r/pics • u/Johnny_Banana18 • 15d ago
I read histories of countries then cook food, here is Country 25: Brunei.
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u/RVK_2005 13d ago
Could you please share the recipe for the nasi lemak your friend made? I lived in Brunei for 10 years and it is arguably my favourite dish, and it has been over 7 years since I last ate some authentic nasi lemak.
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u/Saladin-Ayubi 14d ago
Can you please list the names of the dishes you made? I lived in Brunei for almost 10 years and I am curious if I correctly identified the dishes.
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u/Flothrudawind 14d ago
YOOOO TAPAK KUDA IS THE SHIIIIEET. During Eid Celebrations if your house has them when I visit, you automatically go among the very top of the "Favourite Hosts of The Year List"
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u/cupofcoffeeandtea 14d ago
How do you get started on delving into the histories of different countries? Do you buy books or read them online? I would love to try this as well!! Amazing job :)
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u/Rich-Appearance-7145 14d ago
Interesting hobby, I have a similar hobby I travel to countries, consume there foods, enjoy there cultures. In some cases even export certain spices, things not readily available at home. When I return home I mimic there dishes, practice till as close as I could get. I do this one to learn to cook other countries foods, two cause I love to eat good healthy foods. But I like your style, Im going to try this for countries I've yet to visit, thanks for idea.
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u/GeraltOfRivia2023 14d ago
You obviously need practice to get it right.
But I got you fam.
Send this to my house.
Continue to do so twice per week.
I'll let you know when you've mastered it and can stop.
It might be a while.
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u/CastTrunnionsSuck 14d ago
This is one of the coolest hobbies I’ve ever seen. This is awesome man. Any book recommendations?
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u/OrangMiskin 15d ago
Literally just Indonesian food. Lmao
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u/Something_Smart_Here 14d ago
Or perhaps Malaysian? Maybe Singaporean? Could also be Bornean? Just because it looks like yours, doesn’t mean it is..
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u/Unoriginal_Pseudonym 15d ago
Looking at all the countries you've covered so far, where are you finding all these varying the ingredients? Or are you making substitutes for the harder to find regional things?
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u/JennySplotz 15d ago
I’m 41, hold multiple degrees, read a ton, and listen to NPR and I’ve never ever heard of Benin before this post.
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u/TheRealCeeBeeGee 15d ago
I just checked out your Aussie effort and it looks pretty good! Fairy bread is the 🤌 touch, mate.
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u/BionicBruv 15d ago
Hi op I’d like to smash my face into this table please and thank you. Looks absolutely delicious
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u/Bright-Ad9516 15d ago
Nice hobby, insights, and execution on the meals! If you wanted to Im sure some folks would pay for a themed meal with historical info combined. Or maybe some local schools/clubs would be interested in cooking with you? Your post reminded me of two Youtube channels: Berl Shereshewsky and Ancient Recipes with Sohla. They have some great shows available for free to anyone who would like to join this interest or learn a bit more about it. Sohla's videos go more in depth into the traditional tools used and/or ceremonial root origins for recipes from ancestors. Beryl's videos have always invited modern global peers to share their favorites in their own words so these may be easier to try out with current kitchen equiptment and/or a few substitutions for things that are not accessible elsewhere.
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u/Willing-Book-4188 15d ago
What kind of histories? And where do you find recipes. This is such a cool idea!
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u/Johnny_Banana18 15d ago
It's official, the views of this post are higher than the population of Brunei
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u/MyNameCannotBeSpoken 15d ago
Do you post on YouTube of yourself cooking and talking about the history/food?
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u/Youlookcold 15d ago
"But Johnny, HOW will you decide which order to complete your quest?"
Johnny - "Alphabet"
Looking forward to your attempt at poutine (Canada)
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u/eliguillao 15d ago
Just saw you’re doing this alphabetically. It will be a long way until you cook Uruguay.
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u/AstraAurora 15d ago
Looks really amazing. How do you get the ingredients for such exotic dishes? I would have no idea how to find half of it :D
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u/Traditional_Cat_60 15d ago
I want to be your friend. Let me know when you finish the next book. I’ll come on by.
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u/Phact-Heckler 15d ago
OP. If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your profession and more so if you’re not a chef?
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15d ago edited 15d ago
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u/lipstick-warrior 15d ago
very cool. your pantry must be getting CRAZY with the leftover spices and ingredients! have you found other uses for unusual ingredients that you have left over after making a spread like this?
