So whats your favourite national food?

[Stacey03]

I totally enjoyed the grits thread, I love hearing about other foods in different parts of the world. What's your favourite national foods?
Australia has some pretty hideous ones. I went to a meeting at the Australian Embassy in Paris last year. I thought it would be a fabulous sit down dinner but it wasn't. They served what they called national Australian foods buffet.... gawd... it was mini sausages in bread (white sliced) this is popular outside stores in Australia to raise money for community charities, pavlovas ( Aussies like to think its their national dish but the kiwis disagree .... just waiting for kiwi girl to chip in here ;-) meat pies (gawd) chiko rolls ( these are like a deep fried spring roll filled with some sort of matter) vegimite scrolls ( a savoury spread infiltrated into a bread like swirl) Anyway it was hideous.

Also the architecture of the building offended me... its right underneath the tower and was designed by this fella, I cant remember his name, but he did a few buildings in Sydney too... fascist architecture. Ugh.

So anyway I don't eat a lot of national foods but what we do have is seafood!!! Which is the best and I get mine from an island in the bay. They kindly opened a shop on the mainland, so its super fresh and Morton bay bugs are my very favourite. They are a crustration, kind of like a cross between a lobster and a crab. Delicious!
So mainly I eat seafood and local veg, we have good farmers markets too. Also the Northern Territory is one of my favourite places for asian food, I eat so much green paw paw salad up there with tons of chilli.

What are your national dishes?

[Ann2]

Hmm ... American national foods I like the best ...?

I think barbequed ribs are my fave USA food. But you have to understand there are all kinds of BBQ ribs, both pork and beef, that also vary with regard to the BBQ rubs and sauces used on them, as well as how they're cooked -- on a grill, slow-smoked, in a hole in the ground, on a spit, and depending on what kinds of combustibles used to cook them -- so many different woods, different things the woods are soaked in, varieties of charcoal (ugh!), gas, etc.

The varieties of BBQ ribs here in the USA vary as much as the wines grown and aged in any wine-making country in the world. And the style of BBQ ribs are distinct in places like Kansas City, Memphis, Chicago, South Carolina, Texas, Mississippi, and many other places. Needless to say, everyone thinks THEIR ribs are superior to all other ribs.

I will say that a Mississippi brother-in-law of mine makes the best ones I've ever tasted. And a guy in Georgia may be second, although he thinks he thinks he's in first place.

P.S. For the record, I am not a hot dog girl.

[KiwiGal]

Hey, hands off our pavlova! ;-)
I'm not sure we have too much in the way of National foods. Of course there is Hangi food. A Traditional way that Maori cooked food. It is food (meat and veg) that is cooked over hot rocks in a pit that is covered with earth. Sounds disgusting - tastes delicious.
ANZAC biscuits - I'll share that one with you Edie. An eggless oat based biscuit that was invented to send over to the troops during WW1. Being eggless they keep for ages. I love their golden syrupy goodness. Might have to splurge out on ANZAC day (25th April) and have one.
Possibly a mince and cheese pie.
Otherwise we are very multi-cultural when it come to food. There are many ethnic based restaurants around.
Like Edie we have great seafood. I love the Aussie Moreton Bay Bugs - we don't see them much over here though.

Hmm, must be time for lunch now.........bring on the cottage cheese

[Stacey03]

Hey, hands off our pavlova! ;-)
I'm not sure we have too much in the way of National foods. Of course there is Hangi food. A Traditional way that Maori cooked food. It is food (meat and veg) that is cooked over hot rocks in a pit that is covered with earth. Sounds disgusting - tastes delicious.
ANZAC biscuits - I'll share that one with you Edie. An eggless oat based biscuit that was invented to send over to the troops during WW1. Being eggless they keep for ages. I love their golden syrupy goodness. Might have to splurge out on ANZAC day (25th April) and have one.
Possibly a mince and cheese pie.
Otherwise we are very multi-cultural when it come to food. There are many ethnic based restaurants around.
Like Edie we have great seafood. I love the Aussie Moreton Bay Bugs - we don't see them much over here though.

Hmm, must be time for lunch now.........bring on the cottage cheese

HAHAHA I knew you would see that and defend your pavlova! I love a hangi and I was always amazed at the cheese in every pie when I lived in NZ. And the large amount of sandwich filling!!! :-) I love cottage cheese :-)

[Stacey03]

Hmm ... American national foods I like the best ...?

I think barbequed ribs are my fave USA food. But you have to understand there are all kinds of BBQ ribs, both pork and beef, that also vary with regard to the BBQ rubs and sauces used on them, as well as how they're cooked -- on a grill, slow-smoked, in a hole in the ground, on a spit, and depending on what kinds of combustibles used to cook them -- so many different woods, different things the woods are soaked in, varieties of charcoal (ugh!), gas, etc.

