# "Foreign" products which don't exist in their home country **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 14, 2007, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-products-which-dont-exist-in-their-home-country/403980 "2007-05-14T01:54:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-products-which-dont-exist-in-their-home-country/403980/81 "2007-05-15T17:46:28Z")
Exactly. Which explains why haggis is actually a Latvian dish. ---
**Author:** ![1point618](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/c57346/32.png) [@1point618](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1point618)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-products-which-dont-exist-in-their-home-country/403980/82 "2007-05-15T18:17:07Z")
[QUOTE=severus] I believe french fries are Belgian in origin. [/QUOTE] Yes, French Fries are of Belgian origin, but they are still found in France, where they are called simply _frites_, and are served with about frickin’ everything. According to my professor of geography at La Sorbonne, France is the only place in the world where one mixes fries and falafel in pita sandwiches. > [@](#): > > Anecdote: a former colleague of mine, while he was in Belgium, stopped at a potato stand to buy fries. They served it with a choice of sauces, one of them being the “American sauce”. That’s what he tried, and it turns out that it was a very hot pepper and horseradish sauce. I don’t know how Americans eat fries (here we usually eat them with white vinegar and/or Heinz ketchup, but I don’t really like Heinz ketchup so I rarely put it on my fries), but I’d be surprised if they ate it with this kind of sauce. Yeah, I’ve always avoided getting “American Sauce” here just because I fear any food marked as American in France will be bad. I guess I should do that before heading back to the states. We Americans tend to eat fries salted and with ketchup, although in my time here I’ve actually grown fond of fries with mayo. > [@](#): > > Here we call that _pain doré_ (golden bread). I have no idea if it’s eaten in France. I think (not positive) that it’s often called _pain perdu_ here, and that it is usually made from stale bread so as not to let it go to waste. I don’t know if that is a lost tradition though. Something that I can think of that is of French origin but which I can’t seem to find here is Dubonnet. I found it in Vienna, and it’s a damn good aperitif that is made in France by a French company from French wine, but I can’t for the life of me find it here. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-products-which-dont-exist-in-their-home-country/403980/83 "2007-05-15T18:22:52Z")
[QUOTE=1point618] Yes, French Fries are of Belgian origin, but they are still found in France, where they are called simply _frites_, and are served with about frickin’ everything. According to my professor of geography at La Sorbonne, France is the only place in the world where one mixes fries and falafel in pita sandwiches. [/QUOTE] Not so. I’ve seen it in several places, [and here’s one Internet confirmation, with pictures](http://midtownlunch.com/blog/2007/03/28/pick-a-pita-aka-my-quest-for-the-french-fry-stuffed-shwarma/). ---
**Author:** ![zagloba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/977dab/32.png) [@zagloba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zagloba)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-products-which-dont-exist-in-their-home-country/403980/84 "2007-05-15T18:53:06Z")
[QUOTE=pulykamell] A similar story exists for the genesis of a Hungarian dish called “Székelygulyás,” a pork and sauerkraut stew. [/QUOTE] Sounds just like bigos, a very old traditional Polish dish. ---
**Author:** ![zagloba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/977dab/32.png) [@zagloba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zagloba)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-products-which-dont-exist-in-their-home-country/403980/85 "2007-05-15T19:00:20Z")
[QUOTE=zagloba] Sounds just like bigos, a very old traditional Polish dish. [/QUOTE] [bigos](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bigos) ---
