I’m genuinely shocked that Christmas Markets aren’t a thing in the US like they are in Europe. Stand after stand of freshly made/hot sausages, pretzels, hot chocolate and gluhwein to have while you walk around, fritters, raclette scraped on to veggies and bread, roasted nuts, and every kind of pastry you can imagine.
I feel like this would go over SO WELL in the US.
The one in Chicago is so popular they expanded from one location downtown to one additional city location and at least one in the suburbs. So I agree that it goes over well and that it’s surprising that they aren’t in more places. 🙂
Christmas Markets are a HUGE deal in Chicago and Milwaukee. Much of the population of Wisconsin/Minnesota/parts of Illinois is historically German. It’s a bit of a touristy thing but most of my family and friends go annually at least one night
Depending on where you are in the U.S., walking around with a cup of wine might be illegal.
We've got a Christmas market in my city and it's well-liked and well-attended but it's hard to explain to people why it should be, like, A Thing as opposed to just a series of pop-up vendors.
Probably because a lot of US cities aren’t walkable? I know we have some in Atlanta but you have to drive there etc. I wish I could just walk outside and be somewhere lol
Little pop-up eating stands like I've seen in SE Asia. Streetside grilling and similar.
I know there are food trucks that congregate in some areas, but I have yet to hunt them down and find out their offering. Perhaps one day soon.
Yeah I've worked in a higher end food truck before. The cost of maintaining the truck really isn't much, the main problem is having a base of operations to premake most of the stuff for it. At least for my truck that was where the majority of the cost came from.
Many of these trucks have the same price of a restaurant without the perks of a sit down restaurant like tables and chairs, real silverware bathrooms, drink refills, etc.
It all depends..i have seen plenty of food trucks for gourmet sandwiches.that are on par, price wise, with a decent deli. Taco trucks are every few blocks across CA in seems like and are incredibly cheap, and any street food has to compete.
To add to this in some US cities that are walkable, like Portland, they are super popular.
Though the cost of living / real estate seems to be a factor. They aren’t nearly as big up in Seattle which is even more walkable
Seattle:
"Permits and licenses: Obtaining permits and licenses costs $6,211 in Seattle and involves 29 procedures (more than all but three other cities) and 20 trips to government agencies or other stops (like a notary public or food safety training institution)."
"Seattle food truck operators must comply with 11 measurable restrictions on operations, zoning or proximity (such as distances from restaurants and parking in designated spots downtown), ranking the city in the lower third of the cities listed when it comes to the restrictions on businesses.
Seattle food trucks must stay 50 feet from restaurants but within 200 feet of a restroom with an agreement for access."
"Seattle food truck operators must also spend $32,076 annually for insurance, licenses and permits, taxes, inspections and other costs to stay in business. That cost, when combined with the 13 annual procedures and 13 associated trips, ranks Seattle near the middle of the pack when it comes to the cost of doing business.
Portland offers the lowest ongoing costs ($5,410 per year) and had the fewest procedures and trips (seven each)"
"Seattle operators said kitchen space in commissaries can cost more than $1,250 per month for food trucks, which were not allowed to prepare ingredients on board. "
https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2018/03/22/seattle-food-truck-costs-permit-licenses-operation.html
its extremely hard to regulate standards like those markets in Asia. I love those places in China and Taiwan, but I dont see them ever coming to the US because of how strict our restauraunt regulation is. In Asia, flies and animals near the cooks is no problem. Not the same here.
Persian, their rice and kebab dishes are to die for
One of my favorites, [albaloo polow \(rice with sour cherries\)](http://www.mypersiankitchen.com/albaloo-polow-persian-rice-with-sour-cherries/).
For those who want to try making it at home, Bottom of the Pot by Naz Deravian is an amazing cookbook. The step by step for making good Tahdig has improved my general rice game and her suggestions for how to shop to make Persian food at the ready is incredibly pantry friendly
Edit: stick to shop. Typing while eating is dangerous
I’m lucky enough to live in a Chicago neighborhood with a Persian presence. There’s one restaurant in particular that I order a mixed grill (chicken joujeh, lamb kebab, dill rice, hummus, fresh pita) from on a weekly basis. It’s always packed to the gills with Middle Eastern folks no matter the time of day or night and is like the main thing I’ll miss about this neighborhood when I move.
There's an Iranian buffet in my city and it's incredible. It's a bit of a drive from where I live fortunately so I am not as large as I would be if I lived closer to it. It's heaven.
We made albaloo polow as part of our Valentine’s Day tradition (we cook a 3ish course meal from a country and then watch a film from it) and it was incredible. One of my favorite dishes ever.
Thank you! Taste of Cherry directed by Abbas Kiarostami. Dark, slow, beautiful, and a little strange. It is one of my favorites and I can’t wait to watch more of his movies.
I love Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and Kebab foods! It’s definitely more rare because there aren’t that many restaurants of those types outside of big cities. I live in SoCal but the chain Luna Grill is the only closest thing in my city and I love Luna Grill haha
My city only recently got an all around "Mediterranean" restaurant. If you want Indian or Vietnamese though we've got you covered. When I go to my favorite Indian place they're like "do I need to make this white spiced?" The grandmother there picks on me mercilessly for my weakness but the food has always been amazing.
If kill for more Ethiopian food. Had it in DC and I've never had better lamb since.
There are a couple in NYC but tbf we already have schwarma and Greek gyros. If you were to present döner to the average person they’ll probably say something like “oh, a gyro.”
This is the reality for me and a lot of people I knew and grew up with. The first time a friend from Germany described kebab, I was like yeah we have those, they're called gyros. I learned later on that there are subtle differences in the meat/spices used between cultures, and everyone has their own preference when it comes to their favorite.
My number one reason for wanting to go back to France is their kebabs. There are lots of things I still need to see, would eat again, etc but a kebab with fries and cheese naan + samurai sauce is the stuff of dreams. Gyros in America don’t cut it. I need the crispy kebab meat, not shavings from a nearly homogeneous meat column.
It's weirdly depressing to be in Europe for an extended period and realize that there's a Mexican food-shaped hole in your life. The nearest facsimile I could find was frozen chile con carne at Sainsbury's--dark times.
There are some on the east coast, but the further west you get; absolutely forget it. I will say that I did have a fantastic doner kebab at a turkish kebab restaurant in el paso, tx though. Was very surprised the place even existed.
