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Author Topic: Food from the FSU; What did you love? What did you hate?  (Read 12253 times)

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Online 2tallbill

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Food from the FSU; What did you love? What did you hate?
« on: September 29, 2017, 10:16:32 AM »
I like almost everything, but I liked some things much more than others.

Things I loved? Really too many to list, I will try later

Georgian
Khachapuri
Khinkali
Lobio
Kupati
Puri
Tkmali sauce
Kharcho spicy soup


They have many, many breads and cheese varieties that I can't remember the
names but were great.




Things that I didn't like
Holodetz/Kholodets, which is  I would give it a thumbs down 90% of the time,
but then I had it from my wife, mother in law and my wifes BFF where it was actually
good. What is holodetz? it's meat jelly, and apparently and acquired taste that I don't
care for.

What did my wife and MIL do differently? They made meat with a little bit
of jelly and called it holodetz. Well, I like meat and I heat it up in the microwave
(which horrifies my wife) and the jelly turns into meat juices and makes the meat
juicy and not dry.

Tkmali sauce from a bottle in the USA. I am crazy in love with the tkmali
sauce that I had in Georgia, but I found it bottled in a Russian store so I
bought it and it tasted like sour ketchup. It wasn't horrible but it wasn't
good either. 

I hate liver, but every country has a liver recipe so if they made it in Dumpsk
I would hate their recipe too. I won't try it unless, not trying it would offend
somebody. I can choke almost anything down, and I will do it for somebodies
cherished grandmother, but only if she is cherished. If she is some cranky ole
bat then I won't eat it.

« Last Edit: September 29, 2017, 10:36:36 AM by 2tallbill »
FSUW are not for entry level daters
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If you find a promising girl, get your butt on a plane.
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Offline Pkeel1

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Re: Food from the FSU what did you love what did you hate?
« Reply #1 on: September 29, 2017, 10:38:40 AM »
I love to try different dishes and one of the most interesting parts of the travel was the food.

I'm not sure there was anything I disliked.  In particular, in no special order, foods I really enjoyed were the following:

Georgian
khachupuri - I have even made this at home for myself
kharcho - Beef soup with a tangy taste from a plum sauce
ckmeruli - fried chicken finished by baking smothered in cream and herbs
kubdari - Meat filled flat bread
The Georgian lemonade is also amazing.


Ukrainian: please forgive spelling errors
pelmeni
holobsti - I think this is the name for a cabbage roll type of food
borsch
cutlets - This is what the lady told me it was, it was ground meat formed into a patty. 
Pork steak at Sevastopol Hotel
A small fried fish in Sevastopol.  I have no idea what it was, but it was amazing.
Uzvar - drink made from dried fruits especially pears.

Montenegro:
Pizza - most amazing pizza I have ever had.
Shrimp and pasta meal, taste was great, but I did not like having to peel the shrimp.
Cold cuts - I have no idea what these were called, but they were all amazing.  So much better than what I find locally.

I've never understood how you can travel to another country and not come away without some favorite new dishes.  I made kubdari yesterday for my lunch.  But I am a foodie and I can't remember a single meal that I had that wasn't good, although, the McDonalds in Ukraine I ate at once was definitely the lowest point of the taste experience.

Offline wallm

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Re: Food from the FSU; What did you love? What did you hate?
« Reply #2 on: September 29, 2017, 10:45:08 AM »
Ukraine has some amazing food. In nice restaurants, the decor and ambiance are also very nice.

Georgian (Shoti in Kiev)
I liked Fried Suluguni, Kachapuri, Spit-roasted lamb. Loved the georgian wine.
Didn't like the Khinkali.

Bao Chinese in Kiev
Their desserts are to die for. Yes, in a chinese restaurant. Rest of the menu is excellent, especially the Singaporean chili crab.

Bernardazzi in Odessa
Loved the Lamb tongues in truffle sauce.

Georgian was easily the most pleasant surprise. Love it.

Offline jone

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Re: Food from the FSU; What did you love? What did you hate?
« Reply #3 on: September 29, 2017, 12:28:12 PM »
Love Georgian food.

Still hate Salo.
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Online 2tallbill

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Re: Food from the FSU; What did you love? What did you hate?
« Reply #4 on: September 29, 2017, 12:40:04 PM »
Love Georgian food.

