What meals represent stereotypical indulgence/luxury at higher incomes or in non-US nations

[pulykamell]

@Gagundathar

Tenderloin is perhaps even better than filet mignon.

Are you talking beef tenderloin? Because filet mignon is beef tenderloin. Or at least a part of it. It’s the smaller end. The center cut is called “tourenedos,” and, in the US, the term “filet mignon” is often used for that, too.

@thelurkinghorror

I was going to say: I’m sure many Americans have had “Kobe beef” because they had some regular beef of the same cut, which is the exact same damn thing.

Explained mostly above, but “Kobe beef” is not a cut, it’s specifically a particular breed (Tajima) of Wagyu cattle raised in a certain manner in Japan. What is labeled as “Kobe beef” in America is something that is more accurately called “American Wagyu” or “American-style Kobe” and is a mix of Wagyu (which covers several breeds of cattle) and Angus. It’s all over the map flavor and texture-wise. I personally find some American Wagyu to be worth a couple extra bucks a pound, but, mostly, it’s just marketing fluff.

[pulykamell]

@Nava

• Ibérico is the race of the pig, the mode of preparation is serrano. The most common race is a French one whose name I can’t remember right now and there’s also many herds which are 50:50, French-race mothers and Ibérico stud. And many brands which claim to be ibérico when they’re not (some aren’t even 50:50).

Serrano is usually made from Landrace (although there may be others that are allowed–I just remember this being the main one, and it sounds like the French name you were trying to recall, though Landrace are originally Danish.) Iberico is, by law (at least if you want a Denominación de Origen sticker), at least 75% black Iberico pig. The only reason I know this is because I love my cured meats more than I should.

[Ann_Hedonia]

The wealthy people I know ( and I know lots of them through work ) generally employ full time private chefs.

This means everything is really really good, professional chefs can do much better when they cook solely for 2-4 people - catering to their personal tastes-- than they can for the lunch crowd at a fine restaurant. I am reminded of the movie “First Wives Club”, there is a scene when the bimbo has lunch at the home of the wealthy society lady and makes a totally gauche mistake by referring to the salad as “restaurant quality”.

I once saw the chef at a home make a grilled cheese sandwich for the family’s 5 year old son and it looked so good I was tempted to snatch it from him.

And a lot of the food they make is very healthly and low calorie, that how some of this rich ladies stay so thin. I could drop a lot of weight if I had a professional chef to think up and execute yummy low calories recipes heavy on the ingredients that I really like, with no ingredients that I disliked ( you don’t get that at any restaurant ).

But still…what do these folks consider a luxury meal…surf and turf? I think not, it would be considered rather low class ( for the cruise line rabble), although some of the husbands may secretly crave it.

More likely they are going to a fine restaurant like Per Se or French Laundry for those special meals ( or having something similar prepared for them at home and they are enjoying dishes like these below on those special nights.These meals usually consist of small portions and many courses – excerpts below are from the menu at Per Se

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Salad of Hawaiian Hearts of Peach Palm rainier cherries, preserved ramps, celery branch “ribbons” and australian black winter truffle

Cannellini Bean "agnolott I " grated “chevrotin,” pickled eggplant, green garlic, petite basil and “salsa verde”

&Quot;terrine" of Hudson Valley Moulard Duck Foie Gras blueberry glaze, poached california rhubarb, sunchoke “parisiennes,” pansies and crispy oats

Tsar Imperial Osetra Caviar cauliflower “panna cotta,” sour apple gelée and santa barbara sea urchin mousseline

Sautéed Fillet of Black Sea Bass meiwa kumquats, caramelized violet artichokes, young fennel and black olive purée
Butter Poached Nova Scotia Lobster littleneck clams, “oyster cracker,” haricots verts, cutting celery and “chowder sauce”

Snake River Farms ’ Pork Jowl “boudin noir,” sunny side up quail egg, tarragon “spätzle,” hakurei turnips and watercress

Herb Roasted Medallion of Elysian Fields Farm’s Lamb oregon cèpe mushrooms, tomato petal confit, “parmigiano-reggiano,” hearts of romaine lettuce and “sauce bordelaise”

[FoieGrasIsEvil]

@pulykamell

Serrano is usually made from Landrace (although there may be others that are allowed–I just remember this being the main one, and it sounds like the French name you were trying to recall, though Landrace are originally Danish.) Iberico is, by law (at least if you want a Denominación de Origen sticker), at least 75% black Iberico pig. The only reason I know this is because I love my cured meats more than I should.

