September 02, 2008

Trenary Toast! My very favorite regional food, Trenary Toast is made in the small town of Trenary in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Much like the pasty, also famous in the U.P., it's greatly appreciated locally but largely unknown outside of the area. Which makes me wonder: What's your favorite regional bite?

The pasty originated in Cornwall. Wikipedia says that Trenary Toast is a form of rusk, a Finnish dry twice-baked toast, similar to Zwieback bread. I prefer to think of it as Yooper biscotti, because it's damn good dunked in coffee. I'm enjoying a bit of it now, having just returned from the U.P. - can't visit without buying a bag or two! So tell us, fellow Monkeys, what you find to gnaw on in your neck of the woods? Traditional foods that have found their way into your heart but never made it to the mainstream? Curious Frogs wants to know.

posted by caution live frogs 16 years ago
  • For this Seattle gal, it's Dick's Drive-In's French fries! Dick's is a local-only hamburger joint that has been serving hamburgers, milkshakes, and the saltiest, most delicious fries to drunk and/or stoned citydwellers at 2a.m. since 1954. Most notably featured in Sir Mix-A-Lot's 1988 video, "Posse on Broadway." There were times in my life where nothing else would satisfy my drunk ass but a little paper bag full of those greasy, thin French fries. God, I could go for some right now. . .
  • Here in Massachusetts, we eat live babies. Squirming, mewling, little crotchfruit of the handful of right-thinking, god-fearing Republicans who cower in the shadows of our vast liberal temples praising Ted Kennedy and Noam Chomsky, who was the first to teach us the value of live baby-eating.
  • Kool-Aid is made here in New York.
  • Beef on Weck While Buffalo may be known for the chicken wing, this is a local secret. And also delicious. There is also the Butter Lamb, but that is not so much of a food but rather an odd condiment. Oh, and Weber's Horseradish Mustard. I guess we have a lot here...sponge candy...orange chocolate...
  • I'm not so sure about the other stuff you guys listed, but I'd sure like to try some of that Yooper biscotti stuff!! Sounds delish! (Sorry, nothing regional here, unless you count the Rockey Mountain Oysters the rancher down the road saves for me. Clean 'em up, soak 'em in salt water, dredge 'em in seasoned flour and fry 'em up.)
  • Scouse, of course, which is a lamb stew made with carrots and other veg. It's no good me linking to a recipe as none wil be as good as my mum's. Or anyone else's mum, depending on who you ask. It is served with lashings of brown sauce, pickled red cabbage or, my favourite, sliced beetroot. It is probably the root of my beet obsession.
  • I'm in Lille in northern France. Local specialities: - moules frites (mussels and fries) - a recipe for moules marinieres here (en francais, along with some other regional specialties) - mimolette , a Dutch-type cheese - endives (similar to chicory) - beer, glorious beer (Ch'ti, Brasseurs de Gayant, Moulins d'Ascq, l'Angelus, ...)
  • oflinkey, you're bringing' back memories of my time in WNY!!! When I was there, though, the locals usually pronounced - and often spelled - "Weck" as "Wick." Mmm, the salty, crunchy roll top with the beef-soaked punky roll bottom...
  • Uh, GramMa... oysters have shells, in my book. They don't usually have bulls attached. I like to think I'll try anything once, but man you might be braver than I am! (also you can order the toast online. My grandpa likes it buttered and dunked in coffee.)
  • Leaning about twenty minutes East, towards where I grew up rather than where I am, the specialty of the region is wine. Niagara Wines are very popular, though there's now a huge range in the quality, as there are too many players in the game. It's a huge business -- there's about 200 wineries by now -- which have as much to do with making wine as feeding the tourist trade. That said, Niagara produces excellent Ice Wine, particularly from the older wineries, that is well sought-after, esp. in Japan. It's not cheap ($40-50 for a half-bottle), so it tends to be bought as gifts rather than for home consumption. It's an excellent dessert wine, even if everyone tends to serve it much too cold. Waiting for the right night to pick tends to be a bit of an event, as conditions have to be just so, and pickers have to wait on standby for the call to come over RIGHT NOW. This could last a couple of days, weeks, or even months.
  • I'm still waiting for your call, Cappy.
  • *shines kit-signal on the clouds*
  • Fascinatin' stuff there on that icewine, Capt. Never heard of it before. I love eating frozen grapes, so now my thirst has been piqued.
  • The one wine which goes well with chocolate. Trufax.
