In your opinion what's the best international cuisine?

[Fountain79]

For my money it's Mexican. The tacos, mole poblano, chile's etc. I've heard others say it's Asian. I currently live in Colombia.....it's not Colombia.

[nam78_two]

1. Thai

:9
Though I like most food..

[Lyric]

2. International, as in "not American?"

I like American Southern cuisine the best of all, but if you are talking specifically about foreign cuisine, then French is the best by far. :)

[Lydia Leftcoast]

3. I get regular cravings for Indian food

At a good Indian restaurant, everything is spiced just a bit differently, even on the buffet.

[Iggo]

4. Hmm...for some reason, I don't think of Mexican food as foreign.

Probably a SoCal thing (or, to be fair, a Southwestern United States thing.)

I guess I'd have to say Italian food, because of the many authentic dishes they serve at the local Olive Garden.

:hide:

[old mark]

5. Mexican or Italian , no special order. I love some German food as well, but it's

harder to find.

mark

[Chan790]

6. I have a great cookbook of north African.

I'm not sure it qualifies as it's a mix of Ethiopian, Libyan, Egyptian, Moroccan and not a single cuisine. I love it in any case.

[alfredo]

16. I love North African food. I lived in Eritrea for three years. Love Zigni.

Hot and spicy for me. Like Mexican, but would opt for some Chicken Shawarma.

Foods from around the Mediterranean are my favorite.


Very good book

Classic Vegetarian Cooking from the Middle East & North Africa by Habeeb Salloum

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=vegetarian+north+africa++mideast&x=0&y=0

[Tektonik]

7. French and Japanese by far

[mainegreen]

19. ditto

[Auggie]

8. I prefer Northern California.

That's pretty foreign compared to the rest of the U.S.

[LeftyMom]

9. "Asian" isn't a cuisine, any more than "European" is.

And, being Californian, I really love any foreign food, as long as it's spicy. My favorites are Indian, Mexican, Vietnamese and Ethiopian food.

[Generic Brad]

10. Korean

Mmmmmmm. It takes the best of Thai, Japan, and China and makes it uniquely their own. The pickles are the best in the world. The barbeque sauce is better than anything in the American South. It's spicy, but it doesn't kill you.

Indian food is close second. So much flavor!

[BarenakedLady]

11. Indian. (n/t)

[leeroysphitz]

12. Spaghetti.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

13. I love the cuisine from the south of France

Bouillabaisse (incredibly good), Nicoise style fish soup with rouille, Nicoise style salad, pan bagna, pieds paquets, freshly caught sardines with mint and fried in olive oil, aioli with steamed vegetables or cod, ratatouille, anchovy tapenade (mmmmm), egg plant au gratin, flan for desert or maybe ice cream stuffed puffed pastry called profiteroles, and many, many more.

France has several styles of cuisine. The south uses lots of olive oil which I love. The southwest uses duck or goose fat, which is out of this world, such as when used to create the phenomenally delicious white bean and sausage dish called cassoulet. The north and central parts of France use butter in their cuisine while the northeast uses pig fat in those areas bordering Germany. The boiled eggs stuffed with mayonnaise and with a julienne salad (mayonnaise mixed with small bits of potato, peas and carrot) from northeast cities like Metz, called "Russian eggs" is also phenomenal (wish I had a plate of them in front of me now).

And of course there's the bread.

[jpgray]

14. French, by a nose.

I love cream and butter. Indian food is right up there with me in part for similar reasons.

[GoneOffShore]

46. going to have to second that vole

Just did a dinner party last night.

Scallops on buckwheat crepes with leeks

Duck breast with dauphinoise potatoes and ratatouille

Salad

Cheese

Tarte tatin.

[Kat45]

15. Greek.

Lov the spanikopita and the stuffed grape leaves. And the Greek salad and the gyros. And the toropita and.... :9

[pitohui]

17. modern american a la bradley ogden, alice waters etc

we don't acknowledge it but food has gotten like a bazillion percent better just in our life times

maybe by saying "international" you are purposely excluding the usa, in that case, erm, it's tough to say as if it's food i like to eat it, but i will vote italian

[Tikki]

18. Mexican....

Very varied and oh so tasty..

Tikki

[Hangingon]

20. Easy. Tex-Mex is the best.

[flvegan]

21. I'm intercontinental when I eat French toast.

[Lucian]

22. French, then Italian.

[Robeson]

23. Thai and Italian are my favorites.

[KitchenWitch]

24. I was just going to say the same thing!

:hi:

[Robeson]

27. AND we're both Vikings fans....

...scary...;-)

:toast:

[Arugula Latte]

29. Agree.

:9

[susanna]

25. I'm in an Asian phase right now...

...but also have a very soft spot for Italian.

