Your FIVE Favorite Ethnic Foods

Being that there are so many of us on here from so many different ethnic backgrounds and areas of the world, I though that it would be interesting to see what everyone's top 5 Ethnic type foods are with 1 being their most favorite.

1)Italian
2)Chinese
3)American (steaks, seafood, chops, burgers, hot dogs, fries, etc.)
4)Spanish
5)Kosher Style Delicatessen

I really don't think I eat 5 different Ethnic foods.

1. Italian
2. American
3. Chinese
4. Mexican
5. If I had to pick a fifth I'd pick Polish.

1. Italian
2. American
3. Chinese
4. Mexican
5. Hillbilly

Chinese
Italian
Thai
American
Mexican

I bet theres not many non americans who would pick "american food" in there top 5..because there is nothing special about it.LOL you can get a hamburger anywhere in the world..LOL

Italian
Chinese
Indian
German(traditionl)
Aussie(BBQs)

Chinese is #1. The remaining four, in no particular order, are Greek, Italian, Japanese and Thai. I used to like Korean food, but my tastes have changed and I find it too greasy now.

Italian
Chinese
Greek

Not sure about the last three, although I guess Spanish would be on there. Few things beat paella followed by flan. Perhaps French, although a good French restaurant is almost impossible to find.

I'm not big on Thai, and I don't particularly love Japanese, mostly because I have a fairly hearty appetite (as anyone here that has met me can testify).

If I had to add a category, I would have to say "Appetizers"! My favorite part of any wedding or dinner I've ever attended is the cocktail hour, mostly because I just love that kind of food. From pigs in a blanket to cheese and crackers to caviar, I love all that stuff, and would be happier to make a meal out of that than the entree. As long as there's a nice Viennese hour afterwards.

1) Mexican: There's nothing quite like an authentic Mexican taco, with the strips of carne asada, chopped onions and cilantro, on a homemade corn tortilla. Top it with a little pico de gallo and squeeze some lime, and you'll be in Heaven.

2) Italian: I'm a sucker for pasta. Spaghetti, baked ziti, lasagna, manicotti. And a good, ol' fashion pizza!

3) Chinese: Be honest...who doesn't love Chinese food? Hell, I could live off of chow mein.

4) American: Burgers and hot dogs are great and all, but I LOVE me some country food. Fried chicken. Baby back ribs. But my favorite "country" meal of all has to be Texas fried steak, mashed potatoes with gravy, and wilted lettuce salad. We don't have it NEARLY enough at my house.

I can't think of a 5th choice. I've tried Persian, Greek, and other ethnic foods, but not nearly enough to decide whether or not I'm a fan of their cuisine. I like what I've tried, but I haven't tried much.

Just looking at this is making me miserable (in the sense that I want some REALLY bad)

Here we go...

1) Vietnamese/Chinese/Japanese/Thai/Sushi
2) Italian/Seafood
3) Classic American/Steaks/BBQ/Deli/Fast Food
4) Mexican/etc (hold the cilantro, please, it makes me gag for some reason!)
5) French/German (only cuz I can't think of any others I've had)

Does that count as more than 5?

I went to an Indian restaurant once, and it left a bad taste in my mouth. Literally.

1)Italian
2)Chinese
3)American

1) Sicilian
2) Italian (yes there is a difference)
3) Portuguese
4) Spaniard (as in Spain, not hispanic)
5) Americana

I'd say asian, but thats way to vast to narrow down to even 3 continents

Sheesh. I thought you were a food expert.

1. Italian - any good tomato based sauce with a heavy pasta; a lighter pasta (like Angel Hair) with a clam sauce; a good piece of veal or chicken marsala;

2. New York Spanish - pasteles sin pique; a good arroz con pollo; fried platanos;

3. American - filet mignon is my favorite cut (Panico's and Shula's in Chicago were excellent); a good hamburger; baby back ribs (love Tony Roma's style); a good bowl of New England clam chowder;

4. Chinese - Peking duck and and some good fried rice (with lots of "stuff" in it!; mildly spicy General Tso's chicken (if cooked properly);

EDIT: Re the hamburgers... as far as "chains" go, the two best I've had were from Fuddruckers and Fat Burgers (Los Angeles).

