Waiching's Movie Thoughts & More : My Favourite Regional Cuisines

Sunday 8 February 2015

My Favourite Regional Cuisines

*Source: World Cuisine Recipes

last updated: February 11, 2016

I'm a foodie fan, and food and culture go well together; it is the heart (and stomach) of one's nation. Good food provides warmth and comfort, after a hard day's work. It brings family, friends and people together. Not only does it provide nourishment, and makes us full, the origins of those dishes have a story behind them, as well as cultural and geographical significance.

My relationship with food has nothing to do with dieting and weighing myself. I mean, I know when my stomach feels full, I can't eat any more and I am always wary of what type of foods I put in my mouth.

Living in a multicultural city such as London, I am fortunate enough to be exposed to cuisines and dishes from all around the world, - although I am quite critical of the fast food places that serve burgers, fries, fried chicken that get passed around as the only available type of American cuisine being served to customers.

The best world/cultural cuisine can be best found in areas in or around the town or city that contain migrant and ethnic communities such as Chinatown around the world, Southall in West London, UK. Sure there are Indian and Chinese takeouts and restaurants outside of the central part London, Manchester, Birmingham, New York etc, but if you want the good stuff, you'd have to travel far.

I love food, and not speaking in terms of being a fatty - which is something I am not. When people say they love food, it's not always about being greedy and putting on weight and stuffing their faces with unhealthy sugary, fatty foods. It's about being open-minded about the different cultures of food they have been exposed to in person, trying them out and enjoying them. Appreciating the effort being put in to cook it, as well as the final end product and enjoying the taste and flavours.

We all eat for different and special occasions, during breakfast, lunch, dinner, as well as during snacking. At weddings, ceremonies, in restaurants, fast food joints and at home. I pretty much like any type of cuisine, I'm open with it - I'll try anything and if I don't like a particular type of food or dish, then I wouldn't eat it any more. Such as liver, kidney, sheep's blood and animals that I see as pets, I would not eat those. In Peru, they eat Guinea Pigs and whilst it is one of their signature foods, I see them as pets that are meant to be looked after, - and not as something to be devoured. Cheese is a bit of a weird one for me, as I don't eat it unless it is melted on bread or toast, pasta/spaghetti or on pizza or covered with fish or meat. I'm usually not someone who hates a particular type of food when I haven't tried it, i.e. a picky eater.

With spicy food, I like it when it is not too hot - I don't mind Indian and Mexican food, as long as it doesn't burn my mouth. Although I still end up drinking water or some other beverage to wash it down.

Food culture transcends race and ethnicity, nationality, religion, culture, history; it acts as a symbol by signifying a particular culture or region for instance, and thus, it's why people have a strong relationship with food, as it ties in with other things outside of the culinary landscape. Like I said before, trying out and eating different cuisines, in turn, makes you learn and understand their culture a little better. There is no need to travel overseas just to consume Indian, Mexican, Chinese, Italian, Jamaican food when there are restaurants that serve those types of food in or around where you live.

American, British, Canadian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, Spanish, Brazilian, Italian, Portuguese, Tex-Mex I love them all. Well, with Japanese, it's okay.

By going in with an open mind, try a bit of every dish and by then, you'll figure out what you like and don't like eating. And the foods you enjoy eating, you'll order them again and again.

American - the cuisine of the United States of America; American cuisine and Chinese cuisine share one thing in common: the image of its food is that of burgers, fries, fried chicken, doughnuts and sweet and sour dishes, egg rolls, noodles, fried rice. But if anyone is open-minded enough to know that American food is so much more than that and has regional dishes from different States and regions.

Unfortunately, the American food served here in the UK mostly comprises of fast food, and so, therefore, because of places like McDonald's, KFC, Burger King, people, in general, think American food is crap and just your standard fare of fries, burgers, fried chicken. But it's not, and some of its dishes include vegetables such as Collard Greens, sweet potatoes (Yams), corn. I would like to see more restaurants that offer the type of food that is served in the South, mid-west, northeast and central of America.

I'd take regional American food over the usual fried chicken, fries, coleslaw, burgers, anytime.

