# 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:** 3
**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 21, 2022, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/41 "2022-05-21T00:16:20Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Bread pudding is not the same thing as bread and butter pudding, btw. Bread pudding is a cakey thing that is eaten on its own, bread and butter pudding is very soft, can only be eaten with a spoon, and is served with custard. That’s the UK definition - US ones might be different, I guess. What I know as bread pudding is made with eggs and milk, so it has custard in it already. No need to add it as a sauce. I don’t believe I’ve ever heard of the bread pudding you describe, but it sounds yummy! 🙂 In re: parsnips, I have some homemade lamb stew on the stove right now. It wouldn’t be the same without them. I also like to add parsnips (and carrots) to my mashed potatoes, especially when making bangers and mash. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/42 "2022-05-21T00:18:53Z")
At the risk of a highjack, any chance of getting a Brit-approved recipe for bread and butter pudding in this thread? Pretty please? (We can pretend that “bread” is code for “chips” and “butter” code for HP sauce, if that helps to keeps it within the bounds of this thread. ) ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/43 "2022-05-21T00:29:13Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > What I know as bread pudding is made with eggs and milk, so it has custard in it already. No need to add it as a sauce. There genuinely is a really difference - you could go to a coffee shop and get bread pudding and just eat it like a cake, or take it away and eat it i your hand in the park as part of a picnic. It’s very strong on the dried fruits, and I’ve only liked it from one specific place where it was still worse than everything else they sold. Bread and butter pudding wouldn’t work eaten like that - too gooey even without the custard. It needs a bowl and a spoon. And dried fruits are optional and not overpowering. Custard, to me, is a sauce, it doesn’t just mean just eggs and milk are two of the ingredients. I mean, loads of cakes include eggs and milk. ---
**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:** [May 21, 2022, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/44 "2022-05-21T00:39:05Z")
Dried fruit in bread pudding??? EEeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwww. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/45 "2022-05-21T00:43:17Z")
Don’t think most people disagree with the BBC recipes in general. > **[Bread and butter pudding](https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/bread-butter-pudding)** > > Transform a stale loaf into a comforting bread and butter pudding. This traditional British dessert is layered with a rich vanilla custard, dried fruit and lemon zest It has to be white bread, like in that recipe - I’ve tried it with wholemeal and it doesn’t work. (Wholemeal is best for bread pudding). You do have to leave the whole thing to soak for minimum 30 mins - just pouring the custard in and sticking it in the oven won’t work. Several hours (or overnight) in the fridge is also fine, so you can prepare it one night and then stick it in the oven and serve it for lunch next day. I often go full decadence and smooth Nutella onto the slices of bread, and add some dark rum to the custard mix. Not very much. I think I use less dried fruit than that recipe does, and generally it doesn’t have many at all. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/46 "2022-05-21T00:59:16Z")
From my wife’s county, I give you [Beondegi (번데기)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beondegi), aka _silkworm pupae_. I’m surprised nobody’s mentioned [Scotland’s haggis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haggis). Oddly enough, there’s even a [vegetarian version](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haggis#Vegetarian_haggis) which just sounds wrong to me even though I’m vegetarian. ---
**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 21, 2022, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/47 "2022-05-21T01:00:43Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > There genuinely is a really difference - you could go to a coffee shop and get bread pudding and just eat it like a cake, or take it away and eat it i your hand in the park as part of a picnic. It’s very strong on the dried fruits, and I’ve only liked it from one specific place where it was still worse than everything else they sold. What you’re describing here I think is commonly called coffee cake in the US. Dunno if it is elsewhere. I’ll have to ask a Canuck sometime if he/she knows what it is. Or it might be what Americans call a kolachi. When I was living in Czechoslovakia, I had to explain to my dad that the kolachies they sell there are completely different from the ones in the US—nowhere near as sweet. The ones in the US are closer to what they call Danish pastries, which are light and buttery, and always contain a dollop of jam or custard. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/48 "2022-05-21T01:04:08Z")
A quick Internet search turned up [Most disgusting foods](https://disgustingfoodmuseum.com/most-disgusting-foods-in-the-world/). I recommend you do not read that on a full stomach. ---
