Unit 1

Chinese Cuisine- Ingredients, Characteristics, Equipment-used, Styles of Chinese Region.

Dishes: Gaz Pacho Soup, Lamprai, Tempura, Jack Fruit Curry and Paella.

INTRODUCTION
Chinese cuisine is originated from the one of the oldest culture of the today’s world. Chinese
culture has the known history of over 4000 years and food takes a major part of it.Chinese
culinary art has gone through thousands of years of refinement and development, but the Chinese
unique way of cooking and preparing food, remains basically unchanged. Archaeological finds
of the Bronze Age (around 1850 BC) indicate that the Chinese had utensils such as bronze
CLEAVER for cutting up foods into small pieces and cooking them in animal fat, using a bronze
pot not dissimilar to the modern wok. There is data to prove that as long as the ZHOU dynasty
(12th C BC) the Chinese used soya sauce, vinegar, rice wine, fruit jam and spices as seasonings
in the cooking and that elaborate and complicated cooking methods were already being
employed. By the time of China’s greatest sage CONFUCIUS (551 – 479 BC) who was an
acknowledged gourmet besides, it was recorded that the importance of heat application and
blending of different flavors were emphasized in Chinese cooking; and the uses of high,
moderate or low heat, the blending of sour, piquant, salty, bitter or sweet flavors were all given
their correct application in order to achieve a harmonious whole. This theory of harmony is one
of the main characteristics of Chinese cuisine of this day. Chinese cuisine has uniqueness from
other food cultures. Balanced Chinese meals have combination of FAN & CAI. A authentic
Chinese meal is consist of carbohydrate source or starch- typically rice, noodles, steamed buns
(FAN) and dishes of vegetables, fish, meat or other items(CAI).Combining various ingredients
and the lending of different for the preparation of CAI, lies the fine art and skill of Chinese
cuisine. Other feature of Chinese cuisine is the harmonious blending of colors, aromas, flavors,
shape and texture. The principle of blending is to use contrasting colors and flavors-the different
ingredients must not be mixed indiscriminately. The cutting of ingredients is another important
element of Chinese cooking in order to achieve balanced effect. Slices are matched with slices,
shreds with shreds, cubes with cubes, chunks with chunks .It is done not only for the sake of
appearance but also to provide same texture to the dish. A dish may have several textures such as
tenderness, crispiness, crunchiness, smoothness and hardness. The selection of different textures
in one single dish is an integral part of blending of flavors and colors, it can be achieved by using
the right cooking methods. A Chinese food table look very attractive. Tea is a common drink in
china from past hundreds of years. Chinese culture is also known as Chinese food culture. From
the three world cuisines, Chinese cuisine is one of them. Chinese cuisine has a tremendous range
of flavours and styles, spicy or mild. Ginger, chilli and garlic are called the holy trinity of
Chinese cooking. Most of the vegetarian and non vegetarian dishes are covered with a layer of
corn starch. Dried vegetables like eggplant, turnip, potato are also used. Non vegetarian is also
used in the form of dried pork and dried fish in Chinese cooking. See food is also used in the
form of salmon, squad, shrimp, prawns and turtle are also used. Mostly Chinese cooking is done
on flames. Microwave and ovens are also used in Chinese kitchen. Cooking is mostly done in
wok and pans. Most common cooking method in Chinese cooking is stir frying. Many festivals
are the part of Chinese culture and few of them are world famous like dragon boat. Almost every
festival has its own style. There is certain food or drink related to that festival, which Chinese
people eat or drink on that day, but there are practical reasons behind that. Over the past years,
Chinese food has been evolving from the traditional house hold food into more novel and
creative food but still retaining the traditional ideas and flavours. Traditional values are being
taught to the young one through food.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Among the numerous culture scattered around the world today but china is having the oldest
history of over 4000 years and have been through more than 15 dynasties. This is the reason that
Chinese cuisine has seen the many changes according to the every dynasty passed. Chinese food
has evolved from basic cooking to a very complex part of the Chinese culture. Following are the
different dynasty of Chinese cooking culture. Chinese cuisine in Zhou Dynasty: In Zhou dynasty
grain was the main part of the diet like brown rice, barley, beans and millets. They are not well
cultivated like modern day agricultural industries. According to their historical background
China already had grill and prepare grilled fish and other food items 4000 years ago. In the late
zhou dynasty rich people started consuming the white rice / pealed rice considered highly costly
at that time. The famous cuisine of that time is called “Ba Zheng” (means eight treasures).
Chinese cuisine in Qin Dynasty: Sour flavor was dominated in the cuisine during Qin Dynasty.
According the history records bamboo slips found from tombs, plums were another spice used in
their cooking’s to give sour taste. It was mainly used for removing fishy odd from meat or fish
concluded by scholars. Besides, cinnamon, green onion, soybean sauce and vinegar were
regularly used in the kitchen during Qin dynasty. Chinese cuisine in Han Dynasty: by the
opening of silk road merchants and exchange had bought many imported eating and cooking
materials for people, such as carrots, cucumber ,walnuts, sesame, spinach, celery, lettuce, onion
and garlic. Salty flavours were favoured during hang dynasty. In this period Chinese cooking
made a big step forward and laid the firm stone for the Chinese cuisine development in later tong
and sang dynasty. Chinese cuisine in Tong Dynasty: Chinese cuisine is already developed to a
quality levelby the tang dynasty. During this dynasty people often had many kinds of parties or
banquets to enjoy their lives. Chinese cuisine in Song Dynasty: during the song dynasty the
schools of cuisines began to form. In the food menus of Beijing and linan restaurants number of
cold dishes, hot dishes, soups and colour dishes are added mad marked with south ,north chuon
flavours and vegetarian dishes , which actually represent the school of cuisines. Chinese cuisine
in Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasty: During this period, religious groups believing in Islamism
moved to all part of china and halal food found a space in
china & Chinese cuisine. During these dynasties Chinese cuisine has great development. Manchu
style and flavours have been added to the Chinese cuisine as it was the emperor ruled under the
machu people. Chilli pepper plants have been imported to china as a fancy flower and soon
Chinese people discovered its great value in cooking process. Soon the Hunan and Sichuan
regions adopted the spicy flavour and left a profound affect to their cooking style. By the time
foreigners started coming to china and Chinese cuisine also introduces some characters of
western cuisine. Establishment of People’s Republic of China: Chinese cuisine inheritance and
innovation obtained exciting results in china after the establishment of People’s Republic of
china especially since 1979.ethanic groups and traditional cuisines of various regions came back
and appear in the lists of restaurants.
REGIONS AND REGIONAL COOKING STYLES
Like the country itself, Chinese food comes from thousands upon thousands of years of
civilization in East Asia. There might be confusion over the various regions of Chinese cuisine
but there are only four major style of Chinese cooking and every region have emerged its own
style of cooking because of geographical locations of these regions
Northern Region / Peaking Style
Northern China experience harsh, cold and dry winters and summers are equally hot in China. A
strong flavour is very important in northern Chinese food. Generally northern dishes are oilier
and richer in meat. They make ample use of garlic and scallions. They skilfully use the
seasonings to add richness to its dishes without covering up the natural flavour of the ingredients.
The commonly used seasonings are soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, leeks star anise, sweet
bean sauce, chilli peppers and sesame oil. In north china wheat is a staple crop. Rice is secondary
to wheat in northern china. Wheat flour products are used in the form of steamed buns, stuffed
buns and pancakes. Dumplings are very popular in north and served with vinegar and hot chilli
oil for dipping. Dumplings are made with various, vegetable and hand pulled noodles fillings.
Sliced noodles are very common in northern dishes served either stir fried or in soups. Fish
mutton, pork, chicken, duck is commonly used in non vegetarian food. Muslim ethnic groups
prefer mutton as their main ingredient. Abundant sea food is available in Shandong province.
North Magnolia features dairy products in their food like cheese, butter and yogurt because of
their large grassland. Due to the cold weather in north fresh vegetables are less available so
people prefer to preserve some vegetable for winters by drying and pickling. People from north
are famous for making pickled vegetables (Korean kimchi). Common vegetables used are
tomatoes, potatoes, cucumber, egg plant, chives, radish, carrot and Chinese cabbage. Fruits are
limited to apple only that too of seasonal varieties. Northwest is famous for their dried fruit and
wine. Several regional cuisines are included in the northern region. The best regional cuisine of
north china is Beijing, Shandong and inner magnolia. The typical method of cooking is stewing
(most popular), roasting stir frying and deep frying. Beijing being the capital of china uses the
cuisines of other part of china.
The most famous dish is peaking duck. Shandong province near to the yellow sea and rich in
farm products and see food. Inner magnolia mainly features dairy products and hand torn mutton
dishes. Whole roast lamb is their important dish during banquets to honour the guest. Northern
people are very hospitable. They drink liquor with big bowls and eat meat in big pieces.
Therefore the dishes are served in big portions. Northern region is influenced by Korean and
Russian dishes, because many Korean and Russian living there because of their ancestors were
from the North Korea and Russia

Southern Region
The two provinces kwangsi and Kwangtung makes up to the world famous Cantonese cuisine.
Cantonese cuisine has a very distinctive taste and flavour of the cooking. This region is very
helpful for farmers because of the wild winters and moderate monsoon. This is the second largest
rice producing region of china. Cantonese is near to the sea and have large supply of shrimps,
fish, crab etc. That’s why they include sea food in their every meal. Cantonese cuisine is all
about freshness. They cook food on hot wok with garden fresh vegetables and fresh sea food
with minimum quantity of oil. Minimum time of cooking is also important for maintain the
freshness of ingredients. The famous styles of cooking are steaming and stir frying which
pronounce the freshness of the ingredients. This cuisine is also praised for their perfect
presentation. Radish rose is the famous dish for its colourful presentation. Dim sums are also
created by Cantonese cuisine. Citrus fruits like oranges and sugarcane are commonly found in
southern region. Sea food, beef and pork makes the major part in Cantonese cuisine. Cantonese
food is famous because of their costal location that’s why it was the preferred place for
travellers. The traders came from different part of the world like Portugal and Arab countries and
settled there to trade with china. The big business tycoons visited there and demanded for good
food. They are not bothered about their prices. The most expensive dishes are birds nest soup and
shark fins soup. Typically a Cantonese dish includes soup, sea food, noodles, dim sums and little
rice bowl. Cantonese cuisine is also known as Guangdong cuisine, Yue cuisine. The condiments
and other seasonings used are chives, coriander leaves; anise, black pepper and ginger provide
mild tanginess to match the flavour of the food. Mild sugar is a main ingredient of many
Cantonese dishes and snacks. They use different types of sauces like Hoisin sauce, oyster sauce
and soy sauce.

Eastern Region
Eastern Chinese food mainly features sweet and subtle flavours, using sugar, wine, vinegar and
soy sauce. Eastern food features an abundant use of seafood, fish, pork, poultry and vegetables.
Yangtze River well irrigates this area that’s why fresh fruits and vegetables grow heavily. Both
rice and wheat are common staple. Due to the large sea, lakes and rivers tributaries sea food like
fish and shell fish are easily available.
The most common cooking methods are stir frying, steaming, braising, simmering, stewing and
warming to preserve the original flavour, maintain clarity, freshness and mildness. They prefer
oily dishes. Soups and soupy dishes are very popular. Province of eastern china such as Jiangsu,
Fujian, Zhejiang and Kiangsi are considered as the major contributor in Chinese cuisine of
eastern China and considered the rice bowl of the country. Fujian region is famous for tea in
china. Pork meat is popular but in few restaurants. It’s easy to find donkeys and deer dishes in
some food menus.
Western Region
The food of western region is popularly known as Szechwan cuisine. Szechwan cuisine is
renowned for its use of bold flavours like chilli, garlic, Szechwan pepper and therefore used in
almost every dish Szechwan pepper is their local product. Szechwan cuisine largely uses
freshwater fish and uses others like chicken, duck and pork meats. Shark fins and beer pawn are
also used as an ingredient. They prepare food mainly by stir frying, braising or stewing. The
most popular dishes of this region include Kung Pao chicken, twice cooked pork and tea smoked
duck. Szechwan province is the birth place of many dishes and it’s the wildly served cuisine in
china itself. This cuisine is full of flavours hence every dish has its own flavour.
STAPLE FOOD WITH REGIONAL INFLUENCES
Northern Region of china: In old times the tribes of northern china are nomadic. They walked
around with heard of sheep. The cold weather reduces the growth of rice but because of the
yellow river this region is fertile region for wheat, millet, barley and become the staple food of
northern china. This region has abundance of wheat flour products in the form of noodles,
dumplings, steamed buns, stuffed buns and pancakes. They use steamed buns and stuffed buns
with different vegetables, meat & red bean paste filling for breakfast. Pan cakes are eaten with
porridge. The little influence of Mongolian cuisine is also seen in the north because this region
touches the Mongolian boarders. The special Mongolian hot pot cooking also called table top
cookery was introduced to keep food warm and hot. This region is known for peaking style of
cooking. Sea food and fresh water fish is common in peaking style of cooking. The most famous
dish is peaking duck. Shandong cuisine is also representing the northern china region. The
people from this region eat big cakes stuffed with scallions or minced meat. Some of the famous
dishes are dezhou stewed chicken, chicken ball in milk soup, braised sea cucumber with onions,
braised prawns.
Eastern Region of china: 5 out of 8 regional cuisines are the part of eastern region cuisine of
china. The province of eastern china are Kiangsu( Jiangsu),Fukien(Fujian), chekeong(Zhejiang),
anhwei(anhui) and kiangsi(Jiangxi). Every region has its own speciality in context of taste,
texture and specialities.
Anhwei province: This region is famous for its healthy food with simple and interesting
flavours. Special care is taken in the cooking to preserve the nutrients of the food. Some famous
dishes are stewed soft shelled turtle in clear soup, bamboo shoots with sausages and dried
mushroom with stinky tofu.
Fukien province: The food is only light seasoned and the main flavours are sweet and sour.
Some dishes get extra sweetness and texture from peanuts and sugar. Custard and orange juice i
soften used to bring a touch of sweetness. Monk jumps over the wall is one of their famous dish.
Jiangsu province: Jiangsu food is known for light and fresh flavours with tender textures. They
emphasise on soups. Sugar is used sometimes to round off the flavours. Dishes are carefully
arranged to make a visual impact. Some famous dishes include crab shell meat balls, steamed
jerky strips.
Zhejiang province: This cuisine is described very salty. Seafood is popular in this region.
Almost every dish contains bamboo shoots. Sometimes meat is marinated in mixture of vinegar
and sugar. The most famous dishes include dongpo pork and shelled shrimp in congjing tea.
Kiangsi province: this cuisine features crisp quality, fragrance and modest taste. Relishing the
various local snacks is an important tourist activity for visitors in kiangsi region. Their local
snacks and pastries cooked in different methods and have different characteristics are widely
popular. Some famous dishes are steamed pork with rice flour, three cups of foot fish. Southern
Region of china: there is a famous saying in china that people from south region will eat almost
anything that walks, crawls, flies or swims. The cuisine of this region is popularly known as
Cantonese cuisine. Typical and traditional dishes of Cantonese cuisine are sweet and sour pork,
bite sized wanton and steamed spareribs with pickled plum and soy bean paste. Cantonese people
eat almost all edible meats including offal, chicken feet, ducks tongue, frog legs, snakes and
snail. Several sauces plays important role in Cantonese cuisine. The widely served dishes in
Cantonese homes are Chinese steamed eggs, Shane noodles, and preserved salted duck. Steamed
frog on a lotus leaf and orange cuttle fish. Western Region of china: the western region
comprises of various provinces like Yunnan, Kweichow, Hunan, Hupei, and Szechwan. Yunnan
province is famous for its glutinous rice and fermented bean curd. Hunan cuisine is famous for
its spiciness, deep colours and fresh aromas. Smoked and cured foods are typical and staple in
this part of the country. The famous dishes are chopped pepper fish head, crispy duck, and Spicy
frog’s leg. Szechwan cuisine is best known for its spiciness. The main ingredient includes chilli,
garlic and locally produced Sichuan pepper. The popular dishes are Kung pao chicken, twice
cooked pork and tea smoked duck.
Anhui cuisine: the regional cuisine of Anhui in eastern china is considered to be healthy and
visually interesting with the different flavours. This cuisine is lesser known cuisine among the
eight great cuisines. Anhui is also a poorer province if compared to the other
regional cuisines of china. Even the presences of Yangtze River don’t lay much emphasis on sea
food and more on land and herbs from both the land and sea. The dishes from Anhui cuisine
include mainly a very elaborate choice of wild ingredients coming from the mountains and make
a very healthy Diet. The region is surrounded by huangshan Mountains. Which helps anhui
cuisine in providing fresh herbs and other vegetables.
Anhwei province: This region is famous for its healthy food with simple and interesting flavours.
Special care is taken in the cooking to preserve the nutrients of the food. Some famous dishes are
stewed soft shelled turtle in clear soup, bamboo shoots with sausages and dried mushroom with
stinky tofu.
Chinese cuisine in Han Dynasty: by the opening of silk road merchants and exchange had bought
many imported eating and cooking materials for people, such as carrots,
cucumber,walnuts,sesame,spinach,celery,lettuce,onion and garlic. Salty flavours were favoured
during hang dynasty. In this period Chinese cooking made a big step forward and laid the firm
stone for the Chinese cuisine development in later tong and sang dynasty.
Chinese cuisine in Qin Dynasty: Sour flavor was dominated in the cuisine during Qin Dynasty.
According the history records bamboo slips found from tombs, plums were another spice used in
their cooking’s to give sour taste. It was mainly used for removing fishy odd from meat or fish
concluded by scholars. Besides, cinnamon, green onion, soybean sauce and vinegar were
regularly used in the kitchen during Qin dynasty. Chinese cuisine in Song Dynasty: during the
song dynasty the schools of cuisines began to form. In the food menus of Beijing and linan
restaurants number of cold dishes, hot dishes, soups and colour dishes are added mad marked
with south ,north chuon flavours and vegetarian dishes , which actually represent the school of
cuisines.
Chinese cuisine in Tong Dynasty: Chinese cuisine is already developed to a quality levelby the
tang dynasty. During this dynasty people often had many kinds of parties or banquets to enjoy
their lives. Chinese cuisine in Yuan,
Ming, and Qing dynasty: During this period, religious groups believing in Islamism moved to all
part of china and halal food found a space in china & Chinese cuisine. During these dynasties
Chinese cuisine has great development.
Chinese cuisine in Zhou Dynasty: In Zhou dynasty grain was the main part of the diet like brown
rice, barley, beans and millets. They are not well cultivated like modern day agricultural
industries. According to their historical background China already had grill and prepare grilled
fish and other food items 4000 years ago. In the late zhou dynasty rich people started consuming
the white rice / pealed rice considered highly costly at that time. The famous cuisine of that time
is called “Ba Zheng” (means eight treasures).
Eastern Region: Eastern Chinese food mainly features sweet and subtle flavours, using sugar,
wine, vinegar and soy sauce. Eastern food features an abundant use of seafood, fish, pork,
poultry and vegetables. Yangtze River well irrigates this area that’s why fresh fruits and
vegetables grow heavily. Both rice and wheat are common staple. Due to the large sea, lakes and
rivers tributaries sea food like fish and shell fish are easily available.
Establishment of People’s Republic of China: Chinese cuisine inheritance and innovation
obtained exciting results in china after the establishment of People’s Republic of china especially
since 1979.ethanic groups and traditional cuisines of various regions came back and appear in
the lists of restaurants.
Fujian cuisine: it’s a coastal province and more than 60% of the areas are forests. That’s why sea
food and wild herbs features most of the Fujian dishes. Fijians are famous for applying wide
verity of herbs and seasonings to make the food aromatic and interesting. Broths and soups are
the major part of the Fujian meal. The meal is not called complete without the soup. Even most
of the dishes are served in soup. Typical Fujian dishes are prepared by first chopping the
ingredients finely and then quickly boiling or stir frying them or adding them to soup.
Fukien province: The food is only light seasoned and the main flavours are sweet and sour. Some
dishes get extra sweetness and texture from peanuts and sugar. Custard and orange juice i soften
used to bring a touch of sweetness. Monk jumps over the wall is one of their famous dish.
Guangdong cuisine: The cuisine of Guangdong region is known as Cantonese cuisine. As a coast
province, sea food is available in ample quantity. Beef, chicken and pork are equally available.
Cantonese cuisine is famous for using anything in their cuisine which is edible, such as frogs
legs, offal, chicken, and snails. This is the most widely served style of Chinese cuisine in the
world. Guangdong cuisine was developed in Guangzhou, Huizhou, Huizhou and chaozhou and
on the Hainan Island in south china.
Hunan cuisine: The geographical location of Hunan region is in southern china. This area has
rolling hills and beautiful valleys, which provide a fertile soil for growing a wide range of crops,
especially rice. This cuisine is famous for its spiciness, deep colors and fresh aromas. Smoked
and cured food are very much part of the diet in this region. People get confused sometimes
between Hunan and Sichuan cuisines because the major characteristics of both the cuisines are
hot and spicy.
Jiangsu cuisine: Jiangsu cuisine is very less known cuisine by foreigners and outside china.
Jiangsu province is higher in per capita income and has a very cuisine. It is a coasted province
which is also a home to the famous Yangtze river delta. That’s why a wide variety of sea food
are available and eaten. The dishes are cooked with elaborate method and presented in a
colourful and artistic way.
Jiangsu province: Jiangsu food is known for light and fresh flavours with tender textures. They
emphasise on soups. Sugar is used sometimes to roundoff the flavours. Dishes are carefully
arranged to make a visual impact. Some famous dishes include crab shell meat balls, steamed
jerky strips.
Kiangsi province: this cuisine features crisp quality, fragrance and modest taste. Relishing the
various local snacks is an important tourist activity for visitors in kiangsi region. Their local
snacks and pastries cooked in different methods and have different characteristics are widely
popular. Some famous dishes are steamed pork with rice flour, three cups of foot fish. Manchu
style and flavours have been added to the Chinese cuisine as it was the emperor ruled under the
machu people. Chilli pepper plants have been imported to china as a fancy flower and soon
Chinese people discovered its great value in cooking process. Soon the Hunan and Sichuan
regions adopted the spicy flavour and left a profound affect to their cooking style. By the time
foreigners started coming to china and Chinese cuisine also introduces some characters of
western cuisine.
Northern Region / Peaking Style: Northern China experience harsh, cold and dry winters and
summers are equally hot in China. A strong flavour is very important in northern Chinese food.
Generally northern dishes are oilier and richer in meat. They make ample use of garlic and
scallions. They skilfully use the seasonings to add richness to its dishes without covering up the
natural flavour of the ingredients. The commonly used seasonings are soy sauce, vinegar, garlic,
ginger, leeks star anise, sweet bean sauce, chilli peppers and sesame oil. Shandong cuisine:
Shandong was the one of the first civilized regions in china and an early culture center.
Shandong province has along coast, so fresh river fish and sea food were always the local
delicacies. The Shandong province is situated in northeast of china and has emphasis on salty
and garlicky foods. They prefer soups, noodles and seafood. They prefer to eat bread rather than
rice.
Sichuan cuisine: Out of all the regional cuisines Sichuan cuisine stands out as very unique and
probably the most widely served of all of Chinese regional cuisines. Sichuan cuisine comes from
south-western region of Sichuan and renowned for its bold and spicy flavours. Sichuan food is
famous for dominance by pepper, chilli flavour and known for being spicy hot. Sichuan cuisine
uses a lot fresh water fish, chicken, duck and pork. Some unusual ingredients like shark, bear
paws are also used. Southern Region: The two provinces kwangsi and Kwangtung makes up to
the world famous Cantonese cuisine.
Cantonese cuisine has a very distinctive taste and flavour of the cooking. This region is very
helpful for farmers because of the wild winters and moderate monsoon. This is the second largest
rice producing region of china. Cantonese is near to the sea and have large supply of shrimps,
fish, crab etc. Western Region: The food of western region is popularly known as Szechwan
cuisine. Szechwan cuisine is renowned for its use of bold flavours like chilli, garlic, Szechwan
pepper and therefore used in almost every dish Szechwan pepper is their local product.
Szechwan cuisine largely uses freshwater fish and uses others like chicken, duck and pork meats.
Shark fins and beer pawn are also used as an ingredient.
Zhejiang cuisine: Zhejiang cuisine originated from the popular and rich eastern provinces of
Zhejiang on the pacific. It is located in Yangtze river delta. The food is fresh and slight rather
then greasy and usually not spicy. This cuisine is well known for its freshness, tenderness,
sophistication, smoothness and mellow fragrance. Most of the dishes served raw or nearly raw
with refined and light flavour.
Zhejiang province: This cuisine is described very salty. Seafood is popular in this region. Almost
every dish contains bamboo shoots. Sometimes meat is marinated in mixture of vinegar and
sugar. The most famous dishes include dongpo pork and shelled shrimp in congjing tea.
METHODS OF COOKING
For a successfully made dish, Chinese chefs give emphasis on the colour, aroma and taste. The
dozens of cooking methods are used in Chinese kitchen culture some of the methods of Chinese
cooking are as follows:

• Stir frying
The most commonly used method is stir frying. In this method of cooking ingredients are
processed at high heat for a short period of time .oil is used very less in this type of cooking.
Food is cooked at high heat and tossed or turned basically in stir frying food should kept in
motion.
• Deep frying
This method is mainly used to fry the ingredients to crisp. It uses more edible oil then stir
frying .the ingredients should be fully submerged in oil for crisp textured food. Deep fried
recipes are not just used in Chinese cuisine but all kind of cuisines.
• Boiling
Boiling could be considered as the simplest and popular among all the Chinese cooking method.
In this prepared ingredients are placed in wok along with water and proper seasoning till the
surface. The water continuously agitated by the large bubbles. It takes shorter time than braising.
This method is used to prepare various stocks and soups.
• Sautéing
Sautéing is similar and different both to the stir frying. In this method heat should be lower than
stir frying and there is no need to toss and turn the ingredients at all the time. A chef just turn
over the ingredients to another side from time to tim dumplings and sautéed fish.
• Simmering
Simmering is always used the soups and stocks. In this method lower heat is used to just keep the
water boiling but not totally boiling. In this method ingredients should be cook for long time in
order to melt nutrients and make a batter flavour
• Braising
Braising, this word comes from French word braiser. It’s a technique that uses both dry heat
cooking and wet heat cooking. Firstly the food usually seared at a hig brown it and give it a nice
crust. Than a small amount of liquid is added and the temperature is turned down low, to cook
for a longer amount of time.
• Steaming
Steaming method is more popular now days as it keeps flavours and foo use of steam
temperature. In this process ingredients are placed in a steaming basket normally made of
bamboo wood. This is placed over water in steamer pot. The most common steam dishes are
steam egg and steamed dumplings.
CHINESE KITCHEN EQUIPMENTS AND UTENSILS
Cooking utensils and equipments plays a major role in preparation and presentation of a dish.
Every cuisine has its own special equipments so as the Chinese cuisine. Chinese foods have
always had close relationships their cooking utensils. Some of them look little different from the
other cuisines. Following are the some common Chinese kitchen equipments and utensils
Wok and Wok Lid
Wok is most important Chinese kitchen using a wok, which is a wide and somewhat shallow
domed pot that gets wickedly hot when you have a good flame going. are used for almost any
type of cooking in steaming, stewing, braising, and even boiling. Most of them are made f iron.
There are many types of wok, including round and non-stick types. A handy wok lid is also
required for steaming, boiling, and bringing up the temperature for things that need a bit of a
longer cooking time
Wok Ring
Now days, some ranges come with a big wok burner, which has that bigger flame needed for
authentic Chinese cooking. It ensures that your wok won’t slide around while you’re cooking. If
you have a regular helpful nevertheless.

