# What's a well known (at least fairly well known) type of food or style of cuisine you've never, or only recently, tried? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [January 17, 2022, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-well-known-at-least-fairly-well-known-type-of-food-or-style-of-cuisine-youve-never-or-only-recently-tried/957931 "2022-01-17T14:45:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-well-known-at-least-fairly-well-known-type-of-food-or-style-of-cuisine-youve-never-or-only-recently-tried/957931/221 "2022-01-21T17:42:05Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > > [@Loach](#): > > > > When I eat I would like to enjoy it. If I have to push through a barrier I’m not enjoying it. > > I have yet to eat at a sushi place so up scale that they don’t forgive Americans clearly new to the cuisine for having less than perfect Japanese etiquette. > > If you can manage chopsticks, fine, otherwise ask for a fork or spoon or, with sushi, eating with the fingers is quite common. It’s well known most Americans do not grow up using chopsticks and are pretty crap at it. > > The one thing NOT to do with chopsticks is stick them upright in a bowl of rice or other foodstuff - that causes them to resemble incense lit for the dead. When done with your chopstick place horizontally on your plate or beside it. > > Don’t worry overmuch about etiquette unless you’re actually going to Japan. I would worry about food etiquette if I were traveling to another country. I’m not much worried about acting like an American in America. I would assume they’ve seen people eat with a fork. Someone mentioned breaking through the barrier of eating raw fish after several tries. That’s not going to happen. I don’t like raw and I don’t like fish. I do enjoy other parts of Japanese cuisine. (I won’t attest to the authenticity of what I’ve had) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-well-known-at-least-fairly-well-known-type-of-food-or-style-of-cuisine-youve-never-or-only-recently-tried/957931/222 "2022-01-21T17:46:28Z")
**NITPICK:** The Instrumental form of mustard (_gorchitsa_) is _gorchitsei_. (_горчи́ца_—\>_горчи́цей_). ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-well-known-at-least-fairly-well-known-type-of-food-or-style-of-cuisine-youve-never-or-only-recently-tried/957931/223 "2022-01-21T18:51:36Z")
> [@solost](#): > > That picture looks like neither beef nor Stroganoff. Which was kind of my point when I said the American version is quite different from the original Russian version. My understanding is that the original Russian version didn’t have sour cream in the sauce, something that Americans would consider necessary for something to be called stroganoff. Putting sour cream in the sauce was an American modification. > [@solost](#): > > Hmm, dill is an interesting and unusual-seeming addiiton. I’ve heard the Russians love to put dill in everything, so adding dill would make it more Russian in my book. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-well-known-at-least-fairly-well-known-type-of-food-or-style-of-cuisine-youve-never-or-only-recently-tried/957931/224 "2022-01-21T19:30:02Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > I’ve heard the Russians love to put dill in everything, so adding dill would make it more Russian in my book. A quick look in one of my recipe books shows that dill (_ukrop_) is used in a lot of dishes, but the herb mentioned most often is parsley (_petrushka_). Bay leaves are also used in some recipes. Supermarkets often sell little cellophane-wrapped trays with an assortment of herbs labeled simply _zelen_ (“greens”). If I’m not mistaken, they invariably contain parsley, dill, and basil (_basilik_). At open-air markets, of course, you can choose from a wide variety of herbs, including _kinza_ (cilantro/coriander leaves). ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-well-known-at-least-fairly-well-known-type-of-food-or-style-of-cuisine-youve-never-or-only-recently-tried/957931/225 "2022-01-21T19:40:10Z")
Bay leaves are called _lavroviye_ (laurel) _list’ya_. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-well-known-at-least-fairly-well-known-type-of-food-or-style-of-cuisine-youve-never-or-only-recently-tried/957931/226 "2022-01-21T19:48:19Z")
I am a big fan of esoteric versions of rice. Many people appreciate delicious Thai and Chinese-American fried versions. Fans of Japanese food and paella like it with fresh fish. It is delicious with Cuban black beans and with any type of (Southern?) Indian food. (Northern Indians sometimes prefer bread, but not always so.) Fewer have tried delicious centrepiece Persian versions with a crispy shell, or exceptional Colombian rice made painstakingly slowly by caramelizing coconut milk. I myself have never tried the “meal in itself” Georgian versions served with things like chicken and peach slices. But they look great. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-well-known-at-least-fairly-well-known-type-of-food-or-style-of-cuisine-youve-never-or-only-recently-tried/957931/227 "2022-01-22T17:19:00Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Someone mentioned breaking through the barrier of eating raw fish after several tries. That’s not going to happen. I don’t like raw and I don’t like fish. Yeah. I had to break through the barrier of thinking raw fish was icky. It took exactly one bite. I ate the rest of my first sushi with pleasure. But i like rare beef, and cooked fish ---
