Which country actually makes the best food?

[Scarim Coral]

I'm confused, is this supposed to be a dicussion on favourite food and the county that make it or discussion of the origin of the food itself that some poeple had latch onto?

I guess I'm bias to say Chinese due to my upbringing. Ok sure I am part British but even then I am not fond of British food itself.

I mean a few days ago, I went to get fish and chip for lunch (nearest food place from work) and I read the map fact sheet on fish and chip when I was waiting for my meal to be made. It mention that the majourity of the Brits loved it and I kinda buffle on why exactly is that. Upon looking at my fish and chip, it just look so plain and greasy looking and the taste just reinforce it. I mean sure I have heard plenty of time about certain places making "good" fish and chip but I decline to believed that (I guess I still haven't find the right place that make it). For now I just prefered the home cooked version as it is less greasy and has more flavour to it.

 

[Ihateregistering1]

To answer the question... the United States. Part of our whole 'melting pot' thing is our propensity for taking the best of every culture we assimilate (Including their food) and meshing it with what we already have.

This whole argument is a little bit silly, since I seriously doubt anyone here has eaten at every restaurant available in a particular country (well, ok, maybe in Luxembourg), but...gotta agree with this post. I've been over a good chunk of the planet, and I've certainly found individual places I liked a lot, but I've consistently found food I've fallen in love with in the states, much of it being 'foreign' food, but with American modifications and additions to it.

Tex-Mex is a good example that you used. I used to live on the Mexico-US border, so I had access to both Tex-Mex and 'real' Mexican food, and I honestly found myself enjoying Tex-Mex drastically more than traditional Mexican food the majority of the time.

That being said, I could live off Korean BBQ. Shit, now I'm hungry...

 

[09philj]

For most of my life, I heard that British food is terrible. I wouldn't necessarily say that, though too much of it is drenched in oil and fat, which kills the flavour. Black pudding and haggis are fantastic, particularly with eggs. I think most of the complaints about British food are as a result of the places in the UK that poorly imitate the cuisine of other countries.

Arguably, we have excellent food. Not the stuff which is seen as traditionally British, mind you, but the things we see as foreign but are actually very much our own version. Show a chicken tikka masala to an Indian or a spaghetti bolognaise to an Italian and they'd likely say they'd not seen a dish like it.

 

[DefunctTheory]

Haggis is Scottish, actually.

Yes, I know that.

The sheer amount of ingredients that goes into a lot of servings in the States must be something to behold, if any of the stuff I see on programs like Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives has any basis in reality. Delectable, but at some cost. I can't believe I forgot about Italian food; almost unforgivable after being lucky enough to have dined at a restaurant called Amaroni's on a couple of occasions when I was in Asia. Even the bread was unbelievable, though I sadly can't remember the proper name for it.

OT: French. Because the techniques, sauces, and general culinary wisdom of hundreds of years of French cooking have touched absolutely every corner of the Western world, and much beyond. I think you could make an argument for Portuguese food too, as they taught us all to fry the right way (Japan got their frying tradition from the Portuguese for one example). You might also have an argument to make for Chinese food, as a broad category, not in the least since they own the origins of pasta.

In terms of who was most influential, I think I completely agree with this, the French and Chinese in particular.

That being said, I could live off Korean BBQ. Shit, now I'm hungry...

I miss Korean BBQ so very much. The closest one to me is almost 3 hours away though.

 

[RedRockRun]

I'm going to throw out a wild card and say Russia. Nothing beats boiled potatoes, boiled cabbage, and boiled mystery meat. MMM MMM БЛЯДЬ

 

[DefunctTheory]

Spoiler

Haggis is Scottish, actually.

Yes, I know that.

The sheer amount of ingredients that goes into a lot of servings in the States must be something to behold, if any of the stuff I see on programs like Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives has any basis in reality. Delectable, but at some cost. I can't believe I forgot about Italian food; almost unforgivable after being lucky enough to have dined at a restaurant called Amaroni's on a couple of occasions when I was in Asia. Even the bread was unbelievable, though I sadly can't remember the proper name for it.

