What is a well-known dish in your area?

[boufa06]

Over here, what comes to mind as a local specialty is Spetzofai, which is spicy sausage fried with long green peppers in a sauce of fresh tomatoes. It can be served as an appetizer or 'meze' for Ouzo or Tsipouro.

 

[Constance]

Here in Southern Illinois, we're right on the edge of the deep South. We can leave here and be in Paducah, Ky in under an hour. That makes Southern Fried Chicken a big star.
People here love fried catfish, chicken and dumplin's (big homemade noodles cut in squares), pot roast, and pork chops with fried potatoes.

A lot of European immigrants who came here to work in the coal mines. That means a lot of German, Eastern European, and Italian influences. You can find some of the best spaghetti or ravioli in the USA, right here.

We also have the "midwestern farmer's diet", which consists of meat, potatoes, bread, corn on the cob, green beans, and tomatoes.

The hunters and fishermen here have a rich resources. There are lots of lakes and strip pits (left from old coal mines) that are full of blue gill, crappy, bass, and all kinds of catfish, some of which are enormous.
Deer are more than plentiful, and you can bag a wild turkey if you're good. People hunt squirrels and rabbits, ducks and geese. Sadly, our quail population has been terribly decimated.
We have wild mushrooms....morels, mainly, but also chicken of the woods, puffballs, and more if you know what you're looking for.
There are wild blackberries and elderberries, Hickory nuts and black walnuts that can be had for the picking.
We grow a lot of pigs and cattle here, and one is still able to buy a whole, half or quarter from a local farmer, and find a good German butcher to process it for you.
I guess I'd have to say that our most special dish would be ...Fried morel mushrooms. These are not double floured. Simply dip in a beaten egg mixture, then in flour, then fry in a skillet of hot canola oil. Don't over-cook.
They are very rich...you don't really need anything to go with them, except perhaps a small salad,

 

[amber]

Here in Maine, lobster is very popular, as is most seafood. Another popular dish is the New England boiled dinner, which I've never made myself, but consists of boiled corned beef, potatoes, carrotts, cabbage, onions. Whoopie pies are a popular home-made snack cake consisting of chocolate (devils' food cake I think) with a cream filling.

 

[BlueCat]

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

 

[jkath]

Here in southern California, two things come to mind:
the first is Tri-Tip, which is a particular cut of steak that is cooked on many street-corners in Santa Maria (where it originated) and in many restaurants/grill places throughout the southland.

The other is Mexican food, which is heavenly! Various dishes, such as beef or chicken flautas (slow cooked meat with chiles and seasoning, rolled in flour tortillas, then fried; served on beds of lettuce with a garnish of sour cream and guacamole).......tacos......arroz con pollo (chicken with rice - name sounds boring but oh, is it tasty!)........burritos made from home made tortillas filled with refried or pinto beans, mexican seasoned rice, carnitas (meat), topped with red sauce and cheese...... Pico di gallo, avocado and freshly made corn tortilla chips.......abondigas soup.....and most top all of it off with either margaritas or an icy cold Corona beer with a lime.


boufa, do you have a recipe for Spetzofai?

 

[kitchenelf]

jkath - I expected to see avocado out there right in front! lol I see it hidden in with the Mexican food

Around here it would be barbecue - as in the food group, not the thing you GRILL on To be more specific - pulled pork sandwiches with a white vinegar and dried chili pepper flake sauce or a more vinegar/tomato sauce versus more tomatoey sauce topped bbq slaw - the same vinegar/tomato bbq sauce you put on the sandwiches makes this slaw.

 

[skilletlicker]

You can't say Memphis with out mentioning BBQ but after that, I think of Red Beans and Rice, Fried Chicken, and believe it or not, Tamales.

 

[Gretchen]

Pulled pork, pulled pork, country ham, shrimp and grits.

 

[SierraCook]

jkath's tri-tip has migrated north to Northern California. Grilling is very popular here and tri-tip is a favorite cut of meat to use. Served with the tri-tip is potato salad, chili or baked beans, coleslaw, and chocolate cake or apple pie. One of my coworkers marinates the tri-tip in Italian salad dressing and then seasons the meat with ground black pepper and garlic powder.

 

[kadesma]

jkath's tri-tip has migrated north to Northern California. Grilling is very popular here and tri-tip is a favorite cut of meat to use. Served with the tri-tip is potato salad, chili or baked beans, coleslaw, and chocolate cake or apple pie. One of my coworkers marinates the tri-tip in Italian salad dressing and then seasons the meat with ground black pepper and garlic powder.

We do that as well SC, only difference, while grilling we wet it down with beer in a water spray bottle. I find here Mexican food is probably the biggest draw, followed by Italian and then Chinese, all the others are out there just usually quiet small places and you find them by chance or through a friend. I suppose our thing here would have to be the home of E&J Gallo wines...

kadesma

 

[boufa06]

Here in southern California, two things come to mind:
......
boufa, do you have a recipe for Spetzofai?

Posting the recipe for the sausage dish:

SPETZOFAI

Ingredients:
2 pieces Greek spicy sausages or equivalent (purchased from your local butcher) - cut into slices
2 Florina peppers or sweet red peppers - cut into thick long strips (optional)
10-15 Greek green peppers - halved and seeded (or 3 capsicums)
2-3 tomatoes - chopped
1 onion - chopped
1 tsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp chilli paste or 1/4 tsp chilli powder
1 cup olive oil
Salt

Method:
Fry peppers in 1/2 cup of oil to brown well. Remove from pan and fry the sausages. After frying well, remove from pan. Add the rest of the oil. Add onion, tomatoes, salt and chilli paste. Allow the sauce to simmer for about 20 minutes.