Metal Wok Spatula

Chinese cooking requires a good metal spatu and hook to prepare different types of dishes. They
are again subdivided into two different categories: Metal wok spatula: cakes, they might stick
with the bottom of the pan while cooking.
Metal wok round spoon: metal wok round spoon is required to make other gravy or liquidly
dishes like soups and dishes made with different types of sa (Metal wok round spoon)
Chinese Wire Strainer A Chinese wire strainer is used for every Chinese restaurant around the
world. The handle is made of the bamboo wood and head is made up of stainless steel wire. It
helps in taking out food items for hot oil while cooking.
Cleaver or Chopper Cleaver is used in Chinese’s kitchen to do different types of cuttings like
chopping, slicing, dicing, mincing etc. it is also used for deboning of m wooden handle. ines
(Chinese & Italian)
metal wok round spoon is required to make other gravy or liquidly dishes like soups and dishes
made with different types of sauces
Wok Brush
A wok brush is very helpful in cleaning of wok. It is made with bamboo. The size of the brush is
bigger than the other cleaning brush. This is the essential part of the Chinese kitchen around the
world.
Steam Basket
The steam baskets A wok brush is very helpful in cleaning of wok. It is made with bamboo. The
size of the brush is bigger than the other cleaning brush. This is the essential part of the Chinese
kitchen around the world. The steam basket is used in Chinese kitchen to steam various types of
food items like steamed dim Sims etc. the food is placed in stem baskets and placed in the metal
steamer for steaming. The steam baskets come in various sizes and made of bamboo only.
Steamer
Steaming is a very healthy way to cook and the different kinds of steamers are widely used
Chinese cooking equipment. Chinese use bamboo or aluminum steamers quite often for steaming
dumplings and buns, fish, meats or vegetables. A whole meal can be prepared at one go, each
dish stacked up on a separate basket and cooked all at once very efficiently. This is one of the
favorite cooking utensils of Chinese kitchen. Now days Steamers are widely used in western
kitchens also.
Rice Cooker
Rice cooker is also used widely in Chinese kitchen for pressure boiling, steaming rice and other
things. Now day’s electronic rice cookers are used in Chinese kitchen. cookers are more heat
efficient, as they are well insulated and maintain steam pressure well. They are also safer and
more reliable Food remains hot in this even after cooking process is over for longer time due to
the various function installed in it, t without burning the food. Sometimes the Chinese kitchen
equipments looks little awkward if compared with the normal kitchen equipments but they are
very helpful in preparing various types of Chinese dishes. Except these entire special equipments
Chinese kitchen uses some other which are used in every kitchen around the world like strainers,
cooking chopsticks,
INGREDIENTS AND DISHES
In Chinese cuisine, sauce is one of the most important aspects to determine the taste of the food.
In Chinese food culture there are four main sauce flavours: sweet, savoury, sour and spicy. Each
regional cuisine in china utilizes the sauces and flavours differently. Here we will discuss about
the different sauces used in Chinese kitchen culture.
Sweet Sauces
Sweet Bean Sauce: This sauce is popular in north china basically Beijing region. This sauce has
dark brown colour with thick paste consistency. Sweet sauce is made with wheat flour, sugar,
salt and fermented yellow soybeans. The fermentation process which includes glucose makes it
taste sweet. Famous dishes include Beijin jianbing, zhajiangmain. (Beijing roast duck)
Hoisin Sauce: This sauce is basically found in dishes special to Southern China, such as
Guangdong, it is popular in stir-fries, meat glazing and as a dipping sauce. This sauce is made
with soybeans, white distilled vinegar, sugar, salt, garlic, red chili peppers, and wheat. Some
famous dishes are Spring Rolls, Mushu Pork, and Char Siu. The Chinese name of this sauce
actually means seafood sauce, but it is not solely reserved for s nor does it contain any seafood.
In the UK, it’s called plum sauce, even though it doesn’t contain any plums either.
Sour Sauces
Black Vinegar: There are many different kinds of vinegar, but the most common found in China
is Black Vinegar. Most Chinese restaurants have this sauce on their tables to add flavor to
noodles, rice and dumplings. It has an inky black color, malty flavor but very watery
consistency. It’s more in line with the sharp flavor of Western vinegars than the other Chinese
vinegars. This sauce is made with Fermented black glutinous rice, wheat, millet or sorghum.
Some famous dishes include Sweet and Sour Pork, Hot and Sour Soup, Hot and Sour Shredded
Potato, Vinegar Soaked Chinese Cabbage, and dipping for dumplings.
Rice Vinegar: White rice vinegar is similar to black vinegar but is distinct in color, ingredients
and taste., white rice vinegar tends to be more acidic black vinegar. Rice vinegar is made with
includes Cold Noodles with Shredded Chicken, Korean Sushi Savory Sauces
Soy Sauce: Soy sauce comes from 2nd Century AD China and eventually spread to all parts of
East Asia for use in cooking and as a condiment. Soy sauce was historically an expensive
ingredient used to salt food. Today, soy sauce cooking, especially in stir-fries. It can either be
brewed or blended; resulting in different levels of savory, salty tastes.soy sauce is made with
famous dishes include- Beef Chow Fun, (Soy Sauce)
Oyster Sauce: Oyster Sauce was invented by Lee Kam Sheung in Guangdong in the late 1800s.
The story goes he was making oysters in boiling when he lifted the lid, the soup was brownish
and had a fragrant aroma. Unlike soy sauce, oyster sauce has a much thicker consistency and is
used in cooking to add savory flavors to a dish. This sauce is made with Oyster dishes include
Hainan Chicken Rice, Buddha’s Delight, Wonton Noodles, Lo Mein. (Oyster Sauce)
Sesame Paste: One of the most popular thick consistency similar to peanut butter. Made from
roasted sesame seeds, there are two different types of sesame paste: White and Black. Chinese
sesame paste is nutty, dark, rich and savory. It goes perfect as a hot pot dipping sauce or on cold
noodles and salad. Sesame paste is made with 100% pure sesame seeds. Some famous dishes
include Hot Pot Dipping Sauce, Cold Sesame Noodles, Hot Dry Noodles, and Salad. Expensive
ingredient used to salt food. Today, soy sauce is very common in Chinese fries. It can either be
brewed or blended; resulting in different levels of savory, salty tastes.soy sauce is made with
soybeans, wheat & brine. Some Chow Fun, Soy Sauce Chicken, and Braised Pork Belly.
Spicy Sauces
Sacha Sauce: This sauce is Popular in Guangdong and Taiwan, Sacha sauce has many different
uses in Chinese cooking rather than just sauce. It can be used as a base for soups, marinating for
meats, seasoning for stir fries, and dipping sauce for hot pot.Sacha sauce is made with Soybean
oil, garlic, shallots, chillies, brill’s fish, and dried shrimp. Some popular dishes are Beef with
Shacha Sauce, Shacha Pork, Shacha Noodles.
Doubanjiang: If you’ve been to any local Chinese restaurant, you’ll recognize this Spicy Sauce.
Most restaurants make their own spicy sauce or provide the most popular Chines brand of
Doubanjiang: Lao Gan Ma. Popular in Sichuan, the spicy version of this sauce contains peppers
as well as soybeans, salt and rice. Just like hot sauce, Chinese people like to put doubanjiang on
almost everything. Doubanjiang is made with soybeans, broad beans, salt, rice and spices. Some
popular dishes are Mapo Tofu, Twice Cooked Pork Belly, Fish-Flavor Shredded Pork and
BraisedFish
CHINESE VEGETABLES
The vegetables are important part of Chinese
 Bok Choy
 Shanghai bok choy
 Dwarf bok choy
 Chinese Broccoli
 Chinese Water Spinach
 Chinese Water Spinach
 Chinese Celery
 Bamboo Shoots
 Winter bamboo shoots
  Spring bamboo shoots
 Fava Beans
 Chinese Long Beans
 Chinese Eggplant
 Lotus Root
 Green Garlic
 Garlic Scapes
Bamboo Shoots: These are the tender shoots of the bamboo plant. Edible bamboo shoots, zhúsǔn
or simply sǔn fall into two broad categories: winter and spring shoots. Spring shoots are larger
and a bit tougher than winter shoots. Black Vinegar: There are many different kinds of vinegar,
but the most common found in China is Black Vinegar. Most Chinese restaurants have this sauce
on their tables to add flavor to noodles, rice and dumplings. It has an inky black color, malty
flavor but very watery consistency. Boiling: boiling could be considered as the simplest and
popular among all the Chinese cooking method. In this prepared ingredients are placed in wok
along with water and proper seasoning till the surface. The water continuously agitated by the
large bubbles. It takes shorter time than braising. This method is used to prepare various stocks
and soups.
Bok Choy: Bok choy word comes from Cantonese pronunciation. Bok choy comes in three sizes
small, medium & large. Like any leafy green, these are typically pretty sandy.
Braising: this word comes from French word braiser. It’s a technique that uses both dry heat
cooking and wet heat cooking. Firstly the food usually seared at a high temperature to brown it
and give it a nice crust. Than a small amount of liquid is added and the temperature is turned
down low, to cook for a longer amount of time.
Chinese Black Rice: Chinese black rice is becoming more popular now days. Still it’s difficult to
find Chinese black rice easily. This Chinese rice is included by Chinese people in healthy diet
that’s why they use black rice in a multi-grain porridge to remain fit and healthy.
Chinese Broccoli: Chinese broccoli has long green stems and dark, thick leaves. Chinese
broccoli is sweeter and much less bitter than broccoli rabe.
Chinese Celery: Chinese celery is longer and thinner than regular celery and has a very strong
celery flavor. The tenderest bunch of Chinese celery can be a little tough and have lots of fiber
and celery flavor.
Chinese Dried Black Mushrooms: In Chinese cooking, dried mushrooms are favored over fresh,
as the drying process really enhances their flavor, similar to dried vs. fresh herbs. These
mushrooms are used in a range of dishes and usually are an “accompanying” ingredient. The
mushrooms really add body and meatiness to vegetarian and vegan dishes like braised tofu with
vegetables.
Chinese Eggplant: These Chinese Eggplants are called qiézi in china. The varieties in China of
egg plant seem to be a bit thinner and longer than the egg plant found in other parts of the world.
Chinese Long Beans: Chinese Long beans, sometimes called snake beans are also called
“yardlong beans” because they can grow up to three feet long.
CHINESE Chinese Napa Cabbage: Napa cabbage is large, pale green and very mild in flavor.
Cabbage originated near the Beijing region of China.
Chinese Water Spinach: Chinese water spinach is frown in water or damp soil. This is also called
by the name of ong choy in Cantonese region or kōng xīn cài in Mandarin region , which means
hollow heart vegetable.
Chinese wire strainer: a Chinese wire strainer is used forstraining, skimming, and deepfrying and
seen in every Chinese restaurant around the world. The handle is made of the bamboo wood and
head is made up of stainless steel wire. It helps in taking out food items for hot oil while
cooking.
Cleaver or chopper: Cleaver is used in Chinese’s kitchen to do different types of cuttings like
chopping, slicing, dicing, mincing etc. it is also used for deboning of meat. It is made of stainless
steel with wooden handle.
Corn Flour: Corn flour is a finely ground corn meal and it is good as a coating for certain fried
foods. Corn starch & corn flour are all different ingredients made from different types of corn
using different processes.
Corn Starch: Corn starch is used extensively for thickening in many Chinese stir-fries and dishes
with lots of gravy and almost always mixed with water into slurry before it is used. Most of the
Chinese gravies are thickened with the slurry Made with corn starch. Deep frying: this method is
mainly used to fry the ingredients to crisp. It uses more edible oil then stir frying .the ingredients
should be fully submerged in oil for crisp textured food. Deep fried recipes are not just used in
Chinese cuisine but all kind of cuisines.
Doubanjiang: If you’ve been to any local Chinese restaurant, you’ll recognize this Spicy Sauce.
Most restaurants make their own spicy sauce or provide the most popular Chinese brand of
Doubanjiang. Dried Lily Flowers: This Chinese dried specialty ingredient is also referred to as
“lily buds,” “golden needles” or jīn zhēn in Mandarin region or “gum zhen” in Cantonese region.
Lily buds have a slight fruity, floral scent and are used in a variety of traditional Chinese dishes.
Dried Lotus Seeds: Lotus seeds or lotus nuts are the seeds of same plants that produce the lotus
root. Grown in water, flowers bloom on the surface and form seeds. Lotus seeds are used for
soups, tonics. The famous dishes include Lo Han Jai or Buddhist Delight. These dried lotus seeds
are used to make the classic filling for Lotus Moon Cakes.
Dried Red Dates – Red Jujube: Dried red dates or red jujube are pronounced hóng zǎo in
Mandarin region and “hong zo” in Cantonese region, are often used in sweet dessert items.
They’re usually used for cooking in dried form. Dates are especially popular in northern China
and are found in savoury as well as sweet desserts.
Dumpling Skins: Pre-made dumpling wrappers come in both yellow and white versions and also
vary in thickness. They are always thicker than wonton wrappers. Wonton wrappers are
definitely different from dumpling wrappers. Dwarf Bok Choy: dwarf bok choy are sometimes
called and labeled as nai you bai cai which means cream bok choy.
Fava Beans: Fava beans, also known as broad beans or candour. They are not very common nor
popular in both western and Asian cooking..
Fermented Bean Curds: this is used as a flavoring agent rather than a protein. It comes in many
different types and variations, but the most common categories are white and red. .
Five Spiced Dried Tofu: five-spiced tofu is called wu xiang doufu gan in china. It is dark brown
from outside and white from inside. It is made in small blocks not more than ¾ inches thick. It
can be thinly sliced and cut into cubes.
Five Spice Powder: This famous 5 spice mixture is called wǔxiāngfěn in china. It is usually
made from cinnamon, star anise, cloves, Sichuan peppercorns & fennel. The blend combines the
five primary flavors of Chinese cuisine: sweet, sour, pungent, bitter, and salty. It is widely used
in Chinese cooking and is occasionally set out on the dinner table mixed with salt and pepper for
adding flavour to certain chicken dishes.
Fox Nut Barley: Fox Nut Barley is a white starchy seed. Fox nut barley is the product of a
flowering plant grown in the water and in the water lily family. They are a bit similar to lotus
seeds but are more chalky and white on the inside and always used in Chinese soups and tonics.
Fresh Noodles: these freshly-made noodles were everywhere in China. These require boiling,
rinsing and draining before use. Frozen and refrigerated fresh noodles are also really good. Fried
Bean Curd –
Soy Puffs: They come in various shapes, including triangles, squares, and cubes. Each shape has
a slightly different texture.
Garlic Scapes: Garlic scapes are called dà suàn huā in china which literal means garlic flower.
They are the flower bud of garlic. Cantonese people call this garlic scrape “syun sum” or “garlic
hearts”.
Green Garlic: Green garlic is generally called as suàn and in Cantonese pronounced as “syun”.
Green garlic is not that common of an ingredient and many times is mistaken for scallions or
leeks but like garlic, it is very pungent in flavor.
Hoisin Sauce: this sauce is basically found in dishes special to Southern China, such as
Guangdong, it is popular in stir-fries, meat glazing and as a dipping sauce. This sauce is made
with soybeans, white distilled vinegar, sugar, salt, garlic, red chili peppers, and wheat.
Hong Kong Style Egg Noodles: These yellow pan-fried noodles are also known as chow mein
noodles. It comes in different varieties and are one of the more popular Chinese noodles.
Jasmine Scented Rice: Jasmine scented rice is a high quality type of long grain rice that usually
comes from Thailand. Jasmine rice has a wonderful aroma that smells a little like popcorn when
it is cooking. The individual grains have a nice sheen to them when cooked properly, and the
texture and flavour is unequivocally luxurious.
Long Life Noodles: Long Life Noodles are called yīmiàn or yimein. It symbolizes longevity and
can always be found on the banquet table at Chinese celebrations. Yi Mein noodles are also
known as e-fu noodles.
Lotus Root: This long white, yellowish lotus root or lián’ǒu in china. It has a wheel of holes
running through the middle. This is one of the most loved root vegetables in Chinese cooking.
Metal Wok Round Spoon: metal wok round spoon is required to make other gravy or liquidly
dishes like soups and dishes made with different types of sauces.
Metal Wok Spatula: for most of the stir fry items like fried rice, glutinous rice cakes, they might
stick with the bottom of the pan while cooking.
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG): MSG is called wèijīng in china. It is a reproduction of naturally
occurring glutamates. It intensifies flavor and is used in many processed and restaurant foods.
Oyster Sauce: Oyster Sauce was invented by Lee Kam Sheung in Guangdong in the late 1800s.
The story goes he was making oysters in boiling water, he left them in too long and when he
lifted the lid, the soup was brownish and had a fragrant aroma Red Fermented Bean Curd: Red
bean curd is a type of preserved bean curd that consists of cubes of bean curd that have been
preserved in rice wine, fermented red rice and other seasonings.
Red Sichuan Peppercorn: the Red Sichuan (Szechuan) peppercorn is called hóng huājiāo in
china. It gives Sichuan cuisine its distinctive flavor. It’s actually not a peppercorn at all, but a
berry from the prickly ash tree. It’s used both in whole and ground form. This peppercorn is
known for the slight numbing sensation it leaves on the tongue.
Regular/Firm Tofu: This is one of the most common kinds of tofu in china. It has so many
different types of uses according to the cooking style. It can be pan fried as a side dish, substitute
for meat in stir fries, or put it into soups and braised dishes. In some dishes regular tofu works
better and is easier to handle. Rice Cakes: Rice cakes have a chewy consistency just like a thick
noodle. They’re mostly used in soups and stir-fry’s. They come in different shapes, but the most
common ones used in Chinese cooking are the small, oval-shaped ones.
Rice Cooker: Rice cooker is also used widely in Chinese kitchen for pressure boiling, steaming
rice and other things. Now day’s electronic rice cookers are used in Chinese kitchen.
Rice Vermicelli: These rice noodles, sometimes called as rice sticks, mei fun or mai fun. They
are thin, brittle, and white. They’re easy to prepare–just soak them in lukewarm water for ten
minutes before using in noodle stir-fries.
Rice Vinegar: White rice vinegar is similar to black vinegar but is distinct in color, ingredients
and taste., white rice vinegar tends to be more acidic but milder in taste than black vinegar
Sacha Sauce: This sauce is Popular in Guangdong and Taiwan, Sacha sauce has many different
uses in Chinese cooking rather than just sauce.
Sautéing: sautéing is similar and different both to the stir frying. In this method heat should be
lower than stir frying and there is no need to toss and turn the ingredients at all the time. A chef
just turn over the ingredients to another side from time to time the famous dishes are sauté
dumplings and sautéed fish.
Sesame Paste: One of the most popular fragrant flavorings in China, Sesame Paste has a thick
consistency similar to peanut butter. Made from roasted sesame seeds, there are two different
types of sesame paste: White and Black. S
hanghai Bok Choy: this type of bok choy is primerly found in most of the Chinese restaurants.
They come in two sizes small and large. But most of the chef’s prefer small size bok shoy as they
are most soft and tender.
Short Grain Rice: Short grain rice has a short and oval shaped kernel. Most people know medium
to short grain rice’s from Japanese sushi or Arborio rice, which is used to make risotto or rice
pudding. When cooked, these grains are soft and clump together more so than long grain rice but
not as much as sticky rice.
Simmering: simmer is always used the soups and stocks. In this method lower heat is used to just
keep the water boiling but not totally boiling. In this method ingredients should be cooked for
long time in order to melt nutrients and make a batter flavour.
Soft Tofu: As the name suggests Soft tofu is very soft but has some body which allowing it to be
handled and cut more easily. It holds its shape batter when cooked. The soft steamed tofu really
goes well with fish.
Soy Sauce: Soy sauce comes from 2nd Century AD China and eventually spread to all parts of
East Asia for use in cooking and as a condiment. Soy sauce was historically an expensive
ingredient used to salt food. Spring Bamboo Shoots: they are called chūnsǔn in Mandarin region.
They are seasonal but yet commonly found in china. They are available in late spring months.
Yan Du Xian (Shanghainese Salted Pork Soup with Bamboo Shoots and Tofu), Braised Spring
Bamboo Shoots are some of the famous dishes.
Star Anise: Star anise is called bajiao in china. It plays a key role in slow-cooked dishes. Star
Anise is an essential ingredient that provides its distinctive taste in dishes like Chinese Braised
Oxtails, Soy Sauce Chicken and Lanzhou Beef Noodle soup.
Steam basket: The steam basket is used in Chinese kitchen to steam various types of food items
like steamed dim Sims etc. the food is placed in stem baskets and placed in the metal steamer for
steaming. The steam baskets come in various sizes and made of bamboo only.
Steamer: Steaming is a very healthy way to cook and the different kinds of steamers are widely
used Chinese cooking equipment. Chinese use bamboo or aluminum steamers quite often for
steaming dumplings and buns, fish, meats or vegetables.
Steaming: this method is more popular now days as it keeps flavors and food nutrients due to use
of steam temperature. In this process ingredients are placed in a steaming basket normally made
of bamboo wood. This is placed over water in steamer pot. The most common steam dishes are
steam egg and steamed dumplings.
Stir frying: the most commonly used method is stir frying. In this method of cooking ingredients
are processed at high heat for a short period of time .oil is used very less in this type of cooking.
Food is cooked at high heat and tossed or turned basically in stir frying food should kept in
motion.
Sweet Bean Sauce: this sauce is popular in north china basically Beijing region. This sauce has
dark brown color with thick paste consistency. Sweet sauce is made with wheat flour, sugar, salt
and fermented yellow soybeans.
Tofu “Skin”: This type of tofu is compressed into thin sheets. In some western countries this is
often pre-packaged, but in Beijing, people buy it fresh, just a few sheets at a time. There are
plenty more creative ways to use these tofu skins.
Tofu Knots: These are a thin tofu skin folded and tied into little knots. They’re primarily used in
braised dishes or soups, as all the flavor of a sauce or soup they’re cooked in gets caught into the
little folds of each knot.
White Fermented Bean Curd: The white fermented bean curd has a more delicate flavor and is
most often eaten with rice congee in southern China. It used to be considered a poor man’s food,
because during tough times, when meat and even vegetables were scarce, people would eat their
congee with fermented bean curd as a daily staple.
White Pepper: White pepper is called báihújiāo in china. The white peppercorn has a distinctly
different taste than the black peppercorn and is always the preferred choice for Chinese cooking.
White Rice: Chinese white rice is usually a medium to long grain variety. White rice is available
in different quality in different regions of china. Long grain rice has a long kernel, but it’s not
quite as long as Basmati rice.
Winter Bamboo Shoots: Winter bamboo shoots or dong shun are usually in season during the
late winter months. They are very expensive and cost between $3 – $6 per pounds. They are
mostly imported from China. They are tender, sweet tasting and are perfect for any dishes that
call for bamboo shoots. The famous dish includes Chicken with Garlic Sauce.
Wok and Wok Lid: Wok is most important Chinese kitchen cooking tool. Many Chinese dishes
are cooked using a wok, which is a wide and somewhat shallow domed pot that gets wickedly
hot when you have a good flame going.
Wok Brush: A wok brush is very helpful in cleaning of wok. It is made with bamboo. The size of
the brush is bigger than the other cleaning brush. This is the essential part of the Chinese kitchen
around the world.
Wok Ring: Now days, some ranges come with a big wok burner, which has that bigger flame
needed for authentic Chinese cooking. It ensures that your wok won’t slide around while you’re
cooking. If you have a regular-sized gas or electric stove these aren’t strictly necessary, but
helpful nevertheless.
Wonton Wrappers: The round skins are used to make pot-stickers, while the square skins are
used for wontons. The wrappers come in both a yellow egg variety and a white variety and vary
in thickness.
Wood Ears: Wood ears or black wood ears are called hēi mù’ěr in Mandarin region in china. it is
a dark and firm kind of mushroom with a very interesting consistency that’s quite different from
normal variety of mushroom. Also called “mook yee” in Cantonese, black wood ears have a
slightly crunchy texture when cold and soft and a luxurious texture when cooked in stews and
soups.
 Unit -2
Srilankan, Japanese, Spanish - Ingredient, Characteristics, Equipment used.

Srilankan
Sri Lankan cuisine is known for its particular combinations of herbs, spices, fish, vegetables,
rices, and fruits. The cuisine is highly centered around many varieties of rice, as well as coconut
which is a ubiquitous plant throughout the country. Seafood also plays a significant role in the
cuisine, be it fresh fish or preserved fish. As a country that was a hub in the historic oceanic silk
road, contact with foreign traders brought new food items and cultural influences in addition to
the local traditions of the country's ethnic groups, all of which have helped shape Sri Lankan
cuisine. Influences from Indian (particularly South Indian), Indonesian and Dutch cuisines are
most evident with Sri Lankan cuisine sharing close ties to other neighbouring South and
Southeast Asian cuisines.