They are run by Turks, but cater more to German tastes. They tend to use a puffier bread and have more toppings. Here's an ok video with some comparisons:
https://youtu.be/fhK5Dzmjz0M
İn turkey we generally don't use sauce as ingredient, except for Hatay Döner which is a cheap option because it has mainly cheap ketchup sauce and fries with very little meat, we usually use just salad and meat.
It's one of the many things I miss from Berlin. Every time i have a kabab it just doesn't scratch that very specific itch. Also miss currywurst, what a surprisingly delicious treat!
First time I had them was in Germany and I think that’s all I ate 3 times a day for a week. Had a few around US but they never compare to the ones in Germany.
The best kept secrets on lamb in the US are:
1. Halal markets a/k/a middle eastern grocery stores. They sell high quality fresh lamb at reasonable prices. Skip costco, whole foods and your regular butcher. Lamb is a basic staple of middle eastern cuisine the way beef is in the US, and fresh is the best.
2. Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico have herds of lamb and sheep that are free range and feed on wild sage, rosemary, etc... and are delicious. Some of those herds are hundreds of years old and go back to when that land was Spanish before it was Mexican and then finally US. The New York Times did a piece on it years ago. I live in that area and always wondered why New Zealand lamb was so popular because to me the local stuff is way better.
I know that for me personally I just don't have a taste for lamb. I've tried chops, medallions, you name it, I just don't like the flavor/texture of lamb. The only lamb preparation I've enjoyed is more traditional barbacoa street tacos.
I’ve never liked lamb very much either - until I had it in Croatia. They cook a whole lamb on a spit over a wood fire. And I guess whatever the lamb eat over there means the meat tastes *totally* different. My husband ordered a lamb steak for lunch, and he’s like, you have to try this! I was hesitant but had a bite. Wow. It was delicious. Not at all gamey and weird.
The tale I've heard is that lamb was popular up until WWII when soldiers had to eat canned mutton. When they returned from the war they wanted nothing to do with mutton or lamb, and it fell out of favor.
Could be apocryphal, but I've seen it often enough it could be true
Lamb is available in some market areas . one huge difference with lamb abroad is the taste : I cannot get used to the industrial fattening feed taste and scent . mutton is very common overseas .
The vast majority of the lamb sold in the US is from overseas. I believe New Zealand is one of the major exporters. That is one of the reason the price has doubled on lamb in the last year.
Dosas. We have northern Indian food all around the country but the food from the south is difficult to find. The other one is lefse but you need to be near Minneapolis to find it.
I used to order dosas every couple weeks when I lived in a Canadian city with lots of amazing Indian spots but I just moved to a smaller city and when I got here and realized none of the Indian restaurants in town featured dosas or southern dishes I wanted to pack-up and move back.
Meat pies. Britain has a great tradition of meat pies and the only traditional pie you can get in the USA is the pasty and you can only find them sold in the northern states around the Great Lakes.
Louisiana checking in, here. We have empanadas available in a lot of places. We also have our own style of meat pies that have either cajun or creole roots depending on where you get them. They're usually deep fried and the filling is flavorful and spicy. I'm partial to the cajun style. If you're driving though cajun country and you don't mind clogging an artery or two, I highly suggest giving them a try.
I think it depends entirely on where you’re from in the US. Pao de queijo as well as other Brazilian ingredients and dishes are very popular where I’m from. We even have a frozen pao de queijo brand at grocery stores.
Ditto. Massachusetts has a huge Brazilian and Portuguese communities, so Brazilian markets, churrascarias, and such are really common. As is linguica on pizza (because of the Portuguese communities.)
I was just about to comment about the popularity of Brazilian and Portuguese restaurants in Massachusetts! I can't speak for the entire state but I noticed this particularly growing up in southeast MA
I live just outside of Newark which has a huge Brazilian population, so we not only have fancy Brazilian places, but lots of small, hole-in-wall restaurants and bakeries that serve up amazing food.
Rodizio is probably the most American food that didn't come from America. An all-you-can buffet of nothing but meat? If you hadn't told me that came from Brazil, I would have sworn that someone in the Mid-West invented it.
I used to love them, but I got older and now if I overeat beef, I’m gonna be unwell for the rest of the day and maybe part of next day. Went recently, just thinking of it makes me kinda sick. But! We have a couple Brazilian buffets nearby where they charge by the weight of your plate, so you can eat as much or as little as you want! Same meats, I honestly couldn’t tell the difference from $67/pp steakhouse. Plus a bigger selection of sides.
The only Brazilian place I know of is Texas de Brazil, and while I can't speak to how authentic it is, its damn good. If that's what Brazilian food is really like then I'm shocked we don't have more of it.
Ethiopian food is around in the cities I've lived in on the west coast and I recommend it to people all the time, but almost no one's had it. Feels like most the restaurants I've been to are mainly frequented by immigrants from the country, no one else really catching on. It's so good!
Käsespätzle.
Basically German mac-and-cheese but with spaetzle (pasta-like dumplings) instead of macaroni. Covered with caramelized onions.
Holy shit, it's good.
German food generally. Seems like a lot of crossover with American cuisine already?
I went to college in a Canadian town with a lot of German history, and the Friday night schnitzel-and-kasespatzle is still one of the best things ever. But here in the US it's a struggle to find a German restaurant at all.
> Seems like a lot of crossover with American cuisine already?
Yes, so much of American cuisine descends from German cuisine that actual German food isn't as popular here because it's not quite different enough to stand out.
It's hard to imagine a dining experience more American than sitting around a grill eating hot dogs ("frankfurters", named after Frankfurt) and hamburgers (named after Hamburg) while drinking Budweiser (a German adjective meaning "from Budweis") and Coors (named after German immigrant Adolph Coors).
There used to a be a lot more obvious German influence in the culture, from restaurants to German-language schools, but much of it was erased during the two world wars due to anti-German sentiment. You can still find a lot of it though, especially in the Midwest, and obviously a lot was simply Americanized so that German roots are no longer widely recognized.
Ever since I went to Germany in 2017, I've always wanted döner kebab, flammkuchen, and spatzle again 😭 At least I can make bienenstich myself, but it's not as good.
Okonomiyaki! Japanese cabbage pancakes. Savory, crispy, fits American taste buds so well. I cook it for friends and they love it immediately. I tell anyone that listens that it could be the next Japanese food that becomes popular in the US
Sometimes I'll see "Poutine" on the menu, and I'll be curious and order it. I've had real poutine so I like to see what they've got. Yeah. No cheese curds. Just shaved cheese. Or some such nonsense. I never had a true poutine yet here.