Funny... I've totally gone AWAY from the tomato-based sauces for the most part... some hideaway pizzeria near me has GREAT entrees (somehow their pizzas suck, tho) -- but their sauces are INCREDIBLE! I love non-tomato-based sauces, sauteed in the pan w/ the pasta... with veggies... (non-jarred ) garlic... OMG... incredible!

Man, how can we disagree so much?? lol I went to Fuddruckers once (before they closed down here)... I tried the ostrich burger (which at that point I'd made myself a few times w/ great results), and thought it nothing special whatsoever. And I left there with a less than favorable opinion.

The best burgers are at White Rose System in Highland Park, NJ (and at least one other location)... minutes from where we were in New Brunswick, and I can't believe we didn't go there!

I'm too much of a traditionalist... a hamburger is not supposed to be made out of a bird... a very ugly bird at that!!

Same for pizza... pizza is supposed to have cheese and tomato sauce... MAYBE some sausage on it... add pineapple or some other unGodly topping and I'll say "Goodbye".

Well, don't get me wrong - I LOVE the beef burgers mostly! ... just never had a change to try one at FudgeFuckers... lol Maybe they were okay, I don't know...

For the record, IMHO, as far as fast food chains go, in general:
McDonalds > Wendy's > Burger King

I do miss Burger Chef, tho... that's a ways back so can't compare... but I loved it....!

But of course White Rose and White Castle rule if you GI systems can handle it! lol

As for pizza, I actually disagree... one of the best pies I've had the past year was a pizza w/ chicken and vodka sauce (you could also get it with ziti or both) -- from a local bar who just had it temporarily! I was pissed when it left the menu! Next best might be the cheese steak pizza, either from the same place or another one a mile away -- amazing!

Don't get me wrong... I love my "plain pie" (thin crust, especially).... but I also like "alternative" pies quite a bit!

1.Italian
2.Chinese
3.Mexican
4.Ethiopian
5.Indian

yum

I didn't think they had food in Ethiopia..

We have a Fuddruckers here in Downtown Baltimore, and I must say I was not that all impressed with it. It costs enough though.

Yes there is a difference in Italian and Sicilian foods and dishes. I for one love the Sicilian delicacies like Panelle, Arancini Di Riso, and Caponanta. But I tend to group them in with Italian foods in general.

As for Spanish food, like you, my preference are the traditional dishes from Spain and not the Hispanic styles. Although there are some Hispanic dishes that are delicious.


Burgers. Hmmm, that's a tough one. If we are talking fast food chain burgers, I might have to go with In and Out Burgers which are very popular out west, specifically in California.

As far as fast-food or restaurant burgers are concerned, the best I've ever had are from Yellow Basket Restaurants. There are only 3 locations, all in southern California (Santa Ana, Menifee, and Temecula), so I can only get them when I'm on vacation out west. If any of you west coasters ever get a chance, check 'em out. They're absolutely delicious.

Red Robin burgers are awesome, too!

I haven't enjoyed a burger since the Jack-In-The-Box Jumbo Jack.

There isn't any around here but I love Rally's burgers. And their fries - YUMMY!!

I'm dying to eat a good burger!

Stick with a turkey burger. You get to enjoy all the trimmings.

Interesting post on the Ethiopian listing... and yes, they have food there, and its very interesting, and spicy, in Montclair, NJ there is an Ethiopian restaurant right across the street from where Tony Soprano got shot by the 2 thugs posing as carjackers... in any case, the have this very very thin pancake that is made from a grain like wheat, chicken, chopped eggs, and I can't say its my favorite, but it is interesting, and spicy.