Sri Lanka was historically famous for its cinnamon. The true cinnamon tree, or Cinnamomum
verum used to be botanically named Cinnamomum zeylanicum to reflect its Sri Lankan origins.
This is a widely utilized spice in Sri Lanka, and has a more delicate, sweet taste in comparison to
Cinnamomum cassia which is more common in some other South East Asian cuisines.
Contrasting the local cuisine with those of neighbouring regions, Sri Lankan cuisine is
characterized by unique spice blends with heavy use of Sri Lankan cinnamon and black pepper,
as well as by the use of ingredients such as maldive fish, goraka (garcinia cambogia), pandan
leaf, lemongrass, and jaggery made from the kithul palm syrup. Sri Lanka is also a consumer of
many varieties of red rice, some of which are considered heirloom rices in the country. Tea is
also an important beverage throughout the country, and Sri Lanka is known for producing some
of the world's finest tea.
Regions
In areas located on the island's coasts seafood is a standard feature of the local dishes. Tamil
cuisine, especially in Jaffna, shares many similarities with South Indian cuisine. Kandyan
Sinhalese cooking is based on the local ingredients of the hill vegetables and fruits.
Common ingredients
Spices: True cinnamon, black pepper, fennel, cardamom, cloves, fenugreek, nutmeg, mace,
cumin, coriander, turmeric
Herbs: pandan leaf, shallot, goraka, lemongrass, tamarind, garlic, ginger, curry leaf, lime,
cayenne pepper, tabasco pepper
Fish: maldive fish, dried fish, mackerel, tuna, shark, sprats, fermented preserved fish
Grains: white rice (some common varieties are: Samba, Kekulu, Suwandel), red rice (some
common varieties are: Kekulu, Pachchaperumal, Kaluheenati, Madathawalu), finger millet, hog
millet, olu haal (water lily seed)
Oils: coconut oil, sesame oil, cow ghee, buffalo ghee, mustard oil
Sweetners: kithul jaggery, coconut jaggery, palmyrah jaggery
Vegetables and greens: gotukola, green papaya, snake beans, bitter melon, snake gourd, luffa,
pumpkin, winged bean
Meats: chicken, pork, goat meat, beef
Yams, roots and tubers: lotus root, purple yam, tapioca, kohila (Lasia spinosa), Arrowleaf
elephant's ear
Other: Coconut milk and grated coconut are ubiquitous in the cuisine, and are freshly prepared
almost every day in most households. Maldive fish is heavily used in vegetable dishes to add an
umami flavour.
Fruits: bananas, mangoes, pineapple, soursop, guava, avocado, orange
Dishes
Rice and curry
Kiribath
Typical Sri Lankan dish of rice and prawns.
The central feature of Sri Lankan cuisine is boiled or steamed rice, served with a curry of fish or
meat, along with other curries made with vegetables, lentils, or fruits.
Dishes are accompanied by pickled fruits or vegetables, chutneys, and sambols. Coconut sambol
is especially common, a paste of ground coconut mixed with chili peppers, dried Maldive fish,
and lime juice.
Pol sambola
Kiribath
Main article: Kiribath
Kiribath or paal soru (lit. 'milk rice') is rice cooked in salted coconut milk until the grains turn
soft and porridge-like. Generally eaten for breakfast, kiribath is also prepared on special
occasions such as birthdays, New Years' and religious festivals. It is usually served with lunu
miris, a relish made with red onions and chillies. There is also a method of cooking kiribath with
mung beans. During Aluth Avurudu/Puthandu, the Sinhalese/Tamil New Year, kiribath is served
with sweets such as kavum, kokis, mung kavum, od iba, and others. During recent times, it had
become a popular dish among the 6.9 million voters in the country.
Kottu
Main article: Kottu
Kottu is a spicy stir-fry of shredded roti bread with vegetables. Optional ingredients include
eggs, meat, or cheese. It was invented in Batticaloa and literally means 'chopped roti' in Tamil.
Hoppers
Hoppers
Main article: Appam
Hoppers (appa in Sinhala) are based on a fermented batter, usually made of rice flour and
coconut milk with spices. The dish is pan-fried or steamed. The fermenting agent is palm toddy
or yeast. Hopper variants can be either spicy (such as egg hoppers, milk hoppers, and string
hoppers), or sweet (such as vandu appa and pani appa). Spicy hoppers are often accompanied by
lunu miris, a mix of red onions and spices.
String hoppers
Main article: Idiyappam
String hoppers (idiyappa in Sinhala) are made from a hot-water dough of rice meal or wheat
flour. The dough is pressed out in circlets from a string mold onto small wicker mats, and then
steamed. This dish is typically not eaten plain and is often paired with a curry, such as Kiri hodi.
Lamprais
Main article: Lamprais
Lamprais
Lamprais with famous composition of chicken, egg, cutlet, fried eggplant and ash plantain.
A Dutch Burgher-influenced dish, lamprais is rice boiled in stock accompanied by frikkadels
(frikadeller meatballs), a mixed meat curry, blachan, aubergine curry, and seeni sambol. All of
this is then wrapped in a banana leaf and baked in an oven. Lamprais is ideal for special
occasions with a large gathering of friends and family considering its richness and the time it
takes to prepare. Lamprais is cooked twice; first the rice and the entrees are cooked separately
and later what is already cooked is wrapped in a banana leaf and baked in an oven, which makes
it a unique recipe.
Kool
Kool is a seafood broth from Jaffna containing crab, fish, cuttlefish, prawns, and crayfish. It also
contains long beans, jak seeds, manioc, spinach, and tamarind. The dish is thickened with
palmyra root flour.
Pittu
Main article: Puttu
Pittu are cylinders of steamed or roasted rice flour mixed with grated coconut.
Roti
Main article: Roti
Godamba roti is a simpler Sri Lankan flatbread usually made from wheat flour.
Most popular roti is Pol roti, where shredded coconut is mixed into the dough. Another variant is
spicy roti, in which chopped onions and green chilies are used when making the dough.
Sambal
Main article: Sambal
Sambals (Sambol in Sinhala) are enjoyed with many dishes including curry dishes and string
hoppers.Seeni sambol, Pol sambol, Lunumiris, Gotukola sambal and Vaalai kai sambal are
common sambols found in the country.
Mallung
Mallung is a condiment or side dish, comprising chopped greens which are lightly cooked and
mixed with grated coconut and red onions.
Malay Achcharu
Malay Achcharu also known as Sri Lankan Malay pickle or simply as Achcharu is a dish that
originated from the local Malay community and is now widely popular among all ethnic groups
in the country. It is a selection of vegetables in a pickled sauce and blends sweet, sour and spicy
flavours.
Chinese chili paste
Chinese chili paste is a condiment eaten alongside Sri Lankan-style Chinese dishes.
Babath
Babath or offal consists of the stomach of cattle or goats. It is cooked as a curry or deep fried and
eaten with rice or more famously with Pittu. Its origins are associated with the Sri Lankan Malay
community but it is very common among the Moor community as well. The preparation of
babath also consists of Kodal or the in states of the animal.
Sate
Having been absorbed into the national conscience through the cultural impact of the Sri Lankan
Malays and cultural influences from the Malay world, nasi goreng is a ubiquitous and popular
dish eaten among all ethnic groups in Sri Lanka.
Sate is of Malay origin and has become a staple of the Sri Lankan diet.They are served with
peanut and chili sauce.
Ekor sop
Ekor sop or Ekor soup is a delicacy of the Sri Lankan Malay community
Nasi goreng and mee goreng
Nasi goreng (and Mee goreng are popular street food dishes in the country, a result of cultural
influences from Indonesia and the country's local Malay community
Sweets
Main article: List of Sri Lankan sweets and desserts
A common dessert in Sri Lanka is kevum, an oil cake made with rice flour and treacle and deep-
fried to a golden brown. There are many variations of kevum. Moong Kevum is a variant where
mung bean flour is made into a paste and shaped like diamonds before frying. Other types of
kevum include athiraha, konda kevum, athirasa, and handi kevum.

Many sweets are served with kiribath milk rice during the Sinhalese and Tamil New Years.
Other sweets include:
Cakes and pastries:
Aluwa - Diamond-shaped rice-flour pastries
Bolo fiado - A Portuguese-style layer cake
Bibikkan - A rich, cake-like sweet made from grated coconut, coconut treacle, and wheat flour. It
is a specialty of coastal areas.
Kokis - A savoury crispy biscuit-like dish made from rice flour and coconut milk.
Pushnambu / Wandu Appa - A rich, cake-like sweet made from coconut treacle and wheat flour.
Cinnamon/cardamom and sweet cumin is often added among the Christian population of Sri
Lanka.
Seenakku - a glutinous rice cake often served with grated coconut.
Treacle-flavored sweets:
Undu Walalu/Undu wal or Pani walalu - A sweet from the Mathale area, prepared using urad
bean flour and kithul treacle.
Aggala - Rice balls flavored with treacle
Weli Thalapa - Made from rice flour and coconut treacle
Aasmi - Made with rice flour and the juice of a leaf called dawul kurundu (okra juice can be used
as a substitute), deep fried and topped with pink-coloured treacle.
Puddings and toffees:
Kalu Dodol - A solid toffee-, jelly-like confection made by lengthy reduction of coconut milk,
thickened with rice flour and sweetened with jaggery.
Watalappam - A steamed pudding made with coconut milk, eggs, and jaggery. First introduced
by the Malay immigrants, watalappam has become a staple of Sri Lankan desserts.
Other sweets:
Thala Guli - Made from ground sesame and jaggery with finely grated coconut.
Kiri aluwa or Milk Toffee - Made with sweetened condensed milk or sugar-thickened pure cow's
milk. Cardamom/sweet cumin and cashews are added for more taste.
Sri Lankan sweets
Konda Kevum
Kokis
Kalu Dodol
Kalu Dodol
Sri Lankan Swiss roll
Short eats
A platter of common Sri Lankan snacks.
"Short eats" are a variety of snacks that are bought by the dozen from "short eat" shops and
restaurants. These are eaten on the go, mainly for breakfast or during the evening.
Short eats include pastries, Chinese rolls and patties. Other short eats include:
Vade - parippu vade, ulundu vade, isso (shrimp) vade, crab vade
Chinese rolls or egg rolls, which often contain minced meats, potatoes, and vegetables
Patties and pastries - filled with vegetables, meat, or fish
Vegetable/fish roti - a flatbread with a filling rolled into a triangular shape and baked
Short eats are served at parties or to guests when they visit a home. Western food such as hot
dogs and hamburgers have arrived in Sri Lanka, with the globalization of fast-food chains such
as McDonald's, KFC and Pizza Hut. However, foods from these establishments are not usually
considered short eats. Additionally, hot dogs and hamburgers are also modified to fit local tastes.
Beverages
Beverages commonly served in Sri Lanka include:
Faluda - a mixture of syrup, ice cream, jelly pieces and basil seeds, served cold
Fruit juice - including lime and passionfruit juice
King coconut water
Tea
Toddy - a mildly alcoholic drink made from palm tree sap
Arrack - an alcoholic spirit made from the fermented sap of the coconut flower.
Wood Apple juice

Traditional Sri Lankan Kitchen Equipment

GRINDING STONE
One of the oldest tools used in Sri Lankan cooking, the ‘miris gala’ is a two-stone grinder used to
crush ingredients. It consists of one large, flat stone (used as the base) and another cylindrical
stone (used like a rolling pin). Even though you can use a modern blender as an alternative, it
won’t give you a fine paste and the same taste.
MOTAR AND PESTLE
Known as the wangediya and the mol gaha in Sinhalese, the mortar and pestle is used to crush
ingredients like ginger, garlic and cumin seeds for curries. The ingredients are placed in the
chalice-shaped mortar, and the pestle is used to crush the spices.
HANDMADE SPOONS
Traditionally used in Sri Lankan cooking, these are made by hand from a coconut shell and come
in many different sizes. A variety of modern spoons are available at markets, but they can’t beat
the coconut shell spoon’s heat-absorbing ability, depth, and simplicity of use.
COCONUT SCRAPER
Coconut milk and grated coconut are two much used ingredients in our island’s cuisine. For the
grating of the coconut, a coconut scraper or hiramanaya was the kitchen equipment of choice in
most Sri Lankan households.
CLAY POTS
These are also known as ‘walang’ and is used to cook and serve curries. It is believed that clay
enhances the flavor and aroma of the food, so the best curries come from clay pots. Modern
materials such as metal do not give the same result. Additionally, research shows that clay has a
high food-preserving ability as it protects food from bacteria. Clay pots can be placed directly on
a flame when cooking and are often taken straight to the table for serving
STRING HOPPER PRESS
Also known as an ’indiyappam wangediya’, a string hopper press is used to make rice noodles
called string hoppers. Flour dough is pressed through the metal tube, which creates fine strings. It
is the only way to make string hoppers.
PITTU BAMBOO
This is the traditional method used to make pittu – the mixture is placed inside the bamboo and
then steamed. Even though similar aluminum tools are found in the market, bamboo enables the
food to be cooked using steam, which keeps the natural flavor.
CLAY WATER PITCHER
The guruletthuwa is the earthenware water jug or vessel that was traditionally used in Sri Lankan
homes. It, too, is fashioned out of clay that was made hard and brittle by sun drying or fire, but
was still porous enough to allow the night air to cool the water which was stored in it overnight.
Its companion is the water pot or kala gediya which is used to fetch water from a well or river.
The guruletthuwa can still be found in certain homes, sometimes with earthenware cups or
tumblers to match.

Japanese cuisine
Japanese cuisine encompasses the regional and traditional foods of Japan, which have developed
through centuries of political, economic, and social changes. The traditional cuisine of Japan
(Japanese: washoku) is based on rice with miso soup and other dishes; there is an emphasis on
seasonal ingredients. Side dishes often consist of fish, pickled vegetables, and vegetables cooked
in broth. Seafood is common, often grilled, but also served raw as sashimi or in sushi. Seafood
and vegetables are also deep-fried in a light batter, as tempura. Apart from rice, a staple includes
noodles, such as soba and udon. Japan also has many simmered dishes, such as fish products in
broth called oden, or beef in sukiyaki and nikujaga. Historically influenced by Chinese cuisine,
Japanese cuisine has also opened up to influence from Western cuisines in the modern era.
Dishes inspired by foreign food—in particular Chinese food—like ramen and gyōza, as well as
foods like spaghetti, curry and hamburgers, have been adapted to Japanese tastes and ingredients.
Some regional dishes have also become familiar throughout Japan, including the taco rice staple
of Okinawan cuisine that has itself been influenced by American and Mexican culinary
traditions. Traditionally, the Japanese shunned meat as a result of adherence to Buddhism, but
with the modernization of Japan in the 1880s, meat-based dishes such as tonkatsu and yakiniku
have become common. Since this time, Japanese cuisine, particularly sushi and ramen, has
become popular globally. In 2011, Japan overtook France to become the country with the most
3-starred Michelin restaurants; as of 2018, the capital of Tokyo has maintained the title of the
city with the most 3-starred restaurants in the world.In 2013, Japanese cuisine was added to the
UNESCO Intangible Heritage List.
Terminology
A Japanese meal including tempura, sashimi, and miso soup
The word washoku (和食) is now the common word for traditional Japanese cooking. The term
kappō ( 割烹, lit. "cutting and boiling (meats)") is synonymous with "cooking", but became a
reference to mostly Japanese cooking, or restaurants, and was much used in the Meiji and Taishō
eras. It has come to connote a certain standard, perhaps even of the highest caliber, a restaurant
with the most highly trained chefs.However, kappō is generally seen as an eating establishment
which is slightly more casual or informal compared to the kaiseki.

The kaiseki (懐石, lit. "warming stone") is tied with the Japanese tea ceremony. The kaiseki is
considered a (simplified) form of honzen-ryōri (本膳料理, lit. "main tray cooking"), which was
formal banquet dining where several trays of food was served. The homophone term kaiseki
ryōri ( 会席料理 , lit. "gathering + seating") originally referred to a gathering of composers of
haiku or renga, and the simplified version of the honzen dishes served at the poem parties
became kaiseki ryōri. However, the meaning of kaiseki ryōri degenerated to become just another
term for a sumptuous carousing banquet, or shuen (酒宴).
Japanese cuisine is based on combining the staple food, which is steamed white rice or gohan (御
飯), with one or more okazu, "main" or "side" dishes. This may be accompanied by a clear or
miso soup and tsukemono (pickles). The phrase ichijū-sansai (一汁三菜, "one soup, three sides")
refers to the makeup of a typical meal served but has roots in classic kaiseki, honzen, and
yūshoku cuisine. The term is also used to describe the first course served in standard kaiseki
cuisine nowadays.The origin of Japanese "one soup, three sides" cuisine is a dietary style called
Ichiju-Issai (一汁一菜, "one soup, one dish"), tracing back to the Five Great Zen Temples of the
12-century Kamakura period (Kamakura Gozan), developed as a form of meal that emphasized
frugality and simplicity.
Rice is served in its own small bowl (chawan), and each main course item is placed on its own
small plate (sara) or bowl (hachi) for each individual portion. This is done even in Japanese
homes. This contrasts with Western-style home dinners in which each individual takes helpings
from large serving dishes of food placed in the middle of the dining table. Japanese style
traditionally abhors different flavored dishes touching each other on a single plate, so different
dishes are given their own individual plates as mentioned or are partitioned using, for example,
leaves. Placing main dishes on top of rice, thereby "soiling" it, is also frowned upon by
traditional etiquette.
Breakfast at a ryokan (Japanese inn), featuring grilled mackerel, Kansai-style dashimaki egg,
tofu in kaminabe (paper pot)
Although this tradition of not placing other foods on rice originated from classical Chinese
dining formalities, especially after the adoption of Buddhist tea ceremonies; it became most
popular and common during and after the Kamakura period, such as in the kaiseki. Although
present-day Chinese cuisine has abandoned this practice, Japanese cuisine retains it. One
exception is the popular donburi, in which toppings are directly served on rice.
The small rice bowl ( 茶 碗 , chawan), literally "tea bowl", doubles as a word for the large tea
bowls in tea ceremonies. Thus in common speech, the drinking cup is referred to as yunomi-
jawan or yunomi for the purpose of distinction. Among the nobility, each course of a full-course
Japanese meal would be brought on serving napkins called zen ( 膳 ), which were originally
platformed trays or small dining tables. In the modern age, faldstool trays or stackup-type legged
trays may still be seen used in zashiki, i.e. tatami-mat rooms, for large banquets or at a ryokan
type inn. Some restaurants might use the suffix -zen ( 膳) as a more sophisticated though dated
synonym to the more familiar teishoku ( 定食), since the latter basically is a term for a combo
meal served at a taishū-shokudō, akin to a diner.[Teishoku means a meal of fixed menu (for
example, grilled fish with rice and soup), a dinner à prix fixe served at shokudō ( 食堂, "dining
hall") or ryōriten (料理店, "restaurant"), which is somewhat vague (shokudō can mean a diner-
type restaurant or a corporate lunch hall); writer on Japanese popular culture Ishikawa Hiroyoshi
defines it as fare served at teishoku dining halls (定食食堂, teishoku-shokudō), and comparable
diner-like establishments.
History
Osechi, new year dishes
Main article: History of Japanese cuisine
Rice is a staple in Japanese cuisine. Wheat and soybeans were introduced shortly after rice. All
three act as staple foods in Japanese cuisine today. At the end of the Kofun Period and beginning
of the Asuka Period, Buddhism became the official religion of the country. Therefore, eating
meat and fish was prohibited. In 675 AD, Emperor Tenmu prohibited the eating of horses, dogs,
monkeys, and chickens. In the 8th and 9th centuries, many emperors continued to prohibit killing
many types of animals. The number of regulated meats increased significantly, leading to the
banning of all mammals except whale, which were categorized as fish. During the Asuka period,
chopsticks were introduced to Japan. Initially, they were only used by the nobility. The general
population used their hands, as utensils were quite expensive.
Due to the lack of meat products Japanese people minimized spice utilization. Spices were rare
to find at the time. Spices like pepper and garlic were only used in a minimalist amount. In the
absence of meat, fish was served as the main protein, as Japan is an island nation. Fish has
influenced many iconic Japanese dishes today. In the 9th century, grilled fish and sliced raw fish
were widely popular.Japanese people who could afford it would eat fish at every meal; others
would have to make do without animal protein for many of their meals. In traditional Japanese
cuisine, oil and fat are usually avoided within the cooking process, because Japanese people were
trying to keep a healthy lifestyle.Preserving fish became a sensation; sushi was originated as a
means of preserving fish by fermenting it in boiled rice. Fish that are salted and then placed in
rice are preserved by lactic acid fermentation, which helps prevent the proliferation of the
bacteria that bring about putrefaction. During the 15th century, advancement and development
helped shorten the fermentation of sushi to about one to two weeks. Sushi thus became a popular
snack food and main entrée, combining fish with rice. During the late Edo period (early-19th
century), sushi without fermentation was introduced. Sushi was still being consumed with and
without fermentation till the 19th century when the hand-rolled and nigri-type sushi was
invented.

In 1854, Japan started to gain new trade deals with Western countries when a new Japanese
ruling order took over (known as the Meiji Restoration). Emperor Meiji, the new ruler, staged a
New Years' feast designed to embrace the Western world and countries in 1872. The feast
contained food that had a lot of European emphases.[citation needed] For the first time in a
thousand years, people were allowed to consume meat in public. After this New Years feast, the
general population from Japan started to consume meat again.
Seasonality
Kaiseki appetizers on a wooden plate
Emphasis is placed on seasonality of food or shun ( 旬 ), and dishes are designed to herald the
arrival of the four seasons or calendar months.Seasonality means taking advantage of the "fruit
of the mountains" (山の幸, yama no sachi, alt. "bounty of the mountains") (for example, bamboo
shoots in spring, chestnuts in the autumn) as well as the "fruit of the sea" ( 海の幸, umi no sachi,
alt. "bounty of the sea") as they come into season. Thus the first catch of skipjack tunas ( 初鰹,
hatsu-gatsuo) that arrives with the Kuroshio Current has traditionally been greatly prized.If
something becomes available rather earlier than what is usual for the item in question, the first
crop or early catch is called hashiri.
Use of tree leaves and branches as decor is also characteristic of Japanese cuisine. Maple leaves
are often floated on water to exude coolness or ryō ( 涼); sprigs of nandina are popularly used.
The haran (Aspidistra) and sasa bamboo leaves were often cut into shapes and placed underneath
or used as separators.
Traditional ingredients
Further information: History of Japanese cuisine and List of Japanese ingredients
A characteristic of traditional Japanese food is the sparing use of red meat, oils and fats, and
dairy products. Use of ingredients such as soy sauce, miso, and umeboshi tends to result in
dishes with high salt content, though there are low-sodium versions of these available.
Meat consumption
Yakiniku
As Japan is an island nation surrounded by an ocean, its people have always taken advantage of
the abundant seafood supply. It is the opinion of some food scholars that the Japanese diet
always relied mainly on "grains with vegetables or seaweeds as main, with poultry secondary,
and red meat in slight amounts" even before the advent of Buddhism which placed an even
stronger taboo.The eating of "four-legged creatures" ( 四足, yotsuashi) was spoken of as taboo,
[ unclean or something to be avoided by personal choice through the Edo period. The
consumption of whale and terrapin meat were not forbidden under this definition. Despite this,
the consumption of red meat did not completely disappear in Japan. Eating wild game—as
opposed to domesticated livestock—was tolerated; in particular, trapped hare was counted using
the measure word wa (羽), a term normally reserved for birds.
In 1872 of the Meiji restoration, as part of the opening up of Japan to Western influence,
Emperor Meiji lifted the ban on the consumption of red meat. The removal of the ban
encountered resistance and in one notable response, ten monks attempted to break into the
Imperial Palace. The monks asserted that due to foreign influence, large numbers of Japanese
had begun eating meat and that this was "destroying the soul of the Japanese people." Several of
the monks were killed during the break-in attempt, and the remainder were arrested.On the other
hand, the consumption of meat was accepted by the common people. Gyūnabe (beef hot pot), the
prototype of Sukiyaki, became the rage of the time. Western restaurants moved in, and some of
them changed their form to Yōshoku.
Vegetable consumption has dwindled while processed foods have become more prominent in
Japanese households due to the rising costs of general foodstuffs. Nonetheless, Kyoto vegetables,
or Kyoyasai, are rising in popularity and different varieties of Kyoto vegetables are being
revived.
Cooking oil
Generally speaking, traditional Japanese cuisine is prepared with little cooking oil. A major
exception is the deep-frying of foods. This cooking method was introduced during the Edo
period due to influence from Western (formerly called nanban-ryōri ( 南蛮料理)) and Chinese
cuisine, and became commonplace with the availability of cooking oil due to increased
productivity.Dishes such as tempura, aburaage, and satsuma age are now part of established
traditional Japanese cuisine. Words such as tempura or hiryōzu (synonymous with ganmodoki)
are said to be of Portuguese origin.Also, certain rustic sorts of traditional Japanese foods such as
kinpira, hijiki, and kiriboshi daikon usually involve stir-frying in oil before stewing in soy sauce.
Some standard osōzai or obanzai dishes feature stir-fried Japanese greens with either age or
chirimen-jako [ja], dried sardines.
Seasonings
The use of soy sauce is prevalent in Japanese cuisine.Traditional Japanese food is typically
seasoned with a combination of dashi, soy sauce, sake and mirin, vinegar, sugar, and salt. A
modest number of herbs and spices may be used during cooking as a hint or accent, or as a
means of neutralizing fishy or gamy odors present. Examples of such spices include ginger,
perilla and takanotsume [ja] (鷹の爪) red pepper.
Intense condiments such as wasabi or Japanese mustard are provided as condiments to raw fish,
due to their effect on the mucus membrane which paralyze the sense of smell, particularly from
fish odors.A sprig of mitsuba or a piece of yuzu rind floated on soups are called ukimi. Minced
shiso leaves and myoga often serve as yakumi, a type of condiment paired with tataki of katsuo
or soba. Shichimi is also a very popular spice mixture often added to soups, noodles and rice
cakes. Shichimi is a chilli-based spice mix which contains seven spices: chilli, sansho, orange
peel, black sesame, white sesame, hemp, ginger, and nori.
Garnishes
Once a main dish has been cooked, spices such as minced ginger and various pungent herbs may
be added as a garnish, called tsuma. Finally, a dish may be garnished with minced seaweed in the
form of crumpled nori or flakes of aonori.Inedible garnishes are featured in dishes to reflect a
holiday or the season. Generally these include inedible leaves, flowers native to Japan or with a
long history of being grown in the country, as well as their artificial counterparts.
Salads
Japanese boiled spinach salad (ohitashi)
The o-hitashi or hitashi-mono ( お ひ た し ) is boiled green-leaf vegetables bunched and cut to
size, steeped in dashi broth, eaten with dashes of soy sauce. Another item is sunomono (酢の物,
"vinegar item"), which could be made with wakame seaweed,or be something like a kōhaku
namasu (紅白なます, "red white namasu") made from thin toothpick slices of daikon and carrot.
The so-called vinegar that is blended with the ingredient here is often sanbaizu [ja] ( 三 杯 酢 ,
"three cupful/spoonful vinegar")which is a blend of vinegar, mirin, and soy sauce. A tosazu [ja]
(土佐酢, "Tosa vinegar") adds katsuo dashi to this. An aemono [ja] (和え物) is another group of
items, describable as a sort of "tossed salad" or "dressed" though aemono also includes thin strips
of squid or fish sashimi (itozukuri) etc. similarly prepared. One types are goma-ae ( 胡 麻 和
え )where usually vegetables such as green beans are tossed with white or black sesame seeds
ground in a suribachi mortar bowl, flavored additionally with sugar and soy sauce. Shira-ae ( 白
和え) adds tofu (bean curd) in the mix. An aemono is tossed with vinegar-white miso mix and
uses wakegi scallion and baka-gai ( バ カ ガ イ / 馬 鹿 貝 , a trough shell, Mactra chinensis) as
standard.
Cooking techniques
Different cooking techniques are applied to each of the three okazu; they may be raw (sashimi),
grilled, simmered (sometimes called boiled), steamed, deep-fried, vinegared, or dressed.

Dishes
okazu, and sōzai (惣菜) In ichijū-sansai (一汁三菜, "one soup, three sides"), the word sai (菜)
has the basic meaning of "vegetable", but secondarily means any accompanying dish (whether it
uses fish or meat),[46] with the more familiar combined form sōzai [ja] ( 惣菜),which is a term
for any side dish, such as the vast selections sold at Japanese supermarkets or depachikas [ja].It
figures in the Japanese word for appetizer, zensai (前菜); main dish, shusai (主菜); or sōzai (惣
菜) (formal synonym for okazu), but the latter is considered somewhat of a ladies' term or nyōbō
kotoba. Tempura battered and deep fried seafood and vegetables .Yakitori grilled chicken Below
are listed some of the most common categories for prepared food:
 Yakimono (焼き物), grilled and pan-fried dishes
 Nimono (煮物), stewed/simmered/cooked/boiled dishes
 Itamemono (炒め物), stir-fried dishes
 Mushimono (蒸し物), steamed dishes
 Agemono (揚げ物), deep-fried dishes
 Sashimi (刺身), sliced raw fish
 Suimono (吸い物) and shirumono (汁物), soups
 Tsukemono (漬け物), pickled/salted vegetables
 Aemono (和え物), dishes dressed with various kinds of sauce
 Sunomono (酢の物), vinegared dishes
 Chinmi (珍味), delicacies

Kaiseki
Kaiseki, closely associated with tea ceremony (chanoyu), is a high form of hospitality through
cuisine. The style is minimalist, extolling the aesthetics of wabi-sabi. Like the tea ceremony,
appreciation of the diningware and vessels is part of the experience. In the modern standard
form, the first course consists of ichijū-sansai (one soup, three dishes), followed by the serving of
sake accompanied by dish(es) plated on a square wooden bordered tray of sorts called hassun (八
寸). Sometimes another element called shiizakana (強肴) is served to complement the sake, for
guests who are heavier drinkers.