Add peppers and the sausage and continue to simmer for a while longer till the sauce thickens.

Note: Florina peppers are included to give the dish added taste.

 

[philso]

okonomiyaki is the local spacialty here. and may i say, with no undue modesty, that mine is far better than most.

 

[kyles]

Lancashire hot pot, lamb slow cooked with vegetables.

Black pudding, boiled and eaten with piccallilli (a yellow mustard pickle which you either love or hate)

Potato pie, made with lamb and a puff pastry lid

Cheese and onion pie

 

[boufa06]

okonomiyaki is the local spacialty here. and may i say, with no undue modesty, that mine is far better than most.

How about sharing your special recipe with us?

 

[boufa06]

Lancashire hot pot, lamb slow cooked with vegetables.

Black pudding, boiled and eaten with piccallilli (a yellow mustard pickle which you either love or hate)

Potato pie, made with lamb and a puff pastry lid

Cheese and onion pie

kyles, Is your potato pie a richer version of Shepherd's Pie?

 

[thumpershere2]

Wild rice hotdish, anything made with venison, meat and potatoes.

 

[Ishbel]

Just a few of our local delicacies (some more 'delicate' than others!)

Haggis
White pudding (savoury)
Black pudding
Steak Pie
mutton pies
Bridies
Venison
Wonderful beef, for steak and for casseroles etc
Great lamb
Ayrshire bacon
Larne Sausage (also known as square sausage)
Porridge
Full Scottish breakfast
Tattie scones
Oatcakes
Mince n tatties
Shepherds/cottage pie

Soups such as Scotch broth, lentil soup, cock a leekie, cullen skink

Scotland is famed for its baking:
Shortbread
Scones - sweet and savoury
Dundee cake
Selkirk bannock
Bannocks
Clootie dumplings
Cranachan
Apple and other fruit pies/crumbles and puddings

Our soft fruits, in season are wonderful

Fish
Shellfish of all types - most of which, sadly, gets exported to France and Spain!
Arbroath smokies
Finnan haddies

 

[Nicholas Mosher]

Well, we certinaly have our whitefish and shellfish here in New England (along with Maine Lobster of course). Personally my favorite local seafood are the Sea Scallops that are incredibly succulent and can approach the size of a tennis ball. Of course New England Clam Chowder is a real biggie, but I'm an oddball that doesn't like clams much. I prefer fish chowder made with haddock or cod.

New England boiled dinner is also big. Corned Beef is traditional, but I grew up with smoked pork shoulder (which I prefer). Boston baked beans is another traditional dish made in crocks with molasses, brown sugar, and salt pork (some use bacon for a smokey flavor).

When it comes to Autumn, I can't think of another place I'd rather be. Turkey's, apples, pumpkins, squash, potatoes, etc. Pretty much feels like Thanksgiving once September 1st hits in my area.

During the summer, sweet corn and berries flood the market. Local farmers usually churn out zucchini and cukes too (in ridiculus numbers). Everything grows fast and furious! It's usually customary in my area to see street vendors working out of vans in oddball places selling their garden crops.

Eastern European (Polish/Lithuanian/etc), Portuguese, and Irish traditions play a pretty big influence in various parts of my state.

I guess to sum it up, hearty "Crock" type dishes, uber-fresh seafood, apples, root/cold weather vegetables, and wild berries are what constitute my area's traditional cuisine. Lots of great Dairy products come out of Vermont as well (along with arguably the best Maple Syrup around).

 

[goboenomo]

I'm at school right now, so the known foods here are burgers, chicken burgers, fish, fries, poutin, salads, chicken wraps, fruit salads, pastas, soups, cookies, danishes, cinnamon buns, carrot cake, and doughnuts.

hehe
I think I'll get a chicken burger and chocolate milk for lunch

 

[lulu]

Wow, what a great thread! I live quite near Cheddar so of course cheddar features heavily. This little corner of the southwest has massive milk production to, so lots of other cheeses, cream and set creamy puddings are available, like junkets and fools. There is less arable farming in my immeadiacy, more meat, a lot of beef, lamb and most traditionally pork. Somerset is also one of Englands orchard counties. Apples, cider/scrumpy....with pork a real marriage. Many, many local ales and "scrumped" wines (really hedgerow of fruit wines) This time of year the butchers are full of game birds, we even have a cock phesant who has moved in to our hen house. Venison too, is prevalent. We have lots of rabbit too. Chutnies and jams of every sort imaginable are available.Coastal towns have traditional fishes and shell fish, and a nearby town has an annual eel festival where as well as proper eels the delicate elvers are available, neither are to my taste

Of course the cream tea in the south west of UK is famous and heatedly "discussed" amoung the counties.I live on the edge of three counties, Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire. In Dorset you get the Dorset Knob, a sort of dried out round biscuit. I am not keen, frankly they taste like old hard scones to me. Lardy cake is popular here, (though where in UK it originates I am embarrassed to plead ignorance) really there are very, very many local foods here, all being rrediscovered.