Aren’t those pigs also fed a diet of almost exclusively acorns? A local chef told me that once and I took him at face value. I do find serrano, which I desperately love but cannot afford often, to have a pronounced nutty aspect (which I always attributed to the acorn diet).

Anyway, foie gras wins the thread. Most luxurious foodstuff evah!

[pulykamell]

@FoieGrasIsEvil

Aren’t those pigs also fed a diet of almost exclusively acorns? A local chef told me that once and I took him at face value. I do find serrano, which I desperately love but cannot afford often, to have a pronounced nutty aspect (which I always attributed to the acorn diet).

“Jamón ibérico de bellota” is what you’re looking for, if you’re looking for the highest grain of acorn feed. It’s free-range pigs that eat acorns for much of their diet (at least before they get slaughtered). “Jamón ibérico de recebo” is not free-range, but do get a mix of grains and acorn. “Jamón ibérico” with no further qualifiers just means Iberico pigs, no comment about the diet. I imagine it’s just grain, otherwise, they’d market under the more prestigious grades.

Hey, if you like acorn-fed pork, you have to try Iowa’s very own La Quercia “Acorn edition” prosciutto. They’re acorn-fed Berkshire pigs (60% for their last 3 months), and, I swear, I don’t think I’ve had a better cured pork product from anywhere: Spain, Italy, you name it. This is fantastic stuff. Or any of La Quercia’s products. Their lardo, speck, prosciutto, “acorn edition,” etc. I’ve always been blown away by their quality.

[FoieGrasIsEvil]

@pulykamell

“Jamón ibérico de bellota” is what you’re looking for, if you’re looking for the highest grain of acorn feed. It’s free-range pigs that eat acorns for much of their diet (at least before they get slaughtered). “Jamón ibérico de recebo” is not free-range, but do get a mix of grains and acorn. “Jamón ibérico” with no further qualifiers just means Iberico pigs, no comment about the diet. I imagine it’s just grain, otherwise, they’d market under the more prestigious grades.

Hey, if you like acorn-fed pork, you have to try Iowa’s very own La Quercia “Acorn edition” prosciutto. They’re acorn-fed Berkshire pigs (60% for their last 3 months), and, I swear, I don’t think I’ve had a better cured pork product from anywhere: Spain, Italy, you name it. This is fantastic stuff. Or any of La Quercia’s products. Their lardo, speck, prosciutto, “acorn edition,” etc. I’ve always been blown away by their quality.

Will they mail packed in dry ice or something?

I am intrigued and would love to support an American product if possible. Iowa’s a bit far of a drive for ham.

[pulykamell]

@FoieGrasIsEvil

Will they mail packed in dry ice or something?

Absolutely. And, depending on where you live, you may be able to find it at your local grocer. The Whole Foods in Chicago have La Quercia products, for instance.

ETA: Here’s the webpage to order. The Acorn edition is sold out until March. It is $64.95 per pound, and each piece is 12-17 pounds, just so you know.

[Tapioca_Dextrin]

@Cinnamon_Imp

Pheasant, wild boar and duck are quite high-class in the UK, but probably not the first choice for someone skint dining out on someone else’s treat.

And a little further up the chain is Grouse.

[septimus]

Shark’s-fin soup may be a stereotypical indulgent food for some middle-class Thais, but many of the people where I live have never even heard of it.

Het khon (เห็ดโคน), Termitomyces fuliginosus, a cone-shaped termite mushroom, is the most coveted food in our region of rural Central Thailand. When it sprouts many villagers abandon their normal work and, getting up early, head for the hills to gather this mushroom. Those adept at guessing where the mushroom grows can make a week’s wages in a single day this way. The price paid here is $10 per kilogram, but $20 or more may be paid in Bangkok. Most of the villagers don’t sell the mushrooms, however. The prefer to consume this delicious nutritious food themselves. (There are many ways to serve it: with vegetables, in a curry, pickled, etc. A large restaurant on the Asia Highway, halfway between Bangkok and Chiang Mai, specializes in this mushroom.)

The mushroom sprouts only on a few days per year, however, and must be picked within a day or two. Villagers watch the weather carefully, and know from experience when the mushroom can be found.