Vegetarian

Nattō, Japanese soybean-based vegetarian food

Strictly vegetarian food is rare since even vegetable dishes are flavored with the ubiquitous dashi
stock, usually made with katsuobushi (dried skipjack tuna flakes), and are therefore pescetarian
more often than carnivorous. An exception is shōjin-ryōri ( 精 進 料 理 ), vegetarian dishes
developed by Buddhist monks. However, the advertised shōjin-ryōri at public eating places
includes some non-vegetarian elements. Vegetarianism, fucha-ryōri [ja] ( 普 茶 料 理 ) was
introduced from China by the Ōbaku sect (a sub-sect of Zen Buddhism), and which some sources
still regard as part of "Japanese cuisine".The sect in Japan was founded by the priest Ingen (d.
1673), and is headquartered in Uji, Kyoto. The Japanese name for the common green bean takes
after this priest who allegedly introduced the New World crop via China. One aspect of the
fucha-ryōri practiced at the temple is the wealth of modoki-ryōri ( もどき料理, "mock foods"),
one example being mock-eel, made from strained tofu, with nori seaweed used expertly to mimic
the black skin. The secret ingredient used is grated gobō (burdock) roots.
Masakazu Tada, Honorary Vice-President of the International Vegetarian Union for 25 years
from 1960, stated that "Japan was vegetarian for 1,000 years". The taboo against eating meat was
lifted in 1872 by the Meiji Emperor as part of an effort towards westernizing Japan. British
journalist J. W. Robertson Scott reported in the 1920s that the society was still 90% vegetarian,
and 50–60% of the population ate fish only on festive occasions, probably due to poverty more
than for any other reason.

Rice
Gyūdon beef rice bowl (right) and niku shoyu ramen beef noodle (left)
Rice has historically been the staple food of the Japanese people. Its fundamental importance is
evident from the fact that the word for cooked rice, gohan or meshi, also stands for a
"meal".While rice has an ancient history of cultivation in Japan, its use as a staple has not been
universal. Notably, in northern areas (northern Honshū and Hokkaidō), other grains such as
wheat were more common into the 19th century.
In most of Japan, rice used to be consumed for almost every meal, and although a 2007 survey
showed that 70% of Japanese still eat it once or twice a day, its popularity is now declining. In
the 20th century there has been a shift in dietary habits, with an increasing number of people
choosing wheat-based products (such as bread and noodles) over rice.
Japanese rice is short-grained and becomes sticky when cooked. Most rice is sold as hakumai (白
米 , "white rice"), with the outer portion of the grains ( 糠 , nuka) polished away. Unpolished
brown rice (玄米, genmai) is considered less desirable, but its popularity has been increasing.

Noodles

Udon noodles

Soba noodles
Japanese noodles often substitute for a rice-based meal. Soba (thin, grayish-brown noodles
containing buckwheat flour) and udon (thick wheat noodles) are the main traditional noodles,
while ramen is a modern import and now very popular. There are also other, less common
noodles, such as somen (thin, white noodles containing wheat flour).

Japanese noodles, such as soba and udon, are eaten as a standalone, and usually not with a side
dish, in terms of general custom. It may have toppings, but they are called gu ( 具 ). The fried
battered shrimp tempura sitting in a bowl of tempura-soba would be referred to as "the shrimp"
or "the tempura", and not so much be referred to as a topping (gu). The identical toppings, if
served as a dish to be eaten with plain white rice could be called okazu, so these terms are
context-sensitive. Some noodle dishes derive their name from Japanese folklore, such as kitsune
and tanuki, reflecting dishes in which the noodles can be changed, but the broth and garnishes
correspond to their respective legend.

Hot noodles are usually served in a bowl already steeped in their broth and are called kakesoba
or kakeudon. Cold soba arrive unseasoned and heaped atop a zaru or seiro, and are picked up
with a chopstick and dunked in their dip sauce. The broth is a soy-dashi-mirin type of mix; the
dip is similar but more concentrated (heavier on soy sauce).

In the simple form, yakumi (condiments and spices) such as shichimi, nori, finely chopped
scallions, wasabi, etc. are added to the noodles, besides the broth/dip sauce.

Udon may also be eaten in kama-age style, piping hot straight out of the boiling pot, and eaten
with plain soy sauce and sometimes with raw egg also.

Japanese noodles are traditionally eaten by bringing the bowl close to the mouth, and sucking in
the noodles with the aid of chopsticks. The resulting loud slurping noise is considered normal in
Japan, although in the 2010s concerns began to be voiced about the slurping being offensive to
others, especially tourists. The word nuuhara ( ヌーハラ, from "nuudoru harasumento", noodle
harassment) was coined to describe this.
Sweets

Traditional Japanese sweets are known as wagashi. Ingredients such as red bean paste and mochi
are used. More modern-day tastes includes green tea ice cream, a very popular flavor. Almost all
manufacturers produce a version of it. Kakigōri is a shaved ice dessert flavored with syrup or
condensed milk. It is usually sold and eaten at summer festivals. A dessert very popular amongst
children in Japan is dorayaki. They are sweet pancakes filled with a sweet red bean paste. They
are mostly eaten at room temperature but are also considered very delicious hot.

List of Japanese cooking utensils

Knives

 Deba bōchō: kitchen carver for meat and fish

 Fugu hiki, Tako hiki, and yanagi ba: sashimi slicers
 Nakiri bocho and usuba bocho: vegetable knives for vegetables
 Oroshi hocho and hancho hocho: extremely long knives to fillet tuna
 Santoku: general purpose knife influenced by European styles
 Udon kiri and soba kiri: knife to make udon and soba
 Unagisaki hocho: eel knife

Pots, pans, and bowls

 Abura kiri: drainer tray for oils

 Agemono nabe: deep frying pot
 Donabe: ceramic pot for use on an open flame
 Hangiri: rice barrel
 Makiyakinabe: rectangular pan for tamagoyaki
 Mushiki and seiro: steamers
 Otoshi buta: drop lid
 Suihanki/rice cooker: electric appliance for cooking rice
 suribachi and surikogi: grinding mortar and pestle
 Takoyaki pan: frying pan for takoyaki
 Tetsubin: cast iron kettle
 Tetsunabe: cast iron pot (common for sukiyaki)
 Usu and kine: large mortar and pestle for pounding rice

Other kitchen tools

 A katsuobushi kezuriki, with its blade cover removed and drawer slightly open
 Two urokotori of slightly different sizes
 Ami jakushi: scoop with a net bottom
 Iki jime: awl or spike, used on fish's brain
 Katsuobushi kezuriki: mandoline-like device traditionally used to shave katsuobushi
  Kushi: skewers
 Makisu: bamboo mat for sushi rolls
 Oroshigane: graters
 Oshizushihako: boxes for pressed sushi
 Saibashi: Japanese kitchen chopsticks
 Shamoji: rice paddle
 Tsukemonoki and tsukemonoishi: Japanese-style pickle press
 Urokotori: fish scaler
 Zaru: bamboo draining basket

Spanish - Ingredient, Characteristics, Equipment used.

raditional Spanish cuisine is down-to-earth, uncomplicated food that is based on the ingredients
available locally or the crops grown regionally.Mountains run through Spain in several
directions, acting as natural barriers to communication and making transportation difficult until
the last half of the 20th century. This is just one of the reasons why cooking differs so much from
region to region. Another is the fact that Spain was created by uniting many small kingdoms,
each with their own traditions.Many dishes are prepared today using the same cooking methods
and ingredients as they were two or three hundred years ago. Like the Romans, the Arabs who
conquered and lived in Spain for 800 years made fabulous contributions to Spanish cuisine, and
their influence is seen in many recipes. Other dishes sprung up from European and American
influences and were adapted to Spanish tastes. A few things remain true: Food in Spain is fresh,
abundant, and full of flavor, and the Spanish love their food dearly.

Spanish Cuisine Ingredients

The two basic ingredients of Spanish food are olive oil and garlic; in fact, it's not uncommon for
the only common ingredients used throughout the country to be garlic and olive oil. However,
because Spain is comprised of distinct geographical regions settled by different ethnic and
cultural groups, and because the weather varies from province to province, the regional cuisines
are in fact very different.

Here is a list of typical ingredients and foods:

Olive oil: Spanish recipes either call for olive oil or lard, mainly olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil is
worth the added expense. Spain is a leading producer of olive oil, and olives are grown all over
the Andalucia region in the south of Spain. Many typical Spanish dishes are fried in olive oil.
Ham: or jamón, as the Spanish say, is a prized food. Spaniards take their ham very seriously and
will pay a high price for top quality. Typically you'll encounter jamón serrano or ham from the
Sierra or mountains, but there are many different kinds. Learn about jamón español, and where to
buy it outside of Spain.

Fish and Seafood: Because Spain is located on the Iberian Peninsula, fresh seafood is always
plentiful in the markets and served in restaurants. The Spanish eat fish or shellfish daily;
everything from halibut to shrimp and even octopus and baby eels is common.

Cheeses:

Wonderful cheeses of every type are available in Spain, made from sheep, cow, goat, and mixed
milk types. Types range from aged cheeses, such as manchego variety from La Mancha, to the
soft, creamy cheeses such as tetilla from Galicia, and everything in between. Spain produces blue
cheeses that mature in limestone caves, such as Cabrales. Cheese can be eaten as a tapa, during
meals, and for dessert.

Sausages:

Spanish love sausage—especially chorizo, a pork sausage made with paprika. There are many
types of chorizo, from fresh and soft to smoked and aged. Every local market offers a variety,
and Spanish families often make their own in the winter and hang them in the cellar or the attic
to dry. The preparation and spices used in Spanish chorizo are different from the chorizo made in
Mexico or the Caribbean.

Beef, Lamb, and Pork: All three types of meat are common and can be roasted, grilled over the
coals, or sautéed in a sauce. Generally, Spanish prefer veal and suckling lamb and pig. Roasted
meats are a popular dish for holidays and festive occasions.

Eggs:

Eggs are eaten daily either fried, deviled or in a Spanish omelet, called a tortilla Española in
Spain. They are an essential part of many recipes, from salads to desserts.

Chicken: Chicken is very popular. It is prepared in every way, but most commonly is fried or
stewed, although roasted chicken is sold "to go" in many small stores.

Fruits and Vegetables: Spanish people eat lots of fresh fruit as snacks or as the last course of
their meals. A fresh fruit bowl sits in most kitchens. Simple salads and sautéed vegetables are
eaten every day. Popular dishes often include sweet peppers, eggplant, and zucchini.

Legumes: Beans and chickpeas (garbanzo beans) have been a staple for centuries and rivaled
bread as the most commonly eaten food. The most famous Spanish bean dish is probably the
cocido madrileño, which is a classic stew from Madrid with chickpeas, sausage, and ham.
Nuts: Spain is one of the top producers of almonds, hazelnuts, and walnuts. Almond-based and
milk-based desserts are very common. Turrón, the almond nougat candy eaten at Christmas, is
probably the best known of these sweets. Many Spanish recipes of Arabic origin contain ground
almonds, and almonds were used for centuries to thicken sauces and stews. In Spain hazelnuts,
not almonds, are the most popular nut mixed with chocolate.

Herbs, Garlic, and Onions: Garlic, onions, and herbs such as oregano, rosemary, and thyme are
used, but garlic more than the others.

Cooking Methods

Cocido, olla, guiso, estofado, or escudella are the Spanish terms for stew. This is one dish that
could be called characteristic of Spain, although each region has its own version. The Spanish do
not only stew, they roast, fry, and sauté many foods. It is not as common to bake or broil,
although they do grill meats on a metal plate or a charcoal grill.

As the Spanish say to wish everyone a good meal, "Buen provecho!"

Spanish food varies by region and season, but there are a dozen ingredients—including spices
and herbs—that appear again and again that, for people who plan on cooking Spanish recipes
very often, are well worth keeping on hand. They overlap significantly with primary pantry
ingredients of Portuguese cooking as well, so you can enjoy both styles of cooking seamlessly -
both cuisines feature a lot of seafood, simple preparations, and ingenious variations on staples.

Importantly, Spanish cuisine is wholly different from Mexican cuisine. For example, while
tortillas are central players in both cuisines, in Mexico, a tortilla is a cornmeal flatbread; in
Spain, it is a potato omelet.

Olive Oil

Spanish cookery uses a lot of olive oil. A lot. It is used in dressings and to drizzle on grilled
meats and seafood. It is brushed on bread for various tapas. It is used to cover and preserve
anchovies, olives, and peppers. The potatoes in tortillas get cooked in it. Lots of things get fried
in it. It is as essential for paella as it is for gazpacho.

In short, if you're going to be cooking Spanish food, you're going to want to have plenty of high-
quality olive oil on hand.

Paprika & Peppers

Unlike Mexican cuisine, Spanish cuisine doesn't tend to use a lot of chiles. Instead, paprika—
pimentón made from dried and ground sweet peppers—is used liberally. It's the spice found in
all kinds of dishes. Any outfitted Spanish kitchen keeps at least three kinds of paprika on hand:
mild or sweet, spicy or hot, and smoked (made of ground dried and smoked peppers). It's used to
flavor and color all kinds of dishes, including simple chicken or fish dishes.

Along with paprika, preserved and jarred peppers, also known as piquillo peppers, are used to
stuff, and preserved guindilla peppers are used to add a gentle heat to some regional recipes.
Fresh sautéed Padron peppers are a popular tapas in Galicia.

Saffron

Saffron, the dried stigma of crocus flowers, has a distinctive flavor and colors everything it
touches a golden yellow-orange. Saffron is essential to Spanish cooking, if only because it is a
key ingredient in traditional paella.

It's very expensive, but luckily it's available to buy in very small amounts and a little goes a long
way.

Anchovies

Dorling Kindersley / Getty Images

Anchovies, or boquerones, are popular in Spain. Fresh ones are fried or marinated in vinegar.

Canned, jarred, or salted anchovies, by contrast, are used to season all kinds of dishes, from salad
dressings to tapas.

Garlic

One would be hard-pressed to find very many Spanish recipes that don't feature garlic and/or
onions. Keep fresh ones on hand, stored in a cool, dark place to preserve their flavor, if you plan
on cooking Spanish.

Ham (Jamón)

There are many types of Spanish ham, but the two main ones you should know are Jamón
serrano and Jamón Ibérico. They are both air-cured hams similar to prosciutto. They are thinly
sliced, often served on their own, and can also be used in other dishes and to make simple tapas.

Herbs

Fresh Flat-Leaf Parsley

Bay leaves, rosemary, oregano, and peppercorns get called for on the regular in Spanish recipes.
Keep them on-hand and ready to go. Fresh parsley also gets used a lot, but you'll need it fresh, so
buy it fresh on an as-needed basis.

Olives
Olives get served a lot in Spain - whether they are served by themselves or as a common
ingredient when cooking. Keep a variety of olives in the kitchen—even canned, flavored and
stuffed ones are popular in Spain. They're especially handy for creating quick tapas.

Sherry Vinegar

Sherry vinegar is, as the name would imply, vinegar made from sherry - a type of wine made in
the Jerez region of Spain. It has a sharp flavor very useful in dressings and sauces, and it is a key
ingredient in traditional Spanish gazpacho recipes. Look for it in specialty stores or substitute a
high-quality red wine vinegar.

Spanish Chorizo

Spanish chorizo is a sausage highly flavored with pimentón, or paprika. It is cured and hard, like
salami. Do not substitute Mexican chorizo in its place: Mexican chorizo is a fresh (raw), loose
sausage that requires cooking.

Spanish Cheese

Spain is full of a wide range of regional cheeses. From fresh and soft to aged and hard and from
cow's milk to goat's milk to sheep's milk (such as the country's famous Manchego). It is
sometimes used as in ingredient, but the main role of cheese in Spain is to be sliced and eaten as-
is or used to construct quick tapas.

Tomatoes (Canned) & Tomato Paste

Canned tomatoes

A bit of tomato here and a dab of tomato paste there... tomatoes show up in many forms in
Spanish cooking. When they're in-season, fresh tomatoes get turned into gazpacho and sliced as
salads. But canned tomatoes and high-quality tomato paste are used all year-round.

Spanish Cooking Tools and Gadgets

Tools and Gadgets for Popular Spanish Dishes

1 – Paella Pan (Paellera)

If you’re familiar with arguably Spain’s most iconic dish, you’ll no doubt have seen paella
cooked in giant suspended pans in Spanish restaurants, so that hundreds of hungry locals and
tourists can be fed throughout the day. While such a piece of cookware may be a little excessive
for a humble home kitchen, paella cooked in a standard pan doesn’t come close to the flavor and
texture that a paella pan, like this one, can deliver.The pan is designed to conduct and distribute
heat, be it an open flame or a stovetop, well, cooking the paella evenly and giving the bottom a
golden crust (socarrat), if desired, without burning the rice.Plus, the double handle means you
can take the pan, full of delicious paella, straight to the dinner table with ease, so that everyone
can dig in and serve themselves as much as they want.

2 – Paella Spoon

Once your paella pan is on the table, ready to be served to hungry friends and family, a standard
serving spoon or ladle just isn’t going to cut it.A wide stainless steel paella spoon, like this one,
is what you need to scoop up that crust from the base of the pan and serve up a hefty portion of
paella with relative ease.The length of the spoon and the wooden handle means you can keep
your distance from the heat, especially if you’re cooking your paella out on the patio over an
open flame.

3 – Paella Pan with Legs and Burner

If you’re dining al fresco on a warm summer’s day, this paella pan, legs, and burner set gives
you everything you need to cook this classic Spanish dish outside.The tripod leg design gives
you not only the height to cook with ease, but the stability to cook a hefty batch of paella. Once
you’re set up, the gas burner works like a conventional stovetop, so you can be up and running in
no time.The set also includes a carbon steel, double-handle paella pan, but can also
accommodate 20-inch pans or less. Why keep the magic indoors if the sun is shining. Do as the
Spanish do, and get outside for some summer sun, great fun, and even better company.

4 – Paella Serving Trays

Tired of laying down a bed of tea towels or a stack of placemats when it’s time to bring your hot
pan to the dinner table? There’s a better and more beautiful way to serve up your food, and it
comes in the form of these gorgeous serving trays.This set can hold pans of up to 15 inches, so
you can use them for all types of pans, not just your trusted paella pan. Bring some rustic
Mediterranean vibes to the dinner table, and protect it from the heat in the process.

5 – Tortilla Espanola Pan

If you’ve made a tortilla espanola before, no doubt you’re fully aware of that heart-wrenching
moment when you have to place a plate over the top of the pan and then flip them, before placing
the tortilla back in the pan to cook on the other side.A double-layer pan takes all the stress out of
flipping dishes to cook on the other side. Oh, and why stop at Spanish omelet, when you can use
this nifty pan combination for plenty of other dishes, including frittatas

6 – Cazuela Dishes (Cazuelas)

The clay-based ceramic terracotta has been used by mankind for thousands of years and is
especially popular in the Mediterranean, used in sculptures, homeware, and cookware, among
many other uses.If you’re new to terracotta cookware but would like to try some, these rustic
blue Mediterranean cazuelas are a great entry point. They stack well, can be used for lots of
different dishes, and can be used for both cooking and serving.Cook and serve up casseroles,
tapas, and baked delights in these little beauties, and everyone at the dinner table will wonder if
they’ve been invited to dinner at a cabin amid the rolling hills of rural Andalucia.

7 – Crema Catalana Set

Looking for ideas for a dessert for your Spanish-themed evening? Crema catalana, the distant
cousin of French crème brûlée, promises to put plenty of smiles on faces, and this set gives you
everything you need to make it.While the classic red terracotta cazuelas to serve the dish can
help keep things authentically Catalan, the caramelizing iron is the real star of this set. This gives
you a simple way to give your crema catalana its iconic burnt crust without the need for a blow
torch.

8 – Churro Maker (Churrera)

Pipe some delightful and iconic churro designs with a churro maker, or la churrera, like this one,
to help you create one of Spain and Latin America’s most beloved sweet treats in your own
home.Simply load your batter into the gun with your disc design slotted in, press the piston, and
squeeze out your churros, ready to be deep fried, coated in sugar, and served with a side of
melted chocolate.Whether you’re entertaining friends or want a fun treat for the kids at their
birthday party, a churro maker will give you the power to make one of Spain’s favorite desserts
with ease.

9 – Sangria Pitcher

If you’re mixing up some deliciously refreshing sangria for a Spanish-themed night, celebration,
or summer garden party, why serve it out of a bog-standard jug or pitcher.This majestic sangria
pitcher not only brings the color and charm of rural Spain to your gathering, but its pinched spout
design also keeps the fruit and ice in the pitcher, so that your guests only get ice-cold sangria in
their glasses.It’s such a simple little feature, but it solves the age-old problem of ice and fruit
splashing into your guest’s glasses.

10 – Garlic Grater Plate Set

This beautifully colored plate and grating set will wow anyone who enjoys spending time
cooking in the kitchen. Its grooves can be used to grate garlic, ginger, and so many other
ingredients, such as chocolate, nutmeg, and cheese, in a quick and simple way.Hand-crafted with
love and precision, a grater plate set can revolutionize the way you grate and prepare garlic and
other ingredients.

11 – Mortar and Pestle (Piedra de Moler/Mortero)

If you’re old school and don’t mind a little manual labor, there’s just something extra special
about grinding up your own spices, nuts, and herbs for pesto, sauces, and condiments over using
a blender or food processor.What makes this mortar and pestle stand out over stone or bamboo
counterparts is that it’s carefully hand-crafted from Mediterranean olive wood from the olive
trees that grow across the region.Grinding over olive wood will bring subtle fragrant notes to
your sauces and condiments, adding freshness and earthiness that simply cannot be replicated
with other types of wood or material.
Serving Plates and Cups

You can take tapas night to new heights of splendor with a set of gorgeous hand-painted
terracotta tapas dishes like this one, to serve an array of tapa dishes, sides, and plenty of other
foods.Functional and highly decorative, the blend of bright color streaked across earthy terracotta
tones is a common sight in Spanish households, and can easily bring a warm, rustic Spanish feel
to your own home.

13 – Olive Dish

Whether it’s for tapas, sides for a main course, or a Mediterranean-themed feast, olives are a
staple at so many Spanish, Italian, and Mediterranean dinner tables.These dazzlingly beautiful
hand-painted dishes have space to hold both olives and toothpicks and are ideal for setting a
colorful, Mediterranean-themed tone at your next gathering, dinner party, or tapas night.

14 – Terracotta Cups Handcrafted in Spain

Terracotta isn’t just used to serve up sides and dishes for a full-blown Spanish feast. These
handcrafted and handpainted Spanish terracotta cups are not only a great decorative piece for the
home, but can also be used to serve an array of both hot and cold drinks.Paired with the tapas set
featured above, anyone who comes to your Mediterranean or Spanish-themed night will feel like
they’ve walked into an Andalusia farmhouse for dinner.Practical and colorful, terracotta
kitchenware and cookware is a great way to bring some of that rustic Mediterranean magic into
your humble abode.

15 – Glass Wine Pitcher (Porron)

A porron, traditionally from Catalonia and used throughout Spain, is typically how many
Spaniards share mainly wine, and less commonly other drinks like sangria.The pitcher, with its
long spout, is designed to be tipped and release a stream of wine to pour straight into your
mouth, without the vessel touching your mouth or lips. That way, many people can try the wine
(or drink) of choice without the worry of spreading germs.This glass porron is not only beautiful
to behold, but it also gives everyone at your dinner party the chance to share some of your
favorite wines and beverages, Spanish-style.

16 – Anything out of Olive Wood

As we discussed with the mortar and pestle, olive trees grow in abundance across the
editerranean, and plenty of Spanish tools and kitchenware are made from this beautiful
ood.Getting some olive wood items, such as these wood salt and pepper keepers, for your
Spanish-style dinner parties is a great way to impress guests and bring an authentic
mediterranean feel to your household.

17 – Ham Stand (Jamonero)

A jamonero, or ham stand, is a popular piece of kitchenware in plenty of Spanish restaurants and
households. If you’ve ordered a large ham on the bone, such as Serrano or Iberico ham, a stand
like this one should be your go-to when it’s time to carve.Non-slip pads stop the stand sliding
while you are carving, giving you control and precision. Slice, serve, and leave the meat to sit
while you enjoy food and drink with friends and family.

18 – Ham-Slicing Knife

Hand-crafted with precision from Japan, this straight-edge pointed tip knife has been designed
especially for Spanish-style meats.Plenty of cured meats, from chorizo to biskets, bought from
Spanish supermarkets can be particularly tough to cut into without the right equipment. This
knife is designed to give you smooth, razor-thin cuts of cured meats, and can also be used for
filleting, skinning, and trimming the fat.Complete with a balanced ergonomic handle and some
gorgeous packaging, this knife can take pride and place on your kitchen work surface.

Spanish Cooking Tools and Gadgets Summary

Spanish cuisine is rife with some truly beloved and renowned dishes, all of which have their
particular cooking methods and desired preparation.
These effective and fun Spanish cooking tools and gadgets will help you bridge the gap to truly
authentic Spanish cooking, and give you the confidence and know-how to create some classic
Spanish dishes the way they are supposed to be made.
 Unit -3

Greek, Scandinavian, Mexican - Ingredient, Characteristics, equipment used.

Greek cuisine

Greek cuisine (Greek: Ελληνική Κουζίνα) is the cuisine of Greece and the Greek diaspora. In
common with many other cuisines of the Mediterranean, it is founded on the triad of wheat, olive
oil, and wine.It uses vegetables, olive oil, grains, fish, and meat, including pork, poultry, veal and
beef, lamb, rabbit, and goat. Other important ingredients include pasta (for example hilopites),
cheeses, lemon juice, herbs, olives, and yogurt. Bread made of wheat is ubiquitous; other grains,
notably barley, are also used, especially for paximathia. Common dessert ingredients include
nuts, honey, fruits, and filo pastries. It continues traditions from Ancient Greek and Byzantine
cuisine, while incorporating Balkan and Italian influences.

History

Greek baklava

Greek cuisine is part of the culture of Greece and is recorded in images and texts from ancient
times. Its influence spread to ancient Rome and then throughout Europe and beyond.Ancient
Greek cuisine was characterized by its frugality and was founded on the "Mediterranean triad":
wheat, olive oil, and wine,with meat being rarely eaten and fish being more common. This trend
in Greek diet continued in Cyprus and changed only fairly recently when technological progress
has made meat more available. Wine and olive oil have always been a central part of it and the
spread of grapes and olive trees in the Mediterranean and further afield is correlated with Greek
colonization.The Spartan diet was also marked by its frugality. A notorious staple of the Spartan
diet was melas zomos (black soup), made by boiling the blood of pigs with vinegar to prevent
coagulation. This dish was noted by the Spartans' Greek contemporaries, particularly Athenians
and Corinthians, as proof of the Spartans' different way of living. Byzantine cuisine was similar
to ancient cuisine, with the addition of new ingredients, such as caviar, nutmeg and basil.
Lemons, prominent in Greek cuisine and introduced in the second century, were used
medicinally before being incorporated into the diet. Fish continued to be an integral part of the
diet for coastal dwellers. Culinary advice was influenced by the theory of humors, first put forth
by the ancient Greek doctor Claudius Aelius Galenus.Byzantine cuisine benefited from
Constantinople's position as a global hub of the spice trade. The most characteristic and ancient
element of Greek cuisine is olive oil, which is used in most dishes. It is produced from the olive
trees prominent throughout the region, and adds to the distinctive taste of Greek food. The olives
themselves are also widely eaten. The basic grain in Greece is wheat, though barley is also
grown. Important vegetables include tomato, aubergine (eggplant), potato, green beans, okra,
green peppers (capsicum), and onions. Honey in Greece is mainly honey from the nectar of fruit
trees and citrus trees: lemon, orange, bigarade (bitter orange) trees, thyme honey, and pine
honey. Mastic, an aromatic, ivory-coloured plant resin, is grown on the Aegean island of Chios.

