My Foodie Origin Story

A friend recently asked an open-ended question on Facebook, about what ethnic foods we've tried or what cuisines we'd like to sample if we could. As I was composing my answer, it brought up memories of eating at my grandma and grandpa's house when I was little, and how much I took that cultural experience for granted. It was normal for us, after all! But with that kind of background, I have always been willing and eager to try new kinds of foods.

Here is a list of some foods I experienced while growing up or have come across since then. (It's quite difficult when you live somewhere like Idaho...)
These are in no particular order. 

Dolma/sarma - a Turkish/Middle Eastern dish: rice wrapped in marinated grape leaves (there are many variations on this, but I only ate the tangy version with rice and no meat)

(Photo: georgefamily.net)

Kufteh/Kofta - an Armenian dish: a meatball of ground lamb wrapped in a meat/grain mixture, boiled until they float (again, tons of variations in ingredients as well as cooking methods)

 (Photo: ArmeniaNow.com)

Cheese boereg/byorek - Armenian dish: phyllo dough folded in triangles and stuffed with a tangy white cheese, usually mixed with some green bits that I would guess is parsley

 (Photo: eatwisconsincheese.com)

Pita bread with Hummus - Greek dish: a wheat based flat bread, and cooked, mashed chickpeas mixed with tahini and olive oil. I can't eat hummus from the store now, that stuff is gross compared to the REAL hummus (I'm looking at YOU, Sabra...)

(Photo: HowtoCookBestFood.com)

Tabbouleh/Tabouli - Armenian salad: chopped parsley, tomatoes, onion, and bulgar (or probably sometimes couscous) with an olive oil and lemon dressing. This is too tart for me to eat by itself, so I usually make a sandwich with pita bread, hummus, and the tabouli

(Photo: maureenabood.com)

Baklava - Caucasus (Turkey, Armenian) dessert: phyllo dough soaked with honey and filled with chopped nuts, usually pistachios or walnuts. I can feel the sticky crunch on my teeth just looking at this picture!

(Photo: Easy Turkish Recipes on youtube.com)

Rice Pilaf - Armenian dish: a simple side dish of rice cooked in broth (this was probably one of my favorite dishes to eat at my grandma's house. I would have an entire plate piled with just this rice and cheese boreg :p )


(Photo: afamilyfeast.com)

Chicken Adobo - a Spanish dish transplanted to the Philippines: bone-in chicken simmered in a vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic marinade (falls off the bone if you do it right!)

 (Photo: PanlasangPinoy.com)

Lumpia - a Filipino dish that originated in Indonesia/China: basically a skinny spring roll, and still one of my all-time favorite foods

(Photo: Cookdiary.net)

Pancit - a Filipino dish: thin rice noodles, usually fried and mixed with bits of egg, chicken, and vegetables like carrot or cabbage, and a squeeze of lemon right after plating

(Photo from PanlasangPinoy.com)

Puto - Philippine dessert: steamed sweet rice bun - I've eaten white ones with a bit of yellow cheese grated on top, as well as purple ones. There are also lots of variations of this dish, depending on region. I don't think my grandma made these, but I've had them at Filipino restaurants before, and they're yummy!

(Photo credit: Ramon F Velasquez, from Wikipedia web page)




Beef Tapa - Filipino Beef Jerky (not to be confused with the Spanish "tapas"): My great aunt Pearl used to make this for me and all the cousins, and we'd DEVOUR it within the first few seconds of her putting it on the table! It's a dish of marinated, thinly sliced beef, served hot. Big thanks to my dad who finally found what this is called as my own previous searches had turned up nothing in the past!

(Photo: foodcitations.com)

Shish Kebab - Armenian grilled dish: grilled chunks of meat on a stick! I think most people have encountered this food in one form or another. I've usually had lamb or beef versions, and there was only meat on the stick, not veggie/meat layers like you'll sometimes come across.

(Photo: food.com)