Still hate Salo.

I tried sushi once, I took it home and cooked it up. It tastes like fish.  :D

Salo is bacon served raw but in Ukraine it's mostly just the fat. It's cheaper
to buy just fat rather than the meat with fat, like the bacon we get in the
USA or Canada. I'll bet you could visualize putting a piece of pork fat in
a pot of beans or a soup for flavor, but you don't eat it after the beans
are done, you toss it and eat the beans or soup.

FSUW are not for entry level daters
FSUW don't do vague
FSUW like a man of action. Be a man of action 
If you find a promising girl, get your butt on a plane.
There are a hundred ways to be successful and a thousand ways to f#ck it up
Just kiss the girl, don't ask her first. Tolerate NO excuses!

Offline msmob

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Re: Food from the FSU; What did you love? What did you hate?
« Reply #5 on: September 29, 2017, 01:09:09 PM »
Salo  :puke:

Offline jone

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Re: Food from the FSU; What did you love? What did you hate?
« Reply #6 on: September 29, 2017, 01:20:41 PM »
I tried sushi once, I took it home and cooked it up. It tastes like fish.  :D

Salo is bacon served raw but in Ukraine it's mostly just the fat. It's cheaper
to buy just fat rather than the meat with fat, like the bacon we get in the
USA or Canada. I'll bet you could visualize putting a piece of pork fat in
a pot of beans or a soup for flavor, but you don't eat it after the beans
are done, you toss it and eat the beans or soup.

Don't need visualizations to determine whether I like something or not.  That's what tastebuds are for. 

 :mooning:
Kissing girls is a goodness.  It beats the hell out of card games.  - Robert Heinlein

Online 2tallbill

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Re: Food from the FSU; What did you love? What did you hate?
« Reply #7 on: September 29, 2017, 01:35:06 PM »
Don't need visualizations to determine whether I like something or not.  That's what tastebuds are for. 

 :mooning:

Ok, if you feel that way about it........................ I'll stop with the visualizations. 




 :D
FSUW are not for entry level daters
FSUW don't do vague
FSUW like a man of action. Be a man of action 
If you find a promising girl, get your butt on a plane.
There are a hundred ways to be successful and a thousand ways to f#ck it up
Just kiss the girl, don't ask her first. Tolerate NO excuses!

drsecu

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Re: Food from the FSU; What did you love? What did you hate?
« Reply #8 on: September 29, 2017, 01:59:22 PM »
Since I may be responsible for this thread, I'd like to point out any soup made with Beets has a ceiling, I mean if beets were good we would eat them all the time, they grow here also.

drsecu

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Re: Food from the FSU; What did you love? What did you hate?
« Reply #9 on: September 29, 2017, 02:00:51 PM »
Salo  :puke:

I had this pieced of lard on bread... with homemade moonshine.

Offline Boethius

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Re: Food from the FSU; What did you love? What did you hate?
« Reply #10 on: September 29, 2017, 02:41:50 PM »
Beets do appear on menus in North America, often in high end restaurants.  Beet and goat cheese salads are very popular, usually served with a variety of golden and red beets.   Food magazines routinely feature beet recipes -

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/slideshow/roast-em-fry-em-grate-em-38-ways-cook-eat-beets

Apparently, to some people, beets taste like dirt.  It depends on tastebuds (just as to some, cilantro tastes like soap).  I love both beets and cilantro. 

Salo - it's not really like bacon fat.  You have to really know your salo supplier, because it will taste like what the pig ate.  MIL has always had one supplier at the market, who is from Belarus (they have the best salo), and fed his pigs only potatoes.  I was hesitant to try it, as I generally don't like the taste of animal fats, but I did on rye bread, and I have to say, it was delicious. 

Kholodetz (in Western Ukraine, called studenetz) - It's basically just aspic, which was popular in North America in the 1950's as well.  The key is to have a clear jelly, not murky or cloudy.

