
Show HN: Discover what locals eat all around the world - sandoche
https://what.toeat.in
======
_-___________-_
I actually thought the search was broken (none of the first 10 destinations I
thought of had any results), but there's just very few articles. It might be
better to have autocomplete on the search box with some fallback of "no
results found", or just lose the search entirely since the list of articles is
short.

~~~
thasaleni
Additionally, since it's a place search, maybe add place autocomplete. So it's
obvious if the place you search for is not in the list. I also thought the
search was broken

~~~
deanalevitt
Agreed. Autocomplete feels important.

------
matt4077
As a German, I can assure you that every person I know, including old people,
eats Pizza more often than any of the dishes on this list.

The listed foods are the answer to _some_ question, but it is one subtly
different from “what people eat”.

Which is kind of disappointing: I actually clicked hoping someone had seen
this happen before, and decided to somehow collect data to answer the question
“what do people actually eat?”

Instead of just regurgitating stereotypes, it would reveal how connected the
world has become. And yet, it could highlight the actually interesting
differences, such as the myriad different interpretations of Chinese dishes,
or meat-in-bread.

~~~
franze
I showed this list to my sisters who now lives in germany for .... 26 years.
She just responded "tourist crap".

Additonal Germany is a huge country and I do not think that one liste can do
justice to the variety available in a big country. What people eat is
deffinitly different comparing Bavaria vs. Hamburg vs. Berlin.

~~~
jplayer01
Tourist crap? This is the kind of food my grandmother made. You've got to be
kidding me.

------
jaclaz
I would dare to say that (Spain) the situation about ham (and pig breeds and
their raising) is a bit more complex than what has been stated:

>...Spanish pigs who have been feed only with acorns which makes them legs
black ...

Compare with:

[https://elpais.com/elpais/2017/07/06/inenglish/1499366286_53...](https://elpais.com/elpais/2017/07/06/inenglish/1499366286_535537.html)

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamón_ibérico](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamón_ibérico)

The "pata negra" is a definite breed.

------
arciini
Given the limited set of geographic options, it might be worth showing a
dropdown or something instead of a search box!

I really do like the concept though - whenever I travel I do try to eat the
regional specialties

~~~
Ultramanoid
Indeed, better a list than searching at this point. Stopped looking after
getting no results for Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore and
Vietnam.

------
scraft
And what about the Finnish breakfast? Coffee, cigarette and vodka?

[https://imgur.com/gallery/tNwTM7e](https://imgur.com/gallery/tNwTM7e)

------
eitland
Can confirm the foods from Norway are all popular and considered typical for
the region.

As renholder points out some (kaviar in tube) are maybe more popular in
Sweden, but still Norwfian as well.

Three things I miss as a Norwegian:

-raspeball/raspekake/kompe/klubb/ball (mashed and/or shredded potatos mixed with wheat and barleuy flour, formed as lumps and boiled together with salted (and possibly smoked meat, typically pigs knucles or cured meat from sheep) and served with carrots and rutabaga, sausage and bacon. Where I grew up people would also add syrup and/or sugar. Needless to say a full meal of this might take some effort to get down ;-)

\- sheeps head (literally). Typically not everyday food but for special
occations or as a Sunday dinner once a year. Two versions exist that I'm aware
of: 1. which is the one I grew up with which consists of splitted, cured sheep
heads that are then boiled 2. "Smalahove" which are typically roasted over
open fire before being steamed or boiled (I think, I haven't prepared those
myself, but I've eaten them and they taste wonderfully).

\- kjøttkake which you can think of as a version of the IKEA Swedish
meatballs, only larger, coarser and with far better seasoning. Can be eaten
any day of the week, including Sunday. Really tasty and probably easier to get
along with than raspeball and especially skjelte.

~~~
GrumpyNl
I remember de Polske, i dont know if its spelled right, but i was amazed by
the number of hotdog sellers ( polske)

~~~
resurge
Pølse? Literally translated it just means "sausage", but when advertised in
kiosks they're talking about hot dogs yeah :)

~~~
eitland
Ostebaconpølse <3

Everyday favourite :-)

------
deanclatworthy
You know this is going to trigger a lot of people [1].

