A week doesn’t go by without tempura of some sort being eaten in my house. And when I’m out and about hardly a day goes by that I don’t catch myself snacking on tempura, somewhere.

Coming from upstate New York, I had never heard of, let alone seen tempura until I arrived in Japan. So, I naturally assumed it was a Japanese invention.

Light and soft, golden-tanned tempura or browned, crunchy tempura. Have your choice, they’re all delicious. There’s battered fried shrimp tempura, onions, peppers, carrots, pumpkin, green beans and probably any vegetable you can think of tempura. You won’t walk a city block anywhere in Japan without seeing a sign advertising tempura or smelling tempura being cooked at someone’s house.

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Do you think today’s food of the world post reflects Canada’s multiculturalism? Thanks to Xiaozhuli for the photo, which she says was taken on a Saturday morning at Toronto’s busy St Lawrence Market.

Every week we feature food photos from PocketCultures readers around the world. To submit yours go to our Food of the World Flickr page and add your photos to the group.

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Maple toffee, a Canadian winter tradition
Chicago’s street food has origins in many different countries
Penang’s cultural melting pot

I love living in Chicago for the beaches, the art/music/theater, the sports, the different neighborhoods, the architecture, the skyline, the bicycle trails, the *cough* interesting local politics, but what really makes Chicago special is its food. Chicago has every type of restaurant in the known world, from Ethiopian to sushi to Mexican… from “molecular gastronomy” and $100 steaks, to elotes, hamburgers and other foods offered by street vendors. 

A lot of the foods that are uniquely Chicagoan are simple and rich, so I’d like to introduce you to some of them here.

Jibarito:

Photo Credit

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Thanks to Liz Watkin for this photo from North Carolina, USA - catfish, grits and collard greens. I’ve always wondered what ‘grits’ look like. Now I know!

Check out our Food of the World photo group on Flickr to see more photos posted by PocketCultures readers around the world. We’d love to see yours too! Just join the group and add your photos.

Read more:
Texas pub food
Nshima and Zambia’s food culture
World travel bloggers and Lonely Planet

Not that I don’t like pasta- I simply love the traditional Italian serving. As it is, the Italian dishes are quite suitable to the Indian sensibilities because of the spicy flavor. But when we visited India last year, we got to try the “Indian” version of pasta in Mumbai.

For the uninitiated, Mumbai has a great roadside snacks culture and this is one of the things that I miss the most now I am living in The Netherlands. Coming back to the pasta - it was done with spices, tomatoes, and lots of veggies. It looked great and tasted delicious as well. Since then, I have replicated the success in my kitchen too!!

Want to see your photos on Food of the World? Join our Food of the World Flickr group

Read more:
A roadside snack in Nairobi
Arrosticini - Italian street food
Rajasthan - a local’s view

Thanks again to Isabelle Prondzynski who is a regular contributor to our Food of the World Flickr group. These vegetable samosas were being fried at the roadside in Nairobi, Kenya.

Isabelle wrote: “They were the best I have ever eaten! I am sure I shall be back for more…”

Pocketcultures loves to talk about food from around the world. If you have some photos, why not join our Food of the World Flickr group?

Read more:
I love Madagascar on Blogs of the World
Nshima and Zambia’s food culture
A Kenyan festive lunch

Thanks to Ana for this photo of fondue mushroom burger on a hoagie and fries at Brick House, Plano, Texas. And now, off to eat lunch!

Check out our Food of the World photo group on Flickr to see more photos posted by PocketCultures readers around the world. We’d love to see yours too! Just join the group and add your photos.

Read more:
Hot cross buns from the UK
Chicago’s cultural stew
Khao chae, a cooling Thai summer treat