Flambe

menus for II sem BHM students of Christ college 2007-2008 batch

2007-11-13T03:00:00.000-08:00

Food and Beverage Production menus for the BHM II Semester 2007-’08 Batch
All practical classes will start at 9 am and would be minimum for 4 hrs
Rice pilaff, Steamed rice, Indian breads and Bread Rolls are to be made depending on the menu

Menu I – 16th & 17th Nov 2007
Cream of Tomato Soup
Vegetable Au gratin
Ragout of Lamb
Crème Caramel

Menu 2 – 23rd & 24th Nov 2007
Consomme Brunoise
Shepherd’s Pie
Waldorf Salad
Lemon Souffle

Menu 3 – 30th Nov & 1st Dec 2007
Drumstick Sambar
Beans Foogath
Chicken Chettinad
Vermicelli Kheer

Menu 4 – 7th & 8th Dec 2007
Minestrone
Spaghetti Napolitaine
Pollo Cacciatora
Tiramisu

Menu 5 – 14th & 15th Dec 2007
Break fast Menu
Non – Veg
Mutton Cutlets, Fish Colbert, Ham
Bacon, Sausages, Minute Steaks
Veg
Corn& cheese Cakes, Cherry Tomatoes, Hash Brown Potatoes, Stewed apples & Pears
Creamy sautéed Mushroom
Eggs to Order
Breads
Muffins, croissants, Danish pastry, white toast bread, brown bread, cinnamon rolls and doughnuts
Spa Breakfast
Bittergourd juice, carrot juice, soya milk, watermelon juice, fresh cut fruits, sprouts, steamed vegetables, leafy salads, Fresh cucumbers, cottage cheese, babycorn, pimentos, tomatoes and sprouts.
Assorted Cheese Platter
Cereals
Muesli, oats, cornflakes, choco-cornflakes, hot and cold milk
Shakes – strawberry milk shake
Indian Breakfast
Idli, Masala dosa, upma, medu vada, coconut chutney, sambar, poori saagu, aloo & gobi parathas, pickle and curds

Menu 6 – 4th & 5th Jan 2008
Sea Food Chowder
Chicken a la king
Parsley Potatoes
Fruit Chantilly

Menu 7 – 11th & 12th Jan 2008
Hungarian Goulash
Fish Orly/Tomato Sauce
Okra in Cream Sauce
Coffee mousse

Menu 8 – 18th & 19th Jan 2008
Crème Asperges
Pomfret Meuniere
Chou fleur Hollandaise
Crème Brulee

Menu 9 –1st & 2nd Feb 2008
Dal makhni
Methi murgh
Mutter paneer
Gajar halwa

Menu 10 –8th & 9th Feb 2008
Scotch Broth
Poulet Saute Chasseur
Pommes de terre Lyonnaise
Bread & Butter pudding

Menu 11 –15th & 16th Feb 2008
Potage Vichyssoise
Fillet de Sole Veronique
Ratatouille
Diplomat pudding

Menu 12 – 22nd & 23rd Feb 2008
High Tea Menu
Assorted Sandwiches
(Multigrain, Plain, Brown bread)
Assorted Cookies
Assorted Tarts
Scones
Cakes
Nutty Butter Cake
Seed Cake
English Trifle Cake
Assorted Pastries
Savouries
Red Pepper and Chicken Patties
Olive Feuilettes
Choux Swans
Assorted Indian Snacks
Somosa , Masala Vadas, and Pakoda
Cold Platter
Assorted Canapes
Assorted Sausages
Salami
Chorizo
Junior Chef Competition(Level – I)29th Feb 2008

Mock Practicals – 7th, 8th, 14th & 15th March 2008

The above dates are subject to change due to holidays and college festivals

french and thai cuisine

2007-10-17T00:06:00.000-07:00

Cuisine of Thailand
Tom yam gung
Thai cuisine is known for its balance of five fundamental flavors in each dish or the overall meal - hot (spicy), sour, sweet, salty and bitter (optional). Although popularly considered as a single cuisine, Thai food is really better described as four regional cuisines corresponding to the four main regions of the country: Northern, Northeastern (or Isan), Central and Southern. Southern curries, for example, tend to contain coconut milk and fresh turmeric, while northeastern dishes often include lime juice. Thai cuisine has been greatly influenced by its neighbors, especially India, China, Malaysia, Laos. Many dishes are in fact Chinese dishes adopted to local tastes. Influence and Western popularity
Thai food is known for its enthusiastic use of fresh (rather than dried) herbs and spices as well as fish sauce.
Thai food is popular in many Western countries especially in Australia, New Zealand, some countries in Europe such as the United Kingdom, as well as the United States, and Canada.
Serving
Instead of a single main course with side dishes found in Western cuisine, a Thai full meal typically consists of either a single dish or rice khao (Thai: ข้าว) with many complementary dishes served concurrently.
Rice is a staple component of Thai cuisine, as it is of most Asian cuisines. The highly prized, sweet-smelling jasmine rice is indigenous to Thailand. This naturally aromatic long-grained rice grows in abundance in the verdant patchwork of paddy fields that blanket Thailand's central plains. Steamed rice is accompanied by highly aromatic curries, stir-frys and other dishes, incorporating sometimes large quantities of chillies, lime juice and lemon grass. Curries, stir-frys and others may be poured onto the rice creating a single dish called khao rad gang (Thai: ข้าวราดแกง), a popular meal when time is limited. Sticky rice khao neow (Thai: ข้าวเหนียว) is a unique variety of rice that contains an unusual balance of the starches present in all rice, causing it to cook up to a sticky texture. It is the daily bread of Laos and substitutes ordinary rice in rural Northern and Northeastern Thai cuisine, where Lao cultural influence is strong.
Noodles, known throughout parts of Southeast Asia by the Chinese name kwaytiow, are popular as well but usually come as a single dish, like the stir-fried Pad Thai (Thai: ผัดไทย) or noodle soups. Many Chinese cuisine are adapted to suit Thai taste, such as khuaytiow rue, a sour and spicy rice noodle soup.
There is a uniquely Thai dish called nam prik (Thai: น้ำพริก) which refers to a chile sauce or paste. Each region has its own special versions. It is prepared by crushing together chillies with various ingredients such as garlic and shrimp paste using a mortar and pestle. It is then often served with vegetables such as cucumbers, cabbage and yard-long beans, either raw or blanched. The vegetables are dipped into the sauce and eaten with rice. Nam prik may also be simply eaten alone with rice or, in a bit of Thai and Western fusion, spread on toast.
Thai food is generally eaten with a fork and a spoon. Chopsticks are used rarely, primarily for the consumption of noodle soups. The fork, held in the left hand, is used to shovel food into the spoon. However, it is common practice for Thais and hill tribe peoples in the North and Northeast to eat sticky rice with their right hands by making it into balls that are dipped into side dishes and eaten. Thai-Muslims also frequently eat meals with only their right hands.
Often Thai food is served with a variety of spicy condiments to embolden dishes. This can range from dried chili pieces, or sliced chili peppers in rice vinegar, to a spicy chili sauce such as the nam prik mentioned above.
Ingredients
The ingredient found in almost all Thai dishes and every region of the country is nam pla (Thai น้ำปลา), a very aromatic and strong tasting fish sauce. Shrimp paste, a combination of ground shrimp and salt, is also extensively used.
Thai dishes in the Central and Southern regions use a wide variety of leaves rarely found in the West, such as kaffir lime leaves (Thai ใบมะกรูด). The characteristic flavour of kaffir lime leaves' appears in nearly every Thai soup (e.g., the hot and sour Tom yam) or curry from those areas. It is frequently combined with garlic, galangal, lemon grass, turmeric and/or fingerroot, blended together with liberal amounts of various chillies to make curry paste. Fresh Thai basil is also used to add fragrance in certain dishes such as Green curry. Other typical ingredients include the small green Thai eggplants, tamarind, palm and coconut sugars, lime juice, and coconut milk. A variety of chilies and spicy elements are found in most Thai dishes.
Other ingredients also include pahk chee (cilantro, sometimes known as coriander), rahk pahk chee (cilantro/coriander roots), curry pastes, pong kah-ree (curry powder), si-yu dahm (dark soy sauce), gung haeng (dried shrimp), pong pa-loh (five-spice powder), tua fahk yao (long beans or yard-long beans), nahmahn hoi (oyster sauce), prik Thai (Thai pepper), rice and tapioca flour, and nahm prik pao (roasted chilli paste).
Although broccoli is often used in Asian restaurants in the west in pad thai and rad na, it was never actually used in any traditional Thai food in Thailand and is still rarely seen in Thailand.[citation needed]
Famous dishes
Many Thai dishes are familiar in the West. In many dishes below, different kinds of protein can be chosen as the ingredient, such as beef, chicken, pork, tofu or seafood.
Individual dishes
Pad Thai (close up)
· Pad Thai (Thai: ผัดไท) - rice noodles pan fried with fish sauce, sugar, lime juice or tamarind pulp, chopped peanuts, and egg combined with chicken, seafood, and tofu
· Rad na (Thai: ราดหน้า) - wide rice noodles in gravy, with beef, pork, chicken, shrimp, or seafood. (Originally from China)
· Khao pad naem (Thai: ข้าวผัดแหนม) - fried rice with fermented sausage (typically from the Northeast)
· Pad see ew (Thai: ผัดซีอิ๊ว) - noodles stir-fried with see ew dum (thick soy sauce) and nahm plah (fish sauce) and pork or chicken.
· Pad kee mao (Thai: ผัดขี้เมา) - noodles stir-fried with Thai basil
· Khao khluk kapi (Thai: ข้าวคลุกกะปิ) - rice stir-fried with shrimp paste, served with sweeten pork and vegetables.
· Khanom chin namya (Thai: ขนมจีนน้ำยา) - round boiled rice noodles topped with various curry sauces and eaten with fresh leaves and vegetables.
· Khao soi (Thai: ข้าวซอย) - crispy wheat noodles in sweet chicken curry soup (a Northern dish)
· Khao pad gai (Thai: ข้าวผัดไก่) - fried rice with chicken
· Kaphrao gai (Thai: กระเพราไก่) - minced chicken in sauce made up of a combination of hot green chilies, garlic, and basil
· Gai himaphan (Thai: ไก่หิมพานต์) - juicy chunks of chicken with cashew nuts and chilies
Central Thai Shared Dishes
Tod man pla krai with dipping sauce
· Tom yam (Thai: ต้มยำ) - hot & sour soup with meat. With shrimp it is called Tom yam goong or Tom yam kung (Thai: ต้มยำกุ้ง), with seafood (typically shrimp, squid, fish) Tom yam talae (Thai: ต้มยำทะเล), with chicken Tom yam gai (Thai: ต้มยำไก่).
· Gai Pad Khing - Ginger chicken.
· Tom kha gai (Thai: ต้มข่าไก่) - hot sweet soup with chicken and coconut milk.
· Satay (Thai: สะเต๊ะ) - grilled meat, usually pork or chicken, served with cucumber salad and peanut sauce (actually of Indonesian origin, but now a popular street food in Thailand).
· Red curry (Gaeng Phet lit. 'hot curry', Thai: แกงเผ็ด) - made with copious amounts of dried red chillies
· Green curry (Gaeng khiew-waan, Thai: แกงเขียวหวาน) - green curry, made with fresh green chillies and flavoured with Thai basil, and chicken or fish meatballs. This dish is one of the spiciest of Thai curries.
· Massaman curry (Thai: แกงมัสมั่น) - an Indian style curry, usually made by Thai-Muslims, containing roasted dried spices, such as coriander seed, that are rarely found in other Thai curries.
· Pad prik (Thai: ผัดพริก) - usually beef stir fried with chili, called Neua pad prik (Thai: เนื้อผัดพริก)
· Pad kaphrao (Thai: ผัดกะเพรา) - beef, pork or chicken stir fried with Thai Holy basil.
· Pad pak ruam (Thai: ผัดผักรวม) - stir fried combination of vegetables depending on availability and preference.
· Panaeng (Thai: พะแนง) - dry curry with beef (Panang beef, Thai: พะแนงเนื้อ), chicken, or pork. It includes some roasted dried spices similar to Massaman curry.
· Tod man (Thai: ทอดมัน) - deep fried fishcake made from knifefish (Tod man pla krai, Thai: ทอดมันปลากราย) or shrimp (Tod man kung, Thai: ทอดมันกุ้ง)
· Boo Jah (Thai Crab Cakes) - crab cakes with pork, garlic, and pepper served with a simple spicy sauce, such as Sri Rachaa sauce, sweet-hot garlic sauce, nahm prik pao (roasted chili paste), or red curry paste and chopped green onions.
· Choo-Chee Plah Ga-Pong - snapper in choo-chee curry sauce (thick red curry sauce)
Northeastern Shared Dishes
Som tam
· Som tam (Thai: ส้มตำ) grated papaya salad, pounded with a mortar and pestle. There are three main variations: Som tam poo (Thai: ส้มตำปู) with salted black crab, and Som tam Thai (Thai: ส้มตำไทย) with peanuts, dried shrimp and palm sugar and Som tam plara (Thai: ส้มตำปลาร้า) from north eastern part of Thailand (Isaan), with salted gourami fish, white eggplants, fish sauce and long bean.
· Larb (Thai: ลาบ) - sour salads containing meat, onions, chillies, roasted rice powder and garnished with mint.
· Namtok (Thai: น้ำตก) - made with beef and identical to larb, except that the beef is cut into thin strips rather than minced.
· Yam (Thai: ยำ) - general name for any type of sour salad, such as those made with glass noodles (Yam Wun Sen, Thai: ยำวุ้นเส้น), or with seafood (Yam Talae, Thai: ยำทะเล).
· Tom saep (Thai: ต้มแซบ) - Northeastern-style hot & sour soup
· Gai yang (Thai: ไก่ย่าง) - marinated, grilled chicken
· Sticky rice (Thai: ข้าวเหนียว)
· Namprik num (Thai: น้ำพริกหนุ่ม) - dipping sauce made from roasted eggplant, green chillies, and garlic grounded together in a mortar and pestle.
Desserts and Drink
Mo Geng, a cake mainly made of eggs
· Kao niao ma muang (Thai: ข้าวเหนียวมะม่วง) - Sticky rice and ripe mango
· Kao niao Durian (Thai: ข้าวเหนียวทุเรียน) - Sticky rice and durian in coconut milk
· Gluay buad chee (Thai: กล้วยบวชชี)- Banana in coconut milk
· Foi Tong(Thai: ฝอยทอง), Tong yib(Thai: ทองหยิบ), Tong yod(Thai: ทองหยอด)
· Kanome Maw Gaeng (Thai: ขนมหม้อแกง) - sweet potato pudding
· Fried Banana with Ice Cream
· Cha Yen (Thai: ชาเย็น) - Thai Iced Tea
· Kah-Feh Yen (Thai: กาแฟเย็น) - Thai Iced Coffee
Fried Giant water bugs
Throughout the country there are many interpretations and variations on these common dishes. Other dishes from the northern part of Thailand include unique sauces and exotic foods, such as raw beef, fermented fish paste, and deep fried insect larvae (also enjoyed in the Northeast). The culinary creativity even extends to naming: one tasty larva translates as "freight train" and the smallest, hottest chillies are known as phrik khii nuu (Thai: พริกขี้หนู), literally "mouse shit chillies". In the Northeast, eating insects is common, and the giant water bug (mang dah; Thai: แมงดา) is popular. [1]
The dish nam prik pla too (Thai: น้ำพริกปลาทู) is particularly common in central Thailand because of its low cost. It consists of fried Indian mackerel, Rastrelliger kanagurta (pla too) served with a shrimp-and-chilli paste (nam prik kapi). [2] The fish are traditionally presented in pairs, placed head-to-tail on a round bamboo dish.
French Cuisine
Despite a common pan-gallic chauvinism, French cooking is not a monolith: it ranges from the olives and seafood of Provence to the butter and roasts of Tours, from the simple food of the bistro to the fanciful confections of the Tour d'Argent. However, it all shares a seriousness about food. Throughout the country, French cooking involves a large number of techniques, some extremely complicated, that serve as basics. Any cook will tell you that French food will not tolerate shortcuts in regard to these fundamentals. Because mastery of sauces or pastry doughs is the center of the culinary arts, recipes themselves remain classic and constant. In a way similar to Japanese cuisine, it is expected that even the simplest preparation be undertaken in the most careful manner, which means disregarding the amount of time involved. This is one reason why French cooking has always seemed so daunting on the other side of the Atlantic. Americans love nothing more than combining innovation with time-saving; it is the particular genius of the United States, and it couldn't be more at odds with the French aesthetic.
Not only do basic cooking techniques require great skill, but an they also demand a deep understanding of the ingredients themselves. Just as the vintner knows that the finest Bordeaux comes from the grapes grown on that side of the hill and not this, so too the chef knows not only from which region come the finest petits pois (small, young green peas), but from which town -- the same goes for asparagus, and even cauliflower. If there is something worth eating, and cooking, there is a best representative of such. Many foods are known by the town that made them famous, such as Pessac for strawberries, the peas of Saint-Germaine, Macau artichokes, the Charollais steer, butter of Isigny.
The French and English adapted service à la russe, in which courses are served separately, in the middle of the 19th century. A French meal might begin with a hot hors d'oeuvre (or for luncheon, a cold hors d'oeuvre) followed by soup, main course, salad, cheese,and finally dessert. The French operate with a strong sense that there is an appropriate beverage for every food and occasion. Wine is drunk with the meal, but rarely without food. An aperitif (a light aloholic beverage such as Lillet) precedes the meal and a digestif (something more spirited -- say, cognac) may follow. This close relationship between food and wine may, in part, closely parallel the evolution of great cooking and great wine making. It is probably not coincidental that some of the best cooking in France happens in some of her finest wine-growing regions. In Burgundy, Bordeaux, Provence, and Touraine, wine is as prevalent in the cooking process as it is in the glass. Champagne as a beverage doesn't accompany food gracefully, likewise, as a region it is not well known for its food. One notable exception to this rule (and there are of course others) is Normandy, who, from her fantastic butter, cream, cheese, apples and the riches of the sea, has produced a marvelous local cuisine without the help of wine. However, the local Calvados, an apple based eau-de-vie, may also explain the phenomenon.
The French are predominantly Catholic and thus have no eating prohibitions, though many dishes have a Lenten variation. Moreover, the Gauls are not afraid to eat anything. Kidney, brain, sweetbreads, tripe, blood sauces and sausages, sheep's foot, tongue, and intestines are all common in French cooking and hold equal standing with the meat of lamb, beef, pork, poultry, and game. Quite the opposite of being exotic, these foods are at the heart of the bourgeois menu, with seafood inevitably being the soul, and vegetables, the flesh.
French cuisine