\- Jam Roly Poly is something you'd eat at school. I don't think I've ever
seen it on a restaurant menu.

\- Mince pies are generally only available in the months leading up to
Christmas.

\- Eccles cake is rarely eaten nowadays, apart from in certain regions.

You're also missing chicken tikka masala which is regularly voted a national
dish. Also roast dinners.

[1] [https://what.toeat.in/uk/](https://what.toeat.in/uk/)

~~~
darrenf
And there _really_ needs to be some pronunciation guidance on 'scone(s)' [0-3]

[0] [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/news/survey-
revea...](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/news/survey-reveals-
correct-way-to-pronounce-scone/) [1]
[https://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2013/03/08/how-do-you-
sa...](https://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2013/03/08/how-do-you-say-scone/)
[2] [https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/apr/23/how-do-
you-p...](https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/apr/23/how-do-you-
pronounce-scone-answer-says-a-lot-english-language-day-shakespeare-birthday)
[3] [https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-
drink/mary...](https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/mary-
berry-scone-how-pronounce-debate-britains-best-home-cook-a8346541.html)

------
Gys
After reading about the 10 dishes that define Singapore [0], yesterday, I
thought you got inspired to post your project here as well. Unfortunately
Singapore did not yet make it. To find Netherlands therefore was a surprise.
Seems fairly accurate. Good job !

I also missed Portugal, which supposingly has more codfish recipes then days
in a year...

[0]
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19248711](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19248711)

~~~
misja
I found quite a few mistakes in the Dutch dishes. For instance, kale is
definitely not served as a compliment to every hot meal. Also, nobody eats raw
herring here, the herring that is sold on the street has been cured in salt.

~~~
Gys
A yes, very true. I just briefly looked at the dish names. I now see there is
certainly room for improvement.

------
renholder
> _No results found for "Sweden"._

> _No results found for "Sverige"._

You probably don't have all of the countries, yet. Fair enough.

> _Norway > Kaviar / Caviar in a tube_

That's actually a Nordic thing and isn't specific to Norway. Kalles Kaviar[0]
is a famous Swedish brand of this. =] Comparatively, Sweden consumes far more
tubed caviar than Norway - if memory serves me correctly.

I'm actually surprised that caviar would make the list and not something else
shared equally with the Nordics, which is unobtainable elsewhere: Reindeer.[1]

[0] -
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalles_Kaviar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalles_Kaviar)

[1] -
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reindeer#Relationship_with_hum...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reindeer#Relationship_with_humans)

~~~
dagw
The only correct answer for a quintessentially Swedish dish is Kebab Pizza.

~~~
eitland
Kebab pizza is popular here in Norway as well(, but might very well have
originated in Sweden for what I know).

~~~
dagw
Probably all those Swedish immigrants bring their local foods and customs with
them :)

------
Insanity
Seems like Mexico is missing, and that whilst Mexican food is seen as a
cultural treasure by UNESCO. They also have some pretty 'identifying' food
that spread around the world.

The idea behind the website is pretty fun though.

------
telesilla
I was in the UK recently and got fish and chips from a local chippy at the
seaside thinking, well, I should try something local outside of the fancy
seafood chowder at the restaurants lining the bay. I was horrified that
vinegar was not used but some fake invention called "non-brewed condiment" I'd
never heard of before. Apparently this is normal now?

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-
brewed_condiment](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-brewed_condiment)

~~~
janekm
But non-brewed condiment is traditional for a proper fish & chips ;)
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=642x2Y3Zla0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=642x2Y3Zla0)

~~~
telesilla
I really don't like it! It doesn't have the full flavour that malt vinegar
has. Perhaps the british are just used to it now. That video forgot to say,
the reason the chippies are using it is because it's a lot cheaper. I'll pay
an extra 25c for proper vinegar please.

~~~
quickthrower2
25p

------
ohiovr
Enjoyable website. I bet it only scratches the surface as in the USA there are
several (famous?) regional foods not mentioned. Would be great to see the site
expand.

------
allendoerfer
German one has several typos a native German would not make. You can tell the
pronounciation is a bit off. Content still correct.

Should also be further split up by region. Often that would be quite easy,
because the name of the dish often contains the city/region it's from. If you
don't do that, you get the German equivalent of ordering Mexican food in New
York and Pizza in California or vice versa.

