10 unusual European dishes for you to try in 2015

Hello again everyone.When I was last in Singapore, I heard some relatives comment that Angmoh food was bland and boring, that it consisted typically of a meat main course with some vegetable side dishes, potatoes and bread. Certainly, more basic European cuisine that follow that pattern and quite a lot of Europeans do eat what I would consider rather bland, basic foods. 2015 will mark my 18th year in Europe and in those 18 years, Since I have traveled to 29 European countries, it is probably easier to list European countries that I have yet to visit, that would make a shorter list. In any case, here's my list of ten slightly more unusual European dishes that are delicious and you should make a point of trying this year. Vegans and vegetarians, please look away now. There's so much meat in my list.

1. Kokoretsi
Origins: Balkans, Greece, Turkey
Principle ingredient: Lamb's offal

This is dish is unusual but well worth hunting down! I had this when I was in Roda (in Corfu) last summer and it was probably one of the most interesting dishes I have ever had in Greece. Layers of lamb intestines, hearts, lungs, kidneys, livers are heavily seasoned and wrapped round a skewer before being roasted over an open fire. The intestines feature most heavily in this dish as it serves an important purpose as a 'sausage skin' to hold the entire Kokoretsi together. The roasted offal is then served with salads, bread and other side dishes like Tzatziki and olives.

How did I discover this dish? 

I simply walked into a Greek restaurant in Roda after studying the menu - the prices all looked rather reasonable and I asked the waiter to recommend the dish of the day. I could see that there was a barbecue station with an open fire, a chef had all kinds of meats on skewers ready to be stuck over the fire. The waiter told me to try Kokoretsi if I had never had it before and I followed his advice. I thought, hey the price is reasonable, it sounds interesting, why not? So, never be afraid to ask for advice - you could often get some very good recommendations!

How rare is this dish? Do I need to go to Greece/Turkey/the Balkans? 

Unfortunately, yes. Kokoretsi is a highly labour intensive dish that takes hours of preparation and it is not something ordinary people prepare at home. Rather, it is a dish that people get from restaurants and whilst it is fairly popular in big cities in the region, it is surprisingly hard to find even in a city like London because most people here would turn their noses up at offal. So yeah, I've yet to find it back in London.

2. Cevapcici/Cevapi
Origins: Balkans
Principal ingredients: Minced lamb, beef and pork.

This is considered the national dish of the Balkans: a spicy kebab made of a mixture of lamb, beef and pork. It is similar to the Turkish Kofte kebab, but the shape is usually smaller and because the population in the Balkans are mostly Christian, the Balkan version often contains pork which isn't consumed in Turkey. Cevapcici is served with salad and flat bread, often with a variety of sauces and dips. I totally fell in love with Cevapcici when I was in Croatia.

How did I discover this dish?

When I announced on Facebook that I was in a cafe in Zagreb, Croatia, my Croatian friend left me a comment, "Eat Cevapcici!" I then asked a waiter in the cafe what Cevapcici was and not only did I get a detailed description of how awesome it was, but he also told me where to find the best Cevapcici in town. So the moral of the story: always ask for local advice when it comes to good local food and where to get it!

How rare is this dish? Do I need to go to the Balkans?

Probably not. I had a good look and there is a Balkan deli in West London that does sell Cevapi, I have seen it is places like Switzerland and Austria. I suppose if you can find a Balkan restaurant, then chances are, it will be on the menu. It is admittedly pretty hard to find, thought it is not impossible. In any case, if you really can't find it - then just settle for a Kofte kebab which you can get at any Turkish restaurant and it is pretty similar.

3. Lahmacun, "Turkish pizza"
Origins: Turkey
Principal ingredients: Flat bread, tomato sauce, ground lamb, spices, salad

Oh I do adore Lahmacun. It is a much lighter version of the Italian pizza because of the absence of cheese and the bread/dough is always a lot thinner and crispier. A proper Lahmacun should be prepared fresh when you place your order and believe me, it is worth the wait. The chef will pound and roll out a piece of dough until it is very thin. He will then slap on a spicy tomato sauce that contains ground lamb (or sometimes beef) on the dough before the Lahmacun in the hot oven to bake. Once the dough is thoroughly cooked and crispy around the edges, the chef will get it out of the oven. There are a number of ways to serve Lahmacun: you can cut it into small slices or it can be topped with fresh salad (raw onions, parsley, tarragon, pickled chilies, coriander, tomato, cucumber) and sauces (chili sauce, garlic sauce, olive oil) before being rolled up like a burrito. I like both methods - I often get the rolled up version as a convenient take-away food. It contains a full meal (meat, bread and vegetables) and it is portable and mess-free.

