse to have a national dish, and many other countries have a diverse ethnic heritage, with diverse cuisines as well.  Even that list of state dishes that I saw somewhere a while back was pretty bogus.  THIS list is more reasonable than the last one I saw, but it just emphasizes the difficulty of the project that the OP has taken on.
> 
> For the world, here's another one:  270 Really Delicious National Food Of The World.  This list does not even include all countries.
> 
> However, I don't want to rain on your picnic.  It sounds like a fun opportunity for a couple of friends to share some time together and if it results in good eating along the way, then that's better yet.  If you have any difficulties along the way, this is a great place to come and ask questions.



Of course there's the old standby, "as American as apple pie."  

It would teach making a pie crust which would be a great learning experience for newbies.


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## tipplej (Feb 5, 2015)

Cooking4to said:


> That is the beauty of making a dish in your kitchen, it is for you to interpret and make your own, for instance with jordan and that specific dish, I would use this recipe, which uses cubed lamb... Jordanian Mansaf Recipe - Food.com actually sounds good when I read through it...


 
Yes, mansaf looks very nice. I had that one down as Jordan's dish. Looks a good recipe thanks. I like to try and adapt a few recipes and maybe add a thing or two ourselves to make it original but still authentic.


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## tipplej (Feb 5, 2015)

CWS4322 said:


> It is not uncommon to ask for vinegar (white) halfway up, and then top with S&P, ketchup, more vinegar.


 
I was about to ask what S&P was... I was thinking it was some special Canadian sauce...! And then I realised how dumb I was!!!! Thanks for the poutine tips.


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## tipplej (Feb 5, 2015)

CharlieD said:


> Definitely interesting challenge. How do you even decide what that National Dish really is?
> I am from Ukraine, so I am sitting here and thinking to myself, wow, what would be the truly National Dish of Ukraine? Good luck.


 
My research into the 205 countries I chose before starting this project, leads me to believe that the ND of Ukraine is Borscht / Borsch. Does that sound right? I've no idea from memory what it is though!


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## tipplej (Feb 5, 2015)

GotGarlic said:


> I don't know if you have a list you're working from, and I'm sure there are many out there and everyone will have an opinion regarding what's "right," but here's one: List of National Dishes Around the World


 
Great link, I will bookmark that!
We're planning to make the dish based on as many recipes as we can find, but kind of design our own version. Still keeping authentic though, but for instance in episode one we added chilli powder to the Equatorial Guinean Succotash. Saying that, we also ate raw lima beans on camera, so maybe we're not so smart!


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## tipplej (Feb 5, 2015)

RPCookin said:


> I was thinking the same. The United States is too large and diverse to have a national dish, and many other countries have a diverse ethnic heritage, with diverse cuisines as well. Even that list of state dishes that I saw somewhere a while back was pretty bogus. THIS list is more reasonable than the last one I saw, but it just emphasizes the difficulty of the project that the OP has taken on.


 
Thanks for the encouragement and link. We're much obliged. I'm not too worried about some debate on the ND of each country. To be honest, it it goes well and people enjoy following the journey, I could also cook multiple dishes from some countries, or even do regional variants. I certainly won't always claim we cooked the exact ND if there is a choice, but we will probably mention the others. For USA I might just do Burger, Mac N Cheese and Apple Pie in the same episode!


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## CharlieD (Feb 5, 2015)

tipplej said:


> My research into the 205 countries I chose before starting this project, leads me to believe that the ND of Ukraine is Borscht / Borsch. Does that sound right? I've no idea from memory what it is though!



Borscht is indeed one thing that would be on the very top of the list. It is a soup made using meat, beets, potato, carrots, onion, tomato (or tomato sauce) and cabbage. 

Good luck. You're going to needed.


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## tipplej (Feb 5, 2015)

GotGarlic said:


> Making cheese curds is actually very easy and takes about 45 minutes. They're very different from any you can buy. Here's one recipe: A Recipe for making Cheese Curds


 
That looks fantastic and is really clear to follow with the pics. I would love to try that but it looks more like 5 hours than 45 minutes! The first bit is an hour and a half. The first two episodes took 5 or 6 hours to film so it's tricky for me to make the curds for the poutine. But the recipe looks fantastic so I really may just have to set a day aside to make them and record it. Brilliant link GotGarlic. I really want to make those curds!