~~~
Xylakant
> Content still correct.

I'd dispute that. It's correct for Baravia or maybe even southern Germany, but
for example in the region around Cologne (Rheinland), Sauerbraten is
traditionally made from horse meat and is atypical in Berlin (never seen it on
a local menu), Weißwurst is atypical anywhere in the North (there's even the
term Weißwurstäquator which denotes the separating line
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wei%C3%9Fwurst%C3%A4quator](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wei%C3%9Fwurst%C3%A4quator)),
Spätzle and Maultaschen are distinct Swabian food. The typical northern German
kinds of food (Grünkohl mit Pinkel) are missing alltogether. Even the beer is
off: The north drinks different beer than the south. The northern beer tend to
have more hops (think: Becks) while the southern beers tend to be lighter on
that side and thus less bitter (Paulaner). Wheat beer is atypical in the
north.

It's totally missing Döner Kebab. An unforgivable offense.

The problem I see is that the page tries to lump food in by country, while
food tends to be regional. The southern parts of Germany have much more in
common with Austria (Kaiserschmarrn), the southwest with the bordering regions
of France while the northeast is much more aligned with western Poland.

~~~
Freak_NL
Döner Kebab has the problem that it is really pan-European fast food cuisine
by now.

You're right about the regionality of food. Sometimes dishes cross national
borders, while still being limited to parts of those countries, and there is
so much regional cooking that is worthwhile to mention — I do like me some
Himmel und Erde und Blootwoosch mit Köslch.

National dishes risk turning into cliches. The Dutch dishes are correct, but I
feel it misses nuances.

~~~
majewsky
> Döner Kebab has the problem that it is really pan-European fast food cuisine
> by now.

Sure, but it _is_ eaten by locals far more often than Sauerbraten. But it
makes for a boring browsing experience to put McDonalds in the top 10 for
every country, no matter how correct it probably is.

The submission title should be changed to "Discover what _other tourists_ eat
all around the world" IMO.

------
glastra
Oh, boy. Spain is pretty bad [0]. Nobody eats paella that often. Nobody who
isn't a tourist drinks sangría.

There is also no mention of northern cuisine except for pulpo a feira. Spanish
gastronomy is a very regional thing.

[0]: [https://what.toeat.in/spain/](https://what.toeat.in/spain/)

~~~
LoSboccacc
same in France. galettes mixed with raclettes, sure some local somewhere in
France has that on its menu often enough, but then I miss the point of this
website, because those are neither your typical home dishes nor something
usual that people eat weekly nor something that you'd get outside restaurants.

so it's pretty much 'local food tourist should try' \- or precisely the
opposite of what the sites seems to claims to be about.

~~~
k_
Not sure about this. We (my family and some friends) eat galettes and raclette
on a regular basis. Maybe not weekly, but at least monthly (no raclette in
summer though).

I found the list pretty accurate for France, actually. Admittedly, I didn't
put too much thought on this but that list seemed legit to me.

~~~
lateralux
Foie Gras and Oysters are not really eaten everyday, they are celebration
meal. Traditional french gastronomy should include at least Cassoulet and
Choucroute !!!

------
swebs
>The [Estonian] Kohuke are small frozen chocolates of different tastes and
flavors which contain cottage cheese

It's actually quark, which tastes much better.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quark_(dairy_product)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quark_\(dairy_product\))

------
franze
so, as these lists are solely editorial choices i took a look at google trends
for germany food & drink subsegment

[https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?cat=71&geo=DE](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?cat=71&geo=DE)
(vs.: [https://what.toeat.in/germany/](https://what.toeat.in/germany/) )

these are the top keywords that indicate a food (i.e.:no supermarket ) brands

    
    
      essen
      pizza / pizzeria
      mc donalds / mcdonalds
      döner
      sushi
      bäckerei
      eis
      getränke
    

this allignes much more with my experience than the toeat.in list.

------
rootsudo
Manila is correct. Though the author is from "Manile" lol.

No Japan - wow, ok.

USA seems accurate, for thanksgiving. Deep dish pizza can be an "American"
thing or a Chicago thing, depending whom you talk too.

------
akuji1993
Small typo on your German page, it's called Knackwurst (locally it might be
Rostwurst, Bratwurst), not Knockwurst. Other than that, pretty accurate.

------
adrianN
No mention of Döner when searching for Berlin.

------
yread
NL and SK fairly accurate. Some stuff that's not usually mentioned in tourist
guides. Good job!

------
peter_retief
I didn't see anything for Japan or South Africa (I guess its work in
progress)? I love the app

