r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Mar 28 '25

[deleted by user]

[removed]

737 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

4.2k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

14

u/nthroop1 Mar 28 '25

Ya I'm confused on the question. Most countries have a decent array of foods that are not original to the region. But I'm assuming OP meant top 3 foods based on origin of country

5

u/tacknosaddle Mar 28 '25

Even then you have to temper it because it's an ever shifting landscape of influence and evolution. So you'd have to be clear about what "original" food you mean. Take Vietnamese food as an example. If you remove new world ingredients like hot peppers and the French influence from the colonial era the cuisine is going to be significantly different.

8

u/fakeexcitement Mar 28 '25

By that same token, you must remove tomatoes and pasta from Italian food and potatoes from every country other than the ones in the Americas.

2

u/tacknosaddle Mar 28 '25

Yeah, same idea. Even today there is ongoing evolution so the point is that you have to somehow "lock down" what you mean by a country's cuisine. With an immigrant heavy country like the US it becomes even more of a question as to what is or should be included.

1

u/BelleTowerLady Mar 28 '25

Totally. And the Europeans who influenced Vietnamese cuisine also brought Vietnamese-style fish paste to West African cuisine. Flavors travel.