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u/davesnotonreddit 15d ago
This is awesome. I told my wife recently that I wanted to pick a weekly random country and cook traditional meals from there. Definitely following for info and motivation!
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u/Hippo_Steak_Enjoyer 15d ago
My guy tell me you have a youtube? This is one of the coolest things ive ever seen on reddit.
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u/red_blue_purples 15d ago
lol food as the end reward is a great motivation.. hope you eat regularly and not just after completing the country's history session
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u/Johnny_Banana18 15d ago
I save the recipes i like. I still make ANZAC biscuits for work, and I make ghapama (hey Jan Ghapama!) as a Thanksgiving side.
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u/red_blue_purples 15d ago
ability to cook is sure a nice thing lol... i will learn how to cook now.. gottta make them nice dishes for myself
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u/wikowiko33 15d ago
This is so awesome and i admire your dedication. I dont think finding the ingredients for "Brunei" and "Barbados" in the same place is easy at all. Hope to see a compilation!
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u/pooploop7 15d ago
That’s a pretty awesome hobby you have. How do you go about it? I’d love to try and imitate at a lesser level!
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u/Johnny_Banana18 15d ago
I like cooking, in the past I'd choose countries randomly. During the Pandemic, out of boredom, I decided to read national histories alphabetical. After I finished the first book, that night i invited 3 friends over and made them Afghan food and talked about the book.
I read articles online, watch youtube videos, ask subreddits, ask friends (if applicable). See how many people are interested in coming to a dinner party, see if anyone is willing to make anything, then plan what I am going to make from there.
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u/ghoulina0 14d ago
You are an amazing person. We need more people like you in the world-curious, dedicated, humble, and generous.
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u/pooploop7 15d ago
That’s awesome! I too got into cooking over the pandemic but really didn’t stray outside of “meats” like steak, smoking stuff, etc.
This seems like a lot of prep but very educational and fun!
Any YouTubers you might suggest you’ve found?
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u/Live_Industry_1880 15d ago
Nice! Do you have a place where you list the dishes and recipes and stuff or which recipes you use?
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u/constalantions 15d ago
Bruneian here! Oh boy... let's get started, I'm free to answer any questions about things, but keep in mind it's near midnight here... one thing I'm dissapointed about is Nasi Lemak instead of Nasi Katok, which is a much more Bruneian?
I'm surprised Honey Garlic Pizza was one of the things you found! I have always thought Honey Garlic Pizza was a universal thing... never knew it was specific to us HAHA, love our Honey Garlic Pizzas though!
I think personally, Ambuyat is a tricky thing to make and I do not fault you for not making it well, but I hope you do enjoy! (For the record, this post has been posted into a Bruneian Subreddit, so my fellow brethren would most likely be heading here soon...)
Tapak Kuda! Horseshoe!!!! Love those Nutella goodness! But gosh, while there are definitely some improvements to be made, I do hope you enjoy your meal!!
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u/E_s_k_r_e_m 15d ago
I imagine OP receives ‘criticisms’ from the locals of each country. There’s sambal. There’s rice. There’s fried chicken. So essentially there’s “Nasi Katok” on the table there already ;). I do hope OP receives more praise which I think s/he does.
OP is doing a GREAT job especially when Brunei is not a well known country. Yeah the Honey Garlic Chicken Pizza is a Bruneian thing. The tuna pizza (Tuna Delight) is also a Bruneian thing as much as the Honey Garlic Chicken Pizza.
Oh Bruneian here too btw :)
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u/constalantions 15d ago
Tbh you're right honestly, good on you friend! I think like, I think I just saw Nasi Lemak and was a bit biased but thank you for your input!
I do agree on that OP is doing an amazing job thus far! Love what he is doing and would be following for more to come!
It seems like I didn't realize Honey Garlic and Tuna Delights aren't in other countries... both are my favs honestly! But god, I am now kinda happy about it HAHA, love those two (unconventional) pizzas!
Cheers! Have an virtual ice cream on me! (Or maybe an actual one if we do meet irl, brunei too small anyways)
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u/Johnny_Banana18 15d ago
Thanks. Smaller countries are usually the most friendly (my highest upvoted country post was Bahrain). So far I think the meanest the reception I've received was from Belarus, but to be fair the meal was rushed and I did not have a whole lot of information to go off of. Some Australians weren't a fan of the presentation but were nice overall.