How did I discover this dish?

I was in a Turkish restaurant in London studying the menu for lunch one day when I saw someone eating a Lahmacun. I then asked the man behind the counter, "excuse me, what is that? It looks really good." He then told me it was a Lahmacun and suggested that I try one. So the moral of the story is this: do have a look at what the other people are eating in the restaurant and if it looks good and smells good, order the same thing.

How rare is this dish? Do I need to go to Turkey?

No it is not rare at all. Actually it is fairly common, at least here in London! It is considered cheap fast food and you may be able to get it as a starter in more upmarket restaurant so if you are going to a really posh Turkish restaurant, it may be considered just a little bit too low-class to make the menu in some finer establishments.

4. Çiğ köfte
Origins: Turkey and Armenia
Principal ingredients: Raw lamb mince, sometimes raw beef mince, spices

Çiğ köfte (pronounced 'chee kof-te') is basically a lump of raw lamb or beef mince with loads of spices and a little bulgur wheat. My guide book warned me against eating it because it could very easily give you a bad case of food poisoning if it was not prepared properly or if it had been stored too long. After all, eating raw meat in a place like Turkey was always going to carry a bit of a health risk! But is it worth the risk? Oh yes, definitely. When well prepared, it is absolutely delightful - I particularly enjoy the raw lamb version as it brings out a totally different flavour from the lamb meat. It is something you simple have to try when in Turkey!

How did I discover this dish?

I didn't try Çiğ köfte on my first visit to Turkey because I followed the advice of my guide book! But when I returned to work in Istanbul, we had very long and busy working days and sometimes, the entire team would get takeaway meal boxes from the local restaurant delivered to our office. In each meal box, you would get a variety of Turkish dishes and it was different every day. There would be some kind of salad, starter and salads, rice, bread and sometimes French fries and a main course (some kind of grilled meat). One day, the starter was Çiğ köfte and I took a bite into it without knowing quite what it was and I thought, that tastes like raw meat! One bite and I was hooked - I then requested that I Çiğ köfte with every meal box and my Turkish colleagues were so tickled, "normally foreigners are afraid of even trying that dish because it contains raw meat - you're the first foreigner we know to actually like it!"

How rare is this dish? Do I need to go to Turkey?

Probably not - admittedly, it is rare outside Turkey but I am sure there will be good Turkish restaurants that will offer this dish. The ingredients are not hard to find at all, you just have to find a Turkish chef who is willing and able to prepare this dish to a very high standard for you as you don't want food poisoning.

5. Deep fried whitebait
Origins: Italy, Spain, Portugal
Principal ingredients: Baby fish, batter

Oh this is a delightful dish - imagine taking baby fish about 5 to 10 cm long, coating it in a light batter and then deep frying it until it is very crispy and golden brown. The appearance of the best fried whitebait should resemble a big French fry - not too big, the whole thing should be bite-sized and super crispy. It should be eaten whole, the bones of the baby fish at that stage should be so soft that you don't need to worry about eating the entire head and bones of the fish. Often served with a drizzle of fresh lemon juice and garlic mayonnaise, it can be a bar snack or a main course. This is very popular in Spain, though I have seen it in Portugal and Italy as well.

How does this compare to fried ikan bilis (fried anchovies) - a common snack in Singapore? It is very different as ikan bilis are usually dried before they are fried, they are extremely crunchy when served but there is virtually no meat left on the ikan bilis. Whereas with fried whitebait, there is still sufficient meat left on the baby fish for the main body of the fish to be soft and succulent in the middle whilst crispy and crunchy on the outside. There is no healthy way to do this dish - it has to be deep fried in a large amount of oil, hence it is something best enjoyed at a restaurant rather than trying to cook at home! (Unless you have an industrial sized deep fat fryer in your kitchen...)

How did I discover this dish? 

On my first visit to Spain, I discovered the joys of the 'menu del dia' (menu of the day) set meals - basically, there are these very modestly priced restaurants in Spain which offer a set meal at a fixed price. You will get a choice of a handful of starters, main courses and deserts at a fixed price and it was at one of these places where fried whitebait was offered as a starter. I didn't know quite what to order but I noticed the Spanish couple next to me enjoying fried whitebait and damn it looked good. Moral of the story? If the locals like the dish, then it is probably good!

How rare is this dish? Do I need to go to Spain, Portugal or Italy? 

