Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Grits differ in consistency from cornmeal. Not sure what your friend was using. Grits have a bit more substance to them and are grainier than cornmeal.
In the south, both yellow and white cornmeal are used to make cornbread. I generally use yellow just because I like the color, but my grandmother nearly always used white to make her famous fried "hot water cornbread" - it turned out golden because it was fried.
OK, that's a regional food - anyone else had hot water cornbread? YUM! Fattening though. It's especially good with turnip greens and black eyed peas and a slice or two of ham. My dad likes to tear up a piece of hot water cornbread and put it in a glass of cold milk and eat it for a late night snack.
I've never heard it called that, but my fried cornbread is just equal amounts of boiling water and cornmeal and a pinch of salt, shaped into patties and fried in lard. Lots of butter. A must have when I have a big pot of beans on for dinner. My mom just asked me for the "recipe" yesterday. LOL
One regional food I like that is from outside my region is French fries served with gravy. I first learned about this on vacation in Florida, and I gather it's a pan-Southern thing...
Growing up in Louisiana, I remember big jars of pickled pig's feet in the little corner grocery stores. I would never try them but my mom had eaten them. Also my brother in law from Arkansas used to go hunt frogs and cook fried frog legs. They were okay. I love peanut butter, banana sandwiches. And then of course there is crayfish or crawdads which are great in Cajun cooking.
I don't know how common sopapillas are outside NM and Texas. And of course, menudo has already been mentioned. Posole is similar to menudo but without the sweetbreads.
The worst thing that I can think of from Brooklyn NY is fried Calamari.
It looks like fried onion rings. Don't be fooled. It's an octopus. Deep fried and served in rings. Sometimes you will get a tentacle or a bunch of little suction cups in your mouth.
They look like onion rings. But they aren't.
Sold and served all over NY and LI. Gross.
Also in NY/NJ among Jewish people (I'm Jewish so don't complain to me) gefilte fish. Served at Passover. It's like a tiny fishy loaf. I grew up with it and I can eat it. But it's not something to try after age nine.
I had it once. SO disgusting, yet so many people I know here in NJ eat it.
Some Western Pennsylvania specialities include fried baloney sandwiches -- ate a million of those for lunch -- as well as chipped ham barbecue. Basically it is made wtih Isaly's brand super thinly chipped/chopped ham and a homemade barbecue sauce of ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, onion and chopped pickle. Has to be served on very soft bakery sandwich buns. We also had "city chicken" which is not chicken at all but a skewer of pork and veal cubes, breaded and either pan fried or oven fried. They were very yummy. Pierogis are also very popular in Pittsburgh and are served with sauteed onions and sour cream. Kielbasa cooked with sauerkraut -- we sweetened our sauerkraut with thinly sliced apples , onions and a little bt of brown sugar -- put it in the oven and bake until super soft. Primanti's sandwiches -- they have now gone to other locations but basically a big Pittsburgh sandwich with coleslaw and french fries ON the sandwich -- that originated in Pittsburgh no matter what anyone else says -- it is ours. Hungarian nut roll -- really a delicious pastry filled with sweetened ground walnuts -- also poppy seed roll. Paczki -- Polish style donuts with various fillings -- you see them mostly for Fat Tuesday -- right before Lent. Homemade Ukranian mushroom soup. Ladylocks -- little crusty tubes of pastry filled with cream. For Thanksgiving we have mashed potato, onion and bread stuffing -- think it is an Irish recipe. And finally the SMILEY COOKIES from Eat 'N Park. That's all I can remember right now but I love all of it.
Some Western Pennsylvania specialities include fried baloney sandwiches -- ate a million of those for lunch -- as well as chipped ham barbecue. Basically it is made wtih Isaly's brand super thinly chipped/chopped ham and a homemade barbecue sauce of ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, onion and chopped pickle. Has to be served on very soft bakery sandwich buns. We also had "city chicken" which is not chicken at all but a skewer of pork and veal cubes, breaded and either pan fried or oven fried. They were very yummy. Pierogis are also very popular in Pittsburgh and are served with sauteed onions and sour cream. Kielbasa cooked with sauerkraut -- we sweetened our sauerkraut with thinly sliced apples , onions and a little bt of brown sugar -- put it in the oven and bake until super soft. Primanti's sandwiches -- they have now gone to other locations but basically a big Pittsburgh sandwich with coleslaw and french fries ON the sandwich -- that originated in Pittsburgh no matter what anyone else says -- it is ours. Hungarian nut roll -- really a delicious pastry filled with sweetened ground walnuts -- also poppy seed roll. Paczki -- Polish style donuts with various fillings -- you see them mostly for Fat Tuesday -- right before Lent. Homemade Ukranian mushroom soup. Ladylocks -- little crusty tubes of pastry filled with cream. For Thanksgiving we have mashed potato, onion and bread stuffing -- think it is an Irish recipe. And finally the SMILEY COOKIES from Eat 'N Park. That's all I can remember right now but I love all of it.
None of those sound weird! And now I'm starving, lol.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