**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 21, 2022, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/49 "2022-05-21T01:11:25Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > I’m surprised nobody’s mentioned [Scotland’s haggis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haggis). Oddly enough, there’s even a [vegetarian version](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haggis#Vegetarian_haggis) which just sounds wrong to me even though I’m vegetarian. Once you get past the list of ingredients, haggis is lovely stuff. It tastes like spicy liverwurst. I have a can of haggis on my pantry shelf. I’m saving it for a special occasion, like St Andrew’s Day maybe. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/50 "2022-05-21T01:14:23Z")
For Japan, I nominate beef curry. It usually resembles something my Mum (a terrible cook) might have served up in 1970’s London out of a tin from Sainsbury’s. There’s nothing intrinsically terrible about it - it’s just a bland mild curry, “mostly harmless”. It’s just that it’s inexplicably popular, and it stands in such stark contrast to the elegance and subtlety of most Japanese cuisine. Apparently the British Royal Navy and subsequently the Japanese Navy are responsible. > **[Japanese curry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_curry)** > > Japanese curry (カレー, karē) is commonly served in three main forms: curry over rice (カレーライス, karē raisu), curry udon (curry over thick noodles), and curry bread (カレーパン, karē pan) (a curry-filled pastry). It is one of the most popular dishes in Japan. The very common "curry rice" is most often referred to simply as "curry" (カレー, karē). > Along with the sauce, a wide variety of vegetables and meats are used to make Japanese curry. The basic vegetables are onions, carrots, and potatoes. Beef, pork, an... It rarely looks as appealing as the high-end version shown above at the top of the Wikipedia page. The second image is more representative: [Japanese curry - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_curry#/media/File:Curry_Japanese_Navy_Cookbook_1908.png) (I don’t know why that one won’t display, perhaps the image is too disturbing.) ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/51 "2022-05-21T01:15:49Z")
You could scare up a [Burns supper](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burns_supper). ---
**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 21, 2022, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/52 "2022-05-21T01:18:40Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Custard, to me, is a sauce, it doesn’t just mean just eggs and milk are two of the ingredients. I mean, loads of cakes include eggs and milk. Well, there’s custard and then there’s custard sauce. I’ve had both, and they’re equally delicious. The main difference is that custard is baked in the oven until it’s solid. It can be served in ramekins, used to fill pies, or incorporated into bread puddings. ---
**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 21, 2022, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/53 "2022-05-21T01:22:23Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > You could scare up a [Burns supper](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burns_supper). Och, aye! 🙂 I graduated from Macalester College in St Paul, so I’m entitled to wear the clan tartan and badge. The last time I looked, a full Scottish kit (kilt, sporran, plaid, etc.) would cost me at least $2000—a bit too much for me right now. ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d78d45/32.png) [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/54 "2022-05-21T01:28:34Z")
Okay, not dishes as such, but there’s, um, foodstuffs that should at least be dishonorably mentioned. First, from the US of A, I nominate ‘American’ cheese… well, it’s not really cheese, so it is, by law, called ‘cheese product’. Second, I nominate ‘lite beer’. Sorry about those, world. Fortunately, I don’t think they get exported much. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/55 "2022-05-21T01:30:05Z")
I’m Canadian, born and raised, but I find poutine disgusting. Not exactly a dish, but rather a drink: the Bloody Caesar. Clamato juice, vodka, and various garnishes. Looks like a Bloody Mary, but tastes like garbage. Many Canadians go crazy for it, but this one doesn’t. Just give me a Bloody Mary–except no Canadian bar seems to be able to. They’ve got no tomato juice, but they have plenty of clamato. Here’s a hint: Never order a Bloody Mary in Canada. They’ll think that you mean a Bloody Caesar (“I know you said ‘Mary,’ sir, but I’m sure you meant ‘Caesar’, so here you go”). And yes, that has happened to me a few times. I’ve given up trying to get a Mary in Canada (unless I make it myself), and just have a beer now. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/56 "2022-05-21T01:33:55Z")
Go for the informal dinner. And back to the topic! [Here is a “top 10” list of disgusting foods in China](https://listverse.com/2020/03/16/bizarre-chinese-food/), where I currently find myself. And, nope; I’m not eating any of that! ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/57 "2022-05-21T01:35:03Z")
Clamato juice is its own category of disgusting. Perhaps it’s even exponentially disgusting. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/58 "2022-05-21T01:39:09Z")
Exactly. There’s a reason that the rest of the world has not enthusiatically embraced the Bloody Caesar, and I’m sure that clamato is it. ---
**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 21, 2022, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/59 "2022-05-21T01:44:28Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > [Here is a “top 10” list of disgusting foods in China](https://listverse.com/2020/03/16/bizarre-chinese-food/), where I currently find myself. And, nope; I’m not eating any of that! I remember when Nixon went to China in 1972. One thing on the menu at the state banquet was braised elephant trunk. For some reason, that particular appetizer stuck in my mind. (I’ve always wondered what it tastes like.) ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2022, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784/60 "2022-05-21T01:51:37Z")
I think it has a mothball flavour. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-national-dish-of-shame/964784.md?page=4)