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## tipplej (Feb 5, 2015)

Zhizara said:


> It would teach making a pie crust which would be a great learning experience for newbies.


 
I've never made pie crust but I saw my Mum do it thirty years ago. I can't remember anything about it other than it looking yellow. We will give it a go though!!!


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## tipplej (Feb 5, 2015)

CharlieD said:


> Borscht is indeed one thing that would be on the very top of the list. It is a soup made using meat, beets, potato, carrots, onion, tomato (or tomato sauce) and cabbage.
> 
> Good luck. You're going to needed.


 
Thanks, we will eat well though! And to be honest Borscht sounds delicious!!!


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## tipplej (Feb 5, 2015)

We'll dedicate the Borscht episode to you Charlie D. I don't know anyone else from the Ukraine!


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## CharlieD (Feb 5, 2015)

Mist the white beans.


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## GotGarlic (Feb 5, 2015)

tipplej said:


> That looks fantastic and is really clear to follow with the pics. I would love to try that but it looks more like 5 hours than 45 minutes! The first bit is an hour and a half. The first two episodes took 5 or 6 hours to film so it's tricky for me to make the curds for the poutine. But the recipe looks fantastic so I really may just have to set a day aside to make them and record it. Brilliant link GotGarlic. I really want to make those curds!



Sorry, I got that recipe confused with one for fresh mozzarella. You could substitute fresh mozzarella for curds - it's practically the same thing. But you probably already have your ingredients. 

If you ever want to make fresh mozzarella, though, here's a recipe: http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-homemade-mozzarella-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-174355


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## Cooking Goddess (Feb 5, 2015)

Welcome to DC, tipplej! I'm so glad you are taking us along on your eating adventure. Might inspire me to try some "exotic" dishes. The one piece of advice I can offer is something I learned that makes things run a bit more smoothly for me. Read your recipe several times before you start, measure out and line up all your ingredients, and double-check each measure to make sure it's what you need. (Lesson learned after one, very embarrassing pumpkin pie made with no sugar...the year after I admonished my Mom for forgetting the sugar.)

I come from Polish stock. I grew up eating both foods that have made it into the mainstream and foods that are decidedly old-world. For Polish foods you can't go wrong with a smoked sausage like kielbasa, served up along side a pile of pierogi sauteed in butter and onions. Every culture has pierogi, they just call them by different names: ravioli, pot stickers, etc. All variations of yummy, filled noodle dough. Pierogis aren't hard to do -  I've done it once and wonder why I haven't made them since. If you're interested, I found a simple tutorial; links to the recipe variations are after the author's story.

How to Make Pierogi from Scratch





tipplej said:


> ...For USA I might just do Burger, Mac N Cheese and Apple Pie in the same episode!


Or think "Hot Dog". Those wieners are served all over the country, but it seems like every region has their own style. This article from "Delish" offers up ten different variations. I found other sites, but this one seemed the easiest to navigate. Whatever you pick for the United States, have fun and enjoy!


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## CWS4322 (Feb 6, 2015)

Here's a link to one of the DC threads re: poutine.


http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f17/poutine-88372.html


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## tipplej (Feb 6, 2015)

Cooking Goddess said:


> Welcome to DC, tipplej! I'm so glad you are taking us along on your eating adventure. Might inspire me to try some "exotic" dishes.
> 
> I come from Polish stock. I grew up eating both foods that have made it into the mainstream and foods that are decidedly old-world. For Polish foods you can't go wrong with a smoked sausage like kielbasa, served up along side a pile of pierogi sauteed in butter and onions.


 
Thanks for the welcome and support CG. Pierogi looks very interesting to try. I had the national dish of Poland down as "Bigos". Any idea what that is?


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## tipplej (Feb 6, 2015)

CWS4322 said:


> Here's a link to one of the DC threads re: poutine.


 

That was very helpful thanks!
We have made the poutine and filmed the escapade. All I need to do now is spend about 8 hours editing it!!!


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 8, 2015)

tipplej said:


> Thanks for the welcome and support CG. Pierogi looks very interesting to try. I had the national dish of Poland down as "Bigos". Any idea what that is?




I had a co-worker from Poland who made me some Bigos, it was the only time I ever enjoyed sauerkraut.  It's a traditional Polish Hunter's Stew with Pork, Kielbasa and sauerkraut.