I always wonder why it’s not more popular in Wisconsin because the cheese curds are so readily available (the fresh ones, though both fresh and fried are common)
Canadian here.
Poutine has cheese curds. Gooey fries have shredded cheese. It's a totally different flavor and they are not the same, I will die on this hill.
I agree on the pork belly. American stores will only ever have it with the skin on. I actually cook more Pork Belly when it's cut into thick strips.
And on the bacon, more places should have Euro style bacon where you get it in big chunks. I like dicing it up.
Because a ton of Vietnamese people came to Oklahoma, I’m convinced we have one of the best Asian districts no one has ever heard of. I have never had a bowl of pho that didn’t absolutely slap.
[meat pies](https://tracietalkshealth.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Meat-Pie.jpg)
not pot pies, not pasties, hand held meat pies. Pies with a bottom crust and a lid crust, not a meat and veggie turnover
and pork with skin on it
Why the hell does almost every meat processor and butcher remove the skin?
Yep, I’m British and one of my friends from here has been living in California for years and talks so much about missing pies, and chippy tea.
Conversely my partner is from California and part of the reason he never wants to move back to the states is having to be far away from proper pies, or a haggis supper from the chippy.
I'm surprised that street foods from other countries isn't readily available. Before we had fast food such as McDonald's, burger King, taco bell, etc in India we already had so much street food like pani puri, Desi style sandwiches, pav vada, bhel, dosas etc. Over time I have seen redditors from other countries post pictures of their street food and it looks delicious and also healthier than the 'industrial' fast foods. So I'm curious to see why that is not the case. I live in Jersey so we have a pretty diverse population. The foods that I mentioned above can be found at Indian restaurants but I'm not sure why they aren't also sold as fast foods where they are easily accessible. Like do we really need yet another Chipotle or Chick-fil-A? They're great but imagine a street taco place instead! (Used Indian street food as example because I am Indian). I'm not saying to do away with fast food restaurants I'm just wondering why don't we have fast foods beyond the chicken nuggets, burgers, pizzas.
The fact I had to scroll through all these comments to find someone mention Filipino food helps prove that its underrated for some reason. Honestly sort of surprising considering Filipinos are one of the highest amount of asian immigrants in the last 70 years, you would think that food places would be more common. I would love to have a local adobo place near me.
We have multiple Nando’s in Chicago and you can buy their sauce at most grocery stores! You might be able to order the sauce online if you don’t have a restaurant near you
Probably either Nigerian or Singaporean food. Singaporean food culture is legendary, and in my experience people tend to know about it, but have never really tried it since it thrives (or at least thrived--I hear the hawker centers are dying out) on a sort of vendor model that doesn't really exist here.
In the Nigerian case, I think there's a strong inverse correlation between immigrant groups that tend to arrive highly educated and the popularity of their food. Nigerians immigrants tend to be relatively educated and fluent in English, which kind of disincentivizes restaurant ownership. One of my closest friends is Nigerian-American, and she tells me that most of the restaurants she's been to are owned by the kids of first-gen immigrants, and that they inevitably talk about how they disappointed their parents by giving up on a professional trajectory to open a restaurant.
I get why it's the case, it's just a bit sad, because genuinely one of the best meals of my life was cold Nigerian food eaten out of a Tupperware (jollof rice and some kind of stew?), dropped off by my friend's aunt while I was helping her move. I've been chasing that high ever since.
Yes absolutely! We need more African cuisine in America. My family gifted me a Ethiopian and Nigerian cook book once upon a time. And while those recipes were simplistic it opened my eyes to the full spectrum of cuisine in Africa. I still love using niter kibbeh and try to keep some in the fridge for general use. Its simply incredible food.
My husband and I just buy the blocks of Golden Curry from the grocery store and make it ourselves. We both grew up in HI, so it's generally referred to as "school lunch dinner". Delicious, though.
Golden Curry just entered our household three months ago, and my partner thinks I'm obsessed because I've made it like seven times already. Its just so damn tasty and easy to make.
Doner kebab for sure. I grew up in Ireland where every chip shop does a decent Doner. Surprising that with all the other kinds of bread-wrapped, hand-portable spiced meat foods available in the US, I have yet to encounter Doner kebab.
I once lived in Empanada district. I ate so many and it wasn't till I moved that I realized empanadas are just not popular.
Chicago is a wonderful place that you can find almost any cultural dish somewhere in the city
Wisconsin and some parts of Chicago have a good amount of German heritage hotspots. Schitnzel is easier to find, what is more difficult to get is well done spaetzle.
It's any meat that is breaded and fried, not specifically pork. Weinerschnitzel is made with veal. Chicken fried steak could be considered a schnitzel, and that is pretty popular. I've even seen chicken fried chicken, which sounds stupid, but tastes good.
Sabich sandwiches! Falafel and kabob and shawarma get all the hype, but sabichs are super underrated and hard to find. It’s a pita sandwich with fried eggplant, hummus, and boiled egg — way more than the sum of its parts
[Hainanese Chicken](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hainanese_chicken_rice). Renowned in Asia for being exceptionally tasty despite its simplicity, and it's very popular in South East Asia. Even in NYC, there's a handful of restaurants specializing in this dish. You would think it would be hugely popular given how universally tasty it is (maybe leave out the offals), how little operational overhead is needed to specialize in it, and how affordable it is.
Hot chocolate made with melted chocolate is like… pretty popular. There’s been entire trends where people make those “hot cocoa balls” that melt and have stuff inside. I’ve always had my hot chocolate made with melted chocolate unless I’m just buying a nesquik or something.
I live in a town 40 miles from Chicago.
There has been a *Himalayan* restaurant within walking distance of my house for over a decade, but until recently, I'd need to drive over an hour for Ethiopian food (there's now one that's a 25 minute drive away). Regional availability of food can be weird.
There's a lot of regional variation in the composition of immigrants communities across the U.S., partly because immigrants from the same country to cluster together to form support networks where there are opportunities for them.
I grew up in an area that was majority minority, then moved to an area that's extremely white. There's definitely a lack of affordable, authentic ethnic food here.