Food Portal
French cuisine is considered to be one of the world's most refined and elegant styles of cooking. The national cuisine known today has evolved from centuries of social and political change. The Middle Ages brought lavish banquets to the upper class with ornate, heavily seasoned food prepared by chefs such as Guillaume Tirel. The era of the French Revolution, however, saw a move toward fewer spices and more liberal usage of herbs and refined techniques, beginning with François Pierre La Varenne and further developing with the famous chef of Napoleon Bonaparte and other dignitaries, Marie-Antoine Carême.
French cuisine was codified in the 20th century by Georges Auguste Escoffier to become the modern version of haute cuisine. Escoffier's major work, however, left out much of the regional character to be found in the provinces of France. Gastro-tourism and the Guide Michelin helped to bring people to the countryside during the 20th century and beyond, to sample this rich bourgeois and peasant cuisine of France. Basque cuisine has also been a great influence over the cuisine in the southwest of France.
Ingredients and dishes vary by region. There are many significant regional dishes that have become both national and regional. Many dishes that were once regional, however, have proliferated in different variations across the country in the present day. Cheese and wine are also a major part of the cuisine, playing different roles both regionally and nationally with their many variations and Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) (regulated appellation) laws.
National cuisine
French cuisine has evolved extensively over the centuries. Starting in the Middle Ages, a unique national cuisine began forming. Various social movements, political movements, and the work of great chefs came together to create this movement. Through the years the styles of French cuisine have been given different names, and have been codified by various master-chefs. During their lifetimes these chefs have been held in high regard for their contributions to the culture of the country. The national cuisine developed primarily in the city of Paris with the chefs to French royalty, but eventually it spread throughout the country and was even exported overseas.
History
Middle Ages
John, Duke of Berry enjoying a grand meal. The Duke is sitting with a cardinal at the high table, under a luxurious baldaquin, in front of the fireplace, tended to by several servants including a carver. On the table to the left of the Duke is a golden salt cellar, or nef, in the shape of a ship; illustration from Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, ca 1410.
In French medieval cuisine, banquets were common among the aristocracy. Multiple courses would be prepared, but served in a style called service en confusion, or all at once. Food was generally eaten by hand, meats being sliced off large pieces held between the thumb and two fingers. The sauces of the time were highly seasoned and thick, and heavily flavored mustards were used. Pies were also a common banquet item, with the crust serving primarily as a container, rather than as food itself, and it was not until the very end of the Late Middle Ages that the shortcrust pie was developed. Meals often ended with an issue de table, which later evolved into the modern dessert, and typically consisted of dragees (in the Middle Ages meaning spiced lumps of hardened sugar or honey), aged cheese and spiced wine, such as hypocras.[1]
The ingredients of the time varied greatly according to the seasons and the church calendar, and many items were preserved with salt, spices, honey, and other preservatives. Late spring, summer, and fall afforded abundance, while winter meals were more sparse. Livestock was slaughtered at the beginning of winter. Beef was often salted, while pork was salted and smoked. Bacon and sausages would be smoked in the chimney, while the tongue and hams were brined and dried. Cucumbers would be brined as well, while greens would be packed in jars with salt. Fruits, nuts and root vegetables would be boiled in honey for preservation. Whale, dolphin and porpoise were considered to be fish, so during Lent the salted meats of these sea mammals were eaten.[2]
Artificial freshwater ponds, called stews held carp, pike, tench, bream, eel, and other fish. Poultry was kept in special yards, with pigeon and squab being reserved for the elite. Game was highly prized, but relatively rare, and included venison, wild boar, hare, rabbit, and birds. Kitchen gardens provided herbs including some such as tansy, rue, pennyroyal, and hyssop which are rarely used today. Spices were treasured, and very expensive at that time — they included pepper, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and mace. Some spices used then, but no longer today in French cuisine are cubebs, long pepper (both from vines similar to black pepper), grains of paradise, and galengale. Sweet-sour flavors were commonly added to dishes by the use of vinegars and verjus combined with sugar (for the affluent) or honey. A very common form of food preparation was to finely cook, pound and strain mixtures into fine pastes and mushes, something believed to be highly beneficial to the ability to make use of nutrients.[3]
Visual display was highly prized. Brilliant colors were obtained by the addition of, for example, juices from spinach and the green part of leeks. Yellow came from saffron or egg yolk, while red came from sunflower, and purple came from Crozophora tinctoria or Heliotropium europaeum. Gold and silver leaf were placed on food surfaces and brushed with egg whites. Elaborate and showy dishes were the result, such as tourte parmerienne which was a pastry dish made to look like a castle with chicken-drumstick turrets coated with gold leaf. One of the grandest showpieces of the time was roast swan or peacock sewn back into its skin with feathers intact; the feet and beak being gilded with gold. To deal with the fact that both these birds are tough, stringy, and of a rather unpleasant flavor, the skin and feathers could be kept and filled with the cooked, minced and seasoned flesh of tastier birds, like goose or chicken.[4]
The most well known French chef of the Middle Ages was Guillaume Tirel, also known as Taillevent. Taillevent worked in numerous royal kitchens during the 14th century. His first position was as a kitchen boy in 1326. He was chef to Philip VI, then the Dauphin who was son of John II. The Dauphin became Charles V in 1364, with Taillevent as his chief cook. His career spanned sixty-six years, and upon his death he was buried in grand style between his two wives. His tombstone represents him in armor, holding a shield with three cooking pots, marmites, on it.[5]
Les Halles market
Ancien régime
During the ancien régime Paris was the central hub of culture and economic activity, and as such the most highly skilled culinary craftsmen were to be found there. Markets in Paris such as Les Halles, la Mégisserie, those found along Rue Mouffetard, and similar smaller versions in other cities were very important to the distribution of food. Those that gave French produce its characteristic identity were regulated by the guild system, which developed in the Middle Ages. In Paris, the guilds were regulated by city government as well as by the French crown. A guild restricted those in a given branch of the culinary industry to operate only within that field.[6]
There were two basic groups of guilds — first, those that supplied the raw materials; butchers, fishmongers, grain merchants, and gardeners. The second group were those that supplied prepared foods; bakers, pastrycooks, saucemakers, poulterers, and caterers. There were also guilds that offered both raw materials and prepared food, such as the charcutiers and rôtisseurs (purveyors of roasted meat dishes). They would supply cooked meat pies and dishes as well as raw meat and poultry. This caused issue with butchers and poulterers, who sold the same raw materials.[7] The guilds also served as a training ground for those within the industry. The degrees of assistant-cook, full-fledged cook and master chef were conferred. Those who reached the level of master chef were of considerable rank in their individual industry, and enjoyed a high level of income as well as economic and job security. At times, those who worked in the royal kitchens did fall under the guild hierarchy, but it was necessary to find them a parallel appointment based on their skills after leaving the service of the royal kitchens. This was not uncommon as the Paris cooks' guild regulations allowed for this movement.[8]
During the 15th and 16th centuries, French cuisine assimilated many new food items from the New World. Although they were slow to be adopted, records of banquets show Catherine de' Medici serving sixty-six turkeys at one dinner.[9] The dish called cassoulet has its roots in the New World discovery of haricot beans, which are central to the dish's creation but had not existed outside of the New World until its exploration by Christopher Columbus.[10]
[edit] 17th Century - Early 18th Century
France's famous Haute cuisine — literally "high cuisine" — has its foundations during the 17th century with a chef named La Varenne. As author of works such as Cvisinier françois, he is credited with publishing the first true French cookbook. His book includes the earliest known reference to roux using pork fat. The book contained two sections, one for meat days, and one for fasting. His recipes marked a change from the style of cookery known in the Middle Ages, to new techniques aimed at creating somewhat lighter dishes, and more modest presentations of pies as individual pastries and turnovers. La Varenne also published a book on pastry in 1667 entitled Le Parfait confitvrier (republished as Le Confiturier françois) which similarly updated and codified the emerging haute cuisine standards for desserts and pastries.[11]
Another chef, François Massialot, wrote Le Cuisinier roïal et bourgeois in 1691, during the reign of Louis XIV. The book contains menus served to the royal courts in 1690. Massialot worked mostly as a freelance cook, and was not employed by any particular household. Association with the French royalty, however, gave Massialot and many other royal cooks special privileges. They were not subject to the regulation of the guilds, therefore they could cater weddings and banquets without restriction. His book is the first to list recipes alphabetically, perhaps a forerunner of the first culinary dictionary. It is in this book that a marinade is first seen in print, with one type for poultry and feathered game while a second is for fish and shellfish. No quantities are listed in the recipes, which suggests that Massialot was writing for trained cooks.[12]
The successive updates of Le Cuisinier roïal et bourgeois include important refinements such as adding a glass of wine to fish stock. Definitions were also added to the 1703 edition. The 1712 edition, retitled Le Nouveau cuisinier royal et bourgeois, was increased to two volumes, and was written in a more elaborate style with extensive explanations of technique. Additional smaller preparations are included in this edition as well, leading to lighter preparations, and adding a third course to the meal. Ragout, a stew still central to French cookery, makes its first appearance as a single dish in this edition as well; prior to that it was listed as a garnish.[13]
Marie-Antoine Carême
Late 18th century - 19th century
The Revolution was integral to the expansion of French cuisine, because it effectively abolished the guilds. This meant that any one chef could now produce and sell any culinary item he wished. Marie-Antoine Carême was born in 1784, five years before the onset of the Revolution. He spent his younger years working at a pâtisserie until being discovered by Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord who would later cook for the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. Prior to his employment with Talleyrand, Carême had become known for his pièces montèes, which were extravagant constructions of pastry and sugar architecture.[14]
More important to Carême's career was his contribution to the refinement of French cuisine. The basis for his style of cooking came from his sauces, which he named mother sauces. Often referred to as fonds, which means foundations, these base sauces, still known today, were espagnole, velouté, and béchamel. Each of these sauces would be made in large quantities in his kitchen as they were then capable of forming the basis of multiple derivatives. Carême had over one hundred sauces in his repertoire. Also, in his writings, soufflés appear for the first time. Although many of his preparations today seem extremely extravagant, it must be remembered that he simplified and codified an even more complex cuisine that had existed beforehand. Central to his codification of the cuisine were Le Maître d'hôtel français (1822), Le Cuisinier parsien (1828) and L'Art de la cuisine française au dix-neuvième siècle (1833-5).[15]
Late 19th century - Early 20th century
Georges Auguste Escoffier is commonly acknowledged as the central figure to the modernization of haute cuisine and organizing what would become the national cuisine of France. His influence began with the rise of some of the great hotels in Europe and America during the 1880s - 1890s. The Savoy Hotel owned by César Ritz was an early hotel Escoffier worked at, but much of his influence came during his management of the kitchens in the Carlton from 1898 until 1921. He created a system of parties called the brigade system, which separated the professional kitchen into five separate stations. These five stations included the garde manger that prepared cold dishes; the entremettier prepared soups, vegetables and desserts; the rôtisseur prepared roasts, grilled and fried dishes; the saucier prepared sauces; and the pâtissier prepared all pastry items. This system meant that instead of one person preparing a dish on their own, now multiple cooks would prepare the different components for the dish. An example used is oeufs à la plat Meyerbeer, the prior system would take up to fifteen minutes to prepare the dish, while in the new system, the eggs would be prepared by the entremettier, kidney grilled by the rôtisseur, truffle sauce made by the saucier and thus the dish could be prepared in a much shorter time and served quickly in the popular restaurants.[16]
Escoffier also simplified and organized the modern menu and structure of the meal. He published a series of articles in professional journals which outlined the sequence and then finally published his Livre des menus in 1912. This type of service embraced the service á la russe (serving meals in separate courses on individual plates) which Félix Urbain Dubois had made popular in the 1860s. Escoffier's largest contribution was the publication of Le Guide Culinaire in 1903, which established the fundamentals of French cookery. The book was a collaboration with Philéas Gilbert, E. Fetu, A. Suzanne, B. Reboul, Ch. Dietrich, A. Caillat and others. The significance of this is to illustrate the universal acceptance by multiple high-profile chefs to this new style of cooking.[17]
Le Guide Culinaire deemphasized the use of heavy sauces and leaned toward lighter fumets which are the essence of flavor taken from fish, meat and vegetables. This style of cooking looked to create garnishes, sauces thats function was to add to the flavor of the dish, not hide flavors which the heavy sauces and ornate garnishes of the past had. Escoffier took inspiration for his work from personal recipes in addition to recipes from Carême, Dubois and ideas from Taillevent's Viander, which had a modern version published in 1897. A second source for recipes came from existing peasant dishes that were translated into the refined techniques of haute cuisine. Expensive ingredients would replace the common ingredients making the dishes much less humble. The third source of recipes was Escoffier himself who invented many new dishes, such as pêche Melba and crêpes Suzette.[18] Escoffier updated Le Guide Culinaire four times during his lifetime, noting in the foreword to the book’s first edition that even with its 5,000 recipes the book should not be considered an “exhaustive” text and that even if it was at the point when he wrote the book, “it would no longer be so tomorrow, because progress marches on each day."[19]
Mid 20th century - Late 20th century
Paul Bocuse
The term nouvelle cuisine has been used many times in the history of French cuisine. This description was seen in the 1740s of the cuisine from Vincent La Chapelle, François Marin and Menon and even during the 1880s and 1890s to describe Escoffier's cooking. The term came up again however during the 1960s used by two authors Henri Gault and Christian Millau to describe the cooking of Paul Bocuse, Jean and Pierre Troisgros, Michel Guérard, Roger Vergé and Raymond Oliver. These chefs were working toward rebelling from the "orthodoxy" of Escoffier's cuisine. Some of the chefs were students of Fernand Point at the Pyramide in Vienne and had left to open their own restaurants. Gault and Millau "discovered the formula" contained in ten characteristics of this new style of cooking.[20]
The first characteristic was a rejection of excessive complication in cooking. Second, the cooking times for most fish, seafood, game birds, veal, green vegetables and pâtés was greatly reduced in an attempt to preserve the natural flavors. Steaming was an important trend from this characteristic. The third characteristic was that the cuisine was made with the freshest possible ingredients. Fourth, large menus were abandoned in favor of shorter menus. Fifth, strong marinades for meat and game ceased to be used. Sixth, they stopped using heavy sauces such as espagnole and béchamel thickened with flour based roux, in favor of seasoning their dishes with fresh herbs, quality butter, lemon juice, and vinegar. Seventh, they used regional dishes for inspiration instead of haute cuisine dishes. Eighth, new techniques were embraced and modern equipment was often used, Bocuse even used microwave ovens. Ninth, the chefs paid close attention to the dietary needs of their guests through their dishes. Tenth and finally, the chefs were extremely inventive and created new combinations and pairings.[21]
Some have speculated that a contributor to nouvelle cuisine was World War II when animal protein was in short supply during the German occupation.[22] No matter what the origins were, by the mid-1980s some food writers stated that the style of cuisine had reached exhaustion and many chefs began returning to the haute cuisine style of cooking, although much of the lighter presentations and new techniques remained.[23]
Common dishes found on a national level
There are many dishes that are considered part of the nation's national cuisine today. Many come from haute cuisine in the fine-dining realm, but others are regional dishes that have become a norm across the country. Below are lists of a few of the more common dishes available in France on a national level.
Common breads found on a national level
Common savory dishes found on a national level
Common desserts and pastries found on a national level
Common canned food found on the national level
Regional cuisine
The 22 regions and 96 departments of metropolitan France includes Corsica (Corse, lower right). Paris area is expanded (inset at left)
French regional cuisine is characterized by its extreme diversity and style. Traditionally, each region of France has its own distinctive cuisine accepted by both its bourgeoisie and peasants and other general citizenry of the regions.
Paris • Ile-de-France
Paris is a central region where almost anything from the country is available as all train lines meet in the city. Over 5,000 restaurants exist in Paris and almost any cuisine can be had here. High-quality Michelin Guide rated restaurants proliferate here.[24]
Champagne • Lorraine • Alsace
Game and ham are popular in Champagne as well as the special sparkling wine simply known as Champagne. Fine fruit preserves are known from Lorraine as well as the famous Quiche Lorraine. Alsace is heavily influenced by the German food culture as such the wines and beers made in the area are very similar to the style of bordering Germany.[25]
List of dishes unique to Lorraine
List of dishes unique to Alsace
[edit] Nord • Pas de Calais • Picardy • Normandy • Brittany
The coastline supplies many crustaceans, sea bass, monkfish, herring. Normandy has top quality seafood like scallops and sole, while Brittany has a supply of lobster, crayfish and mussels. Normandy is also home to a large population of apple trees, which is used in dishes as well as cider and calvados. The northern areas of this region grow ample amounts of wheat, sugar beet and chicory. Thick stews are found often in these northern areas as well. The produce of these northern regions is also considered some of the best in the country including cauliflower and artichokes. Buckwheat grows widely in Brittany as well and is used in the regions galettes called jalet, which is where this dish originated.[26]
List of dishes unique Nord-Pas-de-Calais (Artois, Flanders, Hainaut)-Picardy
List of dishes unique to Normandy
List of dishes unique to Brittany
The Loire Valley • Central France
High quality fruits including cherries grown for the liqueur Guignolet and the Belle Angevine pears. The strawberries and melons are also of high quality. Fish are seen in the cuisine as well as wild game, lamb, calves, Charolais cattle, Géline fowl, and high quality goat cheeses. Young vegetables are used often in the cuisine as are the specialty mushrooms of the region, champignons de Paris. Vinegars from Orléans are a specialty ingredient used as well.[27]
List of dishes unique to Loire Valley/Central France
Burgundy • Franche-Comté
Burgundy is well known for its wines. Pike, perch, river crabs, snails, poultry from Bresse, Charolais beef or game, redcurrants, blackcurrants, honey cake, Chaource and Epoisses cheese are all specialties of the local cuisine. Kir and Crème de Cassis are popular liquors made from the blackcurrants. Dijon mustard is also a specialty of Burgundy cuisine. Oils are used in the cooking here, types include nut oils and rapeseed oil. Smoked meat and specialties are produced in the Jura [28]
List of dishes unique to Burgundy
[edit] Lyon • Rhône-Alpes
Fruit and young vegetables are popular in the cuisine from the Rhône valley. Poultry from Bresse, guinea fowels from Drôme and fish from the Dombes lakes and mountain streams are key to the cuisine as well. Lyon and Savoy supply high quality sausages while the Alpine regions supply their specialty cheeses like Abondance, Reblochon, Tomme and Vacherin. Mères lyonnaises are a particular type of restaurateur relegated to this region that are the regions bistro. Celebrated chefs from this region include Fernand Point, Paul Bocuse, the Troisgros brothers and Alain Chapel. The Chartreuse Mountains are in this region, and the famous liquor Chartreuse is produced in a monastery there.[29]
List of dishes unique to Rhône-Alpes
Poitou-Charentes • Limousin
Oysters come from the Oléron-Marennes basin while mussels come from the Bay of Aiguillon. High quality produce comes from the regions hinterland. Goat cheese is of high quality in this region and in the Vendée is grazing ground for Parthenaise cattle, while poultry is raised in Challans. Poitou and Charente purportedly produce the best butter and cream in France. Cognac is also produced in the region along the Charente River. Limousin is home to the high quality Limousin cattle as well as high quality sheep. The woodlands offer game, high quality mushrooms. The southern area around Brive draws its cooking influence from Périgord and Auvergne to produce a robust cuisine.[30]
Bordeaux • Perigord • Gascony • Pays Basque
Main article: Basque cuisine
Bordeaux is well known for its wine, as it is throughout the southwest of France with certain areas offering specialty grapes for its wines. Fishing is popular in the region for the cuisine, especially the Basque deep-sea fishing of the North Sea, trapping in the Garonne and stream fishing in the Pyrenees. The Pyrenees also support top quality lamb such as the "Agneau de Pauillac" as well as high quality sheep cheeses. Beef cattle in the region include the Blonde d'Aquitaine, Boeuf de Challose, Bazardaise, and Garonnaise. High quality free-range chickens, turkey, pigeon, capon, goose and duck prevail in the region as well. Gascony and Perigord cuisines includes high quality patés, terrines, confits and magrets. This is one of the regions famous for its production of foie gras or fattened goose or duck liver. The cuisine of the region is often heavy and farm based. Armagnac is also from this region as are high quality prunes from Agen.[31]
Toulouse • Quercy • Aveyron
Gers in this region offers high quality poultry, while La Montagne Noire and Lacaune area offers high quality hams and dry sausages. White corn is planted heavily in the area both for use in fattening the ducks and geese for foie gras as well as the production of millas a cornmeal porridge. Haricot beans are also grown in this area, which are central to the dish Cassoulet. The finest sausage in France is commonly acknowledged to be the saucisse de Toulouse, which also finds its way into their version of Cassoulet. The Cahors area produces a high quality specialty "black wine" as well as high-quality truffles and mushrooms. This region also produces milk-feed lamb. Unpasteurized ewe's milk is used to produce the Roquefort in Aveyron, while Cantal is produced in Laguiole. The Salers cattle produce quality milk for cheese as well as beef items. The volcanic soils create flinty cheeses and superb lentils. Mineral waters are produced in high volume in this region as well.[32]
List of dishes unique to Aveyron
List of dishes unique to Toulouse
[edit] Roussillon • Languedoc • Les Cévennes
Restaurants are popular in the area known as Le Midi. Oysters come from the Etang de Thau, to be served in the restaurants of Bouzigues, Meze, and Sète. Mussels are commonly seen here in addition to fish specialties of Sète, Bourride, Tielles and Rouille de seiche. Also in the Languedoc jambon cru, sometimes known as jambon de montagne is produced. High quality Roquefort comes from the brebis (sheep) on the Larzac plateau. The Cévennes area offers mushrooms, chestnuts, berries, honey, lamb, game, sausages, pâtés and goat cheeses. Catalan influence can be seen in the cuisine here with dishes like brandade made from a purée of dried cod which is then wrapped in mangold leaves. Snails are also plentiful and are prepared in a specific Catalan style known as a cargolade . Wild boar can also be found in the more mountainous regions of the Midi.[33]
List of dishes unique to Languedoc
Provence • Côte d'Azur
The Provence region is rich in quality citrus, vegetables and fruits and herbs, the region is one of the largest supplier of all these ingredients in France. The region also produces the largest amount of olives and thus creates superb olive oil. Lavender is used in many dishes found in the Haute Provence. Other important herbs in the cuisine include thyme, sage, rosemary, basil, savory, fennel, marjoram, tarragon, oregano, and bay leaf Honey is another prized ingredient in the region. Seafood proliferates in this area in all areas. Goat cheeses, air-dried sausage, lamb, and beef are also popular here. Garlic and anchovies can be seen in many of the sauces in the region and Pastis can be found in many of the bistros of the area. The cuisine uses a large amount of vegetables for lighter preparations. Truffles are commonly seen in Provence during the winter. Rice can be found growing in Camargue which is the most-northernly rice growing area in Europe, with red rice being a specialty.[34]
List of dishes unique to Provence/Côte d'Azur
Corsica
Goats and sheep proliferate on the island, and kids and lamb are used to prepare dishes such as stufato, ragouts and roasts. Cheeses are also produced with brocciu being the most popular. Chestnuts grow in the Castagniccia forest which are used to produce flour which in turn is used to make bread, cakes and polenta. The forest also provides acorns which are used to feed the pigs which provide most of the protein for the island's cuisine. As Corse is an island, fresh fish and seafood are common in the cuisine as well. The islands pork is used to make fine hams, sausage and other unique items including coppa (dried rib cut), lonzu (dried pork fillet), figatella, salumu (a dried sausage) salcietta, Panzetta, bacon, figarettu (smoked and dried liverwurst) and prisuttu (farmer's ham). Clementines (hold an AOC designation), Nectarines and figs are grown there and candied citron is used in nougats, cakes, while and the aforementioned brocciu and chestnuts are also used in desserts. Corse also offers a variety of fruit wines and liquers, including Cap Corse, Cédratine, Bonapartine, liquer de myrte, vins de fruit, Rappu, and eau-de-vie de châtaigne.[35]
Specialties by season
French cuisine varies according to the season. In summer, salads and fruit dishes are popular because they're refreshing and the produce is inexpensive and abundant. Greengrocers prefer to sell their fruit and vegetables at lower prices if needed, rather than see them rot in the heat. At the end of summer, mushrooms become plentiful and appear in stews everywhere in France. The hunting season starts in September and runs through February. Game of all kinds is eaten, often in very elaborate dishes that celebrate the success of the hunt. Shellfish are at their peak as winter turns to spring, and oysters appear in restaurants in large quantities.
With the advent of the deep-freeze and the air-conditioned hypermarché, these seasonal variations are less marked than hitherto, but they are still observed because in some cases it's the law. Crayfish, for example, have a very short season and it's illegal to take them outside that time.[36] Moreover, they do not survive freezing very well.
Ingredients
An entire foie gras (partly prepared for a terrine).
Escargot cooked with garlic and parsley butter in a shell (with a €0.02 coin as scale)
Black Périgord Truffle
Smoked and salted horse meat on a sandwich.
French regional cuisines use locally grown vegetables, such as:
potatoes
haricot verts (A type of French green bean)
carrots
leeks
turnips
aubergine (eggplant)
courgette (zucchini)
Mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, cèpes (porcini)
Truffles (Tuber (genus))
shallots
Common fruits include:
oranges
tomatoes
tangerines
peaches
apricots
apples
pears
plums
cherry
strawberry
raspberry
redcurrant
blackberry
grape
blackcurrant
Meats consumed include:
chicken
squab
turkey
duck
goose
foie gras
beef
veal
pork
mutton and lamb
rabbit
quail
horse
Eggs are fine quality and often eaten as:
omelette
hard-boiled with mayonnaise
Scrambled plain or haute cuisine preparation
Fish and seafood commonly consumed include:
cod
sardines, canned and fresh
tuna, canned and fresh
salmon
trout
mussels
herring
escargot (snails)
oysters
shrimp
calamari
frog's legs
The famous fleur de sel from Guérande
Herbs and Seasonings vary by region and include:
fleur de sel
herbes de Provence
tarragon
rosemary
marjoram
lavender
thyme
fennel
sage
Fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as fish and meat can be purchased either from supermarkets or specialty shops. Street markets are held on certain days in most localities; some towns have a more permanent covered market enclosing food shops, especially meat and fish retailers. These have better shelter than the periodic street markets.
Structure of meals
Breakfast