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## CharlieD (Feb 9, 2015)

tipplej said:


> Thanks for the welcome and support CG. Pierogi looks very interesting to try. I had the national dish of Poland down as "Bigos". Any idea what that is?




We used to have a Polish girl here on DC. She posted an awesome Bigos recipe a while ago. Search for it. If you do not find, I know I have it saved somewhere and will find it for you. 


Sent from my iPad using Discuss Cooking


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## Steve Kroll (Feb 9, 2015)

Kasia's Bigos Recipe:

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f21/bigos-old-polish-meal-62392.html


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## Mad Cook (Feb 9, 2015)

tipplej said:


> I've never made pie crust but I saw my Mum do it thirty years ago. I can't remember anything about it other than it looking yellow. We will give it a go though!!!


 Psst! Just between you and me and don't tell anyone but you can by pastry for pie making in the supermarket either frozen or in the chill cabinet. Even professional chefs recommend it nowadays and it's very good, especially the one made with butter.

As a pastry klutz (warm hands, cold heart ) I always buy it rather than making it.


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## Mad Cook (Feb 9, 2015)

What are you going to do for England? Fish and Chips with mushy peas? Steak and kidney pudding? 

Scotland? Porridge? Haggis?

Wales? Welsh Rarebit? Cawl (Pronounced Cowl - a stew made with meat or fish depending where you are)

N. Ireland? Champ? The famous Ulster Fry - (soda bread and potato farls, fried (or occasionally grilled) until crisp and golden. Fried bacon, sausages, an egg, a tomato and sometimes mushrooms complete the dish and it is usually served with tea and toast. Very yummy but a heart attack on a plate!)


imes mushrooms complete the dish and it is usually served with tea and toast

A newspaper article a couple of years ago announced that the national dish of the UK was chicken tikka masala but I think that was a little tongue in cheek.


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## tipplej (Feb 9, 2015)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> I had a co-worker from Poland who made me some Bigos, it was the only time I ever enjoyed sauerkraut. It's a traditional Polish Hunter's Stew with Pork, Kielbasa and sauerkraut.


 
Consider my limited and child-like pallete, for some reason I really like sauerkraut!
The Polish stew sounds nice.


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## tipplej (Feb 9, 2015)

Mad Cook said:


> Psst! Just between you and me and don't tell anyone but you can by pastry for pie making in the supermarket either frozen or in the chill cabinet. Even professional chefs recommend it nowadays and it's very good, especially the one made with butter.


 
Oops... I think they noticed.
Should have sent a private message!


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## tipplej (Feb 9, 2015)

Mad Cook said:


> What are you going to do for England?
> Scotland?
> Wales?
> N. Ireland?
> ...


 
England, maybe a Roast... Although apparently Tikka Masala is one of our national dishes.

Scotland - we'll try and make Haggis...
Wales - definitely - the Cawl.

I had an Ulster Fry one in Ireland so would love to make it.

I'm a bit more worried about finding turtle or conch for the Cayman Islands. It's probably illegal to cook Turtle in England. Might have top travel to Cayman and film an episode there!!!


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## RPCookin (Feb 9, 2015)

tipplej said:


> England, maybe a Roast... Although apparently Tikka Masala is one of our national dishes.
> 
> Scotland - we'll try and make Haggis...
> Wales - definitely - the Cawl.
> ...



Bahamas is also conch - conch salad or crack conch.  Actually conch is best fresh, just briefly marinated in fresh squeezed lime juice and eaten raw (had it a few times like this when out on a boat or on a beach day.  Head out in the water, find a conch or two, clean, slice, marinate, and you are eating 5 minutes later.    

Conch salad is just about the best way to have it after this.  It's diced with a variety of veggies including tomato, bell pepper, celery, onion, and hot peppers (usually Scotch bonnet or habenero or what Bahamians call bird peppers - little finger peppers about an inch long)  and a little fruit for some sweetness (apple and/or mango), then the dressing is fresh squeezed sour orange juice, lime juice, and lemon juice.  There are several recipes online if you Google it, and all are different, just as every place you eat it in the Bahamas is a little different.

Crack conch is pounded, then battered and deep fried.  The pounding keeps it tender.  It takes very little heat to make it like very tough rubber. 

My wife and I lived in the Bahamas from 2012-2014, so we got very familiar with conch.  It truly is one of the staple foods of the country.


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## Mad Cook (Feb 9, 2015)

tipplej said:


> Oops... I think they noticed.
> Should have sent a private message!


