EUROPE - which country has the best cuisine?

I agree. Good British food *is* really good, but your chances of finding it aren't really that high, but in France and Italy you're pretty much guaranteed something delicious.

I haven't had that bad luck with chippies in London, at least compared with Reading where I used to live, where they were nearly always terrible - I lived up Oxford Rd for a bit and tried every one between the town centre and my house and they were all inedible.

I grew up in Worcester and the chippies were pretty good as a rule there. I dunno if it's a geographical thing or if the standard has deteriorated generally since the early 90s (price of potatoes causing cutting corners quality-wise?) - I'm going up there this weekend, maybe I shall get a portion of chips and investigate!

this is a bit unfair on gabbneb -- if the pubs/curryhouses/chippies-that-serve-good-food have to be found in a guidebook, that's a problem right there. who has the time?

Yeah that was the point I was making really, it's all a bit needle/haystack, especially in big cities. I suppose this is why when British people go out to eat, it's not often to eat 'British'.

Re French cheese and fucking with it, that's maybe the only foodstuff I think Brits do well - I'd take cheddar & stilton over any of that fancy French muck, but that's probably just my undeveloped British palate.

chicken tikka massala went out of favour as the nation's favourite since world cup 1998 innit and vindaloo took over. i had one just two nights ago

pies pies pies

most curry houses it's just code for not-very-hot/quite-hot/hot/very hot/rugby player.

most curry houses it's just code for not-very-hot/quite-hot/hot/very hot/rugby player.

and hence brilliantly british.

Also: Gastropubs.. are they "British cuisine"? Some serve Thai food! and like lasagne and stuff! Does food become British when it's served inside a vaguely british establishment?

Are there as many fried chicken shops in the UK in cities other than London? If so.. does that make fried chicken british??

i guess most people accept britain has great traditional dishes but that it's far more effort than it should be to get a good version of it easily given the number of places around.

perhaps we should send gabbneb a hamper.

Thai pub != gastropub. Most gastropubs probably do focus largely on British cuisine.

Lots of gastropubs near me have quite french-influenced menus.

I'd take cheddar & stilton over any of that fancy French muck, but that's probably just my undeveloped British palate.

I am currently enjoying enough imported Neal's Yardiana that I wouldn't even think of disagreeing, though it helps that a certain percentage of it is goat, towards which I am especially biased

my parents brought that hamper back

fruits and vegetables (potatoes don't count) appeared largely as afterthoughts, punctuation

vegetables are often in the UK referred to as "rabbit food"

mmm rabbit with vegetables

yeah i was thinking that!

if you let the rabbit eat the salad, then immediately kill it and eat it, you can eat a rabbit AND have the 5 portions of veggies that you need for day in one sitting!

vegetables are often in the UK referred to as "rabbit food"

-- Tracer Hand, Thursday, 3 January 2008 16:48 (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

The worst crime of English food is how they, as a rule, cook vegetables, which is to dump them in a pot of unsalted water and boil them for 22 hours. It's probably a tie as to whether England has treated Africa or mushrooms worse in its history.

Mushrooms should of course be fried for 22 hours.

iirc in the the old days veggies were only ever eaten by royalty if the royal chef didn't have enough meat to put on the table; perhaps in our modern world where everyone has to have dior this and chanel that there is an unconscious aspiration to this attitude

africa is of course supposed to be poached for 100 years

Well, in our household veggies are regularly messed up, with the exception of mushrooms, which are lightly fried in garlic and butter and thus come out beautiful.

mushrooms, of course, != vegetables

I believe the Aussies were originally responsible for the term 'rabbit food'.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Anyone saying Spanish food is good - have you actually been to Spain???

Also Portugal wtf?

yea, as someone from a Spanish-American family, I have to say that Spanish food isn't all that good. the rest of my family loves it, but I was never much of a fan.

Italy is it, for me. Whoever talked about the simplicity of it as its main virtue is OTM. Some Italian wines are nice, too. My girlfriend's family is always drinking such good Italian wine, I love it.

I think I might to a beer-country poll, that'd be pretty interesting, with at least 5 or so serious contenders. Or a wine poll, that'd be interesting too.

I'm sympathetic to England (for the curries), the Netherlands (for Indonesian food + Maoz falafel), and Germany (for all the 2 euro falafel), but those don't really count. Even if they did, Italy would still reign supreme.

Georgia is the correct answer here, folks, you just don't know it

Read this as "EUROPE - which country has the best cocaine?"

Anyone saying Spanish food is good - have you actually been to Spain???

no but i did go to Taco Bell Uxbridge one time. mindblowing!

aw i wish there's still taco bell in the uk

Scotland won't be winning this poll

seven layers of funk

warning do NOT look up "seven layer burrito" in the urban dictionary

omg this sounds awesome. wish i'm not at work!

Scotland has at least one vote.

Spanish food gets worse the further you are from the sea.

never been to inland Spain

I was swithering between Italy and France, then remembered a conversation I had with my mother about the number of teenage boys in France who'd know how to cook a half-decent meal compared to the number of teenage boys in Italy who could rustle up a good pasta and sauce. That, and the fact that too many restaurants I've been to in France recently have favoured gimmicks and flash over simple good food swung me in favour of the Boot.

i have a huge sentimental attachment to spanish food but in the country itself quality is hugely varying and i would never say it was a mind-blowing or sophisticated cuisine, certainly not comparable to italy or france. samewise portugal.

It's suddenly occurred to me that of all the many meals I've eaten in France, most of the worst have been in Paris.

Paris is quite far from the sea innit

I had with my mother about the number of teenage boys in France who'd know how to cook a half-decent meal compared to the number of teenage boys in Italy who could rustle up a good pasta and sauce.
-- Madchen, Tuesday, 8 January 2008 14:59 (21 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

My cousin bought a goat recently.

I'm not sure I've really had much proper French food. I can't really think of any. I went on a school exchange to Bordeaux when I was 13 but I don't remember the food being anything special at all, apart from quite liking crepes. The wine definitely made an impression though.

And yeah the only time I've been to France as an adult was to Paris and it was shit.

xposts

I voted Spain on a 'what i like to eat and actually can eat fairly often' basis i guess.

But what makes France that much better really?

heartbreaking.

just answer!

i had great food in Brittany just over a year ago but didn't strike me as particularly finer than what i've had in various Spanish coastal places. talking more everyday/standard dining rather than the gourmet/high-end/elite(?) cuisine i know France has a stronger rep for than anywhere else (but i have no real experience of that and wanna know if it still stands up, with examples offered).

foie gras

creme brulee

Surely Crystal kebabs will garner some votes for Turkey?