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Sunday, February 20, 2005
Global Interests on Food Influences
Customs and traditions influence much of what people eat in a particular time of day and how they prepare, serve and eat foods. In many countries and regions as i have learneed particularly Europe, their traditional dishes are mostly based on the kind of food source, usually their local produce. In many instances however, the differences in these varied cultures isn’t too distinct and they follow almost the same basic ingredients. Some variations however, lie on the different seasonings and cooking methods, which ultimately give that kind of dish a special regional or national flavor. With all these factors incorporated herein, food can and have always influenced people in more ways than one.
Here are some of the places which portrays their food type. First in line is Africa. Wholistic overview of African foods, delineate grains and breads as their staple grub. Their common dish called Couscous, made out of coarse grains of steamed wheat with vegetables and bits of meat prepared in a spicy stew and served in a soup-like sauce is said to complete the meal. This is typical to most Africans in both the cities and the countryside and is eaten usually in the evening, because they take in light snacks in other times of the day, at least that what my sources said so. There are some parts of Africa however, wherein the people suffer much from malnutrition due to food shortages brought about by long droughts near the great Sahara desert regions.
Okay, i hope i have said just enough for Africa. Let me illustrate what Europe has to offer. Great cities like France, bears the prestige of being one of the world’s best cuisines. French cooking is considered to be a highly refined art whose culinary techniques were developed and perfected over centuries. One classic French food is the Bouillabaisse. It is a kind of fish stew so rich and complex taken from Mediterranean fishes. The word "bouillabaisse" comes from the process of boiling "bouillir" and reducing "abaisser) that creates the rich stock that forms the base of a bouillabaisse meal. Oh my! this is getting complicated. specific country of Europe like Germany, had a complex array of famous dishes created way back hundreds of years. They have the superb food called Sauerkraut which was actually developed to preserve cabbage. Another spicy food sauerbraten was created, as way of preserving meat, which goes hand in hand with the making of sausages, knows as Bratwurst and Frankfurters.
Here are some of the places which portrays their food type. First in line is Africa. Wholistic overview of African foods, delineate grains and breads as their staple grub. Their common dish called Couscous, made out of coarse grains of steamed wheat with vegetables and bits of meat prepared in a spicy stew and served in a soup-like sauce is said to complete the meal. This is typical to most Africans in both the cities and the countryside and is eaten usually in the evening, because they take in light snacks in other times of the day, at least that what my sources said so. There are some parts of Africa however, wherein the people suffer much from malnutrition due to food shortages brought about by long droughts near the great Sahara desert regions.
Okay, i hope i have said just enough for Africa. Let me illustrate what Europe has to offer. Great cities like France, bears the prestige of being one of the world’s best cuisines. French cooking is considered to be a highly refined art whose culinary techniques were developed and perfected over centuries. One classic French food is the Bouillabaisse. It is a kind of fish stew so rich and complex taken from Mediterranean fishes. The word "bouillabaisse" comes from the process of boiling "bouillir" and reducing "abaisser) that creates the rich stock that forms the base of a bouillabaisse meal. Oh my! this is getting complicated. specific country of Europe like Germany, had a complex array of famous dishes created way back hundreds of years. They have the superb food called Sauerkraut which was actually developed to preserve cabbage. Another spicy food sauerbraten was created, as way of preserving meat, which goes hand in hand with the making of sausages, knows as Bratwurst and Frankfurters.
England, on the other hand, shared less if none at all in the food arena. Much as they are elegant as they have always been, but their food is just simple. English people like roasted and grilled meats and they use fewer spices and sauces than other Europeans do.
Meanwhile in Spain, more complexities in food culture predominates a rather regionalist country. With all the varied settlers beginning from the early Phoenicians to the Greeks, then to the Romans, Spanish food did not developed much. But with the Moors‘ brief conquest, Spain’s culinary heritage blended well and hovered around up to this time, specifically the Paella a festive dish complete with meat or chicken, plus cooked sea foods like shrimps, clams and mussels, poured into sticky rice mixture of sauces and spices. Oh i love eating it too!
In the Americas however, the New World came in existence after European conquest of a landmass in the western front, which eventually was called United States of America. Their food didn’t differ much with the rest of the old World during that time, but the fast growing population who settled in looking for new pastures to plow greatly changed their notions of food. Originally, the American Indians were feasting on meat captured by them and ate vegetables cultivated nearby. With the onset of the new technology, American foods evolved into simpler but meatier genre, giving birth to the famous fast-food chain of stores nationwide. Their lunch is bread packed with a huge slice of processed meat, topped with salad leaves and dressing. Now that isn't lunch for me! Central America, which includes Mexico, defines a more classical taste. The Tortillas, Mexico’s everyday bread, were the principal food of the Aztecs, specifically the corn tortillas, which dates back thousand of years even before Christ. The rest of the Americas down to the southern portion, do not differ much, except with the addition of the cola beverages.
