Some of your favorite foods come from other countries. Hamburgers and hot dogs originated in Germany; pizza is Italian. So if you like those…
May We Suggest: Bangers and mash
What Is It? It’s part of a British lunch or dinner. A banger is a type of sausage, a bit plumper and curvier than a hot dog and quite a bit spicier. It’s usually pan-fried or deep-fried in batter. “Mash” is short for mashed potatoes.
For breakfast, the British love rashers (bacon), black pudding (a kind of sausage), white pudding (another kind of sausage), eggs, stewed tomatoes, and kidneys.
May We Suggest: Spotted dick
What Is It? It’s a dessert. The earliest recipes for it appeared in England in 1847. To make it, take a flat sheet of dough, cover it with sugar and raisins, then roll it up and boil or bake it. Voilà! You’ve got spotted dick.
May We Suggest: Haggis, neeps, and tatties
What Is It? It’s the national dish of Scotland. And people either love it or hate it. Haggis is actually a sheep’s stomach stuffed with all of the other internal parts of the sheep mixed with ground oatmeal. It’s sort of like a huge sausage. It’s traditionally served on New Year’s Eve with neeps and tatties (mashed turnips and mashed potatoes).
Six official languages of the U.N.: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Spanish, and Russian.
May We Suggest: Poi
What Is It? It’s a Hawaiian side dish—a starchy gray pudding that is made from the root of the taro plant (which looks something like a hairy potato). Many people around the world eat taro, but only the Hawaiians make poi. One description of poi is that it tastes “like library paste…without the flavor.” Some Hawaiians like it fresh, but many prefer day-old poi, when it’s a little sour. The best way to eat it is with your fingers. In fact, poi consistency is measured by how many fingers you need to scoop up a mouthful. Two-fingered poi is considered ono! (The best!)
May We Suggest: Blood pudding
What Is It? It’s another kind of pudding…one made with blood—lots of it. Blood pudding was first made in the days when people slaughtered their own hogs. Not wanting to waste any part of the pig, they saved the blood and mixed it with raisins, sugar, nuts, cooked rice, oranges, figs, and spices. Then the mixture was baked in the oven and served warm. It may not be as popular as it once was, but blood pudding is still considered a holiday classic in England, Ireland, and French Canadian provinces.
A mosquito can drink more than 11/2 times its own weight in blood.