AFAIK, the mushroom cannot be cultivated. Or, rather, it is never cultivated by people – it exists only when it is cultivated, but it is cultivated by termites. (If you Google “macrotermitinae termitomyces” you’ll find references to the world’s largest mushrooms, but that isn’t the same species as we eat here.)

[jlzania]

@Koxinga

But do the farmers play soothing music for the American cows, and give them daily massages? :dubious: Then how can you say it’s the same?

What I’ve read about the way Kobe beef is raised, I’ll take a thick an American Wagyu steak any day of the week. I have a real problem with animals being forced to live miserable lives so I can eat a fancy schmancy steak.

Getting to see Kobe beef on the hoof is anything but easy. Raymond Blanc, co-owner of the Michelin two-star Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, outside Oxford, England, is one of the few Western chefs to have visited a Japanese Kobe farm… ”

While touring Japan in 1993, Blanc visited several major cities. As soon as he arrived in Kobe, he asked to see a beef farm. His request brought a surprisingly cool response from his hitherto accommodating Japanese hosts. “Yes, yes, yes,” they said, but it never happened. So Blanc organized his own trip to the countryside—and was shocked by what he saw.

“The animals were kept in some kind of crate, so there could be very little movement. They were very dirty from their own manure—and I know a dirty cow from a clean cow. It was disgusting, such a contradiction from what I’d read.”

Blanc’s observations were confirmed for me by knowledgeable experts…
Traditional Japanese producers, Blackmore said, raise their 1,600-pound cattle in highly confined areas. “From the time they are a week old until they are three and a half years old, these steers are commonly kept in a lean-to behind someone’s house,” said Blackmore, “where they get bored and go off their feed. Their gut stops working. The best way to start their gut working again is to give them a bottle of beer.

“The steers have been lying in their own manure,” he continued. “The farmers are proud of their cattle, and the first thing they do is grab a bit of straw and rub the manure off. That could be seen as be-ing massaged. Wagyu can also get a lot of joint swelling. I can imagine that the farmers would be massaging joints so they could get the animals off to market.” http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/2000s/2007/12/kobe_beef_estabrook?currentPage=all

[ralph124c]

Regarding the Japanese delicacy , “fugu” fish-about $250/plate in Tokyo. It is the flesh of the Japanese globe fish-poisonous if improperly prepared.
There is a similar fish found in Cap Code waters-the “pufferfish”; the flesh of this fish is identical, and there is no poison in the liver…I wonder if these get shipped to Japan and served in place of the possibly lethal species?

[Nava]

@pulykamell

Serrano is usually made from Landrace (although there may be others that are allowed–I just remember this being the main one, and it sounds like the French name you were trying to recall, though Landrace are originally Danish.) Iberico is, by law (at least if you want a Denominación de Origen sticker), at least 75% black Iberico pig. The only reason I know this is because I love my cured meats more than I should.

Ibérico, again, is the race of the pig and does not refer exclusively to jamón serrrano, which is the pig’s leg dried in a specific way. You can get salchichón ibérico, lomo ibérico, paleta ibérica, twenty different kinds of chorizo ibérico… all of which are other preparations but from a pig that’s itself ibérico (and for extra kick, ibérica: the ladies’ meat is supposed to be better). The label for the jamón ibérico doesn’t usually include serrano, but then, if you look for it in Spain it’s unlikely to include serrano for the non-ibérico varieties… the jamón that gets a lastname is de York (the roasted kind that’s called ham by default in English).

FoieGras, no need for dry ice. It’s cured meat, it can survive anything with relatively little care (it needs to be kept dry, but the traditional presentation is in a sack).

[pulykamell]

@Nava

Ibérico, again, is the race of the pig and does not refer exclusively to jamón serrrano

I believe you misunderstood me. I was using “serrano” and “Iberico” as shorthand for “jamon serrrano” and “jamon Iberico.” I said Jamon Serrano is usually made from Landrace. Jamon Iberico is at least 75% Iberico pig, by law. I did not in any way say that Jamon Serrano is exclusively Iberico, and I’m not sure how you got that from my post. Yes, of course Iberico is a breed of swine. I thought that was made clear first, by you in your first post and, second, when I used the phrase “75% black Iberico pig.”

And, yes, dry ice is hardly needed for cured meat products.