Greek cuisine uses some flavorings more often than other Mediterranean cuisines do, namely
oregano, mint, garlic, onion, dill, cumin, and bay laurel leaves. Other common herbs and spices
include basil, thyme and fennel seed. Parsley is also used as a garnish on some dishes. Many
Greek recipes, especially in the northern parts of the country, use "sweet" spices in combination
with meat, for example cinnamon, allspice and cloves in stews.

Greek gyros

The climate and terrain has tended to favour the breeding of goats and sheep over cattle, and thus
beef dishes are uncommon. Fish dishes are common in coastal regions and on the islands. A
great variety of cheese types are used in Greek cuisine, including Feta, Kasseri, Kefalotyri,
Graviera, Anthotyros, Manouri, Metsovone, Ladotyri (cheese with olive oil), Kalathaki (a
specialty from the island of Limnos), Katiki Domokou (creamy cheese, suitable for spreads),
Mizithra and many more.Dining out is common in Greece. The taverna and estiatorio are
widespread, serving home cooking at affordable prices to both locals and tourists. Locals still
largely eat Greek cuisine.Common street foods include souvlaki, gyros, various pitas and roast
corn.Fast food became popular in the 1970s, with some chains, such as Goody's and McDonald's
serving international food like hamburgers,and others serving Greek foods such as souvlaki,
gyros, tyropita, and spanakopita.

Many dishes can be traced back to ancient Greece: lentil soup, fasolada (though the modern
version is made with white beans and tomatoes, both New World plants), tiganites, retsina (white
or rosé wine flavored with pine resin) and pasteli (candy bar with sesame seeds baked with
honey); some to the Hellenistic and Roman periods: loukaniko (dried pork sausage); and
Byzantium: feta cheese, avgotaraho (cured fish roe), moustalevria and paximadi (traditional hard
bread baked from wheat, barley and rye). There are also many ancient and Byzantine dishes
which are no longer consumed: porridge (chilós in Greek) as the main staple, fish sauce (garos),
and salt water mixed into wine.Some dishes show Italian influence, due to Venetian and Genoese
rule of many parts of Greece from the 13th to the 18th century. Such dishes include pastitsio,
pastitsada, stifado, salami, macaronia, mandolato and more.

Souvlaki
Many Greek dishes are inherited from Ottoman cuisine, which combined influences from
Persian, Levantine-Arabic, Turkish and Byzantine cuisines: phyllo, tzatziki, yuvarlakia, eggplant
papoutsaki, boureki, meze, dolma, pita bread, papoutsakia, baklava, kadaifi, halva, loukoumi,
and more.In the 20th century, French cuisine had a major influence on Greek cooking, largely
due to the French-trained chef Nikolaos Tselementes, who created the modern Greek pastitsio;
he also created the modern Greek version of moussaka by combining an existing eggplant dish
with a French-style gratin topping.

Regions

 Calamari (fried squid)

 Distinct from the mainstream regional cuisines are:

 Cuisine of the Aegean islands (including Kykladítiki from Kyklades, Rhodítiki from
Rhodes and other Dodecanese islands, and the cuisine of Lesbos island)
 Cuisine of Argolis, cuisine of Patras, Arcadian and Maniot cuisines, parts of the
Peloponnesean cuisine
 Cuisine of the Ionian islands (Heptanisiakí), a lot of Italian influence
 Ipirótiki (Epirotic cuisine)
 Kritikí (Cretan cuisine)
 Kypriakí (Cypriot cuisine)
 Makedonikí (Macedonian cuisine)
 Mikrasiatikí, from the Greeks of Asia Minor descent, including Polítiki, from the
tradition of the Greeks from Constantinople, a cuisine with significant
Anatolian/Ottoman influence
 Pontiakí, found anywhere there are Pontic Greeks (Greeks from the Black Sea region)
 Thrakiótiki (Thracian cuisine)

Some ethnic minorities living in Greece also have their own cuisine. One example is the
Aromanians and their Aromanian cuisine.

Typical dishes

Typical home cooked meals include seasonal vegetables stewed with olive oil, herbs, and tomato
sauce known as lathera. Vegetables used in these dishes include green beans, peas, okra,
cauliflower, spinach, leeks and others.Many food items are wrapped in filo pastry, either in bite-
size triangles or in large sheets: kotopita (chicken pie), spanakopita (spinach and cheese pie),
hortopita (greens pie), kreatopita (meat pie, using minced meat), kolokythopita (zucchini pie) etc.
In general, the Greeks do with filo what the Italians do with pasta; They have countless
variations of pitas (savory pies).Apart from the Greek dishes that can be found all over Greece,
there are also many regional dishes.North-Western and Central Greece (Epirus, Thessaly and
Roumeli/Central Greece) have a strong tradition of filo-based dishes, such as some special
regional pitas.Greek cuisine uses seeds and nuts in everything from pastry to main dishes.

The list of Greek dishes includes dishes found in all of Greece as well as some regional ones.

A Brief History of Greek Cuisine

With a culinary tradition 4,000 years old, Greece built its cuisine on a foundation of bread, wine,
and olive oil. Greek food evolved every time Greece was conquered by other empires who
introduced new ingredients and dishes, enhancing the already flavorful cuisine.
Greek flavors also draw from other cultures in the region. With hints of Turkish flavors and
shared recipes, like moussaka, Greek dishes are a fusion of flavors. Greece also shares traditional
ingredients with its Mediterranean neighbor, Italy, creating some overlap between Greek and
Italian cuisine.
Traditional Greek Ingredients
From freshly grown produce to Greek-made cheese, Greek cuisine relies heavily on locally-
sourced ingredients. In any Greek kitchen, you’ll find most of the following ingredients:

1. Olive oil: If one ingredient could represent all of Greek cuisine, it would be olive oil. There
are many varieties that are used for cooking, baking, and simply drizzling over any traditional
dish.
2. Olives: Along with olive oil, olives themselves are a staple on any Greek table—particularly
the national favorite, kalamata. Stuffed with herbs and spices and marinated in vinegar or oil,
olives are added to salad dishes or simply placed in a bowl at the dinner table.
3. Mastic: This crystallized resin from the pistachio tree, called mastiha, is only grown on the
Greek island of Chios. It has been used for thousands of years, as both a medicinal treatment and
to flavor foods, both sweet and savory.
4. Feta cheese: The national cheese of Greece, feta can only be produced in certain regions of the
country. This white, crumbly cheese is made from sheep’s milk, or a combination of sheep’s
milk and goat’s milk.
5. Greek honey: Honey is one of the oldest sweeteners in Greece. Its flavor depends on the
season and what flowering plants the bees are taking nectar from. Greek honey is used in many
dessert recipes, like baklava.
6. Herbs: Like other ingredients, herbs grow easily here thanks to the climate. Greek cuisine
incorporates dry herbs in many traditional dishes, with thyme, oregano, mint, and savory as some
of the most popular.
7. Fruits: Greece has a year-round growing season and dishes often reflect what is ripe on the
vine or tree. From apples in winter to citrus in the summer to berries in the spring, there is no end
to the fresh fruits used in recipes or simply eaten after a meal.
8. Legumes: Greek recipes often use native legumes, like fava beans, lentils, chickpeas, and split
peas.
9. Fish and seafood: Greece is surrounded on two sides by the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas,
which are a source of one of Greek cuisine’s most traditional ingredients: fish. While oily fish,
like sardines and anchovies, are a staple, a favorite seafood in Greece is octopus.
10. Yogurt: One of Greece’s most famous culinary exports, Greek yogurt is known for its sour
taste and thick consistency.

Traditional Greek Dishes

Greek cookery represents a wide variety of flavors. First, pour a glass of ouzo, an aperitif of
distilled spirits, traditionally consumed before eating a meal in Greece. Here are 15 traditional
Greek recipes to help you develop a taste of the Mediterranean:

1. Greek salad: This classic, fresh salad can be found on the menus of many restaurants outside
of Greece. It is simply feta cheese, tomatoes, red onion, olives, and cucumbers, served without
dressing or with a simple vinaigrette.
2. Tzatziki: This cold dip is a mix of Greek yogurt, lemon juice, cucumbers, dill, and garlic.
3. Moussaka: This baked dish is a layered casserole with eggplant, ground beef or lamb, tomato
sauce, spices, garlic, onion, and topped with bechamel sauce.
4. Baklava: This slightly sticky, flaky, crispy treat is Greece’s most famous dessert. It can be
found in bakeries around the world. Thin phyllo (filo) dough is layered with chopped nuts and
Greek honey.
5. Stifado: This stew was brought to Greece by the Venetians. It is made with rabbit, or
sometimes beef, along with red wine, pearl onions, tomato, and spices.
6. Rusks: Rusk is a double-baked bread made with barley flour. It is often topped with traditional
Greek ingredients, like feta cheese, olives, and olive oil.
7. Dolmades: A dolma is a stuffed dish. Most often, grape leaves are wrapped around a blend of
ground meat and rice flavored with oregano, dill, and fennel.
8. Pastitsio: This baked dish is similar to lasagna, with layers of pasta, tomato sauce, ground
meat, topped with bechamel.
9. Gyros: Gyros are a popular street food throughout Greece. Lamb cooked on a vertical
rotisserie is thinly sliced and placed on pita with onions, lettuce, tomato, and tzatziki.
10. Souvlaki: Chunks of pork, chicken, or lamb are cooked and served on skewers. They are also
sometimes served on pita bread. Souvlaki is a popular fast food in Athens.
11. Spanakopita: This spinach pie is a classic savory dish from Greece. Spinach, feta cheese,
eggs, and herbs are mixed and baked between two layers of filo pastry.
12. Fava: From the island of Santorini, fava is a creamy purée of yellow split peas or fava beans,
with extra virgin olive oil.
13. Dakos: This Cretan salad (from the island of Crete) is a rusk topped with olive oil, tomatoes,
cheese, and olives.
14. Saganaki: Graviera cheese is seasoned with salt and pepper, then coated with flour and fried
until it is golden brown. It is served, most often, as an appetizer.
15. Meatballs: Meatballs are popular in Greece and are cooked different ways: fried, baked, or in
soup. Traditional Greek meatballs (keftedes) are a blend of lamb and beef rolled into balls with
garlic, herbs, and eggs, then friend in oil.

Kitchen Equipment
Coffee pot (briki)
This is a metal pot – traditionally made from copper – with a long handle that is used on the
stovetop to make thick rich Greek coffee.
Olive oil can
Helpful for pouring the oil that is so ubiquitous in Greek cooking. An olive oil can makes it easy
to pour small amounts with one hand, which can be more convenient than using measuring
spoons.
Honey dipper
Greek pastries and desserts are often drizzled with honey on top for added flavor. The honey
dipper utensil drips honey slowly on them without adding too much or spilling.
Pastry brush
Filo dough, often used in Greek pastries, needs to be brushed with butter or oil during
preparation. Vegetables and meats are often brushed with oils and butters too.
Metal baking pans and tins
Greek cooking requires a variety of large metal baking tins and pans for cooking cheese and
spinach pies and also desserts. Preferably not with non-stick coatings as these tend to get very
scratched up when cutting.
Large saucepans
And lots of them! Greek food is usually cooked in large quantities, and things like moussaka can
require three or four pans on the stove at once.
Steel souvlaki skewers
If you can get hold of them these are much better than wooden ones because you can fit more
meat on them, they stronger and don’t break or burn and they’re reusable.
Rotisserie or spit roaster
For the real Greek aficionado, a spit roaster can often be rented from Greek butchers for roasting
whole lamb or goat. (It’s not a Greek Easter without spit roast lamb.) Some Greek ovens have
rotisseries built in for spit roasting as well as slots on which to fit Souvlaki skewers to grill.

SCANDINAVIAN CUISINE
scandinavian cuisine, the cuisines and customs of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark,
countries that share borders and bounty. Danes lead with smørrebrød (an open-faced sandwich),
which may be topped with cheese, green pepper, and sliced fresh strawberries. Finns specialize
in earthy, chewy whole grain bread. Norwegians have wonderfully fresh fish and seafood, and
the Swedes gave the world smörgåsbord! Scandinavian Cooking provides traditional menus for
different occasions and seasons-- from a Farmhouse Brunch with Buttered Potato Soup to an
Old-Fashioned Christmas Smörgåsbord with Dip-in-the-Kettle Soup and Norwegian Cream
Pudding, to a sumptuous Midsummer's Day Buffet with Salmon-in-a-Crust and Fruit-Juice
Glögg. A good Scandinavian cook has a flair for colour, texture, shape, and simplicity in creating
the food that these menus show off to perfection.
DENMARK CUISINE
The cuisine of Denmark, like that in the other Scandinavian countries (Sweden and Norway), as
well as that of northern Germany, its neighbour to the south, is traditionally heavy and rich in fat,
consisting mainly of carbohydrates, meat and fish. This stems from the country's agricultural
past, as well as its geography and climate of long, cold winters.Before the widespread
industrialization of Denmark, small family-based agriculture formed the vast majority of Danish
society. As in most agrarian societies, people lived practically self-sufficiently, and made do with
the food they could produce themselves, or what could be purchased locally. This meant reliance
on locally available food products, which form the basis of the traditional diet: cereal products,
dairy products, pork, seafood, apples, plums, carrots, potatoes, onions, beer and
bread.Agriculture still plays a large role in Denmark's economy, and Danish agricultural products
are generally preferred over imported items, although products from Germany, The Netherlands
and the rest of Europe are gaining increasingly larger market shares in Danish supermarkets.As
in most pre-industrialized societies, long winters and a lack of refrigeration meant that foods,
which could be stored for a long time, came to predominate. This helps to explain the lack of
fresh fruits and vegetables in many traditional recipes, and the emphasis placed on seasonally
available foods. It also helps explain some of the traditional food preparation processes which
favoured smoking, pickling and other food preservation techniques that prolong the storage life
of products. Moreover, Denmark's geography, which comprises of many islands meant that
before industrialization and concomitant advances in transportation it was difficult, time-
consuming, and costly to travel great distances, or to ship products. These factors have thus
helped mold the traditional eating habits of the Danish people.
During the second half of the 20th century, Denmark entered into a new modern age of affluence
after World War II. Farming cooperatives continued to grow and develop, leading to a move
towards bigger agricultural business, and away from the small family farm. This has been
compounded by migration to the cities, and suburban sprawl around the cities. All these
influences and conditions, and more common to the modern way of life, have led to new
demands on the national cuisine, as well as new possibilities.Although famously liberal with
respect to social values, Danes are fairly conservative when it comes to food. They thus
appreciate traditional cooking, and are hesitant to embrace new "different" types of food. In the
new Danish cooking style, dishes are lighter, smaller and nutritious and generally offer more
focus on fresh vegetables. This mode of cooking is increasingly international, highly influenced
by French, American and Asian cuisine, especially the cuisine of Thailand.

INFLUENCE FROM ABROAD

France has been historically a strong influence, as a leading land of culture. Germany's proximity
has also provided a long-term influence. The area now making up northern Germany was at
times throughout history under Danish rule, and there are still many Danish people living in this
part of Germany (Schleswig), as well as Germans living in southern Denmark (South Jutland).
Although historically the average Danish person did not travel widely, in more recent years this
has begun to change. Danes are travelling more now, and to farther, more distant and exotic
destinations. The food cultures of the most popular travel destinations, sun-drenched southern
European countries such as France, Spain, Italy and Greece, have become well known. This
widened appreciation for new eating experiences has followed Danes home after their
wanderlusts have been quenched.Another influence that brings greater focus on exotic cooking
has been the growing availability of exotic food products in the supermarket, and aggressive
marketing efforts to make these more acceptable in the average home. These products have
become more available primarily because of the growing immigrant population (Turkish,
Pakistani, Chinese, Thai, African) in Denmark. American culture has also influenced the Danish
cuisine.In a nutshell, Denmark and the Danish people are becoming more internationalized.
Breakfast (Morgenmad)A traditional breakfast is buttered bread, Danish skæreost (slicing
cheese), a buttery creamy white cheese (often Danish havarti, Danbo or Danish tilsit), strawberry
jam and a lot of coffee. Today most Danes eat different types of cereal with milk for breakfast or
a yoghurt-like milk products (similar to junket) with cereal or crumbled bread on top. Another
traditional breakfast, especially among the elder, are oatmeal porridge and bread-and-beer-soup
(øllebrød).Bread takes many forms: at breakfast it is most often a white bread known as
franskbrød (French bread), rolls (boller, birkes, rundstykker) or croissants. The "Danish pastry",
which is also eaten at breakfast, is called wienerbrød (Viennese bread) and it comes in many
varieties. A festive breakfast calls for a shot or tw o of Gammel Dansk, a Danish stomach bitter.
Pålæg and smørrebrød Literally translated, smørrebrød means "spread [on] bread", and the
"spread" is generally laid on to a piece of buttered rye bread (rugbrød), a dense, black bread with
many seeds. Pålæg, the topping, then among others can refer to commercial or homemade cold
cuts, pieces of meat or fish, cheese or spreads. This is essentially the base on which the art of the
famous Danish open sandwich, smørrebrød is created: A slice or two of pålæg is placed on the
buttered bread, and then pyntet (decorated) with the right accompaniments, to create a tasty and
visually appealing food item. Det kolde bord The Danish kolde bord (translated, the cold table)
corresponds to its Swedish counterpart, the smorgasbord (in Swedish, Smörgåsbord). It is
usually served at lunch time. The cold table may be a buffet arrangement prepared away from
the dining table, or more likely it will consist of the many and varied items being brought to the
dining table and passed around family-style. As a first course (or first visit to the buffet table)
one will in all likelihood eat pickled herring (marinerede sild), or another herring dish. The most
common herring is marinated either in a clear sweet, peppery vinegar sauce (white herring), or in
a red seasoned vinegar (red herring). Herring is usually served with ice cold snaps, which
according to Danish tradition, helps the fish swim down to the stomach. As a second course one
will in all likelihood eat warm foods (lune retter) served on rye bread with
accompaniments. Some typical warm foods would be:
1. Frikadeller -- Danish meatballs, the "national" dish 2. Chopped steak patty (Hakkebøf)
3. Danish sausage (Medisterpølse) 4. Parisian steak, (Danish: Pariserbøf )
5. Veal medallion (Kalvemedaljon)
6. Liver with sauteed mushrooms and onions
7. Dansk bøf med spejlæg og rugbrød
8. Veal tenderloin (mørbradbøf) with sauteed onions and pickle slices (surt)
Vegetables & the indispensable potato

Although the potato is the central vegetable in traditional Danish cooking, it is by no means the
only vegetable associated with Danish cuisine. Those other vegetables that play an important role
often had to be preserved for long periods of time in cold rooms, or were pickled or marinated
for storage. Cauliflower, carrots and a variety of cabbages were often a part of the daily meal,
especially when in season, in the days prior to widespread refrigeration.Pasta and rice have made
great inroads into the Danish diet. Danes eat more pasta than any other people, especially the
younger population, and it is indispensable to young adults because it is so cheap and easy to
cook.Dairy products
1. Blue cheese
2. Danish tilsit
3. Feta
4. Havarti cheese

While the traditional, commonly-eaten cheese (skæreost) in Denmark is mild, there are also
stronger cheeses associated with Danish cuisine. Some of these are very pungent. Blue cheese
can be quite strong, and Danish cheese manufacturers produce molded cheeses that span the
range from the mildest and creamiest to the intense blue-veined cheese internationally associated
with Denmark. Fruit Similarly to vegetables, fruit had to withstand long storage during the
winter to become a part of the traditional cuisine. Fruit is generally eaten in smaller portions,
often as an accompaniment to cheese, or as decoration with desserts. A combination of
strawberries, red currants, black currants, blueberries and mulberries is known as "forest fruits"
(skovbær) and is a common component in tarts and marmalades. Danish cuisine has also looked
inwards at the rich possibilities inherent in Danish traditional cooking, and in this way attempted
to redefine itself, using local products and cooking techniques that have in the past been used in
limited ways.
CUISINE OF ICELAND
Iceland offers wide varieties of traditional cuisine. Þorramatur (food of the þorri) is the Icelandic
national food. Nowadays þorramaturis mostly eaten during the ancient Nordic month of þorri, in
January and February, as a tribute to old culture. Þorramatur consists of many different types of
food. These are mostly offal dishes like pickled ram's testicles, putrified shark meat, singed
sheep heads, singed sheep head jam, blood pudding, liver sausage (similar to Scottish haggis)
and dried fish (often cod or haddock) with butter.Meat There is a wide range of high quality
restaurants in Iceland, serving specialities including freshly caught seafood, meat from naturally
reared animals and prize game from the unspoilt countryside.Iceland offers a fine variety of all
kinds of foods produced locally. The quality is excellent, in part because of a very clean
environment.Icelandic fish, caught in the unpolluted waters of the North Atlantic, has established
a reputation for its superb quality and delicious taste world-wide. Fish is the mainstay of the
Icelandic diet, and fresh fish can be had all the year round. Icelanders eat mostly haddock, cod,
plaice, halibut, herring and Shrimp.Poultry farming is considerable in Iceland. The most common
types of bird reared are chicken, duck and turkey. Certain species of wild birds are hunted,
including geese.
Fruits and vegetables
Even though Iceland is situated near the polar circle, many garden vegetables are grown outside,
including cabbage and potatoes. Other vegetables, fruits and flowers are grown in geothermally
heated greenhouses. Iceland has a range of traditional foods, called "thorramatur", which are
enjoyed especially in the period from January to March. These preserved foods include smoked
and salted lamb, salted lamb, singed sheep heads, dried fish, smoked and pickled salmon, cured
shark and various other delicacies. Breads & Cheese Breads include laufabrauð (deep-fried
paper-thin bread), kleinur (similar to doughnuts) and rye pancakes. There is a wide range cheeses
and other dairy products made in Iceland. There are over 80 types of cheese made, some of
which have won international awards.

CUISINE OF FINLAND
Finnish Food is pure, authentic and uncomplicated.
The Finnish food culture has been influenced by tastes both from the East and from the West. In
Finland there are four very different seasons. Each season offers different ingredients and tastes.
In the summer, long intense days go on as bright nights, growing high quality vegetables, herbs
and berries, full of flavour. In the autumn, forests are full of mushrooms and game.These
ingredients give a mouth-watering challenge to any food-lover.Finns have a large knowledge of
the foodstuffs industry. Quickly globalized, Finland has been one of the top operators within the
European high-tech experts, also in the fields of foodstuffs technology and research. Finland has
been a leader in developing health-enhancing foodstuffs. The entire foodstuffs chain is
committed to high quality work for food, from the farm onto a plate.The cuisine of Finland is
generally healthy, thanks in part to wholemeal products (rye, barley, oats) and berries (such as
blueberries, lingonberries, cloudberries, and sea buckthorn). Fish and meat play a prominent role
in traditional Finnish dish from the western part of the country, while the dishes from the eastern
part have traditionally included various vegetables and mushrooms.There are long traditions of
hunting and fishing in Finland. The hunters focus on deer and moose, but small game such as
hare, ducks and grouse are popular for their taste. Finnish restaurants are accustomed to serving
reindeer dishes instead.To add some vitamins and make the rather heavy food more enjoyable a
traditional jam is made from lingonberry and served with meat. The wild strawberry
(metsämansikka) with strong aroma is also a seasonal delicacy decorating cakes, served with ice
cream or just cream.Many Finnish dishes have very strong Swedish, German and Russian
influences, although the connoisseur will notice small differences in preparation style: for
example, Finnish dishes are usually less sweet than Swedish ones, and use much less sour cream
(smetana) than Russian ones.

Dishes
1. Cabbage rolls (Kaalikääryleet)
2. Hot Pot
3. Pickled Herring (usually with small potatoes)
4. Smoked fish (Many types of fish, like Salmon, Zander, Pike, Perch and Baltic herring)
5. Cold Smoked fish
A) Cold smoked salmon, Lox (Kylmäsavustettu lohi)
B) Gravlax (Graavilohi)
C) Cold smoked Perch
6. Smoked ham or beef (palvikinkku) (palviliha)
7. Game food. Moose, deer, grouse, duck, hare, etc... dishes. Rarely attainable in restaurants.
Common amongst those whose hobby is hunting.
8. Mashed potato

CUISINES OF SWEDEN
Swedish cuisine tends to be hearty, practical and sustaining. Only recently have Swedish
restauranteurs attempted to interpret it with a modern gourmet approach. The cuisine differs
rather much regionally, although it could be considered traditionally simple in general. In the
south the supply of fresh vegetables is better. In Sweden many local, traditional meals are also
eaten, in the north some with their roots in the Sami people, some not, including reindeer, and
other game.
HISTORY
Sweden's long winters explain the lack of fresh vegetables in many traditional recipes. Plants
sustaining winter became the cornerstones: various turnips in older times such as the native
rutabaga (a.k.a. "the swede"), gradually supplanted by the potato in the 18th century. A lack of
spices made the food rather plain, although a number of local herbs and plants have probably
been used since ancient times. The importance of fish has governed population and trade patterns
far back in history: due to the vast supply of fish, in particular herring, people settled on the east
coast around present-day Stockholm, and on the west coast around present-day Gothenburg.
These remain Sweden's most populated areas to this day. For preservation, fish were salted and
salt became a major trade item at the dawn of the Scandinavian middle ages, which began circa
1000 AD.Cabbage, conserved as sauerkraut, or lingonberry jam was used as a source of vitamin
C during the winter. Lingonberry jam, still a favorite, also added some freshness to the often
rather heavy food.