The varieties of BBQ ribs here in the USA vary as much as the wines grown and aged in any wine-making country in the world. And the style of BBQ ribs are distinct in places like Kansas City, Memphis, Chicago, South Carolina, Texas, Mississippi, and many other places. Needless to say, everyone thinks THEIR ribs are superior to all other ribs.

I will say that a Mississippi brother-in-law of mine makes the best ones I've ever tasted. And a guy in Georgia may be second, although he thinks he thinks he's in first place.

P.S. For the record, I am not a hot dog girl.

Ahhh see I've heard this about the ribs, it's very complex! For book club we choose a place to eat that suits the book. Every time we read a book that is remotely American the boys from book club want to go the the place in Brisbane that does ribs! They are obsessed. :-)

[Ann2]

Edie, that's a great idea -- that your book club eats somewhere compatible with or evocative of your book selection. I'm going to make that motion at our book club Wednesday night.

Thank you!

And yes, boys everywhere seem to be obsessed with ribs and barbequed anything. I think it's the playing with fire bit.

P.S. I also have to say that Korean short ribs are right up there at the top of my list of fave BBQ ribs. Boy, those Koreans know how to spice things up!

[Alynn]

Ann2. I am with you nothing like some goo bbq, cooked low and slow. Almost time to fire up the grill and eat 1 rib.

[Stacey03]

Edie, that's a great idea -- that your book club eats somewhere compatible with or evocative of your book selection. I'm going to make that motion at our book club Wednesday night.

Thank you!

And yes, boys everywhere seem to be obsessed with ribs and barbequed anything. I think it's the playing with fire bit.


P.S. I also have to say that Korean short ribs are right up there at the top of my list of fave BBQ ribs. Boy, those Koreans know how to spice things up!

Yes we always do that and it's really fun. Sometimes it's hard to choose as we once read a horrid murder in the arctic style book and it needed to be seal blubber and what not! I can't remember what we did!

[Stacey03]

And... we also have some good Australian bush tucker from our first peoples. I meant to say that too. Kangaroo is a very lean and healthy meat apparently, I don't mind it but don't often eat meat but there are lots of Australian bush delights in foods.... heres some info on that.....

https://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/...ustralian-food

[Christie13]

My favorite Italian foods are polenta and fried cheese or salame con cao which is fried salami in a cream sauce (also served with polenta). They are not the healthiest but I do enjoy them. I also love the way Italian salads are conditioned with oil and red wine vinegar. And don't get me started on a good Italian bread rolls. They are to die for. I miss Italian foods.

[MikeMo]

Living in Texas and all, I have kept having fantasies about a nice juicy smoked beef brisket myself. BBQ places are all over this state, and it's almost verging on a religion. One of the things that keep me going in the dark hours is the knowledge that, in several weeks, I should be able to indulge again (in significantly smaller quantities, with no sides, etc.). In the meantime, I have only one day of clear protein drinks to contend with before I can move to full liquids. Yippee.

[Stacey03]

My favorite Italian foods are polenta and fried cheese or salame con cao which is fried salami in a cream sauce (also served with polenta). They are not the healthiest but I do enjoy them. I also love the way Italian salads are conditioned with oil and red wine vinegar. And don't get me started on a good Italian bread rolls. They are to die for. I miss Italian foods.

Can't take the Italian out of you :-)

[Stacey03]

Living in Texas and all, I have kept having fantasies about a nice juicy smoked beef brisket myself. BBQ places are all over this state, and it's almost verging on a religion. One of the things that keep me going in the dark hours is the knowledge that, in several weeks, I should be able to indulge again (in significantly smaller quantities, with no sides, etc.). In the meantime, I have only one day of clear protein drinks to contend with before I can move to full liquids. Yippee.

Yayyy for the full liquids!!! SOUP!!! :-)

[AnnieG]

I'm originally from the Pacific NW (Washington State), so from there it would be planked smoked Chinook Salmon.
But I've been in the South (NC) for 20 years -- so here, it would be Calabash seafood, which I no longer eat -- the breading is light, but too much.

Overall favorite food, Shrimp Gumbo (without okra), any kind of Cuban food.....

I always wanted to go to Australia (my husband has been many times on business), but I don't fly. And y'all have lots of snakes & spiders!

[Stacey03]

I'm originally from the Pacific NW (Washington State), so from there it would be planked smoked Chinook Salmon.
But I've been in the South (NC) for 20 years -- so here, it would be Calabash seafood, which I no longer eat -- the breading is light, but too much.

Overall favorite food, Shrimp Gumbo (without okra), any kind of Cuban food.....

I always wanted to go to Australia (my husband has been many times on business), but I don't fly. And y'all have lots of snakes & spiders!

I love ochre! And yes great big spiders!!! LOL. I once drove 15 km down my road when I lived in the bush with a massive wolf spider on the inside of my windscreen. We eyeballed each other for the 15km then suddenly it ran towards me... that was it, I was out, pulled over in 2 seconds flat and had to coax it out with my magazine!!!! Yikes!