Now we have come to my favorite site:Asia- Characteristics of Indian cuisine, portrays a riot of the sensory stimulation in its meals, with the intensive use of spices. A typical meal savored in India consists of staples, which is rice together with dal, a kind of porridge made out of pulses, seeds of peas and Chapatties, very thin flat baked breads almost like the tortillas. Get this, Samosas- deep-fried pastries are a common sight during snack time. People of India eat various kinds of curries, with chutneys in many meals.
In the Americas however, the New World came in existence after European conquest of a landmass in the western front, which eventually was called United States of America. Their food didn’t differ much with the rest of the old World during that time, but the fast growing population who settled in looking for new pastures to plow greatly changed their notions of food. Originally, the American Indians were feasting on meat captured by them and ate vegetables cultivated nearby. With the onset of the new technology, American foods evolved into simpler but meatier genre, giving birth to the famous fast-food chain of stores nationwide. Their lunch is bread packed with a huge slice of processed meat, topped with salad leaves and dressing. Now that isn't lunch for me! Central America, which includes Mexico, defines a more classical taste. The Tortillas, Mexico’s everyday bread, were the principal food of the Aztecs, specifically the corn tortillas, which dates back thousand of years even before Christ. The rest of the Americas down to the southern portion, do not differ much, except with the addition of the cola beverages.
Now we have come to my favorite site:Asia- Characteristics of Indian cuisine, portrays a riot of the sensory stimulation in its meals, with the intensive use of spices. A typical meal savored in India consists of staples, which is rice together with dal, a kind of porridge made out of pulses, seeds of peas and Chapatties, very thin flat baked breads almost like the tortillas. Get this, Samosas- deep-fried pastries are a common sight during snack time. People of India eat various kinds of curries, with chutneys in many meals.
CHAPATTIES
Filipino Dishes - Due to the influx of various people groups that took hold of our country many years ago, it is only justifiable to say our dishes are a myriad of tastes and flavors, which were acquired from many different types of cultures. Filipino cuisine is influenced by these cultures namely: Spanish, Malay, Chinese, Americans, Germans, and Japanese.
The Chinese first gave new ideas on Filipino cuisine when they settled here. They introduced a new style of cooking called deep fry and stir-fry. And also introduced soy sauce, which came from soya (a kind of bean) and are now widely used in almost every Filipino kitchen. Other foods, which came from Chinese influence, are the lumpia -a spring roll dipped in a sauce that consists of simply crushed garlic and vinegar- and noodles thus pansit -sautéed noodles- are a common sight in every Pinoy (Filipino) celebration.
When the Spaniards came, their culture ranked high as one of the most influential on food in the Philippines. We carry roughly around 80 percent of the food cooking recipes now. From Spain came a hundred years of preparing dinner, which taught us the elite aura of eating rich food on the table, the way the Europeans do. It is like fiesta time when foods such as stews of cochido and puchero are present, rice-meat dishes and not to omit fine desserts elaborately done as brazos and torta imperials are found on upper class dining tables. Additional dishes such as relleno, mechado, leche flan are included in these influences.
The Americans also contributed their style of food mixture and introduced canned foods with fruit cocktail as the most popular particularly when Filipinos added our own ingredients, namely the jackfruit (langka), coconut (buko), and palm nuts (kaong). They brought along kitchen conveniences like refrigerators, pressure cookers, oven toasters, and microwave ovens. As to their food contributions, they gave us salads, pies, and the ever famous and most popular of them all: Cola drink. Fast -food came in as a novelty in the food arena in these contemporary days. It is a restaurant where food preparation is speed up to a high degree through a series of innovations permitting the service of more customers faster. Few big names permeated in the market recently like McDonald, KFC and our very own version, Jollibee food chain.
Today, Filipino cuisine have gained enough influences from all different cultures throughout the course of history so much so that it has evolved itself into a self-sufficient creation of diverse taste in the local palate. It has become an art on its own. As Felipe Fernandez-Armesto puts it: “Meals makes us human”(The Guardian. September, 2002) He expressed further that our oldest rituals are our meals. His vision explains this: "The companionable effects of eating together help make us all human. These minute but important details which, compose the dining table, are almost the stabilizing power if not the ultimate reason for closeness in a Filipino household especially when done together at regular times".
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- Ms.B
- Hi! your friendly neighbor Architect who loves ART eternaly... and poetry is my PASSION!
