# Which country has the best cuisine? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 30, 2011, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-best-cuisine/576535 "2011-03-30T18:12:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NiceGuyJack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/niceguyjack/32/3069_2.png) [@NiceGuyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NiceGuyJack)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-best-cuisine/576535/1 "2011-03-30T18:12:43Z")
This thread is in response to the thread about the [worst](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=601903) cuisine. I simply don’t think there is a worst, because someone must like it or why would they cook it? Instead, let’s make it the best. I’m leaning towards British, that vinegar works with everything. ---
**Author:** ![joew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/34f0e0/32.png) [@joew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joew)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-best-cuisine/576535/2 "2011-03-30T18:18:07Z")
American southern cuisine. It has all the flavors and unfortunately all the salt and fat, too ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-best-cuisine/576535/3 "2011-03-30T18:19:10Z")
I’m without a doubt biased, but Indian food is the most varied. If I had to choose just one cuisine to eat for the rest of my life, I’d never get bored with Indian. There’s so much variety with vegetarian dishes and non vegetarian dishes, you have North and South variations and you have a ton of vegetables to keep it healthy. Plus the desserts are killer. ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-best-cuisine/576535/4 "2011-03-30T18:22:27Z")
I love love love Indian food, however if this were one of those “this is the only food you could eat for the rest of your life” kinds of things, I’d switch to Italian. That’s where pizza and tiramisu is. Yum. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-best-cuisine/576535/5 "2011-03-30T18:31:09Z")
> [@NiceGuyJack](#): > > I’m leaning towards British, that vinegar works with everything. Stop that, you’re being silly. For me, it would be a country in South-East Asia. Thai food is absolutely brimming with flavor, but healthy as anything. Malaysian has many of the flavors of Thai but with an Indian spice influence. Indonesian is similar, with an inredible variety and its own unique tangs. If I had to choose, I think I’d go for Indonesian with Thai a close second (only falling behind because it has less variety than Indonesian) and Malaysian a very close third (marked down due to its slight tendency towards making one fat). Mmmm. God I’m hungry. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-best-cuisine/576535/6 "2011-03-30T18:34:14Z")
Northern Italian. Olive Oil Tomatoes Sun Dried Tomatoes Artichokes Garlic I’m salivating typing it. ---
**Author:** ![NiceGuyJack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/niceguyjack/32/3069_2.png) [@NiceGuyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NiceGuyJack)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-best-cuisine/576535/7 "2011-03-30T18:43:27Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Stop that, you’re being silly. > > For me, it would be a country in South-East Asia. Thai food is absolutely brimming with flavor, but healthy as anything. Malaysian has many of the flavors of Thai but with an Indian spice influence. Indonesian is similar, with an inredible variety and its own unique tangs. > > If I had to choose, I think I’d go for Indonesian with Thai a close second (only falling behind because it has less variety than Indonesian) and Malaysian a very close third (marked down due to its slight tendency towards making one fat). > > Mmmm. God I’m hungry. You’re right I was being silly. A joke on the “worst” thread. For me, Thai is number one, but I also love Indonesian and Indian. Japanese is another favorite, but for me it’s a choice only when I’m not in the mood for spice but the natural flavors. I still like British and American. Santa Fe is fucking amazing. I live in Singapore, but I order Hatch chilis from New Mexico only so I can cook an occasional chili stew. My Singapore friends love it and ask me to make it for them. And Singapore have some great food. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-best-cuisine/576535/8 "2011-03-30T18:49:00Z")
I can’t choose for myself. I like all food. That said, a lot of Really Smart Food People think that Vietnamese food is some of the best around. It had a meld of really good Asian (cuz it’s in Asia!) with really good French (because France was there for a good long time) and together, those two heritages produce some amazing food. I can’t say I’ve extensively eaten Vietnamese, but what I’ve had can be pretty amazing. I made a Banh Mi that included a couple different kinds of terrines with obvious French heritage but Asian spices, served on a baguette. To die for. ---
**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:** [March 30, 2011, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-best-cuisine/576535/9 "2011-03-30T18:50:33Z")
Southern US, by far. Any cuisine that doesn’t have BBQ is, ipso facto, inferior. If I had to pick a country other than my own, I think I’d choose rustic French or Southern Italian. Or Mexican. Or Thai. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-best-cuisine/576535/10 "2011-03-30T18:57:18Z")
Thai food **in** Thailand is the best food I’ve ever had. Every time I’ve been there it’s always amazing. Had lots of great stuff in Vietnam but Thai food just rocks. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-best-cuisine/576535/11 "2011-03-30T18:59:50Z")
Although it is only sort of a country, the paisos catalans (if we can count Valencia too for paella and arroz a banda). ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-best-cuisine/576535/12 "2011-03-30T19:44:43Z")
I know Mexican cusine isn’t the same as the Southwestern or Tex-Mex cusine found in the the United States. Still, that’s by far my favorite. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-best-cuisine/576535/13 "2011-03-30T20:10:07Z")
OK, new rule, “Indian” or “Chinese” don’t count, because that’s the equivalent of saying “European”. You’ve got to narrow that down. ---
**Author:** ![NiceGuyJack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/niceguyjack/32/3069_2.png) [@NiceGuyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NiceGuyJack)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-best-cuisine/576535/14 "2011-03-30T20:45:18Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > OK, new rule, “Indian” or “Chinese” don’t count, because that’s the equivalent of saying “European”. You’ve got to narrow that down. Have to agree. The food varies a lot depending on where you are, in India my favorite is Andrha Pradesh food. In China, I love Shihuan, specifically Chengdu. Spicy! I don’t get to Chengdu very often, but when I do…Amazing. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-best-cuisine/576535/15 "2011-03-30T20:52:23Z")
Middle Eastern and Indian. The spicing is fantastic in dishes like tangine. Here’s a partial list of the ingredients in that dish alone: 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1 pinch saffron 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder 3/4 teaspoon ground coriander ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-best-cuisine/576535/16 "2011-03-30T20:52:39Z")
Why do we have a new thread about the very same subject every week or so? ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-best-cuisine/576535/17 "2011-03-30T21:03:11Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > For me, it would be a country in South-East Asia. Yes, I’d agree, although (unfortunately) I’ve only had those cuisines outside the region. Would someone sponsor me for a four-week visit – one week each in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam – so I can just check out which is best? I’d be very grateful. ---
**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:** [March 30, 2011, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-best-cuisine/576535/18 "2011-03-30T21:07:03Z")
> [@Capitaine\_Zombie](#): > > Why do we have a new thread about the very same subject every week or so? Cuz most of us in this forum are foodies, aspiring foodies, gluttons, gourmands or fat-asses. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-best-cuisine/576535/19 "2011-03-30T22:14:52Z")
> [@Capitaine\_Zombie](#): > > Why do we have a new thread about the very same subject every week or so? Oh, and I suppose you’d prefer a dozen threads on how to cook brains? ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-best-cuisine/576535/20 "2011-03-30T22:22:18Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > That said, a lot of Really Smart Food People think that Vietnamese food is some of the best around. It had a meld of really good Asian (cuz it’s in Asia!) with really good French (because France was there for a good long time) and together, those two heritages produce some amazing food. Aha, that makes sense. One of my favorite places to eat is a Vietnamese sandwich shop, and they do a bunch of French-style baked goods. I was always a bit confused about the conjunction, but the food is amazing so I never worried too much about it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-country-has-the-best-cuisine/576535.md?page=2)