OT: French. Because the techniques, sauces, and general culinary wisdom of hundreds of years of French cooking have touched absolutely every corner of the Western world, and much beyond. I think you could make an argument for Portuguese food too, as they taught us all to fry the right way (Japan got their frying tradition from the Portuguese for one example). You might also have an argument to make for Chinese food, as a broad category, not in the least since they own the origins of pasta.

In terms of who was most influential, I think I completely agree with this, the French and Chinese in particular.

That being said, I could live off Korean BBQ. Shit, now I'm hungry...

I miss Korean BBQ so very much. The closest one to me is almost 3 hours away though.

Galbi/Kalbi... done the right way, marinated for long enough is one of the best foods a carnivore can eat. I drive 90 minutes round trip to get just that sometimes, with some flaming kimchi.

God... don't mention Kimchi. I despise the stuff with all my heart and soul. A huge part of why I hated my year in Korea. Oddly enough, Korean food without Kimchi was probably my favorite part of being in Korea.

But that smell... it was everywhere. The buildings smelled like it, the people smelled like it... wretched. I prayed for a stuffy nose every time the weather got bad.

 

[Souplex]

The correct answer is New York.
New York takes the food of every culture on earth and prepares them perfectly.
The only problem is that it's expensive.

 

[Atmos Duality]

The problem with American food, for me, is the taste. You don't have good produce, or at least not the kind I'm used to. The beef is no good, dairy is usually chock full of chems and fruits/veggies taste... Unnatural, what can I tell you. Plus all things fast & diet are somewhere between disgusting and unhealthy. Hence the skyrocketing obesity, on a personal aside.
The thread is about tastes, so no point in lamenting their multiplicity.

Heh. Makes me realize how spoiled I am for growing up in Northern Illinois, because here if you look close enough, you can find some of the best beef (and pork), the freshest produce (in season anyway...kinda like now, which is why I love September), and excellent dairy from across the stateline.

To the coasts, we're boring old "Fly-over country", but I've traveled a fair bit around this country (and a few foreign countries), and while I love so many ethnic foods (which I strive to learn how to prepare at home; usually successfully)
there is little in my mind that tops the sheer culinary mecca of the American mid-west.

Of course, I'm also one of those blaspheming heathens that loves Chicago Deep Dish Pizza above all others.

 

[PBMcNair]

Mexico. Tex-mex rules. Not debatable.

Tex-Mex is American, I'm afraid. Texans (The Tex) took Mexican food (The Mex) and applied American flavors and cooking methods. Inspired by Mexican food, but American made.

To answer the question... the United States. Part of our whole 'melting pot' thing is our propensity for taking the best of every culture we assimilate (Including their food) and meshing it with what we already have. Pizza, spaghetti, sandwiches, rice, sauces, breads... America has altered all of these to our own purposes, and most of those foods are completely unrecognizable from the original - American pizza, no matter what style you pick, is vastly different from Italian pizza, while spaghetti with meat sauce is an entirely American idea. We've made hundreds of our own sandwiches, bred our own versions of rice, modified and created new sauces... American Asians have even created an entire new class of food, commonly called in the US 'Chinese Food' (Its barely recognizable to the Chinese for the most part).

And of course, American food has the most financial penetration worldwide. But that's fast food, and I doubt anyone thinks that counts for anything.

The way I look at it is, American food as a whole is crap, but their regional foods and styles are great.

 

[crimson5pheonix]

If we're talking about Europe, the food gets better the farther south you go. Over all, American styled food. I will agree that Tex-Mex is God's gift to taste.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

I don't know honestly, I haven't sampled every country's cuisine. But to be honest, I don't think its possible to pinpoint one singular country as the best food. Its all subjective. I do have to say that having grown up in the Caribbean, the cuisine from that area is quite awesome and unique. Tropical fish + latin dishes + Jamaican dishes... A great combination IMO.

 

[Callate]

I'm tempted to give it to American, actually- in as much as it does its best to steal and bastardize everyone else's cuisine, sometimes to great results. And, yes, sometimes to terrible results... I know we're largely to blame for fast food, for bland, deep-fried, overly sweet "Chinese American" cuisine, and so on. But put me in almost any city of significant size in the U.S., and I can eat something amazing and different every single day, often without having to go more than a mile from where I start. That's pretty nifty.