MEALS
Swedes usually have three main meals per day, but there are at least two traditions followed:
The older tradition, still common among Blue collar workers, consists of breakfast in the early
morning (frukost), a light lunch before noon (lunch), and a heavy dinner (middag) at around five.
Since the early sixties, most 9 to 5 workers eat breakfast when they wake up, a steady lunch
around noon, and a lighter dinner around six in the evening.It is also common to have a snack,
often a sandwich or fruit, in between meals (mellanmål). In all schools including high school, a
hot meal is served at lunch as part of Sweden's welfare state. Most Swedes also have coffee after
lunch, and a coffee break in the afternoon, often together with a biscuit or similar.
DISHES
Kräftskiva (crayfish party).In August, Swedes traditionally eat boiled crayfish at feasts known as
kräftskivor.The most highly regarded mushroom is the chanterelle. It is considered a real treat.
The chanterelle is usually served together with a piece of meat, or just fried with a sauce and
some onions and put on a sandwich. Second to the chanterelle, and considered almost as
delicious, is the porcini mushroom, or Karl-Johansvamp named after Charles XIV John (Karl
XIV Johan) who introduced its use as food.The internationally most renowned Swedish meal is
the meatballs, or köttbullar.Typical smörgås (an open sandwich) with hard-boiled eggs and cod
roe caviar from a tube.Potatoes are the main complement to most dishes. Only in the last 50
years have other complements such as rice and spaghetti become standard on the dinner table.
There are several different kinds of potatoes: the most appreciated is the new potato, which
ripens in early summer, and is enjoyed at the feast called Midsummer. Other sorts of potatoes are
eaten all year around.
Other typical Swedish dishes:
1. Smörgåsbord — Smorgasbord
2. Köttbullar — Swedish meatballs
3. Julskinka — Christmas ham
4. Inlagd sill — Pickled herring
5. Surströmming — Fermented Baltic herring - a rather different tasting species of herring - it
has
about 10% fat whereas Atlantic herring is 16% - this may occur because of the Baltic having half
the salt
concentration of usual seas.
6. Gravad lax — Salmon, salted, and cured 7. Kåldolmar — Cabbage rolls
8. Raggmunk — Potato pancakes 9. Blodpudding — Black pudding
10. Kaviar — Swedish caviar comes in tubes and is typically made from cod roe.
CUISINES OF NORWAY
Norwegian cuisine is in its traditional form largely based on the raw materials readily available
in a country dominated by mountains, wilderness and the sea. Hence, it differs in many respects
from its continental counterparts with a stronger focus on game and fish.Modern Norwegian
cuisine, although still strongly influenced by its traditional background, now bears the marks of
globalization: Pastas, pizzas and the like are as common as meatballs and cod as staple foods,
and urban restaurants sport the same selection you would expect to find in any western
European city.
SEAFOOD
The one traditional Norwegian dish with a claim to international popularity is the smoked
salmon. It is now a major export, and could be considered the most important Norwegian
contribution to modern international cuisine. Smoked salmon exists traditionally in many
varieties, and is often served with scrambled eggs, dill, sandwiches or mustard sauce. Close to
smoked salmon is gravlaks, (literally "dug salmon"), which is salt-and-sugar-cured salmon
seasoned with dill and (optionally) other herbs and spices. Gravlaks is often sold under more
sales-friendly names internationally. A more peculiar Norwegian fish dish is Rakfisk, which
consists of fermented trout, a culinary relation of Swedish surströmming.The largest Norwegian
food export in the past has been (Tørrfisk, Clipfish) - stockfish in English, in Portuguese
'bacalhau', - dried codfish. The atlantic cod variety known as 'skrei' because of its migrating
habits, has been a source of wealth for millennia, fished annually in what is known as the
'Lofotfiske' after the island chain of 'Lofoten]'. Tørrfisk has been a staple food internationally for
centuries, in particular on the Iberian peninsula and the African coast. Both during the age of sail
and in the industrial age, tørrfisk played a part in world history as an enabling food for cross-
Atlantic trade and the slave trade triangle.A large number of fish dishes are popular today, based
a large variety of species, such as salmon, cod, herring, sardine products and mackerel. Seafood
is used fresh, smoked, salted or pickled. Variations on creamed seafood soups are common along
the coastline.
Due to its availability, seafood dishes along the coast are usually based on fresh produce, cooked
by steaming and very lightly spiced with herbs, pepper and salt. While most coastal Norwegians
consider the head, caviar sack and liver an inseparable part of a steamed seafood meal, most
inland restaurants will spare diners this part of the experience. A number of the species available
have traditionally been avoided or reserved for bait, but most common seafood is part of the
modern menu.
MEAT & GAME
High cuisine is very reliant on game, such as moose, reindeer and fowl. These meats are often
hunted and sold or passed around as gifts, rather than bought in shops, and as such tend to be
served at social occasions. Because these meats have a distinct, strong taste, they will often be
served with matching condiments like wild berry jam, juniper berries and rich sauces.Preserved
meat and sausages come in a bewildering variety of regional variations, and are usually
accompanied by sour cream dishes and flat bread or wheat/potato wraps. Particularly sought after
delicacies include the fenalår, a slow-cured lamb's leg, and morr, usually a smoked cured
sausage, though the exact definition may vary regionally. Due to a partial survival of an early
medieval taboo against touching dead horses, eating horse meat was nearly unheard of until
recent decades, though it does find some use in sausages.Lamb's meat and mutton is very popular
in autumn, mainly used in fårikål (mutton stew with cabbage). Pinnekjøtt, cured and sometimes
smoked mutton ribs that is boiled for several hours, is traditionally served as Christmas dinner in
the western parts of Norway. Another Western specialty is smalahove, a smoked lamb's head.
Because of industrial whaling, whale was commonly used as a cheap substitute for beef early in
the 20th century. More recently, a combination of rising prices stemming from a quota reduced
to ca. 300 animals p.a. and the easily ruined flavour of the meat has made whale a much rarer
delicacy. Eating whale meat, although not common, is not controversial in Norway.
FRUIT & DESSERTS
Fruits and berries mature slowly in the cold climate. This makes for a tendency to smaller
volume with a more intense taste. Strawberries, apples and cherries are popular and are part of a
variety of desserts. German and Nordic-style cakes and pastries, such as sponge cakes and
Danish pastry (known as Wienerbrød or "Vienna bread") share the table with sweet breads -
kaffebrød (coffee bread, named for its accompaniment, not ingredients), waffles and bisquits.
Cardamom is a common flavouring.Coffee is an extremely common part of social life, enjoyed
both before and after meals, with desserts and with liqour. The average Norwegian consumes
160 liters of coffee p.a, or ten kilo per person. 80% of the population drinks coffee. As in the rest
of the west, recent years have seen a shift from coffee made by boiling ground beans to Italian-
style coffee bars, tended by professional Baristas.

DAIRY PRODUCTS
Dairy is still extremely popular in Norway, though the variety of traditional products available
and commonly in use is severely reduced. Cheese is an export, in particular the plain-brand
favourite Jarlsberg cheese. The sweet geitost or brown/red cheese (not a true cheese, but rather
caramelized lactose from goat milk or a mix of goat and cow milk) is very popular in cooking
and with bread. More sophisticated or extreme cheeses include the gammelost (lit. "old cheese"),
an over-matured, highly pungent brown cheese.
Mexican cuisine
Mexican cuisine consists of the cooking cuisines and traditions of the modern country of
Mexico. Its earliest roots lie in Mesoamerican cuisine. Its ingredients and methods begin with the
first agricultural communities such as the Olmec and Maya who domesticated maize, created the
standard process of maize nixtamalization, and established their foodways.Successive waves of
other Mesoamerican groups brought with them their own cooking methods. These included: the
Teotihuacanos, Toltec, Huastec, Zapotec, Mixtec, Otomi, Purépecha, Totonac, Mazatec,
Mazahua, and Nahua. With the Mexica formation of the multi-ethnic Triple Alliance (Aztec
Empire), culinary foodways became infused (Aztec cuisine).Today's food staples native to the
land include corn (maize), turkey, beans, squash, amaranth, chia, avocados, tomatoes, tomatillos,
cacao, vanilla, agave, spirulina, sweet potato, cactus, and chili pepper. Its history over the
centuries has resulted in regional cuisines based on local conditions, including Baja Med,
Chiapas, Veracruz, Oaxacan, and the American cuisines of New Mexican and Tex-Mex.
After the Spanish Conquest of the Aztec empire and the rest of Mesoamerica, Spaniards
introduced a number of other foods, the most important of which were meats from domesticated
animals (beef, pork, chicken, goat, and sheep), dairy products (especially cheese and milk), rice,
sugar, olive oil and various fruits and vegetables. Various cooking styles and recipes were also
introduced from Spain both throughout the colonial period and by Spanish immigrants who
continued to arrive following independence. Spanish influence in Mexican cuisine is also
noticeable in its sweets such as: alfajores, alfeniques, borrachitos and churros.Asian and African
influences were also introduced during this era as a result of African slavery in New Spain and
the Manila-Acapulco Galleons.Mexican cuisine is an important aspect of the culture, social
structure and popular traditions of Mexico. The most important example of this connection is the
use of mole for special occasions and holidays, particularly in the South and Central regions of
the country. For this reason and others, traditional Mexican cuisine was inscribed in 2010 on the
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO

Regional cuisines
Chiapas
Cochito, a dish exclusive to Chiapas.
Similar to other regions in Mexico, corn is a dietary staple and other indigenous foods remain
strong in the cuisine as well. Along with a chile called simojovel, used nowhere else in the
country, the cuisine is also distinguished by the use of herbs, such as chipilín and hierba santa.
Like in Oaxaca, tamales are usually wrapped in banana leaves (or sometimes with the leaves of
hoja santa), but often chipilín is incorporated into the dough. As in the Yucatán Peninsula, boiled
corn is drunk as a beverage called pozol, but here it is usually flavored with all-natural
cacao.Another beverage (which can be served hot or cold) typical from this region is Tascalate,
which is made of powdered maize, cocoa beans, achiote (annatto), chilies, pine nuts and
cinnamon.
The favored meats are beef, pork and chicken (introduced by the Spanish), especially in the
highlands, which favors the raising of livestock. The livestock industry has also prompted the
making of cheese, mostly done on ranches and in small cooperatives, with the best known from
Ocosingo, Rayón and Pijijiapan. Meat and cheese dishes are frequently accompanied by
vegetables, such as squash, chayote, and carrots.

Mexico City
A taco stand in the Tacubaya neighborhood of Mexico City.The main feature of Mexico City
cooking is that it has been influenced by those of the other regions of Mexico, as well as a
number of foreign influences. This is because Mexico City has been a center for migration of
people from all over Mexico since pre-Hispanic times. Most of the ingredients of this area's
cooking are not grown in situ, but imported from all of the country (such as tropical fruits).
Street cuisine is very popular, with taco stands, and lunch counters on every street. Popular foods
in the city include barbacoa (a specialty of the central highlands), birria (from western Mexico),
cabrito (from the north), carnitas (originally from Michoacán), mole sauces (from Puebla and
central Mexico), tacos with many different fillings, and large sub-like sandwiches called tortas,
usually served at specialized shops called 'Torterías'.This is also the area where most of Mexico's
haute cuisine can be found. There are eateries that specialize in pre-Hispanic food, including
dishes with insects.

Northern Mexico

A cabrito (goat) on a spit in Monterrey, Nuevo León.The foods eaten in what is now the north of
Mexico have differed from those in the south since the pre-Hispanic era. Here, the indigenous
people were hunter-gatherers with limited agriculture and settlements because of the arid land
Grilled arrachera, shrimp, sausage, onions, potatoes and chiles toreados served on an iron skillet.
When the Europeans arrived, they found much of the land in this area suitable for raising cattle,
goats and sheep. This led to the dominance of meat, especially beef, in the region, and some of
the most popular dishes include machaca, arrachera and cabrito.The region's distinctive cooking
technique is grilling, as ranch culture has promoted outdoor cooking done by men.The ranch
culture has also prompted cheese production and the north produces the widest varieties of
cheese in Mexico. These include queso fresco (fresh farmer's cheese), ranchero (similar to
Monterey Jack), cuajada (a mildly sweet, creamy curd of fresh milk), requesón (similar to
cottage cheese or ricotta), Chihuahua's creamy semi-soft queso menonita, and fifty-six varieties
of asadero (smoked cheese).
Another important aspect of northern cuisine is the presence of wheat, especially in the use of
flour tortillas. The area has at least forty different types of flour tortillas.The main reason for this
is that much of the land supports wheat production, introduced by the Spanish. These large
tortillas allowed for the creation of burritos, usually filled with machaca in Sonora, which
eventually gained popularity in the Southwest United States.

Carne a la tampiqueña
The variety of foodstuffs in the north is not as varied as in the south of Mexico, because of the
mostly desert climate. Much of the cuisine of this area is dependent on food preservation
techniques, namely dehydration and canning. Dried foods include meat, chiles, squash, peas,
corn, lentils, beans and dried fruit. A number of these are also canned. Preservation techniques
change the flavor of foods; for example, many chiles are less hot after drying.

In Northeastern Mexico, during the Spanish colonial period, Nuevo León was founded and
settled by Spanish families of Jewish origin (Crypto-Jews). They contributed to the regional
cuisine with dishes, such as Pan de Semita or "Semitic Bread" (a type of bread made without
leavening), and cabrito or "baby goat", which is the typical food of Monterrey and the state of
Nuevo León, as well as some regions of Coahuila.
The north has seen waves of immigration by the Chinese, Mormons, and Mennonites, who have
influenced the cuisines in areas, such as Chihuahua and Baja California. Most recently, Baja
Med cuisine has emerged in Ensenada and elsewhere in Baja California, combining Mexican and
Mediterranean flavors.

Oaxaca
Chocolate being poured at a market at Villa de Etla, Oaxaca
Tlayuda
The cooking of Oaxaca remained more intact after the conquest, as the Spanish took the area
with less fighting and less disruption of the economy and food production systems. However, it
was the first area to experience the mixing of foods and cooking styles, while central Mexico
was still recuperating. Despite its size, the state has a wide variety of ecosystems and a wide
variety of native foods. Vegetables are grown in the central valley, seafood is abundant on the
coast and the area bordering Veracruz grows tropical fruits.
Much of the state's cooking is influenced by that of the Mixtec and, to a lesser extent, the
Zapotec. Later in the colonial period, Oaxaca lost its position as a major food supplier and the
area's cooking returned to a more indigenous style, keeping only a small number of foodstuffs,
such as chicken and pork. It also adapted mozzarella, brought by the Spanish, and modified it to
what is now known as Oaxaca cheese.
Enchiladas with tasajo beef.
One major feature of Oaxacan cuisine is its seven mole varieties, second only to mole poblano in
popularity. The seven are Negro (black), Amarillo (yellow), Coloradito (little red), Mancha
Manteles (table cloth stainer), Chichilo (smoky stew), Rojo (red), and Verde (green).
Corn is the staple food in the region. Tortillas are called blandas and are a part of every meal.
Corn is also used to make empanadas, tamales and more. Black beans are favored, often served
in soup or as a sauce for enfrijoladas. Oaxaca's regional chile peppers include pasilla oaxaqueña
(red, hot and smoky), along with amarillos (yellow), chilhuacles, chilcostles and costeños. These,
along with herbs, such as hoja santa, give the food its unique taste.
Another important aspect of Oaxacan cuisine is chocolate, generally consumed as a beverage. It
is frequently hand ground and combined with almonds, cinnamon and other ingredients.

Veracruz

Huachinango a la veracruzana, a dish based on red snapper.

The cuisine of Veracruz is a mix of indigenous, Afro-Mexican and Spanish. The indigenous
contribution is in the use of corn as a staple, as well as vanilla (native to the state) and herbs
called acuyo and hoja santa. It is also supplemented by a wide variety of tropical fruits, such as
papaya, mamey and zapote, along with the introduction of citrus fruit and pineapple by the
Spanish. The Spanish also introduced European herbs, such as parsley, thyme, marjoram, bay
laurel, cilantro and others, which characterize much of the state's cooking. They are found in the
best known dish of the region Huachinango a la veracruzana, a red snapper dish.[citation needed]
The African influence is from the importation of slaves through the Caribbean, who brought
foods with them, which had been introduced earlier to Africa by the Portuguese. As it borders the
Gulf coast, seafood figures prominently in most of the state. The state's role as a gateway to
Mexico has meant that the dietary staple of corn is less evident than in other parts of Mexico,
with rice as a heavy favorite. Corn dishes include garnachas (a kind of corn cake), which are
readily available especially in the mountain areas, where indigenous influence is strongest.

Anthropologist and restauranteur Raquel Torres Cerdán has worked to preserve and record many
of the foods of indigenous peoples of the region.

Western Mexico
Chilaquiles
West of Mexico City is the Pacific coast and the states of Michoacán, Jalisco and Colima. The
cuisine of Michoacan is based on the Purepecha culture which still dominates most of the state.
The area has a large network of rivers and lakes providing fish. Its use of corn is perhaps the
most varied. While atole is drunk in most parts of Mexico, it is made with more different flavors
in Michoacán, including blackberry, cascabel chili and more. Tamales come in different shapes,
wrapped in corn husks. These include those folded into polyhedrons called corundas and can
vary in name if the filling is different. In the Bajío area, tamales are often served with a meat
stew called churipo, which is flavored with cactus fruit.

The main Spanish contributions to Michoacán cuisine are rice, pork and spices. One of the best-
known dishes from the state is morisquesta, which is a sausage and rice dish, closely followed by
carnitas, which is deep-fried (confit technique) pork. The latter can be found in many parts of
Mexico, often claimed to be authentically Michoacán. Other important ingredients in the cuisine
include wheat (where bread symbolizes fertility) found in breads and pastries. Another is sugar,
giving rise to a wide variety of desserts and sweets, such as fruit jellies and ice cream, mostly
associated with the town of Tocumbo. The town of Cotija has a cheese named after it. The local
alcoholic beverage is charanda, which is made with fermented sugar cane.
The cuisine of the states of Jalisco and Colima is noted for dishes such as birria, chilayo,
menudo, and pork dishes.[82] Jalisco's cuisine is known for tequila, with the liquor produced
only in certain areas allowed to use the name. The cultural and gastronomic center of the area is
Guadalajara, an area where both agriculture and cattle raising have thrived. The best-known dish
from the area is birria, a stew of goat, beef, mutton, or pork, with chiles and spices.
An important street food is tortas ahogadas, where the torta (sandwich) is drowned in a chile
sauce. Near Guadalajara is the town of Tonalá, known for its pozole, a hominy stew, reportedly
said in the 16th century, to have been originally created with human flesh for ritual use.The area
which makes tequila surrounds the city. A popular local drink is tejuino, made from fermented
corn. Bionico is also a popular dessert in the Guadalajara area.On the Pacific coast, seafood is
common, generally cooked with European spices along with chile, and is often served with a
spicy salsa. Favored fish varieties include marlin, swordfish, snapper, tuna, shrimp and octopus.
Tropical fruits are also important. The cuisine of the Baja California Peninsula is especially
heavy on seafood, with the widest variety. It also features a mild green chile pepper, as well as
dates, especially in sweets.

Traditional Mexican Food

Mexican food ingredients
The hearty warmth of authentic Mexican food is hard to beat! While this cuisine has regional
variations, there are certain key ingredients that you’ll find in nearly any dish you try. These
ingredients are the hallmarks of this regional style of cooking.
Spices And Herbs
The spices and seasonings that go into a traditional dish aren’t always spicy! There’s a full
spectrum of savory, spicy, and sweet to choose from. Cumin, cayenne, and black pepper are
popular seasonings used to give Mexican food its familiar zesty taste.
Cilantro also goes hand-in-hand with Mexican cuisine. For those who love the fresh, pungent
scent and taste, cilantro is what defines the dish.
Avocados
This rich, buttery fruit is a true Mexican staple. Avocado adds a Mexican flair to almost any dish,
including such basics as sandwiches and salads.
Beans
Both black beans and pinto beans are go-to staples, depending on the dish and the preference of
the chef. Each can be made into refried beans by buying them whole, soaking in a spice mixture,
then mashing and refrying.
Cheeses
Made in Mexico, queso Oaxaca is a white cheese ideal for quesadillas. If your local Mexican
market doesn’t carry it, substitute mozzarella. Queso fresco is a soft, crumbly cheese that adds a
touch of saltiness to dishes like enchiladas. You can substitute Mild Feta for it.
Chipotles
Buy these smoke-dried jalapeños canned and they’ll last up to six months. (Transfer them to a jar
after opening.) Used frequently for salsas and marinades, chipotles have a slight heat
accompanied by a smoky flavor.
Mexican Chocolate
Mexican chocolate has a bitter, earthy flavor that pairs nicely with other ingredients in dishes as
various as mousses and flans and spiced turkey breast and mole sauce. Nowadays it can be found
in many large grocery stores and in Latin markets, but you can substitute semisweet chocolate
plus a dash of cinnamon.
Crema
Crema is basically a Mexican version of sour cream. It can be used in hot or cold sauces, adding
that last punch of bright, tangy flavor. It can bring flautas or tacos to the next level. In bigger
cities, you’ll probably find crema in large supermarkets and Mexican grocery stores. If you can’t
find it, you can substitute sour cream in any dish except a hot sauce (since heating sour cream
can make it separate or curdle).
Limes
The humble lime is a Mexican cook’s most flavorful tool. It’s a must-have ingredient for
finishing a dish—squeeze it on tacos, into salsa, and on just about anything that benefits from a
bright, tart pop of flavor.
Oregano
This variety is a little more aggressive and savory than the herb that Americans are use. You can
get it at specialty stores, most Mexican markets, and some well-stocked supermarkets. If you
can’t find it, use regular oregano.
Poblanos
These mild chili peppers are prevalent in Mexican dishes, especially when roasted and peeled.
(Once cut into strips, they’re called rajas.) They’re in everything from salsas to quesadillas
tochiles rellenos.
Tomatoes
Mexican cuisine incorporates a wide variety of sauces, many of them tomato-based. Buy the best
tomatoes you can find in season.
These staple ingredients are most responsible for making traditional Mexican food dishes so
wonderful. Whether you decide to stir-fry, deep fry or bake, Mexican cooking is a very enjoyable
experience that we’re sure you will love,

Essential Mexican Cooking Utensils

Mexican Cooking Tools
Mexican cuisine has been developed over thousands of years. Thus, these delicacies are rich and
can be complex and intimidating to newbies as they feature age-old skills and cultural practices.
However, it is not so complicated and daunting if you are equipped with several recipes, can
identify the perfect ingredients and seasonings, and own the right Mexican cookware.
The essential Mexican cooking utensils you need to ensure your Mexican food won’t lack in
flavor, texture, and authenticity are the Comal, molcajete, metate, tortillero, churrera, among
other cookware. These vital tools are suited to specific use to bring out the best of the unique
Mexican cuisine.Although you can still make do with what you have in your kitchen, getting the
essential Mexican cooking utensils makes a lot of difference in how the meals turn out.
Below is a list of 18 vital Mexican cooking essentials that will take your cooking from okay to
the talk of the next potluck brunch you are invited to.
Tortillero, Tortilla Warmer
It is an indisputable fact that making traditional Mexican dishes becomes manageable and more
fun with the proper utensils.These specific utensils ensure that you get certain textures, tastes,
shapes, and flavors right.They also make cooking Mexican dishes convenient and not as complex
as most people assume it is.For instance, a tortilla warmer will help you save time and energy
bills as you do not need to warm your tortillas repeatedly.A food processor ensures you get the
perfect coarseness in your salsa fast, and grinding spices on the metate will help you extract the
richest flavors.Here is a more detailed explanation of these Mexican cooking utensils and more.

1. Cuchara de Madera (Wooden Spatula)

Wooden spoons and spatulas are preferred for Mexican cooking due to their ability to gently
work your tacos and fajitas without scratching and destroying your skillets.

2. Exprimidor de Lima (Lime Squeezer)

Most Mexican dishes are not complete without a dash of zesty lime juice.Therefore, you need the
lime squeezer, which extracts a lot of savory goodness from your limes, which is great for
enhancing the acidity of your favorite meals and drinks.Some of the foods and drinks that always
call for a dash of lime juice include margaritas, tortilla masa, Mexican lime soup, limonadas,
Mexican ceviche, and garlic-lime chicken tacos.

3. Cazuela Pans
Like many other Mexican essential cooking items, the cazuela pan is multipurpose, allowing you
to prepare a variety of mouthwatering delicacies.It is made even better by its terracotta clay
construction, which ensures it can withstand high temperatures and makes it suitable for
barbeque, oven, and stove-top use.We recommend the Rustic Cazuela Pan from Amazon.com
that can be used to cook everything and anything.The pan is also dishwasher and microwave
safe, ensuring you enjoy making the perfect tacos, enchiladas, burritos, and chilaquiles with no
worries whatsoever.

4. Olla de Barro Frijolero (Ceramic Clay Pot)

If you want the tastiest and perfectly cooked beans, we recommend ditching your pressure
cooker or instant pot and pressure cooker and going for the Olla de Barro Frijolero.This
traditional ceramic bean cooking pot has been in use since time immemorial and remains the best
pot to make a mean bean stew.That’s thanks to its round shape and clay’s ability to hold heat
constantly and spread it evenly.Just throw in some onions, garlic, seasoning, and water, then
leave it to cook slowly and evenly, allowing the beans to soak up the flavors and moisture.
You could also use it for braised meat and Mexican veggie dishes.
The pros of the Olla de Barro Frijolero in a modern home include the fact that it is dishwasher-,
microwave-, and oven-safe.

5. Comal (Tortilla Griddle)

The flat Mexican cast iron or clay pan makes the best tortillas, which are tender, flavorful, and
that have a character to them.You can also use the Comal to make empanadas, quesadillas,
tortilla chips, and heat leftover pizza.It is also the tool to run to when you need to dry-roast salsa
ingredients, like chilies, tomatoes, garlic, and onions.Additionally, because it is made of thin
steel, it makes a good griddle, and with just a slight greasing, you can make delicious pancakes.

6. Tortillero (Tortilla Warmer)

A handcrafted tortillero is essential in any tortilla lover’s kitchen.It will come in handy whether
you like to make tortillas yourself or prefer the store-bought option.You can always depend on
your tortillero to keep your tortillas warm, tasty, and toasty until you are ready to eat or until
your guests arrive.
7. Molcajete (Mortar and Pestle)
The molcajete is a unique pestle and mortar option that is made of clay or lava.The authentic
Mexican version is not made of cement, which usually sheds into food and can be dangerous
when ingested. But still quite heavy.However, don’t forget to cure the clay or lave version before
use, to enhance its durability.We love the molcajete because it is the only sure way you will ever
make the creamiest and dreamiest guacamole with an unbeatable texture.

8. Tortilladora (Tortilla Press)

A tortilla press is the true definition of convenience in the kitchen because it saves you loads of
energy you would use when making tortillas.Today, tortilla presses are made of cast iron and
feature two round plates engineered to avoid pinching and a lever that presses masa placed
between the plates.The tortilladora is heavyweight to ensure more consistency and less effort
when making thin and flat tortillas, flatbread, plantain tombstones, and empanadas.It is ideal for
making corn tortillas instead of wheat tortillas, which contain gluten that does not allow them to
be pressed flat enough with the tortilladora.Apart from being easy to clean, it is easy to use as
you only need to have premade masa, which you cut into tiny squares and place in a plastic bag
to prevent the masa from sticking to the plates, then press it between the plates.

9. Molinillo (Wooden Whisk)

The use of the Molinillo dates back to the 1930s as a fondly used Mexican and Central American
kitchen tool for making the best hot chocolate.It was also considered a sign of wealth and
hospitality.The Molinillo is a handcrafted utensil made of a piece of wood that has a striate with
two rings and a hollow sphere in the middle.You will need to hold it and spin it between your
hands to froth milk or whisk chocolate.
10. Fajita Pan
You don’t need to wait for the crowds at your favorite Mexican restaurant to die down so that
you can enjoy your favorite fajitas.Instead, you can get a cast iron fajita pan and enjoy making
mouthwatering fajitas for yourself as well as impress friends and family whenever they come
over.
11. Food Processor
The multipurpose use of a food processor makes it a popular cookware item in any modern
Mexican kitchen.It helps you to make the best chunky salsa fast and easily.You can also use it
for anything that needs to be chopped roughly.Getting a blender and food processor combination
offers more advantages.For instance, with the blender, you can make the best-pureed sauces.

12. Mexican Wok

The Mexican Wok is perfect for deep frying dishes, like tortilla chips, and outside cooking tasks,
like fried pork, carnitas, mojarras and even churros.Its brush-finished stainless steel design
makes it ideal for making fillings, like enchilada filings and tortilla toppings.
Moreover, its design makes it suitable for use with portable gas stoves and many other cooking
equipment.

