Random weird dishes from all over the world!
I have written several articles about travelling, as many of you may well know. I have discovered that many countries have unique dishes that we may never have heard of. After some extensive research, I put together a selection of savoury dishes, unique to several countries in the world to put on this blog article. I have made sure that the ingredients required are not too far fetched for most countries, so you really can try these at home!
1 MASALA DOSA, India
Masala Dosa is a popular dish in Indian hotels, funny enough! The ingredients are not outlandish, but the preparation may well be! Typical ingredients include rice, husked black ham, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, salt, vegetable oil, potatoes, onion, green chillies, curry leaves, and turmeric. The Dosa part is made of rice and lentils, ground up and made into a batter. The inside of the batter is smeared with a red chutney and then the potato stuffing is placed inside or on top. Great for Indian themed parties.
2 FETA SAGANAKI, Greece
Pan-fried feta cheese with slices of ripe, red tomatoes and lemon. The saganaki part is actually the term that refers to the pan the cheese is deep fried in. This is a great starter to make instead of the usual stuffed vine leaves. High in fat but also healthy! You can also try different cheeses, like halloumi.
3 POUTIN, Canada
French fries topped with cheese and gravy. Yes, to anyone living in a country with semi-normal temperatures, this may seem like instant cholesterol. But I have had Poutin, made by a Canadian citizen and I can tell you right now it is worth it. Keep the Bicarbonate of Soda handy and enjoy. You can also add meat and many other ingredients, as long as the basics stay the same.
4 POKE, Hawaii
Raw fish salad made with tuna, soy sauce, sea salt, green onions, maui onions and limu; served as an appetizer in Hawaii. Normally an oily fish is used. Tuna seems to be a favourite. You can leave out the limu of course. Don’t be scared to work with fish that has not been treated with heat, the proteins will be coagulated with the salt and soy sauce. Raw does not necessarily mean inedible or dangerous. So, try this out!
5 BEEF WELLINGTON, Uk
I suppose I could have chosen any other British dish, but I made this for my family recently and it was such a hit that I needed to put Beef Wellington on here. It may well be that Beef Wellington was not originally from England; I think I read somewhere that it may have originated in another country. But this is not really as difficult as you would think, and it can be made with not only pate, but also apricot jam. It is vital to use fillet from your butchery, not store bought! This is the only time I will not recommend cheap and easy ingredients. I love steak and I love Beef Wellington but skimping on the meat is going to be a ‘tough’ one. Oh, and it has to go with a dark, heavy red wine. I won’t allow it otherwise!
6 BOBOTI, South Africa
The best Boboti I have ever had, was made by my brother. It is a local classic here in SA and I absolutely love it. It is not that difficult to make and consists of curried minced meat baked with a rich savoury custard. Please consider leaving out the freaking bay leaves on top. They might make a beautiful decoration, but I normally replace the bay leaves with fresh spinach leaves. It looks much more appealing to me and the flavour (and texture) is just so much nicer!
7 PIE FLOATER, Australia
Now this sounds like something I need to try out over the holiday season. It sounds as if this is perfect after a booze up. The best after drink dinner ever! It consists of a meat pie, submerged in pea soup, garnished with tomato sauce and maybe mint sauce. I love the fact that there are vegetables in the soup, this makes it slightly healthier than just a pie. Well, that is my excuse for eating it and I am sticking to it!
8 SHABU-SHABU, Japan
Thin slices of meat boiled and dipped in sesame seed sauce just before serving. Normally served with white rice. You can use water, or broth, or a traditional Japanese broth called ‘dashi’. It is very easy to make and the best part is eating the left overs with rice out of the bowl you cooked it in! Traditional and easy, and very visually appealing to serve!
9 BORSCHT, Russia
Borscht is a cold beetroot soup, traditionally decorated with sour cream and served with vodka. Ok, I added the vodka myself. But what else will you drink with a traditional Russian starter? Tequila? Bourbon? No! Vodka! Even though the ingredients are extremely easy to source and the recipe very easy, Borscht is an acquired taste. I can definitely recommend it as a light snack or elegant starter. It looks stunning and I love the taste. Beetroot is also very healthy and full of antioxidants so go ahead and impress your family with Borscht this weekend!
10 BITTERBALLEN, Netherlands
Deep fried meatballs, served with home-made mustard. Yum. My suggestion will be to make sure the meatballs are cooked before hand, but only if your family prefers their meat really well done. Traditionally, this dish does not require pre-cooking and Gordon Ramsay will not allow you to overcook your meat, but I understand that some people are just genuinely not into rare steaks. So it is really okay to make sure your meat is about medium to well done before deep frying. Dip your meatballs in savoury flavoured bread crumbs and fry! A great dish to serve at about 4:20… if you know what I mean… If you don’t, then just have it at any given time you wish!
I really hope you enjoyed this article. I have made sure that none of the ingredients are too hard to source, and none of the recipes requires hours of preparation. You can really expand your horizons and impress friends and family with stunning new ideas from all over the world. Enjoy!
