Matt, hey have you by chance lived in Mexico?
You know the names of so many dishes; say, which tortilla did you like the best? the corn flour tortilla or the wheat flour tortilla?
I lived in the capital city of that country for a few years and it was not until i went up north the state of Sonora -to discover the Sonoran desert- that i first came across wheat flour tortillas. Delicious!
Although i found both to very good of course i can say i had a slight preference for wheat flour tortillas.
The wheat flour tortillas are a Northern Mexico creation; large numbers of europeans settled there in the last part of the XIX century and also after their revolution during the 1920s. Being loyal to their wheat-culture is that a group of female settlers came up with the wheat flour tortilla.
Mexican cuisine was an interesting experience...so rich and vast -even if i am not that much into spicy food-. Did you try any of those chili sauces they prepare in the Caribbean Sea? Holy, it is hell in your mouth.
Did you know the Mexicans and the Chinese produce some of the spiciest and hottest dishes on earth?
If you ask me i will tell Mexican cuisine can clearly be ranked as one of the most delicious and interesting cuisines in the planet; in Europe you can have several types of bread to have your meal...in Mexico you can also have several types of bread and, depending on your choice and the dish on the table, tortillas.
It was amazing to discover people in Nothern Mexico could regard the dishes of southern mexico as alien food and could look at the served plate with an expression of horror on their faces, two entirely different worlds, as if we were referring to two different nations.
My favorite food hands down is Japanese...i am an expert cook. At my kitchen i have virtually all the necessary ingredients, tools and gadgets to make any Japanese dish.
Everything that comes from the sea is a favorite; if i recall correctly there is only one sea produce i have not yet tried that much: seawater.