**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:** [January 22, 2022, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-well-known-at-least-fairly-well-known-type-of-food-or-style-of-cuisine-youve-never-or-only-recently-tried/957931/228 "2022-01-22T17:56:21Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > @silenus - Dude, I posted upthread. The Japanese love their panko-crusted pork chops, too! Japanese schnitzel! And their skewered, grilled meats-- yakitori (if chicken) kushiyaki (in general) – (though my favorite are the parts you don’t like – chicken hearts, for instance. But they have “normal” stuff, too. Nothing like sitting at an izikaya, throwing back drinks, peppered with the occasional grilled, skewered meats to keep me happy.) Japanese food goes far beyond seaweed and fish (though those are the points I personally like most). I mean, teriyaki, anyone? Tempura? Soba, udon, and ramen noodle dishes? Gyoza? And, of course, the Japanese curry I mentioned. Sushi/sashimi is just a small (though extremely delicious) part of Japanese cuisine. Nope. Korea and China do better noodles. Kobe beef is dog food. Tempura is originally Portuguese. Teriyaki…OK, I’ll give you that one. Eh, it’s one country. There are 194 others out there with better food. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-well-known-at-least-fairly-well-known-type-of-food-or-style-of-cuisine-youve-never-or-only-recently-tried/957931/229 "2022-01-22T18:01:28Z")
Hmm. There are lots of places that do excellent noodles. I’ve had really excellent Japanese noodles. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-well-known-at-least-fairly-well-known-type-of-food-or-style-of-cuisine-youve-never-or-only-recently-tried/957931/230 "2022-01-22T18:58:22Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Yeah. I had to break through the barrier of thinking raw fish was icky. It took exactly one bite. I ate the rest of my first sushi with pleasure. Me as well. I didn’t think I’d like sushi (and still stay away from eel-based sushi for some reason. Have never tried it, probably never will) The first time, I liquored up on good Japanese beer first, which made it easier. Sushi night is now one of my favorites. ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-well-known-at-least-fairly-well-known-type-of-food-or-style-of-cuisine-youve-never-or-only-recently-tried/957931/231 "2022-01-22T19:30:57Z")
Exactly. It’s not really about etiquette and barriers but making things easier for yourself (about things that ultimately aren’t such a big deal). ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-well-known-at-least-fairly-well-known-type-of-food-or-style-of-cuisine-youve-never-or-only-recently-tried/957931/232 "2022-01-22T19:34:26Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > > [@Loach](#): > > > > Someone mentioned breaking through the barrier of eating raw fish after several tries. That’s not going to happen. I don’t like raw and I don’t like fish. > > Yeah. I had to break through the barrier of thinking raw fish was icky. It took exactly one bite. I ate the rest of my first sushi with pleasure. > > But i like rare beef, and cooked fish I have had sushi with cooked crab. (I am a big fan of most shellfish) I didn’t like it. I don’t see how introducing raw fish would make a difference. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-well-known-at-least-fairly-well-known-type-of-food-or-style-of-cuisine-youve-never-or-only-recently-tried/957931/233 "2022-01-22T19:50:21Z")
Yeah, if that’s not your thing, it’s not your thing. Fwiw, while i enjoy the rice and seaweed, it’s the flavor and texture of the fish that seduced me. Raw tuna is a magnificent, wonderful thing. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-well-known-at-least-fairly-well-known-type-of-food-or-style-of-cuisine-youve-never-or-only-recently-tried/957931/234 "2022-01-22T19:51:26Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > > [@puzzlegal](#): > > > > Yeah. I had to break through the barrier of thinking raw fish was icky. It took exactly one bite. I ate the rest of my first sushi with pleasure. > > Me as well. I didn’t think I’d like sushi (and still stay away from eel-based sushi for some reason. Have never tried it, probably never will) The first time, I liquored up on good Japanese beer first, which made it easier. Sushi night is now one of my favorites. I also thought at one time sushi would be gross and fishy tasting. It wasn’t until I was 21 that I dated a girl who introduced me to sushi, and I was surprised at how mild and sublime, and not fishy at all it was. The closest that comes to what I imagined sushi would taste like is mackerel nigiri, and I love that too. I even love uni (sea urchin), the texture of which puts a lot of people off, ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-well-known-at-least-fairly-well-known-type-of-food-or-style-of-cuisine-youve-never-or-only-recently-tried/957931/235 "2022-01-22T20:11:25Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > and still stay away from eel-based sushi for some reason. Have never tried it, probably never will They showed eel pie on the Great British Baking show, and I think I’d have to get pretty liquored up to try that. I’ve had eel sushi though, and it was fine . ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-well-known-at-least-fairly-well-known-type-of-food-or-style-of-cuisine-youve-never-or-only-recently-tried/957931/236 "2022-01-22T20:16:42Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > I’ve had eel sushi though, and it was fine . That’s the funny part. Eel is just another fish, and probably tasty. I’m just not going there. So, I get people who avoid sushi generally. I won’t eat brain, headcheese, liver, or tripe, despite the fact many people enjoy those things and for all I know, I might too. There a plenty of things I do like to eat, having a few dozen on my no fly list isn’t a big problem. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-well-known-at-least-fairly-well-known-type-of-food-or-style-of-cuisine-youve-never-or-only-recently-tried/957931/237 "2022-01-22T20:25:27Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > I’ve had eel sushi though, and it was fine . Yeah, eel nigiri is one of the safe “starter” picks for people who haven’t had sushi before and are afraid of raw things, being one of the few cooked varieties of sushi. Its taste is kind of ‘meaty’ and its texture is like any piece of cooked fish. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2022, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-well-known-at-least-fairly-well-known-type-of-food-or-style-of-cuisine-youve-never-or-only-recently-tried/957931/238 "2022-01-22T21:21:47Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > Well according to the same Wikipedia article: > > > [@](#): > > > > [Elena Molokhovets](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elena_Molokhovets)’s classic Russian cookbook _[A Gift to Young Housewives](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Gift_to_Young_Housewives)_ gives the first known recipe for _Govjadina po-strogonovski, s gorchitseju_ , “Beef _à la_ Stroganov, with mustard”, in its 1871 edition.[[6]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beef_Stroganoff#cite_note-Molokhovets-6)[[3]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beef_Stroganoff#cite_note-Volokh-3)[[4]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beef_Stroganoff#cite_note-Syutkin-4) The recipe involves beef _cubes_ (not strips) prepared in a dry marinade of salt and allspice, and then sautéed in butter. The sauce is a simple roux mixed with [prepared mustard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustard_(condiment)) and [broth](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broth), and finished with a small amount of sour cream: no [onions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onion), no [mushrooms](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mushroom) and no [alcohol](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholic_drink). > > Perhaps mushrooms and onions aren’t necessarily required. I found the Elena Molokhovets Stroganoff recipe online. It’s very simple. Think I will make this for dinner tomorrow. I’ll report how it turned out in case anyone’s interested. > **[Elena Molokhovets' Beef Strogonoff Authentic Recipe | TasteAtlas](https://www.tasteatlas.com/beef-stroganoff/recipe/elena-molokhovets-beef-strogonoff)** > > This is the first known recipe for the dish, published in A Gift to Young Housewives by Elena Molokhovets. Traditionally, beef Stroganoff is served with fried potato straws but goes equally well with egg noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2022, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-well-known-at-least-fairly-well-known-type-of-food-or-style-of-cuisine-youve-never-or-only-recently-tried/957931/239 "2022-01-23T22:18:42Z")
> [@solost](#): > > I found the Elena Molokhovets Stroganoff recipe online. It’s very simple. Think I will make this for dinner tomorrow. So I made this for an early Sunday supper. The only deviation I made from the recipe was to add chopped up red bell pepper because I didn’t feel like making a side veg. I was a bit skeptical of how the allspice and mustard would work in the mix, but it turned out really great! I definitely would make this again, maybe next time keeping the allspice and mustard and adding back mushrooms and onions like a more modern Stroganoff. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2022, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-well-known-at-least-fairly-well-known-type-of-food-or-style-of-cuisine-youve-never-or-only-recently-tried/957931/240 "2022-04-10T01:45:44Z")
**Tom Scud** grew up eating Indian food (his mom was born in India and his parents met there in the 3rd grade at a boarding school for missionary kids). I…did not. My mother is a good cook, but not a particularly adventurous one, and has probably literally never purchased a chile in her life. But we cook and eat a lot of Indian food now. If you want to start out small and easy to make, you could do a lot worse than [this book.](https://www.ebay.com/itm/143515177636?chn=ps&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&amdata=enc%3A1QS90DzVlRrWXW0ViKBwcFw65&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-213727-13078-0&mkcid=2&itemid=143515177636&targetid=4581046489808869&device=c&mktype=&googleloc=&poi=&campaignid=418640322&mkgroupid=1239149842233245&rlsatarget=pla-4581046489808869&abcId=9300602&merchantid=51291&msclkid=7c58f3eb82fb1169ea7691b9b65e3274) We bought it years ago and use it fairly frequently, although we now have half a dozen Indian cookbooks. I even gave a copy as a wedding gift to an Indian friend who married a non-Indian, and he says that some of the recipes are now among his favorites. And if you just want to dip your toe in without buying the book, the author also has a [website](https://www.indianasapplepie.com/blogs/indian-as-apple-pie/tagged/Sabzi) with recipes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-well-known-at-least-fairly-well-known-type-of-food-or-style-of-cuisine-youve-never-or-only-recently-tried/957931.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-well-known-at-least-fairly-well-known-type-of-food-or-style-of-cuisine-youve-never-or-only-recently-tried/957931.md?page=13)