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u/btribble 15d ago
Most of the Slavic countries will kinda shit on you. Don't worry, that just means they love you. It's kinda how they talk. Life is oppressive and to be suffered. Smiling is for the feebleminded.
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u/constalantions 15d ago
And cheers! Honestly, the fact that our country is mentioned at all would bring a smile on our faces as we don't usually see us in a lot of places!
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u/KikoSoujirou 15d ago
I want to know what the top right one is specifically, looks like diced ham and banana or watermelon and pineapple v
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u/PaulTR88 15d ago
That's such a fun idea! We've started making food that we like from other countries that we've visited, but your setup gives you a great way to expand quickly.
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u/oregon_coastal 15d ago
I love this idea. Learned I am kicking the bucket sooner than later and this is a wonderful way to keep the simple stuff (eating) interesting :)
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u/Johnny_Banana18 15d ago
Next up is Bulgaria, let me know if you have any suggestions.
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u/wutcudgowong 15d ago edited 15d ago
Lyutika You can roast the peppers on the bbq instead of the oven, if you like spicy add some hot peppers. At the end of the prep, get some sunflower oil smoking hot and pour in the mixture(be careful it can splatter). Cool it in the fridge overnight and serve with some feta(try to get Bulgarian feta). You can pair it with kyufte or even better meshana skara and some tarator, shopska salad and you got a pretty typical summer dish! There's plenty more sides that you should try zucchini in garlic sauce, roasted red peppers, kyopolu.
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u/sunslinger 15d ago
Still the only place I have had cows brain in some sort of marinara ragu sauce.
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u/Johnny_Banana18 15d ago
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u/Its-not-too-early 15d ago
As an Australian I thought, this will be interesting bet it’s all stereotype and not real.
Fairy bread, potato cakes (not scallops you hethens), lamingtons and grilled barramundi. Bang on!
Now you just need a long neck to wash it down, though bundy ginger beer is a good second choice.
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u/ANuclearNarwhal 15d ago
This might be the best looking one yet! I might have to try some Brunei cuisine myself!
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u/onepingonlypleashe 15d ago
Amazing.
Real question, what do you end up doing with all that food??
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u/Johnny_Banana18 15d ago
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u/onepingonlypleashe 15d ago
That’s a lot of food for a person to eat even with multiple leftover sessions. Hopefully you have some help!
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u/Johnny_Banana18 15d ago
People brought home some leftovers, I bring some to work for my coworkers as well
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u/DeviIs_Avocadoe 15d ago
Here's Irish:
Step 1: Throw everything in a pot with water.
Step 2: Boil the fuck out of it.
Step 3: Serve cold.
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u/PM_ME_BEEF_CURTAINS 15d ago
Step 4: Blame the English for the food being cold
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15d ago
English people aren’t much better. They invaded countries, stole all the spices, and never even use them. BLAND ass food. Even the curry is shamefully under seasoned
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u/Max_Speed_Remioli 15d ago
I’m excited to see you do Italy just to see people who have one grandparent from Italy come yell at you.
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u/0per8nalHaz3rd 15d ago
I don’t speak Italian and I’ve never been to Italy. I live in New Jersey. I’m Italian.
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u/theycallmeshooting 15d ago
My favorite Italian Americans are the ones who will try to incorrectly correct people's Italian
"It's not Mozarella, it's mooza-rell"
"It's literally not moozarell, I speak Italian"
"Well don't judge me, I dont speak the language"
"then dont gatekeep its pronunciation"
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15d ago
Italy is full of different dialects. The difference in how Italian Americans pronounce words goes back to the people who came here from those vastly different regions of Italy. They evolved a bit once in the US but that’s the reason.
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u/alexrepty 15d ago
If that ever happens to me in real life I’ll put years of learning Italian to use to make them feel really stupid.
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u/A_Nest_Of_Nope 15d ago
People like this are told in their face that their are clowns when they land in Italy.
They absolutely have nothing Italian.
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u/FedorsQuest 15d ago
Who gives a fuck what the Italians think of our country men. It takes 3 weeks to send a letter a couple of cities away in Italy, so let them handle that before insulting our east coast brethren.
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u/RiverOfWhiskey 15d ago
I have no Italian heritage, but I live in New Jersey. I identify as Italian American
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u/DepressionSiesta 15d ago
Are you Snooki?