Cajun and Creole

Clam Chowder

Boston Baked Beans - a variety of baked beans sweetened with molasses or maple syrup & flavoured with Salt pork or bacon

Apple Pie

Gumbo

Dirty Rice - a traditional creole dish of Louisiana made with white rice which gets its 'dirty' colour by being cooked with pieces of pork, beef or chicken, green bell peppers, celery, onions and flavoured with black and cayenne pepper

Source: Getty Images

Seafood Boil

Po boy Sandwiches

Jambalaya

Oysters Rockafella

Red Beans and Rice - Louisiana Creole

Soul food

Black Eyed Peas

Collard Greens, Turnip Greens, Okra, Sweet Potatoes

Cobbler

Cobb Salad

Image: Uno Chicago Grill

Tex-Mex - Texan and Mexican fusion cuisine - burritos, fajitas, quesadilas, tacos, Texas caviar

Chicken Fried Steak

Can we have more of this type of American food in Britain and around here in London, & less of the Mcdonalds, Burger King and KFCs, pretty please?

Chinese Cantonese - when people outside of China think of Chinese food, it tends to be of the Cantonese variety from Hong Kong. It is one of the 4 main types of Chinese cooking and is predominately savoury that utilizes vegetables, meat, fish, rice and noodles. Cantonese cuisine gets a bad rep, because of dishes such as wonton soup, egg rolls and sweet and sour pork/chicken get more attention and is eaten more often compared to other Cantonese and Chinese dishes. It's flavourful that uses minimal seasoning, the dishes are varied with snacks, rice, meat, fish, noodles that it's more accustomed to my tastes. Cantonese food is more than just sweet and sour, wontons, egg rolls, although I wouldn't touch frogs legs, jellyfish, shark fin soup.

It is arguably my favourite type of Chinese food, but I also like the other types as well.

Prominent Cantonese dishes include:

Dim Sum - small portioned dishes that are served during breakfast and lunchtime, they range from egg tarts to shrimp and pork dumplings, sticky lotus rice with meat and chicken feet with black beans

Steamed spare ribs with fermented black beans and chilli

Water spinach with fermented bean curd and chilli

Ho fun noodles - you can have it fried with Beef, bean sprouts, soy sauce and green onions, or with beef, bean sprouts in a thick gravy

Roasted and cooked meats - Roast Peking duck, roast pork, crispy pork belly, soy sauce chicken, Orange cuttlefish

Source: Foodspotting

Clay pot rice

Steamed Sea Bass

Source: Red Cook

Broccoli in oyster sauce

Fried tofu with meat

Red or Green bean soup

Milk Tea

Source: Food Spotting

Egg Waffles

Source: CNN

Lemon Chicken - like the Orange chicken dish that you find in many US Chinese restaurants but with Lemon sauce in place of Orange sauce. This originated in Hong Kong.

Source: City Wok

Steamed Egg Omelette

Source: Phong Hong Bakes & Cooks

Gai Lan (Chinese Broccoli) in Oyster Sauce

Hairy Gourd Melon soup with meat

Scrambled Tomato Eggs

Lobster Noodles

Source: Dish Maps

Baked Pork Chop Rice - rice, pork chops, veg, tomato sauce and topped with melted cheese, not the most Chinese dish one thinks of, but it's still tasty

Turkish

Doner Kebab - I enjoy eating these, especially the chilli and garlic sauces that go well together

Lahmacun - thin flatbread covered with a layer of spiced minced meat, tomato, pepper and onion

Coban Salatasi - Turkish salad of chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onions. The dressing consists of lemon juice, olive oil and salt

Etil Pilav - rice with pieces of meat

Durum - a Turkish burrito of lamb, chicken or beef, it's basically everything you have in a doner kebab - salad, sauce, meat - but in the form of a wrap

Baklava

Italian

Lasagna and pasta

Source: La Vinoteca Eatery

Pasta and beans

Ravioli

Pizza

Risotto with lemon and green beans

Cotoletta - breaded veal

Carne Pizzaiola - meat with peppers, tomatoes in olive oil, is served with pasta or rice

Chicken Cacciatore - Chicken with tomatoes, onions and herbs

Source: CBC In The Kitchen

Stuffed calamari in tomato sauce

Panettone

Korean - first time I tried Korean food was when I was in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 2014; it was nice with flavours that weren't overpowering. I definitely prefer it more than Japanese food, as the flavours, textures and appearance, were and is similar in many ways to Chinese food. Likewise, Kim-chi is similar in taste and texture as Za Choi, which is a type of pickled mustard originating from China.

Kim-chi

Japchae - noodles that look very much like vermicelli - thin, transparent threads made from sweet potatoes

Gimbap - Korean sushi

Jeon - Pancakes

Galpi - pork or beef ribs

Beef Bulgogi - beef marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, sugar, scallions, black pepper and cooked on a grill

Steamed chicken and vegetables with cellophane noodles in Gangjang sauce

Steamed egg omelette

Brazilian - Whilst my time in Sao Paulo was pretty difficult and not so enjoyable, one of the few highlights was the food. I really liked it - and though it can be too filling for some, who don't like eating too many carbs in beans, rice, there is a wide selection of dishes with a few native desserts as well.