Cafés often offer Croissants for breakfast
Le petit déjeuner (breakfast) is often a quick meal consisting of bread, butter and jam along with coffee or tea. Children often drink hot chocolate along with their breakfast. Breakfast of some kind is always served in cafés opening early in the day.
Lunch
Le déjeuner (lunch) was once a two hour mid-day meal but has recently seen a trend toward the one hour lunch break. In some smaller towns the two hour lunch may still be customary. Sunday lunches are often longer and are taken with the family.[37] Restaurants normally open for lunch at 12:00pm and close at 2:30pm. Many restaurants close on Saturday and Monday during lunch.[38]
In large cities a majority of working people and students eat their lunch at a corporate or school cafeteria, which normally serve complete meals as described above; it is therefore not usual for students to bring their own lunch food. It is common for white-collar workers to be given lunch vouchers as part of their employee benefits. These can be used in most restaurants, supermarkets and traiteurs; however workers having lunch in this way typically do not eat all three dishes of a traditional lunch due to price and time considerations. In smaller cities and towns, some working people leave their workplaces to return home for lunch, generating four rush hours during the day. Finally, an also popular alternative especially among blue-collar workers is to lunch on a sandwich possibly followed with a dessert; both dishes can be found ready-made at bakeries and supermarkets for budget prices.
Dinner
Le dîner (dinner) often consists of three courses, hors d'oeuvre or entrée (introductory course often soup), plat principal (main course), and a cheese course or dessert, sometimes with a salad offered before the cheese or dessert. Yogurt may replace the cheese course, while a normal everyday dessert would be fresh fruit. The meal is often accompanied by bread, wine and mineral water. Wine consumption has been dropping recently in young people. Fruit juice consumption has risen from 25.6% in 1996 to 31.6% in 2002. Main meat courses are often served with vegetables along with rice or pasta.[39] Restaurants often open at 7:30pm for dinner and stop taking orders between the hours of 10:00pm and 11:00pm. Many restaurants close for dinner on Sundays.[40]
[edit] Drink
Traditionally, France has been a culture of wine consumption. While this characteristic has lessened with time, even today, many French people drink wine daily. The consumption of low-quality wines during meals has been greatly reduced. Beer is especially popular with the youth. Other popular alcoholic drinks include pastis, an aniseed flavoured beverage drunk diluted with cold water, or cider.
The legal alcohol purchase age is 16. Usually, parents tend to prohibit their children from consuming alcohol before these children reach their early teens. Students and young adults are known to drink heavily during parties, but usually drunkenness is not displayed in public. Public consumption of alcohol is legal, but driving under the influence can result in severe penalties.
Dining out
History of the restaurant
The restaurant has its origins in French culture. Prior to the late 18th century, diners who wished to "dine out" would visit their local guild member's kitchen and have their meal prepared for them. However, guild members were limited to producing whatever their guild registry delegated them to.[41] These guild members offered food in their own homes to steady clientele that appeared day-to-day but at set times. The guest would be offered the meal table d'hôte, which is a meal offered at a set price with very little choice of dishes, sometimes none at all.[42]
The first steps toward the modern restaurant were locations that offered restorative bouillons, or restaurants — these words being the origin of the name restaurant. This step took place during the 1760's - 1770's. These locations were open at all times of the day, featuring ornate tableware and reasonable prices. These locations were meant more as meal replacements for those who had "lost their appetites and suffered from jaded palates and weak chests."[43]
In 1782 Antoine Beauvilliers, pastry chef to the future Louis XVIII, opened one of the most popular restaurants of the time — the Grande Taverne de Londres — in the arcades of the Palais-Royal. Other restaurants were opened by chefs of the time who were leaving the failing monarchy of France, in the period leading up to the French Revolution. It was these restaurants that expanded upon the limited menus of decades prior, and led to the full restaurants that were completely legalized with the advent of the French Revolution and abolition of the guilds. This and the substantial discretionary income of the French Directory's nouveau riche helped keep these new restaurants in business.[44]
Places to dine out
Restaurant - Over 5,000 in Paris alone, with varying levels of prices and menus. Open at certain times of the day, and normally closed one day of the week. Patrons select items from a printed menu. Some offer regional menus, while others offer a modern styled menu. By law, a prix-fixe menu must be offered, although high-class restaurants may try to conceal the fact. Few French restaurants cater to vegetarians. The Guide Michelin rates many of the better restaurants in this category.[45]
Bistro(t) - Often smaller than a restaurant and many times using chalk board or verbal menus. Many feature a regional cuisine. Notable dishes include coq au vin, pot-au-feu, confit de canard, calves' liver and entrecôte.[45]
Bistrot à Vin - Similar to caberets or tavernes of the past in France. Some offer inexpensive alcoholic drinks, while others take pride in offering a full range of vintage AOC wines. The foods in some are simple, including sausages, ham and cheese, while others offer dishes similar to what can be found in a bistro.[45]
A bouchon, Le tablier (the apron), in Vieux Lyon.
Bouchon - Found in Lyon, they produce traditional Lyonnaise cuisine, such as sausages, duck pâté or roast pork. The dishes can be quite fatty, and heavily oriented around meat. There are about twenty officially certified traditional bouchons, but a larger number of establishments describing themselves using the term.[46]
Brasserie - French for brewery, these establishments were created in the 1870's by refugees from Alsace-Lorraine. These establishments serve beer, but most serve wines from Alsace such as Riesling, Sylvaner, and Gewürztraminer. The most popular dishes are Sauerkraut and Seafood dishes.[45] In general, a brasserie is open all day, offering the same menu.[47]
Café - Primarily locations for coffee and alcoholic drinks. Tables and chairs are usually set outside, and prices marked up somewhat en terrasse. The limited foods sometimes offered include croque-monsieur, salads, moules-frites (mussels and pommes frites) when in season. Cafés often open early in the morning and shut down around nine at night.[45]
Salon de Thé - These locations are more similar to cafés in the rest of the world. These tearooms often offer a selection of cakes and do not offer alcoholic drinks. Many offer simple snacks, salads, and sandwiches. Teas, hot chocolate, and chocolat à l'ancienne (a popular chocolate drink) offered as well. These locations often open just prior to noon for lunch and then close late afternoon.[45]
Bar - Based on the American style, many were built at the beginning of the 20th century. These locations serve cocktails, whiskey, pastis and other alcoholic drinks.[45]
Estaminet - Typical of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region, these small bars/restaurants used to be a central place for farmers, mine or textile workers to meet and socialize. Alongside the usual beverages (beers, liquors...), one could order basic regional dishes, as well as play various indoor games. These estaminets almost disappeared, but are now considered a part of Nord-Pas-de-Calais history, and therefore preserved and promoted.
Kitchen and dining room staff
Larger restaurants and hotels in France employ extensive staff and are commonly referred to as either the kitchen brigade for the kitchen staff or dining room brigade system for the dining room staff. This system was created by Georges Auguste Escoffier This structured team system delegates responsibilities to different individuals that specialize in certain tasks. The following is a list of positions held both in the kitchen and dining rooms brigades in France.[48]
Kitchen brigade

Cooks at work
Chef de cuisine (Kitchen chef)- Responsible for overall management of kitchen. They supervise staff, create menus and new recipes with the assistance of the restaurant manager, make purchases of raw food items, trains apprentices and maintains a sanitary and hygiene environment for the preparation of food.[48]
Sous-chef de cuisine (Deputy kitchen chef)- Receives orders directly from the chef de cuisine for the management of the kitchen and often represents the chef de cuisine when he or she is not present.[48]
Chef de partie (Senior chef)- Responsible for managing a given station in the kitchen where they specialize in preparing particular dishes. Those that work in a lesser station are commonly referred to as a demi-chef.[48]
Cuisinier (Cook)- This position is an independent one where they usually prepare specific dishes in a station. They may also be referred to as a cuisinier de partie.[48]
Commis (Junior cook)- Also works in a specific station, but reports directly to the chef de partie and takes care of the tools for the station.[48]
Apprenti(e) (Apprentice)- Many times they are students gaining theoretical and practical training in school and work experience in the kitchen. They perform preparatory work and/or cleaning work.[48]
Plongeur (Dishwasher)- Cleans dishes and utensils and may be entrusted with basic preparatory job.[48]
Marmiton - (Pot and pan washer)In larger restaurants takes care of all the pots and pans instead of the plongeur.[49]
Saucier (Saucemaker/Sauté cook)- Prepares sauces, warm hors d'oeuvres, completes meat dishes and in smaller restaurants may work on fish dishes and prepares sautéed items. This is one of the most respected positions in the kitchen brigade.[48]
Rôtisseur (Roast cook)- Manages a team of cooks that roasts, broils and deep fries dishes.[48]
Grillardin (Grill cook)- In a larger kitchen this person prepares the grilled foods instead of the rôtisseur.[50]
Friturier (Fry cook)- In larger kitchens this person prepares fried foods instead of the rôtisseur.[50]
Poissonnier (Fish cook)- Prepares fish and seafood dishes.[49]
Entremetier (Entrée preparer)- Prepares soups and other dishes not involving meat or fish, including vegetable dishes and egg dishes.[48]
Potager (soup cook)- In larger kitchens this person reports to the entremetier and prepares the soups.[50]
Legumier (Vegetable cook)- In larger kitchen this person also reports to the entremetier and prepares the vegetable dishes.[50]
Garde manger (Pantry supervisor)- responsible for preparation of cold hors d'oeuvres, prepares salads, organizes large buffet displays and prepares charcuterie items.[48]
Tournant (Spare hand/ roundsman)- Moves throughout kitchen assisting other positions in kitchen
Pâtissier (Pastry cook)- Prepares desserts and other meal end sweets and for location without a boulanger also prepares breads and other baked items. They may also prepare pasta for the restaurant.[49]
Confiseur - Prepares candies and petit fours in larger restaurants instead of the pâtissier.[50]
Glacier - Prepares frozen and cold deserts in larger restaurants instead of the pâtissier.[50]
Décorateur - Prepares show pieces and specialty cakes in larger restaurants instead of the pâtissier.[50]
Boulanger (Baker)- Prepares bread, cakes and breakfast pastries in larger restaurants instead of the pâtissier.[49]
Boucher (Butcher)- butchers meats, poultry and sometimes fish. May also be in charge of breading meat and fish items.[50]
Aboyeur (Announcer/ expediter)- Takes orders from dining room and distributes them to the various stations. This position may also be performed by the sous-chef de partie.[50]
Communard - Prepares the meal served to the restaurant staff.[50]
Garçon de cuisine - Performs preparatory and auxiliary work for support in larger restaurants.[49]
Dining room brigade
Directeur de la restauration (General manager) - Oversees economic and administrative duties for all food related business in large hotels or similar facilities including multiple restaurants, bars, catering and other events.[51]
Directeur de restaurant (Restaurant manager) - Responsible for the operation of the restaurant dining room which includes managing staff, hiring and firing staff, training of staff and economic duties of the such matters. In larger establishments there may be an assistant to this position who would replace this person in their absence.[51]
Maître d'hotel - Welcomes guests, and seats them at tables. They also supervise the service staff. It is this person that commonly deals with complaints and verifies patron bills.[51]
Chef de salle - Commonly in charge of service for the full dining room in larger establishments, this position can be combined into the maître d'hotel position.[50]
Chef de rang - The dining room is separated into sections called rangs. Each rang is supervised by this person to coordinate service with the kitchen.[51]
Demi-chef de rang or commis de rang - (Back waiter) - Clears plates between courses if there is no commis débarrasseur, fills water glasses and assists the chef de rang.[50]
Commis débarrasseur - Clears plates between courses and the table at the end of the meal.[51]
Commis de suite - In larger establishments, this person brings the different courses from the kitchen to the table.[51]
Chef d'étage (Captain) - Explains the menu to the guest and answers any questions. This person often performs the tableside food preparations. This position may be combined with the chef de rang in smaller establishment.[50]
Chef de vin or Sommelier (Wine waiter) - Manages wine cellar by purchasing and organizing as well as preparing the wine list. This person also advises the guest on wine choices and serves it. Larger establishments will have a team of sommeliers that are managed by the chef sommelier or chef caviste.[51]
Serveur de restaurant (Waiter) - This position found in smaller establishments performs the multiple duties of various positions in the larger restaurants in the service of food and drink to the guest.[51]
Barman (Bartender) - Serves alcoholic drinks to guests.[51]
Responsible de bars (Bar manager) - Manages the bar in a restaurant which includes ordering and creating drink menus, they also over see the hiring, training and firing of barmen. Also manages multiple bars in a hotel or other similar establishment.[51]
Dame du vestiaire - Coat room attendant that receives and returns guests coats and hats.[51]
Voituriers (Valet) - Parks guests cars and retrieves them upon the guest exiting the restaurant.[51]

