GBAChef: Favourite food that weirds out visitors to your country

[FAST6191]

The GBAChef council allowed me back in after I slighted tunnocks the other time so time for new GBAChef thread.

Wherever I go I usually find there is a dish that causes visitors to say "urgh" and pass it up. However in many cases these things are delicious.

UK wise

Black pudding. Otherwise known as blood pudding. Now I might have to discount this as it sees many natives wrinkle their nose up when it comes to this as well. It is an interesting taste (it is actually kind of sweet) and you absolutely need to get a good one (proper butchers or proper food shop) but an essential part of a fry up for me. Now reading up on it the UK variety is somewhat different to the rest of the world (which in turn are all different to each other save for the common theme of blood mixed with the preferred native carbohydrate crop).

There are many more (usually some form of marrow, as in bone, or cheap cuts of meat/offal dish) but I will leave those for others rather than take them all in the OP. The oddest one for me is Scotch eggs; they are sausage-meat wrapped boiled eggs coated in breadcrumbs and baked. They are lovely and the only thing that stops me from eating them by the dozen is that many eggs tends to make for a slight haze as I awake the next day which is unpleasant for all concerned. However the idea of them does not seem to sit with many visitors for reasons I have never been able to figure out.

When visiting the US I am probably supposed to say something like hamburger helper and grits. However both of those are vile mush and something I never wish to have slide down my throat again (can't knock it until you have tried it an all that).

My predictions for the thread.

Will largely be composed of either
High delicacies. Given how odd these often are and how tasteless (often in both senses of the word) they can be these are likely to be the ones with the most good reasoning.
Food that originated with poor people (waste not, want not and such like)
Well aged cheeses
Pickled things. Probably pickled fish.

Similarly if you live in a place that actually values chillies then do share that too (until quite recently it had been years since I had a good phal for instance) as such things tend to have good stories when the unaware come blundering in.

 

[Sop]

I like pretty much all food...

But anyway, my mum is Italian, so we have a lot of Italian food at family gatherings etc.

One thing I can think of is anchovies, and in terms of food, one dish my mum made at Christmas last year was a Vitello Tonnato which is cold poached veal in a sort of tuna mayonnaise (tuna, anchovies, capers and egg). It was really good, just like my nonna used to make

 

[Ethevion]

I've noticed that ketchup flavored potato chips freak out people from the states. Their initial reaction is always, 'Ketchup chips? Shit that's nasty'. Then they try it and they love it.

 

[FAST6191]

I've noticed that ketchup flavored potato chips freak out people from the states. Their initial reaction is always, 'Ketchup chips? Shit that's nasty'. Then they try it and they love it.

I see similar things with Cheese and Pickle and Worcestershire/Worcester sauce crisps.

I tried tomato sauce ones once and they were not bad. Granted tomatoes and I agree to not be in the same room most of the time so that might say more.

My absolute favourite is watching people try marmite crisps (or indeed anything marmite related), especially if they do not know and spread it on like jam.

Sticking with sauces though salad cream. I love the stuff and beyond good cereal and beyond fruit squash to drink it is what I miss most when stateside.

 

[Veho]

I've noticed that ketchup flavored potato chips freak out people from the states.

That reminded me. Ketchup flavored cheese puffs (I suppose that would make them ketchup puffs). They are horrible, but I can't stop eating them.

Canned tuna on pizza is another thing I love but reactions of people from other parts of the world range from "that's bizarre" to projectile vomiting at the mere mention of it.

 

[Ethevion]

I see similar things with Cheese and Pickle and Worcestershire/Worcester sauce crisps.

I tried tomato sauce ones once and they were not bad. Granted tomatoes and I agree to not be in the same room most of the time so that might say more.

My absolute favourite is watching people try marmite crisps (or indeed anything marmite related), especially if they do not know and spread it on like jam.

Sticking with sauces though salad cream. I love the stuff and beyond good cereal and beyond fruit squash to drink it is what I miss most when stateside.

I just looked up what marmite is and I'm not really sure how I feel about it. They say it's an extremely salty paste, which doesn't sound too good, but I'm curious so I'd probably try it. I love how the slogan on the British brand is, 'Love it or hate it'.

That reminded me. Ketchup flavored cheese puffs (I suppose that would make them ketchup puffs). They are horrible, but I can't stop eating them.

Canned tuna on pizza is another thing I love but reactions of people from other parts of the world range from "that's bizarre" to projectile vomiting at the mere mention of it.

Are the Ketchup flavored cheese puffs just ketchup flavored or is it mixed in with the cheese?

I think I'd vomit if I tried any type of fish on pizza. I just can't stand fish.

 

[Rydian]

The oddest one for me is Scotch eggs;
[..]
However the idea of them does not seem to sit with many visitors for reasons I have never been able to figure out.

0:07

Canned tuna on pizza is another thing I love but reactions of people from other parts of the world range from "that's bizarre" to projectile vomiting at the mere mention of it.

I like tuna in my mac and cheese, but I don't know if that's really regional or anything.

Uh, banana nut bread? But people like that stuff too...

Artichoke hearts? Just take them out of the oil suspension, take and eat a layer or two at a time.

