I have been very fortunate in my life to travel and go to many European countries. My first time overseas was in Prague, Czech Republic. It was a fun, historical city, I learned a lot and ate even more! My favorite dish and one I had many times in the five weeks I was there was Smazeny Syr, or fried cheese. Often served with tartar sauce and French fries, it was one of the most tasty things I've ever eaten! It is not a side dish but a full vegetarian meal and needs to eaten otherwise the cheese will harden and it tastes best with the melted cheese oozing out. The recipe is simple: slices of edam, gouda or Muenster are the traditional cheeses used (but sometimes the Czechs go crazy and use Hermelín or Niva), breaded and then pan or deep fried. So yummy! You can eat it with a knife or fork and dip it in the tartar sauce or place it between sandwich bread. It's a very common dish and could be found at any Czech restaurant.
I also went to Italy which is THE place to go to for any Italian food lover like myself. The pasta, the pizza, and the DESSERTS. The gelato was phenomenal! Good tip: Italians eschew added coloring so pistachio should not be green but more brownish. Another dish, though not actually Italian, was chocolate moelleux (or in English, chocolate lava cake). We were walking around the Trastevere (the 13th iron of Rome, on the West Bank of the Tiber. The Trastevere is a funky, bohemian area with a hidden treasure: La Canonica. A church that was converted into an Italian Ristorante. The food there was phenomenal. We had roasted potatoes, Cesar salad (which was an actual full. meal itself), lasagna (the pasta was made FRESH), bread and the most amazing molten lava cake I have ever tasted. Believe me, I've tasted a lot. The cake was firm but the fork cut through easily and out poured a semi sweet puddle of chocolate, with the sprinkling of powdered sugar this treat was HEAVEN. Two years later and I'm still singing it's praises.
There are many more places I have been Israel, England, Ireland, Greece, France but these two dishes hold a special place in my heart. What was the best dish you ever tasted far from home?
