Culinária da Grã-Bretanha

e dos EUA
Yes, we do have a wide and varied cuisine in Britain and in the US today!

British cuisine has always been multicultural, a pot pourri of eclectic styles. In ancient
times influenced by the Romans and in medieval times the French. When the Frankish
Normans invaded, they brought with them the spices of the east: cinnamon, saffron,
mace, nutmeg, pepper, ginger. Sugar came to England at that time, and was considered
a spice -- rare and expensive. Before the arrival of cane sugars, honey and fruit juices
were the only sweeteners. During Victorian times good old British stodge mixed with
exotic spices from all over the Empire. And today despite being part of Europe we've
kept up our links with the countries of the former British Empire, now united under the
Commonwealth. From East Asia (China) we adopted tea (and exported the habit to
India), and from India we adopted curry-style spicing, we even developed a line of spicy
sauces including ketchup, mint sauce, Worcestershire sauce and deviled sauce to
indulge these tastes. Among English cakes and pastries, many are tied to the various
religious holidays of the year. Hot Cross Buns are eaten on Good Friday, Simnel Cake
is for Mothering Sunday, Plum Pudding for Christmas, and Twelfth Night Cake for
Epiphany. The British tradition of stews, pies and breads, according to the taste buds of
the rest of the world, went into terminal decline. What was best in England was only
that which showed the influence of France, and so English food let itself become a
gastronomic joke and the French art of Nouvell Cuisine was adopted.

In the late 1980's, British cuisine started to look for a new direction. Disenchanted with
the overblown (and under-nourished) Nouvelle Cuisine, chefs began to look a little
closer to home for inspiration. Calling on a rich (and largely ignored) tradition, and
utilising many diverse and interesting ingredients, the basis was formed for what is now
known as modern British food. In London especially, one can not only experiment with
the best of British, but the best of the world as there are many distinct ethnic cuisines to
sample, Chinese, Indian, Italian and Greek restaurants are amongst the most popular.
Although some traditional dishes such as roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, Cornish
pasties, steak and kidney pie, bread and butter pudding, treacle tart, spotted dick or fish
and chips, remain popular, there has been a significant shift in eating habits in Britain.
Rice and pasta have accounted for the decrease in potato consumption and the
consumption of meat has also fallen. Vegetable and salad oils have largely replaced the
use of butter. Today there is more emphasis on fine, fresh ingredients in the better
restaurants and markets in the UK offer food items from all over the world. Salmon,
Dover sole, exotic fruit, Norwegian prawns and New Zealand lamb are choice items.
Wild fowl and game are other specialties on offer.
The great British breakfast is famous (or notorious) throughout the world! The typical
English breakfast is a 19th century invention, when the majority of English people
adopted the copious meal of porridge, fish, bacon and eggs, toast and marmalade, that
has now appeared on English breakfast tables for 100 years. Actually nowadays it is a
bit of a myth, today many British people are more likely to have a bowl of cornflakes or
a cup of coffee with a cigarette than to indulge in the wonders of this feast!

The food industry in Britain is now undergoing major changes. From a resurgence of
interest in organic food to the other extreme - genetically modified (GM) food. GM
food has so incensed the general public that there have been mass demonstrations
against it all over the country. Peter Melchett, executive director of Greenpeace UK,
said: “If these trials go ahead it will be a potential tragedy for the environment. Britain
will be bombarded with GM pollen without any regard for wildlife, people, or GM-free
farmers. The whole process has been nothing short of genetic tyranny with an almost
complete absence of public consultation.” A Friends of the Earth spokesman urged
farmers who had volunteered for the trials to “think again”. He said: “Farmers who have
signed up for these very large trials should realise that they have also signed up to a
packet of potential problems. Issues such as liability for cross-pollination of
neighbouring crops and contamination of honey have not been resolved. The main
beneficiaries of GM crops could well be lawyers rather farmers.”

Defining American cuisine is easier said than done as it's often a blend of the many
cuisines brought to the country's shores by immigrants from around the world.
American chefs and home cooks find inspiration in the cuisines of many countries
including Italy, France, China, Japan, Mexico, Greece, Spain, India, Thailand, Vietnam
and Morocco, just to name a few. The combination of these ethnic influences, available
fresh ingredients and the individual creativity of each chef allows for the limitless
possibilities in flavor, composition and presentation that can be called American
Cuisine. As immigrants from various nations settled in different parts of America, they
applied the cooking traditions of their homelands to locally available foods and this
gave rise to the country's regional cuisines. While just about any part of the United
States will have its steak houses, seafood restaurants, sandwich shops, pizza parlors and
casual bar and grill establishments, distinct cuisine styles can be noted from region to
region.

