As a home-cook and foodie I love taking inspiration from as many cultures as I can when I cook. One of my personal goals is to make at least 1 dish from every country and every major city around the world, and I’ve been compiling a list of my favorite dishes from each country to research and create versions of my own. I have tried and created many dishes from well-known countries, but I would love to know more about the culture and cuisine of places that are less talked about or less well represented.

So what are your favorite dishes and cuisines from your local city or country? Or local dishes you know of from other places? Or maybe you have your own list of your favorites?

My addition: Garbage Plates from Rochester NY. They sound strange at first but have become one of my comfort foods. When they are done well, they hit the spot like no other. As for a lesser known dish I absolutely love Roti Canai which is a type of curry and bread from Malaysia.

My list so far:

Japan: Spicy Miso Ramen

South Korea: Curry Tteokbokki

China : Lo Mein

Taiwan: Mongolian Beef

Thailand: Pad Thai

Malaysia: Roti Canai

Singapore: Singapore Street Noodles

India: Lamb Marsala

Syria: Maqluba

Libya: Couscous Bil-bosla

Turkey: Gozleme

Greece: Lamb over Rice

Russia: Stroganoff

Italy: Carbonara

Germany: Rahmshnitzel

Belgium: Liege Waffle

France: Croque Monsieur

UK: Lamb Tikka Masala

Sweden: Kottbullar

Iceland: Pylsur

Canada: Poutine

US: Garbage Plate

Mexico: Carne Asada Tacos

El Savador: Charamuscas

Trinidad: Dahl

Jamaca: Peanut Punch

Guyana: Pepper Pot

  • Semjaza@lemmynsfw.com
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    4 hours ago

    The Scottish Full English I think has a slight edge on the English when you’ve all the trappings.

    Haggis > black pudding.

    For other countries: 贵州 (Guizhou, China) - 恋爱豆腐/ Lover’s Tofu Pouch - is a special tofu that’s made with sun exposure and multiple mixing, that’s then grilled and sliced open to be stuffed.
    豆腐圆子/fried tofu balls - These are simpler. Big mouthful sized deep fried tofu balls that’re sliced open and filled with a pickled radish, coriander, fish-mint, and chilli mix. 贵阳酸分/Guiyang Fermented Noodles - rice (iirc) noodles that are quite thick, and left to ferment slightly as part of the process. Normally eaten for breakfast.

    Romania: I have amazing memories of a vegetable dish called givech, a thick vegetable mix that you eat with bread. Hearty, warming, and delicious.

  • x4740N@lemm.ee
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    18 hours ago

    A good tip is to use recipes actually from a local or person who grew up in the country

    Don’t use some random persons recipe

    For Japanese recipes I recomend.

    Sites I’ve found from locals or people who grew up in Japan but don’t know if I’d recommend them yet:

    Also use Metric, us Customary / Imperial has no place in recipes because it can’t reproduce a recipe accurately and should have stopped being used some time in the 1700’s-1800’s

    A scale isn’t expensive either

    To answer your question, I’m live in Australia I don’t have a local food that a favourite of mine unfortunately

    I prefer Japanese food to my own countries food

  • angstylittlecatboy@reddthat.com
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    24 hours ago

    Corned Beef Reuben. A fuckton of corned beef, sauerkraut, Russian dressing, and Swiss cheese on rye. Jewish-American, but regional origins are disputed.

  • RBWells@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    Tampa FL, our local dishes are:

    Chicken and yellow rice, with black beans and fried sweet plantains.

    Deviled Crab (sort of a croquette with crabmeat in the middle)

    Cuban sandwich (called that but really it’s a Florida thing and the cuban bread in Tampa from La Segunda Central is the absolute ideal)

    Cafe con leche and cheese toast (cheese on cuban bread, pressed) for breakfast is heavenly.

    Guava and cream cheese in various arrangements is also one of the things I don’t see everywhere, but is so delicious, I don’t think it’s local exactly but is all around here.

  • LordPassionFruit@lemm.ee
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    2 days ago

    I want to make a comment about poutine for Canada. A lot of places do poutine as “fries, cheese, gravy, done”, which never does it justice.

    1. You have to use cheese curds, not anything else. A lot of places will use shredded cheese or mozzarella, and it never works out the same.

    2. Bland fries = bland poutine. If your fries are just a normal russet potato with a bit of salt, it’ll probably be alright but not great. Some of the best poutines I’ve ever had have used seasoned potato wedges as a base, usually with “New Potatoes” (the variety name) instead of russets as the base.