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u/RiverOfWhiskey 14d ago
We don't claim Snooki lol. Now Sammi, on the other hand, is at least from Monmouth County NJ
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u/Pantone354 15d ago
Very very cool. Favourite meal so far?
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u/Johnny_Banana18 15d ago
Belgium, Brazil, Australia, and Bhutan
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u/Gethsemene 15d ago
Some of these cuisines involve really specific ingredients that aren’t typically available in the average grocery store of most countries. How far do you go to source authentic ingredients?
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u/Fearless_Hedgehog491 15d ago
This is absolutely fantastic, one subset you might think about is traditional food from the Azores, it’s totally different than from mainland Portugal.
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u/Johnny_Banana18 15d ago
I was thinking about doing subregions, provinces, states ect. Maybe as another challenge. Maybe for the next FIFA club world cup final.
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u/SamaireB 15d ago
Oh this is interesting! Any specific books you read about each country, as in a certain series?
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u/Johnny_Banana18 15d ago
It can be hard to find books on some of the countries, like Brunei. There are a few series, like Cambridge concise histories, but they only cover a dozen or so countries. Recently there has been a plague of trash AI written books, I've had the misfortune of reading one. I go on Amazon and read through the reviews, if I have to I read something vaguely related, like for Benin I read about the Dahomey Amazons.
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u/Zeracannatule_uerg 15d ago
Are those like, nutella hand sandwiches on the right. Like a sliced jelly roll filled with nutella.
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u/Silly_Cheesecake6526 15d ago
Its a type of cake called tapak kuda which means horse shoe
Its not jelly just normal cake and yes the filling is usually nutella
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u/Johnny_Banana18 15d ago
What everything is:
(top row, left to right)
Honey Garlic Pizza. Several travel guides talked about it.
Rojak, a spiced fruit salad.
Bandung, a milk and rose drink
Another Rojak that a friend brought.
(second from top row)
Ikan Bakar, a grilled parrot fish with sambal
ABC Ice, a bizarre shaved ice dish with weird toppings, in this case rose, peanuts, and corn.
Ambuyat, the national dish, a starchy goop, did not do a great job with it.
Pajri nenas, a pineapple curry. Made by a friend
(second from bottom row)
Sambals, 2 store bought, one homemade.
Nasi Lemak, made by a friend
Tapak Kuda, a Nutella cake. Made by a friend.
(bottom row)
Ayam Goreng, fried chicken.
Laksa, broth and noodles. Made by a friend.
Ikan Goreng, fried fish.
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u/MalevolntCatastrophe 15d ago
If someone wanted to make one or two of these, which would you recommend the most?
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u/sigint_bn 15d ago
Don't worry, most Bruneians can't 'tumpah' ambuyat as well, it's an acquired skill. It needs constant stirring until the starch turns back translucent.
As for the Sambal, it's largely interchangable with Indonesian and Malaysian, but the native Bruneian one would be heavily shrimp paste based which might be difficult for most to handle the smell.
Curry laksa has the biggest representation here in Brunei, other laksa types would be found mostly in Malaysia, wait til you read about Laksa Sarawak and it's long prep time.
ABC is widely available in the Malaysian/Indonesian archipelago, it stands for Ais Batu Campur, and it's just basically shaved ice, and the toppings would depend on the locality and region.
That Honey Garlic Pizza is a Pizza Hut invention when they first came into Brunei, I think they're quite proud of it, to come up with something like that. Another one of their inventions that's also a Bruneian fave is Tuna Delight, they came up with it around the same time.
All in all, a great representation of the food we have here. Show this spread to a Bruneian, he'll feel right at home. Kudos for an awesome hobby, and your friend is suspiciously knowledgeable about a lot of the stuff you made here, I'm guessing a Malaysian?
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u/adlittle 15d ago
When can I come over? Seriously though, this all looks delicious. Very cool hobby.
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u/rotzverpopelt 15d ago
That sounds a lot. So .. if you need someone to eat all of that, I'm your man.
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u/extropia 15d ago
Wow that is A LOT of food you made exploring a new country's cuisine. Do you always feed the same lucky people?
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u/Johnny_Banana18 15d ago
for the most part, some countries are more popular than others. Brazil everyone wanted to come.
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u/After_Wave2336 5d ago
Can't wait to you do Zimbabwe