international cuisines - notes for 111 sem BHM

2007-10-04T02:22:00.000-07:00

FOOD AND BEVERAGE PRODUCTION

INTERNATIONAL CUISINES FOR 111 SEMESTER 2007

SPANISH CUISINE

INTRODUCTION

History and geography have interwined to create one of the most varied and rewarding cuisines in the world.
Located in southwestern Europe, Spain is the third largest European country. It controls the crossroads between two seas -- the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. It is exceptionally mountainous and climatically it is much drier than the rest of Europe. The landscape ranges from arid mountain pasture to lush orchards and meadows, from magnificent coasts to rural or sophisticated towns.
Spain's location and the mineral wealth of its sub-soil have exercised an attraction for many people, especially foreign political and ethnic interests. Thus, its ethnic and cultural heritage is complex. It is an area of Europe much fought over and invaded.
It's history began with Phoenician, Greek, and Carthaginian coastal settlements. Later the Romans, and more importantly the Moors, brought with them elements of their own cooking which lingered and blended with Spain's culinary heritage. Imports from the New World included the tomato, potato, sweet potato, vanilla, chocolate, many varieties of beans, zucchini, and the pepper tribe. There are olives in profusion, vineyards and citrus fruit. Spaniards are very fond of garlic, they love all types of sweet and hot peppers and their beloved jamon serrano -- cured ham. The golden spice saffron enhances many Spanish foods, paella in particular. Spain's most famous wine -- sherry, both dry and sweet -- flavors entrees and desserts.

Spanish life-style is vastly different from Americans'. A typical dining pattern involves a light breakfast at 8 a.m.; a mid-morning breakfast at 11 a.m.; tapas at 1 p.m. with a three-course lunch following at 2 to 3 p.m.; a merienda for tea and pastries or a snack at 5 to 6 p.m.; evening tapas at 8 p.m. or later, and a three-course supper at 10 p.m. The two main meals of the day -- la comida, or lunch, and la cena, dinner -- are no less opulent because of in-between snacks.

THE SPANISH GASTRONOMY
One of Spain’s greatest attractions is, without any doubt, its cuisine, which is one of the best in the world for both quality and variety. Accurately speaking, one cannot talk of a national cuisine but rather of a multiplicity of regional cuisines influenced in each case by the climate and local way of life.
Spanish cuisine is distinguished by the traditional use of olive oil as the vegetable- and lard as the animal fat in the preparation of dishes, as well as the inclusion of a wide variety of fruit and vegetables introduced by Moorish culture, plus other ingredients, such as the potato and tomato imported from the New World.
Spanish cuisine consists of a great variety of dishes which stem from differences in geography, culture and climate. It is heavily influenced by seafood available from the waters that surround the country, and reflects the country's deep Mediterranean roots. Spain's extensive history with many cultural influences has led to a unique cuisine with literally thousands of recipes and flavors.
Then again, the considerable development in Spanish cooking in recent years has also been due to the emergence of a clutch of first-class chefs who have successfully managed to reinterpret traditional dishes and recipes in tune with present times, endowing Spanish cuisine with a new dimension in presentation and flavour.
Main Components of Spanish Cuisine
A significant portion of Spanish cuisine derives from the Jewish and Moorish traditions. The Moors were a strong influence in Spain for many centuries and some of their food is still eaten in Spain today. However, pork is popular and for centuries eating pork was also a statement of Christian ethnicity or limpieza de sangre, because it was not eaten by Jews or Muslims. Several native foods of the Americas were introduced to Europe through Spain, and a modern Spanish cook couldn't do without potatoes, tomatoes, peppers or beans. These are some of the primary influences that have differentiated Spanish cuisine from Mediterranean cuisine, of which Spanish cuisine shares many techniques and food items.
The essential ingredient for real Spanish cooking is olive oil; Spain produces 44% of the world's olives.
Daily meals eaten by the Spanish in many areas of the country are still very often made traditionally by hand, from fresh ingredients bought daily from the local market. This practice is more common in the rural areas and less common in the large urban areas like Madrid, where supermarkets are beginning to displace the open air markets. However, even in Madrid food can be bought from the local shops, bread from the panadería, meat from the carnicería, etc.
Traditional Spanish cooking also often revolves around outdoor cooking over a fire, perhaps in a special clay or brick oven.
One popular custom when going out is to be served tapas with a drink (sherry, wine, beer, etc.). In some places, like Granada, tapas are given for free with a drink and have become very famous for that reason. It should be noted that almost every tapas bar serves something edible when a drink is ordered, without charge.
Another traditional favorite is the churro with a mug of thick hot chocolate to dip the churro in. Churrerías, or stores that serve churros, are quite common. The Chocolatería de San Ginés in Madrid is especially famous as a place to stop and have some chocolate with churros, often late into the night (even dawn) after being out on the town. Often traditional Spanish singers will entertain the guests. [1]
As is true in many countries, the cuisines of Spain differ widely from one region to another, even though they all share certain common characteristics, among which are:
• The use of olive oil as a cooking fat, as well as raw, in items such as fritters.
• The use of sofrito to start the preparation of many dishes.
• The use of garlic and onions as major seasonings.
• The custom of drinking wine during meals.
• Serving bread with the vast majority of meals.
• Consumption of salads, especially in the summer.
• The consumption of a piece of fruit or a dairy product as dessert. Desserts such as tarts and cakes are typically reserved for special occasions.
Spanish food is not spicy, and in fact, many Spaniards find even common black pepper too hot for their palate.
Foods of the Spaniards
Spanish may be their common language, but don't expect the foods of Spain to be like Mexican or South American. You won't find tortillas, salsa or chilies. According to Mendel, the following foods are the hallmarks of Spanish cooking.
Ham -- Spain has a special ham, jamon serrano, which means "mountain" ham because it is frequently made in mountain regions where cold winters and hot summers contribute to the curing process. These hams are salt-cured, not smoked. Serrano ham, if made from the native Iberian pig, which is fed on acorns, is called jamon iberico or papa negra, "black hoof." Iberico ham, in my opinion, is one of seven wonders of the food world, far surpassing prosciutto.
Olives -- Seville Manzanilla green olives, whole or stuffed, are the best known because they are widely exported in tins and jars. They are big and meaty, with a fine texture. Most prevalent in Spain are home-cured olives. These are usually cracked, but not stoned, slightly bitter, flavored with garlic and lemon thyme, and kept in brine. They can be served as an aperitif or with a meal or used in cooking.
Olive oil -- Spain produces more olive oil than any other country. The oils vary considerably in color and flavor. Some are green, others golden. They have as many nuances of flavor as do fine wines. Olive oil is essential to Spanish cooking, and it is used in many desserts. Americans are finally learning to bypass butter at the table and enjoy bread dipped into olive oil, a healthful and delicious custom.
Garlic -- Ajo is used everywhere. Pickled, it is a robust appetizer. Find it minced raw in salads, lightly fried, sauteed or roasted in savory dishes.
Peppers -- Pimientos are widely used in Spanish cooking. You'll find both red and green bell peppers, the prized red piquillo peppers of the Basque country that are often stuffed, and hot chilies both fresh and dried.
Saffron -- It takes the stigmas of 75,000 autumn-blooming crocuses to make a pound of this expensive spice, which is grown in La Mancha and Murcia. The orange-colored threads are steeped in a little water before being added to dishes such as paella.
Tomatoes -- Sweet, vine-ripened tomatoes are one of the glories of the Spanish summer. They go into salads, fresh tomato sauce and, of course, gazpacho, Spain's famous cold summer soup.
Sausages and pork -- A wide range of sausages is produced in Spain. Chorizo is probably the best known. Salchichon is a hard sausage similar to salami, lightly garlicky and studded with peppercorns. Salchicha is fresh pork sausage links; and sobrasada is a soft, spreadable sausage from Mallorca. Lomo embuchado is cured pork loin in sausage casing.
Fish and seafood -- Spain is a country with about 3,000 miles of coastline. Most of the coast is dotted with villages whose populations earn their living from the sea -- fishing, boat-building, canning and preserving. Fish and seafood is fried in olive oil, grilled over coals, or made into earthy soups and stews.
Nuts -- Almonds, walnuts, chestnuts and hazelnuts are often used in savory dishes to thicken and enrich sauces. Toasted almonds are a classic nibble with a glass of sherry.
Wine -- Rioja may be the most famous Spanish red wine. Red wine is tinto; white wine is blanco; rose is rosado. Sherry, produced in the area around Jerez, is one of the world's great wines. It is the perfect foil for shellfish, ham, nuts and tapa foods.
Tapas -- No, this isn't a solo food; it is a unique way of eating. Tapas are small portions of foods, both hot and cold, served in wine bars and taverns. With them, you drink dry Spanish sherry, wine, cider or beer. Tapas are always accompanied by olives, almonds and rustic bread, the better to mop up the sauces. Trust me, they are so varied and delicious, a tourist can spend a week in Spain tapa hopping, eating nothing but tapas for lunch and dinner.
Spain's culinary traditions rely on an abundance of locally grown vegetables and fruits as well as meats and poultry. Jamón serrano, a cured ham, and chorizo, a seasoned sausage, are popular. Seafood and fish are popular in coastal areas. Other popular foods are cheeses, eggs, beans, rice, nuts (especially almonds), and bread (a crusty white bread, baked fresh daily, is common). Olive oil and garlic are common ingredients. Spain is also known for its wines, including the rioja, made in the northern province; sherry, a fortified wine that may be dry or sweet; and sangria, wine mixed with fruit and soda water.
The best-known Spanish dish, a stew called paella (pie-AY-ah), originated in Valencia, an eastern province on the Mediterranean Sea. Rice, a main ingredient, is grown in Valencia's tidal flatlands. Though there are numerous variations, paella is usually made of a variety of shellfish (such as shrimp, clams, crab, and lobster), chorizo (sausage), vegetables (tomatoes, peas, and asparagus), chicken and/or rabbit, and long-grained rice. Broth, onion, garlic, wine, pimiento (sweet red pepper), and saffron add flavor to the stew.
Every region has its own distinct cuisine and specialties. Gazpacho, a cold tomato soup, comes from Andalucía in southern Spain. Traditionally, a special bowl called a dornillo, was used to pound the ingredients by hand, but modern Spanish cooks use a blender. Andalusians also enjoy freidurías (fish, such as sole or anchovies, fried in batter). Cataluña (Catalonia), in northeastern Spain, is known for its inventive dishes combining seafood, meat, poultry, and local fruits. In the northern Basque country (país Vasco), fish is important to the diet, with cod, eel, and squid featured prominently. The signature dish of Asturias, in northwestern Spain, is fabada, a bean stew. In the interior regions, such as Castilla, meats play a starring role. Tortilla española, a potato omelet, is served throughout the country. It can be prepared quickly and makes a hearty but simple dinner. Spain's best-known dessert is flan, a rich custard.
Typical Spanish Dishes
Among the multitude of recipes that make up the varied cuisines of Spain, a few can be considered common to all or almost all of Spain's regions, even though some of them have an origin known and associated with specific places. Examples include the potato omelette ("tortilla de patata"), gazpacho, paella, stews, migas, sausages (such as embutidos, chorizo, and morcilla), jamón serrano, and cheeses. There are also many dishes based on beans (chickpeas, lentils, green beans); soups, with many regional variations; and bread, that has numerous forms, with distinct varieties in each region. The regional variations are less pronounced in Spanish desserts and cakes: flan, custard, rice pudding (arroz con leche), torrijas, churros, and madeleines are some of the most representative examples. Others include:
• Arroz a la Cubana
• Cocido (a chickpea and meat stew of sorts) Chorizo (spicy sausage)
• Chuletillas (grilled chops of milk-fed lamb)
• Gazpacho (cold bread and tomato soup)
• Fabada Asturiana (bean stew)
• Jamón serrano (cured ham)
• Lechazo asado (roasted milk-fed lamb)
• Mariscos (shellfish)
• Paella (saffron rice)
• Pescaito Frito, marinated battered fried fish, typical from Seville and Western Andalusia
• Tortilla de patatas or tortilla española (egg omelette with potatoes)
• Turrón, a dessert with almonds and honey, typical of Christmas
• Tortas de Aceite from Seville, a sweet Olive Oil pastry
A Glossary of Cooking Terms and Ingredients
The tapa tradition is as important for the conversation and company as for the delicious food. Every Spaniard has his favorite tasca, as the tapa bars are called, where he goes regularly to meet his friends or business acquaintances. Tapas will be found in even the smallest bar in a tiny village. The word tapa, meaning cover or lid, is thought to have originally referred to the complimentary plate of appetizers that many tascas, would place like a cover on one's wine glass. Tapas can vary from simple to complex and include cheese, fish, eggs, vegetable dishes, dips, canapes, and savory pastries. A quantity of tapas can make an excellent meal.
Olive oil is indispensable in preparing many of the recipes. Chorizo is the best-loved Spanish sausage and blood sausage is also popular throughout Spain. Vegetables are not overly favored, except for potatoes, which often come fried with an entree. Salads are served as first courses and are invariably offered undressed, accompanied by cruets of oil and vinegar.
Fish and bean soups can make a meal. Paellas provide colorful and festive dishes for a crowd. A beachside cafe is the place to find fine shellfish and tackle a tray of unshelled ultra-fresh crustaceans. Game birds have wide appeal in Spain. Baby lamb and pig have reached cult status and are often prepared in a woodburning oven with thyme, rosemary or oak for fragrance.
The Arabs and Moors left their influence in dessert making, introducing almonds, egg yolks, and honey. Orange and lemon zest also play a role in flavoring sweets. Ground almonds often replace flour in cake baking and beaten egg whites are invariably the leavening agent in cakes.
A panaderia sells bread, while a pasteleria provides sweet breads, pastries, cookies, and candies. A helageria dispenses ice cream and a bomboneria is a candy shop

REGIONAL CUISINES
While eating habits and hours are more or less uniform throughout Spain, the cooking can be quite different. Spain is sharply divided by regions, each with its own culinary traditions and dialects.
The northwestern area, Galicia, prominently displays its ancient Celtic heritage. Meat and fish pies are found here along with famed scallops and fine veal. Farther east along the coast, Asturias is known for its legendary bean dish, fabada, and a strong blue cheese, queso Cabrales. Hard cider is preferred as a drink.
The Basque country features fish dishes principally, such as fish soup, garlicky baby eels, squid, and a variety of dried cod dishes.
Cataluna is considered the most gastronomically distinctive and exciting region of Spain. Catalan cuisine is inventive with fish, such as mixed seafood zarzuela, meats or poultry, which are typically combined with local fruits. Valencia is a region of tidal flatlands and rice is prepared here in endless styles on a daily basis. Paella is the region's most famous dish. Andalucia to the south is a parched and arid region, best suited to grape vines and olive trees. Gazpacho is native to this area.