New England is well known for its top quality seafood. Lobster, clams, scallops,
oysters, cod, swordfish and flounder abound. Traditional New England preparations are
simple and focus on enhancing the fresh seafood flavor without elaborate sauces or
pungent seasonings. Cranberries, blueberries and pure maple syrup are native to the area
and are frequently worked into regional New England fare. The states in the mid-
Atlantic region of the United States are fortunate to have both fertile farmlands and
plentiful fish and seafood. Chesapeake Bay oysters, Maryland crabs and Dover sole are
known for their superior quality. Virginia hams are said to be the best in the country,
and the summer season yields plentiful crops of Jersey beefsteak tomatoes and butter-
and-sugar corn. Like New England, the traditional cuisine of the mid-Atlantic states is
simple and focused on the pure, fresh flavor of the ingredients. The cuisine of the
southern United States is truly representative of the hospitality you'll find in the region.
Fried chicken, catfish, cornbread, biscuits, collard greens, sweet tea, pecans and
bourbon are just a few of the comfort foods that you can expect to find in the area.
Traditional southern meals are rich, satisfying and reflect the diverse background of the
people who live there. Travel a little further south to Florida and you'll find the
influences of Latin America and the Caribbean in a cuisine called Floribbean. Florida
fresh citrus is used along with chiles and spices to ramp up the flavors of seafood,
poultry and meat. Favorites of Florida chefs are the fresh grouper, snapper and shrimp
that are native to the Gulf of Mexico, and the oysters from Apalachicola Bay rank high
amongst oyster aficionados.

The Gulf states are home to both Creole and Cajun cuisine. Creole cuisine originated in
Louisiana and blends aspects of French, African, Spanish and Caribbean cooking.
Creole and Cajun dishes are easy to confuse because both cuisines commonly use the
same local ingredients. These include shrimp and crawfish, parsley, bay leaves, cayenne
pepper and a flavor base sometimes called the "holy trinity:" onion, bell pepper and
celery. Although the ingredients are similar, Creole and Cajun cuisine differ in terms of
cooking styles: Cajun cuisine incorporates rustic cooking methods, while Creole cuisine
is steeped in French culinary techniques and tradition. The cuisine of America's
heartland finds its roots in the German, Swedish, Scandinavian and Hungarian
immigrants who originally settled there. Famed for its quality dairy products, the use of
milk, eggs, cheese and butter is common. Sausages, stews, soups and breads are
mainstays of the midwestern meal. Spices are used in a subtle fashion and the unique
flavors of dill, nutmeg and allspice give regional dishes a distinctive flair. Head south to
the border and Tex-Mex cuisine becomes common fare. Meat, beans, tortillas and spice
are the chief components of this style of cooking. Chili con carne, crunchy tacos, nachos
and fajitas are all Tex-Mex creations. Heat is derived from a variety of peppers, and
cumin is the most commonly used spice. Southwestern cuisine finds its roots in the
cuisines of Mexico, Spain and the Native Americans. It makes use of fresh cilantro, a
variety of chiles, lime juice, onions, tomatoes, cumin, Mexican oregano and coriander.
Rubs and marinades are frequently used on beef, chicken and pork before grilling, and
tamales and corn tortillas find their way into the culinary creations of the region.