**Author:** ![jovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/0ea827/32.png) [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-products-which-dont-exist-in-their-home-country/403980/86 "2007-05-15T23:58:14Z")
[QUOTE=1point618] Yeah, I’ve always avoided getting “American Sauce” here just because I fear any food marked as American in France will be bad. I guess I should do that before heading back to the states. We Americans tend to eat fries salted and with ketchup, although in my time here I’ve actually grown fond of fries with mayo. [/quote] “American sauce” is actually pretty good, though 100% not american. If you’ve come over the light side and now eat your fries properly (with mayo), you _must_ try the American sauce at least once. > [@](#): > > I think (not positive) that it’s often called _pain perdu_ here, and that it is usually made from stale bread so as not to let it go to waste. I don’t know if that is a lost tradition though. _Pain doré_ is the term most frequently used in Québec. I believe it is an archaism in France; in some regions that’s what it used to be called. > [@](#): > > Something that I can think of that is of French origin but which I can’t seem to find here is Dubonnet. I found it in Vienna, and it’s a damn good aperitif that is made in France by a French company from French wine, but I can’t for the life of me find it here. That reminds me of [Midori](http://www.midori-world.com/brand/index.html) melon liqueur. It’s made by a Japanese company, has a Japanese name, is sold as being Japanese, but you have to go to importation stores to buy it here – no one would know what to do with it. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-products-which-dont-exist-in-their-home-country/403980/87 "2007-05-16T02:39:13Z")
[QUOTE=zagloba] Sounds just like bigos, a very old traditional Polish dish. [/QUOTE] Yes, it is quite similar to bigos. The main difference I see is that it also contains paprika and sour cream, two ingredients my mother didn’t use in bigos, but bigos probably has as many recipes as there are Poles. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-products-which-dont-exist-in-their-home-country/403980/88 "2007-05-16T03:03:04Z")
Oddly enough, English Muffins make good French toast. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-products-which-dont-exist-in-their-home-country/403980/89 "2007-05-16T03:04:56Z")
Expand on that, if you please? ---
**Author:** ![1point618](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/c57346/32.png) [@1point618](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1point618)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-products-which-dont-exist-in-their-home-country/403980/90 "2007-05-16T13:55:28Z")
[QUOTE=jovan] “American sauce” is actually pretty good, though 100% not american. If you’ve come over the light side and now eat your fries properly (with mayo), you _must_ try the American sauce at least once. [/QUOTE] So I just did today, and you’re right, it’s not bad. However, it doesn’t compare to mayonnaise. I wonder how I ever did ketchup on fries before. Tomatoes are great, their over-sugared and salted paste is not. Except in steak tartar, then it adds some good flavor. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-products-which-dont-exist-in-their-home-country/403980/91 "2007-05-16T13:57:52Z")
[QUOTE=1point618] …We Americans tend to eat fries salted and with ketchup, although in my time here I’ve actually grown fond of fries with mayo… [/QUOTE] Haven’t tried 'em with mayo. But I’m gaga for fries with melted cheddar and ketchup - a delicious, gloppy mess. And many people swear by their chili-cheese fries. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-products-which-dont-exist-in-their-home-country/403980/92 "2007-05-16T14:19:59Z")
[QUOTE=ralph124c] good pizza is not made in italy-whta passes for pizza there consists of a flat crust, with thin tomato sauce and cheese 9with some basil0. Pizza in its N. American varieties (NYC, Chicago, etc.) is not made in Italy. [/QUOTE] To the best of my knowledge, while this was once true, the Italian-American style of Pizza or NY Pizza is made in Italy now and has been for a while. Jim ---
**Author:** ![ColonelDax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@ColonelDax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ColonelDax)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-products-which-dont-exist-in-their-home-country/403980/93 "2007-05-16T14:45:40Z")
[QUOTE=whole bean] It’s now owend by a Canadian corporation. [/QUOTE] Small nitpick – it’s owned by a British company. RC is part of [Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages](http://www.brandspeoplelove.com/csab/Home/tabid/36/Default.aspx), a unit of London-based [Cadbury Schweppes Plc](http://www.cadburyschweppes.com/EN/) that also owns brands including Dr Pepper, Snapple, Canada Dry, A&W, Mott’s and, er, Clamato. (According to the company’s website, clamato is “a blend of tomatoes, onions, celery, spices and a dash of clam.” Who the hell drinks this stuff?) Cadbury has said it plans to [split](http://www.investegate.co.uk/Article.aspx?id=20070315070000P1996) its beverage unit from its confectionery business. Oh, and the answer to my question about Clamato is Canadians, for one – it’s the preferred mixer for the Bloody Caesar, the most popular cocktail in the country, according to Cadbury’s [website](http://www.cadburyschweppes.com/EN/Brands/About/Beverages/factsheet_clamato.htm). Clamato also is popular with Hispanics, the company says. ---