Well, the concept of cooking tender baby dish and eating it whole isn't new - however, to deep fat fry it is less popular as it is rather unhealthy to deep fat fry anything. Some people also have an aversion towards eating a fish whole: bones, head, skeletons and all. But ultimately, I'm sure you can find it outside Europe if you look hard enough.

6. Dutch soused herring
Origins: The Netherlands, also Belgium
Principal ingredient: Herring

This is really popular dish in the Netherlands. The fresh herring is prepared first with the removal of the head, guts, gills and throat. The fish is then slit down the middle and soaked in brine, oil and vinegar. The herring takes on some of the flavours of the marinade but is not pickled - it still feels very fresh (like sashimi) and is either eaten on its own (with some onions) or in a bun as a sandwich. There is also another version of the dish where the herring is pickled - that involves soaking the herring in vinegar and brine for longer, I am also very fond of the pickled version of this dish (and it is much easier to find in London).

How did I discover this dish? 

I took a really long trip to Holland in 2002 - I had an old friend who had just moved to Amsterdam. He had a lovely apartment in south Amsterdam so I spent two weeks in Holland, based in Amsterdam but taking loads of day trips around Holland. Now the Dutch love their fish and even in winter, there are these fish shops which will sell you both cooked and raw fish. The Dutch have a great street food culture. I observed many of the locals eating these herring sandwiches and so I tried one and got hooked. I love sushi and sashimi anyway, so the thought of eating raw fish always appealed to me! I always make it a point to try the local delicacies whenever I travel.

How rare is this dish? Do I need to go to the Netherlands or Belgium? 

Yes and no. Any respectable supermarket will stock pickled herring (also known as rollmops) - these will be in jars and are fairly inexpensive (well at least in London). To get lightly soused herring however, these need to be fresh and properly prepared - for that you need to go to the Netherlands or Belgium I'm afraid, unless you have a really good local Dutch/Belgian restaurant near you. I've not found soused herring on sale in London I'm afraid.

7. Andouilette
Origins: France (though the Spanish also do a similar dish)
Ingredients: Pig's intestines

Some people find the thought of eating a sausage made of pig's intestines gross, but hey, I'm from Singapore. I grew up eating kway-chup, a dish celebrating pig's offal. So yes, I am actually quite fond of pig's intestines. I like the way Andouilette has a lot of texture because the filling of the sausage is usually coarsely cut, as opposed to other sausages where the filling is finely ground. It can be served in a variety of ways, I like it when it is grilled and served with a mustard-based sauce and French fries. Yes it is made of intestines, but come on, they wash the ingredients clean and get rid of any undigested food in the intestines before preparing the sausage - so I don't know why people have a mental block about eating intestines. It is delicious!

How did I discover this dish? 

Oh we have to go way back to 1997 when I first studied in France, there was a canteen at the university and Andouilette appeared on the menu on day. I thought, hey that's new I'll try it. The lady behind the counter looked at me (clearly, I am a foreigner) and asked me in English, "Are you sure you want to try it? Do you know what it is made of?" And that's when I thought, this is going to be exciting! I'm not squeamish when it comes to food and I actually rather enjoyed it. Some say that this is an acquired taste but it was love at first bite for me.

How rare is this dish? Do I need to go to France? 

It is rather rare, I would be quite surprised if you could find this outside France - but then again, it is rather common in France! So I suppose if you do have a good French restaurant near you, then ask them if they do this dish. It can be found in London, but it is treated as something of a novelty dish and dubbed the "stinky sausage of death".

8. Tiropita Greek cheese pie
Origins: Greek
Principal ingredients: Cheese, pastry

There are a whole range of cheese pastries available in Europe of very high quality but if I were to pick a favourite, it would have to be the Tiropita from Greece. The pastry is flaky and very light, the cheese is flavoursome and strong and often it contains bits of spinach, olive, onion and possibly bacon. It is very popular in Greece where it can be eaten at breakfast, as a snack or as a starter for a main meal. Whilst a cheese pastry/pie is hardly original, the Greeks definitely make the best cheese pie in all of Europe.

How did I discover this dish?

Well, on my first trip to Crete, Greece - I stayed at a lovely resort where there was a wonderful spread everyday at the breakfast buffet. That's how I had the chance to try many different Greek dishes, including this lovely cheese pie, of course. So, the moral of the story is to try a local buffet when on holiday - that's a really efficient way to discover a large variety of local dishes within a very short space of time when abroad.

How rare is this dish? Do I need to go to Greece? 

