What is a well-known dish in your area?

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Well, one could write a book about a local specialty around Rome, let alone Italy...

A few example of delicacies particular to Rome.

Spaghetti alla carbonara
Bucattini all'Amatriciana
Spaghetti a Cacio e pepe
Artichokes alla Giudia
Stuffed tomatoes with rice and parsley, with roasted potatoes
Cipolline agrodolce (bunch of mini-onions cooked in "sweet & sour" style)
Castagnaccio (typical sweet treat made with chestnut flour and pine nuts)
Whipped cream piled on ice cream...

and the list goes on...
 
urmaniac - do you have a recipe for Castagnaccio? Sounds so different and yet so tasty!


boufa, thanks so much for the recipe....and for starting this wonderful thread~!
 
We all down here have a penchant for pulled bbq, ribs, coleslaw, shrimp& grits, fried catfish/hushpuppies, pecan pie, chess pie and peppered sausage gravy over biscuits/waffles.
 
jkath said:
urmaniac - do you have a recipe for Castagnaccio? Sounds so different and yet so tasty!

Here ya go!!

Castagnaccio

250g (about 8,5 oz) chestnut flour
about 400 ml (about 14oz, or little less than half pint) whole milk, lukewarm (or half milk half water)
2 pinches of salt
50g(about 2oz) raisins or sultanas, soaked for about half an hour in water diluted rumr
50g(about 2oz) pine nuts
20g(about 2tbsp) chopped walnuts
1tbsp sugar
splash of fresh rosemary sprig
2tbsp. evoo
grated orange peel of a 1/2 orange + or -
Pre-heat your oven to 180°C(350°F). Sift the flour into a bowl, add enough water to form a slightly thin smooth batter, sort of like crepe batter, (try to leave no lumps). Add the salt and sugar and mix. Pour in an greased (with olive oil) 25-30 cm wide cake or pie form, depending on how thin you want your castagniaccio (they are traditionally about a size of medium thick pizza). Sprinkle raisins, pine nuts, walnuts and orange peel on top. Bake in the oven for about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool and cut into wedges. Very nice accompanied by some fresh ricotta (preferably of sheep milk)!!
 
BlueCat said:
Italian beef sandwiches seem to be a popular regional food here in the Chicago area. They're delicious. It's slow cooked beef in a broth with Italian spices, served with hot or mild peppers on a crusty French type of bread, sliced lengthwise. I like mine with sweet onion and hot peppers.

BC

Growing up in the Chicago area, I can certainly attest to the popularity of Italian Beef sandwiches, though I didn't realize that is was more popular in Chicago than in other areas. If you're ever in the city and want a quick and tasty Italian Beef sandwich checkl out Portillo's. If I remember correctly it's very close to Michigan Ave.

I have to say that if Chicago has a signature dish though, it has to be the deep dish pizza. So many great places to get a deep dish in Chicago and the surrounding areas. That's definitely one of the things I miss most about Chicago.
 
If I had to put together a "typical" Caracas meal, I'd go for:
  1. Mondongo. Tripe soup, basically, heavily seasoned with coriander leaf; or perhaps a "Crema de Auyama" basically a creamy pumpkin soup.
  2. Pabellón Criollo. Pulled skirt of beef, seasoned with a sofrito of onion,garlic, bell pepper and ají dulce - sweet chili pepper.Served with fried plantains, black beans and white rice. You might ask for an arepa on the side - our very own version of corn bread. You might want to accompany your Pabellón with a salad, in which case I'd recommend
  3. Ensalada Redonda. Literally, Round Salad - I've never seen this anywhere before. The salad is built up with a base of cooked beetroot, sliced into large rounds: first layer. Then cooked carrots - sliced into rounds: second layer. Avocado, sliced into rounds: third layer. Onion, sliced into rounds: fourth layer. Tomatoes, sliced into rounds, of course: fifth layer. Palm hearts, sliced into rounds: sixth layer. You could go on and on - concentric circles drizzled with oil and vinegar.
  4. Torta Tres Leches. Three different kinds of milk, made into a cake/sweet/pud. Or if you're too full, just ask for a plate of Dulce de Lechosa; green paw-paw fruit cooked for an eternity in raw cane sugar.
However, if I were at a typical cocktail party in the city, there would be myriads of cocktail snacks to enjoy. No self-respecting Venezuelan host would dream of throwing a party without:
  • Tequeños. White cheese wrapped in a spiral pastry shell and deep-fried.
  • Maracuchitas. White cheese wrapped in a strip of fresh plantain.
  • Pollito con Tocineta. Chicken bites (usually breast meat) wrapped in a bacon slice and gently fried.
  • Lomito. Beef tenderloin cubes, cooked very rare, and served with Guasacaca - a mildly spiced sauce of avocado, onion, garlic, pepper, coriander leaf and vinegar.
  • Cachapitas. Small corn pancakes served with fresh white cheese.
  • Canapés de Pavo. Turkey breast strips with cranberry jelly, served on a thin square of bread ( Now I wonder where THAT one came from???)
  • Huevos de Codorníz. Quail eggs, served with Salsa Rosada ( a pink sauce made with, yes, you guessed: Tomato ketchup and mayonnaise!)
 