California-style cuisine is generally considered to be synonymous with culinary

innovation. The state's original Spanish settlers, its Mexican neighbors and Asian
immigrant population all have influenced the food of the region. However, true
California cuisine focuses on the freshness of the plethora of ingredients available in
this agriculturally rich state. Avocados, peaches, plums, oranges, lemons, spinach,
lettuce, tomatoes, artichokes, figs, fresh herbs, olives and grapes, in addition to the fine
wines and abundant fresh seafood, make California a veritable culinary paradise and the
nature of its cuisine a vast spectrum. Like California, the cuisine of the Pacific
Northwest is diverse and creative. Quality seafood is available in ample supply, the
vineyards are plentiful and many say the area has become home to some of America's
most talented chefs. European, Asian and Latino cuisines all have influenced the food of
the region. The area's wild-caught salmon and cultivated oysters have a well earned
reputation for quality. Cherries, pears, apples and apricots are grown locally and fresh
mushroom varieties like morels and chanterelles find their way into the local cuisine as
well. Last but far from least, we leave the US mainland for Hawaii. Luau fare like kalua
pig, poi, lau lau and lomi lomi salmon originate from the Polynesian influence on the
islands. Today's Hawaiian cuisine, however, draws from a number of other ethnic
backgrounds. The foods of the Philippines, Japan, China and mainland America inspire
the creative talents of modern Hawaiian chefs to prepare the bountiful fish, seafood and
produce of the islands in unique and definitive ways.
If life gives you limes, don't make limeade, make a Key lime pie. The official state pie
of Florida, this sassy tart has made herself a worldwide reputation, which started in --
where else? -- the Florida Keys, from whence come the tiny limes that gave the pie its
name. Aunt Sally, a cook for Florida's first self-made millionaire, ship salvager William
Curry, gets the credit for making the first Key lime pie in the late 1800s. But you might
also thank Florida sponge fisherman for likely originating the concoction of key lime
juice, sweetened condensed milk, and egg yolks, which could be "cooked" (by a
thickening chemical reaction of the ingredients) at sea.

The most humble of comfort food. Who would have imagined when the recipe for
"Cannelon of Beef" showed up in Fannie Farmer's 1918 "Boston Cooking School Cook
Book" that every mom in America would someday have her own version? Fannie made
hers with slices of salt pork laid over the top and served it with brown mushroom sauce.
(In her day, you had to cut the meat finely by hand; the advent of commercial grinders
changed all that.) However your mom made it -- we're guessing ketchup on top? -- she
probably served that oh-so-reliable meatloaf with mashed potatoes and green beans.
And you were probably made to sit there, all night if need be, if you didn't eat all your
beans. A better threat might have been no meatloaf sandwich in your lunch tomorrow.

The ultimate comfort food, macaroni and cheese is also the salvation of many a mom
placating a finicky toddler. Nothing particularly American about pasta and cheese --
except for the fact that on a European trip, Thomas Jefferson liked a certain noodle dish
so much he took notes and had it served back home at a state dinner as "macaroni pie."
Jefferson's cousin Mary Randolph included a recipe for "macaroni and cheese" in her
1824 cookbook "The Virginia Housewife." So whether you're eating a gourmet version
by one of the countless chefs who've put their own spin on it, or just digging like a
desperado in the pantry for that box of Kraft, give mac and cheese its patriotic props.

According to a pie chart (seriously) from the American Pie Council, apple really is the
U.S.'s national favorite -- followed by pumpkin, chocolate, lemon meringue and cherry.
Not to burst the patriotic bubble, but it's not an American food of indigenous origin.
Food critic John Mariani dates the appearance of apple pies in the United States to
1780, long after they were popular in England. Apples aren't even native to the
continent; the Pilgrims brought seeds. So what's the deal with the star-spangled
association? The pie council's John Lehndorff explains: "When you say that something
is 'as American as apple pie,' what you're really saying is that the item came to this
country from elsewhere and was transformed into a distinctly American experience."
And you're saying Americans know something good enough to be an icon when we eat
it, with or without the cheddar cheese or vanilla ice cream on top.

It's a sandwich so greasy and hallowed in its hometown that the posture you must adopt
to eat it without ruining your clothes has a name: "the Philadelphia Lean." Made of
"frizzled beef," chopped while being grilled in grease, the Philly cheese steak sandwich
gets the rest of its greasy goodness from onions and cheese (American, provolone, or
Cheese Whiz), all of which is laid into a long locally made Amoroso bun. Pat and Harry
Olivieri get the credit for making the first cheese steaks (originally with pizza sauce --
cheese apparently came later, courtesy of one of Pat's cooks) and selling them from their
hot dog stand in south Philly. Pat later opened Pat's King of Steaks, which still operates
today and vies with rival Geno's Steaks for the title of best cheese steak in town. It's a
sandwich so greasy and hallowed in its hometown that the posture you must adopt to eat
it without ruining your clothes has a name: "the Philadelphia Lean." Made of "frizzled
beef," chopped while being grilled in grease, the Philly cheese steak sandwich gets the
rest of its greasy goodness from onions and cheese (American, provolone, or Cheese
Whiz), all of which is laid into a long locally made Amoroso bun. Pat and Harry
Olivieri get the credit for making the first cheese steaks (originally with pizza sauce --
cheese apparently came later, courtesy of one of Pat's cooks) and selling them from their
hot dog stand in south Philly. Pat later opened Pat's King of Steaks, which still operates
today and vies with rival Geno's Steaks for the title of best cheese steak in town.

