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Cover Story: Gobbling around the globe
Every country in the world has a specialty food with which it is associated. You’ll find the mouth watering Moussaka in Greece, the scrumptious sushi of the land of the Rising Sun and the palatable paella of Spain. The different cuisines around different countries vary with the inhabitants’ taste, their culture and the availability of the ingredients! Let’s take a toothsome tour of these delicacies around the world.
Switzerland
The two ‘ch-s’ is what comes instantly to mind about Switzerland, i.e., chocolate and cheese. Chocolate is the choice in parties and gift-giving. Cheese is an indispensable table item in Switzerland. Small portions of a soft melted cheese known as raclette are eaten with boiled potatoes and pickles. Fondue, a famous dish of Switzerland, originated in the Middle Ages, when Swiss peasants had nothing but stale bread and cheese to eat on long winter nights. It consists of a heated dish of melted cheese heaped with chunks of bread and veggies and flavoured by white wine or cider.
Mexico
Tortillas, frijoles refritos (refried beans), and mole (spicy sauce) are common throughout the nation. The torta (a hollow roll stuffed with meat or cheese), quesadilla (a tortilla baked with cheese), and taco (a folded tortilla filled with beef, chicken, or fish and cheese and onions) are also popular foods.
Two popular soups are pozole (vegetable soup with pork) and birria (goat soup). Enchiladas are tortillas with beef, cheese, or chicken inside, covered with a hot sauce. Enfrijoladas are beef-, cheese-, or chicken-filled tortillas covered with a bean sauce and cheese. Chilli, a traditional dish of the hatters, is usually made with meat and beans seasoned with chilli peppers. To increase richness, chocolate is often added in it.
Italy
The typical Italian dishes such as spaghetti, macaroni, and lasagne are all made from a flour paste (hence the name, pasta). Pasta is the staple of the Italian diet, served in a multitude of forms from ravioli, which are small casings filled with meat, cheese, or vegetables, to fettuccine, which are wide noodles (yummy!). Pasta is accompanied by a wide range of sauces, from Bolognese — containing tomatoes, lean chopped beef, pork, veal, or chicken livers — to salmon or mushroom. The pasta, now a worldwide favourite because of its quick-to-make nature and a spicy taste was a gift to the Italians by Marco Polo when he travelled to China and brought home the rudiments.
India
Indian meals are usually very spicy. Rice is a staple in the south, while roti (wheat bread) is the staple in the north. Different types of curry, made with eggs, fish, meat, or vegetables, are popular. Vegetarianism is widely practised. Curry, a seasoned condiment, usually served with rice, is prepared with meat or vegetables and spiced with turmeric, coriander, nutmeg and cardamom. A sizzling ‘hot’ favourite among the Indians, the curry, is also quite popular in other East Asian countries like Thailand and Myanmar.
Spain
Spaniards consider food an integral part of their customs. Traditional Spanish dishes include gazpacho, a cold soup of onions, peppers, tomatoes, and garlic; paella (rice, saffron, chicken, seafood, and a variety of other items cooked and served in a large, shallow pan called a paelleria); and cocido (Castilian stew). Tapas (snacks), served in many bars, can be as simple as olives or chunks of cheese, or as elaborate as meatballs in a spicy sauce.
Russia
Food in Russia is ample and diverse. Traditionally, zakuski are a popular feature of any meal to which guests are invited. Zakuski are a wide range of appetizers — examples include salads made of fresh or cooked vegetables, and sliced vegetables, meat, or cheese. Special Russian foods include borsch, which is cabbage soup with beetroots and often topped with sour cream — (urgh!); pirozhki, fried or baked dough filled with meat, rice, or vegetables; and blini, unsweetened pancakes eaten with toppings such as honey or sour cream. Pelmeni, boiled dumplings made of thin dough and stuffed with ground meat, spices, and sometimes vegetables, are served with sour cream and butter. Varenniki are dumplings stuffed with mashed potatoes or cottage cheese. They may also be stuffed with cherries or other fruit and eaten for dessert.
Japan
Japanese foods tend to be simple but nutritious. Popular Japanese foods include miso (bean paste) soup, noodles (ramen, udon, and soba), curry and rice, sashimi (slices of raw fish served with soy sauce and wasabi, a pungent form of horseradish), tofu, and pork. Sushi, famous throughout the world, is a Japanese delicacy consisting of raw fish, flavoured with vinegar and served with small cakes of cold rice. Norimaki is a similar dish, with rice, fish, and/or vegetables wrapped in dried seaweed.
Greece
Greek meals are mostly dominated by the presence of meat or beef. Souvlaki is a shish kebab with cubes of meat and vegetables, and stuffed eggplant or tomatoes. Pasta is also popular.
Desserts are usually fruit or sweets such as baklava. At Easter, Greeks enjoy roast lamb or goat, as well as kokoretsi, which is lamb’s liver, lungs, and spleen wrapped in intestines and roasted on a spit (spare me!). Traditionally a Greek meal, moussaka, is minced beef in cheeses sauce topped with sliced aubergines.
China
Dishes with potatoes, tofu, maize meal, rice, and other grains are staple meals. Noodles are also common and mantou (steamed bread) is a staple in northern China. Specialties vary from region to region, from duck in Beijing to spicy dishes in Sichuan province. Most dishes are served with rice or noodles and eaten with chopsticks, which are used for all meals in China.
Malaysia
Rice is the staple and fish is the main source of protein. Spices are used heavily in cooking. Local fruits include pineapples, bananas, papayas and durians. The latter are large and oval-shaped and have a strong smell, but they are considered the tastiest and best of fruits.
Singapore
Rice is the dietary staple, and seafood is particularly popular. A wide variety of cuisine is available, from Chinese to Indian, Malay to Japanese, and French to Russian. The food markets serve delicious food at a fraction of the price of mainstream restaurants.
England
The English diet has become more diverse after the 1960s. Traditional and special English dishes include fish-and-chips, roast beef and Yorkshire pudding (a baked batter usually served in muffin-sized portions) and steak and kidney pie (now that’s gross!). Kippers (smoked herring) or black pudding (blood pudding) may also appear on the menu.
USA
What is the most typical American food? Hot dogs or hamburgers? Both came from Germany. Pizza? That’s Italian. Apple pie? It’s English. French fries, Tex-Mex fajitas, Jewish bagels, Arabic pita bread, Russian yogurt? Travel across the country and you’ll find almost no food that is purely American, except for little-known native dishes such as Nok-Qui-Vi (mutton stew) from the southern Rockies and johnnycakes (cornbread) from around Rhode Island.
Explorers and settlers have brought with them recipes from homelands all over the globe, and as waves of imported flavours have mixed and mingled, America has developed an ebullient national cuisine, and variety is its spice.
So, what do you think about these cuisines? They do make my mouth water and my stomach rumble!
Hey! I see you heading for the kitchen!
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