You know what they say about the North of England: "The only thing worse than the weather is the food." And while we won't speak to the overall quality of the regional cuisine, we will say that there's not a damn thing wrong with the Northeast's most iconic food: the parmo—especially not if you're six to 12 beers deep.While chicken parm is our delicious bastardization of Italian cuisine, the parmo is the small area around Teespring, England's own bastardization, which means you take the same deliciously crispy chicken cutlet and swap out the red sauce for an artery-clogging heap of bechamel and sub the mozzarella and parm for shit-ton of cheddar melted over top. Basically, pure decadence.
If that doesn't sound like it'll fill your belly and satiate your inner college student, fear not. The parmo is traditionally served with fries, salad, and garlic sauce. And if you want to get really crazy, you can add jalapeños and pepperoni for a "hot shot" parmo, chorizo and barbecue sauce for a chorizo parmo, or—wait for it—a half pack of Rolos for a chocolate parmo.There's a reason people from northeast England are obsessed with this dish. The rest of England can keep their fish and chips. We'll take a parmo, and if you don't agree, it means you just need to have a few more beers.RECIPE: Chicken Parmo