  • If it's sweet greasy bliss that you're looking for, it's tough to beat grilled stickies. They're a State College, PA, tradition. On the lighter side, chipped chopped ham is a major Pittsburgh taste ("it's hammier!"). And up north where I live now, it's all about salt potatoes. I spent some time in Philadelphia, but never could cozy up to scrapple.
  • Here by the salt chuck* at the edge of the woods** are found Indian Candy a (north) west coast treat! And the fabled Naniamo Bar, yum! *Vancouver **British Columbia "leaping from tree to tree" I lurk for years, and this is the thread I post in! Why? cause I'm hungry!!
  • WHAT IS A STICKY??!!!
  • I'm in Lille in northern France We should organise a London day out to Lille meet-up.
  • £55 return for a weekend in November, sayeth Eurostar.
  • *lights the LoMoFi signal*
  • *places order for care package of Meert, Trois Monts, shoutouts*
  • Actually one could go for the day, it's only 1.15 hours from St Pancreas of Thorax.
  • Highly recommended. Lille is a beautiful city, and roryk both a gentleman and first-rate drinking companion.
  • Of this thread, I can personally vouch for and approve, through at least one tasting: Nanaimo bars Ice wine Beef on weck Beer* I have lived lots of places, and a few wanton memories are for: - Cheese curds, Dubuque, Iowa. I would go to the Farmers' Market on Saturday mornings and buy baggies of cheese curds that were so fresh they were still warm. Chunks of this cheesy, salty heaven would therefore squeak when eaten. Older curds, someimes found in groceries, suck in comparison. - Chicago suburbs circa 1975: Jack In The Box Tacos. Tasted nothing even remotely like a taco. Greasy, crunchy, orgasmic. - Chicago pizza. If you know, you know, if you don't, you never will. *Beer. No comment needed.
  • As an actual Nanaimolian I heartily second the insanely sweet and rich Nanaimo bar. Somewhat more unusual munchies found in these parts include Oolichan grease and the wily but tasty Geoduck.
  • Chicago pizza needs to be called something other than pizza. It's a whole different animal. A bunch of us went on a road trip a couple of years back and my buddy and I decided to split a pizza, thinking we could easily divide a 14" diameter pie between us. We didn't take into account the third dimension of about 2 1/2 inches of cheesy greasy goodness. I almost made it through 2 slices. Luckily, it was even better as cold leftovers.
  • I love Nanaimo bars, but find beef on weck to be too salty. Round these parts, yer not a man if you can't eat about 20 perogies, a local favorite imported from the Ukraine. (Fortunately I am not a man, because I can only finish six. They are so very rich!)
  • My admiration for Rocket88 grows. In my youth, I would go with friends to the Old Town Inn for a pizza. We would be warned by the wait staff that it would take at least 45 minutes before our pie would be ready. Correctumundo. When it finally arrived, not a one of us could down more that two slices. Topped with cheese? Yes. Maybe and inch of it, melted and gooey. Just lifting the slice was an exercise. Oh, and the cold beer...
  • My admiration for Rocket88 grows. In my youth, I would go with friends to the Old Town Inn for a pizza. We would be warned by the wait staff that it would take at least 45 minutes before our pie would be ready. Correctumundo. When it finally arrived, not a one of us could down more that two slices. Topped with cheese? Yes. Maybe and inch of it, melted and gooey. Just lifting the slice was an exercise. Oh, and the cold beer...
  • ...and if we're gonna talk about perogies, I think the Indian samosa needs to come into the picture. There's a place near where I used to live (years ago) near Toronto, on the far west side of Mississauga, near a shopping mall, where there's a little bakery where wonderful women bake up samosas and a side of the most amazing, aromatic sauce you have ever tasted, and they cost something like 60 cents apiece. Take me there!
  • OOOOOOOOOO! Yes. Perogies! And I lubs me some squeeky cheese curds.
  • As I sit here having a Murchies coffee, and eating a Purdy's chocolate hedgehog, I'm kicking myself for misspelling Nanaimo. mmmm hedgehog
  • Please send proper Chicago pizza. It sounds effing brilliant!
  • I'm in Lille in northern France
    We should organise a London day out to Lille meet-up.
    Yes, that would be excellent. There's a decent German-style Christmas fair that starts sometime early December: glühwein and pretzels and what have you. And obviously the pubs are open year-round.
  • Kit, a sticky is just short for sticky bun, i.e. a rolled, frosted cinnamon breakfast pastry. As if there just weren't enough carbs in that, the folks in central-western PA fry 'em up on the grill, preferably with butter. Hence, grilled stickies. Cheese curds are also a popular item here in CNY. Yummy and not nearly so calorific as grilled stickies.