So, being where I am, I'm blessed that I can pretty much find whatever I want to eat... and lots of stuff I'd never want to eat. I love venturing out and trying foods from all corners of the world (though I get burned on occasion ), and today I dropped by a Somali café to try something called halwa.

Some of you may know halwa, but for those who don't, it's a gel, somewhat like Turkish delight, composed basically of flour and vegetable oil, sweetened and seasoned to regional taste. Depending on if you're in the Mediterranean rim, the Middle East or eastward toward India, you may find some use of pistachios, honey, cocoa, vanilla, dates, fruit juices, etc. But in Somalia, I'm told, the go-to ingredients for halwa are a bit of honey, cardamom, nutmet, cinnamon and black pepper. The best way I can describe this stuff is "chai in gel form"... and it is amazing!

I asked the Somali brother who owned the place for his recipe, but besides a few basic ingredients, he wouldn't divulge "the family secret." I'll have to resort to some internet hit and miss.

Anyway... what are some of you guys' favorite foods from cultures not your own?

EVERYTHING I love is from a culture not my own

ZombieKitten said:

EVERYTHING I love is from a culture not my own

It's a tough question to articulate.

I was gonna ask "What are your favorite ethnic or exotic foods?" But all food is ethnic... and exotic to someone, I suppose.

i've ben buying dried melon from the chinese supermarket round the corner from me.. it's delicious, all sugary & kinda crystallized. i have just tried to find an image online but can't see one!

now i'm hoping that it is actually melon & not anything more 'exotic'.

it's yummy whatever

Lammastide said:

ZombieKitten said:

EVERYTHING I love is from a culture not my own

It's a tough question to articulate.

I was gonna ask "What are your favorite ethnic or exotic foods?" But all food is ethnic... and exotic to someone, I suppose.

exactly right, I bet most things you serve up would be exotic to me

DoffieParker said:

i've ben buying dried melon from the chinese supermarket round the corner from me.. it's delicious, all sugary & kinda crystallized. i have just tried to find an image online but can't see one!

now i'm hoping that it is actually melon & not anything more 'exotic'.

it's yummy whatever

I love the chinese supermarkets!

Just to look mostly, like at dried sea cucumbers and stuff

thai. point,game,set,match.

ZombieKitten said:

DoffieParker said:

i've ben buying dried melon from the chinese supermarket round the corner from me.. it's delicious, all sugary & kinda crystallized. i have just tried to find an image online but can't see one!

now i'm hoping that it is actually melon & not anything more 'exotic'.

it's yummy whatever

I love the chinese supermarkets!

Just to look mostly, like at dried sea cucumbers and stuff

yes they're facinating places, some weird stuff.

BlackAdder7 said:

thai. point,game,set,match.

DoffieParker said:

ZombieKitten said:

I love the chinese supermarkets!

Just to look mostly, like at dried sea cucumbers and stuff

yes they're facinating places, some weird stuff.

speaking of your dried melon, my malaysian friend gave me salted prunes to try. They were SOOOOO salty! it was crazy people could even eat it!

ZombieKitten said:

DoffieParker said:

yes they're facinating places, some weird stuff.

speaking of your dried melon, my malaysian friend gave me salted prunes to try. They were SOOOOO salty! it was crazy people could even eat it!

I had salted fish like that once. I thought 'fish... salt... that's fairly standard', but I couldn't eat any of it.

ZombieKitten said:

DoffieParker said:

yes they're facinating places, some weird stuff.

speaking of your dried melon, my malaysian friend gave me salted prunes to try. They were SOOOOO salty! it was crazy people could even eat it!

i wouldn't fancy those much, but that reminds me of an indian girl i went to school with who ate her apple with salt.. apple in one hand & salt cellar in the other. all the kids were

Thai

:Thai-food-win:

PANCAKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and Chicken!

