"Ethnic" foods - what do you enjoy?

[Freedom]

Well, anyone who knows my last name won't be surprised to learn I love Italian food.

What may interest some:
- my Dad's side is Sicilian, NOT Italian (BIG rivalry there, and a move for Sicily to secede from Italy is constant, there is another protest march this month over there). So we have many things which Italians to not; and vice versa. One example is polenta - that is northern Italian. I did try it once, I was in my 40's, and nope, not my thing. Sicilians eat lots of fish (being an island!), meat is a specialty item.
- my Mum was from England. That diet is rather bland, and nothing touches anything else. She was PERFECT for my Dad in this respect. Dad's brothers and sisters always joked that he grew up on bread, he does not like Italian spicey foods. Since I do, I often use garlic; Dad wouldn't even come in my apartment when I had been cooking, he can't stand the stuff.
- Since my Mum and Dad lived with Dad's parents for two years when they marred, Mum made lots of Italian dishes. And some English. I spent much of my childhood with Dad's parents (Mum was ill) so I grew up with their cooking. (Unlike my brother, by then Mum was doing lots better, and HE takes after Dad and hates spices and herbs.) I never had "American" food, and don't like much of it, to this day. I have never had 'mac and cheese,' the very idea makes me gag. (Mac is macaroni = pasta, belongs with tomato sauce, and 'American cheese' is a gross plastic cheese PRODUCT, yuck.)
- I grew up in a Sicilian enclave. Everyone around us was also of Sicilian descent -- with a small few Neopolitan families. (Another great rivalry -- I had a fist fight with a girl whose grands hailed from Naples, when we were both in 7th grade). Hence everyone at school ate as I did, we brought the same things for lunches (no hot lunch back then). And 4 years of college, I was a commuting student, just went in for 4 classes in a row and drove back home. I did not realize I ate an ethnic diet, until I moved to DC at age 21 for law school. I rented a room with a family of Lebanese descent. (THEY did not eat an Amercian diet, either!) HOLY MOLY I never even HEARD of the foods they ate! But I loved most of it - and so my love of food developed.

[david p]

I'm half Italian and half lithuanian. Growing up our family got all of the traditional pasta dishes (boy, do I miss those!), also stuffed cabbage and potato pancakes and haluske from my mom's Lithuanian side.

[smokey the elder]

I have Polish ancestry, so naturally I like kielbasa, galunkies, pierogies, etc. Don't much care for sauerkraut, though. I have discovered all kinds of cuisines over the years: Thai, Indian, Vietnamese (pho, yum!!), Mexican, Indonesion (panang curry rox!) and many others. My SO and I do heaps of ethnic cooking, and over time have seen availability of exotic ingredients increase.

[mrspunkysmom]

I love greek and italian, but these days it's hibachi style food. it's the gluten free thing.

[Randi]

Karen, Lingonberry is quite normal in Denmark, also. It's always used for for Game... a bit in the sauce and some on the side. My mum's brother and his family and friends all went hunting and his wife made the most delicious dishes (Phesants, wild Ducks etc.)

I grew up with with mostly potatoes and various meat - and overcooked veggies. Ryebread is something I eat every day, I love it, and it's healthy and filling. When Oprah W. was here, she brought back lots of it. Here are pictures of various ones:
https://www.google.com/images?q=rugbrød&oe=utf-8&hl=da&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ei=kzoXU5GCHqTt4gTBvIDIAw&ved=0CB0QsAQ

One very Danish dessert is "Roedgroed med Floede) - something a foreigner has difficulties pronouncing. It is made from rhubarbs and strawberries. Here are pictures of it, and if you scroll down, there's an English explanation.
https://www.google.com/search?q=rødgrød%20med%20fløde&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

Of ethnic foods I love most of them... especially Italian, Greek, Indian, Chinese and Thai.

In this link there are some typical Danish cakes and cookies. If you click on "Afspil" you'll see them one by one:
http://samvirke.dk/billedgallerier/g...t-danmark.html

I'll be glad to translate recipes if you want to try.

[Karen]

Oh, Randi, I love rye bread - I get it sometimes as a treat for myself, and didn't know that that was also a Scandinavian thing! Rye bread with strong ginger jam - yum!!!!!

[Randi]

Oh, Randi, I love rye bread - I get it sometimes as a treat for myself, and didn't know that that was also a Scandinavian thing! Rye bread with strong ginger jam - yum!!!!!

LOL! How can eat anything sweet on rye bread?

Because of you, I remembered to take out a huge jar of pickled currants to use with my dinner.

[Karen]

LOL! How can eat anything sweet on rye bread?

Because of you, I remembered to take out a huge jar of pickled currants to use with my dinner.

Hee hee - you have to try it sometime, Randi - just spread some strong jam - or even a bit of honey really thin on toasted rye, the interplay of savory and sweet is quite yummy, I promise!

[Barbara]

I am from very close to the French border and I rather have problems with the pork-oriented German cuisine - even if a good sausage is a nice thing. Consequently I do not care for some of the Polish cuisine as well. IMO it is very similar to what you get in Bavaria.
But I love:
Thai
Vietnamese
Malaysian
Singaporean
Indian
Mexican
Tex-Mex (ok- that's ethnic from my point of view)
Italian (there are more Italian places in Munich than Bavarian)
Spanish
Greek
Moroccan
Libanese
Turkish
.....
Of course we have much rye bread here or mixed breads and while I am with Randi that I will rather have it with prosciutto or cheese (or both) I prefer it to white bread