[pokerfan]

26. Lebanese

Lebanese food combines the sophistication and subtleties of European cuisines with the exotic ingredients of the Middle and Far East, it includes an abundance of starches, fruits, vegetables, fresh fish and seafood; animal fats are consumed sparingly. Poultry is eaten more often than red meat, and when red meat is eaten it is usually lamb. It also includes copious amounts of garlic and olive oil, often seasoned by lemon juice rarely a meal goes by in Lebanon that does not include these ingredients. Most often foods are either grilled, baked or sauted in olive oil; butter or cream is rarely used other than in a few desserts. Vegetables are often eaten raw or pickled as well as cooked. While the cuisine of Lebanon doesn't boast an entire repertoire of sauces, it focuses on herbs, spices and the freshness of ingredients; the assortment of dishes and combinations are almost limitless. The meals are full of robust, earthy flavors and, like most Mediterranean countries, much of what the Lebanese eat is dictated by the seasons.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebanese_cuisine

[susanna]

33. Hi pokerfan! We talked in a thread a couple months back...

...about poker. :-)

I am extremely lucky to live near some of the best Lebanese food in the U.S. (near Dearborn, Michigan). I adore Lebanese food. Do not EVEN get me started on their pastries. :9

[kentauros]

34. This is where I go in Houston for Middle Eastern pastries:

Phoenicia Specialty Foods
(pastry list)

Although their namoura just can't compare to the "home-made" kind I get at Zabak's, a little Palestinian cafe closer to home :D

[susanna]

44. Strange...

...your link lists a whole lot of "Shatila" pastries. I'm curious about that because my favorite pastry shop in Dearborn Michigan is named "Shatila." I know they have a huge production facility and wonder if they send them out across the U.S.? If so, get some of their "fingers" because those things are to die for (cashew, pistachio fingers especially). :hi:

on edit: clarification

[pokerfan]

41. oh yeah

:hi:

Sadly, we have no decent Lebanese food here so I tend to appreciate it when I can get it.

[susanna]

45. Hi back to you...

...it looks like you can at least order the pastries online:

http://www.shatila.com/c-3-baklawa.aspx

Shatila is my favorite bakery in Dearborn. New Yasmeen is also quite good, but I don't see that they have online ordering. :-(

[Arugula Latte]

28. Italian (or generic Mediterranean, really) and Thai

:9

[HopeFor2006]

30. Italiano

:hi:

[Enthusiast]

31. I'm with you on the Mexican

But I like Americanized Mexican like we make at home.

[harmonicon]

32. mexican was my first thought...

however, I think I have to go with purposefully vague mediterranean / middle eastern, as it exists in some places: kebabs, falafel, pita bread, hummous, etc.

[SeattleGirl]

35. I can only pick one?

Well, okay, I guess I'd have to pick Thai food.

But Mexican is great!
So is Italian!
And Chinese!
And Ethiopian!

Damn, now I'm hungry!

[Richard Steele]

36. I'll say "Indian"- because that word actually covers DOZENS of different cuisines.

Kind of a cop-out, I suppose. (And more than a cop-out,
it's an example of the childishly simplistic way that
USA "culture" looks at the world.)

But, that being said, I can NEVER resist a good Saag,
or even a mediocre one, no matter what part of the SubContinent
the recipe came from.

[GCP]

39. Indian for me too

So many flavors, doesn't need to be hot and fiery. Delicious.

[cemaphonic]

47. Indian for me too, and you're right about the regional variation.

Really, most of the food at your average American or British Indian restaurant would probably be more accurately termed Anglo-Indian - a mixture of mostly Punjabi and Mughal dishes heavily modified by English and French cooking techniques. Chicken Tikka Masala is believed to be of Scottish origin, after all.

But yeah, that stuff is great, and so is the more authentically Indian (whatever that means for such a syncretic culture) recipes that I've found.

[Adsos Letter]

37. Gotta go with Mexican...

:9

[YankeyMCC]

38. Mediterranean

has it all, tasty, rich in tradition, diverse and healthy.

[MrScorpio]

51. Mediterranean squared

[LostinVA]

40. Greek and Italian

[annonymous]

42. Italian, Mexican or Thai

I can't decide between those three.

[The Inquisitive]

43. 1st Mediterranean, 2nd Japanese, 3rd Indian

[pokerfan]

48. 40+ replies and no one has suggested Irish

:rofl:

[Initech]

49. 1 - Mexican 2 - Italian 3 - Indian 4 - Vietnamese 5 - German

[Withywindle]

50. Indian, hands down.

I love the vivid flavors of East Asian cuisines, but they're a little light and insubstantial for me. (OK, OK, I admit it, it's true--I get hungry again just a couple hours later.)

Indian food has all the creativity and energy (and SPICINESS, mmmm) but also has a stick-to-your-ribs quality that's what I love most about my second-favorite cuisine, which is American Southern. Crawfish and catfish and BBQ, oh YEAH!

Close third: Vague Middle-eastern, or any cuisine with lamb shawarma and stuffed grape leaves and very garlicky hummus.

Close fourth after that: Ethiopian.

[LaurenG]

52. Yep, Indian -yum. nt

[MattSh]

53. Gotta go for Italian.

though I like Indian, Mexican, and heck, most others too.

[boilerbabe]

54. I hate food. "Thought this would be amusing. n/t