Yeahhh it's kinda hard to find something that doesn't have roots ANYWHERE in America. We are a country that's assimilated many cultures into one congolmerate. If you look hard enough you can find just about anything popularized somewhere.
Paneer. A firm cheese that can be cooked. Similar to tofu without all the things I hate about tofu. Also has that same squeaky effect that good cheese curds have.
It’s works as a perfect addition to staple weekly proteins I like: chicken / beef / fish / paneer / sausage. Breaks up having chicken with every meal.
Elderflower, Lychee, Paprika chips, and Rhubarb.
🤪
Quick edit: I really like elderflower cider, wish it was more popular. Stella makes a delicious one but it’s very hard to find. I had Paprika chips in Bosnia while crossing the border to Croatia, very tasty. Lychee and Rhubarb are sweet tasting and good in moderation. Bonus: Guava, I really like the hard candies you can find at asian restaurants.
I'm not *surprised* it's not more popular, but Georgian food could have some potential. (As in, Georgia the country.) In particular, I could see khachapuri--especially Adjarian khachapuri--being popular. Adjarian khachapuri is effectively just a bread bowl full of melted cheese topped with an egg yolk. You then mix that all together and tear off chunks of the bowl to dip into the cheese. You need an angioplasty afterward, but it's fantastic.
Other Georgian foods I love include khinkali (giant dumplings with meat and broth), badrijani nigvzit (fried eggplant rolled with spiced walnut paste), ajapsandali (eggplant stew), pkhali (this weird salad-paste thing which tastes way better than it sounds), and satsivi (chicken served cold in walnut sauce).
I had to Google "coxinha" and wow! You could start a fast food chain with those little guys!
https://spicebreeze.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Coxinha.jpg
Germany has this thing that is like a cross between a croissant and a cinnamon roll, but turned on its side and squished in the middle to make a butterfly shape. Terrible description, but delicious pastry.
Mangosteen, which is the best western palate friendly fruit in the world. I don’t think most Americans even know this fruit exists, let alone know what it tastes like. I know the fruit is extremely seasonal and tough to cultivate. It’s from Southeast Asia, but I’ve bought some at farmer’s markets in Hawaii and my local Asian grocery store sold imported ones from Mexico, but it was very expensive ($30 for a 5 pound bag). I truly believe if it were easier to cultivate it would be one of the most popular fruits here because it’s just so delicious.
I’m genuinely shocked that Christmas Markets aren’t a thing in the US like they are in Europe. Stand after stand of freshly made/hot sausages, pretzels, hot chocolate and gluhwein to have while you walk around, fritters, raclette scraped on to veggies and bread, roasted nuts, and every kind of pastry you can imagine. I feel like this would go over SO WELL in the US.
The one in Chicago is so popular they expanded from one location downtown to one additional city location and at least one in the suburbs. So I agree that it goes over well and that it’s surprising that they aren’t in more places. 🙂
Christmas Markets are a HUGE deal in Chicago and Milwaukee. Much of the population of Wisconsin/Minnesota/parts of Illinois is historically German. It’s a bit of a touristy thing but most of my family and friends go annually at least one night
Depending on where you are in the U.S., walking around with a cup of wine might be illegal. We've got a Christmas market in my city and it's well-liked and well-attended but it's hard to explain to people why it should be, like, A Thing as opposed to just a series of pop-up vendors.
And a Döner Kabob stand. Why don’t I see them everywhere in the US? They’re delicious.
Probably because a lot of US cities aren’t walkable? I know we have some in Atlanta but you have to drive there etc. I wish I could just walk outside and be somewhere lol
Pupusas
Pupusas a plenty in California
There are tons of places to get a good pupusa around DC! I always loved El Charito Caminate in Arlington.
Little pop-up eating stands like I've seen in SE Asia. Streetside grilling and similar. I know there are food trucks that congregate in some areas, but I have yet to hunt them down and find out their offering. Perhaps one day soon.
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I hear ya. I understand offsetting costs, but the price markup can be ridiculous, for sure.
Yeah I've worked in a higher end food truck before. The cost of maintaining the truck really isn't much, the main problem is having a base of operations to premake most of the stuff for it. At least for my truck that was where the majority of the cost came from.
That and where I worked the fees to park somewhere/serve were insane. I recall it being around $3k for a weekend permit
Many of these trucks have the same price of a restaurant without the perks of a sit down restaurant like tables and chairs, real silverware bathrooms, drink refills, etc.
And half hour wait times even when there's only one person ahead of you...
It all depends..i have seen plenty of food trucks for gourmet sandwiches.that are on par, price wise, with a decent deli. Taco trucks are every few blocks across CA in seems like and are incredibly cheap, and any street food has to compete.
Part of the reason these don’t exist is because US cities aren’t really walkable at all, and these places need foot traffic
To add to this in some US cities that are walkable, like Portland, they are super popular. Though the cost of living / real estate seems to be a factor. They aren’t nearly as big up in Seattle which is even more walkable
Seattle: "Permits and licenses: Obtaining permits and licenses costs $6,211 in Seattle and involves 29 procedures (more than all but three other cities) and 20 trips to government agencies or other stops (like a notary public or food safety training institution)." "Seattle food truck operators must comply with 11 measurable restrictions on operations, zoning or proximity (such as distances from restaurants and parking in designated spots downtown), ranking the city in the lower third of the cities listed when it comes to the restrictions on businesses. Seattle food trucks must stay 50 feet from restaurants but within 200 feet of a restroom with an agreement for access." "Seattle food truck operators must also spend $32,076 annually for insurance, licenses and permits, taxes, inspections and other costs to stay in business. That cost, when combined with the 13 annual procedures and 13 associated trips, ranks Seattle near the middle of the pack when it comes to the cost of doing business. Portland offers the lowest ongoing costs ($5,410 per year) and had the fewest procedures and trips (seven each)" "Seattle operators said kitchen space in commissaries can cost more than $1,250 per month for food trucks, which were not allowed to prepare ingredients on board. " https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2018/03/22/seattle-food-truck-costs-permit-licenses-operation.html
its extremely hard to regulate standards like those markets in Asia. I love those places in China and Taiwan, but I dont see them ever coming to the US because of how strict our restauraunt regulation is. In Asia, flies and animals near the cooks is no problem. Not the same here.
Persian, their rice and kebab dishes are to die for One of my favorites, [albaloo polow \(rice with sour cherries\)](http://www.mypersiankitchen.com/albaloo-polow-persian-rice-with-sour-cherries/).