The better half tells me that the absolute best kholodetz is made with whitefish.  His Grandmother used to make this, with a parsley leaf on top of each piece of fish, and he said it was delicious.  He doesn't eat fish anymore, so I haven't made it, though I could never compete with his Grandmother, cooking wise, in any event.
« Last Edit: September 29, 2017, 07:01:02 PM by Boethius »
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Offline GQBlues

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Re: Food from the FSU; What did you love? What did you hate?
« Reply #11 on: September 29, 2017, 03:22:12 PM »
I first tasted 'salo' at a Bratislava bar with friends. While enjoying Zlaty Bazant, a friend pulled something wrapped in plastic from his leather jacket. Unwrapped it on the table and cut slivers off that log, and handed it out to everyone. While everyone else was excited to take their piece, I was still trying to figure out what the heck it was. Warm fat.

Yum... :-\

Notable FSU delight for me (not necessarily in this order)

plov
manti
chebureki
somsa
nalistnik
salted herring

As for soup: Uha & Kharcho

The most disgusting thing ever to glide through my tongue while in Russia: Kvas. Taste like warm uncarbonated Coke, mixed with unsalted soy sauce left out in the sun to ferment for a month. I can't believe my wife still buys that stuff. Poor thing. Gives me goose bumps just thinking about it.
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Offline msmob

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Re: Food from the FSU; What did you love? What did you hate?
« Reply #12 on: September 29, 2017, 07:29:18 PM »

The most disgusting thing ever to glide through my tongue while in Russia: Kvas. Taste like warm uncarbonated Coke, mixed with unsalted soy sauce left out in the sun to ferment for a month. I can't believe my wife still buys that stuff. Poor thing. Gives me goose bumps just thinking about it.

Love it on a hot day... Sold on many street corners in Sochi - very refreshing;)   

Salted / Oily fish and dried fish also on my  :puke: list

Love just about everything else

..other than Salads in aspic jelly - What's that "*** in a blanket" ... ?  Yuk ))

Online 2tallbill

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Food from the FSU; What did you love? What did you hate?
« Reply #13 on: June 24, 2019, 09:38:28 AM »
We have many members who haven't commented on
what foods they liked/hated and thereby educating the
Newbies, so I gave this thread a little Bump


FSUW are not for entry level daters
FSUW don't do vague
FSUW like a man of action. Be a man of action 
If you find a promising girl, get your butt on a plane.
There are a hundred ways to be successful and a thousand ways to f#ck it up
Just kiss the girl, don't ask her first. Tolerate NO excuses!

Offline ML

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Re: Food from the FSU; What did you love? What did you hate?
« Reply #14 on: June 24, 2019, 12:49:51 PM »
Blini rolled up with soft homemade cheese, walnuts and honey.
Actually the same as crepes, except I never had much crepes and not with this combination.
Quite fascinating that Ukrainian gals can make these very thin, then use their fingernail to raise an edge enough to get enough hold to flip them over.  No utensils needed.

Actually I should be using the Ukrainian word Mlyntsi but wife not here to check if this is correct word and spelling.
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Offline msmob

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Re: Food from the FSU; What did you love? What did you hate?
« Reply #15 on: June 25, 2019, 12:30:37 AM »
Takhun - a drink made from Tarragon ..looks bright green and 'un-natural'

Try it !

Offline Gator

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Re: Food from the FSU; What did you love? What did you hate?
« Reply #16 on: June 25, 2019, 07:54:25 AM »
The Georgian and Armenian dishes are good.  Wait!   That's not Russian.

Jone objected to salo, yet if seasoned it is good.  Wait!   That's not Russian.    I grew up in the South and we had salo, otherwise known as  lard.   Lard is used abundantly in cooking but not seasoned and spread on bread as butter.   I also grew up eating pork cracklings as a snack, so salo is a natural.   

Russian food?  I like the simple Pozharsky cutlets,  one of Pushkin's favorite Russian dishes.   





Let's place this in perspective. Over the many, many years of discussing with a group of friends a restaurant selection for the evening, no one has ever said, "Let's do Russian."   I know, BOOOOO!  HISS! 

When in Miami, Chicago or New York, my wife and I have gone to good Russian restaurants.  The food is delicious, yet not exciting.  What is exciting is watching my wife reminisce with each morsel. 

Offline SteveInBoston

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Re: Food from the FSU; What did you love? What did you hate?
« Reply #17 on: June 25, 2019, 08:24:30 AM »
Solyanki soup, potato and meat pies that MIL makes, and pickeled veggies, especially tomatoes. 