That's pretty much the sauce we call Marie Rose over here - which is commonly served at Beefeaters and pub grub places, poured over prawn cocktail!
 
In Bermuda, I would say that the quintessential "Native" dish is fish stew, with sherry peppers


here in V.B.,VA, seems like alot of emphasis on seafood, in particular, Crabcakes.

I forgot Ham. Smithfield Ham.
 
Funeral Potatoes: A shortcut version of au gratin potaotes made from totally pre-fab ingredients. But surprisingly tasty. So called because it always makes an appearance at the church supper for the family and extended family/friends of the deceased.

[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fry_sauce] Fry Sauce[/url]

Dutch Oven Cooking (Cast Iron pots with lids and cooking with charcoal/fire)
 
Northern VA here, and Tattrat is spot on.

Blue crab cakes, there are as many recipes for them as there are people who make them.

Oh yes, and soft shelled crabs.

But perhaps the quintessential dish of the area is country ham (the so-called Smithfield ham).

Very little better, but a bit of work to cook right if you are looking at a whole, or half, cured aged ham.

Can buy ham steaks with redeye gravy, and that is great with breakfast (my favorite, although folks serve it anytime).

Crabs, country hams, and oh yes, I forgot the best peanuts in the world.
 
Shoo-fly Pie, Chicken Pot Pie, Scrapple, Faschnachts and Whoopie Pies! Not the lowest calorie items on the block :LOL:
 
Lots of seafood and seafood dishes, key lime pie.

We have so many things, I don't know what would be considered specialty. With so many people from other parts of the country and other countries also, we get some of everything.
 
Locally we are known for our Crawdad Festival - but they don't come from here anymore - like they used to. 26 miles away we have the Asparagus festival, and 28 or so miles away there's a corn festival.

Asparagus and sweet corn are grown abundantly - and grapes, especially old vine Zins and lots of others. I can't think of any one dish - the influences come from Portugese, Italian, Mexican, and Asian and more. Deep fried asparagus - and lots of tri-tip barbecues. Grilled corn and tamales, pasta. We're so lucky.
:)
 
New Jersey is famous for tomatoes and blueberries, as well as other fruits and veggies... We're the "Garden State," ya know... but I can't think of a "dish" that exemplifies my area.
 
I'm with Tattrat and auntdot in NoVa Land. There is a delicacy over in Maryland called stuffed ham, famous at church suppers, that I have not had to nerve to try. It's got green olives in it for starters.
 
The Delmarva Peninsula (Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Virginia) is known for seafood... crabs, crab cakes, clams and oysters in all kinds of ways...stews chowders, fritters, steamed raw etc, and chicken, especially chicken and "slippery dumplings" long doughey noodles cooked in the broth and served with the chicken in shreds off the bone with the thickened broth...real comfort food...so good!
 
Here in Nashville Tennessee there's alot of country ham, grits, biscuits, sweet tea, corn bread, pulled pork BBQ, Fried Catfish, turnip and collard greens, fried okra, macaroni and cheese, chess pie, pecan pie, and chocolate pie.
 
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