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## CraigC (Feb 10, 2015)

RPCookin said:


> Bahamas is also conch - conch salad or crack conch.  Actually conch is best fresh, just briefly marinated in fresh squeezed lime juice and eaten raw (had it a few times like this when out on a boat or on a beach day.  Head out in the water, find a conch or two, clean, slice, marinate, and you are eating 5 minutes later.
> 
> Conch salad is just about the best way to have it after this.  It's diced with a variety of veggies including tomato, bell pepper, celery, onion, and hot peppers (usually Scotch bonnet or habenero or what Bahamians call bird peppers - little finger peppers about an inch long)  and a little fruit for some sweetness (apple and/or mango), then the dressing is fresh squeezed sour orange juice, lime juice, and lemon juice.  There are several recipes online if you Google it, and all are different, just as every place you eat it in the Bahamas is a little different.
> 
> ...



You left out fritters and chowder!


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## RPCookin (Feb 10, 2015)

CraigC said:


> You left out fritters and chowder!



Actually fritters are not as common, and chowder is less so.  Only one place we ate regularly offered conch chowder, and even that wasn't every day.  I did have chicken and conch souse (in the Bahamas, souse is a brothy soup), which was excellent.  

Also peas and rice (that's pigeon peas) is the national side dish.  It is made in a number of variations.  My favorites were pumpkin and rice and conch and rice.

The perfect Bahamian dinner at Max's Conch Bar, Long Island, Bahamas: 

Appetizer:  Breadfruit chips with a cup of Gary's conch salad (chips and salsa Bahamas style)

Entree:  Grilled wahoo or grouper with peas and rice and kalaloo (or if it's available, try Liz's stuffed breadfruit or pumpkin funny instead of the peas and rice)

Dessert:  Liz's fabulous carrot cake.

And of course, ice cold Kalik (beer) to keep your throat from drying out.


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## Zhizara (Feb 10, 2015)

Bangers & mash.

If I had conch, I'd make conch chowder with conch fritters!  YUM!

For England, I'd have to have fish & chips.


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## CraigC (Feb 11, 2015)

RPCookin said:


> Actually fritters are not as common, and chowder is less so.  Only one place we ate regularly offered conch chowder, and even that wasn't every day.  I did have chicken and conch souse (in the Bahamas, souse is a brothy soup), which was excellent.
> 
> Also peas and rice (that's pigeon peas) is the national side dish.  It is made in a number of variations.  My favorites were pumpkin and rice and conch and rice.
> 
> ...



Not sure where you lived, but have you ever been to Rosie's on Grand Cay, near Walker's? As far as the beer, Kalik is ok, but I much preferred the clear bottle Beck's.


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## medtran49 (Feb 11, 2015)

RPCookin said:


> Actually fritters are not as common, and chowder is less so. Only one place we ate regularly offered conch chowder, and even that wasn't every day. I did have chicken and conch souse (in the Bahamas, souse is a brothy soup), which was excellent.
> 
> .


 
Actually, I have to disagree with that.  While I didn't live there, I spent a lot of time in the Bahamas in my late teens to early 20s, as it was a cheap and quick plane ride from Miami or a cheap day or weekend cruise over.  Conch in multiple forms was served at the places I ate at.  Fritters were on just about every menu, as well as cracked conch and conch salad, plus a multitude of other ways depending on the restaurant.  I even had conch stewed in a curry type dish once though it was extremely spicy and I didn't much like it or eat very much of it.  I remember it to this day because it was REALLY hot!!  I think conch in and of itself is probably the national food of the Bahamas, not just a particular dish or 2.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 11, 2015)

medtran49 said:


> Actually, I have to disagree with that.  *While I didn't live there, I spent a lot of time in the Bahamas in my late teens to early 20s*, as it was a cheap and quick plane ride from Miami or a cheap day or weekend cruise over.  Conch in multiple forms was served at the places I ate at.  Fritters were on just about every menu, as well as cracked conch and conch salad, plus a multitude of other ways depending on the restaurant.  I even had conch stewed in a curry type dish once though it was extremely spicy and I didn't much like it or eat very much of it.  I remember it to this day because it was REALLY hot!!  I think conch in and of itself is probably the national food of the Bahamas, not just a particular dish or 2.



How long ago was that?

