Lost in Translation: How Dishes Evolve

One thing I learned after a very short time of living in Eritrea (similar will apply to other parts of east Africa) is that there are certain things that aren't quite the same as they are here. For example, a macchiato is a much milkier coffee than you would get in the UK or other parts of Europe. This, however, pales into insignificance when we come to the "egg sandwich."

Now, an egg sandwich here is (probably) a hard-boiled egg - sliced or chopped - perhaps with a little salad and/or mayonnaise between two slices of bread. An egg sandwich there is essentially a small omelette inside an Italian-style bread roll. There will be a couple of slices of tomato, but the sneaky bit that most people usually miss on the first go is the whole raw green chilli that they sneak inside. Suffice to say, one treats the egg sandwich with a little more caution the second time around.
 
I googled English breakfast, but I feel happier to read our British contributors' replies...it is much more personal and much greater expertise and first hand experience!
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Most butter and I'm sure the butter used in nice restaurants that make Pasta Burro e Parmigiano in Europe is creamier than the butter most Americans buy, unless they buy true European butter or artisan made butter. They don't need to add cream like we do when using regular butter. What ticks me off is restaurants that make a bechemel, add Parm to it, and not necessarily Parm R, and dare to call it Fettucini Alfredo. I had a supposedly high end restaurant do that to me once, and the dish cost $20 plus. We had gotten take out so I didn't bother taking it back or even complaining, we just never patronized them again. I always ask now. Had a couple of places that got a bit offended until I explained why I was asking.
 
MypinchofItaly said:
aka Black Pudding, and it's amazing :hyper:
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Really? In my meat eating days I have not tried it...but there are Croatian or regional possibly (please excuse my errors they have no political meaning) traditional sausages made with blood, krvavica...I think I had those, I do not remember exactly how they taste...
Yes, and excuse me please if British is politically incorrect, I meant Uk...🙂
 
Pasta with chicken. It doesn't exist here, at most here we make a white ragù with chicken (i.e. chicken minced as you would with pork or beef). But I admit I'm intrigued.

Chicken Parmesan is another thing that doesn't exist here, maybe on some tourist menus. But that intrigues me too, I've never had it.
 
Interesting topic. We do have a Chinese place near us, in a town with a little Chinese community, and they have two menus - one with "proper" Chinese dishes like they'd make in the family's town in China, and one with the typical dishes you'd see in an American Chinese restaurant.

When we travel, I just eat what sounds good at the time. The restaurant experience is so different to us in Europe, apart from the fast food stuff, so we just go with the flow. I do sometimes like to order American dishes overseas, just to see how they'll interpret them. I remember way back in the '90's, before it was trendy, ordering "classic American-style BBQ ribs," and finding chunks of mango in the sauce. Of course, those kinds of things aren't that hard to find nowadays, but it was a little unusual then, and especially marketed as "Just like your Gran would make" - my grandma wouldn't have known a mango if one came up, kissed her on all four cheeks, and said, "Hi, I'm a mango!"

I also had hot wings once, "straight from America!" - and they were whole chicken wings, tips and all.
 
Timenspace said:
Really? In my meat eating days I have not tried it...but there are Croatian or regional possibly (please excuse my errors they have no political meaning) traditional sausages made with blood, krvavica...I think I had those, I do not remember exactly how they taste...
Yes, and excuse me please if British is politically incorrect, I meant Uk...🙂
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Yes, it's amazing. The first time I tasted it was in Scotland a few years ago and I fell in love with it. Since then, when I go to the UK, I always look for a Full English Breakfast with black pudding.
 
Timenspace said:
Really? In my meat eating days I have not tried it...but there are Croatian or regional possibly (please excuse my errors they have no political meaning) traditional sausages made with blood, krvavica...I think I had those, I do not remember exactly how they taste...
Yes, and excuse me please if British is politically incorrect, I meant Uk...🙂
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British, UK, makes no difference to us.

There are several different varieties of blood pudding across Europe, the Spanish have a very good one, also the Italians and Germans, basically anywhere with a history of pig farming. They are all similar, it's just the spices and ratio of fat that seems to vary.
 
JAS_OH1 said:
I have heard of it. I always thought it sounded disgusting (along with haggis). Everything else on the plate I could eat, just not the entire amount of food on it!
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Once you've had a good Black Pudding you will be hooked, a bad Black Pudding on the other hand is a thing of misery.
 
The Velvet Curtain said:
British, UK, makes no difference to us.

There are several different varieties of blood pudding across Europe, the Spanish have a very good one, also the Italians and Germans, basically anywhere with a history of pig farming. They are all similar, it's just the spices and ratio of fat that seems to vary.
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Yes here in Italy there is Sanguinaccio and funny to say, I don't like it at all, I prefer UK black pudding:laugh:
 
The Late Night Gourmet said:
The full English Breakfast:

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Two types of bacon- no, you would never get streaky on a proper fry up.
Hash brown - again no, it is an American abhomination and has no place on a British breakfast plate. The only place you should get hash browns is at McDonalds, and if you go to McDonalds for breakfast then you will get everything you deserve.
Fried Bread and Toast - one or the other, not both.
As for the portion size, expect a sausage, an egg, two rashers of bacon, beans, half a tomato, black pudding and occasionally mushrooms along with your chosen cooked bread.
You would also expect the tea cup to be full, if you gave a British person a half full mug of tea they would tut under their breath and silently plot your murder.
As for the condiments, there should be red sauce, brown sauce and English mustard available.

Not that I have any strong opinions on the subject :whistling:
 
The Velvet Curtain said:
Hash brown - again no, it is an American abhomination and has no place on a British breakfast plate
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But..I'm a bit confused now.
I thought it was British! I also often see it on Instagram presented in British breakfasts and a friend of mine in Wales is crazy about it.
Am I missing something here?
 
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MypinchofItaly said:
But..I'm a bit confused now.
I thought it was British! I also often see them on Instagram presented in British breakfasts and a friend of mine in Wales is crazy about them.
Am I missing something here?
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They are an American import, I have no time for such new fangled ideas, fried bread for me. :happy:
 
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