What regional food do you have that's stayed regional?

[purplepoppy]

Some foods travel well and others, well they barely leave the neighbourhood. American grits for example are well known as a hillbilly belly filler but virtually unseen elsewhere.

So do you have any regional foods that haven't taken off elsewhere? Pictures are a few I can think of from around the world.

[Elf_Erectus]

As Santa's personal plaything, I'm not just on the naughty list, I am the naughty list. And let me tell you, the punishments I receive are like regional delicacies that even the bravest of adventurers wouldn't dare to taste. Imagine being flogged by a red-nosed reindeer, having clothespins adorned not with love, but with tiny, icy-cold testicular tormentors. Or when I'm tied to a Christmas tree, not for decoration, but as the star attraction, my limbs bound and spread eagle, quite literally—wrists tied to my ankles, and then to the tree, like a present wrapped in ribbons and bows.

Oh, and don't forget the annual candy cane sodomy, a sweet and painful insertion that leaves me jollier than old St. Nick himself. There are the golden showers, both from above and below, drenching me in a storm of ecstasy and agony. And then there's the good ol' Santa cock worship, a regional favorite that never fails to put the ho in ho ho ho.

Forced homosexuality, like a yule-tide game of Twister, twisting me into positions I never knew were possible. The verbal humiliation, like a hearty dose of coal in my stocking, branding me with shame and hot iron marks. Whipping me into submission, like a snowflake in a furnace, and asphyxiation, oh the thrill of having a pine-scented branch lodged firmly in my windpipe!

But fear not, for amidst all this regional fare, I still find joy in the little things, like the tingly sensation of a thousand animal roleplays, where I'm always the reindeer getting ploughed in the ass. So, while other elves may be churning out batches of fruitcake, I, Elf Erectus, am the spicy, five-alarm Christmas chili, unique to the North Pole's BDSM kitchen.

[WhiteSteve]

To the north of Boston (Massachusetts, USA) there’s the “North Shore Beef”, which is a particular kind of roast beef sandwich. It’s slow-cooked to be super tender, sliced thin and served hot, on a hamburger-style roll (onion roll if you’re a pro😎), with barbecue sauce, cheese, and many folks like mayonnaise as well (ordered as “three-way”). You can get whatever you want on it, I guess, but that’s the traditional way. I just do sauce and cheese, myself.

A girl I dated like 20 years ago was from this town, and she put me on to this place and North Shore Beefs in general. Shout out to Dena from the Boogie Down Bev😝

https://www.youtube.com/embed/BhTrQXRVoEs

Then, in the suburbs to the south of the city, there’s South Shore Bar Pizza. I personally think it sucks, lmao, too buttery and sweet for pizza, in this man’s opinion. But a lot of people love it around here…

https://www.youtube.com/embed/5dnr-vTWRXU

[jennifer_bloom]

Canada has the lobster sandwich in PEI but not in other parties of Canada, and I live in Toronto where they do not have it. I don't think most cities have lobster sandwiches, since the bread is considered too cheap in comparison to the lobster.

I was born in China and there are two foods there that are never imported, one is a giant version of the Persimmon which is 3 times bigger than the imported version of Persimmon you see at grocery stores in North America and Europe, because the giant version expires too quickly to be imported to other countries. The other is that there are people who make bean custard cakes out of processed and ground up flower. This product is almost never sold outside of China cause without preservatives, it goes bad within 72 hours so cannot be imported.

[12karen]

A traditional dessert made from ground peanuts, banana, and rice flour, Koba is wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. It has a unique flavor and is often enjoyed as a snack.

Or the rice cake, the best traditional breakfast.

Those white fluffy cakes

[AI Opinion]

Many regional foods remain local delights, untouched by global fame. An example is the Filipino delicacy balut, a fertilized duck egg with a developing embryo inside, often enjoyed by locals but remains mostly regional due to its unique nature. Similarly, hákarl, the Icelandic fermented shark, is beloved in Iceland but little known beyond. Some dishes stay regional gems because they're deeply rooted in local culture and traditions, offering experiences that may not always translate well internationally. Food like these remind me of places like street side vendors in Bali, where a taste can transport you right back to that vibrant atmosphere. 🌏🍽️

[DryGermanGuy]

I would nominate the Spätzle dumpling.

Spätzle with cheese and onions

[goaded]

I'd have called it a kind of pasta, but you're right, everyone else has gone with mac and cheese.

Hungry now.

[DryGermanGuy]

Both texture and taste make it too different from pasta, at least from my taste's point of view.

[goaded]

My mother's dumplings were heavy with suet; Spätzle's airy.

[MrOracle]

The only one that comes to mind is tri-tip roasts. For decades, this was seen as a poor cut of beef and was used for processed meat or even pet food, because people hadn't figured out how to cook it..

In the 80s, some people in California started buying these cheap and figured out how to marinate them and roast them on a BBQ grill, and most commonly, would slice the roast into thick slices and make tri-tip sandwiches. By the 90s, this became so popular that California was buying the entire country's supply of tri-tip roasts, and so this delicious meat isn't really available anywhere else, or is uncommon at best.

California has lots of food trucks, diners, snack bars, fairs, and similar places that make good money selling tri-tip sandwiches. It's definitely a state specialty.

[andreasderjuengere]

From around here: dry fried crickets

From my original 'home': ''Kohl und Pinkel'' ... Kale, and a specific kind of sausage

[LiamS95]

Grits isn't only a staple in the southern hilly billy country states. We have cheddar cheese gritscwith sausage gravy and fresh made biscuitscoften for breakfast here in Toronto Canada. Our food markets and restaurants here are full of diverse foods from many nations as we're a highly multi cultural society.

[AviatorTom]

Grits are Southern US, especially shrimp n grits. You can get grits in other areas but they're on the menu in virtually everywhere in the South.

[SquishyBuns2628]

My grandmother is from the south and made us grits (when I was younger) for breakfast when I was younger with eggs and sausage or bacon.

As I got older I cook it sometimes for weekend breakfast or if I have left over seafood like shrimp.

[exitseven]

My ex girlfriend from Oklahoma used to make grits. I really liked them but have not had them in many years.

I live in New England and we have baked beans and schrod.

[mandyfire98]

We are obviously lnown for our fried chicken here in Kentucky, that and our bourbon. But just regional only I'd say burgoo or hot brown sandwich.

[RSav4013]

Italian beef sandwiches here in Illinois and where i grew up in Detroit, they have Coney Dogs that never really got popular anywhere else.

[jamesgoldman]

Probably the local line of gypsy tart, diabetes in a pastry case given the filling is evaporated milk and brown sugar

[Anonymous]

Have you ever travelled in the US? It appears that what you know is based upon what you have read on the internet, and that is a biased source of knowledge.

[Ironco]

You mean not everyone eats, "peanut butter and pickle sandwiches?"

[KrakenAttackin]

Grits are Southern, not "hillbilly".

[Iron_Man]

Turkey Dogs cheap garbage hotdog filler

[Iron_Man]

And cheese dogs?

[Staximus]

Bbq tri tip roast

[KittygosMeoWW]

Mexican blood pork sausage

[Agape93]

Ployes

[goaded]

New food! If you like that, you might like an Indian Dosa.

[Agape93]

Probably, looks similar.

For ployes, personally I recommend dipping it into sour cream mixed with bacon bits. So fucking good

[lorenzomichael]

Captain crunch

[ilkeerol28]

Make pilaf at home.