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naraburns  nihil supernum  1yr ago (text post)   4432 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for February 17, 2023

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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As a non-American, I say American BBQ is uniquely American. And a worthy contender for its biggest culinary achievement. Definitely not overrated.

All other American foods have foreign counterparts. Fried Chicken is just about universal, So is pizza, Cajun food has a similar flavor profile African food (obviously), etc.

Most grilled meat dishes around the world are cooked using high heat and the dominant flavor profile is the char, not the smoke. Southern American BBQ is unique because it relies on slow cooking (totally different choice of meats) and smoke as the primary flavor. The closest counterpart is maybe Argentinian Asado or Brazillian Churrasco, but they are still closer to char based than smoke based.

I do agree that Southern American cuisine in general does suffer from a lack of balance. BBQ is good, mac and cheese is good, They don't need to go together. Southern BBQ should take a page from Korean BBQ which comes with 15 different kinds of pickles/pallete cleansers. Or even Brazillian Churrasco of which the salad bar is a crucial component.

I do think most other food items are not uniquely American but forms of food are. NY style pizza is I think distinctly American (it was a change to a historic method that has since gone global).

Also the cheeseburger is a rather unique American food.

I'd say the biggest American culinary achievement is the great advancement in the general art of sandwich-making, with a wide definition of sandwiches (hot dogs, burgers, sloppy joes etc. included).

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