BURGERS: Not sure if its even still open, but '21' in NYC has a $21 burger... i hear its to die for... and, the very best I ever had was in the Stratosphere in Vegas -- Kobe Beef Burger, a bargin at $16, considering you are in a building nearly as tall as the Empire State Building, and the restaurant rotates... so in one hour you make a full 360 degree turn seeing outward toward Area 51, the outskirts of the dessert, and Martinis 2 for the price of one at lunch time, you really can't beat that experience... i think 3 of us dined for $100 and in my book thats cheap, especially since it was a great experience...

You must mean "Kobe-style" -- same cows, different continent -- you can't get Japanese Kobe here in the States unless that burger was gonna be more like $160. Or just plain lies.

This is pretty interesting reading about Wagyu beef...

You can get cuban cigars here, so you can also get kobe beef not sure what area it originated from but it was one of the best ever... in any case, most beef experts believe that US has always had the corner of the market on beef/cattle, no need to go outside of the country for beef of the very best quality, now, more than ever... and i have had kobe filet mignon (came frozen) but if you get a good, fresh, filet mignon, its even better.. freshness is always the key...

*Real* Kobe beef comes from Kobe, Japan. Unless you wanna pay $300 for an imported steak, you're getting the same Wagyu beef (maybe ;)), raised in the States instead -- and, probably raised much differently. That $16 burger was NOT Kobe... it was maybe Kobe-Style... (which I'm sure is still damn good, but still...!)

It's like *real* champagne only coming from France, as opposed to imitation sparkling wine...

Man, did you blow that answer!

Thai
Mexican
Indian
Mediterranean
Italian

And you're complaining?

1. Chinese
2. Korean
3. Italian
4. Mexican
5. American

Champagne only being "real" if it comes from the Champange region of France is a french law, we are in USA and anything in the process of being made for over 100 years that name becomes generic (like the "brand name" asprin)... Even French chefs admit (this is BiG and KEY) they ADMIT that many things in the USA are as good as or better than what they are in france... thank you California (that state is good for something)... as for the kobe beef argument... i dont care what it was, it was great, i loved it, it was a great experience and quite honestly, char broil any chopped meat and add cheese and bacon and serve it to me 100 flights up with a martini and i doubt ANYONE would know the difference, so let me enjoy that, would you pull-ease??? jeez!!

Enjoy it all you want... just don't call it what it isn't

Italian
Mexican
Chinese
Spanish
More Italian

(1st reserve: Thai)

It is what it is... I didn't make the menu, i didn't give it the name, but i will be sure to specify it as "JAPANESE Kobe" next time, just like i will refer to you as "VIRTUAL webmaster/moderator" :-P

If it was only $16, it WASN'T Japanese Kobe

I forgot about Greek
I love Greek food!

Yes, it WAS KOBE! (ok your turn to say no, its not! LOL)... if it was Jersey Kobe, it as still good lol. No wonder you have 20,000 posts.

As for Greek food, love the stuffed grape leaves... and feta, calamata olives, etc, not sure about the other stuff...

Well, here are my choices as of today:

1. Chinese and Italian. This is a tie - a virtual dead-heat because I like them both equally, in no particular order.

2. American - I have to subdivide this into (a) American Diner (yes, I consider the true, real American Diner to be worthy of a cuisine classification all its own, (b) American Regional (self explanatory) and (c) American Historical (one day I may post my recipe for Martha Washington's Chicken Fricassee).

3. Mexican - when it's prepared properly, there's nothing like it.

I have lots of other favorites - Middle Eastern, UK, Greek, Indian - but overall, the ones listed above are my personal favorites.

This week.

Signor V.

Look up "Kobe", biotch. It's ONLY from Japan. And certainly not less than a few hundred dollars here, not $16. At best, maybe it was Wagyu beef.

DV, it's a Top 5 list

As the lawyer said to the Japanese waiter:

SoSueMe.

Depending on how you tally up my choices, I come up with too many or too little. Such is life.

Either way you "slice" it, I always go "against the grain".

Sorta like Kobe Beef!

Vitelli-san

Geoff, there's always one in every crowd. Ours is Vitelli, but you gotta love him no matter what.