Cuisine in the Iberian peninsula echoes the cooking of the Middle East (honey and cumin) and that of the Americas (dishes combining meat with chocolate). Yet, essentially, it is family cooking, comparatively simple to prepare and characterized by fresh ingredients. Besides meat, poultry, game, and fish entrees, there are a wealth of dishes featuring beans, rice, eggs, vegetables, and savory pies that make a meal. Tapas -- small morsels or appetizers in great variety -- play a role in meals throughout the day.
Northern Cuisine
The north is a wet and rainy region which makes for a cuisine that is not only very tasty but varied as to both meat and fish.
The Basque Country leans towards seasonally-biased home-type cooking, with local specialities like marmitako (potatoes with bonito) and txangurro (clams and spider crab).
Asturias has a similar cuisine, though with local touches worthy of mention, such as the fabada (stew of haricot beans and pork), the regional cheeses and famed apple cider.
Cantabria offers diversity in a cuisine that blends sea and mountain, with top-quality ingredients, including beef, anchovies and dairy products.
Among the choice dishes of Galicia are the pote (potage made with ham bones, haricot beans and, depending on the chef, turnip tops), the caldeiradas (akin to bouillabaisse, but served in two parts: first the broth and only then, the fish), pulpo (octopus), dairy products and pastries.
Varied and delicious are the terms that define a cuisine that is simple, hearty and natural, that relies on the excellence of the local produce, and that is to be found in Aragon, La Rioja and Navarre. The fertile valleys across this belt of Spain are a paradise for fruit and vegetables, and the locally-grown asparagus, peppers, borage, cardos (cardoon - a celery-like vegetable), peaches and pears enjoy well-deserved fame for their superb quality. La Rioja, above all its international Rioja wines, as well as its vegetable soups, its pepper and its potato dishes (that dumbfounded even Paul Bocuse, so the story goes), are popular. Vegetable stews of Navarra, Tudela's lettuce hearts with anchovies, salmon, or a simple vinaigrette (oil, salt and vinegar); piquillo peppers, which are often stuffed with meat; trout a la Navarra (cooked stuffed with bacon and cheese), Roncal and Idiazabal cheeses and curd from Ultzama are popular.
Potatoes, cabbage hearts and platters of mixed vegetables or tender legumes, such as pochas (haricot beans allowed to ripen and swell in the pod) are starters or form the garnishing for dishes featuring trout from the nearby mountain streams and speciality meat marinades (chilindrones) and conserves (confits), a taste acquired from the French. Desserts, in which the stars are cheese, milk puddings (cuajada - curd) or fruit, either fresh, chocolate-coated or preserved in syrup, and a long tradition of fine breads, put the finishing touches to a highly-regarded cuisine.
Mediterranean Cuisine
The Mediterranean cuisine, associated with the famous Mediterranean diet that has been shown to be so beneficial for the health, is based on the "Holy Trinity" of wheat, the olive and the vine, with other important ingredients being: rice and legumes; garlic, greens and vegetables; cheese and yoghurt; fish, meat and eggs; and fruit. This is a school of cuisine which is as varied as it is complete, and which, in the Mediterranean areas of Spain, is interpreted with local differences and twists.
Ever since the Middle Ages, Catalonia has enjoyed a delicious and refined cuisine embracing plain, sea and mountain, a cuisine which on the coast has recourse to a wide array of fish, and inland, to typical dishes such as escudella (a meaty broth with pasta, usually followed by carne d'olla, a hearty stew) and roasts.
Great individuality and contrast likewise mark the Valencian cuisine, which combines typically Mediterranean dishes –fish, green vegetables and fruit– with those of the upland plateau, such as potages and game stews, and which assigns rice, served dry, moist or in paella, the leading role in an endless list of specialities. Sweetmeats, nougats (turrón) and ice creams keep the Arabic influence very much alive. Murcia too displays this same character, namely, a cuisine of the sea and of the land, shaped by the merging of cultures. Products of Murcia’s rich gardens, such as zarangollo; fish and lamb stews; and the wines of Jumilla are appreciable
Besides the fluffy pastries known as ensaimadas and the original and now world-famous mayonnaise (salsa mayonesa), Balearic Isle specialities rely on greens, fish (caldereta - sea-food stew) and pork (sobrasada - a spicy red sausage spread).
Meseta Cuisine
The cuisine on the Central Plateau is the product of a harsh climate that is unforgiving and demands hard and continuous toil.
In Castile & Leon the cooking is based on legumes: haricot beans (La Bañeza, El Barco), chickpeas (Fuentesaúco) and lentils (La Armuña). Pork which, in the case of the Iberian pig reared on acorns and chestnuts, attains a peak of quality and flavour, and game are also basic to the typical regional specialities (botillo, the mountain sausage from Leon, savoury bloodsausage or morcilla from Burgos, and the red Segovian sausage known as cantimpalo). Baby lamb, kid and sucking pig –deliciously roasted– are the star dishes, fish comes in the form of trout and cod, and there is a great variety of local cheeses made from goat’s, ewe’s or cow’s milk. Sweets and pastries, such as yemas (meltingly soft sweetmeats made from egg-yolk) and hojaldres (puff pastry), are in the most refined traditions of Arabic cuisine.
These same characteristics are also to be found in Extremadura, in a range of dishes and foodstuffs in which Iberian ham and pork reigns supreme. There are calderetas (stews) and cochifritos (lamb seasoned, garnished and casseroled in an earthenware dish), cold escabeches (marinades), wild vegetables (mushrooms, cardoons, leeks) and a wide choice of handmade cheeses to be had at the hearthsides of famous monasteries and convents (Guadalupe, Yuste, Alcántara) or in typical local eating houses. Extremadura patronises olla podrida (a rich stew of bacon, fowl, ham, meats, and vegetables), excellent embutidos of Iberian pork, cheeses (including the indispensable torta del casar, a close relative of the Portuguese queso da serra, one of the best of the world), pitarra wine.
The cuisine recreated in the story of Don Quixote of stockpot, salpicón (salmagundi) and duelos y quebrantos (a cattle-drover’s and shepherds’ dish, traditionally associated with St. Peter’s Day rivalry, consisting of a fry of eggs, bacon and brains, thought to be good by Sancho Panza and eaten by Don Quixote on Saturdays) serves to bring us to Castile-La Mancha, with its saffron, La Alcarria honey and Manchego (ewe’s milk) cheese. A country cuisine which in its gazpachos (not the better-known Andalusian gazpacho but a shepherd’s torta, a rough-and-ready dough made from flour, salt and water, eaten with game meat) and morteruelos (chopped pig’s liver braised with seasoning and breadcrumbs) retains the flavour of the old sheep-herding ways, and in its roasts (lamb, kid), the mouthwatering aroma of the hill country, rewarding the sweet-toothed with the ultimate delight of the exquisite Moorish-inspired marzipan of Toledo.
Like an island, Madrid contributes with the singularity of some of its typical dishes, such as cocido madrileño (a hearty stew for those with big appetites, where the broth is served first, followed by the soup-meat, chick-peas, potatoes and greens), cod and callos (tripe). The sticky torrijas (sweet fritters), desserts and sweetmeats are yet further local specialities.

Southern Cuisine
Southern or Andalusian cooking takes its inspiration from the crucible of cultures that together forged its culinary heritage.
In tune with the local surroundings, one finds a cuisine of market-garden and field, a cuisine of country-style winter stews, and a Mediterranean cuisine along the coast. In addition, there is the region’s fine line in confectionery and pastry, again an Arabic legacy, and a variety of dishes based on pork and ham, epitomised in the ritual, colourful climax of the matanza (an annual event, often in late autumn, when families gather to help in the slaughter and butchering of a pig or two). The various gazpachos (cold Andalusian soup of diced tomatoes, cucumber and green peppers in olive oil, vinegar and garlic, usually served with a sprinkling of croutons) and soups, frituras (servings of small fried fish) and stews are just some of the individual items in a school of cooking that boasts a long and well-established cultural tradition.
The Canary Islands enjoy a very personal cuisine, with gofio (a local ball-shaped bread with flour made from toasted cereals), legumes, tropical fruits and the famous mojos (hot sauces spiced with paprika and coriander) being just a few of the local attractions.

RECIPES
Sangria
Makes 8 servings
2 bottles (4/5 quart each) dry red wine
2 bottles (10 ounces each) bitter lemon soda
1 orange, sliced
1 lemon, sliced
Sugar to taste
Ice cubes
Mint sprigs
Combine the wine, bitter lemon, and sliced orange and lemon in a large pitcher. Add sugar. Chill. To serve, pour over ice cubes in glasses and garnish with mint.
Tapas
Serve a selection of little morsels: shrimp, white albacore tuna, roasted red peppers, green olives, chunks of sweet French bread, anchovies; green onion, spinach, or potato fritatta.
Potato Omelet (Tortilla Espanola)
makes 4 servings
1/3 cup olive oil
4 large potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8-inch thick
Coarse salt
1 large onion, thinly sliced
4 eggs
Heat three tablespoons of the oil in a 9-inch non-stick skillet and add the potato slices and onions, salting lightly. Cook slowly, lifting and turning occasionally, until tender but not brown. Beat the eggs, add the potatoes and let sit a few minutes. Add the remaining oil to the skillet, heat until very hot, and add the potato and egg mixture, spreading it with a pancake turner. Lower heat to medium, shake pan to keep potatoes from sticking, and when brown underneath, place a plate on top and invert, then slide back into the skillet and brown the other side.
GazpachoAndalusian
Makes 8 servings
1 large cucumber, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 sweet white onion, coarsely chopped
6 large tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
4 or 5 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (10-1/2 ounces) condensed beef broth
3 tablespoons each white wine vinegar and olive oil
2 slices sourdough French bread
1 small carrot, peeled and grated
1/2 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste
Condiments: chopped green onions, croutons, diced avocado
Place the cucumber, onion, tomatoes, garlic, broth, vinegar, oil, bread, and carrot in a blender and blend until almost smooth. (Prepare in two batches if necessary.) Thin to desired consistency with water and season with salt and pepper. Chill. Serve in bowls, passing condiments to be spooned into the soup.

Rice with Shellfish (Paella con Molluscs)
makes 8 servings
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large tomato, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1-1/2 cups long-grain white rice
1/2 teaspoon saffron
1 bottle (8 oz.) clam juice
1 1/2 cups hot water
1/2 cup dry white wine
16 large prawns, unshelled
16 small butter, rock or steamer clams, unshucked
1 crab, cooked and cracked or 8 very small lobster tails, cooked
1 package (10 ounces) frozen tiny peas, blanched for two minutes in boiling water
1/2 pound baby asparagus, parboiled (optional)
1 jar (2 ounces) sliced pimiento
Lemon wedges
In a large frying pan or four-quart casserole, sautŽ onion, garlic, and tomato in oil until vegetables are glazed. Add the rice, saffron, clam juice, water, and wine. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Arrange prawns and clams on top, cover and steam until the clam shells open. Transfer to a large paella pan or serving casserole. Add the crab, peas, asparagus, and pimiento. Heat through or keep warm in a low oven until serving time. Garnish with lemon wedges.
Rice with Chicken (Arroz Con Pollo)
makes 4 to 6 servings
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 pound broiler-fryer, cut in pieces
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 green or red pepper, seeded and chopped
3 tomatoes, diced
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup rice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 teaspoon salt
Pinch saffron
Garnish:
3/4 cup cooked tiny peas
1 pimiento, cut into strips
In a large skillet, heat one tablespoon oil and brown the chicken well on all sides. Remove from pan and add the garlic, onion, and pepper and sautŽ until the onion is golden. Return the chicken to the skillet, add remaining oil, and sautŽ for 15 minutes. Add tomatoes and broth, bring to a boil. Add rice and seasonings. Cover and simmer over low heat until the chicken and rice are tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Garnish with peas and pimiento.
Flan
makes about 8 servings
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 1/2 cups milk
6 eggs
2 egg yolks
Zest of 1 lemon
In a saucepan, heat 1/2 cup of the sugar over moderate heat, shaking the pan frequently, until the sugar melts and turns amber. Pour at once into a 1-1/2 quart ring mold and quickly tilt the mold in all directions to coat the bottom and sides evenly. Heat the milk, but do not boil. Beat together the eggs and egg yolks just until blended, then beat in the remaining sugar and vanilla. Gradually stir in the hot milk. Pour the mixture into the caramel-lined mold and place in a pan of hot water. Bake in a preheated 325¡F oven for one hour or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Let the custard cool, then chill it. To serve, run a knife around the sides of the mold to loosen the custard. Place a large round platter over the mold and quickly invert; lift off the mold.
Spanish Omelette ( Tortilla De Patata ).
Ingredients: 1 kg potatoes, 8 eggs, olive oil, 1 onion
Peel the potatoes, wash them thoroughly and cut them into thin slices. Chop the onion. Heat oil in a frying pan and add the salted potatoes. Stir them until they are slightly cooked; Then add the onion and let it fry during 3 or 4 minutes. Beat the eggs and add the fried potatoes. Mix well. Cook them on a high flame. Brown on one side and then turn the omelette over to brown it on the other, being careful not to dry it.
A Galacian Recipe for Hake ( Merluza A La Gallega )
Ingredients: 1 kg hake, olive oil, a big onion, 2 kg potatoes, 1 tablespoon full of flour. Seasoning: Salt, garlic, parsley, bay leaf, thyme, paprika.
Cut the central part of the fish into thick slices. Heat the oil in a saucepan, chop the onion and fry it; stir continuously until it turns golden brown. Add two cloves of mashed garlic, a tablespoon full of chopped parsley, a levelled one of paprika, cut the potatoes into not very thick slices (about 6 mm), mix well and sprinkle the spoonful of flour over everything. When the potatoes are slightly cooked add water to cover them, salt as well as six peppercorns, a powdered clove, bay leaf, thyme and parsley. Let it simmer for a quarter of an hour and when the potatoes are boiled, put them into a clay casserole. Arrange the slightly salted hake slices over the potatoes. Put it into the oven for another ten or twelve minutes. Serve it in the clay casserole.
Pil – Pil Codfish (Bacalao Al Pil – Pil )
Ingredients: 600 grs. cod, 1/2 l olive oil, 1 bulb of garlic, 1/2 guindilla (chilli pepper)
Soak the cod in cold water for 24 to 36 hours and change the water several times. Before preparing the dish remove carefully all the bones from each piece; wash it again. Place the fish in a saucepan with fresh water and put it on a low flame until it warms up, not boils. Remove the froth when it begins to form on the surface . Take the pieces of fish out of the pan and spread them out on a cloth to drain. Meanwhile heat the oil, if possible in a clay caserole, together with the garlic in lengthwise slices and the hot chilli pepper (do not use pepper if you don't like spicy foods).
When turned into deep golden brown, take them out and set them aside on a plate. Arrange now the fish with the skinside towards the bottom of the casserole and begin to shake it ceaselessly in a rhythmic manner. As the hot oil passes over the fish, the gelatine is brought out of the skin and it serves to thicken the emerging sauce. This will take between 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the quality of the cod. It is important to bear in mind that while shaking, the casserole must be removed from the heat because the oil remains hot for quite some time. When the sauce looks like light mayonnaise, the dish is ready. Put the the garlic and red pepper previously set aside on the top and heat the dish briefly to warm it up again. At the same time, keep moving the casserole gently so that the sauce does not lose consistency. Serve immediately.
Chicken With Tomatoes And Peppers ( Pollo Al Chilindron )
Ingredients: 1 chicken of about 2 kgs, 4 big tomatoes, 4 small green peppers, 1 big onion, olive oil 200, grs. semi-cured ham, 1 glass of white wine. Seasoning: Garlic, chilli pepper, salt.
Cut the the chicken into pieces and fry them until they turn golden brown; set them aside. Prepare a fried mixture of tomato, green pepper, onion, chilli pepper and plenty of chopped garlic. Add the chicken to the fried mixture and cook it for around 15 minutes. Then add the thin sliced semi-cured ham and the glass of white wine; let it simmer roughly for another 10 minutes.
Catalan Recipe For Broad Beans ( Habas A La Catalana ).
Ingredients: 1 kg broad beans, 1/4 kilo bacon, 3 chorizos (hard pork sausage), olive oil, 1 onion, 1 glass liquor, 2 glasses white wine. Seasoning: Garlic, salt, pepper, mint.
Cook the shelled beans in salted water. When being half done, empty out some water leaving enough for the beans to be covered. Fry slightly a couple of garlic cloves, chopped onion, pepper and mint . Add the cup of liquor and the two glasses of white wine. Mix it with the beans. Finally, add the thin sliced bacon and chorizo and let it cook on a high flame for 10 minutes.
Mixed Paella
Ingredients (for six people): 600 grs rice, 1 kg chicken, ½ rabbit, 2 squids, ¼ small clams, ¼ prawns, peas, olive oil, 1 tomato 1 big onion, 2 cloves, garlic, 1 red pepper, a small speck of saffron, salt. *Add two cups and a half of broth for each of rice/
Place the saucepan over the fire with olive oil; add the chicken and rabbit cut into slices when it gets hot and fry them on a low flame until they get gold brown. Set them aside. Fry the chopped onion, red pepper, a pair of clove garlic and the tomato; add te squids and small clams. When being browned, add water, salt and the fried chicken and rabbit. Let it simmer for half an hour. Pour the broth and the rest of the ingredients into the paellera (special pan for cooking paellas) and when it bols again, add the rice and prawns. Stirr it and let it cook for 20 minutes on a normal flame till the broth dries up and the rice is ready.
Andalusian Gazpacho ( Gazpacho Andaluz )
Ingredients: 1 kg tomatoes, 1 kg cucumbers, 1 big onion, a speck of cumin seeds, ½ green pepper, 3 cloves garlic, salt, olive oil, vinegar, water.
Place all the ingredients cut into pieces in a saucepan or deep vessel. Crush the garlic and cumins in a mortar and mix it in the recipient. Add a little of water, salt, olive oil and vinegar to taste and grind it well with the electric mixer. Serve cool.
Castilian Garlic Soup ( Sopa De Ajo Castellana)
Ingredients: 100 grs. olive oil, 100 grs bread from the day before in slices, 100 grs. cured ham, 3 cloves garlic, 6 eggs, 1 tablespoon full sweet paprika, 1 litre water.
Heat the oil and add the not-too-thin sliced garlic. Before the garlic has turned brown, add the cubes of ham and the slices of bread. Let it cook for a few minutes and then add the paprika, followed by water and salt. Bring to boil and then poach the eggs.
Extremaduran Stew (Caldereta Extremena) .
Ingredients: 1 kg kid goat or lamb, 1 liver from either, 1 glass pitarra (Extremaduran home-made wine) or white wine, olive oil, 1 red pepper. Seasoning: Garlic, bay leaf, black pepper, paprika and salt.
Put the oil in a casserole, fry a couple of garlic cloves and set them aside. Cut the meat into small pieces and add them to the casserole together with a little paprika and some bay leaves, after which it is left to cook for a while. Then a glass of pitarra or something similar is added, and everything is left to simmer until all the wine is absorbed. Then water is added in small amounts, making sure that the sauce remains thick. When the meat is tender, roast three more garlic cloves and crush them with the other two fried ones in a mortar. Add the roasted liver to this, together with some peppercorns, a few drops of olive oil and the red pepper. Crush all the ingredients, mix well and add them to the casserole, let them boil until the sauce is thick enough. Serve at once.
Pisto From From La Mancha ( Pisto Manchego ).
Ingredients: 1 kg ripe tomatoes, 1 kg green peppers, olive oil, salt,
Chop the peppers and fry them with plenty of olive oil on a normal flame. When being slightly browned, add salt and the peeled and chopped tomatoes. Let it cook and stir the mixture from time to time until the broth dries up completely.