13. Metate (Hand Grinder)

The metate is a large Mexican kitchen utensil that consists of large rectangular lava rock or stone
that is slightly concave, slants towards one rear, and sits on three relatively short legs.It also
comes with a large cylindrical rock, with tapered ends made of the same material. This tool is
used to mix and grind various cooking ingredients.In most instances, you will find a use for it
when you are looking to grind corn for atole or tortillas.Alternatively, you can use it to grind dry
chilies, spices, and a variety of seeds.A tray is placed on one end to collect the finished product.
With this product, you do not need to worry about food safety and contamination as it is natural
and, thus, free of toxins or lead.Finally, it is the kind of tool you only buy once, as when used
correctly and carefully
14. Vaporera Para Tamales (Steamer)
The steamer is among the utensils you will find in every Mexican home.It comes in various
designs and brands, but generally, the Vaporera Para Tamale comes as a large stockpot with a lid
and a steam rack. It is specially designed for batch cooking.The Vaporera para Tamale is also
ideal for outdoor cooking, and you can use it to make the best tamales, Mexican soups and stews.
You could also use it to steam or boil vegetables and seafood perfectly and healthily.
Here is an interactive video showing you how to steam tamales in a pot

15. Churrera
A churrera is a kitchen utensil used to make elongated Mexican doughnuts, known as churros.
It looks like an icing tube but with larger nozzles.To make these Mexican desserts using the
churrera, follow this procedure Put the dough in the churrera tube.Force out the patterned dough
strips using the piston.Fry in hot oil.Various churrera nozzles allow you to create differently
patterned churros, pasta strips, and pipe mashed potatoes. The kitchen equipment can be made of
either metal or plastic.

16. Empanadera (Dough Press)

The dough press is designed to prepare calzones, empanadas, hand pies, and dumplings for fun,
faster, and easier time.With the empanadera, you only need to have the pre-cut dough, place it on
the press, stuff it, press, and there you have your perfectly molded empanada.
17. Vitrolero
A vitrolero is one of the kitchen essentials you will find in Mexican cuisine restaurants and
taquerias.It is a clear, cylindrical large plastic or glass jar used to hold ice-cold beverages, like
aguas frescas, horchata, or party punch.
18. Escobeta
An escobeta is a kitchen essential that is meant to bring convenience to your kitchen.The small
bristle root brush is used to clean root vegetables, and rid pots, pans, dishes, countertops, and
other food remains and residue surfaces, making dishwashing easier. They are relatively small,
about 9cm (3.5”), and pretty durable. However, some bristles will break during use, but these
should not worry you as they are organic, thus, safe to wash down the sink drain.
 Unit -4

Mediterranean, Oriental, World Marche-Ingredient, Characteristics, Equipment used.

Mediterranean Cuisine

Mediterranean cuisine is the food and methods of preparation used by the people of the
Mediterranean Basin. The idea of a Mediterranean cuisine originates with the cookery writer
Elizabeth David's book, A Book of Mediterranean Food (1950) and was amplified by other
writers working in English.Many writers define the three core elements of the cuisine as the
olive, wheat, and the grape, yielding olive oil, bread and pasta, and wine; other writers deny that
the widely varied foods of the Mediterranean basin constitute a cuisine at all. A common
definition of the geographical area covered, proposed by David, follows the distribution of the
olive tree.The region spans a wide variety of cultures with distinct cuisines, in particular (going
anticlockwise around the region) the Maghrebi, Egyptian, Levantine, Ottoman (Turkish), Greek,
Italian, French (Provençal), and Spanish, though some authors include additional cuisines.
Portuguese cuisine, in particular, is partly Mediterranean in character.The historical connections
of the region, as well as the impact of the Mediterranean Sea on the region's climate and
economy, mean that these cuisines share dishes beyond the core trio of oil, bread, and wine, such
as roast lamb or mutton, meat stews with vegetables and tomato (for example, Spanish andrajos),
vegetable stews (Provençal ratatouille, Spanish pisto, Italian ciambotta), and the salted cured fish
roe, bottarga, found across the region. Spirits based on anise are drunk in many countries around
the Mediterranean.The cooking of the area is not to be confused with the Mediterranean diet,
made popular because of the apparent health benefits of a diet rich in olive oil, wheat and other
grains, fruits, vegetables, and a certain amount of seafood, but low in meat and dairy products.
Mediterranean cuisine encompasses the ways that these and other ingredients, including meat,
are dealt with in the kitchen, whether they are health-giving or not.

Ingredients
Essid identifies the "trinity" of basic ingredients of traditional Mediterranean cuisine as the olive,
wheat, and the grape, yielding oil, bread, and wine respectively.The archaeologist Colin Renfrew
calls this the "Mediterranean triad".

Olive

The olive appears to come from the region of Persia and Mesopotamia, at least 6,000 years ago.
It spread from there to nearby areas, and has been cultivated since the early Bronze Age (up to
3,150 BC) in southern Turkey, the Levant, and Crete. The ten countries with the largest harvests
(in 2011) are all near the Mediterranean (Portugal being the tenth largest): together, they produce
95% of the world's olives.

The olive yields bitter fruits, made edible by curing and fermentation, and olive oil. Some 90%
of the fruit production (1996) goes into olive oil. The Mediterranean region accounts for the
world's highest consumption of olive oil: in 2014, the highest-consuming country, Greece, used
17 kg[a] per head; Italy, 12 kg, Spain, 13 kg; the United States for comparison used only 1 kg per
head.

Wheat

Wheat was domesticated in the Fertile Crescent, in and near the Levant some 10,000 years ago.
Its ancestors include wild emmer wheat; this was hybridised, harvested and sown to create
domestic strains with larger grains, in ears that shatter less readily than wild forms. It was spread
across the Mediterranean region as far as Spain by 5,000 BC.Wheat is a staple food in the
Mediterranean region. Wheat bread was already critically important in the empire of Ancient
Rome, which included the entire region; at that time, around 2,000 years ago, North Africa was
the "breadbasket" of the empire. Other staple wheat-based Mediterranean foods include pasta and
semolina (wheat middlings) products such as couscous and bulgur. In turn, these are made into
dishes such as the Greek dessert galaktoboureko (milk börek), consisting of filo pastry parcels
around a custard made with semolina. A widespread wheat dish from Turkey and the Levant to
Iran and India is halva, a dessert of sweetened semolina with butter, milk, and pine kernels.

Grape

The grape was domesticated between 7,000 and 4,000 BC between the Black Sea and Persia;
archaeological evidence shows that wine was being made there by 6,000 BC, reaching Greece
and Crete in the fifth millennium BC and Spain by the last millennium BC. Winemaking started
in Italy in the ninth century BC, and in France around 600 BC.Grapes are mostly grown for
making wine and vinegar as basic components of the Mediterranean diet, as well for drying as
raisins or for eating as table grapes. Raisins and table grape varieties are chosen for their flavour.
Grape production remains important in the Mediterranean area, with Southern Europe accounting
for 21% of the world's harvest. In 2014, Italy produced 6.9 million tonnes (mt) of grapes, Spain
6.2 mt, France 6.2 mt, Turkey 4.2 mt, and Germany 1.2 mt. Wine production for Southern
Europe was 37% of the world total in 2014, with Italy producing 4.8 mt, Spain 4.6 mt, France 4.3
mt, and Germany 0.9 mt.

Greek Yoghurt

Greek yoghurt is a staple in the Mediterranean diet, and most commonly found in the eastern
Mediterranean. It differs from regular yoghurt in that it’s strained to remove all the whey,
making it thicker and creamier in texture. It’s also a healthier option as it contains more protein
and less sugar than regular yoghurt. Greek yoghurt isn’t just consumed at breakfast — it’s added
to sauces, dips like tzatziki, and incorporated into main dishes. You can even mix things up in
the morning with this recipe for Turkish eggs served with yoghurt.

Cheese

Cheese is another dairy product that you’ll find in Mediterranean cooking. However, many of the
traditional Mediterranean cheeses come from sheep or goats’ milk — these include feta,
halloumi, manchego and ricotta. Cheese is used in pasta, in sauces, and crumbled over salads,
just like the popular Greek salad — a medley of tomatoes, olives, cucumbers, onion and feta
cheese. Halloumi is a popular choice as it has a unique rubbery texture which holds its shape
when grilled, baked or fried. Try this recipe for fried halloumi with zahtar. Parmesan is another
cheese native to the region. It’s lactose-free and rich in vitamins and minerals, making it a
healthier option than other cheeses like brie.

Olives

Think Mediterranean food and olives almost certainly come to mind. They’re a cornerstone of
Mediterranean cuisine, and these fruits come with impressive nutritional benefits. They’re a great
source of vitamin E, antioxidants and boast healthy unsaturated fats. Green and black olives are
the same thing, the difference being what stage of ripeness they’re picked at. Olives taste great
right out of the jar, but you can also add them to salads and flatbreads, stirred into dips, added to
marinades, turned into tapenades, placed on a charcuterie board, or added to this fish with black
olives and harissa stew.

Olive oil

Olives aren’t just added to recipes — they’re also used for their oil. Olive oil is used extensively
in Mediterranean cuisine and Italy, Spain and Greece are the top three producers in the world.
The Mediterranean diet includes healthy fats, and olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fat which
lowers ‘bad’ cholesterol levels. There are different types of olive oil, with the difference lying in
how they’re processed. Learn about the different oils here. Use olive oil as you would other
cooking oils — to fry, bake, drizzle over flatbreads, in marinades and salad dressings.

Tomatoes
Tomatoes are dubbed Italy’s ‘red gold’ — and you’ll also find these fruits in all kinds of dishes
across the Mediterranean region. They’re used in everything you could think of: sauces, stews,
soups, dips, salads, pasta, topped on pizza and flatbread, or roasted in the oven. Tomatoes are
common in Mediterranean breakfasts, where you’ll find dishes like menemen, a Turkish one-pan
dish of scrambled eggs, tomato, green peppers and spices. It’s similar to strapatsada, a dish found
in Greece and Cyprus. Spice things up in the morning and check out this guide on how to make
your breakfast more Eastern Mediterranean.

Legumes

Legumes are a pantry staple in the Mediterranean diet. You’ll particularly want to use chickpeas,
cannellini, fava, kidney beans and lentils. Legumes are an inexpensive and nutrition-dense
ingredient to add texture and substance to dishes like salads, stews, falafels and dips like
hummus. Legumes are high in protein and fibre, and are linked to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes,
lower blood sugar levels and reduced cholesterol. Need more inspiration for cooking beans?
Take a look at these 10 best recipes using a tin of beans.

Herbs

No Mediterranean dish would be complete without herbs. Not only do they add flavour and
aroma, but they’re also packed with health benefits like aiding digestion, lowering cholesterol
and fighting off diseases. Additionally, using herbs reduces the need to add lots of salt. Some of
the most popular herbs used in Mediterranean cuisine include oregano, parsley, mint, basil,
thyme, dill weed, rosemary, sage and bay leaves.

Spices

As well as herbs, spices are also prominent in Mediterranean cuisine. In particular, you’ll find
spices like smoked paprika, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, red pepper flakes, turmeric, allspice,
nutmeg and sumac. Different parts of the Mediterranean also have their own spice blends, like
Italian herb seasoning, Herbes de Provence and Quatre Épices. For a deeper dive into the exotic
blends of the Med, take a look at our guide to Mediterranean spices.

Nuts and seeds

Be nuts about nuts! Don’t be afraid of the fat content in nuts. Like olive oil, nuts contain poly-
and mono-unsaturated fats, which are the healthy fats. They also contain protein and fibre, and
this combination of fat, protein and fibre is what keeps you full for longer, your blood sugar
stable, lowers your cholesterol and reduces inflammation. Nut trees are abundant across the
Mediterranean, and walnuts, pine nuts, almonds, pistachios and sesame seeds are a daily snack.
Throw a handful into your salad, blend into a pesto or dip, sprinkle onto vegetable dishes or fold
into pastas.

Grains
Whole grains should be a part of any healthy diet. There is wealth of options, and you may not
even have heard of some of them. Couscous, quinoa, polenta, buckwheat, millet, faro, bulgur
wheat, barley and brown and white rice are just some of the grains you should incorporate into
your Mediterranean cooking. Bulgur wheat in particular pairs with most Mediterranean recipes.
It’s also the main ingredient in tabbouleh, a Levantine salad with chopped parsley, tomatoes,
mint, and onion and seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and sweet pepper.

Mediterranean Cooking Equipment

The following equipment is classified as Mediterranean cooking equipment due to its functions.
Whether it is to make a whole meal or just prep some ingredients, these will be needed in your
kitchen. Mortar and pestle are used to grind spices and herbs. Often made of stone or wood, these
basic utensils help prepare the herbal elements freshly.

Spice grinders are technological versions of mortar and pestle. This upgrade will match the fast
pace of certain restaurants better and grind more with less energy. Fresh ingredients are key to
Mediterranean cuisine; buying whole herbs and grinding them later will prove very beneficial.

Citrus juicers from commercial juicers are used to squeeze lemon. As a local ingredient, lemon is
used in various recipes ranging from marinating fish to salads. Having a juicer at the ready will
save you the trouble of picking the lemon seeds and help you quickly add the necessary amount
to your food.

Countertop Food Processor

Commercial food processors are useful for many types of commercial kitchens. As a piece of
Mediterranean cooking equipment, they serve to prepare paste-like spreads and complicated
sauces for meals. All you have to do is add the ingredients to the processor and wait. Products
like hummus and various pasta sauces can be acquired this way.

The garlic press might seem like a minor detail in a big kitchen, but it is essential among
Mediterranean cooking equipment. Garlic is proven to be a very healthy ingredient, and it is used
in all sorts of Mediterranean meals to add flavor. Make sure you always have some minced garlic
around.

Ibrik coffee maker

Ibrik coffee makers are traditional Mediterranean cooking equipment to make coffee. They are
fairly more common in Turkey and Arabian countries as well as Greece. You will need an ibrik
coffee maker to nail down the taste of the region’s traditional coffees.
Sharp knives and chopping boards are indispensable to many kitchens. Mediterranean cuisine
requires a lot of chopping and dicing to melt the ingredients together. A good set of knives and a
couple of chopping boards will go a long way in helping your staff.

Traditional clay dish

Traditional clay dishes are used to enhance the tastes of many types of food. Whether that be a
meat-based meal or a dessert, clay pots and dishes are quite common. While they are serving
equipment, some recipes will have you use them during the cooking process since they are
usually oven and microwave safe.

Steel paella pans or shallow pans are considered a piece of Mediterranean cooking equipment.
They are especially useful in keeping the heat in, so most restaurants use them for cooking and
serving. This way, the meal arrives and stays hot for the customer, not to mention the aesthetic
appearance. In fact, most restaurants started to adapt shallow pans for cooking and serving
regardless of their cuisine.

Wooden cooking spoons and utensils are very interesting. Besides being traditional
Mediterranean cooking equipment, wooden utensils are very smart choices for commercial
kitchens. Wood does not conduct heat, so it won’t burn your hand like metal or melt into the pot
if forgotten there. They are very durable, and they won’t scratch your pots. But most importantly,
they are free from harmful chemicals some metal ware might contain and are recyclable. So
make sure to get a set for your business regardless of your cuisine choice.

Seafood equipment, in general, constitutes a big portion of Mediterranean cooking equipment.

Surrounded by a vast sea, many countries of the region found ways of cooking or grilling fish.
Mostly marinated with herbs, lemon, and oil, there is usually a very simple cooking process.
Acquiring the basic seafood equipment will be enough to match the requirements of the cuisine.

Commercial pasta cookers are more specific. As an Italian dish, pasta is loved by all and sought
in many types of restaurants. You can acquire pasta cookers as part of your Mediterranean
cooking equipment purchases and make fresh pasta with fresh sauces in your restaurant.

Bread and pastry equipment can also be considered Mediterranean cooking equipment since the
region is rich in wheat-based products. There are many types of bread and dough-based foods
like bruschetta and pizza. The proper bakery supplies to handle dough will allow you to broaden
your menu to new levels. Good bread will enhance the experience of other meals.

GAZPACHO
INGREDIENTS
• 2 pounds ripe Roma tomatoes, halved and cored*
• 1 small (1/2 lb) cucumber, peeled and seeded*
• 1 medium green bell pepper, cored
• 1/2 small red onion, peeled
• 2 small garlic cloves (or 1 large clove), peeled
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 thick slice of white bread, soaked, crusts removed*
• optional garnishes: homemade croutons, chopped fresh herbs, a drizzle of olive oil, or
any leftover chopped gazpacho ingredients

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Purée. Combine all ingredients together in a blender or food processor. Puree for 1
minute, or until the soup reaches your desired consistency.
2. Season. Taste and season with extra salt, pepper and/or cumin if needed.
3. Chill. Refrigerate in a sealed container for 3 to 4 hours, or until completely chilled.
4. Serve. Serve cold, topped with your desired garnishes.
Tomatoes: To core the tomatoes, simply scoop out and discard the seeds, plus any of the tough
white cores.
Cucumber: Or you can just add in half of an English cucumber, which does not need to be
seeded.
Bread: We typically just use a baguette. To soak your bread, I recommend simply running it
under the sink for few seconds to soak it with water. Then ring our the extra water and add the
bread to the blender or food processor.
Storage instructions: Leftover soup can be transferred to a food storage container and
refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
Lamprais – A Srilankan Delicacy
Description
Lamprais is most probably the most elaborate dish I have ever prepared in my entire life. But it
was totally worth it! The blend between the different flavors and textures...oh my god!
Lamprais was introduced to Sri Lanka by the Dutch colonists and it is derived from the Dutch
word “lomprijst” (lump rice). It consists of 5-7 dishes which are then mixed with the rice and
steamed in banana leaves:
• Ghee rice or Lampa rice
• Chicken curry/3-types-of-meat curry
• Brinjal moju (eggplant curry)
• Meat/tuna cutlets (Dutch Frikadellen)
• Seeni sambol (Caramelised onion relish)
• Deep-fried boiled eggs
• Fried ash plantains
• Chilli paste
Ingredients
Servings
For chicken curry
• 3 chicken wings
• 3 chicken drumsticks
• 3 chicken thighs
• 1 big onion (finely chopped)
• 1 teaspoon red chili powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 tablespoon coriander powder
• 1 pinch black pepper
• 1 tablespoon curry powder (I have used Goda masala, but you can use whatever you
want)
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 whole dry red chili
• 2 cardamom pods
• 4 Cloves
• 1 small piece of tamarind (soaked into 2-3 tbsp. hot water)
For caramelised onion relish
• 1 big onion (finely sliced)
• 1 teaspoon red chili powder
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 cardamom pod
• 1 small piece of tamarind (soaked into 2-3 tbsp. hot water)
• Few fresh curry leaves
Eggplant curry
• 200 grams eggplant
• 0.5 small onion (finely chopped)
• 2 green chillies
• 1 teaspoon red chili powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon mustard
For Tuna cutlets (Frikadellen)
• 100 grams panko breadcrumbs
• 1 can tuna
• 1 small onion (finely chopped)
• 1 small chilli (finely chopped)
• 2 small potatoes (boiled and mashed)
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 pinch black pepper
• 1 egg mixed with 2-3 tbsp water
• 1 tablespoon flour (adjust the quantities until you get a nice and thick crepe-alike batter)
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
Ghee rice
• 1 tablespoon tablespoon ghee
• 1 onion (finely chopped)
• 0.5 cups Basmati rice (soaked for 30 min, drained and washed (use any type of rice that
you like))
• 1 teaspoon chicken stock powder (use vegetable stock if vegetarian)
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 cloves
• 1 cardamom pod
• spring onions and cashews for garnishing
Instructions
Video

OffOn
Chicken curry
1. Start by marinating the chicken, Add all the powdered spices to the chicken, together
with the ginger garlic paste and the tamarind and mix everything well. Marinate for at least 30
minutes.
Mark as complete
2. Add the onion and some salt and Sautee until translucent (5 minutes).
Mark as complete
3. Add the chicken and cook everything for 20 minutes or until the chicken is completely
cooked. Add some water from time to time so that the chicken will not burn. It will release its
own juices anyway, so add water if required. Cover it and let it rest until all the other
components are ready.
Mark as complete
Caramelized onion relish
1. Mix the onion with all the spices and set aside.
Mark as complete
2. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pot and fry the curry leaves for 1 minute. Add the onion and some
salt and sautee everything for 10 minutes or until it becomes caramelized. The onion should be
soft and dark.
Mark as complete
3. After 10 minutes, add the tamarind juice and cook for further 2 minutes. Set aside and let
it rest.

Mark as complete
Eggplant curry
1. Sautee the eggplant in 1 tbsp oil until soft (5 minutes). Remove from the pan and heat
some more oil (1 tbsp) and Sautee the onion together with some salt until translucent (3-4
minutes).
Mark as complete
2. Add the chilli and spices and Sautee everything for a few seconds Add the cooked
eggplant, mix everything well and add the mustard. Set aside.
Mark as complete
Tuna cutlets (Frikadellen)
1. Start by mixing the tuna with the mashed potatoes, spices, onion and chilli. Form little
cutlets and dip them into the egg and flour mixture and then coat them with the breadcrumbs. Do
the same for all the other cutlets.
Mark as complete
2. You have 2 options: either deep-fry them or fry them in the airfryer, just like I did. They
are better deep fried, obviously, but if you want to go for a healthier version, you can just use the
airfryer (if you have one). Fry until golden.
Mark as complete
Ghee rice
1. Start by melting the ghee in a pan and add the whole spices. Let them cook for 30
seconds.
Mark as complete
2. Add the onion, add some salt and sautee for 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock powder
and the rice, mix everything well, then add the water and boil until set.
Mark as complete

Tempura Batter Recipe

Ingredients
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup water
• Ice cubes, for chilling the water
Steps to Make It
1. Gather the ingredients.

2. In a small bowl, sift the flour once or twice to remove any clumps and to make it light
and soft. Set aside.

3. In a separate medium bowl, gently beat egg until the yolk and egg whites are just barely
incorporated.

4. Combine the water and ice cubes in a cup. Using a strainer, strain the water (you should
have 1 cup of ice-cold water) and add it to the bowl with the beaten egg. Make sure you do not
actually add ice cubes to the tempura batter.

5. Add the sifted flour into the bowl with the egg and water mixture and lightly combine the
flour using chopsticks. Be careful not to overmix the batter; it should be a little lumpy.

Jack Fruit Curry and Paella.

Jackfruit Curry
Jackfruit Curry
This jackfruit curry is a home-style delicious curry made with raw jackfruit.
4.94 from 15 votes
Print Pin Save Rate
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Total Time35 mins
CuisineNorth Indian
CourseMain Course
DietVegetarian
Difficulty LevelModerate
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Servings
Units
Ingredients
For Pressure Cooking Jackfruit
• ▢250 grams jackfruit unripe – (kathal)
• ▢1 to 2 pinches turmeric powder
• ▢¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢water as required – for pressure cooking jackfruit
For Onion Paste
• ▢80 grams onion or 1 large onion or ¾ cup chopped onions
• ▢1 to 2 tablespoons water – optional and if required while grinding onions
For Tomato Masala Paste
• ▢1 tomatoes – large or 160 grams tomatoes or ¾ cup chopped tomatoes
• ▢1 inch ginger or 2 teaspoons roughly chopped ginger
• ▢8 to 10 garlic – small-sized or 2 teaspoons roughly chopped garlic
• ▢1 tablespoon mint leaves
• ▢2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro leaves)
For Jackfruit Curry
• ▢2 tablespoons oil or ghee
• ▢½ teaspoon shahi jeera (caraway seeds)
• ▢1.5 inches cinnamon
• ▢4 green cardamoms
• ▢4 cloves
• ▢1 black cardamom
• ▢1 small to medium tej patta (indian bay leaf)
• ▢¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
• ▢1 teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder
• ▢1 teaspoon Coriander Powder (ground coriander)
• ▢3 tablespoons Curd – full fat and whisked
• ▢1.25 cups water or add as required
• ▢½ teaspoon Garam Masala
• ▢2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves (cilantro leaves)
• ▢salt as required

Instructions

Pressure Cooking Jackfruit

• Apply oil on your palms, knife and chopping board. Rinse the peeled jackfruit. Then
chop the jackfruit and remove the seeds. Generally I get the peel removed from the vegetable
vendor. In case the peel is not removed, then you will have to slice off the peels. If using
chopped jackfruit already brought from outside, then rinse them in water.
• Add the jackfruit pieces in a pressure cooker. While chopping jackfruit, you can remove
the seeds if you want or add them in the dish.
• Then add 1 to 2 pinches of turmeric powder and ¼ teaspoon salt.
• Add enough water which just about cover the jackfruit pieces.
• Pressure cook for 3 to 4 whistles or for 8 to 9 minutes on medium flame.
• Once the pressure settles down, then remove the lid. Drain all the water and keep the
cooked jackfruit aside.
Preparing Onion Paste
• Meanwhile when the jackfruit is being pressure cooked, you can prep for the gravy. Add
¾ cup chopped onions in a grinder jar.
• Grind to a smooth paste without adding any water. Remove and keep aside in a bowl.
Preparing Tomato Paste
• In the same jar, then add ¾ cup chopped tomatoes. Also add 2 teaspoons roughly
chopped ginger, 2 teaspoons roughly chopped garlic, 1 tablespoon mint leaves and 2 tablespoons
chopped coriander leaves.
• Grind to a smooth paste. Keep aside.
Making Jackfruit Curry
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan or kadai.
• Then add the following spices and let them crackle – ½ teaspoon shah jeera, 1.5 inch
cinnamon, 4 green cardamoms, 4 cloves, 1 black cardamom and 1 small to medium tej patta.
You can slightly crush the green cardamoms before adding.
• Next add the ground onion paste. Be careful as the mixture splutters. If the onion paste
splutters too much, then cover the pan partly with a lid till the spluttering stops.
• Mix very well.
• On a low to medium-low flame, stirring often saute the onion paste till it becomes light
golden in color. You can even saute till it becomes golden.
• Then the tomato paste. Be careful as the mixture splutters.
• Mix very well.
• Saute the masala till you see oil releasing from its sides. Saute on a low to medium-flame
and stir often.
• Then add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder and 1
teaspoon coriander powder.
• Mix very well. saute for a minute.
• Keep the flame to a low or you can even switch off the flame. Then add 3 tablespoons
beaten full fat curd.
• As soon as you add curd, Quickly and briskly mix it very well with the onion-tomato
masala.
• Now saute on a low to medium-low flame, till you see oil releasing from the sides.
Cooking Jackfruit Curry
• Then add 1.25 cups water. mix very well. season with salt as per taste.
• Bring the curry to a simmer. You can add less or more water as per your requirements.
• Once the curry starts simmering and you see some oil specks on top, then add the cooked
jackfruit. Mix well.
• Cover the pan with a lid and simmer for 8 to 9 minutes.
• Later, sprinkle ½ teaspoon garam masala powder. Mix well.
• Switch off the flame and add 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves. Mix again.
• Serve jackfruit curry with steamed rice or chapatis.
Spanish Paella

Save Recipe
Ingredients

• ▢1/4 cup Extra virgin olive Oil (Spanish EVOO if you have it)
• ▢1 Onion , diced
• ▢1 bell pepper , diced (I like to use ½ red and ½ green)
• ▢4 cloves Garlic
• ▢3 roma tomatoes , very finely diced (or 8 oz. tomato sauce)
• ▢Bay leaf
• ▢1 teaspoon paprika , sweet or smoked
• ▢1 pinch saffron threads*
• ▢Salt and pepper
• ▢¼ cup white wine
• ▢4 boneless , skinless chicken thighs , cut into pieces*
• ▢¼ cup fresh chopped parsley chopped, divided
• ▢2 cups Spanish Rice*
• ▢5 cups Chicken Broth*
• ▢1/2 cup frozen peas
• ▢½ lb Jumbo Shrimp or prawns , about 12 – peeled, tail on
• ▢1/2 lb Mussels (about 10-12), cleaned properly (beards off)
• ▢8 oz calamari rings
• ▢Lemons , for garnish
Instructions