I'm pretty sure RP's take on Island cooking is a bit more recent and he did LIVE there, he wasn't just a tourist.


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## Zhizara (Feb 11, 2015)

My first introduction to conch was in St. Petersburg, Fl.  I fell in love at first bite.  The dish was conch chowder.

While living there I made a couple of vacation trips to Key West to visit frientds.  I went on a hunt to see who had the best conch fritters.  I tried most of them, and they were all wonderful.

If I could get my hands on some conch, I'd be making me some.  What a wonderful flavor.


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## RPCookin (Feb 11, 2015)

medtran49 said:


> Actually, I have to disagree with that.  While I didn't live there, I spent a lot of time in the Bahamas in my late teens to early 20s, as it was a cheap and quick plane ride from Miami or a cheap day or weekend cruise over.  Conch in multiple forms was served at the places I ate at.  Fritters were on just about every menu, as well as cracked conch and conch salad, plus a multitude of other ways depending on the restaurant.  I even had conch stewed in a curry type dish once though it was extremely spicy and I didn't much like it or eat very much of it.  I remember it to this day because it was REALLY hot!!  I think conch in and of itself is probably the national food of the Bahamas, not just a particular dish or 2.



My time was not spent in the tourist areas of New Providence and Grand Bahama.  We lived 150 miles southeast of Nassau on Long Island, which is was I call the real Bahamas.  You have to get to the Out Islands, eat in the homes of native Bahamians, to really have a feel for the place.  With more than 700 islands in the archipelago, there is enough territory to spend a lifetime exploring.  

The most common meats are chicken and goat (mutton in the islands is almost always goat), with wild pig also a regular fare on several of the Out Islands, Long Island being one of those (we saw them at least on a weekly basis on the side road we drove to get to our home).  Common preparation for mutton and chicken is curry, and jerk is common for chicken and pork.

The commonest side dishes are baked macaroni (with cheese, but not heavy on the cheese), and peas and rice.

Various fish were available, but not always as common in the home as you might expect unless there is a fisherman in the household.  Boiled fish (misnomer, as the fish is more like poached, never boiled) - sort of a fish stew - is most often a breakfast meal, often served with grits or johnny cake.



> Bahamian Boiled Fish
> 
> Ingredients
> 
> ...



This is just from our experience.  Conch fritters were certainly available many places, but only in restaurants or at celebration gatherings.  I never saw anyone make them for a home meal.  One of our friends used to make fritter batter for the Long Island Regatta, a 3 day sailboat race and party at Salt Pond harbor in the middle of the island.  She would make up 20 gallons of the stuff, and the dipping sauce to go with it, for sale in one of the concession booths (6 fritters for a buck... best deal going  ).  

I suppose conch chowder was eaten in homes at times, although I never saw it, but chicken souse was far more common.  A hearty bean soup was also a regular offering.


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## medtran49 (Feb 11, 2015)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> How long ago was that?
> 
> I'm pretty sure RP's take on Island cooking is a bit more recent and he did LIVE there, he wasn't just a tourist.


 
And a national dish doesn't generally change over time, unless it's hundreds of years with societal changes in diet, so it really doesn't matter how long. Even hundreds of years hasn't changed haggis's place per an earlier post in this thread.  And how long has borscht been around?  

And it wasn't in just touristy areas, my boyfriend at the time traveled between Miami and Bahamas for work, so he lived there and in Miami and had friends and business associates there.  Thus, us finding cheap ways for me to travel there since he had more time off there than in Miami usually.


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## tipplej (Feb 12, 2015)

RPCookin said:


> Bahamas is also conch - conch salad or crack conch. Actually conch is best fresh, just briefly marinated in fresh squeezed lime juice and eaten raw (had it a few times like this when out on a boat or on a beach day. Head out in the water, find a conch or two, clean, slice, marinate, and you are eating 5 minutes later.


 
This sounds awesome. Congratulations on living in the Bahamas once. I wish I had! Can I get conch in England?


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## tipplej (Feb 12, 2015)

The Bahamas sounds like a really interesting one to debate and for us to cook. Can we get Conch anywhere in England though?

In the meantime, Canada has jus bee finished and uploaded.
I hope you enjoy it!

At the weekend, we are taking on our biggest challenge - the mighty mansaf from Jordan. I am actually a little scared considering how many spices and ingredients are in it, and the fact we have to boil and ferment yoghurt somehow...!


