21 Food Sins From Different Cuisines That You Should Never, Ever Commit
Food and culture are closely intertwined, and all around the world, there are local culinary norms as well as food "no-nos" that are seriously frowned upon. Well, Redditor radiofan asked, "What is your country's equivalent of breaking spaghetti?" People responded with the biggest food-related faux pas from all over the world.
1."Eating pizza with your hands in Naples. I went to Naples with my husband, who is born and raised in New York. I ate my pizza with a fork and knife because when in Rome (Naples). But he ate his by cutting slices and using his hands. The looks of horror he got were legendary! Here in NYC I'd do a double take if I saw someone eat it with cutlery, but in Naples they looked like they were ready to throw hands over his disrespect. I love how it goes both ways."
2."Letting your schnitzel touch any kind of sauce except lingonberry jam."
3."In Ireland, serving single malt whisky with anything other than water. Ice is occasionally acceptable. Coke, however, is a sin."
4."Eating unsalted butter. In Brittany, the only butter that can exist is with salt, or else you have two choices: Convert to salted butter, or never come back here."
5."Texan here. Do not use mayo in your guacamole! DO NOT. I was in a culinary class with people from different parts of the nation. We were learning to make homemade mayo, and one woman said, 'Oh, I’ll use this in my guacamole!' Everyone in the class agreed. My Tex-Mex soul was crushed and destroyed. I cried myself to sleep that night."
6."I saw someone put ketchup on pão de queijo. As a Brazilian, this was one of the most horrifying things I have ever witnessed."
7."In Indian cuisine, adding certain powdered spices at the very end of cooking, close to when you turn the heat off, is a no-go. Most spices need to be added in the beginning to allow them to bloom, get rid of the raw taste, and really blend with the other ingredients — this would go for cayenne, cumin, coriander powder, etc... The big exception (there are others) is garam masala, which is often added towards the end. Somewhat related: overuse of turmeric. It has a rather strong taste and we use it sparingly in Indian cuisine but it's often the predominant flavor in Western curry powders and 'curried' dishes."
8."I'm Italian, and I would say undressed noodles with a pool of sauce on top. And for the record, I don't fuss that much over carbonara purism."
9."Enchiladas should NOT be made with flour tortillas. That's just a soggy mess. Also, shredded 'Mexican blend' cheese has nothing to do with Mexico. Get some queso fresco, cotija, oaxaca, etc. Chilaquiles made with tortilla chips just end up soggy and gross. It's not hard to fry up some corn tortillas so that you have something fresh and crisp."
10."Any sort of flavored hummus or 'hummus' that doesn’t use chickpeas. The word hummus means chickpeas in Arabic, so no chickpeas = not hummus. That’s just a dip."
11."I'm from Texas, so dry brisket is an absolute abomination and dishonors the animal, the palate, and the grill."
12."Eating Vegemite with a spoon thinking it's like peanut butter or Nutella or something, then complaining that it tastes bad. It's not sweet! You can't do that!"
13."Adding heavy cream, yogurt or coconut milk to every single Indian dish and calling it either 'tikka masala' or 'curry.'"
14."Starting your BBQ ribs by boiling some water..."
15."In Sweden, if you make 'Swedish cinnamon rolls,' you never put glaze on the goods. It has to be sugar in big granule form (pearl/nib/hail-sugar), otherwise it is not Swedish. Same with meatballs. You do not cook the meatballs in the sauce; the sauce goes next to or on top of the meatballs when put on a plate, otherwise it is not Swedish. Some Swedes jokingly take offense to it, but most don't care."
16."Chocolate flavored hummus. You're just disrespecting the ancestors with that one."
17."In China, not rinsing rice before cooking it. My wife was born and raised in China. She taught me this like it was a law of nature. So on the rare occasion I was the one making rice, I dutifully followed this law without question or comment."
18."Using fake maple syrup in Vermont. It is a crime."
19."My family is Cambodian. A lot of foods we make require you to grind herbs together with a mortar and pestle until it becomes a paste. It takes forever. This was always my job growing up so my mom could prep other things. I’d sit and watch TV while grind, grind, grinding. Never ever dare to suggest using a food processor. My mom/aunts/grandparents will glare at you like you insulted them."
20."In Canada, putting shredded cheese on poutine. It should be cheese curds."
21."In Korean cuisine, eating soup, stew, or side dishes without rice. Most Korean food, especially food with broth, is seasoned heavily and designed to be eaten with rice. To eat it without rice would be kind of like eating pasta sauce without pasta. Most foreigners who didn't grow up eating Korean food don't even realize this."
What would locals consider a food-related "sin" in the country, city, or region where you live? Tell us in the comments or in this anonymous form.