Wifey loves salo, fried herring, herring under fur coat and forsmak (ground up herring paste).  Notice the pattern.))

I hate herring, but in general, not specifically FSU versions.  I haven't come across anything aweful.  Yet.

Offline Hammer2722

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Re: Food from the FSU; What did you love? What did you hate?
« Reply #18 on: June 25, 2019, 09:16:40 AM »
I absolutely love Nalysniki, Cutletti, Syrniki, Plov, Vareniki, Deruny, Holobsi,Pelmeni, Borsht. I make these for my wife and I all the time. I do like salo.






I absolutely hate Holodets and the herring under coat which my wife loves!
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Offline Jamesukjames

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Re: Food from the FSU; What did you love? What did you hate?
« Reply #19 on: June 25, 2019, 04:38:37 PM »
Horse meat sausage .  Borsch.  Other than that Australian and French food is far better.  Bbq steak and salads or anything from the menu in France.

Offline SANDRO43

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Re: Food from the FSU; What did you love? What did you hate?
« Reply #20 on: June 25, 2019, 04:52:07 PM »
I haven't come across anything aweful.
I.e. a cross between awesome and awful :D?
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Offline BillyB

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Re: Food from the FSU; What did you love? What did you hate?
« Reply #21 on: June 25, 2019, 08:05:04 PM »

Hate anything with beets in it.

Lots of FSU people here where I live. Not many restaurants with an FSU theme though. I doubt they'll be successful as Italian, Japanese, Chinese, or Mexican cuisine.
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Online 2tallbill

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Food from the FSU; What did you love? What did you hate?
« Reply #22 on: June 26, 2019, 04:50:42 AM »
Hate anything with beets in it.

Lots of FSU people here where I live. Not many restaurants with an FSU theme though. I doubt they'll be successful as Italian, Japanese, Chinese, or Mexican cuisine.

I don't know where you live (Arizona, I thought) but they have a couple
places in Phoenix and Tempe.
FSUW are not for entry level daters
FSUW don't do vague
FSUW like a man of action. Be a man of action 
If you find a promising girl, get your butt on a plane.
There are a hundred ways to be successful and a thousand ways to f#ck it up
Just kiss the girl, don't ask her first. Tolerate NO excuses!

Online 2tallbill

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Food from the FSU; What did you love? What did you hate?
« Reply #23 on: June 26, 2019, 05:22:02 AM »
The food is delicious, yet not exciting.  What
is exciting is watching my wife reminisce with each morsel.

Watching my wife go through a European market is funny. She walks
very slowly down each isle cataloging everything in her mind. She gets
on the phone to her little Russian girls network and starts relaying what
she's seen and puts together a side order(s) for them. She asks for samples
of anything she finds interesting behind the deli counter and rejects at least
half of anything she tries.

I'm really not permitted to choose anything, but naturally I'm allowed to
pay for everything she and her friends picked out. She collects money back
from her friends and I never receive a kopeck no matter how grievously
injured I pretend to be.

I usually go over to the Caviar and buy some over her protests. She loves
caviar but thinks we should pay Russian prices for caviar and we would
never have any if we waited for that to happen.

We've never had a Russian market where we live so it's always been an
event when we've gone. Occasionally when I was in Denver on business,
I'll go to one of the Russian markets and buy a few things to surprise her
(it always does). 

They have a couple markets in Austin but not nearly as big or as busy as
the ones in Denver.

FSUW are not for entry level daters
FSUW don't do vague
FSUW like a man of action. Be a man of action 
If you find a promising girl, get your butt on a plane.
There are a hundred ways to be successful and a thousand ways to f#ck it up
Just kiss the girl, don't ask her first. Tolerate NO excuses!

Offline Gator

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Re: Food from the FSU; What did you love? What did you hate?
« Reply #24 on: June 26, 2019, 07:33:47 AM »

I'm really not permitted to choose anything, but naturally I'm allowed to
pay for everything she and her friends picked out. She collects money back
from her friends and I never receive a kopeck no matter how grievously
injured I pretend to be.


Same mentality in our house. 

There are small battles, and there are large battles.  I have lost every small battle, frequently capitulating without a whimper, and always smiling. 

 

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