1. *Please note, this is my version of Paella Mixta I learned to make while living in Madrid,
Spain. I've simplified the recipe as best I could for anyone to be able to make without a special
pan or equipment. There are MANY variations to Paella so please be respectful that my authentic
recipe may be different from yours!
2. Add olive oil to a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, bell peppers and garlic and
cook until onion is translucent. Add chopped tomato, bay leaf, paprika, saffron salt and pepper.
Stir and cook for 5 minutes. Add white wine and cook for 10 minutes. Taste and add salt if
needed.
3. Add chicken pieces, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley and rice to the pot. Cook for 1
minute.
4. Pour the broth slowly all around the pan and jiggle the pan to get the rice into an even
layer. (Do not stir the mixture going forward!).
5. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low. Give the pan a gentle shake back
and forth just once or twice during cooking. (We don't ever stir the rice, so that a crispy crust
forms at the bottom, called a socarrat).
6. Cook for about 15-18 minutes (uncovered), then nestle the shrimp, mussels and calamari
into the mixture, sprinkle peas on top and continue to cook (without stirring) for about 5 more
minutes. Watch for most of the liquid to be absorbed and the rice at the top nearly tender. (If for
some reason your rice is still not cooked, add ¼ cup more water or broth and continue cooking).
7. Remove pan from heat and cover pan with a lid or tinfoil. Place a kitchen towel over the
lid and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
8. Garnish with fresh parsley and lemon slices. Serve.
Notes
*Rice: Spanish rice (also called “bomba” rice, calaspara rice, arroz redonda) is traditional in
Paella, and it’s what I recommend using. (If your grocery store doesn't carry it, try Amazon,
World Market, or an International food market). If necessary you can substitute medium grain
rice, like Calrose rice which can be found at Walmart or most grocery stores, and reduce the
broth to 3 ¾ cups. (I don’t recommend using Arborio rice or long-grain rice for Paella).
*Meat: you could also use pork, turkey, rabbit, chorizo or a combination.
*Broth: Authentic paella would include making your own fish stock from the discard shells of
seafood. I usually substitute chicken broth for convenience.
*Seafood: If you don’t like seafood, leave it out and substitute more chicken or vegetables. You
can use any combination of your favorite seafood including clams, scallops and chopped pieces
of fish. Frozen seafood is a great accessible option if you don’t live near the ocean. (Costco sells
a great mixed seafood bag in their freezer section with shrimp, mussels, clams, scallops, and
calamari.) Be sure to thaw frozen seafood in the fridge overnight before using.
If buying fresh seafood, smell it to make sure it’s fresh. It should not have a strong fishy odor.
Most of the seafood used here will smell like nothing, or just like the ocean (slightly salty). Be
sure to clean it properly (remove “beards” from mussels, if necessary).
*Saffron: this may be the most important ingredient, so it’s best to buy high quality. If your
grocery store doesn’t carry it, try an International food market, or Amazon. If necessary,
substitute 1 teaspoon saffron powder.
Adaptations:
• Use different rice: if needed, you can substitute a medium grain rice, like Calrose rice
which can be found at Walmart or most grocery stores. Reduce the chicken stock in the recipe to
a total of 3 ¾ cups.
• Substitute pork: Substitute boneless pork loin, cut into ½ inch cubes. Brown the pork
pieces in hot oil as step one in the recipe. Then set it aside as you sauté the vegetables. Add the
pork back to the pan in step 3 before boiling.
• Substitute Turkey or rabbit: Brown the meat in hot oil as step one in the recipe. Then set
it aside as you sauté the vegetables. Add the meat back to the pan in step 3 of the recipe, before
boiling.
• Substitute chorizo: Add 1 chorizo sausage cut into ½ inch discs. Brown the sausage in
hot oil as step one in the recipe. Then set it aside as you sauté the vegetables. Add chorizo back
to the pan in step 3 of the recipe, before boiling.
• Vegetarian Paella: Omit the meat and seafood and add extra vegetables, like artichoke,
green beans, mushroom, olives and asparagus. Add vegetables in step one of the recipe along
with the bell peppers.
• Valenciana Paella: this version of paella is often made with rabbit, chicken, artichokes
and green beans.

Unit -5

Italy, France, Thailand- Ingredient, Characteristics, Equipment used.

Dishes: Tomyam soup and Satay.

"French cuisine is the art of preparing, cooking, and presenting food in a manner that is
characteristic of French culture and cuisine.

Historically, France has been famous for its gastronomy. Food is essential in the life of a French
person, and it has been for centuries. In fact, in 1873, the world's first culinary school was
created in France. French cuisine is considered one of the best cuisines in the world. You have to
try so many delicious dishes before leaving France.

French cuisine is known for its elaborate preparation and presentation. Chefs spend years
learning how to perfect each dish and create new ones. The recipes are often passed down from
generation to generation, and there are thousands of them. Even though many people think that
French cuisine only consists of baguettes, cheese, and wine, it is much more than that. There are
so many foods you have to try while in France!
Bourgeois Cuisine

The "bourgeoise cuisine" is a term used to describe France's traditional, famous cuisine. It is
accessible to all and does not require special equipment or complicated techniques. The
bourgeois kitchen is a family kitchen for daily use and the festivities of life.

Bourgeoise Cuisine can also be called home cooking or comfort food. The daily preparations
come to mind first: a roast chicken, apple tart, leg of lamb with green beans, mushroom quiche,
or chocolate cake. We have had dishes since childhood and which we continue to cook as adults.
Bourgeois cuisine is often confused with haute cuisine (gourmet cuisine). Still, it has nothing to
do with it: Although both involve traditional French recipes, haute cuisine is much more
elaborate, more sophisticated, and reserved for special occasions.

Haute Cuisine

Haute cuisine (French: [ot kɥizin], "high cuisine") is the cuisine of "high-level" establishments,
gourmet restaurants, and luxury hotels. Haute cuisine is characterized by meticulous preparation
and careful food presentation at a high price level.

Haute cuisine developed out of political and social changes in France, and the high cuisine
represents a hierarchy in French society. In addition to who was eating the food, what was
served, where it was served? When it was served were equally essential resonances.

To eat haute cuisine is to be treated with utmost elegance in a prestigious setting.

The term may refer to the cooking styles of Europe's grandest courts and the dishes served there,
or it may refer to the contemporary cooking style popularized by Escoffier and Vatel.
In France during the seventeenth century, chefs started to consolidate their expertise into cooking
schools and were appointed as personal cooks to wealthy individuals and royalty. Before this
period, the chef had been personal servants to wealthy families. Vatel was one such chef who
became a celebrity for his meticulous preparation of meals for noblemen in 17th century France.
Haute cuisine is not only concerned with the quality of food but also with presentation and
service.

What is the difference between fine dining and Haute Cuisine?

Fine dining is the overall dining experience. It is a term used to describe a pleasant and luxurious
dining experience. Fine dining also focuses on high-quality food, formal service, elegant
presentation, and a sophisticated atmosphere.

Haute cuisine is more of a style of cooking. It is a type of cooking that emphasizes fresh and
local high-quality foods prepared using classic techniques. Food ingredients are usually sourced
locally to ensure freshness and are cooked using time-honored methods (French cooking).
Novella Cuisine

Nouvelle cuisine is a reaction to France's heavier, more prosperous and more traditional cuisine.
It is characterized by smaller food portions with less butter and cream, more sauces, lighter
flavors, and the freshest ingredients available.

Nouvelle cuisine was invented in Paris in the 1960s as a reaction to the heavy, rich traditional
French cooking that had become famous worldwide. Some leading chefs felt that this cooking
style was too rich and stodgy for modern tastes, so they created a new style of lighter, fresher,
and more delicate than traditional French cooking.

There are three main characteristics of Nouvelle Cuisine:

Smaller portions: Traditional French cooking gives you large portions of food on your plate. In
contrast, nouvelle cuisine gives you small portions. It means that instead of having one piece of
meat or fish on your plate, you might have four or five smaller pieces.
Less butter and cream: The traditional way to make sauces for French cooking involves adding
lots of butter and cream at the end to thicken it up. Nouvelle cuisine does not use any butter or
cream in its sauces, so they tend to be thinner than traditional sauces.
Fresh ingredients: Nouvelle cuisine uses only fresh; the fresh ingredients of Nouvelle cuisine are
fresh, light, and flavorful. The food is cooked lightly to preserve the natural flavors. Sauces are
the lightest possible, sometimes almost runny.

French National Cuisine

French national cuisine is characterized by its extreme complexity and richness. French cuisine is
based on the seasons and emphasizes a balance between fresh products from land and sea in its
most refined form. The primary cooking methods are sautéing, braising, roasting, and grilling.

Some dishes have become so popular throughout France that they can be considered national
dishes — for example, Blanquette de veau (veal stew) and Cassoulet (a rich bean-based
casserole). The same is true for Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, or Alsace wines.

French cuisine uk

The foundation of every French meal is quality produce:

Bread: French bread varies enormously depending on the region. Most popular are baguettes and
ficelle (a thinner version).
Cheese: There are more than 400 varieties of cheese in France. It is often served as a course in
itself, accompanied by bread or fruit or flavor other dishes.

Meat: Prime cuts of meat include entrecôte (beef), côte de boeuf (rib steak), filet mignon
(tenderloin) and roast veal or beef with mustard sauce.

French Regional Cuisine

The regional cuisine of France is characterized by its extreme diversity. The French are proud of
the fine ingredients and techniques employed in their kitchens, and each region has a distinct
gastronomic identity. Thanks to the country's many regions and local pride, no typical French
recipe represents the whole country.

Specialties of French Cuisine with changing Seasons

Spring
Asparagus and new potatoes are eaten all over France, but the crayfish of Corsica and the sea
snails of Normandy are specialties of those regions.

Summer
A classic dish is a vichyssoise, a creamy potato soup served cold, often with a handful of fresh
raw vegetables on top. The main ingredient in ratatouille is eggplant (aubergine), a vegetable that
overgrows in the south of France. Zucchini (courgette) is another vegetable that features
prominently in French cuisine, particularly in summer when it is plentiful.

Fall
The distinct flavor of pumpkin comes from the high content of carotene and other carotenoids.

Winter
As with most countries, some cold-weather dishes include beef stew — boeuf bourguignon being
an example — and pork sausages roasted with apples or pears. Game meats are also popular,
especially venison (chevreuil), wild boar (sanglier), rabbit (lapin) and hare (lièvre).

A comprehensive guide to Beverage and Drink terms in French Cuisine:

Le café: Café (coffee) is the most popular drink in France. There are many types of coffee, but
the most popular ones are:
Un café (a short black coffee).
Un café allongé (a long black coffee).
Un café noisette (an espresso with a dash of steamed milk).
Un cappuccino.
Café au lait is similar to a café latte, and a grand crème is a large latte.
L’espresso and Le cappuccino: Le thé (tea) is also very popular, but unlike the British, who often
take their tea with milk, the French take theirs with sugar. Un petit thé means a small cup of tea,
while un thé allongé is an infusion of tea served with hot water.
Un thé vert is a cup of green tea and un chocolat chaud is hot chocolate. Un Chocolat viennois is
hot chocolate topped with whipped cream. Many different herbal teas or infusions, such as lime
blossom tea and verbena or lemon verbena.
Coffee is served straight up in small cups, with no milk or cream. Hot beverages are served with
a carafe of hot water on the side to dilute them if you wish.

The world has adopted this philosophy, and in turn, French cuisine has influenced cultures
around the globe. Italian chef Massimo Bottura has even said that without France, "there would
be no Italian cuisine."

What makes French Cuisine Unique?

French cuisine is one of the most popular globally, but what makes it so distinctive? Well, for
starters, it's a lot more than just croissants and baguettes.

French cuisine is one of the classic cuisines that have formed over the centuries. It has been
developed by chefs for centuries, with some dishes dating back to the Middle Ages. The cuisine
is based on fresh seasonal local produce, served in a wide variety of ways, and accompanied by
fine wines from the many vineyards around France. There are several regional variations on the
basic cooking style practiced in French restaurants.

One of the main characteristics of French cooking is sauces to enhance flavor. Butter and cream
are used generously in many dishes, and sauces are often rich and creamy due to egg yolks and
cream being used to thicken them.
Some traditional French sauces include hollandaise sauce, typically served with asparagus,
béchamel sauce, which is made by making a roux with butter and flour. Then add milk or cream
while stirring until thickened; beurre blanc sauce, which is made by whisking together butter and
white wine vinegar; bordelaise sauce, made with red wine; bourguignonne.
French cuisine is more than just a meal. It is a dining experience that takes you on a
gastronomical journey through each of your senses.
It's no secret that French culture holds a special place in their life for food, and it's hard not to see
why when you've tasted France's finest culinary delights. Every meal is made with love and care,
from the morning croissants to the evening wine tasting.

There's not just one cooking style in France; instead, there are many regional variations of
French cuisine, but they all share the same ethos of using fresh seasonal ingredients and letting
the flavors speak for themselves.

This can be seen in French gastronomy's three main principles:

La Cuisine Bourgeoise
France has a long history of chefs cooking for generations of wealthy families, especially in
Paris. The bourgeois cookery style uses more decadent ingredients such as cream and butter to
create rich and delicious meals that have been perfected over time. This type of cuisine still
influences how food is produced in France today.

La nouvelle Cuisine
The 'new cuisine' movement came about in the 1960s, and La nouvelle cuisine is a style of
cooking that emphasizes fresh ingredients and light sauces that draw out the natural flavor of
food. La nouvelle cuisine is characterized by smaller portions, more vegetables, and fewer
starches.

Christmas French Cuisine

Christmas is a joyous occasion, and the best part of it is that you get to spend time with your
family, eat and give gifts. In France, many traditional Christmas dishes bring the family together.

The French have many unique dishes, and here are some of them:

1) Foie Gras

Foie gras is a dish made out of the liver. It usually consists of the liver of a duck or goose that
has been specially fattened. The dish is first mentioned in the literature in 1782 by Menon in his
book L'Art de la cuisine française au dix-huitième siècle.

2) Bûche de Noël

The bûche de Noël is a Christmas cake tradition in France. It takes the form of a log, about the
Yule log that used to be burnt throughout Christmas time as per tradition.

3) Entrecote Bordelaise

Entrecote Bordelaise is an entrecote (rib steak) with a sauce made from red wine, bone marrow,
shallots, and butter. The sauce may also contain other ingredients such as rosemary or thyme,
and sometimes garlic and mushrooms are added to other foods.

So what makes French cuisine so unique? The answer lies in the centuries of history behind it.
The French are aware of their culinary heritage, and they take great pride in it. And that's a good
thing because French food culture is something to be proud of.
Italian cuisine (Italian: cucina italiana, pronounced [kuˈtʃiːna itaˈljaːna]) is a Mediterranean
cuisine consisting of the ingredients, recipes and cooking techniques developed in Italy since
Roman times and later spread around the world together with waves of Italian diaspora. Some of
these foods were imported from other cultures. Significant changes occurred with the
colonization of the Americas and the introduction of potatoes, tomatoes, capsicums, maize and
sugar beet—the latter introduced in quantity in the 18th century. It is one of the best-known and
most appreciated gastronomies worldwide.

Italian cuisine includes deeply rooted traditions common to the whole country, as well as all the
regional gastronomies, different from each other, especially between the north, the centre and the
south of Italy, which are in continuous exchange. Many dishes that were once regional have
proliferated with variations throughout the country. Italian cuisine offers an abundance of taste,
and is one of the most popular and copied around the world.The cuisine has influenced several
other cuisines around the world, chiefly that of the United States in the form of Italian-American
cuisine.
One of the main characteristics of Italian cuisine is its simplicity, with many dishes made up of
few ingredients, and therefore Italian cooks often rely on the quality of the ingredients, rather
than the complexity of preparation. Italian cuisine is at the origin of a turnover of more than €200
billion worldwide. The most popular dishes and recipes, over the centuries, have often been
created by ordinary people more so than by chefs, which is why many Italian recipes are suitable
for home and daily cooking, respecting regional specificities, privileging only raw materials and
ingredients from the region of origin of the dish and preserving its seasonality

The Mediterranean diet forms the basis of Italian cuisine, rich in pasta, fish, fruits and vegetables
Cheese, cold cuts and wine are central to Italian cuisine, and along with pizza and coffee
(especially espresso) form part of Italian gastronomic culture. Desserts have a long tradition of
merging local flavours such as citrus fruits, pistachio and almonds with sweet cheeses like
mascarpone and ricotta or exotic tastes as cocoa, vanilla and cinnamon. Gelato, tiramisuand
cassata are among the most famous examples of Italian desserts, cakes and patisserie. Italian
cuisine relies heavily on traditional products; the country has a large number of traditional
specialities protected under EU law. Italy is the world's largest producer of wine, as well as the
country with the widest variety of indigenous grapevine varieties in the world.
Thai food has become a global phenomenon, adorning the tables of restaurants from Auckland to
Zurich. Little do food lovers know the hard work that once went into cooking a traditional Thai
meal. Below are the tools once (and in most cases, still) considered essential to the traditional
Thai kitchen.

1. Mortar and pestle (khrok sak)

Considered the most important tool in the Thai kitchen, the mortar and pestle play a central
role in pounding paste, a mash of fresh herbs, chillies and aromatics forming the base of almost
every Thai dish. Unlike the food processor, this tool is ideal for smashing ingredients so that
their essential oils are released. The best mortars and pestles in central Thai cuisine are made of
granite, although the north and northeastern regions favour those made of wood, which are
gentler on ingredients like green papaya for making the all-time favourite som tum Thai salad.
 In Northern Thailand the wooden pestle and mortar is favoured because its gentler on
ingredients.
2. Coconut shredder (kratai kood maprao)
Named after the Thai word for “rabbit”, the kratai — a metal blade set on the edge of a wooden
seat — was once essential to producing coconut milk. The blade, which was angled upwards,
resembled a rabbit, hence its name. The meat was then squeezed together with water to form the
coconut milk. Although the kratai was invented for easier coconut shredding, female cooks were
still expected to sit “politely” with both legs pressed together on one side of the seat.

Named after the Thai word for “rabbit”, this was once essential for coconut milk production.
3. Sticky rice basket (gratib)
These woven straw baskets were created to keep sticky rice grains warm and fresh on the table
after steaming. Often accented with bright colours, they still play a big role in northern and
Northeastern Thai meals.
 Often accented with bright colours in the north of Thailand, woven baskets keep the rice warm
and fresh.
4. Wok (grata)
Brought to Thailand by Chinese immigrants in the 1800s, the wok is now considered an integral
part of Thai cooking, ideal for both frying and deep-frying.

Woks are able to withstand high temperatures and can be used for deep frying, stir-frying,
steaming and boiling.
5. Straw basket for steaming sticky rice (huad neung khao niew)
Resembling a “hood”, this woven straw basket is still used in the north and northeastern regions
for steaming sticky rice, the main staple in both cuisines.
 Straw baskets are still widely used in the North of Thailand today. Photo credit: Mimi
Grachangnetara.
6. Cleaver (ee-to)
Because metal was typically reserved for weaponry in the old days, many traditional Thai
kitchens made do with just one knife. Usually, that knife was a Chinese-style cleaver, perfect for
everything from chopping herbs to cutting through bones.

The Chinese-style cleaver is perfect for everything from chopping herbs to cutting through
bones.
7. Chopping block (kieng)
Accompanying every cleaver was the chopping block, ideally made from tamarind wood,
considered the sturdiest wood available.
 Tamarind wood is considered the sturdiest wood available for chopping blocks.
8. Steamer (maw neung)
The steamer was (and still is) one of the most used tools in the Thai kitchen, playing a part in
everything from spicy salads to desserts.

Thai snacks served in a steamer streetside in Chinatown Bangkok.

9. Brass pot for desserts (mor tong luang)
Brass (tong luang) once loomed large in the Thai kitchen. Shaped like a wok with handles on
each side, these pots or bowls were used for the laborious work of making Thai desserts, which
usually involved long periods of stirring over heat. Unlike the kratai, these pots are still used,
and their production has actually increased over the years.
 A modern rendition of lod chong served in a brass bowl.

WHAT IS TOM YUM SOUP?

Tom Yum Soup (ต้มยำ), is also known as Thai Hot and Sour Soup, or Tom Yum Soup Goong
when it features shrimp and Tom Yum Soup Gai when it features chicken.

Thai Tom Yum Soup is a bold, spicy, hot and sour soup that originated in Thailand and remains
their most popular soup to this day. It is characterized by the flavors of lemongrass, lime juice,
galangal, garlic, kaffir lime leaves, Thai chilies, and fresh lime juice combined in a clear chicken
broth or cream broth, most often with shrimp. In Thailand, it is sometimes served with sticky rice
on the side.
TWO TYPES OF TOM YUM SOUP
If you love to Tom Yum Soup, you might be aware there are two different version of the dish:

Clear Tom Yum Soup (Tom Yum Soup Goong Nam Sai): Tom Yum Soup with shrimp in clear
broth.
Creamy Tom Yum Soup (Tom Yum Soup Goong Nam Khon): Tom Yum Soup with shrimp in a
creamy broth with the addition of evaporated milk. Creamy Tom Yum Soup is not to be
confused with Tom Kha which uses coconut milk instead of evaporated milk.
WHAT DOES TOM YUM SOUP MEAN?
The literal translation of Tom Yum Soup is “boiling spicy and sour,” but in essence it means,
“Boiling Hot and Sour” soup. It can be broken down as: TOM means “soup” or “boiled/cooked”
and YUM means “spicy and sour.”

You will also see variations of Tom Yum Soup referred to by specific ingredient, for example:

Tom Yum Soup Goong refers to Tom Yum Soup with shrimp (Goong meaning shrimp); and
Tom Yum Soup Gai refers to Tom Yum Soup with chicken (Gai meaning chicken).

WHAT IS TOM YUM SOUP MADE OF?

Tom Yum Soup is made with a base of chicken broth or homemade shrimp stock infused with
lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves and Thai red chilies. Shrimp is the most popular protein
too add to the soup. It’s bright and refreshing, both light and satisfying at the same time, and its
layers of tantalizing spices are mesmerizing.

In this Tom Yum Soup recipe, I’ve included instructions on how to make the soup with more
exotic, authentic ingredients as well as how to make it with with easy-to-find ingredients because
I want everyone to be able to make this tantalizing soup! I think you’ll find, however, that your
Tom Yum Soup will taste every bit as complex, authentic and delicious with the pantry
substitutions – winning.

The ingredient list for Tom Yum Soup looks lengthy, but I promise the soup comes together very
quickly!

Kaffir lime leaves: add the unique citrus and herbaceous notes crucial to many Thai dishes. You
can find fresh kaffir lime leaves at most Asian markets or you may also substitute with dried
kaffir lime leaves in the same amount. I’ve also included a pantry friendly substitute.
Galangal: is like ginger but with a more peppery flavor. It is available at Asian markets or see
substitution below.
Lemongrass: is essential to Thai Tom Yum Soup, so don’t skip it! It adds a complex slightly
sweet, pungent, and lemony taste. Lemongrass can usually be found in the produce section of
your grocery store, otherwise specialty produce stores like Sprouts and Whole Foods carry it.
I’ve included a section below on how to work with lemongrass. If you can’t find fresh
lemongrass, you may substitute with 1 tablespoon paste.
Thai red curry paste: can be found in the Asian section of any grocery store. The premade paste
is comprised of finely ground coriander, peppercorns, Kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, galangal,
lime leaves, cilantro, shallot, garlic, and fresh chiles – all combined for you for dynamic flavor.
Garlic: I use 5 garlic cloves but you may use more or less depending on your garlic love.
Chicken broth: has more flavor than vegetable broth but you may substitute with vegetable if it’s
all you have on hand.
Fish sauce: I promise fish sauce will not be detectable or make your Tom Yum Soup taste fishy –
even though it smells fishy! It is needed, however, to infuse the soup with its nutty, rich, savory,
salty flavor. If you’ve never used fish sauce before, it can be found in the Asian section of any
grocery store.
Lime juice: the fresh lime juice of approximately 2 limes. You may want to add more to taste
at the end of cooking.
Shrimp: use extra-large (26/30 count) raw, shelled, deveined shrimp to make this recipe super
simple.
Dried basil: I use dried basil for its concentrated flavor but you may use fresh if you prefer.
You will need 3X the amount.
Brown sugar: balances the savory, citrus tones.
Mushrooms: I use white mushrooms but any variety will do.
Tomatoes: Roma tomatoes chopped into wedges.
Vegetable oil: you may substitute with another neutral olive oil.

satay
easy thai chicken satay in a thick and creamy peanut sauce! a special ingredient makes this satay
taste incredible. keto and low carb recipe!
The one ingredient I add into it covers over 10 ingredients so YOU don’t have to worry about
forgetting anything in the supermarket! This is a quick and easy Chicken Satay recipe using
bone-in chicken thighs.
chicken satay
The thing about this Satay Chicken recipe is that it may not be the authentic real deal directly
from Thailand, BUT it IS incredible. TASTES like take-out Thai, which to me is a crucial part of
eating. This recipe is my answer to those moments you want a Thai Satay Chicken, but either:

Don’t have time to cube chicken or soak skewers. Or thread chicken onto those skewers while
trying to avoid stabbing fingers and palms with said skewers.
Sometimes we just want an easy route. This is for us.
Ingredients
FOR THE CHICKEN
1 stalk lemongrass, ends and outer layer removed, smashed and chopped into 1" pieces
1/3 c. coconut milk
1 1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs, sliced into 1" pieces
1 tsp. ground turmeric
2 tbsp. fish sauce
2 tbsp. packed brown sugar
2 tbsp. lime juice
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
1 tbsp. fresh ginger, chopped
1 1/2 tbsp. chili paste
FOR THE PEANUT SAUCE
1/2 c. smooth peanut butter
1/4 c. reserved marinade
1 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. lime zest
1 clove garlic, grated
1 tbsp. freshly grated ginger
1/4 c. boiling water
Chopped peanuts, for garnish
Freshly chopped cilantro, for garnish
See All Nutritional InformationChevron Down Icon
Directions
bookmarksSAVE TO MY RECIPES
Step 1
Soak bamboo skewers in cold water for at least 15 minutes. In a small saucepan over medium
heat, combine lemongrass and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and let cool
for at least 10 minutes. Strain and reserve lemongrass pieces for marinade.
Step 2
In a medium bowl, toss turmeric and chicken together to coat.
Step 3
In a food processor, combine coconut milk, fish sauce, sugar, lime juice, garlic, shallot, ginger,
and chili paste and blend until smooth, scraping down sides if necessary. Set aside ¼ cup
marinade for peanut sauce.
Step 4
Pour remaining marinade and reserved lemongrass into the chicken bowl and toss to coat. Let sit
at room temperature for 30 minutes or chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
Step 5
Meanwhile, make peanut sauce: In a medium bowl, whisk all sauce ingredients until smooth and
well combined.
Step 6
Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Remove chicken from marinade and spear 3 pieces onto each
skewer. Grill, flipping once, until chicken is cooked through and slightly charred, 3 to 4 minutes
each side.
Step 7
Sprinkle satay with chopped peanuts and cilantro and serve with peanut sauce.