MISCELLANEOUS ASPECTS
Eating Out In Spain
Eating out in Spain is one of life’s most enjoyable daily rites.
The sheer variety and range of the cuisine and Spaniards’ weakness for good food, make it a simple task, whether in the big city or in some small country village, to find a place where one can have a good meal. Ranging from traditional home cooking all the way up to famous five-star restaurants (maximum rating on a scale of one to five), travellers will have no difficulty in finding best value for money in terms of personal tastes and preferences.
Meal times tend to be approximately one and a half hours behind the European average, though the range of restaurant opening times is so generous that individuals will find it possible to more or less keep to their customary eating habits.
A menu listing the prices is usually displayed at the entrance to restaurants, which also usually offer a daily set menu at a somewhat reduced and/or fixed price. Service is included in the price shown, yet it is usual (though not obligatory) to leave 5%-10% of the bill by way of a tip.
Many restaurants tend to close one day in the week (Sunday or Monday), but there is any number of establishments open 7 days a week where one can have a bite at any time.
FoodGloriousfood
One thing is certain in Spain, there's no reason to go hungry. Restaurants of every variety, food venders and food markets are almost everywhere in the inner cities. At regular intervals along the regional highways of Spain, one can find roadside restaurants
In my mind, what makes Spanish cuisine special is its freshness, regional dishes, and the plentiful availability of quality seafood. Go in to any major food market in Spain and you will see a huge variety of produce.
In my experience, you are more likely to find the better eats in establishments frequented by the natives than the ones strictly targeting English-speaking tourist. Interestingly some of my best meals, for the price, have been from those roadside restaurants. One of my best meals was from a restaurant attached to a hostal (Hostal del Senglar near Poblet) and though the pleasant staff spoke almost no English, they surprised us with menus translated in to English.
If experiencing the absolute best in Spanish Cuisine is important to you, take the advice of guidebooks for Spain but be forewarned, reservations are usually a prerequisite for the finer restaurants. Example; Madrid's smallish and much recommended "Casa Poco" has some of the best steak and Iberica Ham in town (oddly it doesn't serve coffee) but don't drop by during lunch and expect to be seated.
Ordering the food
Outside of Barcelona and the tourist areas, selecting restaurants of local character can often mean little or no communication with the waiter in English, so it is best to be able to recognize a few food related Spanish words. It is also good to be the adventurous type of person, when the unexpected meal shows up you will at least have the nerve to give it a taste (see my unexpected tapas in Cuenca
Start by learning the Spanish words for the food categories, for example: salad (ensaladas), soups (sopas), fish (pescados), seafood (mariscos), meat (carne), etc. If you can recognize the food category, you will at least know you are geting some type of fish dish when pointing to one of the offerings listed under PESCADOS. A technique used by some people is to look around at what others are eating, if something looks good they will point to it when the waiter comes to take their order.
The Restaurant Norms in Spain are very similar to the ones in the USA.
On entering a restaurant you generally will wait for the server to seat you. When menus are brought to the table you will likely be asked what you would like to drink or if you would like white (blanco) or red (tinto) wine (vino). The waiter is also likely to bring you Spanish bread, sometimes placed right on the tabletop. A dish of olive oil, possibly containing slivers of butter, will also come with the bread in some regions of Spain. Usually, the waiter will ask for your order when bringing your drinks or if an attendant brings you drinks, the waiter will take your order when he is available. At the end of the meal, you will need to ask for your bill (la cuenta, por favor).
In Cafes the norms are slightly different, one generally will seat one self and when it comes time to pay it is better to ask for the meals cost (cuanto cuesta?).
One of the typically Spanish dishes you encounter in Spain is Paella. Paella is a rice dish, usual cooked with either seafood, pork, rabbit or chicken and seasoned with Saffron. Traditionally a dish of eastern Spain, with variable quality you can find it in almost all tourist areas. This dish is best when fresh; do not order as the ‘menu de dia”. Often restaurants will want two people ordering the dish in order to cook up a serving. Cooked sometimes over an open fire, the finished Paella is brought to the table (most of the time) in the very hot metal pan it was cooked in.
People like seafood so when in Spain and they take advantage of the abundant availability of squid, fish and shellfish dishes. Calamari, particularly the offerings in southern Spain should be tried. The Calamari there is served as large rings, nothing like the little Calamari rings which are served at seafood chains in the USA, where you need to chew forever before you can swallow.
In Eastern Spain, one might consider ordering 'Suquet', a tomato stew of fish, shellfish, potatoes and wine, spiced with saffron.
Around Madrid and Central Spain, variations on regional Spanish dishes abound. It is also a region known for its meals based on wild game, pheasant, partridge and wild boar.
Southern Spain cooking was strongly influenced by its time under the Moorish Kingdoms. The Arabs introduced a number of food types to the Iberian Peninsula, among them, Olives, Lemons and Oranges. Along the 'Costa del Sol' you might want to try “fritura de pescado” a squid and fish dish with lemon wedges.
Foods and Cooking Equipment
Azafr‡n
saffron, an Arab word for yellow. Stigmas of a purple crocus flower.
Bacalao
dried salted codfish.
Butifarra
a white sausage popular in Cataluna.
Cazuelas
glazed earthenware dishes.
Chorizo
the most typical Spanish sausage, heavily scented with paprika and garlic.
Piment—n
paprika, or ground sweet red pepper, from Spain.
Turr—n
an almond and honey candy of Arab origin that comes in a hard bar and in a soft marzipan-like form.

Cookbooks
The Foods and Wines of Spain
by Penelope Casa
This comprehensive book covers the traditional cooking of Spain, from the mountain villages and seaside ports to the fashionable restaurants. A survey of Spain's wines and sherries is included.

WINES AND DRINKS
As an element, wine is a fundamental to each and every one of Spain’s regional cuisines. Ideally, the wines of Spain are the best accompaniments to the regional dishes. Rioja wines from north-central Spain are considered premium in quality. Another area that makes top-notch wines is Penedes, near Barcelona. All regions, however, have vines under cultivation.
The making of wine in Spain dates back over 2000 years, but the production of quality wines is a more recent development, dating back to the last century. Enterprising Frenchman came to Spain to renew their wine production when Phylloxera hit the French vineyards. They found these areas met their requirements and as the French prospered, the Spanish learned new wine-making techniques.
The Romans introduced the art of viticulture, thereby making Spain into one of the world’s leading producers of wine. Spanish wine has earned itself a well-deserved reputation for quality, an aspect that, nowadays, is subject to stringent controls and official demarcations (up to sixty different wine-making districts).
Among these, mention must be made of the Rioja wines, which, on the merit of their bouquet, taste and body, have won international acclaim. Climate and grape variety are two of the components that make Rioja wines unique. The third is the laborious process of barrel aging, and the wines spend many years in bottles in the bodegas before being released for sale.
A third region is Valladolid, where Vega Scilia produces the most expensive Spanish wine on the market today.
Sherry takes its name from its place of origin, Jerez, in southwest Spain. Its history goes back thousands of years, when Phoenician settlers introduced grape vines to the area. Only Jerez has all the optimum conditions for sherry production with the complex interplay of air, sun, soil, aging and tradition. Sherry (vino de Jerez) is a fortified Andalusian wine which enjoys great international prestige, particularly in Anglo-Saxon countries, and comes in a range of varieties to suit different tastes, e.g., fino (dry and light, usually drunk chilled), manzanilla (a pale, dry fina from Sanlúcar de Barrameda), amontillado (amber-coloured full dry or semi-dry), dulce (sweet) and oloroso (dark, full-bodied).
Sherries are blended and fortified wines and fall into several styles: Fino -- very dry or dry; Manzanilla -- very dry; Amontillado -- medium dry; Oloroso -- medium sweet; and Cream -- sweet.
Spanish brandies made by the French Cognac process are of exceptionally fine quality. Most come from Jerez, although the Torres company in Cataluna is producing excellent ones for export.
Sparkling Spanish wines are also made by French methods, developed in Champagne. Codorniu is the top name in the field; another firm, Freixenet, is widely distributed.
Other highly-prized seals of origin are Ribera del Duero, Penedes and La Mancha, all of which have recently witnessed great advances in the quality of their wines.
Nowadays beer is an increasingly popular drink in Spain, especially as an aperitif to accompany the popular tapa-style snacks in bars. Spanish beer is of the light-coloured lager type, pleasant on the palate and usually served ice-cold.
In Spain spirits and liqueurs also have their local counterparts worthy of mention. Brandy is fundamentally produced in Andalusia, whilst aguardientes (natural alcohols, 80%-strength maximum) and orujos (fiery spirit distilled from grape skins and pips) hail from all parts of the country, inspiring the celebrated Galician queimadas (speciality made by setting aguardiente alight in a china- or earthenware bowl, in some cases with the prior addition of roasted coffee beans) as well as other different varieties of all kinds (dry, herb-, cherry- and honey-laced). Anisette (anís), pacharán de endrinas (bilberry liqueur) from Navarre and schnappes-like fruit liqueurs are the most popular drinks with the public.

Andalusia
The region of Andalucia has the following Denominaciones de Origen - guarantees of origen - : Jerez-Xeres-Sherry, Manzanilla-Sanlucar de Barrameda, Malaga, Montilla-Moriles and Condado de Huelva. Its wines are the most characteristic of the country and internationally the most famous. They are produced by a unique method, which has something of a miracle about it, since it is not a wine from one particular harvest, as is the rule, but the result of different mixtures made over the years. They are aged in oak vats and have subtle differences which are classified into ten groups:
• Fino: straw coloured and transparent, dry, light and very fragrant; 15 to 17% alcohol.
• Amontillado: amber coloured; 16 to 18% alcohol.
• Oloroso: dark gold, powerful to the taste, yet light; 18 to 20% alcohol.
• Palo cortado: half-way between amontillado and oloroso.
• Raya: of the oloroso family, but less fragrant and less strong to the taste.
• Pedro Ximenez: sweet and very fragrant.
• Moscatel: sweet raisin wine.
• Cream: wine produced by adding alcohol to grape juice which has not really begun to ferment.
• Color: a wine produced by mixing fresh and concentrated grape juice.
• Manzanilla: a wine produced in the township of Sanlúcar de Barrameda; very pale, very dry, with an alcohol content of 15-17%.
The Montilla-Moriles wines come from the Province of Córdoba and, like their neighbours of Jerez, are unmistakable, dry, very fragrant and have a high alcohol content. Finally, there are the Moscatels from Málaga which are warm to the taste and very dark coloured. They are sold under different names: Málaga, Málaga Virgen, Lácrima Christi, Pedro Ximenez and Moscatel.
Aragon
Guarantee of origen exist for Campo de Borja, Cariñena and Somontano. In this area, the wines are very red with a high alcohol content. Their aroma is very concentrated and their taste is powerful, ideal for very spicy meat and heavy dishes.
(Castilla) La Mancha
Denominaciones de Origen include Mancha, Mentrida, Vaidepeñas and Almansa. This is the great Spanish wine reservoir which includes the Provinces of Toledo, Ciudad Real, Cuenca and Albacete. In general the wines are very widely drunk and are of good quality: mild, dry, with almost no acidity. The most commonly known are the ones from Valdepeñas, ie, light reds and whites. All of them tend to be drunk young, not more than one or a maximum of two years old, while the alcohol content lies between 11 and 13%.
Castile (& Leon)
Denominaciones de Origen are Rueda, Ribera del Duero and Toro. They produce reds and light reds with between 13 and 17% alcohol. Some of them are universally famous: those produced between Valbuena, Quintanilia de Arriba and Quintanilia de 0nésimo. They mature exceptionally well for which Bordeaux barrels and underground winecellars are used. These wines have a limited production and sell at very high prices. Around Rueda very pale and transparent whites of excellent quality and 11.5-14% are produced. Dry, sherry-type wines are also made there.
Catalonia
Here the regions with a Denominación de Origen are Ampurdan-Costa Brava, Alella, Costers del Segre, Penedes, Priorato, Tarragona and Terra Alta. There are magnificent reds, whites and light reds in the area, all of which have a long tradition.
The most sought after are the Penedés and Priorato wines. The former are famous because of their whites and have an alcohol content of between 10 and 13%. Cava, Spain’s sparkling wine made by the champagne method, is mainly bottled in the Penedes region, though in recent years production has spread to other areas, such as Castile.The Priorato wines are probably the ones receiving most skilled attention in the entire country, especially the dark reds which have a velvety flavour and complex aroma. They are fairly heavy and have a high alcohol content.
In Tarragona, the most typical ones are white wines which are appropriate for fish and as aperitifs.

Extremadura
Estremadura has some good wines, but they are not yet commercialized. They are extremely strong and have a high alcohol content, as well as an unmistakable flavour. The wine from Cañamero is only now finding its way on to the market. There are also whites from Montánchez, Cillero, Añigal; and light reds from Hervás.

Galicia
Its Denominación de Origen includes Rias Baixas, Ribeiro and Valdeorras. They are light, agreeably acid white and red wines with a low alcohol content, excellent companions of the typical Galician cuisine.
Murcia
The Jumilia wines from this Murcia area are easy to distinguish because they are aged in oak barrels, although there are also young wines. In both cases the alcohol content is very high, and they are dark red and thick. Yecla has reds, rosés and light reds with between 13 and 15% alcohol and a very pleasant mild taste.
Navarra
Denominación de Origen: Navarra. The area basically produces red wines which at times reach 14.5% alcohol and are perfectly in tune with the heavy cuisine of the region.
Rioja
Denominación de Origen: Rioja, after the area with the small River Oja, is the richest wine growing region of Spain for table wines. According to its wines the area is divided into three parts:
Rioja Baja (the Lower Rioja) which produces heavy fruity wines with a high alcohol content;
Rioja Alta (the Upper Rioja) which is the area of the great aged and mature quality wines, with a moderate alcohol content. They are very fragrant, of different shades of red and have a balanced, unmistakable flavour. These wines lend themselves to being aged in oak vats. Young white wines are also produced.
Rioja Alavesa produces red wines which are usually drunk young and have a pleasant trace of acidity.
The wines of this Dominación are famous and develop their best as mature quality wines. The following varieties can be distinguished according to their age:
Vino de crianza is a wine aged for at least one year in vats and another year in bottles. It is usually a three-, four- and five-year old wine.
Vino de reserva is the one aged for at least two years in vats and another year in bottles.
Vino de gran reserva is aged in oak barrels for at least three years and another in bottles in the famous Rioja underground calaos (cellars). These wines are of the best years.
All these wines are a real treasure of the Spanish cuisine and occupy a place of honour among the most famous table wines in the world because of the environment from which they come and because of the skill and technique that goes into their production.
Valencia
This region includes the following Denominaciones de Origen: Alicante, Valencia and Utiel-Requena, which cover quite different wines. Those from Alicante are reds and rosés with a high alcohol content of between 12 and 16%. The wines from Valencia are usually white, dry and very fresh. The wine from Utiel-Requena is red and with less alcohol.

Mexican food is a style of food that originated in Mexico.
Mexican cuisine is known for its intense and varied flavors, colorful decoration, and the variety of spices that it has. Mexican gastronomy, in terms of diversity of appealing tastes and textures, is one of the richest in the world in proteins, vitamins, and minerals, though some people characterize it as greasy and excessively spicy.
When Spanish conquistadores arrived in the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan (on the ruins of which Mexico City was built), they found that the common people's diet consisted largely of corn-based dishes with chilis and herbs, usually complemented with beans and squash. Later on, the conquistadores added to their original diet of rice, beef, pork, chicken, wine, garlic, and onions that they brought with them from Spain to the indigenous foods of pre-Columbian Mexico (including chocolate, maize, tomato, vanilla, avocado, papaya, pineapple, chile pepper, beans, squash, sweet potato, peanut and turkey). The totopo (a deep-fried chip of corn tortilla) may have been created as part of this cuisine.
Most of today's Mexican cuisine is based on pre-hispanic traditions, including the Aztecs and Maya, combined with culinary trends introduced by Spanish colonists. Quesadillas, for example, are a flour or corn tortilla with cheese (often a Mexican-style soft farmer's cheese such as Queso Fresco), beef, chicken, pork, and so on. The indigenous part of this and many other traditional foods is the chile pepper. Foods like these tend to be very colorful because of the rich variety of vegetables (among them red peppers, green peppers, chiles, broccoli, cauliflower, and radishes) and meats in Mexican food. There is also a sprinkling of Caribbean influence in Mexican cuisine, particularly in some regional dishes from the states of Veracruz and Yucatan. The French occupation of Mexico also yielded some influences as well: the bolillo (pronounced bo-lee-yo, with the "o" as in "bore"), a Mexican take on the French roll, certainly seems to reflect this.
Mexican food varies by region, because of local climate and geography and ethnic differences among the indigenous inhabitants and because these different populations were influenced by the Spaniards in varying degrees. The north of Mexico is known for its beef production and meat dishes; southeastern Mexico, on the other hand, is known for its spicy vegetable and chicken-based dishes. Veracruz-style is a common method of preparing seafood.
There are also more exotic dishes, cooked in the Aztec or Maya style, with ingredients ranging from iguana to rattlesnake, deer, spider monkey, and even some kinds of insects. This is usually known as comida prehispanica (or prehispanic food), and although not very common, is relatively well known.
Mexican cuisine has combined with the cuisine of the southwest United States to form Tex-Mex cuisine.
One type of food that is commonly mistaken for Mexican food is New Mexican cuisine, which can be found in, of course, New Mexico, USA.
[edit]
Mexican Food Glossary