~~~
patricia_mayo
The first MVP of the web has been done gathering all the recommendations from
friends we have from different countries, sadly we don't have friends from
Japan 🇯🇵 or South Africa 🇿🇦 yet. However now we are open to external
contributors, so we would be super glad to add these countries, Japan is a top
request!!

The key point is, we want to have real locals advices, so we don't want to
just quickly google some foods and put them there ourselves. We want to assure
the recommendations are authentic!

~~~
peter_retief
How does one get involved?

------
gomox
Argentinean foodie here. Happy to contribute if you guys are interested :)

~~~
patricia_mayo
Hey @gomox! Argentina 🇦🇷 is actually work in progress, almost done. Our friend
has already sent us the list and we will upload it soon! I will be happy to
share with you the link once it's online, so you can let us know if we missed
some good must dish!!

------
deanalevitt
Great idea, and I had fun exploring some local dishes.

------
ianai
The interface is pretty atrocious on mobile. The food photos don’t center.
Scrolling the article seemed to jump back to the main index improperly. I left
the site due to user abuse.

Otherwise, I was expecting something crowdsourced.

~~~
patricia_mayo
hi @ianai, could you send us a pic to see how it looks like? maybe let us know
also your device and the browser you are using. We are worry that the elements
we used (flexbox) might not be supported everywhere.

------
farbodsaraf
This is the first resource I look up when I land into a country while
traveling. It gives you a better idea of what to look for in Yelp and other
foodie platforms.

------
gesman
No results found for "italy".

Show stopper.

------
polyterative
No Italy?

------
apricot13
typo in the tags "vegeterian" is "vegetarian"

~~~
patricia_mayo
I just pushed an update to fix it! thanks for letting us know!

------
Golfkid2Gadfly
I was in Bulgaria, and can't remember any dish from that list accept rakia.

~~~
_-___________-_
Seems like the site is probably working as intended then.

------
purplezooey
Vegemite? really?

~~~
neurotrace
Every Aussie I know sings high praises of vegemite. At minimum, they say it's
a standard part of their diet.

------
stephenr
The top item for "Australia" is Vegemite and it includes this:

> Oh, and ask any Aussie to sing you the Vegemite song - you’re guaranteed
> they’ll know what you mean

If you ask me to sing a song about Vegemite I'll tell you to fuck off back to
whatever ass backwards country you came from that thinks every person in a
country eats the same foods.

~~~
yesenadam
Another Aussie here, can vouch that asking "any Aussie" to sing "the Vegemite
song" is not recommended at all.

~~~
jfk13
So are you confirming that "you’re guaranteed they’ll know what you mean"?

(Not that they'll comply with the request!)

~~~
yesenadam
Hehe no, but I guess they mean the "happy little Vegemites" song, an old tv ad
from maybe the 60s. But I'm not a fan of vegemite nor ads.. (The only people
I've heard talking about vegemite in recent years are friends who moved to NYC
and can't get it there.)

p.s. I'm from Wales, and remember my grandparents having laverbread[0] for
breakfast on toast - it's made from seaweed scraped from rocks (!) and may be
related to or taste similar to vegemite.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laverbread](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laverbread)

[0] pronounced like 'lavabread'

