That surprises me, and the family, quite a bit. Does the cuisine vary that much from region to region within Mexico? Totally possible, just…very surprising.
And it’s often packaged here on the west coast as being somehow indigenous to this region, because of the salmon fishing I guess. I’ve seen “West Coast Classic” bagels around here that are just lox and cream cheese with red onion and capers, same as the Jewish/NYC sandwich.
Samosas from southern Asia and eastern Africa are also very similar to empanadas.
Cumin is used regularly in Spanish cuisine.
In the US there are big differences in cuisine depending on region. Mexico’s a pretty big place, they don’t have the same level of variety?
Edit: I guess that’s pretty much what Taomist said, on review.
Empanadas seem to be pretty global. It seems like every Latin American country have their own style of empanadas. Due to their colonial heritage, even Filipino bakeries carry empanadas. Even some Taiwanese bakeries have these meat and gravy pockets as a result of the Portuguese trade routes. It’s not surprising that it’s so popular since hand held spiced meat and vegetables are the original fast food.
My wife once made for me a very russian dish called Bosma
she was very worried that I would like it.
after all it is a very very russian food.
You might know it as “New England Boiled Dinner”:smack:
Seems like flatbreads etc. fit the bill here - most cuisines seem to have some variant.
(I have to admit when I first saw this title it would be about non-sensical mashups of foods - like ‘Sushi au gratin’… 
Whatever happens, don’t mention the currywurst.
Ah, New England Boiled Dinner… memories of my childhood.
There’s a salad served in India consisting basically of cucumbers and a few other vegetables in a yogurt dressing. The same salad is also served in Germany, except with sour cream instead of yogurt.
Swedish meatballs. Not only on Earth, but in every race in the universe.
Tea: associated with the UK, Japan, and China as a their favorite hot beverage.
Sausage – various versions in various parts of the world.
And I’m dubious if Vermonters are aware of the Vermont Style Apple flavored curry of Japan?
BTW, Japanese ‘vermont’ curry is tasty as long as you’re not expecting ‘real’ curry
Spam is a beloved staple among trashy Americans…and Pacific Islanders. You can add Pacific Islanders to the corned beef list as well.
Actually, a lot Indian spices are found in Mexican food- coriander and cumin are foundational in both. I’ve used curry spices to flavor Mexican food in a pinch and it works out fine.
Donuts of some sort are found in nearly every culture.
China makes a fermented rice cake that is EXACTLY like it’s counterpart in West Africa. Besides the shape, you would not be able to tell one from the other.
Also universal is cucumbers in vinegar. I’ve eaten it regularly in America, West Africa, China and India.
And South Korea! I love Spam and kimchi fried rice!
This seems fair, since chilies come from the Americas, but are now present as a staple in Indian, Thai and other Asian cuisines. I for one, am really glad these two areas cross-pollinated.
You noticed that too huh?
Dang - now I have to get the wife to make some curry.
My first thought is of Banh Mi, a Vietnamese/French sub with hot chile peppers, cilantro, pickled vegetables, mayonnaise, and meats on a baguette. They’re freakin’ delicious.
Our empanadas have hard boiled egg & raisins in them. Well, Grandma’s did, but she did sell a fair amount of food to the local bakery.
Another one would be “egg rolls”. Seems like most asian countries have a version, and their own name for it. But if you say, “Two egg rolls, to go” at the filipino bakery, they’ll know you mean lumpia. Same at a Pho place with their Vietnamese version.
I guess another one would be steamed buns. I’m filipino and we called them “shoh pows” (spelled phonetically) growing up. They’re like Cho Shu Bai (sp?) that you can get at Chinese places, but it has different stuff inside.
And, of course, nothing crosses ethnic lines like a plain old grilled piece of meat. Every culture I can think of has steak of one kind or another.