Ever wonder what Borracho means? Or Comal? Or would you just like to know what are the ingredients in the Mexican Food Recipes you love to cook so well? We do everything we can to help promote Mexican cuisine, and this glossary is one way we can do that. Although it's not a Spanish lesson, hopefully this will explain what salsa and many other Mexican food staples and ingredients really mean.
Ajo
Garlic
Achiote
Red paste made from annatto seeds.
Albóndigas
Meatballs
Al Horno
Oven-baked
Annatto
Small, dark red seed used by the Maya Indians to color and flavor food.
Ancho
A Poblano chile that has been dried and turned a black-red color; means wide. The most popular dried chile in Mexico and the US. It’s dried poblamo chile and the smoky-sweet flavor accents numerous dishes. Approx. 3”-4” long, dark, reddish brown, sweetest of all the dried chiles and slightly fruity flavor.
Antojito
An hors d'oeuvre or small snack food (appetizer)
Arroz
Rice
Asadero cheese
A white cow's milk cheese of Mexican origin: comes in braids, balls or round. Also known as Chihuahua and Oaxaca cheese.
Asar
To roast or broil
Ate
Thick fruit jelly, typically made of quince or guave and often served with cheese.
Azucar
Sugar
Barbacoa
Barbecued meat
Bizcochos
Sweet cakes and cookies often eaten for breakfast such as chilindrinas or campechanas.
Borracho
Cooked with wine; means drunk.
Buñuelo
Puffy, sweet, deep-fried pastry
Burrito/Burro
Large flour tortilla wrapped around a filling .
Cacahuatas
Peanuts
Cafe
Coffee.
Cajeta de Celaya
Fudge sauce made with goat's milk.
Calabaza
Squash, pumpkin
Caldo
Soup, broth .
Caliente
Hot to the touch (temperature)
Camarón
Shrimp
Canela
Cinnamon.
Capirotada
Spicy bread pudding, made with raisins, fruit and cheese, served during Lent; means a little bit of everything .
Carne
Meat, specifically beef
Carnero
Lamb.
Carne a la Tampiqueña
Thin strips of beef, grilled.
Carnitas
Shredded Pork
Cebolla
Onion .
Cerveza
Beer
Ceviche
Salad made of raw fish "cooked" in limejuice combined with tomatoes, onions, spices, chiles, served with chips as an appetizer.
Chalupa
Boat shaped, fried corn tortillas, garnished with sauce, lettuce and onions.
Chicharrones
Deep fried pork rinds, a favorite snack in Mexico.
Chicos
A dish of parched corn cooked with pork.
Chilaquiles
Corn tortilla pieces marinated in chile, layered with a filling, sauce and cheese, and baked in a casserole .
Chile con queso
A melted cheese dip seasoned with mild green chilies. Served with tortilla chips.
Chiles en nogada
Called the "independence dish" as its colors are those of the Mexican flag. Made with green chilies stuffed with ground meat and almonds and covered with walnut sauce, and then garnished with pomegranate kernels.
Chiles rellenos
Translates to "stuffed peppers", cheese-stuffed mild green chilies, dipped in an egg batter and fried until crisp.
Chili con carne
Translates to "chili with meat", diced or ground beef, chilies and chili powder.
Chili Powder
Commercially, the product made from ground red chiles, including a variety of other spices .
Chimichanga
Deep-fried meat-filled burritos.
Chipotle
Ripened and smoked jalapeno. Fiery hot with lasting smoky flavor .
Chongos
Milky desert of curds in syrup and cinnamon.
Chorizo
Spicy pork and beef sausage.
Churro
Mexican specialty made of a sweet-dough spiral, deep-fried, coated with cinnamon and sugar usually served with hot chocolate.
Chuleta
Chop or cutlet
Cilantro
A pungent green herb used in Mexican food cooking, Indian and Central Asian recipes. The seed produced at full maturity is coriander .
Coco
Coconut
Comal
Heavy, round griddle for baking tortillas.
Cumin (Comino)
A pungent spice commonly used in Mexican dishes. Available in seed and ground form. Has a nutty flavor and aroma. Used in dishes such as chili and tamales.
Crema
Cream.
Ejote
String bean
Elote
Corn. Sometimes called helote .
Empanada
A Mexican pie made by baking meat or fruit that has been wrapped in dough.
Enchilada
A corn tortilla dipped in red chile sauce, rolled around just about anything, then topped with sauce and cheese.
Enfrijoladas
Lightly fried tortillas which are folded and then smothered in a smooth sauce made with beans. A variety of toppings are added.
Enrollado
Rolled
Ensalada
Salad
Escabeche
Pickled
Fajita
Skirt steak. Most people associate "fajita" with a taco or the strips of meat that go into the taco. Beef skirt steak comes from the outer covering of the breast near where the brisket comes from. There are only 2 skirts per cow, a highly flavorful cut of meat as a result of the fat membrane that ‘burns’ off when cooked
Farina
Wheat Flour
Fideos
Vermicelli. Thin pasta
Flan
Baked custard with caramel coating .
Flauta
Means "flute". Corn tortilla tightly rolled around a filling, then deep-fried.
Frijoles
A traditional Mexican dish made from pinto beans and served with any meal as a side dish. Fried beans are mashed and then refried in lard. Refried beans can be purchased in supermarkets in a can.
Galletas
Cookies.
Gallina
Hen
Garbanzo
Chickpea
Gazpacho
Cold, spicy tomato and vegetable soup.
Granada
Pomegranate
Guacamole
Avocado mixture that is made from ripened avocados and lemon or limejuice, diced onions and tomato, cilantro. Used as a condiment in numerous Tex - Mex dishes.
Guajolote
In Mexico, turkey; pavo is turkey in other Spanish-speaking countries.
Habanero
Mexico’s hottest. Delicate looking green, yellow and orange "lanterns" are prized by the Yucatecos for their hotter-than-heck fire. Green and crispest, orange are softest. The special fruity flavor compliments fresh salsas made with tropical fruits.
Harina
Wheat flour
Helado
Ice cream.
Huevo
Egg. Also blanquillo.
Huavos a la Mexicana
Scrambled eggs with tomatoes, chilies and onions.
Huevos motuleños
Tortilla topped with ham, fried eggs and a sauce made with cheese, peas and tomatoes.
Huevos revueltos
Scrambled eggs.
Jalapeño
The most widely used fresh green (ripens to red) chile in the US. Also, referred to as the Texas sweet pickle. Averages 2" in length. The "hot" comes from the seed and the membrane. It is the most used pepper in Tex Mex cooking with Serrano pepper coming in 2nd. A great source of vitamin C. When ripened and smoked, it becomes a chipotle chile.
Jamón
Ham
Jícama
A white-fleshed root vegetable also called a Mexican potato. It is crunchy and sweet and can be eaten either raw or cooked. Makes a great addition to salads or can be boiled and baked like a potato, available from May to November.
Jocoque
A Mexican style of sour cream with equal or less fat content than American sour cream. Flavors range from mildly tangy to refreshingly sharp.
Jugo de Naranja
Orange juice
Kahlúa
Coffee-flavored liqueur made in Mexico.
Leche
Milk.
Lechuga
Lettuce
Maíz
Corn
Mano
Means "hand". A piece of volcanic rock used with both hands to grind food against another rock.
Manteca
Lard
Mantequilla
Butter
Manzana
(Peron and rocolo chile) Fresh chile, looks like a cross between a yellow bell pepper and a golden habanero. Medium to hot at its peak. It has black seeds and the flower is purple. Fruity flavor with a thin flesh.
Margaritas
The national drink of Mexico, made with Tequila, Controy and fresh lime juice served either blended with ice or on the rocks in a salt-rimmed glass.
Mariscos
Shellfish; fish is pescado.
Masa
Dough called nixtamal. Masa is the corn based tamale dough surrounding the tamale filling. Masa is made from stone-ground corn, lard, and spices. Masa is spread onto softened corn husks, topped with a filling and then folded to create a tamale.
Masa Harina
Masa Harina is a flour that is made from cooking dried corn kernels with lime and then grinding. It can be used to make corn tortillas and masa for tamales. It can also be used for breads and other foods.
Menudo
Tripe soup; New Year's Day tradition to ease hangovers. A spicy soup made from tripe, chile, hominy and spices. Served with lemon slices, onion, oregano, avocado, and chile which you add to taste. Also served with warm tortillas.
Mexican Chocolate
Chocolate that has been flavored with cinnamon, almonds and vanilla. It is available in Mexican markets and is used for hot chocolate or mole sauces.
Miel
Honey
Molcajete
A volcanic rock- stone mortar and pestle used in traditional Mexican cooking. Used to grind spices, corn, and vegetables.
Mole
Term used for a thick sauce or paste. A spicy rich traditional Mexican sauce that is usually served with poultry. The most common ingredients include nuts, seeds, spices, Mexican chocolate, and chiles. The most famous moles are Mole Poblano and Oaxaca's black mole.
Mora
A cordovan-colored chipotle with a fruit-leather texture. This midsize Jalapeno is lightly smoked and often used for canned chipotles in adobo. Mostly used in salsas and sauces.
Moros con cristianos
A nutritious rice dish made with black beans and garnished with fried plantain.
Naranja
Orange
Nixtamal
Hominy; Raw corn grains, soaked in lime, then ground to make a dough (masa) for tortillas, tamales and chalupas.
Nopales
Known as the "prickly pear" cactus in America, this cactus is cleaned of spines, diced and used in many Mexican dishes. The cactus leaf looks like a large green paddle with spines. The fruit of the cactus called tuna can also be eaten. The cactus is usually boiled or grilled. Cooked cactus can be added to soups, stews, scrambled with eggs or used as taco filling.
Oja
Cornhusk, used to wrap tamales; sometimes called hoja.
Olla
Clay pot. A utensil in which beans are simmered.
Pan
Bread
Pan Dulce
Translated as "sweet bread". A sweet round dessert bread topped with fine red, yellow or brown colored sugar. A Mexican Christmas tradition.
Panucho
A Yucatecan dish of layered tortillas stuffed with beans.
Pastel
Cake.
Pay
Pie
Pepino
Cucumber
Picadillo
Meat hash
Picante
Hot to the taste buds .
Pico de gallo
Translates to rooster's beak in Spanish. This is a relish of fruit topped with a sprinkle of chile.
Piloncillo
Brown sugar formed into a cone for marketing.
Pimienta
Black pepper
Piña
Pineapple
Pipián
A sauce made of pumpkin seed, chile and spices.
Poblano
A variety of chile
Pollo
Chicken
Postre
Dessert
Posole
A soup made from roasted corn. A spicy soup made from beef or pork, chile, hominy and spices. Served with lemon slices, onion, oregano, avocado, and chile which you add to taste. Also served with warm tortillas.
Puerco
Pork.
Quesadilla
Fried or grilled corn or wheat tortillas filled with cheese and a variety of fillings.
Queso
Cheese
Rábano
Radish
Rajas
Chili strips and onion slices in tomato sauce.
Refrescos
Soft drinks.
Relleno
Stuffed
Repollo
Cabbage
Ristra
String of dried red chiles.
Sal
Salt "Sin sal" means without salt, useful to know when ordering a tequila cocktail called a margarita, which usually is served with its rim coated with salt.
Salchicha
Sausage
Salsa
Sauce. Usually refers to a tomato-based condiment used to dip or to accent dishes. If the salsa is uncooked, as in Pico De Gallo, it is referred to as "salsa cruda." If it is processed, in Tex Mex lingo, this is called "chile." If cooked and then bottled, this is called "picante".
Sangría
A drink made of red or white wine, sugar, oranges, lemons and lime.
Seco
Dry
Serrano Pepper
The serrano pepper is a very hot pepper, slightly hotter than a jalapeno pepper. Used often in salsa's and table sauces, the serrano chile pepper is thin skinned making it easy to work with (no need to remove the skin).
Sopa
Soup. Varieties include de aguacate (avocado), de fideo (chicken broth with noodles), de lima (chicken stock flavored with lemon).
Sopes
Miniature fried corn-dough bowls filled with beans and sauce and topped with cheese. Many varieties can be found.
Taco
A corn tortilla folded over a filling.
Tacos al carbon
Soft corn tortillas wrapped in around cooked meats.
Tamale (plural is tamales)
A corn husk stuffed with masa, meat or beans. Masa (dough) that surrounds your choice of filling, traditionally pork. The 5"-6" long and 1" thick tamale is wrapped in a soaked cornhusk and steamed to cook dough. A traditional Mexican Christmas dish.
Tatemar
Verb meaning to roast, peel and seed green chiles.
Té Caliente
Hot Tea.
Té Helado
Iced Tea.
Tejano
Spanish word meaning "Texan".
Tequila
Distilled liquor made from the agave, or century plant. Typically served in a shot glass or blended in margaritas or other cocktails.
Tomatillo
Looks like a tiny green tomato, actually a relative of the gooseberry family. Enclosed in a paper-like husk that is removed before cooking. Used in a variety of Mexican dishes and sauces to add an acidic flavor. Native to Mexico but can be found fresh or canned in many grocery stores.
Topopo
A salad shaped like a volcano or pyramid.
Torta
A Mexican sandwich made from bolillo (hard Mexican roll) cut in half and stuffed with tomatoes, avocados or guacamole and carne asada, shredded beef or chicken, cheese and salsa.
Tortilla
A thin, flat bread made from wheat flour or corn masa.
Tortilla Press
A device used to flatten balls of masa (corn meal dough) into thin patties for tortillas.
Tostada
A fried flat corn tortilla topped with a layer of beans, shredded beef or chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, avocado and salsa.
Tripe
The stomach lining of a cow, pig or sheep. Must be cleaned for cooking. The primary ingredient used in menudo soup.
Uvas
Grapes.
Vainilla
Vanilla
Veracruzana
Fish cooked with tomatoes and onions.
Zanahoria
Carrot.

Introduction
Recipees
Drink
Food products
More Recipees

Introduction
Undoubtedly an important part of Mexican culture is its varied cuisine. When Christopher Columbus started his search for valuable species in 1492, instead of arriving in India, he found America, sparking off the conquest of countries which like México opened the world to new culinary horizons with its universal donation of vanilla, avocado, corn, tomato and chocolate, among others.
In México there are great regions which have their own gastronomic art. Due to their variety and deliciousness the cuisine of Puebla, Oaxaca and Yucatán stand out, however one must not forget the recipes from Bajío (central part of the country) or the cuisine of the border states. However, it is not the objective of this homepage to give a paper on the very varied and rich Mexican cuisine, but to present the basic recipes with the understanding that the elements needed for their preparation are easily available in Denmark, which is not the case of the ingredients needed for more sophisticated dishes.
Mexican food is popular throughout the world. But the kind you're probably used to -tacos with guacamole, quesadillas, enchiladas and carnitas- is only a small part of this country's culinary repertoire. With it's variety of indigenous civilisations, each region in México is marked by a distinct aroma, taste and texture.

In central México you'll find a blend of Aztec and Spanish. Typical is the centuries old "mole poblano", a thick, dark sauce made with dried chiles, nuts, seeds, spices, cocoa and other ingredients.

Southern México, with its variety of dried peppers, is famous for its savoury herbed stews and sauces.

Seafood, garnished with tomatoes and herbs followed by rich coffee is the basic meal along the Pacific Coast. And in the Yucatán Península, dinner is likely to be a Mayan delicacy like "pork pibil" cooked in banana leaves with the famed "achiote" sauce.

In food, as in everything else, the Mexican people have found a way to raise the everyday basics to an art form.

It is also pertinent to point out that the fundamental Mexican food is based on corn, black beans and Chile. With these considerations in mind, some easy recipes for Mexican food are presented.

Tacos with Chicken or Pork
• 20 corn tortillas
• 1 lb. (500gr) boneless cubed pork or chicken
• 1 onion roughly sliced
• 4 tablespoons chopped coriander
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 3 black peppercorns
• 4 cups of water
• oil for frying
• salt
1. In a saucepan place the pork, garlic, peppercorn and 1 teaspoon salt, add the water and boil the mixture under a lid for 30 minutes until the meat is tender.
2. Place a large spoonful of shredded meat to one side of the tortilla, mix onion and coriander and roll up the tortilla. You can add red or green hot sauce or avocado dip.
3. If you prefer you can fry the tacos. Heat half a cup of oil in a frying pan, put in the tacos with a toothpick to ensure that they do not unroll and fry them until they are golden. Remove the toothpicks and serve the tacos with sauce or guacamole.

Guacamole
• 2 large avocados
• 1 or 2 green chillies (chiles), sliced
• 1 large tomato, peeled and chopped in cubes
• 2 tablespoons of onion roughly sliced
• 3 spoons of coriander sliced
• salt
• 5 drops of lime juice
1. Cut the avocados in half, remove the pits and mash the avocado with a fork.
2. Place the avocado flesh in a bowl and mix chillies, onion, tomato, coriander, add 5 drops of lime juice, and enjoy it.

Quesadillas with cheese
• Place manchego cheese or another cheese that melts in the middle of the tortilla, fold it in half.
• In a frying pan, heat half a cup of oil and fry the Quesadilla 2 or 3 minutes on each side, until it is brown and serve it with guacamole, green or red sauce. It can be done also without oil.
• You can fill quesadillas with beans or combine them with cheese.

Quesadillas with potato and Chorizo
• 3 cups peeled and cubed potatoes
• 1 chorizo
1. Cook the potatoes in boiling water with salt, once they are tender, drain and place in a bowl and mash with a fork.
2. Place the mixture in the middle of the tortilla and fold it in half, serve it with guacamole or sauce.

Enchiladas
Green Enchiladas
Red Enchiladas
Enchiladas of Mole Poblano

You have three different types of enchiladas but the method is the same. First of all chose your preference, in Denmark you can buy a cup of Mexican Green Sauce (salsa verde), red sauce or mole Poblano for making enchiladas.
• 1 whole chicken breast, boiled and finely shredded
• 12 corn tortillas
• oil for frying
• ½ cup of sour cream
• ½ cup of crumbled feta cheese
• ½ cup of sesame seeds (for enchiladas with mole Poblano)
• salad onion cut in onion rings
1. Heat in separate saucepans your sauce of choice and the shredded chicken.
2. Heat oil to boiling point in a frying pan and dip one tortilla at a time for two seconds each side.
3. Dip the tortilla in the sauce and fill with chicken, roll it up and place on a serving dish.
4. Pour the remaining sauce over the tortillas once they are filled and rolled up.
5. Sprinkle onion rings and the feta cheese over the tortillas, cover with sour cream and heat in an oven until it melts and becomes golden.
6. For the Mole Poblano recipe decorate with sesame seeds.

"Chicharrón" (flæskesvær) in green sauce
"Chicharrón" is the skin of the pork deep fried in oil. It becomes crunchy and it is also eaten as snack. In Denmark the chicharrón is called "flæskesvær".
• 2 spoons oil
• 1 large chopped onion
• ½ l chicken broth (chicken bullion)
• 2 cans of green sauce
• 250 g Chicharrón (flæskesvær)
1. In a pan, fry oil and add chopped onion, sauté and cover for 5 minutes.
2. Add the "flæskesvær" and and green sauce with chicken broth. Be careful that it does not become too watery.
3. Cover and cook at low heat for 15 minutes.
4. Accompany this dish with rice.
Mexican Style Rice
• 2 cups long-grain rice
• 3 cups chicken stock
• ½ cup pureed tomato
• 1 small chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 small chopped carrots
• ½ cup peas
• 2 small chopped chillies
• oil
1. In a pot heat oil and fry chopped garlic and onions.
2. Fry rice until gold and sauté.
3. Pour excess of oil. Add tomato puree and cook for 2-3 minutes.
4. Pour the chicken stock and when it boils add chopped vegetables, stir once.
5. Turn heat to a low point and cover 15 minutes.
6. Check that the rice is floppy and dry.
7. Enjoy it!
Chinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine (Chinese: 中國菜) is widely seen as representing one of the richest and most diverse culinary cuisines and heritages in the world. It originated from different regions of China and has become widespread in many other parts of the world — from East Asia to North America, Australasia and Western Europe.
Regional cultural differences vary greatly amongst the different regions of China, giving rise to the different styles of food. There are eight main regional cuisines, and they are: Anhui (Hui 徽), Cantonese (Yue 粵), Fujian (Min 閩), Hunan (Xiang 湘), Jiangsu (Su 蘇 or Yang 揚), Shandong (Lu 魯), Szechuan (Chuan 川), Zhejiang (Zhe 浙).
Contents
• 1 Overview
• 2 Typical dishes
• 3 Overseas Chinese cuisine
• 4 Contemporary health trends
• 5 References
• 6 Note
• 7 See also
• 8 External links

Overview
A meal in Chinese culture is typically seen as consisting of two or more general components: (1) a carbohydrate source or starch, known as 主食 in the Chinese language, (zhǔshí Pinyin , lit. "main food", staple) — typically rice, noodles, or mantou (steamed buns), and (2) accompanying dishes of vegetables, meat, fish, or other items, known as 菜 (càiPinyin , lit. vegetable") in the Chinese language. This cultural conceptualization is in some ways in contrast to cuisines of Northern Europe and the USA, where meat or animal protein is often considered the main dish, and analogous to the one of most Mediterranean cuisines, based typically on wheat-derived components like pasta or cous cous.
Rice is a critical part of much of Chinese cuisine. However, in many parts of China, particularly northern China, wheat-based products including noodles and steamed buns (such as mantou 饅頭) predominate, in contrast to southern China where rice is dominant. Despite the importance of rice in Chinese cuisine, at extremely formal occasions, sometimes no rice at all will be served; in such a case, rice would only be provided when no other dishes remained, or as a token dish in the form of fried rice at the end of the meal. Soup is usually served at the start of a meal and at the end of a meal in Southern China.
Chopsticks are the primary eating utensil in Chinese culture for solid foods, while soups and other liquids are enjoyed[1] with a wide, flat-bottomed spoon (traditionally made of ceramic). It is reported that wooden chopsticks are losing their dominance due to recent logging shortfalls in China and East Asia; many Chinese eating establishments are considering a switch to a more environmentally sustainable eating utensil, such as plastic or bamboo chopsticks. More expensive materials used in the past included ivory and silver. On the other hand, disposable chopsticks made of wood/bamboo have all but replaced reusable ones in small restaurants.