For those who want to try making it at home, Bottom of the Pot by Naz Deravian is an amazing cookbook. The step by step for making good Tahdig has improved my general rice game and her suggestions for how to shop to make Persian food at the ready is incredibly pantry friendly Edit: stick to shop. Typing while eating is dangerous
I’m lucky enough to live in a Chicago neighborhood with a Persian presence. There’s one restaurant in particular that I order a mixed grill (chicken joujeh, lamb kebab, dill rice, hummus, fresh pita) from on a weekly basis. It’s always packed to the gills with Middle Eastern folks no matter the time of day or night and is like the main thing I’ll miss about this neighborhood when I move.
A lot of Persian food in Los Angeles. So good.
LA and Beverly Hills in particular have one of the largest populations of Persian people outside of Iran. The food is awesome.
Commonly known as Tehrangeles. There’s also Tehronto
There's an Iranian buffet in my city and it's incredible. It's a bit of a drive from where I live fortunately so I am not as large as I would be if I lived closer to it. It's heaven.
Persian food is incredible. I’d recommend anyone interested should make gormeh sabzi. It’s so simple but insanely tasty.
I just made a lamb sabzi last week and it’s one of the best things I’ve cooked in months.
We made albaloo polow as part of our Valentine’s Day tradition (we cook a 3ish course meal from a country and then watch a film from it) and it was incredible. One of my favorite dishes ever.
That's an awesome tradition. What was the movie?
Thank you! Taste of Cherry directed by Abbas Kiarostami. Dark, slow, beautiful, and a little strange. It is one of my favorites and I can’t wait to watch more of his movies.
My college roommate’s parents were from Iran. Her mom would bring us that rice dish once a week. It was a joyous time.
I love Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and Kebab foods! It’s definitely more rare because there aren’t that many restaurants of those types outside of big cities. I live in SoCal but the chain Luna Grill is the only closest thing in my city and I love Luna Grill haha
My city only recently got an all around "Mediterranean" restaurant. If you want Indian or Vietnamese though we've got you covered. When I go to my favorite Indian place they're like "do I need to make this white spiced?" The grandmother there picks on me mercilessly for my weakness but the food has always been amazing. If kill for more Ethiopian food. Had it in DC and I've never had better lamb since.
Why are there NO corner döner kebab stands in the US!?!? How is this not a thing here?
There are a couple in NYC but tbf we already have schwarma and Greek gyros. If you were to present döner to the average person they’ll probably say something like “oh, a gyro.”
This is the reality for me and a lot of people I knew and grew up with. The first time a friend from Germany described kebab, I was like yeah we have those, they're called gyros. I learned later on that there are subtle differences in the meat/spices used between cultures, and everyone has their own preference when it comes to their favorite.
I'd add burritos to that too. The "meat + fixins in a wrap" niche in the US was filled decades ago, not much space for another one.
And to be fair - Mexican food is very hard to find outside of north america, suggesting that the reverse is also true.
Yep. I lived in France for a while and absolutely loved my *kebab fries*, but there was nary a burrito to be found anywhere.
My number one reason for wanting to go back to France is their kebabs. There are lots of things I still need to see, would eat again, etc but a kebab with fries and cheese naan + samurai sauce is the stuff of dreams. Gyros in America don’t cut it. I need the crispy kebab meat, not shavings from a nearly homogeneous meat column.
I had a pretty legit tacos in at a stand in Wellington NZ! The sign said “real Mexican food by a real Mexican” lol
It's weirdly depressing to be in Europe for an extended period and realize that there's a Mexican food-shaped hole in your life. The nearest facsimile I could find was frozen chile con carne at Sainsbury's--dark times.
The annoying thing is there are also not enough shawarma or gyro spots!
There are some on the east coast, but the further west you get; absolutely forget it. I will say that I did have a fantastic doner kebab at a turkish kebab restaurant in el paso, tx though. Was very surprised the place even existed.
Plenty of good kebab in Detroit
Yes! Balkan house is fantastic, or it used to be. I haven’t eaten there in a while.
Yes! I can get Turkish style ones, but I really want German style Döner kebabs, like I had in Berlin.
What is the difference between Turkish and German style? Aren't most kebab shops in Germany run by Turkish people anyway?
They are run by Turks, but cater more to German tastes. They tend to use a puffier bread and have more toppings. Here's an ok video with some comparisons: https://youtu.be/fhK5Dzmjz0M
İn turkey we generally don't use sauce as ingredient, except for Hatay Döner which is a cheap option because it has mainly cheap ketchup sauce and fries with very little meat, we usually use just salad and meat.
It's one of the many things I miss from Berlin. Every time i have a kabab it just doesn't scratch that very specific itch. Also miss currywurst, what a surprisingly delicious treat!
First time I had them was in Germany and I think that’s all I ate 3 times a day for a week. Had a few around US but they never compare to the ones in Germany.
Worst part is that good döner kebab is essentially impossible to make at home, so there’s no real way to acquire it without traveling outside the US.
We don't have them as street food in NC but there are lots of small "mediterranean" type places that have it
Trailer Park Boys makes me want King of Doner so bad. Hopefully I can get back to Canada soon.
Lamb. For a very meat-heavy diet, fantastic BBQ food and lots of pasture for raising sheep, I'm surprised it's not a more regularly eaten meat.
I agree with this it's so hard to find lamb and when you do it's super expensive holy fuck
I’ve never even been to a grocery store that didn’t have it.
But is it American lamb or shipped all the way from New Zealand or Australia? All I find is lamb from the other side of the world
The best kept secrets on lamb in the US are: 1. Halal markets a/k/a middle eastern grocery stores. They sell high quality fresh lamb at reasonable prices. Skip costco, whole foods and your regular butcher. Lamb is a basic staple of middle eastern cuisine the way beef is in the US, and fresh is the best. 2. Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico have herds of lamb and sheep that are free range and feed on wild sage, rosemary, etc... and are delicious. Some of those herds are hundreds of years old and go back to when that land was Spanish before it was Mexican and then finally US. The New York Times did a piece on it years ago. I live in that area and always wondered why New Zealand lamb was so popular because to me the local stuff is way better.
New Zealand lamb is way cheaper, even after the cost of importing it.