Rice and Beans stew with meat called Feijao

Cheese Bread

Source: PopSugar

Chicken Croquettes

BBQ meats

Source: New York Streetfood

Acaraje - a deep-fried patty made with black-eyed peas, oil, onions, filled with peppers, minced beef, onions, prawns/shrimps

Pastel - similar to Cornish pastries filled with assorted meats

Portuguese

Egg Tarts - almost identical to the Chinese custard egg tarts in appearance but flavoured with cinnamon and vanilla

Piri Piri chicken

Source: Schwartz

Caldo Verde

Folhadas - meat or cheese stuffed pastries

Cod fishcakes

Steak sandwich

Alheiras - sausages made with bread and chicken

Source: Catavino

Caldeirada - fish and seafood stew cooked with tomatoes and herbs

Clams

Salame De Chocolate - dessert in the shape of salami sausage made with chocolate, biscuits and eggs

Spanish

Paella - seafood edition

Churros - fried dough pastry sticks that originate in Spain and Portugal. They are usually served with thick melted chocolate or dulce de leche with sugar sprinkled on top of them

Tapas - Spanish's version of Hong Kong dim sum which are small appetizers or snacks served before the main meal, these include empanadillas which are little empanadas and meatballs with sauce

Patatas Bravas - fried cubes of potatoes in a spicy tomato sauce

Arros Negre - known as Black rice/Black paella, this Valencian-based dish is made with cuttlefish/squid, cephalopod ink, rice, garlic, olive oil and seafood broth to name

Empanadas - baked or fried pasty similar to the cornish pasty with stuffings that can consist of cheese, meat, corn or other ingredients

And in addition to this list, here are other cuisines I am very keen on trying out too:

Columbian

Valluna - pork cutlets/chops in breadcrumbs

Ajicao - A type of Chicken and corn soup

Bandeja Paisa - similar to an English fry-up in many respects; grilled steak, fried egg, sausage with avocado and banana chips

Tamales - ground corn steamed or boiled in leaves, can contain chicken, beef, sweetcorn & other vegetables

Manjar Blanco - type of leche, a dessert spread made with milk and sugar

Arepa - type of cornmeal bread

Lechona - roast pig stuffed with rice, peas, onions and spices

Potatoes with cheese

Argentinian

Locro - a thick stew dish of corn, beans, potato or pumpkin with meat (usually beef, sometimes with chorizo) & vegetables

Costillas a la Riojana - pork ribs with onions, peppers, peas along with fried eggs and fried round potatoes

Peruvian

Ceviche - seafood soaked in lemon juice with chillies

Tacu Tacu - beans and rice fried topped with breaded fried steak and onion salsa

Arroz Con Mariscos - seafood rice

Causa - a casserole of potatoes and avocado that can include meat or fish and/or hard-boiled eggs

Lomo Saltado - Chinese Peruvian fusion dish of stir-fried beef, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, onions with soy sauce served with rice

Source: Huffington Post

Pollo A La Brasa - Peruvian style roast/grilled chicken marinated in pepper, paprika, red peppers, garlic, cumin (and soy sauce)

Choritos a la Chalaca - steamed mussels with vegetable medley and corn

Rocoto Relleno - stuffed peppers with meat and melted cheese

Dominican Republic

Mangu - boiled and mashed plantains with red onions

La Bandera - beans, rice and meat stew

Source: Book of Days Tales

Tostones - fried plantains

Passion fruit juice

Sanchocho - meat and vegetable broth

Dulce De Coco - coconut macaroons

Quipe/Kipe - deep-fried bulger rolls filled with meat, beans

Source: NBC Latino

Chenchen - ground corn

Habichuelas - dulce made with beans, sweet potato, sugar and coconut

Pica Pollo/Aroz Con Pollo - Dominican fried chicken

Source: Dominican Heat

Croquetas - chicken croquettes

Chimichurri - Dominican burgers made with ground beef or pork served on water bread and garnished with lettuce and a Marie Rose type of prawn cocktail sauce called Salsa Rosa

Source: Dominican Cooking

Asopao De Pollo - similar to a gumbo, contains meat and rice

Lechon Asado - roast pig

Pastelon De Platano Maduro - version of English Shepherd's pie, only it is topped with mashed sweet plantains instead of mashed potato