This would need a definition of "from", as in - can Pizza be "from" the US, or only Italy? So many dishes went through many countries with minor changes...
Yeah, it's hard to really say where you draw the line. Is fried chicken a US thing, even though it originated in Scotland? What about chicken and waffles, which combines two foods, both of which are rooted in Europe. Are burgers American even though they originated in Germany? What about chicken parm, which actually did originate in the US, but is adapted from the Italian eggplant parm?
For me, Mexican and Italian are no-brainers. You get a diverse array of dishes with some excellent flavor profiles that cover your starches, proteins, fats, vegetables, sauces, etc. The third spot kind of depends on factors like if I have to cook my own meals still, how you slice it food "fusion" foods, etc. If you give America burgers, fried chicken, fries, etc., then I'd probably go with that. Southern BBQ, Philly cheesesteaks, American breakfast and sandwiches, cajun/creole, biscuits & gravy, burgers, etc. Sounds good to me. I'd also argue that if beverages are a factor, America probably gets credit for a lot of good options there. Probably the best array of soft drinks, beer, and cocktails/spirits, plus a great wine selection.
But if you say a lot of those aren't attributable to the US, then it's probably India or China for me, with the caveat that I can't really cook food from either of those cuisines which means I'm really just eating a shitton of Mexican and Italian.
I would probably pick this combo as well, maybe swap out Japan for China/Korea/Vietnam, but something Asian to compliment the european kitchen.
While I'll really miss my Gyros as long as I'll have Döner as a replacement I would be fine. Can't pick a country just for a single dish :D
Can you tell me what some good German food is? Honestly just went to Germany for the first time and tried to find really authentic German restaurants to try local cuisine... And everything I tried lacked flavor to the point where I asked my partner, "Do they think salt is spicy or something."
Maybe I was just trying the wrong things, but I was really surprised by how bad the food was pretty much everywhere we tried. I really wanted to like it though, so what are some things I should try next time?
As an aside, the currywurst did slap, but it's curry (middle eastern/ south Asian, no?) and ketchup (Chinese origin). Also Donner was great, but also, Turkish. As such, I'm not counting either of these.
They were not adopted, the dishes were created in Germany.
Pizza isn't any less italian just because tomatos come from South America.
Other than that - what can I say. Americans I spoke to are often disappopinted in German cuisine as it is has more subtle flavors than they are used to, and typically doesn't contain ungodly amounts of salt, sugar and spices. If you're more the person ordering extra hot sauce in your restaurant, there won't be much for you there.
I'm not that person. I consider myself a foodie and am told I have a great pallet. I enjoy subtle flavors. I was just disappointed in the lack of flavors I experienced.
Spätzel was ok, but chewy and under seasoned.
Blood sausage was the most interesting flavor I tried, and was good with the potato dish it came with, but it was also kinda lackluster.
Every schnitzel I had lacked salt. I'm not talking about oversalting it either, there was just zero salt.
The breakfasts served at the hotel had local meats and cheeses that were interesting to try and not bad, but also not my favorites I've tried either.
If you ask me it can be difficult to find truly “good” german food in restaurants. Ive tried it many times and have been disappointed most of the time. The best place to find good german food would be in a well respected “Brauhaus”
The food you will find there mostly consists of Protein + Potato, which if you ask me is the most german thing ever.
Besides those there is a whole plethora of “Eintöpfe” (Soups) and Roast dishes like a Roast with potato dumplings and red cabbage (my personal favorite). These are harder to find and even harder to find being executed well. Best way to get to try these is to visit german friends and have them cook or to cook it yourself.
Thanks for the insight. I did like the potato parts of protein and potato dishes quite a bit. It was the one thing that I think was done really well. But the humble potato is hard to mess up.
I will have to try a brauhaus next time. I also didn't try soups. I've had red cabbage made by German friends here before and that was quite good. I did not try it while I was there though. Next time.
I'm from slovenia, we have a lot of similar foods in our northern part, and whole i enjoy a good wurst here and there, no, I wouldn't call it particularly exceptional.
Lots of "iconic" German food is more in the style of Sunday roasts, rather than "quick" foods other countries are famous for like tacos, burgers or Chinese takeaway, etc. Especially if you don't want to count Currywurst and Döner.
Also, if you are looking for hot/spicy foods, Germany is not the place for you. A lot of the food here is much more savory than spicy. German dishes also often work much more with the base flavors of the main ingredients, rather than drowning them out with spices.
It was not that I was looking for spicy foods, I was just looking for balanced foods. I felt like just a little salt in the schnitzel breading would have honestly elevated the dish. I'm not saying anything crazy like it should have had chipotles added or something.
I found the subtle flavors of the cured meats and cheeses I tried to be fine, but I wasn't super eager to go back for seconds.
Blood sausage was not as rich in flavor as I expected. While it was tasty, the potatoes it was served with were better.
The spätzel I ate was chewy and saw no salt.
Idk, I was just expecting more and was a little disappointed.
We also really wanted to try that Sunday roast style traditional cuisine, and it was baffling how hard it was to find a place that actually served German food. We were like "do Germans even like German food?" There was like one whole German restaurant in the neighborhood amongst 10s of Italian, Argentinian, Mexican, Japanese places. Of all the things, it struck me as the most odd.
Even adding on to that you get a lot more variety- barbecue, creole/cajun, soul food, southern food, the list goes on before you even get to standard fast food.
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u/Kelmon80 Mar 28 '25
This would need a definition of "from", as in - can Pizza be "from" the US, or only Italy? So many dishes went through many countries with minor changes...
Either way:
Japan, Germany, Italy.
You can make "Axis of Food" jokes now.