Europeans, what the the culinary specialty from your region/country that is overrated? On the other hand, which one are hidden gems?
I'm Belgian. Avoid Leffe, this is a quite bland "Belgian beer". The classic Trappist beers are always a good choice (Orval, Chimay, Rochefort, etc.), but don't sleep on the new microbreweries, their beers can be quite innovative and refreshing
A few
As a Czech I would also suggest to go for smaller brewery, because of our tax system the beer is just negligibly more expensive than from big brewerys.
I will be in Belgium hopefully in about 3 months and because I will bike there I will have a lot of time for tasting. Also I will like to visit some beer festival, if the timing will be right.
I wonder how deep in my bubble I am as I'm reminded that 3 Fonteinen and Cantillon actually aren't the best known Belgian breweries
There was a stretch if time in the late aughts where I found a store that had aged Cantillon on the shelf at the going rate. I was buying Rose de Gambrinus with 5 years on it on a regular basis. So many great old beers that store didn't know they had. The only bad bottle was a Strange Ghost which tasted like rancid Parmesan.
And cervela with samurai sauce is a hidden gem!
I see you are a connaisseur!
Borscht can be both, depending on the skill of the cook
Kässpätzle are definitely a hidden gem.
On the other hand Sauerkraut is probably overrated. I like it but it's not as commonly eaten as you may think.
swedish meatballs are overrated.
don't sleep on a really good Janssons Frestelse though. that and small-batch pickled herring with weird herbs in it.
isterband is also good but that's probably a more pan-european thing.
also, i will always use moments like this to bring up the culinary sleep paralysis demon that is the calskrove.
I'm in Germany and people rave about their bread but I live in Mannheim and it's like... Okay? I don't have a bakery here that I like more than the ones in New York (specifically) or France (seemingly anywhere) or Vietnam or Japan.
Maybe it's because I haven't found how to use them properly but there just doesn't seem to be a large amount of diversity. Like I'd expect fresh made hamburger buns, the Bahn mi bread, like a good sub situation, fresh rye bread, idk. Also for a country to have good bread I need to be able to walk into any corner bakery and be satisfied 4/5 times.
The thing with the bread is that there's a lot more variety of it in Germany than elsewhere. In the USA you'll basically only get soft white bread. German-style bread is seldom and you'll need to search for shops that sell that.
Ya, totally. In every place I lived in the US except maybe two a near by bakery that was good and not like attached to Hy-Vee or something was non-existent. And the two places that did have bakeries they specialized in like 3 or 4 things, often selling out before 10 AM. It's nice that I have half a dozen in walking distance here, just not so good to praise the whole country vs my examples.
Beck's is definitely overrated. I don't know how it's become so popular.
On the other hand, Labskaus is damn delicious, I need to make a vegan variant one day. Labskaus and kale with potatoes and meat variety is what I really miss since turning vegan.
Tortilla de patata is overrated, IMO. About hidden gems, idk.
I would say vermut vs sangria for Spain
Tortilla de patata is great actually! Don't be too hard on your cuisine. 😺
I don't like it! Croquetas are wayyy better, but I don't consider them a "hidden" gem :b
Tagliatelle are definitely overrated. Borlenghi is where the shit's at, and they're vastly ignored by the main foodies
You should eat some bigos.
But every mom and grandma will do it their own way.
Shepherds pie!
Beef Wellington
Sauerkraut
The problem with that is there are two types of it - the sweet one and the sour one. In a restaurant you'll usually get the sweet one which I think is tastes awful.
But the sour one is the really good one especially if you refine it by adding fine cubes of Kassler (smoked pork chop) to enhance the taste. Sour Sauerkraut should even change the taste of potatoes that sit in its... sauce? broth? (don't know the word). I could eat kilos of it.
You'll need to look out for the right kind of Sauerkraut in the supermarket. Not everyone of them is suited for this.