How willing are you to experiment with food from other cultures?

ChowDownBob

ChowDownBob

Supersize Me!
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11 Aug 2014
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After watching @teekelly's YouTube video with (presumably your friends?) trying Korean kimchi, I wondered how many of you have experimented with food from other cultures?

What have been the most pleasant and unpleasant things you've tried?

Did you make any of the new things a part of your regular diet?

Are there any foods or dishes you'll never, ever, EVER want to try again?
 
I'm trying new things all the time. I get bored otherwise! I think I probably make at least two dishes per week which are new! Generally, I can tell from looking at a recipe if its going to be any good. So I probably wouldn't experiment with something I can see I wouldn't like! For example - any savoury dish involving too much cream or fat.
 
Last month my wife and I came up with an idea to cook food from different countries for a whole week at a time, as a way of forcing a bit more variety and awareness of other regional diets. The idea developed into a 2 month exercise, we blind picked nine Scrabble letters then chose countries or major food regions from around the world beginning with those letters. The countries/regions were written on bits of paper, folded up and placed in a jar, and each Saturday morning we take it in turns to pick one from the jar and then have to find recipes and cook them the following week. A minimum of two breakfasts, two lunches and four evening meals from that country during that week. First week was my turn and I got Normandy, - right up my street. Wife was not quite so lucky the following week having drawn Rwanda (well it had to be better than Russian, right?), third week I got Italian - should have been easy but I made a real botch of it. This week we are on English - basically anything goes that we would normally eat. Next week who knows? Still in the jar are Oman, Argentina, Vietnam, Mexico and Hawaii :giggle:
 
I think most of us here would try other cultures foods. if there is a chance we might like it. As above if you know you aint going to enjoy it it's a bit of a waste of time. I am English but I happily eat curry [nothing too hot though] plus many other indian dishes, chinese mexican italian and thai food. But I won't eat raw fish [ no matter how many people tell me how healthy it is] and I just don't like many so called casseroles or stews. Worst - a plain old kipper - just a mass of bones in a fishy mass complete with skin Definately not for me. Still each to his/her own.
 
epicuric said:
Last month my wife and I came up with an idea to cook food from different countries for a whole week at a time, as a way of forcing a bit more variety and awareness of other regional diets. The idea developed into a 2 month exercise, we blind picked nine Scrabble letters then chose countries or major food regions from around the world beginning with those letters. The countries/regions were written on bits of paper, folded up and placed in a jar, and each Saturday morning we take it in turns to pick one from the jar and then have to find recipes and cook them the following week. A minimum of two breakfasts, two lunches and four evening meals from that country during that week. First week was my turn and I got Normandy, - right up my street. Wife was not quite so lucky the following week having drawn Rwanda (well it had to be better than Russian, right?), third week I got Italian - should have been easy but I made a real botch of it. This week we are on English - basically anything goes that we would normally eat. Next week who knows? Still in the jar are Oman, Argentina, Vietnam, Mexico and Hawaii :giggle:
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What fantastic fun! Can I join in?
 
SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
We try to eat quite frequently from different cultures but I have to say our preference is for middle eastern or India for some reason!
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I think it could be because there are so many brilliant vegetarian dishes from those regions! In fact, as you will know, there are areas of India which are entirely vegetarian. My daughter who is vegetarian went on holiday to Tel Aviv last week and says it was amazing how many vegetarian restaurants there were - also most restaurants have separate vegetarian menus (not just one or two dishes).
 
morning glory said:
I think it could be because there are so many brilliant vegetarian dishes from those regions! In fact, as you will know, there are areas of India which are entirely vegetarian. My daughter who is vegetarian went on holiday to Tel Aviv last week and says it was amazing how many vegetarian restaurants there were - also most restaurants have separate vegetarian menus (not just one or two dishes).
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I'm finding the same in Canberra as well. In fact there are entire restaurants that are vegan only not just cafes serving food but proper restaurants and all places have at least an item that is vegan. Last week and Indian fast food joint in a popular shopping mall in a suburb had 3 separate items just from the stuff on the counter in front of you, not even on their menu!
 
SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
I'm finding the same in Canberra as well. In fact there are entire restaurants that are vegan only not just cafes serving food but proper restaurants and all places have at least an item that is vegan. Last week and Indian fast food joint in a popular shopping mall in a suburb had 3 separate items just from the stuff on the counter in front of you, not even on their menu!
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Yes - we think we are at the forefront of cuisine in the UK (and in many ways we are) - but in terms of vegan and vegetarian we have a way to go. My daughter also mentioned that there were a number of vegan restaurants in Tel Aviv.

I'm assuming that the good news for you is that specialist vegetarian ingredients will also be plentiful.

I have a lot of respect for Australian cooking, having followed various Australian TV cooking series. There is an eclecticism in Australia which includes a lot of Asian influences. But not only that, there is so much Australian grown produce. At least, that is what I think! But you are actually there. <jealous>

Have you noticed less imported fresh food compared to the UK?
 
Specialist items that I have grown used to in the UK are still proving hard to find such as some of my spices (asafetida being one) but the labeling here is much clearer, many more manufactured mark things nut free, dairy free, gluten free, lactose free, no animal products, etc which makes it easier for us on the whole and so much easier buying the normal things like margarine or bread! But getting a snack in a cafe when you have a soya latte is still the same, no existent unless it is a veggie or vegan cafe.

Australia grown items are significantly cheaper here and taste much better. There is very much a homegrown emphasis but the Asian shops do undercut these prices and whilst I can purchase 500g of tofu for $5 in the supermarket, I can get 900g for the same price in an Asian shop. How well this will work out long term with where we are hoping to move to I don't know. There is only 1 food shop that I have found so far and commuting into the city is a +100km round trip. We have applied to be tenants (the Australian rental market is rather different to the UK one) for a house (homestead?) 8km up 3 dirt tracks. We are now looking at the options of a deep freeze for an outhouse and a 4×4!

On the up, I have just found the equivalent of tamarind dates that our local Morrison's used to do for 99p. Tamarind pulp (comes minus the dates' stone!) so I can finally start adding some tamarind to my tomato dishes!
 
There is an area near us which is a mix of cultures. Indian, Turkish, Polish, Jamaican to name a few. This morning we walked over to try lunch in a Turkish restaurant, I had a lamb wrap and my husband had a chicken wrap a large diet each. The also served a bowl of lovely bread, tasty olives and 2 dips, 1 was a hot chilli and the other thzatziki. It was absolutely delicious. Will definitely go back for an evening meal.
 
I grew up eating Peranakan Cuisine, Peranakan Cuisine is a fusion of Indian Chinese and Malay. Combining these 3 culture cuisine into 1 dish is absolutely flavourful, however it take hours to prepare a certain dish. Usually special dishes are cook during Chinese New Year.
 
Lullabelle said:
There is an area near us which is a mix of cultures. Indian, Turkish, Polish, Jamaican to name a few. This morning we walked over to try lunch in a Turkish restaurant, I had a lamb wrap and my husband had a chicken wrap a large diet each. The also served a bowl of lovely bread, tasty olives and 2 dips, 1 was a hot chilli and the other thzatziki. It was absolutely delicious. Will definitely go back for an evening meal.
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They are Muslim so it is a dry place however the owner has another place just down the road which has a license, we had an evening meal there on Saturday and it was delicious. Takes about 45 minutes to walk to so walk up an appetite and due to generous portions a good waddle back.
 
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