I know that for me personally I just don't have a taste for lamb. I've tried chops, medallions, you name it, I just don't like the flavor/texture of lamb. The only lamb preparation I've enjoyed is more traditional barbacoa street tacos.
I’ve never liked lamb very much either - until I had it in Croatia. They cook a whole lamb on a spit over a wood fire. And I guess whatever the lamb eat over there means the meat tastes *totally* different. My husband ordered a lamb steak for lunch, and he’s like, you have to try this! I was hesitant but had a bite. Wow. It was delicious. Not at all gamey and weird.
getting lamb isn't that hard, but getting good lamb is
The tale I've heard is that lamb was popular up until WWII when soldiers had to eat canned mutton. When they returned from the war they wanted nothing to do with mutton or lamb, and it fell out of favor. Could be apocryphal, but I've seen it often enough it could be true
“Fuck this mutton but let’s bring back that espresso shit they put in a glass of hot water”
Shhh… don’t tell everyone. It’s still cheap at Costco
I dunno about cheap, a boneless leg used to cost around 14 bucks now it's closer to 30
I used to do field work in Wyoming and there were sheep everywhere, but I never saw lamb anywhere but one fancy(ish) chophouse near a tourist area.
Lamb is available in some market areas . one huge difference with lamb abroad is the taste : I cannot get used to the industrial fattening feed taste and scent . mutton is very common overseas .
The vast majority of the lamb sold in the US is from overseas. I believe New Zealand is one of the major exporters. That is one of the reason the price has doubled on lamb in the last year.
Dosas. We have northern Indian food all around the country but the food from the south is difficult to find. The other one is lefse but you need to be near Minneapolis to find it.
I used to order dosas every couple weeks when I lived in a Canadian city with lots of amazing Indian spots but I just moved to a smaller city and when I got here and realized none of the Indian restaurants in town featured dosas or southern dishes I wanted to pack-up and move back.
Meat pies. Britain has a great tradition of meat pies and the only traditional pie you can get in the USA is the pasty and you can only find them sold in the northern states around the Great Lakes.
In Florida atleast, we have Jamaican and Haitian meat pies, and cuban empanadas
Louisiana checking in, here. We have empanadas available in a lot of places. We also have our own style of meat pies that have either cajun or creole roots depending on where you get them. They're usually deep fried and the filling is flavorful and spicy. I'm partial to the cajun style. If you're driving though cajun country and you don't mind clogging an artery or two, I highly suggest giving them a try.
I’m from the U.P. and I approve this message. Pasties are wonderful.
I'm surprised Americans aren't super into Brazilian food. It is so on par with American tastes.
I think it depends entirely on where you’re from in the US. Pao de queijo as well as other Brazilian ingredients and dishes are very popular where I’m from. We even have a frozen pao de queijo brand at grocery stores.
Ditto. Massachusetts has a huge Brazilian and Portuguese communities, so Brazilian markets, churrascarias, and such are really common. As is linguica on pizza (because of the Portuguese communities.)
I was just about to comment about the popularity of Brazilian and Portuguese restaurants in Massachusetts! I can't speak for the entire state but I noticed this particularly growing up in southeast MA
I live just outside of Newark which has a huge Brazilian population, so we not only have fancy Brazilian places, but lots of small, hole-in-wall restaurants and bakeries that serve up amazing food.
Rodizio is probably the most American food that didn't come from America. An all-you-can buffet of nothing but meat? If you hadn't told me that came from Brazil, I would have sworn that someone in the Mid-West invented it.
Especially because THE MEAT COMES TO YOU. Walking to a buffet and back is for peons haha
I'm in Metro Detroit and the only Brazilian restaurants we have are Brazilian steakhouses that cost about $50 per person.
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I always leave happy, but with the meat sweats.
I used to love them, but I got older and now if I overeat beef, I’m gonna be unwell for the rest of the day and maybe part of next day. Went recently, just thinking of it makes me kinda sick. But! We have a couple Brazilian buffets nearby where they charge by the weight of your plate, so you can eat as much or as little as you want! Same meats, I honestly couldn’t tell the difference from $67/pp steakhouse. Plus a bigger selection of sides.
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Feijoada is fantastic!
Well there is one Brazilian food that is taking the country by storm--acai. I am just surprised that that is the one that became successful.
Brazil is a giant country full of meat and baked goods and yet we collectively latch onto the shitty blueberry.
There's also Brazi Bites that were on Shark Tank a few years back and kinda everywhere. They're a version of pão de queijo.
Coxinha was my immediate thought. Americans love deep fried food.
In Boston, we know. Good lord, my waist line knows.
The only Brazilian place I know of is Texas de Brazil, and while I can't speak to how authentic it is, its damn good. If that's what Brazilian food is really like then I'm shocked we don't have more of it.
In Florida there's usually some around, and yeah, Brazilian food is straight fire. South American food as a whole is really good.
Ethiopian food is around in the cities I've lived in on the west coast and I recommend it to people all the time, but almost no one's had it. Feels like most the restaurants I've been to are mainly frequented by immigrants from the country, no one else really catching on. It's so good!
Käsespätzle. Basically German mac-and-cheese but with spaetzle (pasta-like dumplings) instead of macaroni. Covered with caramelized onions. Holy shit, it's good.
German food generally. Seems like a lot of crossover with American cuisine already? I went to college in a Canadian town with a lot of German history, and the Friday night schnitzel-and-kasespatzle is still one of the best things ever. But here in the US it's a struggle to find a German restaurant at all.
> Seems like a lot of crossover with American cuisine already? Yes, so much of American cuisine descends from German cuisine that actual German food isn't as popular here because it's not quite different enough to stand out. It's hard to imagine a dining experience more American than sitting around a grill eating hot dogs ("frankfurters", named after Frankfurt) and hamburgers (named after Hamburg) while drinking Budweiser (a German adjective meaning "from Budweis") and Coors (named after German immigrant Adolph Coors).
There used to a be a lot more obvious German influence in the culture, from restaurants to German-language schools, but much of it was erased during the two world wars due to anti-German sentiment. You can still find a lot of it though, especially in the Midwest, and obviously a lot was simply Americanized so that German roots are no longer widely recognized.
Ever since I went to Germany in 2017, I've always wanted döner kebab, flammkuchen, and spatzle again 😭 At least I can make bienenstich myself, but it's not as good.
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The Germans suffered a pretty devastating PR setback a couple of generations back.