Failing that, I'm inclined to give it to the French for giving us so many sauces and techniques that chefs the world over are grateful to utilize. I'm not inclined towards escargot or frog legs, but for roux, for sauce bechamel, for creme brulee... For a hundred different uses for butter that threaten my arteries- thank you, French cuisine.

 

[Mikeybb]

*snip* And the food is definitely different.

That's certainly true.
When you ask for a pie in a chippy and it gets deep fried, you know you're in a different country.

Actually, my first exposure to the fried pie was down south where a chip shop owner sold scottish pies and, on been asked for one by yours truly, dropped it in the fryer.
I thought he was taking the piss.
Playing on the old "Scottish people fry everything" gag.
Now, it is true you'll find things north of the border fried that you really wouldn't expect to be found cooked that way, but it's not everything.
Not quite.

 

[anthony87]

Depends what you mean by "best". Here in Ireland we just boil the shit out of everything, tastes like crap but we take home the gold in "Most Sterile".

I dunno man, you can't beat a nice bowl of Coddle on a Sunday evening. As long as you take the onions out of it. Seriously, who the hell thought it was a good idea to boil onions?

 

[FalloutJack]

Depends what you mean by "best". Here in Ireland we just boil the shit out of everything, tastes like crap but we take home the gold in "Most Sterile".

Pretty much why I said it's not the same as British food. There's some question on the quality of food there, but what it won't ever do is resemble Irish cooking.

I dunno man, you can't beat a nice bowl of Coddle on a Sunday evening. As long as you take the onions out of it. Seriously, who the hell thought it was a good idea to boil onions?

Well, the Irish did. Long line of stew-lovers, you see.

 

[sonicneedslovetoo]

Finland, they have the best potato chips in existence.

 

[Tiger King]

It's nearly dinner time and I'm pretty hungry. Let's talk about food.

For most of my life, I heard that British food is terrible. I wouldn't necessarily say that, though too much of it is drenched in oil and fat, which kills the flavour. Black pudding and haggis are fantastic, particularly with eggs. I think most of the complaints about British food are as a result of the places in the UK that poorly imitate the cuisine of other countries.

The best food in Britain undoubtedly comes from overseas. I'm not really sure what sort of state I'd be in if there weren't options like Thai, Chinese or Indian ingredients available here. A relative of mine came back from the US a few months ago and told us a lot of stories about the fast food joints. Supposedly, McDonalds, KFC and the like are not really a big deal due to the incredible variety of fast food joints and greasy spoons that do absolutely mouth-watering food. They also reportedly had some pretty amazing curries in Afghanistan, which was a shocker.

What's the best food you've ever eaten, and where did you eat it? It's time to decide which country produces the most delicious food, or, failing that, argue until our faces turn purple.

best food i ever had is my mums roast!
keep hearing how we boil meat in the uk and it leaves me confused! all the meat i ever ate back home was sausage n bacon (grilled or fried) or beef/steak (grilled or fried)
Not that i will lie our food is quite basic: Meat, veg, and potatoes.
second best meal i ever had was this spicy dish from a thai place in america

 

[lacktheknack]

It depends entirely on what I want.

If I'm squicked out by the idea of oil that day, I love Vietnamese. If I just want to get full without damaging myself, East European takes the prize. If I feel snobby, homemade Italian cannot be beaten. And if I just want to eat crap, American tastes soooooo goooooooood.

Really, the only constant is that Mexican food is kind of horrible. Tex-Mex is delicious, but authentic Mexican? Euuurgh. Even the sight of Mole gives me the willies.

 

[Treeinthewoods]

America, hands down. People who criticize are criticizing the mass produced, cheap, forgettable junk that gets exported or shipped all over the country. Go to any city in America and eat at places that aren't chains and have a lot of locals eating there, you will find what eating American food is all about. The sheer variety of creative, local and fresh food you can find travelling around the states will boggle the mind.