It would depend on whether you can get a genuine Greek restaurant to recreate the perfect Tiropita. In London, we have a sizable Greek community here, so you can come across Greek food stalls in street food markets selling incredibly good Greek cheese pies at very reasonable prices, introducing delicious authentic Greek food to a whole new audience in London. The fact is Tiropita is a very humble cheese pie, it is not luxury food - so you may not find this on the menu of finer Greek restaurants who may turn their noses up at a humble cheese pie and offer far more expensive dishes. But when you're in Greece, gosh the Tiropita is so common and easily available anywhere.

9. Stroopwafels
Origins: The Netherlands and Belgium
Principal ingredients: Waffle and caramel

Belgium may have a reputation for waffles - but this is a less popular kind of waffle that is found mostly in Holland. The two kinds of Belgium waffles that are popular are Liege/Luik (depending on whether you use the French or Flemish name) waffles and Brussels waffles. Now I am fond of Brussels waffles, but having lived and worked in Liege, I am sick of Liege waffles (it is way too sweet) and everyone there was like, "oh have you tried our famous Liege waffles?" Stroopwafles on the other hand,  is a waffle made from two thin layers of baked dough with a caramel-like syrup filling in the middle.They were first made in Gouda in the Netherlands. Large versions are sold in the streets as a snack.

How did I discover this dish?

I was on a music video shoot when I discovered this snack! On these long shoots, they will usually send someone out to the local supermarket to buy loads of snacks like chocolates, biscuits, cakes to make sure that people never go hungry between meals - that's the golden rule: keep your crew well fed and they will work well for you. So on this occasion, I had one of these stroopwafles and thought, wow this is great - when I tried to go back for more, I realized that it was almost all gone as others have also discovered how delicious it was. I decided to have a good look for more in the upmarket supermarkets in London because I wanted more.

How rare is this dish? Do I need to go to Belgium or the Netherlands?

Yes and no. In any respectable London supermarket, you should be able to get packets of Stroopwafles for a very reasonable price. Some are imported from Holland, some are even manufactured in the UK (that's how popular they have become). However, nothing beats the version which is made fresh and sold as street food. May I refer you to the video above by EYK. If you do go to Belgium or the Netherlands, you must try the fresh version! I'm afraid the fresh version can only be found in Belgium and the Netherlands. I didn't even find it just across the border in Germany.

10. Home made Rhubarb trifle with only a little sugar
Origins: The UK/my kitchen
Principle ingredients: Cream, rhubarb, sugar, sponge cake mascarpone cheese, custard

I thought I had to pick something from the UK and it was quite hard to choose something unusual from British cuisine but I settled on rhubarb because it is quite an acquired taste and fairly widely eaten in the UK. However, it is not often cooked well, it is often stewed or baked with a lot of sugar until it is one hot gooey sugary mess. Rhubarb should never be overcooked, it should retain some of its firm texture and the sharp, soury taste is part of its charm and should never be masked with copious amounts of white sugar. The flavour of rhubarb is unique and I enjoy it in a range of deserts like panna cotta, trifle and cakes. Mind you, when I have a lot of rhubarb, I add them to juices or even use them in savoury vegetable dishes. Try this rhubarb trifle recipe if you are able to get hold of some rhubarb, but I would half the amount of sugar in the recipe! Too much processed white sugar is bad for health!

How did I discover this dish?

When I was at university, rhubarb crumble was a staple desert that often appeared on the menu. It was however often so incredibly sweet that I hated it and it was only when I actually managed to get my hands on some rhubarb stems to cook in my kitchen that I discovered that it was actually quite a sour tasting vegetable without all that white sugar. I can get a lot of rhubarb very cheaply from my local market so I have been able to experiment with rhubarb over the years in my kitchen without all that evil white sugar that the British are so fond of!

How rare is this dish? Do I need to come to the UK for it? 

Well, yes and no. You're unlikely to find rhubarb on the menu in a place like Singapore - though it does appear from time to time in upmarket supermarkets like Cold Storage which are popular with the expats. But be warned, it can be very expensive in Singapore. Once you're in the UK, sure rhubarb deserts like rhubarb trifle and rhubarb crumble are fairly common and cheap, but I always prefer those that I make at home because I use far less sugar. There are also a range of other rhubarb flavoured food items like boiled sweets and soft drinks you can find in the UK and you can also get hold of rhubarb cordial which allows you to make interesting cocktails and deserts.

So there you go - those are ten European dishes for you to try in 2015. Do let me know what you think and good luck trying to hold of them. Are there any other unusual delicacies you think we should be trying? What are the best kept secrets in your regional cuisine? Please do leave a comment below, many thanks for reading and bon appétit!