    3. Use more gravy. However much you think you’ll need, use more. Just trust me on this one.

    • rishado@lemmy.world
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      17 hours ago

      Respectful disagree on point 2. Seasoned wedges are too much for poutine (prefer a well seasoned gravy), and there’s nothing inferior about russets if you prepare them correctly i.e. brine, double/triple fry

    • Sophocles@infosec.pubOP
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      2 days ago

      I had it somewhat like this in NYC, and the cheese curds are definitely a game changer. I believe it was made with russet crinkle fries though. Potato wedges are a great idea

  • GeneralEmergency@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    I’d recommend the Irish Spice Bag.

    Just a really simple but great takeaway food. Just make sure you get the right kind of curry sauce if making it at home. Takeaway curry is its own thing, but it’s more on the Chinese curry style.

    • x4740N@lemm.ee
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      18 hours ago

      Which Georgia ?

      The actual country or america

      Please don’t start american defaultism on lemmy

      But I’m assuming it’s the country due to the dish name

    • anon6789@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      I got to try it last year (in Wash. DC, not Georgia) and really liked it. They brought it out all pretty like in your picture, but then table side they stirred up all the egg and cheese to make a more homogeneous filling. Good stuff!

  • Count Regal Inkwell
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    2 days ago

    Brazil is a very large place with each state/region having its own type of food.

    So if I may make a suggestion of my hometown’s favourite snack (which I think originated in the state of São Paulo)

    We call it Prensadão – It’s a Brazilian take on a hot dog, and like everything Brazilian… It is very extra.

    The hardest part to get outside of Brazil is probably the bread. It uses a bread that is a bit like a hamburger bun in texture, but instead of being round, it’s a rectangle and it’s large.

    You start with hot-dog sausages. Cook them up, then slice them in half longitudinally (so you get two long half-sausages). Get like three or four of those and put them in the bread.

    Then you add Potato Straws, Cheddar Cheese, Little Tomato Cubes, bacon (fried until crispy), and optionally some chicken (grilled and then cut into tiny shreds)

    (Other optional additions: Calabrese sausages, sweet corn, ham, mozarella, cream cheese)

    You know you reached ideal Prensadão density when it looks like you CAN’T CLOSE YOUR DAMN SANDWICH.

    So now you put it in a hot pan, get a large piece of metal, and squish that bitch down using your body for leverage (our local restaurants have dedicated presses for doing this, but you can and I HAVE improvised with just. ANOTHER PAN.) – Flip. Press again to toast and squeeze on the other side.

    Serve with a sauce made of mayonnaise blended with garlic and chives for added flavour.

    Or if you want the meal traditionally associated with Brazil, you should try feijoada. Made with black beans, pork, and sausages. Served with some oranges to take the edge off.

    • Sophocles@infosec.pubOP
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      2 days ago

      I’ll have to try this one! It vaguely reminds me of a dish I tried in Arizona called a Sonoran hot dog. Basically a piece of bread stuffed with a bacon wrapped hot dog and an insane amount of toppings and sauces/salsas

  • Akasazh@feddit.nl
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    2 days ago

    Dutch guy here. We don’t have many things to boast about culinarily, but the one that doesn’t get any mention is Smoked Eel (gerookte paling). It’s typically dutch, fatty, smokey and delicious. It’s such a pity nobody took Antony Bourdain to eat this when over here.

  • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    Regional favorites from my travels in the US off the top of my head…

    Northeast? Lobstah. Syracuse Salt Potatoes.

    Creole and Soul Food in the South. Jambalaya, Etoufee, corn bread, collard greens…so much good food.

    BBQ. Pick your region. From lean brisket to fall apart sweet and sticky or Carolina tart.

    West Coast…I’m gonna say Mexican. Weird to say another country’s food in a US state, but California does it awesome.

    • Sophocles@infosec.pubOP
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      2 days ago

      Texas brisket was honestly a close second for me. It’s so good when it’s done right.

      I totally agree on the West coast pick. San Diego and Tijuana have some of the best mexican food anywhere, and it greatly outshines the other food in the area

  • edric@lemm.ee
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    2 days ago

    Czech Republic: Svickova

    Philippines: Sisig

    Singapore: Chicken Nasi Goreng

    Korea: Sundubu Jjigae

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    2 days ago

    Pepperoni rolls - West Virginia

    Adobo or milkfish - Philippines

    Dirty rice - southern states