Getting away from Japanese Kobe Beef my favorite champagne is actually from Italy, and its called Prosecco... and my favorite AMERICAN champagne is Korbel... lol.

Getting back on track... I LOVED (past tense) LOVED indian food, i would go out for it on occassion, but i kind of burned out on it this past summer, I was shooting an indian wedding for 5 days straight... guess what i ate for 5 days straight? I never smelled garlic from my skin, but even after a week my skin still smelled of curry... i was eating garlic to flush the curry out of my system - as much as i love indian, 5 days of anything in a row is a lot to handle (or digest)...

As for american diner food, would that be burgers? salad? you know most are greek? so are we talking rubens, burgers, fries, salads or pancakes? Ever had genuine kobe beef in a diner? I think Geoff has, ask him about it lol.

I heard that you can get a great Kobe burger for $16, if you know where to go!

JR, friends of ours who are from England brought over a lovely French bubbly. It was very good and ridiculously cheap. They used to drink it all the time in France, but hadn't had it for years. Lo and behold, they found it in our local liquor store. Darned if I can remember the name of it, though!! I'll try to find out. It's not sweet, but I wouldn't term it a Brut either. Just nice and light, perfect for a summer evening.

1. Italian
2. Puerto Rican
3. Japanese (sushi)
4. Indian
5. Soul Food

JR, I emailed my friend. The French sparkling wine is Veuve du Vernay. When I say it's cheap, I'm not kidding (I've gotten it for as little as $6), but it also happens to be a very nice sparkling wine. Give it a try some time.

I think i may have heard of it but will check it out next time I am at my local liquor store (which is more like a warehouse) so i will definitely look for it, i need to stock up, i m down low on some key liquors... when my busy season dies down, who is up for a cocktail party at my place in caldwell?

Supply & Demand at work, people!

ME!! ME!!!

Depends. Will you be serving REAL Kobe Beef or the fake $16 version?

Most of these five are the English-catered versions that you'd find in takeaways and restaurants over here; I'm not sure if I'd fall for them in their own country, since I've been told they're all quite different in their native, respective regions (though my #4 is on there solely because of the massive banquet my French flatmate once prepared for the European freshers at university, which I'd say is one of the nicest things I've ever tasted).

1. Italian
2. Indian
3. Chinese
4. French
5. Turkish

Capo, what actually is Turkish food? What kind of dishes does it consist of?

I mean I know that they use the same meats, poultry and fishes that most other cultures use, but do they prepare them differently? In different kinds of sauces or something?

Turkish cuisine can often overlap with other countries round the Balkan region (because of the Ottoman Empire); when I went to Greece I certainly saw a lot of that. Again, with the others on my list, for the most part my experience has been in restaurants or takeaways catered to the English taste (because of the holiday resort I go to is catered to English tourists, etc.), though I have tasted proper stuff, and it's amazing.

Their kebabs (sis and doner) are obviously notable because of their fame, but the Turks are also known for their pilav (rice dishes) and borek (pastry dishes). A lot of their dishes are served with separate plates of vegetables; not sure how they're prepared, but aubagines figure a lot (and they're gorgeous), as do tomatoes, onions and peppers - and rice, too. The most recurrent meat dish I've come across is lamb, and it's usually so fine that it's falling off the bone.

Actually, my two culinary highlights in Turkey have been very different from one another; one was ordered in a restaurant at a reasonable time of the evening, the other was an impromptu, home-made dish served at about five o'clock in the morning and shared generously with my sister and I by someone who hardly spoke any English - telling of how food really is a universal bridge between cultures. In fact, I think the two best ways of delving into a culture is via its food and its arts (literature and painting, because those two are often the oldest).

Anyway, back to these two dishes: the first was called "Ottoman Dish for Two" or something. My dad and I ate it: it was served on a wooden stake, symmetrical, with two sides, with various meats, peppers, chillis and rice; Turkish bread (divine) and, to share between us, sitting above a little flame, was a casserole of some sort. I was ignorant of specifics at the time, and I still don't know exact ingredients or preparations, but my memory has not subdued the taste one bit.