OK, here goes:

Thailand:

Penang chicken with kaffir lime shreds

Lemon Grass and chicken salad (or seafood)

Almost all Thai deserts

Cuban:

Roasted pork on cuban bread sandwhich, plantains, rice with blackbeans and goddamned coffee!

Wales:

Sheppards Pie

India:

Vegitable Jalfrezi

Japan

Salmon Sashmi (smoked)

China

Spicy Beef Noodle Soup

America

Raw Vegan Treatloaf with mashed cauliflour

Southern Barbecue

Germany

A simply snitzel and brotchen

Jamaica

Yellow curry chicken and rice

But seriously, :Thai-food-win:

Italian, Chinese, Haka and Indian.

Love this chinese dish... forgot what it's called but they also call it the chinese tamale...

wildgoldenhoney said:

Love this chinese dish... forgot what it's called but they also call it the chinese tamale...

SagsWay2low said:

wildgoldenhoney said:

Love this chinese dish... forgot what it's called but they also call it the chinese tamale...

Oh, found the name, Joong.

The one with the salted duck egg is the best!!!! http://www.hookmountaingr...amale.html

I love lots of other ethnic foods. Thai, Chinese, Middle Eastern...I just love to eat.

I love to cook Rican food and feed it to folk who's culture it's not.

[Edited 5/5/11 21:14pm]

wildgoldenhoney said:

SagsWay2low said:

Oh, found the name, Joong.

The one with the salted duck egg is the best!!!! http://www.hookmountaingr...amale.html

I just got a little moist.

Imma need to ask the Chinese lady who run this restaurant down the street if she can make it.

It'll be difficult cause she doesn't speak a word of Thai or English.

SagsWay2low said:

wildgoldenhoney said:

Oh, found the name, Joong.

The one with the salted duck egg is the best!!!! http://www.hookmountaingr...amale.html

I just got a little moist.

Imma need to ask the Chinese lady who run this restaurant down the street if she can make it.

It'll be difficult cause she doesn't speak a word of Thai or English.

Mon's a proper Asian person, give her a call. Maybe she can speak Chinese.

SagsWay2low said:

wildgoldenhoney said:

Oh, found the name, Joong.

The one with the salted duck egg is the best!!!! http://www.hookmountaingr...amale.html

I just got a little moist.

Imma need to ask the Chinese lady who run this restaurant down the street if she can make it.

It'll be difficult cause she doesn't speak a word of Thai or English.

I was looking at how to make it and it looks difficult for a first timer. Loved when my friend's parents used to make these.... yum!

It's yummy, I'm sure you'll love it!!!

Fauxie said:

SagsWay2low said:

I just got a little moist.

Imma need to ask the Chinese lady who run this restaurant down the street if she can make it.

It'll be difficult cause she doesn't speak a word of Thai or English.

Mon's a proper Asian person, give her a call. Maybe she can speak Chinese.

Look, 30% of Bangkok can speak Chinese, ok? I thought I had a 1 in 3 chance.

wildgoldenhoney said:

Love this chinese dish... forgot what it's called but they also call it the chinese tamale...

The first one looks like a vagina made out of vomit.

SagsWay2low said:

Fauxie said:

Mon's a proper Asian person, give her a call. Maybe she can speak Chinese.

Look, 30% of Bangkok can speak Chinese, ok? I thought I had a 1 in 3 chance.

Her skin's not light enough to be able to speak Chinese.

i like all ethnic food

even the American Hot Dog is ethnic to me

YUMM!!!!

My best friend is a Somali. Her mother cooks goat meat really well and it's

anything that taste good and wont make me sick

ill pretty much eat anything

Authentic Jamaican jerk pork (or chicken, but usually pork) will always be my favorite international dish of all time. I used to stroll down from the lil hut we would rent and get fresh jerk cooked on a big ass spit right out back. They would chop the goats up and shit right as you ate, but hell... It was so beautiful and I was so fucking high, it didn't matter. Plus the food is just really good in Jamaica.

I also am a huge fan of Afghani food and British Indian cuisine.