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Foods that are everyday staples now but were obscure 20 years back


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Old 16-09-2016, 15:33
hobbes
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Food culture in the UK has really changed over the last few years and some of the stuff that we use everyday wold have been a novelty a few years back.

I'm thinking things that you can pick up in every mini mart.

Examples for me would be

Thai fish sauce
Chorizo
Halloumi
Couscous
Harrissa paste
lemongrass
pesto
coconut water
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Old 16-09-2016, 15:42
pearlsandplums
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Coconut milk was the first thing came to mind for me.
Also fruit that isnt oranges, apples and bananas. That seemed to be the only fruit you could get in corner shops when i was growing up (in the 80s).
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Old 16-09-2016, 16:06
grassmarket
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Hummus, I first tasted it as an exotic delicacy in late 80s

Paneer. You can buy it in the shops now, but in the early 80s you had to make it yourself

All kinds of Polish cured meats, for obvious reasons.

Jamaican jerk seasoning

Kale has had a big comeback. Used to be a staple a long time ago, but was regarded as pretty much cattle fodder for many decades.

Fresh mangoes, could only be bought in Indian stores, now in every supermarket.

Wasabi peas, and indeed all Japanese food except ramen & soya sauce.
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Old 16-09-2016, 16:31
Lamin_Ator
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Coconut milk was the first thing came to mind for me.
Also fruit that isnt oranges, apples and bananas. That seemed to be the only fruit you could get in corner shops when i was growing up (in the 80s).
The 80s wasn't 20 years ago.
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Old 16-09-2016, 16:32
Lamin_Ator
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gnocchi
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Old 16-09-2016, 19:20
PoppySeed
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Nori, udon noodles, (or is that supermarkets rather than mini marts?)
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Old 16-09-2016, 21:41
Menk
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I would say Mexican food as a family staple. Things like fajitas and tacos are so quick and easy - not to mention the 'help yourself' style of eating - it's a very popular family meal now.
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Old 22-09-2016, 22:56
Aarghawasp!
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Sweet potatoes, butternut squash, fresh tuna.
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Old 25-09-2016, 19:45
Calam
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Avocados
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Old 26-10-2016, 20:31
stud u like
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Refried beans. These were impossible to find. Supermarkets looked at me as if I was an alien when I asked for them.
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Old 26-10-2016, 20:57
Pumping Iron
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Sushi
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Old 27-10-2016, 21:08
jazzyjazzy
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Pearl Barley
Kale
Lots of different salad Green Leaves
Squash - maybe not Butternut

I am old but they were all in my childhood foods and not new to me. My Dad grew lots of our veg including the above plus nettles, spinach and asparagus which were every day food to me.

I married in 1966 and went to Europe for a honeymoon and thought it was was brilliant that I brought a French stick back with me which was quite awful when it got back to UK but did buy some great pasta in Italy which I had never seen before.
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Old 29-10-2016, 13:19
brangdon
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Not exactly staple, but pomegranates when from being non-existent in this country, to rare and seasonal, to being available all year round.
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Old 30-10-2016, 19:31
Shrike
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There's a couple here I'd disagree with - pearl barley has been a staple since ancient times. I suppose more recently it tended to be sold in "stew mix" rather than on its own.
Pomegranites - yes they were seasonal back in the '70s when I was a kid, but we certainly had them quite regularly.

I'd offer up a seasonal one - the pumpkin. Only really became available in the late '90s with the growth of Hallowe'en - not sure many people actually eat it though.
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Old 30-10-2016, 20:13
swingaleg
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I think of 'staples' as being the stuff that fills you up.......the main bulk of a meal

When I was a kid in the 1950s this was basically bread or potatoes. We had bread with every meal ......and potatoes with pretty much every main meal apart from salads in summer

rice was only eaten in rice puddings

and the only pasta we ever had was Macaroni and that was in a pudding as well......cooked in milk and sugar like rice pudding

Actually thinking about it now most of our puddings were made of staples like rice, tapioca, sago, semolina........all carbohydrates. I suppose in those days (we still had rationing when I was a baby) the important thing was to fill you up

I think the first time I had rice as a main meal staple would have been when a Chinese restaurant opened in our northern town sometime in the 60s

Pasta........I don't remember eating this at all until moving to London in the 70s. A huge plateful of spaghetti bolognaise in a cafe was cheap and filling.........ideal student food !