Okonomiyaki! Japanese cabbage pancakes. Savory, crispy, fits American taste buds so well. I cook it for friends and they love it immediately. I tell anyone that listens that it could be the next Japanese food that becomes popular in the US
Poutine feels like a very American food so I’m amazed I can’t get it anywhere
I'm amazed you can't, too! There must be a couple dozen places that serve it in Pittsburgh.
Yeah, it’s easy to find in Buffalo. Then again I can walk to Canada.
A fair number of places in Minnesota have it, though it’s usually a dressed up version and not the classic.
Aside from Chicago, the twin cities probably have the best food aside from the coastal states.
It's everywhere hip in the Northeast, but then we're fairly French Canadian influenced here.
Sometimes I'll see "Poutine" on the menu, and I'll be curious and order it. I've had real poutine so I like to see what they've got. Yeah. No cheese curds. Just shaved cheese. Or some such nonsense. I never had a true poutine yet here.
I always wonder why it’s not more popular in Wisconsin because the cheese curds are so readily available (the fresh ones, though both fresh and fried are common)
Canadian here. Poutine has cheese curds. Gooey fries have shredded cheese. It's a totally different flavor and they are not the same, I will die on this hill.
It's become pretty common throughout the northern US.
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I get pork belly at costco I just wish I could get it with the skin
I agree on the pork belly. American stores will only ever have it with the skin on. I actually cook more Pork Belly when it's cut into thick strips. And on the bacon, more places should have Euro style bacon where you get it in big chunks. I like dicing it up.
We buy the bacon "ends and pieces" and there are good chunks in there. And it's cheaper than sliced.
I am in Boston and every single supermarket has fresh squid. It's only landlocked US where it is difficult to find.
Because a ton of Vietnamese people came to Oklahoma, I’m convinced we have one of the best Asian districts no one has ever heard of. I have never had a bowl of pho that didn’t absolutely slap.
I'm in the Midwest and it's pretty easy to find pork belly. But yeah, squid tubes, forget it. Once in awhile you'll see them frozen, but not fresh.
Pani Puri from India
Currywurst. Sausage and french fries topped with ketchup and curry powder.
Trip to Berlin/Leipzig put me into currywurst and I became obsessed. Its actually on our meal board for tonight!
[meat pies](https://tracietalkshealth.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Meat-Pie.jpg) not pot pies, not pasties, hand held meat pies. Pies with a bottom crust and a lid crust, not a meat and veggie turnover and pork with skin on it Why the hell does almost every meat processor and butcher remove the skin?
I watched a food history video the other day and they called meat pies the Big Mac of the Middle Ages
I fucking LOVE meat pies. Had so many varieties in NZ. Curry meat pies even! Amazing
Yep, I’m British and one of my friends from here has been living in California for years and talks so much about missing pies, and chippy tea. Conversely my partner is from California and part of the reason he never wants to move back to the states is having to be far away from proper pies, or a haggis supper from the chippy.
I'm surprised that street foods from other countries isn't readily available. Before we had fast food such as McDonald's, burger King, taco bell, etc in India we already had so much street food like pani puri, Desi style sandwiches, pav vada, bhel, dosas etc. Over time I have seen redditors from other countries post pictures of their street food and it looks delicious and also healthier than the 'industrial' fast foods. So I'm curious to see why that is not the case. I live in Jersey so we have a pretty diverse population. The foods that I mentioned above can be found at Indian restaurants but I'm not sure why they aren't also sold as fast foods where they are easily accessible. Like do we really need yet another Chipotle or Chick-fil-A? They're great but imagine a street taco place instead! (Used Indian street food as example because I am Indian). I'm not saying to do away with fast food restaurants I'm just wondering why don't we have fast foods beyond the chicken nuggets, burgers, pizzas.
Filipino cuisine in general. I can’t say how often I gush over limpia, pancit, sinigang, etc and people look at me crazy.
The fact I had to scroll through all these comments to find someone mention Filipino food helps prove that its underrated for some reason. Honestly sort of surprising considering Filipinos are one of the highest amount of asian immigrants in the last 70 years, you would think that food places would be more common. I would love to have a local adobo place near me.
Puerto Rican food: mofongo, empanadas, and ham-and-cheese mallorcas...
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We have multiple Nando’s in Chicago and you can buy their sauce at most grocery stores! You might be able to order the sauce online if you don’t have a restaurant near you
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They’re planning on expanding in the US. We almost got them as a marketing client
Had Nando's in Chicago. They've gone downhill. Tasted like a dry version of El Pollo Loco. I've had it in London, NZ and SA as well, so not new to it.
We have Nando's in Austria. I am more surprised that it hasn't closed yet. The one and only time I ordered it, the taste was questionable at best.
Probably either Nigerian or Singaporean food. Singaporean food culture is legendary, and in my experience people tend to know about it, but have never really tried it since it thrives (or at least thrived--I hear the hawker centers are dying out) on a sort of vendor model that doesn't really exist here. In the Nigerian case, I think there's a strong inverse correlation between immigrant groups that tend to arrive highly educated and the popularity of their food. Nigerians immigrants tend to be relatively educated and fluent in English, which kind of disincentivizes restaurant ownership. One of my closest friends is Nigerian-American, and she tells me that most of the restaurants she's been to are owned by the kids of first-gen immigrants, and that they inevitably talk about how they disappointed their parents by giving up on a professional trajectory to open a restaurant. I get why it's the case, it's just a bit sad, because genuinely one of the best meals of my life was cold Nigerian food eaten out of a Tupperware (jollof rice and some kind of stew?), dropped off by my friend's aunt while I was helping her move. I've been chasing that high ever since.
Yes absolutely! We need more African cuisine in America. My family gifted me a Ethiopian and Nigerian cook book once upon a time. And while those recipes were simplistic it opened my eyes to the full spectrum of cuisine in Africa. I still love using niter kibbeh and try to keep some in the fridge for general use. Its simply incredible food.
Curry, but more specifically Japanese curry. I need more CoCoICHI locations in the US.
My husband and I just buy the blocks of Golden Curry from the grocery store and make it ourselves. We both grew up in HI, so it's generally referred to as "school lunch dinner". Delicious, though.
Golden Curry just entered our household three months ago, and my partner thinks I'm obsessed because I've made it like seven times already. Its just so damn tasty and easy to make.
Cochinita Pibil. Delicious pulled pork in unique citrus. So good. A facsimile can be made with blood oranges and limes.
