Fried chicken, black-eyed peas and corn bread used to be the dishes that came to mind when you thought “Southern cooking.” Now, it's likely that corn meal casserole, meat turnovers and yaki soba are also on the menu.

Japanese, European, Latin, and Central American specialties are making their way into Fayette County kitchens, as new residents migrate here from around the globe.

At the recent international festivals at Holy Trinity Catholic Church and at the Glenloch soccer fields, both in Peachtree City, native Georgians and new neighbors feasted on an assortment of delicious homemade recipes.

The turnout at Holy Trinity was a veritable parade of nations as Irish tea cake vied with Costa Rican rice pudding for a prominent place on the desert table.

The lines were long at Sunday's fourth annual food and fun fest, sponsored by the International Society, for a medley of Japanese favorites which included curry rice, yaki tori, an Eastern interpretation of shishkabobs, and back by popular demand, yaki soba, a quick-fried combo of cooked vegetables, noodles and chicken or pork, like chow mein.

According to Kazuyoshi Ouishi of TDK Electronic Corp., one of the volunteer chefs at the festival, yaki soba can be prepared by mixing Japanese noodles, which resemble spaghetti, with vegetables, such as green onion and cabbage. The small pieces of pork or chicken are stir fried in a wok with a special sauce that includes Worcester sauce and black pepper.

Ouisha said the Japanese noodles are available at the Crosstown Kroger in Peachtree City.

The basting sauce used in preparing yaki tori, the dish served by Panasonic employees Sunday, includes soy sauce, sugar, saki and a “secret recipe” the cooks were reluctant to divulge.

The curry rice scented the air with a pungent aroma of more than 30 spices. According to the write-up prepared by Panasonic, the stew-like dish curry rice ranks alongside sushi and tempura as one of Japan's favorite dishes. Many of the spices contained in the curry blocks have a medicinal value. Turmeric, the spice that gives curry its yellow hue, aids digestion and keeps the liver strong.

Today, Japan ranks second only to India, curry's birthplace, in annual consumption of curry powder.

Back to Dining Guide Home Page | Back to the top of the page