In more recent years I've has cous-cous as a staple instead of rice with curries

But as I get older and fight to control the middle or old age spread I find that I'm not really eating staples much........like I'll just have sausage and beans rather than sausage, beans and mash or I'll just have a plate of curry with no rice or cous-cous, Cutting out the carbs !
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Old 30-10-2016, 20:16
swingaleg
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There's a couple here I'd disagree with - pearl barley has been a staple since ancient times.
I've always liked pearl barley in beef stews but sometimes it seems to take forever to cook

I think the best thing to do is cook it separately the day before or else soak it overnight
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Old 31-10-2016, 10:02
grassmarket
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Pearl barley was always a staple in Scotland, essential ingredient in soup. You never got it served on its own though.
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Old 31-10-2016, 13:10
Ella Nut
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I think of 'staples' as being the stuff that fills you up.......the main bulk of a meal

When I was a kid in the 1950s this was basically bread or potatoes. We had bread with every meal ......and potatoes with pretty much every main meal apart from salads in summer

rice was only eaten in rice puddings

and the only pasta we ever had was Macaroni and that was in a pudding as well......cooked in milk and sugar like rice pudding

Actually thinking about it now most of our puddings were made of staples like rice, tapioca, sago, semolina........all carbohydrates. I suppose in those days (we still had rationing when I was a baby) the important thing was to fill you up

I think the first time I had rice as a main meal staple would have been when a Chinese restaurant opened in our northern town sometime in the 60s

Pasta........I don't remember eating this at all until moving to London in the 70s. A huge plateful of spaghetti bolognaise in a cafe was cheap and filling.........ideal student food !

In more recent years I've has cous-cous as a staple instead of rice with curries

But as I get older and fight to control the middle or old age spread I find that I'm not really eating staples much........like I'll just have sausage and beans rather than sausage, beans and mash or I'll just have a plate of curry with no rice or cous-cous, Cutting out the carbs !
I have carbs every day, several times a day, I'm almost 49 and a size 10. It's about portion size and not letting activity levels drop too much. Anyway, sorry, I just feel compelled stop try and stop this myth that tatties, bread and pasta make you fat. Why am I not bigger? I can tell you I was, a few years ago, from too much 'good living' and eating the same portion sizes as my much bigger husband.

Anyway, back on topic. maybe chick peas? I don't think I knew what they were 20 years ago, far less eat them regularly!
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Old 02-11-2016, 17:07
burton07
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Not exactly staple, but pomegranates when from being non-existent in this country, to rare and seasonal, to being available all year round.
Pomegranates have always been around. I remember having them at break when I was at school in the early 60's.
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Old 03-11-2016, 12:13
grassmarket
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Pomegranates have always been around. I remember having them at break when I was at school in the early 60's.
I remember as recently as the 70s and 80s you could only get fresh cherries June-August - at least in normal stores - whereas now you can get them about 10 months of the year. Blueberries are pretty new as a year-round staple as well.
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Old 03-11-2016, 15:10
Utopian Girl
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Definitely halloumi, houmous and an arrange of spices & fresh herbs such as coriander, basil, variants of chillis
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Old 03-11-2016, 16:43
grassmarket
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Oh, should also say Ramen. Yes, you had your classic Pot Noodle from the early 1980s, Bachelors Super Noodles, various kinds of cheap Japanese noodles, but you definitely did not get that huge range of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Malay etc etc packets you get now.
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Old 09-11-2016, 16:07
Justin_Dowell
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Pomegranates have always been around. I remember having them at break when I was at school in the early 60's.
Pomegranates are one of the oldest foods around. It is currently in season.
I love fresh pomegranate juice.
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Old 09-11-2016, 17:47
Rogana Josh
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Pomegranates are one of the oldest foods around. It is currently in season.
I love fresh pomegranate juice.
Pomegranate molasses is now readily available in some delis, not sure about supermarkets.
Another thing is Porcini mushrooms (dried) and shitake mushrooms (fresh).
Balsamic vinegar never heard of that before recent years.

Lots of people seem to eat different types of chillies (not just green and red chillies like you used to get in Asian shops) and various hot sauces.
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Old 09-11-2016, 18:17
tiacat
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I have carbs every day, several times a day, I'm almost 49 and a size 10. It's about portion size and not letting activity levels drop too much. Anyway, sorry, I just feel compelled stop try and stop this myth that tatties, bread and pasta make you fat. Why am I not bigger? I can tell you I was, a few years ago, from too much 'good living' and eating the same portion sizes as my much bigger husband.

Anyway, back on topic. maybe chick peas? I don't think I knew what they were 20 years ago, far less eat them regularly!
Its not a myth, there are some people, and I am one of them, that react badly to carbs like potatoes, bread, pasta, rice etc and it makes me really hungry and disatisfied,, Im much less able to control my compulsions if I eat them. If I stay away from them, my compulsion to eat is controllable and the weight drops off. The problem is of course, staying away from them in the first place.

Just because they dont affect you like this, it doesnt mean others dont have a problem.
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