Jodie Kain wrote:
>
> quoting Arri London:
> Dennis Montey wrote:
> >>Is this also the case in Thai, Mongolian and
> >> other Asian cuisines who are soooo fond of the heat contributed by
> >>peppers?
> >
> >Chiles don't play any role in Mongolian cooking, as far as I can find
> >out.
>
> However, ketchup is quite popular in Mongolia - a squirt on top of a
> meat-filled dumpling (buuz). I don't believe tomatoes are grown there, as
> the ketchup I saw was imported & expensive. I did see some experimental
> farms in the northern Gobi where they grew tomatoes, melons & cucumbers -
> all sliced for eating raw. Good healthy food is hard to come by sometimes
> & new additions are welcome.


The traditional Mongolian diet is perfectly healthy. Otherwise the
population would have died out centuries ago, n'est-ce pas?

My own assumption as to why northern
> Europeans adopted the tomato, bell peppers, etc, was because they were SO
> TIRED of cabbage ;-) Of course I have nothing to support this opinion.

LOL there is nothing to support that of course. Europeans have always
adopted new foods that suited them. That's one of the benefits of trade.
However not all Europeans have always adopted all foods with equal
enthusiasm.