 

[Veho]

Are the Ketchup flavored cheese puffs just ketchup flavored or is it mixed in with the cheese?

Just ketchup.

There's also a hot dog flavored variety. It's ghastly.

 

[FAST6191]

Tuna on pizza is looked down upon/considered odd in places? Strange world we live in. That said I do have to recall http://gbatemp.net/threads/best-canned-tuna-ever.346240/

On marmite. It is basically a salty yeast paste, if you have ever had proper black bread or really strong beer if you carry on from there that is where you end up. It is about the only time I care for salt as well.

 

[pyromaniac123]

Chicken bovril has to got be one of my favourite foodstuffs. Use it as stock or make a nice drink out of it.

 

[FAST6191]

I usually make my own stock or buy in proper stuff as regular stock cubes went nasty some time back. Sadly too many people associated it with being a wartime food (yet will eat semolina by the wheelbarrow*) so I never saw it much when growing up.

I will have to check some out though if you reckon it makes good stock.

*not that I have any objection to this as I really like semolina.

 

[pyromaniac123]

Chicken bovril has 6 times more chicken extract than oxo stock cubes and has dried chicken in it. Definitely makes good stock

 

[Veho]

Chicken bovril has 6 times more chicken extract than oxo stock cubes and has dried chicken in it. Definitely makes good stock

I googled OXO.

The original product was a viscous liquid containing only meat extract and 4% salt. In comparison, the current version of the "OXO Chicken stock cube" contains only 2% chicken extract with the bulk of the flavour coming from its MSG and yeast extract content.

Like FAST said, stock cubes went nasty, when the hydrogenated vegetable fat and yeast filler overtook the actual meat extract. I was looking at a stock cube a few days ago and it was 90% filler.

I would love to try Bovril.

 

[DinohScene]

Anything pineapple related for me lol

 

[Ethevion]

Just ketchup.

There's also a hot dog flavored variety. It's ghastly.

I wouldn't mind trying them if the flavor is just ketchup.

The hotdog flavored sounds really gross. It reminds me of this.

Spoiler

This actually made me laugh when I first tried it. You can taste the pickles, the cheese, and even the burger.

 

[Par39]

For some reason people tend to freak out and go "eww" when we Finns show them mämmi.
Even a friend of mine has never tried mämmi because she thinks it looks like poop <___< and she says it tastes like it too... how do you know if you've never tried D: ...then again I did recently buy her baby food just because she thought candy spray can be counted as a good breakfast.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mämmi

 

[Qtis]

I could name a bunch as Finland has quite a different food culture due to the nature of the country (remote location, cold in the winter, kinda hot in the summer, hard to grow stuff due to shortish farming season, etc).

One of the most bizarre foods available would be something called mämmi (memma in Swedish which is just as valid if you want to remove the ä-letter). It's made out of rye with water and the likes, tastes kinda sweet and is usually served with sugar and cream (or milk if there is no cream available at the time for some reason).

Spoiler

Also available from Wikipedia in English: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mämmi

EDIT: Ninja'd..

 

[FAST6191]

This Mämmi stuff intrigues me, I have never heard of it before and none of my Finnish or Swedish friends/friends that have stayed in Finland/Sweden have ever commented on it. However rye is probably second to oats in terms of things I really like when it comes to cereal grains.

Also that reminds me/so Americans can have something.

Sourdough bread.... various places I went in the northwest US had actual restaurants themed around it and it was properly popular and historically important in most places around there. Though it is far from unheard of outside the US and Canada I have not seen it more popular outside it.
Were it not for other American breads* it would be the worst I have ever had (even counting soda bread). That said I can entirely see why people like it and will not begrudge them it at all. On the other hand it gives many people I like to travel with a serious case of stomach ache so probably best to keep it away/not assume it is good to give as part of a meal.

*I would feel bad if I fed most of what I got in an American supermarket to ducks. That said that is probably that I find the idea of sugar in bread as a matter of course to be borderline offensive to my sensibilities.

 

[Hells Malice]

I honestly can't think of anything that i've weirded people out with. Nothing Canada specific anyway. We have a lot of odd chips up here but i'm pretty sure the US has the same stuff. Blue cheese and buffalo, hotdog, baked potato (so good), I can't even remember half the really weird chips.

For some reason people tend to freak out and go "eww" when we Finns show them mämmi.
Even a friend of mine has never tried mämmi because she thinks it looks like poop <___< and she says it tastes like it too... how do you know if you've never tried D: ...then again I did recently buy her baby food just because she thought candy spray can be counted as a good breakfast.

Of all the things you didn't mention blood food ;~;
That blood pancake nearly killed me...

 

[Par39]

I honestly can't think of anything that i've weirded people out with. Nothing Canada specific anyway. We have a lot of odd chips up here but i'm pretty sure the US has the same stuff. Blue cheese and buffalo, hotdog, baked potato (so good), I can't even remember half the really weird chips.



Of all the things you didn't mention blood food ;~;
That blood pancake nearly killed me...

Well blood food was mentioned in the OP <-< so didn't feel the need. But if you really want me to mention some blood food, the local delicacy mykyrokka. And something that I think is less ewwy and more confusing, kalakukko.