Regional cuisine is a great way to get a feel for the culture of the location to which you are traveling. And what’s the best part of the meal? Dessert. Check out this list of foreign desserts you shouldn’t skip while traveling:
Baklava (Turkey and nearby) – Made from phyllo dough that has been brushed with butter, this flaky dessert is also soaked with honey.
Alfajores (Chile, Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay, Mexico, other Latin American countries, via Spain) – Cookies reminiscent of shortbread or cake sandwiched with dulce de leche (milk caramel). Sometimes coated with meringue, white or dark chocolate, or covered with shredded coconut.
Semla (Sweden and similar in Norway, Denmark, Finland and Estonia) – A seasonal dessert available between Christmas and Easter, these bun-like pastries have their insides hollowed and filled with milk and almond paste and topped with whipped cream.
Sfogliatelle/Cannoli (Italy) – Sfogliatelle is a pastry shaped like a clam, stuffed with cream or ricotta filling that can be infused with orange or lemon flavor.
Taiyaki (Japan) – Kind of like a fish-shaped waffle, and filled with a sweet red bean paste.
Churros (Latin America, Spain) – Loops with a crunchy texture, topped with confectioners’ sugar and served with thick hot chocolate, in which you are to dunk the churros.
Sopaipillas/Picarones (Chile, Peru) – Fried dough that you dip in a solid brown sugar derived from sugar cane.
Galub Jamun (South East Asia) – Little balls of dough made of a flour and condensed milk mixture, that has been fried and dipped in a sugar syrup flavored with cardamom, rosewater or saffron.
Koeksisters (South Africa via Cape Malay) – Fried and dunked in a cold simple syrup to avoid them getting mushy.
Tres Leches Cake (Mexico, other countries in Central and South America) – Condensed milk, evaporated milk and cream are the “tres leches” in this cake.
Suspiro Limeño (Peru) - Evaporated milk, condensed milk, egg yolks and sugar make a pudding, which is then topped with meringue.
Sernik (Poland) – The Polish version of a cheesecake.
Tangyuan/ Yuanxiao (China, Taiwan) – Balls of dough made from rice flour and hot water, and filled with sesame paste, adzuki bean paste or other sweet fillings.
Brigadeiro (Brazil) – Balls of fudgey caramel, rolled in chocolate sprinkles.
Khao Niaw Ma Muang [mango and sticky rice] (Thailand) – Rice is cooked in coconut milk and served with fresh mango.
Burger King is pulling an ad they have for their “Texican whopper,” that featured a tall American cowboy next to a short Mexican draped in his country’s flag. The image of the Mexican flag is protected under national law, and the country’s ambassador argues that the representation in this ad campaign is an inappropriate display of this image.
The ads had been released in Europe, where the chain’s new Tex-Mex style burger - featuring chili and spicy mayonnaise – was being unveiled. The ads were meant to showcase this combination of flavors. The ads are being pulled “out of respect for the Mexican culture and its people,” and “as soon as commercially possible.” Read more…
See the ad for yourself:
Cooking is all about experimentation. In fact, even the chocolate chip cookie was an accident/experiement. Most of the time, these experiments don’t really go anywhere. But once in a while, you’ll get an amazing dish. Check out this list of dishes that originated in the Americas:
Deep-Dish Pizza: The Original Pizzeria Uno, Chicago
The Philadelphia Cheesesteak: Pat’s King of Steaks, Philadelphia
California Rolls: Kitayama, Newport Beach, Calif.
Bananas Foster: Brennan’s, New Orleans
Pasta Primavera: Le Cirque, New York, NY
The French Dip: Philippe The Original, Los Angeles
Oysters Rockefeller: Antoine’s, New Orleans
The Hamburger: Louis’ Lunch, New Haven, CT
The Caesar Salad: Hotel Caesar, Tijuana, Mexico
The Mission-Style Burrito: El Faro, San Francisco
Muffuletta: Central Grocery, New Orleans
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