The second, served that morning in half-darkness as dawn was just breaking and you could hear the crickets chirping their relentless chirp, was in fact a Kurdish dish, so shouldn't really count (though I imagine what goes as "Turkish" in most tourist places actually borrows from the remnants of its own empire). It was served in a large, flattish pan. It was a mixture of bread and egg cooked together, with peppers and tomatoes in. It was astonishing. My sister and I were like polite vultures; you've got to eat these things with your hands, or else it's no good. You've got to tear at it like a barbarian, pulling bits off and folding them up (because the texture crumbles, because it can get messy). I remember the guy just smiling and saying, "Good, good", chuckling with pleasure at my own pleasure, a result of his culinary skill and social generosity.

On top of that, one of the most refreshing drinks you can ever have is Turkish tea. And one of the nicest desserts I've ever had is baklava - divine in itself, but eat with two lumps of gleaming white ice cream and you'll just about ejaculate.

I also have a taste for Efes, the local beer.

I like baklava, but I somehow cannot imagine with ice cream!

Two little scoops, so that the different textures do not compete with one another or outweigh one another; yeah, two little scoops provides equilibrium.

And sexual satisfaction.

Thanks Capo.

Have you a sweet tooth, DC? I recommend especially a square or so of baklava (anything more and you'd feel guilty, like a decadent king), with two scoops of ice cream. I imagine it's easy to find if you've never had it before, in New York anyway.

I should have also mentioned that a lot of meat dishes are grilled in Turkish cuisine. Dunno how they do their lamb, though, because they're about as succulent as a, well, I don't know what.

By the way, I suppose American cuisine would be in my top five somewhere too. I eat enough of it, so it ought to be really.

There's a GREAT Greek restaurant in the City that I love (Molyvos). They have awesome baklava, although I've never tried it with ice cream.

Speaking of lamb, their grilled baby lambchops are to die for!!

I've had baklava. But I've never had it with ice cream. I'll have to try it. Sounds good.

My list:

1. Chinese (Mu shu, kung pao, Peking duck, I could eat all day.)
2. Italian (So good that I married one. ;))
3. Americana (Steaks, BBQ, seafood, fried chicken and meat loaf)
4. Slovak (Halupki, pierogis...some of the best food on Earth.)
5. Mexican (When it's authentic, it feels like you're in heaven.)

What are these and do they have any good vegetarian dish you know of?

Halupki is a stuffed cabbage dish. It has meat and rice wrapped up in cabbage leaves and is delicious!! My grandmother used to make it and I absolutely loved it!

Pierogies are kinds of dumplings usually filled with potatoes but many other fillings can be used. I love the potatoes ones and will pan fry about 10 at a time. You can put some sour cream on them, or simply some butter and they make an excellent dinner by themselves or you can use them as a side dish. Many stores now carry them in their frozen food sections (but they're not as good as freshly made - which is somewhat time consuming).

You may wanna try some treska - its a combination of fish (generally cod), onions, mayo and some veggies (carrots and sometimes people add potatoes).... you serve it cold and its a decent meal in itself.

1) Sicilian
2) Kosher
3) Italian
4) German
5) Mexican

Indian
Chinese
Lebanese
Italian
Caribbean

Italian
Chinese
Mediterranean
Indian
German

Italian
Cuban
Thai
Polish
Mexican

Italian
Mexican
Hungarian
Russian
Japanese

sicilian, greek, cuban,jewish deli, argentinian

Pizza (Italy)
Tacos (Mexico)
Hamburgers (Germany)
Fries (France)
Fried Chicken (Kentucky)

When I moved to New York a friend took me to a Jewish deli, I was expecting a meal I would not like, I loved it, the sandwiches were gigantic, enough roast beef in one for a meal. It was more of an American style place, as most ethnic food places are. I had a good one not far from where I live and it closed, I'm still mad about that.

I just caught on to your last one, funny.