Fish and chips is the traditional take-away food of England, long before McDonalds we
had the fish and chip shop. Fresh cod is the most common fish for our traditional fish
and chips, other types of fish used include haddock, huss, and plaice. The fresh fish is
dipped in flour and then dipped in batter and deep fried, it is then served with chips
(fresh not frozen) and usually you will be asked if you want salt and vinegar added.
Sometimes people will order curry sauce (yellow sauce that tastes nothing like real
curry), mushy peas (well it's green anyway) or pickled eggs (yes pickled). Traditionally
fish and chips were served up wrapped in old newspaper. Nowadays (thanks to hygiene
laws) they are wrapped in greaseproof paper and sometimes paper that has been
specially printed to look like newspaper. You often get a small wooden or plastic fork to
eat them with too, although it is quite ok to use your fingers.

You might see this on offer in a pub or cafe. Simply put, bangers are sausages, and
mash is potato that's been boiled and then mashed up (usually with butter). The sausage
used in bangers and mash can be made of pork or beef with apple or tomato seasoning;
often a Lincolnshire, or Cumberland sausage is used. The dish is usually served with a
rich onion gravy. Sausages were seen as a popular dish for the British working class,
however, after the outbreak of the World War II, meat was in seriously short supply. In
order to continue production and to get by on what meat they did have, cheap fillers and
a high amount of water were used in the sausages which caused them to pop and
explode rather violently in the cooking pan, giving them the name “bangers.” Today,
with no shortage of meat as there was during World War I, there are approximately 470
different sausage recipes and flavors prepared by butchers throughout the entire United
Kingdom.

Trifle in English cuisine is a dessert made with fruit, a thin layer of sponge fingers or
sponge cake soaked in sherry or another fortified wine, and custard. It can be topped
with whipped cream. The fruit and sponge layers are suspended in fruit-flavoured jelly,
and these ingredients are usually arranged to produce three or four layers. The contents
of a trifle are highly variable; many varieties exist, some foregoing fruit entirely and
instead using other ingredients such as chocolate, coffee or vanilla. The name trifle was
used for a dessert like a fruit fool in the sixteenth century; by the eighteenth century,
Hannah Glasse records a recognisably modern trifle, with the inclusion of a gelatin jelly
sometimes found in salami. Many of the ingredients used in ancient trifles can be found
in meats and other products found today. According to some scholars, trifle cakes might
be the origin of modern “sandwich cakes”.

Although modern Irish stew is generally made with beef or lamb, early versions were
usually made with mutton, as it was more widely available. Food historian Alan
Davidson also stated that mutton was so commonly used for stew because sheep were
kept into old age for their wool and milk at the time, meaning the meat was so tough
that subjecting it to slow, extended periods of stewing was one of the only ways to make
it edible. Generally, the meat used was on the bone, from the neck or shank, as this was
thought to add more flavour. Other than mutton, Irish stew was originally made with as
little as two additional ingredients – onions and potatoes. Luckier families may have
been able to use goat or lamb, and add more root vegetables, like carrots, turnips or
parsnips.

Haggis is a savoury pudding containing sheep's pluck (heart, liver and lungs); minced
with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, traditionally encased in the
animal's stomach though now often in an artificial casing instead. According to the 2001
English edition of the Larousse Gastronomique: "Although its description is not
immediately appealing, haggis has an excellent nutty texture and delicious savoury
flavour". It is believed that food similar to haggis (though not so named), perishable
offal quickly cooked inside an animal's stomach, all conveniently available after a hunt,
was eaten from ancient times. Although the name "hagws" or "hagese" was first used in
England c. 1430, the dish came to be considered traditionally Scottish, even the national
dish, as a result of Scots poet Robert Burns' poem Address to a Haggis of 1787. Haggis
is traditionally served with "neeps and tatties", boiled and mashed separately, and a
dram (a glass of Scotch whisky), especially as the main course of a Burns supper.

Fonte: http://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/american-food-dishes/index.html

Fonte: https://www.learnenglish.de/culture/foodculture.html