Local Delicacies

[Tsuyoiko]

In my neck of the woods we have a cherished local delicacy called Staffordshire oatcakes. The oatcake industry is apparently Britain's oldest surviving food industry. We are very proud of it around here, as oatcakes are healthy, delicious, cheap and very easy to cook with.

Staffordshire oatcakes are nothing like the more familiar Scottish oatcakes - they are shaped like pancakes, and, like pancakes, are usually eaten rolled up.



Oatcakes are generally savoury - they are most often filled with melted cheese or eaten with a full English breakfast. My favourite filling is cheddar cheese and onion :gohan: When I was little I liked to eat them with golden syrup - but I have lost my sweet tooth since then!

When I say Staffordshire oatcakes are a local delicacy, I don't mean like Yorkshire puddings, which you can get anywhere. They really are local to Staffordshire and surrounding counties, and are pretty hard to find outside.

Around here we have oatcake shops, which sell cooked oatcakes with various fillings - usually cheese or breakfast ingredients like sausage, bacon and baked beans - as a takeaway. These shops are very common - almost as common as chip shops. There is one in my street and another within 10 minutes walk. You can also buy them in any supermarket or corner shop to cook at home. They really are cheap - 6 oatcakes costs around 50p, which I think is about 75cUS.

Has anyone tried Staffordshire oatcakes? Do you have any delicacies local to your town or region?

 

[nice gaijin]

Those look good! How would you compare them to a crêpe? I'm guessing the materials are different, but they look similar to what are sold as crêpes around here.

Is it customary in England to eat pancakes rolled up? I find that interesting as well; they're usually served flat here, I suppose rolling them up is just a personal preference in these parts.

 

[Tsuyoiko]

Hi Nice Gaijin. I think what I mean by pancakes is what you call crepes - which we eat rolled up, usually with lemon juice and sugar. Aren't American pancakes smaller and a bit thicker?

Anyway, our oatcakes look a lot like crepes, but they taste very different. It is hard to describe, as there is nothing else quite like them! Here is a recipe to give you an idea: Staffordshire Oatcake Recipe - Food.com

 

[]-wandering-raven-[]

http://www.doopsuiker-leonidas-wevelgem.be/images/pralines_leonidas.gif
Belgian chocolate,the leonidas pralines.
Aslo,we have really good french fries, because we fry them Twice.
And ofcourse belgian beer,Wich is know till into Japan ^_^
I once remember this article bout a band saying they started loving belgian beer that they drank in Japan.

 

[Mars Man]

:bikkuri: :gohan: Oh no !! and I'm still trying to lose what I packed up from that eating trip back to the States this past year end.

They look so scrumptious Tsuyoiko. . .

In the area where I live, there are not any really special sweet treats that I know of.

 

[Flashjeff]

Quite delightful, Tsuyoiko! Looks yummy too! Here in Philly, we have our own legendary cuisine that's known the world over----THE CHEESESTEAK!!!

Mouthwatering, eh? Well, of course it is! Here's the history of the famous cheesesteak:

During the 1930s in the Italian immigrant section of South Philadelphia, Pat Olivieri sold hot dogs and sandwiches. Business was not doing well, so he decided to make lunch for himself. He had a slab of steak that he could not cook on the hot dog grill. So he sliced it thin, then put it on the grill, added some onions for taste, and put it onto a roll. Pat never got a bite because a cab driver drove by, smelled the sandwich, and asked how much? He didn't know what to charge, so he charged a nickel. The cab driver supposedly said, ﾂ"Hey . . . forget about those hot dogs, you should sell these.ﾂ" It was not until 20 years later that cheese was added to the sandwich by a longtime employee, Joe Lorenzo, who was tired of the usual sandwich and added some cheese. And the legend of the Philly cheesesteak was born.

The Philly cheesesteak is truly one of the most delightful and beloved foods available in my town. It's said by most Philadelphians that if a restaurant offers something called a "Philly Cheese Steak" then it's not authentic. According to Philadelphians, you simply cannot make an authentic Philly cheesesteak sandwich without an authentic Philadelphia roll. The rolls must be long and thin, not fluffy or soft, but also not too hard. We're also extremely territorial about cheesesteaks, if you're more than one hour from South Philly, you can't make an authentic sandwich. And thus is the fame and legend of the Philly cheesesteak!

 

[nice gaijin]

damn jeff, I think I had a heart attack just looking at that photo! is there a doctor in the house?

