My region: the produce & dishes

Shropshire has a few local specialities:

Shrewsbury Sauce (usually served with lamb), made with red current jelly, red wine and mustard. I'm not entirely convinced on the authenticity of this, as some recipes call for the addition of Worcestershire Sauce!

Fidget Pie, a bit like a pork pie crossed with a Cornish Pasty, dates back 400 years+.

Market Drayton gingerbread, recipe said to have been brought to the area by returning Crusaders in 1390.

Shrewsbury Cake/Biscuits, containing caraway seeds and nutmeg, dating back to C16th.

However, Shropshire Blue cheese is a misnomer, having been invented in Scotland and now produced mainly by Long Clawson in Leicestershire, it has no known connection with Shropshire whatsoever! We do produce a version called Ludlow Blue, which is very nice.

I have made Shrewsbury sauce on occasion, but Fidget Pie is still on my list to do.
 
morning glory said:
Why I've not heard of this I don't know. Is it chicken or beef?
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Here's a pic from your new best friend, the Food Network:

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It's heaven on a plate.

Now, don't go googling chicken fried chicken (yes, it's a thing) - it's kind of like looking in an infinity mirror. :)
 
My region is Lombardy, Northern Italy. I recognize it as the region where I was born and raised, even if I am a mix of two other regions.

I'll list the main products and dishes, but there are many more.

In Lombardy is used and produced lot of butter instead of oil.

Even a lot of rice is produced, especially in the south of the region, the area of Pavia in particular is famous for the cultivation of rice.

The Milanese risotto (saffron risotto) is a typical dish.

Then there are the frogs, they are quite typical especially in the lower Lombardy area. Frogs and Rice Fields = risotto with frogs. I never tasted it, but who knows.

Casseoula. It is a typical winter dish of Milan, it is a cabbage stew and pork (sausage, pins, legs, pigskin and muzzle).

Polenta taragna. Buckwheat flour mixed with cornmeal. At the end of cooking, add butter and cheese. Typical of Northern Lombardy.

Sweet polenta. It is prepared with cornmeal, milk, egg yolk, crushed amaretti, butter and cinnamon. After cooking it is firmed in the oven.

Panettone. Well, this is the Christmas symbol of the city of Milan.

Pizzoccheri della Valtellina, Northern Lombardy. They are like Tagliatelle made with buckwheat flour and, in part, wheat. They are cooked together with peeled potatoes, cabbage and ribs. Drain and then seasoned with cheeses from Valtellina drowned in butter and garlic. Winter plate.

Risotto with perch: in Lombardy there is no sea, but there are lakes (Como, Iseo and Garda) and lake fish is used a lot. It is a white risotto garnished with fillets of perch, floured, passed in beaten egg and then fried in butter.

Casonsei:
they are typical of the cities of Bergamo and Brescia, it is a pasta filled with salami, spinach, eggs, raisins, amaretti, cheese and grilled bread served with melted butter and sage.

Risotto with pumpkin and amaretti (one of my favorites), the pumpkin is widely used in the area of Mantua and Cremona, this rice combines the amaretti (typical of Saronno), the rice from the lower Lombardy and the Mantova pumpkin.

Ossobuco alla Milanese. It's a second course. After flouring the shanks, put them in a pan with oil and butter. It must cook over a low heat and for about an hour, at the end add a mix (gremolada) of lemon peel, garlic, rosemary, sage and parsley.

Milanese cutlet. It is prepared with veal that has a more delicate taste, then breaded. It is fried in abundant butter.

Cremona mustard. I was just thinking about it the other day. As Mostarda (mustard) here we mean pieces of fruit (pears, cherries) left to macerate with sugar and with the addition of mustard essence. It is used to accompany meat, usually boiled meat. It is about Christmas tradition.
 
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MypinchofItaly said:
Then there are the frogs, they are quite typical especially in the lower Lombardy area. Frogs and Rice Fields = risotto with frogs. I never tasted it, but who knows.
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Now that is one thing I wouldn't associate with Italy.

MypinchofItaly said:
Casonsei:
they are typical of the cities of Bergamo and Brescia, it is a pasta filled with salami, spinach, eggs, raisins, amaretti, cheese and grilled bread served with melted butter and sage.
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Sounds delightful. :hungry:

Cremona mustard. I was just thinking about it the other day. As Mostarda (mustard) here we mean pieces of fruit (pears, cherries) left to macerate with sugar and with the addition of mustard essence. It is used to accompany meat, usually boiled meat. It is of Christmas tradition.
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Ah! I have a jar of that somewhere...
 
There's not a regional specialty where I live. But...

We do produce maple syrup here, but that's going to be more associated with Canada and Vermont than western Massachusetts.

Maybe... blueberries. I have some wild/endemic highbush blueberry shrubs/almost-trees in my back yard - they like moist, almost boggy, high acidic soil, which can be found around here. They produce fruit for over a month, and are just as delectable as the "low bush" blueberries that are more regularly cultivated.

Sadly, my side of the state really has no seafood to call its own, although eastern Massachusetts which hugs the shoreline could give one a surfeit of good eating items in that food group.
 
Mountain Cat said:
We do produce maple syrup here, but that's going to be more associated with Canada and Vermont than western Massachusetts.
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My wife is from way upstate NY, on Lake Champlain, and she's always quick to point out that anyone in the know on maple strips knows that the best comes from her area. :)
 
Cheese rolls are a Southland snack. My sons chair of his local school of the p.t.a they do a fundraiser every year, 3 dozen cheese rolls for $20.
They are making them today. Get your head around this......3,200 dozen were ordered. That's a lot of bread.
These keep in the freezer for ages.

Russ
 
And something you guys prolly don't get or eat, we call them Paua. Par Wah. Or abalone to you guys. I make Paua patties. Minced up Paua with chopped onions, parsley egg and flour and a bit of cream. Fried on a hot plate. My son dives for them when he's in kaikoura. We are allowed to get 10 a day.

Russ
 
rascal said:
A native Maori tradition is cooking food in an underground oven in the earth. Called a hangi. Hung ee.
I've adapted a 44 gallon drum and cook food in that. It tastes exactly like the Maori way, just not as much work. I don't think anyone here would have tried let alone heard of it. I can put pics up later if any interest. I normally do one every year or so for my friends and family. It cooks for around 30 people. I normally cook 2 legs of lamb, a roll of beef, and 4 chickens, and a big bag of veges. Feel free to ask if you don't understand. I'm picking this is the odd thing out here.

Russ
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This looks like fun.
 
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It’s funny, but all these things that come to mind about Michigan are derived from imports. These mostly came from immigrants, but have evolved from local influences:
  1. Detroit style pizza - a Sicilian deep dish pizza.
  2. Pasties - originated in England, but a local favorite.
  3. Paczkis - a greasier version of a donut that the Polish community made a Fat Tuesday favorite.
  4. Coney Dogs - a Detroit creation, by Greek immigrants.
Michigan is also known for cherries. They truly are better here than anywhere else. Many local restaurants offer cherry-focused dishes, particularly in-season.

Michigan also has raised their profile nationally (and internationally) with their breweries: Bell’s, Arcadia, Founders, and Shorts all have superb offerings, and those are only the biggest ones. I keep finding new ones that also have tasty and varied brews. Blake’s is a cider brewery with a staggering variety.

Great topic...it makes me want to learn more about my state.
 
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