# Your National Dish Of Shame **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [May 20, 2022, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784 "2022-05-20T19:31:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**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 24, 2022, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/242 "2022-05-24T23:15:55Z")
> [@Smid](#): > > Battered sausages isn’t a scottish thing. Every chip shop in the UK sells them. They are as common as battered fish. Did I not write “though that is across the UK”? ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2022, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/243 "2022-05-24T23:17:41Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Did I not write “though that is across the UK”? Well, why single out Scotland? Why not add battered fish, or for that matter chips at all? Pickled onions? Pickled eggs? Or anything else which is for sale in every single fish and chip shop in the UK? ---
**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 24, 2022, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/244 "2022-05-24T23:20:38Z")
You’re welcome to extend it to the UK. Scotland just popped into mind because of the Mars bar. I’ve been watching a lot of Scottish comic Eleanor Morton and she mentioned it, so it was fresh on my mind. Sorry if I’ve hit a nerve or something. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2022, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/245 "2022-05-24T23:50:51Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > And as a sausage has a skin, I guess there’s no structural need for the batter. Batter for batter’s sake. I have wondered why there aren’t three-layer Scotch eggs, egg, sausage, and batter. The breading seems inadequate. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2022, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/246 "2022-05-24T23:51:55Z")
> [@Smid](#): > > I heard someone in the US then battered a pizza and fried it. I mean hows the bread supposed to absorb all the fat??? We have pizza puffs around here. They’re widely available at hot dog and burger joints, mostly from a Chicago manufacturer called [Iltaco Foods](https://iltaco.com/pizza-puff/). They’re pretty cheap and low quality but I had a few in my youth, though not in 20-25 years at least. And the fat’s already built into the cheese and very poor quality Italian sausage crumbles! The typical way to eat them is to wait until they’re cool enough to handle, then bite and spurt molten hot filling on your tongue so you can’t enjoy food for 3 days. That said, I suppose if I could wish a hot pizza puff to appear in front of me now, I might go for it. More characteristic image at top: > **[Wikiwand - Pizza puff](https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Pizza_puff)** > > A pizza puff is a deep-fried dough pocket filled with cheese, tomato sauce, and other pizza ingredients such as sausage or pepperoni. Originally from Chicago, pizza puffs can be found at many casual dining restaurants there. ---
**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 25, 2022, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/247 "2022-05-25T00:17:45Z")
Yeah and, as I understand it, the exterior crust is a flour tortilla. With battered pizza, I don’t know. I’ve never heard of it nor seen it, but I’m sure it exists. I don’t quite see how it wouldn’t work. With proper deep frying, not much oil gets absorbed into the batter. OK, it’s still a couple of tablespoons, but it’s not like the batter is absolutely soaked in oil, so I doubt it actually much, if any gets to the pizza crust part. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2022, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/248 "2022-05-25T00:29:06Z")
> [@Smid](#): > > The most basic of supermarket cardboard level of pizza, cheese and tomato, dropped in the fryer for a minute, folded then served. I missed this part. So it’s an entire frozen pizza dropped into the fryer, as-is? Are they thawed first? Most fryers aren’t that wide, do the pizzas go in vertically? ---
**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 25, 2022, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/249 "2022-05-25T00:35:18Z")
The way I’ve seen it done is by the slice. Disgusting, but fascinating. As for blaming the Scots…it’s your day in the barrel. ---
**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:** [May 25, 2022, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/250 "2022-05-25T00:40:29Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > If someone just fried the batter and served it with ketchup - that would be a hit at the fair - why spend extra on extraneous fillers? I mean, that’s pretty much what a funnel cake is, albeit a sweet batter rather than a savory one. Just replace the ketchup with chocolate syrup. ---
**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 25, 2022, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/251 "2022-05-25T01:10:30Z")
Hungarians kind of do a savory version of this called _langós_. (ETA: I guess it’s not exactly the same, as it’s a dough rather than a batter) It’s looks a bit like an elephant ear you would get at a US carnival and is served topped typically with garlic water, and then often sour cream and cheese or onions are added: [![](https://csaladireceptkonyv.hu/storage/images/recipes/34063.jpg) ](https://csaladireceptkonyv.hu/storage/images/recipes/34063.jpg) Come to think of it, that’s not much different than (American) Indian fry bread either, which are often sold savory with taco toppings. [![](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSsGSorji8u-axBC--Nx-YdIEQJYOIBo6FcIg&usqp=CAU) ](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSsGSorji8u-axBC--Nx-YdIEQJYOIBo6FcIg&usqp=CAU) But, yeah, Hungarians, too, like to batter and fry the crap out of everything as well. There are stalls just devoted to battered fried goodies scattered around Budapest (or at least there were in the late 90s and early 00s – perhaps health awareness has shuttered some of them.) My first experience with langós was weird, as my brain wanted it to be covered with cinnamon and sugar, since it so reminded me of the fried doughs you’d get at fairs, so it took me a few tried with the dish to rewire my thinking to accept savory toppings. They are quite lovely in their own way. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2022, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/252 "2022-05-25T01:47:08Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Almost. in Gilroy they have garlic ice cream. That _is_ a Dish of shame. I must try this. > [@BoydJeffery1](#): > > i dont know too haha Welcome to the boards! I like something I read recently…these boards seldom disappoint but often overwhelm. Enjoy! ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2022, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/253 "2022-05-25T02:36:06Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > I must try this. [https://www.thestinkingrose.com/sf/menu2.html](https://www.thestinkingrose.com/sf/menu2.html) ---
**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:** [May 25, 2022, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/254 "2022-05-25T03:06:26Z")
The ones I had in Czechoslovakia were topped with shredded cheese and ketchup. ---
**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:** [May 25, 2022, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/255 "2022-05-25T03:11:38Z")
I make it myself several times a year, and I vary it with beef, chicken, shrimp, and mushrooms ---
**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 25, 2022, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/256 "2022-05-25T03:15:23Z")
I’ve never seen ketchup in the 5 years I lived in Budapest, but looking up photos of langós stands, I have found at least one that offers it. Typically, it’s garlic water, cheese, sour cream, and ham as the main options, with probably the first three ingredients being the most popular combination. Sometimes you’ll find ewe cheese, bacon, and onions (often red) as options, as well. But it’s a blank slate, so you can get as fancy as you want – I’ve seen places that have a “Mexican” version that includes beans and stuff – I’m more talking the langós stand you might find at a fair or at a market. ---
**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:** [May 25, 2022, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/257 "2022-05-25T03:20:31Z")
I lived in Benešov 30 years ago, so I imagine things have changed a lot since then. I may go back this summer and have a look around. ---
**Author:** ![Didi44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@Didi44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Didi44)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2022, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/258 "2022-05-25T03:55:06Z")
Loco Moco and Spam musubi done well, food of the gods! ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2022, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/259 "2022-05-25T07:50:14Z")
No shame for [pigs in blankets](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pigs_in_a_blanket)? You’ll see in the Wiki link that there are several kinds, some of which may even warrant pride, but I’m referring to the shameful U.S. combination of cheap hot dogs and pastry dough. Even in my early childhood, I thought they were kind of gross. ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2022, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/260 "2022-05-25T08:36:45Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > I missed this part. So it’s an entire frozen pizza dropped into the fryer, as-is? Are they thawed first? Most fryers aren’t that wide, do the pizzas go in vertically? I’m not sure where you’re from, you might not realise the size of UK chip shop fryers. They’re huge chunks of metal built in the shop, starting from 12 foot across the shop and often 3-6 feet wide. While the pictures [here](https://www.worldofceres.com/frying-range-manufacturers/) for instance have six baskets side by side, the typical setup is to have multiple fryers for different things (keeping meat from the chips), and have storage areas for the fat to drip off and serve from (for the current batch of chips being served). However, most places I’ve seen put the items in “freehand” (ie: not in a basket, and fish (?) them out with a longhandled scoop. So a pizza of 8" size is easily stuck in there in. I’m not sure if they were typically frozen beforehand, I can’t imagine they’d take long or make much difference to be defrosted, but they were probably from freezer purely because they were easier to manage before putting into the fryer. ---
**Author:** ![SleepyParrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@SleepyParrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SleepyParrot)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2022, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/261 "2022-05-25T08:43:38Z")
Yes. That is it. Very plain and this was voted the national dish by the population of Denmark. But maybe I’m to hard. We also have something called Pølsemix, and that is a whole different category 🤢 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784.md?page=14)