 

[Minty]

Those look good! How would you compare them to a crêpe? I'm guessing the materials are different, but they look similar to what are sold as crêpes around here.
Is it customary in England to eat pancakes rolled up? I find that interesting as well; they're usually served flat here, I suppose rolling them up is just a personal preference in these parts.

I think the French don't eat oats. I have never seen oat products here in France. I have even asked my husband about it, he asked "Is it British?"

Hi Nice Gaijin. I think what I mean by pancakes is what you call crepes - which we eat rolled up, usually with lemon juice and sugar. Aren't American pancakes smaller and a bit thicker?

Anyway, our oatcakes look a lot like crepes, but they taste very different. It is hard to describe, as there is nothing else quite like them! Here is a recipe to give you an idea: Staffordshire Oatcake Recipe - Food.com

The French don't consider their crepes as pancakes. You can buy pancakes here in France, and its imported American food.:stan:

 

[Nana007]

Being from that magical city called New Orleans we have many many local delicacies known across the world:

Red Beans and Rice-always eaten on a Monday.
Our famous crawfish and the many many dishes that can be cooked with it.
Seafood Gumbo or our Okra Gumbo take your pick.
Andoille Sausage
Bread Pudding
Stuffed Bellpepers
Boudan Sausage
Turkey Necks

I could go on and on, but nothing beats the New Orleans Po'Boy, not even your Philly Cheese Steak FlashJeff, In fact I could go for a hot sausage poboy on french dressed sloppy.

 

[Minty]

One of the local delicacy here is a tart made of onion, bacon and cream called Tarte flambee.

This savoury tart is also called flammenkuche. This is from the Alsace region of France and is thin-crusted bread dough that is topped with a layer of fresh cheese and a scattering of cooked onion and smoked bacon.

The first time I had flammenkuche was with my husband and it's his favourite local fast-food. A crisp, crunchy, almost-burnt crust with this combination of sweet onions, tart cheese and smoky bacon. I actually had trouble to digest this food at the beginning because in my diet then was mainly just Asian foods, there were little dairy products in my diet at that time. You are supposed to eat it with Alsatian Riesling (Alsatian wine for tarte flambee).

Below is a picture of it.

 

[Tsuyoiko]

Wow, I'm hungry now!

You're right about Belgian fries Raven - they are the best. Except that you don't have vinegar. I've gotta have vinegar on my chips!

I know how you feel about the cheesesteak Jeff - we are the same about our oatcakes. When I was looking for the picture I saw one of Scottish oatcakes, but the caption said Staffordshire oatcakes. I wanted to sue someone!

I didn't know they have bread pudding in New Orleans Nana. We have bread pudding here. It is made from stale bread and butter with raisins, soaked in milk and egg. I don't like it! Is your bread pudding anything like that?

Minty, I can't tell from the picture, but is tarte flambee anything like tarte tatin? I know that is usually made with apples, but I have made it with different kinds of onion instead - red onion, Spanish onion and shallots all mixed together. That is delicious!

 

[Minty]

Wow, I'm hungry now!
Minty, I can't tell from the picture, but is tarte flambee anything like tarte tatin? I know that is usually made with apples, but I have made it with different kinds of onion instead - red onion, Spanish onion and shallots all mixed together. That is delicious!

There is a sweet version of "Tarte Flambee" and it is with apple but it is called ﾂ"Tarte Flambee avec Pommesﾂ", ﾂ"Tarte Tatinﾂ" tastes completely different from ﾂ"Tarte Flambee avec Pommes.ﾂ" ﾂ"Tarte Tatinﾂ" is an upside down caramelized-apple tart, it is a classic French dessert where as ﾂ"Tarte Flambee avec Pommesﾂ" is a thin crusty Alsatian 'sweet pizza' made from bread dough and topped with cream and apple.

I would love to try the Staffordshire oatcakes. I like oats but I don't think it exists here, maybe I can find them in Australia? I will seek when I get back to OZ.;-)

 

[Flashjeff]

I could go on and on, but nothing beats the New Orleans Po'Boy, not even your Philly Cheese Steak FlashJeff, In fact I could go for a hot sausage poboy on french dressed sloppy.

Well, I had the opportunity to enjoy a Po'Boy while in New Orleans back in 1990. It was great, but not like the Philly Cheesesteak! Heh! And besides, the cheesesteak is so famous that people from coast to coast try to copy it in restaurants and local eateries. That's how big it is!