[pulykamell]

I should add, Foie Gras, that if you wait, La Quercia might have Acorn Edition in one of their sampler packages. I know I’ve gotten it that way as a Christmas gift two years ago, along with their other fine pork products. It’s definitely worth trying out their regular prosciutto. Like I said, go to a Whole Foods and look there. Their take on German speck is quite nice, too. Tastes like a smoky prosciutto. I also quite enjoy their white lardo spread, which tastes like prosciutto fat spiked with nutmeg and cloves. I kind of wish they had an unspiced version, too, but if you like pig fat as much as I do, you’ll like their white lardo spread.

If you’re interested, here’s a video of their operation from a podcast called “Sky Full of Bacon.”

[Nava]

@pulykamell

I believe you misunderstood me. I was using “serrano” and “Iberico” as shorthand for “jamon serrrano” and “jamon Iberico.” I said Jamon Serrano is usually made from Landrace. Jamon Iberico is at least 75% Iberico pig, by law. I did not in any way say that Jamon Serrano is exclusively Iberico, and I’m not sure how you got that from my post. Yes, of course Iberico is a breed of swine. I thought that was made clear first, by you in your first post and, second, when I used the phrase “75% black Iberico pig.”

And, yes, dry ice is hardly needed for cured meat products.

And what I am saying is that “jamón serrano” includes “jamón ibérico”. I understood you perfectly. Jamón serrano includes jamón ibérico like chorizo includes chorizo cular or like apples includes Granny Smith apples; ibérico is an additional adjective, not a replacement one for serrano - at least in Spanish.

In Spanish, jamón = jamón serrano, whether ibérico, Landrace or from a Harley-Davidson (if they were edible).

[Baron_Greenback]

@Ann_Hedonia

I once saw the chef at a home make a grilled cheese sandwich for the family’s 5 year old son and it looked so good I was tempted to snatch it from him.

That’s a hell of a recommendation. I wish I had a personal chef.

[pulykamell]

@Nava

And what I am saying is that “jamón serrano” includes “jamón ibérico”. I understood you perfectly. Jamón serrano includes jamón ibérico like chorizo includes chorizo cular or like apples includes Granny Smith apples; ibérico is an additional adjective, not a replacement one for serrano - at least in Spanish.

We don’t disagree, then. Jamon iberico is a subset of jamon serrano. Sorry–I didn’t mean to sound like I was contradicting you. To completely elucidate:

Jamon serrano is a type of dried, cured ham.
Jamon Iberico is a subset of serrano, made (by law) of at least 75% Iberico pigs.
There are further designations I mentioned above detailing their quality based on the Iberico pigs’ feed.

Outside of Spain, in my experience (and this not just the US), “Jamon Serrano” is usually sold generically as such. Any serrano that is Iberico will be labeled as “Jamon Iberico” for its specificity and because it is a prestigious type of serrano. Somewhat similar is the distinction between “(grape) brandy” and “Cognac” or “sparkling wine” and “Champagne.”

[FoieGrasIsEvil]

@pulykamell

Absolutely. And, depending on where you live, you may be able to find it at your local grocer. The Whole Foods in Chicago have La Quercia products, for instance.

ETA: Here’s the webpage to order. The Acorn edition is sold out until March. It is $64.95 per pound, and each piece is 12-17 pounds, just so you know.

Holy Shit that’s expensive!

[pulykamell]

@FoieGrasIsEvil

Holy Shit that’s expensive!

Quality don’t come cheap. Like I said, try to find their regular prosciutto–it’s worth it. Like I said Whole Foods around here has it, so I wouldn’t be surprised if yours does, and I know it’s available at at least one Costco (the one near Iowa City.) I don’t remember whether I’ve seen it in the Chicago one or not, so I don’t know if it’s an Iowa-only thing for them. You might be able to find the Acorn edition at some restaurants, too, as I have, but you might have to wait until next spring when the next supply of stock comes in. Their regular prosciutto is sold in 3 oz packages and sliced, and won’t break the bank (IIRC, about $8 a pack.)

[Nava]

A note on prosciutto vs serrano: usually IME and before anybody jumps the Italians point it out too, prosciutto is saltier - they’re similar products but not the same. So if you like one you may like the other, but please keep in mind they’re not just different names for the same product, they’ve been prepared in different ways.