**Author:** ![1point618](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/c57346/32.png) [@1point618](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1point618)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-products-which-dont-exist-in-their-home-country/403980/94 "2007-05-16T14:59:10Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] Haven’t tried 'em with mayo. But I’m gaga for fries with melted cheddar and ketchup - a delicious, gloppy mess. And many people swear by their chili-cheese fries. [/QUOTE] Ooooh, melted cheddar is quite good. Now, mayo does the same thing to fries, makes them gloppy and oily and scrumptious. I find that the mayo here tastes a bit spicy compared to that in the states, so possibly putting just a dash of horseradish in the mayo would be good? Or possibly it’s just the amount of salt that they put on the fries I’ve also seen vinegar on fries (again, well salted), which I loved. Again, it renders the fries all mushy and gloppy, and I have a thing for the spiciness of vinegar. ---
**Author:** ![jali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-products-which-dont-exist-in-their-home-country/403980/95 "2007-05-16T15:25:12Z")
Arthur Treacher’s Fish & Chips - in the Cayman Islands and a few states. I love the taste and wonder how close these are to fish and chips in Britain. ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-products-which-dont-exist-in-their-home-country/403980/96 "2007-05-16T15:32:32Z")
[QUOTE=jali] Arthur Treacher’s Fish & Chips - in the Cayman Islands and a few states. I love the taste and wonder how close these are to fish and chips in Britain. [/QUOTE] About as close as the Cayman Islands are to Britain. ---
**Author:** ![YPOD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e99b99/32.png) [@YPOD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YPOD)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-products-which-dont-exist-in-their-home-country/403980/97 "2007-05-16T15:53:58Z")
“Italian style meatballs” and spaghetti - golf ball size meatballs that were simmered in a pot of gravy (aka tomato sauce). Real Italian style meatballs are more like baked meat loaves, and are not put into a pot of tomato sauce. Meatballs in the pot of gravy is an American version. Slight hijack - about twenty years ago, I was in Wyoming and had dinner in a steak place. They were experimenting with some new menu items - one of which was “Italian style meatballs and spaghetti.” My friend from Oregon ordered it (along with her steak). Well, the meatballs were round, they were made from meat, but they were the size of baseballs, and in a brown - Swedish meatball style gravy. As Swedish meatballs (do they exist in Sweden?) they weren’t bad - we were in cattle country after all. The spagetti was probably put in the pot about 7 AM in the morning, and was the consistency of watery glue, but not quite as tasty. I suspect the chef saw a black and white picture of meatballs and spaghetti and said “I can do that.” The steaks however - my god, they were larger than the plate they were served on, cut like butter and tasted like heaven. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-products-which-dont-exist-in-their-home-country/403980/98 "2007-05-16T15:59:58Z")
[QUOTE=jali] Arthur Treacher’s Fish & Chips - in the Cayman Islands and a few states. I love the taste and wonder how close these are to fish and chips in Britain. [/QUOTE] Arthur Treacher’s was once common in the United States and still exists. I’ve seen one or two around here. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-products-which-dont-exist-in-their-home-country/403980/99 "2007-05-16T16:01:15Z")
[QUOTE=YPOD] As Swedish meatballs (do they exist in Sweden?) [/QUOTE] Well, they exist at Ikea, Sweden’s greatest export, along with lingonberry juice. Would Ikea steer us wrong? ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2007, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-products-which-dont-exist-in-their-home-country/403980/100 "2007-05-16T17:13:12Z")
[QUOTE=ouryL] German Chocolate was named after a guy man German. 😉 [/QUOTE] On the back of the Baker’s Chocolate bar it used to have the receipe as **German’s Chocolate cake** I don’t know if it still does or not. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-products-which-dont-exist-in-their-home-country/403980.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foreign-products-which-dont-exist-in-their-home-country/403980.md?page=6)