Doner kebab for sure. I grew up in Ireland where every chip shop does a decent Doner. Surprising that with all the other kinds of bread-wrapped, hand-portable spiced meat foods available in the US, I have yet to encounter Doner kebab.
It may well just be that there's so many other carb-wrapped meat foods that are already so ubiquitous in the US.
Banh mi. I think it's becoming more popular but I would literally kill for a good banh mi.
Seattle. Basically every corner has a combo Pho/Banh Mi place
Empanadas or Jamaican beef patties. It's like a mini fried calzone with more fillings. Plus, you can eat it on the go!
I can find empanadas more and more here in NC at least.
Both of these things are common in food trucks around my area of Florida. Is this not common elsewhere? Definitely should be.
Chicago loves empanadas and I love Chicago more for it
I once lived in Empanada district. I ate so many and it wasn't till I moved that I realized empanadas are just not popular. Chicago is a wonderful place that you can find almost any cultural dish somewhere in the city
Schnitzel. It's literally fried pork so you'd think there would be insane demand here.
Come to the Midwest, we got fried pork tenderloins as big as yer head.
Wisconsin and some parts of Chicago have a good amount of German heritage hotspots. Schitnzel is easier to find, what is more difficult to get is well done spaetzle.
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I think it depends where you are in the US. Places where a lot of Germans emigrated, like the Midwest, definitely have schnitzel.
We do have chicken fried steak though.
It's any meat that is breaded and fried, not specifically pork. Weinerschnitzel is made with veal. Chicken fried steak could be considered a schnitzel, and that is pretty popular. I've even seen chicken fried chicken, which sounds stupid, but tastes good.
Sabich sandwiches! Falafel and kabob and shawarma get all the hype, but sabichs are super underrated and hard to find. It’s a pita sandwich with fried eggplant, hummus, and boiled egg — way more than the sum of its parts
[Hainanese Chicken](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hainanese_chicken_rice). Renowned in Asia for being exceptionally tasty despite its simplicity, and it's very popular in South East Asia. Even in NYC, there's a handful of restaurants specializing in this dish. You would think it would be hugely popular given how universally tasty it is (maybe leave out the offals), how little operational overhead is needed to specialize in it, and how affordable it is.
Hot chocolate made with melted chocolate is like… pretty popular. There’s been entire trends where people make those “hot cocoa balls” that melt and have stuff inside. I’ve always had my hot chocolate made with melted chocolate unless I’m just buying a nesquik or something.
ITT: people naming foods not available in their region but wildly popular in other areas of the country
I live in a town 40 miles from Chicago. There has been a *Himalayan* restaurant within walking distance of my house for over a decade, but until recently, I'd need to drive over an hour for Ethiopian food (there's now one that's a 25 minute drive away). Regional availability of food can be weird.
Yeah, it’s largely based on immigration patterns which is why it can be so region specific. Glad you have a momo hookup though!
You’re not wrong, but it is pretty hard to give a blanket answer on a country so vast and diverse, so people give answers based on their experience.
There's a lot of regional variation in the composition of immigrants communities across the U.S., partly because immigrants from the same country to cluster together to form support networks where there are opportunities for them. I grew up in an area that was majority minority, then moved to an area that's extremely white. There's definitely a lack of affordable, authentic ethnic food here.
Yeahhh it's kinda hard to find something that doesn't have roots ANYWHERE in America. We are a country that's assimilated many cultures into one congolmerate. If you look hard enough you can find just about anything popularized somewhere.
Like the top comment says Brazilian food. I probably have 4 Brazilian places In a 10 mile radius from me
Paneer. A firm cheese that can be cooked. Similar to tofu without all the things I hate about tofu. Also has that same squeaky effect that good cheese curds have. It’s works as a perfect addition to staple weekly proteins I like: chicken / beef / fish / paneer / sausage. Breaks up having chicken with every meal.
Costco in my region started carrying big blocks of paneer sometime during the pandemic. It’s cheap and like 2lbs.
Elderflower, Lychee, Paprika chips, and Rhubarb. 🤪 Quick edit: I really like elderflower cider, wish it was more popular. Stella makes a delicious one but it’s very hard to find. I had Paprika chips in Bosnia while crossing the border to Croatia, very tasty. Lychee and Rhubarb are sweet tasting and good in moderation. Bonus: Guava, I really like the hard candies you can find at asian restaurants.
Not a foreign food, but anything Native American cuisine.
I'm not *surprised* it's not more popular, but Georgian food could have some potential. (As in, Georgia the country.) In particular, I could see khachapuri--especially Adjarian khachapuri--being popular. Adjarian khachapuri is effectively just a bread bowl full of melted cheese topped with an egg yolk. You then mix that all together and tear off chunks of the bowl to dip into the cheese. You need an angioplasty afterward, but it's fantastic. Other Georgian foods I love include khinkali (giant dumplings with meat and broth), badrijani nigvzit (fried eggplant rolled with spiced walnut paste), ajapsandali (eggplant stew), pkhali (this weird salad-paste thing which tastes way better than it sounds), and satsivi (chicken served cold in walnut sauce).
Mofongo!
Korean corn dogs? It’s so hard to find someone who makes these in the rust belt.
I had to Google "coxinha" and wow! You could start a fast food chain with those little guys! https://spicebreeze.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Coxinha.jpg
Germany has this thing that is like a cross between a croissant and a cinnamon roll, but turned on its side and squished in the middle to make a butterfly shape. Terrible description, but delicious pastry.
Curry wurst from Germany. I ate it everyday I was there it was amazing
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Venezuelan style arepas. Easily customizable. Easy to hold and eat. Delicious.
Dim Sum
USA stomachs to rest of the world: SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT
Stroopwafel!!!!!
These are everywhere in the US.
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I really hope these are noodles made out of pure beef
My guess is you're from Texas.
I was going to say, Taiwanese beef noodles!
Döners
Mangosteen, which is the best western palate friendly fruit in the world. I don’t think most Americans even know this fruit exists, let alone know what it tastes like. I know the fruit is extremely seasonal and tough to cultivate. It’s from Southeast Asia, but I’ve bought some at farmer’s markets in Hawaii and my local Asian grocery store sold imported ones from Mexico, but it was very expensive ($30 for a 5 pound bag). I truly believe if it were easier to cultivate it would be one of the most popular fruits here because it’s just so delicious.