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## tipplej (Feb 15, 2015)

*Lithuania - Cepelenai*

Does anyone have any tips on making Cepelenai, the national dish of Lithuania. I want to cook that next week. Something to do with dumplings I believe and we have never done anything where we have to build something before cooking. Please, please, please can we include bacon?


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## medtran49 (Feb 15, 2015)

There's pictures and step-by-step instructions here How to Make Lithuanian Cepelinai Dumplings - Step-by-Step Instructions for Making Lithuanian Cepelinai Dumplings .  It's not hard to make the dumplings, just a little practice.  I make similar ones for my DH, stuffed German potato dumplings.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 15, 2015)

This recipe includes bacon:

Recipe for Lithuanian Cepelinai or Potato-Meat Zeppelins


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## tipplej (Feb 17, 2015)

*Falling apart Zeppelins*



PrincessFiona60 said:


> This recipe includes bacon:
> 
> Recipe for Lithuanian Cepelinai or Potato-Meat Zeppelins



Thanks all. Couple of things worry us.

Seems to be some debate on how much boiled versus raw grated potato to use.

Also, I can see these things falling apart in whe water whilst cooking. Is there some secret to avoid that drama?

BACON =  !!!!


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## DiverDoug (Sep 17, 2015)

Hi Jason,

What's been happening with your around the world food tour? How many countries did you end up getting to? Is there a way of showing the videos here or embedding them in the posts?

Where's the next country stop? 

Diver Doug


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## outRIAAge (Jul 16, 2016)

Mad Cook said:


> What are you going to do for England? Fish and Chips with mushy peas? Steak and kidney pudding?
> 
> Scotland? Porridge? Haggis?
> 
> A newspaper article a couple of years ago announced that the national dish of the UK was chicken tikka masala but I think that was a little tongue in cheek.



Tongue in cheek? Not at all! Chicken Tikka Masala originated in Glasgow and these days is universally agreed to be Britain's favourite dish. If you haven't reached Britain yet in your cooking quest, you could cover Scotland, England, Wales, and Northern Ireland with a single dish, but you'd better hurry because Britain is currently coming apart at the seams with their Brexit vote.

(Do you find it odd that the recipe originated in Glasgow? There's an entire class of Subcontinental cooking called Balti that originated in Pakistan, but thrived so well in Birmingham and Manchester that it has been exported back to India/Pakistan and is all the rage.)


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## julietta (Jul 21, 2016)

I just had a couchsurfer visiting and she showed me how to prepare Schnitzel! This was delicious!


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## di reston (Jul 21, 2016)

What are you going to do for Italy? Bear in mind that Italians do not do spaghetti bolognese - it's tagliatelle alla Bolognese, and comes only from Bologna, whereas
pizzas are made everywhere here!

Greece: moussaka?

di reston

Enough is never as good as a feast   Oscar Wilde


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## CraigC (Jul 21, 2016)

di reston said:


> What are you going to do for Italy? Bear in mind that Italians do not do spaghetti bolognese - it's tagliatelle alla Bolognese, and comes only from Bologna, whereas
> pizzas are made everywhere here!
> 
> Greece: moussaka?
> ...



Yeah, kinda makes it impossible to have a "National Dish" when there are many regions in the same country.


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## GotGarlic (Jul 21, 2016)

The OP hasn't posted in almost a year and a half, so I wouldn't count on getting any replies


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## Noordman (Aug 3, 2016)

CWS4322 said:


> I don't know that poutine is Canada's national dish...definitely it is one of Quebec's dishes.
> 
> 1. You don't need a deep-fryer to make the fries, a pan will do.
> 2. I believe we have discussed poutine a few times. I don't have time to search, but I know I always post about poutine. There are many varieties of poutine. The basic is brown gravy (which is, I think, 1/2 chicken and 1/2 beef gravy), French fries, curds. It is not uncommon to ask for vinegar (white) halfway up, and then top with S&P, ketchup, more vinegar. Or, my favorite at a chip wagon is ask for hot peppers 1/2 up, and then more hot peppers on top.When I make poutine at home, I tend to use turkey gravy (to which I've added grated gjetost), add left over turkey, cranberry (or lingonberry) sauce, and curds. This is not one of the numerous "flavours" you'd find at a poutine shop or chip wagon (yes, there are places that specialize in just poutine).




Go Canada! 
I would love to see a picture of this, if you've attempted it


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