In most dishes in Chinese cuisine, food is prepared in bite-sized pieces (e.g. vegetable, meat, doufu), ready for direct picking up and eating. Traditionally, Chinese culture considered using knives and forks at the table barbaric due to fact that these implements are regarded as weapons. It was also considered ungracious to have guests work at cutting their own food. Fish are usually cooked and served whole, with diners directly pulling pieces from the fish with chopsticks to eat, unlike in some other cuisines where they are first filleted. This is because it is desired for fish to be served as fresh as possible. It is common in many restaurant settings for the server to use a pair of spoons to divide the fish into servings at the table. Chicken is another meat popular in Chinese meals. While the chicken is cut into pieces, every single piece of the chicken is served including gizzards and head. The emphasis in Chinese culture on wholeness is reflected here. It is considered bad luck if fish or chicken is served without its head and tail, as that is synonymous with something that does not have a proper beginning or end.
In a Chinese meal, each individual diner is given his or her own bowl of rice while the accompanying dishes are served in communal plates (or bowls) that are shared by everyone sitting at the table. In the Chinese meal, each diner picks food out of the communal plates on a bite-by-bite basis with their chopsticks. This is in contrast to western meals where it is customary to dole out individual servings of the dishes at the beginning of the meal. Many non-Chinese are uncomfortable with allowing a person's individual utensils (which might have traces of saliva) to touch the communal plates; for this hygienic reason, additional serving spoons or chopsticks （公筷, lit. common/public/shared chopsticks) may be made available. In areas with increased Western influence, such as Hong Kong, diners are provided individually with a heavy metal spoon for this purpose. The food selected is often eaten together with some rice either in one bite or in alternation.
Vegetarianism is not uncommon or unusual in China, though, as is the case in the West, it is only practiced by a relatively small proportion of the population. The Chinese vegetarians do not eat a lot of tofu, unlike the stereotypical impression in the West. Most Chinese vegetarians are Buddhists. Non-Chinese people eating Chinese cuisine will note that a large number of popular vegetable dishes may actually contain meat (usually pork), as meat chunks or bits have been traditionally used to flavor dishes. Chinese Buddhist cuisine has many true vegetarian dishes that contain no meat at all.
In contrast to most western meals, a Chinese meal does not typically end with a dessert. However, a sweet dish is usually served at the end of a formal dinner or banquet, such as sliced fruits or a sweet soup (糖水, lit. sugar water) which is served warm.
In traditional Chinese culture, cold beverages are believed to be harmful to digestion of hot food, so items like ice-cold water or soft drinks are traditionally not served at meal-time. Besides soup, if any other beverages are served, they would most likely be hot tea or hot water. Tea is believed to help in the digestion of greasy foods. Despite this tradition, nowadays beer and soft drinks are popular accompaniment with meals. A popular combo in many small restaurants in parts of China is hot pot served with cold beer, a combination known as 冷淡杯 (Pinyin: leng3 dan4 bei1, literally: cold and bland cup, despite being strongly flavored), which is the very opposite of what traditional wisdom would admonish. Ideas from Chinese herbology, such as as the four natures, influence the food combinations favored in traditional Chinese meals.
Anhui cuisine (Chinese: 徽菜 or 安徽菜) is one of the Eight Culinary Traditions of China. It is derived from the native cooking styles of the Huangshan Mountains region in China and similar to Jiangsu cuisine.
Combining elements of cooking from northern Anhui, south-central Anhui, and the Hui-speaking areas of southern Anhui, Anhui cuisine is known for its use of wild game and herbs, both land and sea, and comparatively unelaborate methods of preparation. Chefs pay more attention to temperature in their cooking and are good at braising and stewing. In contrast, fry and stir-fry methods are much less frequently used in Anhui cuisine, while the method of cooking utilizes oil. Anhui cuisine is consisted of three styles: Yangtze River region, Huai River region, and southern Anhui region.
Some famous dishes include:
• Stewed soft shell turtle with ham
• Steamed stone frog
• Bamboo shoots cooked with sausage and dried mushroom
• Li Hongzhang Hodge-Podge
Cantonese cuisine is characterised by the immensity and diversity of the ingredients used. This is because Guangzhou (Canton) was a well established trading port since the days of the Thirteen Factories with access to many different foods and ingredients. Cantonese cuisine includes almost all edible food in addition to the staples of pork, beef, chicken, snakes, snails, chicken feet, duck tongues, and entrails. Despite the countless Cantonese cooking methods, steaming, stir-frying and deep-frying are the most popular cooking methods in Cantonese restaurants due to the short cooking time, and philosophy of bringing out the flavor of the freshest ingredients.
Elements of cooking
Sauces
Cantonese cuisine can be characterized by the use of very mild and simple spices in combination. Ginger, spring onion, sugar, salt, soy sauce, rice wine, corn starch and oil are sufficient for most Cantonese cooking. Garlic is used heavily in dishes, especially those with internal organs that have unpleasant odors, such as entrails. Five-spice powder, white pepper powder and many other spices are used in Cantonese dishes, but usually very lightly. Cantonese cuisine is sometimes considered bland compared to the thicker, richer and darker sauces found in other Chinese cuisines.
Includes:
• Hoisin sauce
• Oyster sauce
• Five-spice powder
• Red vinegar
Preserved ingredients
Some items gain very intense flavors during the drying/preservation/oxidation process. Some chefs combine both dried and fresh varieties of the same items in a dish to create a contrast in the taste and texture. Dried items are usually soaked in water to rehydrate before cooking. Not only do preserved foods have a longer shelf life, sometimes the dried foods are preferred over the fresh ones because of their uniquely intense flavor or texture. These ingredients are generally not served individually, and need to go with vegetables or other Cantonese dishes.

Includes:
• Dried shrimp
• Dried scallop
• Fermented tofu
• Chinese sausage Salted duck egg Dried cabbage
• Chinese sauerkraut Pickled
• Chinese cabbage Pickled diced daikon
• Cantonese dishes

Preserved dishes
Though Cantonese cooks pay much attention to the freshness of their cooking ingredients, Cantonese cooking also uses a long list of preserved food items. This may be an influence from Hakka cuisine, since the Hakkas was once a dominate group to occupy Imperial Hong Kong and other southern territories[1]. Many of these are home-made Cantonese dishes often served with plain white rice.
Includes:
• Preserve-salted fish
• Preserve-salted duck
• Preserve-salted pork

Traditional dishes
A number of dishes have been a part of the Cantonese cuisine collection since the earliest territorial establishments of Guangdong province. Many of these are commonly found among Chinese homes due to their simplicity.
• Chinese steamed eggs
• Congee with century egg
• Steamed bok choy
• Stir-fried Vegetables
• Stir-fried Watermelon Skin
Fried dishes
A small number of fried dishes have become synonymous with Cantonese breakfast and lunch. Because a few of these have been extensively documented through out Colonial Hong Kong records in the 19th to 20th century, most are considered essential part of the Canton diet.[2] Though these are also expected to be part of other cuisines.
Includes:
• Zhaliang
• Youtiao
• Dace fishballs
Slow cooked soup
Other unique Cantonese specialties are slow-cooked soups. The soup is usually a clear broth prepared by simmering meat and other ingredients for several hours. Sometimes, Chinese herbal medicines are added to the pot. Ingredients vary greater depending on the type of soup. The main attraction is the liquid in the pot, although the solids are eaten too. A whole chicken may simmer in a broth for six hours or longer. Traditional Cantonese families have this type of soup at least once a week. In this day and age many families with both parents working cannot afford this tradition due to the long preparation time required. However, wealthy families with servants and a cook still enjoy the luxury every day. Because of the long preparation time, most restaurants do not serve home made soup.
Includes:
• Winter melon soup
• Snow fungus soup
• Northeast watercress sparerib soup
• Old fire-cooked soups
Seafood
Due to Guangdong's location on the southern coast of China, fresh live seafood is a specialty in Cantonese cuisine. Many authentic restaurants maintain live seafood tanks. From the Cantonese perspective, strong spices are added only to stale seafood to cover the rotting odor. The freshest seafood is odorless, and is best cooked by steaming. For instance, only a small amount of soy sauce, ginger, and spring onion is added to steamed fish. The light seasoning is used only to bring out the natural sweetness of the seafood. However, most restaurants gladly get rid of their stale seafood inventory by offering dishes loaded with garlic and spices. As a rule of thumb in Cantonese dining, the spiciness of a dish is usually inversely proportional to the freshness of the ingredients.
Includes:
• Steamed fish
• White boiled shrimp
• Ginger lobster
Wonton noodles
Noodle dishes
A number of noodle dishes are part of the Cantonese cuisine. These are commonly available at dai pai dong or dim sum side menus.
Includes:
• Wonton noodle Chinese noodles with fish ball, beef ball, fish slice
• Beef chow fun
• Shahe fen
• Hong Kong pan-fried noodles
• Pan-fried crispy noodles
• Different flavours of Japanese Ramen noodles

Siu mei
Main article: Siu mei
Siu mei is essentially the Chinese rotisserie style of cooking. The style cooks meat and no vegetables. It creates a unique, deep barbecue flavor that is usually enhanced by a flavorful sauce, a different sauce is used for each meat.
Includes:
• Char siu
• Roasted goose
• White cut chicken
• Roasted pig
• Orange cuttlefish
• Brine-soaked duck
• Soy Sauce Chicken
Lou mei
Main article: Lou mei
Lou mei is the name given to dishes made out of internal organs, entrails and left-over parts of animals. It is grouped under Siu laap as part of Cantonese cuisine. It is widely available in Southern China regions. It should be noted that many people who consume Cantonese dishes regularly are not interested in eating lou mei due to the grotesque nature.
Includes:
• Beef Entrails
• Beef Stew
• Duck gizzard
• Pig tongue
Siu laap
Just about all the Cantonese-style cooked meat including siu mei, lou mei and preserved meat can be mixed together under the generic name (Siu laap). A typical dish may consist of some organs and half an order of multiple varieties of roasted meat. A large majority of siu laap consists strictly of white and red meat.
Includes:
• White rice with Chinese sausage and char siu
• White rice with beef entrails and roasted goose
• White rice with White cut chicken, duck gizzard and beef stew
• Siu laap platter
• Siu mei platter

Little pan rice
Little pan rice (煲仔飯, bou1 zai2 faan6) are dishes cooked then served in a flat-bottomed pan (as opposed to a round-bottom wok). Usually it is a saucepan or braising pan. It is steamed cooked under covers making the rice and ingredients very hot and soft. Usually the ingredients are layered on top of the rice with little to no mixing in between. Quite a number of ingredients are used with a lot of combinations being standard.
Includes:
• Layered egg and beef over rice
• Layered steak over rice
• Tofu pot over rice
• Pork Spareribs over rice
• Steamed chicken over rice
• Pork "pastry" over rice
• Preserved chinese sausage over rice
Night dishes
There are a number of dishes that are often served in Cantonese restaurants exclusively at night. Traditionally dim sum restaurants stop serving bamboo basket-dishes after yum cha hour and begin offering an entirely different menu in the evening. Some dishes are more standard while others are quite regional. Some are customized for special purposes like Chinese marriages or banquets. Salt and pepper dishes are one of the few spicy dishes.
Includes:
• Crispy fried chicken
• Seafood birdsnest
• Suckling pig
• Soy sauce chicken
• Taro duck
• Roast young pigeon/squabs
• Sour sparerib
• Salt and pepper rib
• Salt and pepper cuttlefish
• Salt and pepper shrimp
• Coca-cola chicken

Dessert
After a night meal or dish, Cantonese restaurants usually offer tong sui, sweet soups. Many of the varieties are shared between Cantonese and other Chinese cuisines. Some desserts are more traditional, while others are more recent with local chef creativity. Higher end restaurants usually offer their own blend and customization of desserts.
Includes:
• Red bean soup
• Gou dim
• Shaved Ice
• Deng egg
• Wild Rice Coconut Milk Soup (sometimes served with corn)
Delicacies
There are some dishes that are prized within the culture. These dishes range from being medium price to very expensive. Most of these have been around in the Far East for a long time, while some are just barely becoming available around the world. Many of these prized animals have serious animal rights controversial issues such as finning of Shark cartilages due to increasing price demands.
Includes:
• Braised abalone (燜鮑魚, Bao yu)
• Shark fin soup (魚翅羹, Yu qi tong)
• Hoi sam
• Bird's nest soup known as "Yeen Waw"

Fujian cuisine
Fujian cuisine is derived from the native cooking style of the province of Fujian, China. Well-known dishes include: oyster omelette, Popiah , yu wan (Fujian fish balls), and ban mien bian ruo (noodles with dumplings). Fujian cuisine is famed for using seafoods, and for the visual presentation of its dishes.
Fujian cuisine consists of four styles:
• Fuzhou cuisine: taste is light compared to other styles, often with a mixed sweet and sour taste. Emphasis is also on utilizing soup, and there is a saying in Fuzhou style: One soup can be changed in ten forms.
• Western Fujian cuisine: often there is a spicy taste and the cooking methods are often steam, fry and stir-fry.
• Southern Fujian cuisine: often there is a mix of spicy and sweet taste, and the selection of sauces is elaborate.
• Quanzhou cuisine: least oily among all Fujian cuisine, but with strongest taste/flavor, also put emphasis on the shape of the material for each dish.
One of the most popular dishes is "Buddha jumps over the wall" a complex dish making use of many ingredients, including shark fin, sea cucumber, abalone, and Shaoxing wine.
There are many eating places around the province that sell these specialities for two yuan, and which are thus known as "two-yuan eateries".
Hunan cuisine, sometimes called Xiang cuisine consists of the cuisines of the Xiang River region, Dongting Lake and western Hunan Province, in China. Hunan cuisine is consisted of three styles: Xiang River style which is represented by dishes of Changsha, Dongting Lake style which is represented by dishes of Hengyang, and western Hunan style which is represented by dishes of Xiangtan.
Hunan cuisine is one of the eight regional cuisines of China and is well known for its hot spicy flavor, fresh aroma and deep color. Common cooking techniques include stewing, frying, pot-roasting, braising, and smoking. Due to the high agricultural output of the region, ingredients for Hunan dishes are many and varied. Hunan is known for its liberal use of chilli peppers, shallots and garlic.
Xiang cuisine is known for being dry hot , or purely hot, as opposed to Szechuan cuisine, the neighbor to which it is often compared. Hunan Cuisine is often spicier and contains a larger variety of ingredients. Other characters distinguish Hunan cuisine from Szechuan cuisine is that in general, Hunan cuisine utilizes smoked and curing food in its dishes much more frequently than Szechuan cuisine. Hunan cuisine dishes are often more oily and look darker than Szechuan cuisine dishes.
Another feature of Hunan cuisine is the menu will change following the season’s alternation. In a hot and humid summer, a meal will usually start with cold dishes or a platter holding a selection of cold meats with chillies for opening the pores and keeping cool in the summer. In winter, a popular choice is the hot pot, for heating the blood in the cold months. A special hot pot called lover's hot pot is famous for splitting the pot into a spicy and a lighter side.
History
The history of the cooking skills employed in the Hunan cuisine date back many centuries. During the course of its history, Hunan cuisine assimilated a variety of cuisine styles, and then developed its own style. Now it contains more than 4000 dishes and among which over 300 dishes are very famous like fried chicken with Sichuan spicy sauce and smoked pork with dried long green beans.
Szechuan cuisine, Szechwan cuisine, or Sichuan cuisine (Chinese: 四川菜 or 川菜) is a style of Chinese cuisine originating in Sichuan Province of southwestern China which has an international reputation for being hot and numbing (麻辣), because of the common ingredient Sichuan peppercorn (花椒). Although the region Sichuan is now romanized as Sichuan, the cuisine is still sometimes spelled Szechuan in the West. Translated, Sichuan means "Four Rivers". The four styles are separated by location: Chengdu, Chongqing, the Greater River (Yangtze), and the Lesser River (Jialing).
The common ingredient in Szechuan cuisine is Sichuan peppercorn, or Fagara. This is an indigenous plant whose peppercorns produce a fragrant, numbing, almost citrusy spice. Also common are chilli, ginger and spicy herbs. This emphasis on spice may derive from the region's warm, humid climate, and utilizes sophisticated food-preservation techniques which include pickling, salting, drying and smoking. Broad bean chili paste is also a staple seasoning in Sichuan cuisine.
Common preparation techniques in Szechuan cuisine include stir frying, steaming and braising, but a complete list would include more than 20 distinct techniques. Beef is somewhat more common in Szechuan cuisine than it is in other Chinese cuisines, perhaps due to the widespread use of oxen in the region. Stir-fried beef is often cooked until chewy, while steamed beef is sometimes coated with rice flour to produce a very rich gravy.
Representative dishes
Some well-known Szechuan dishes include Kung Pao chicken and Twice Cooked Pork. Although many dishes live up to their spicy reputation, often ignored are the large percentage of recipes that use little or no hot spices at all, including dishes such as Tea Smoked Duck.
Jiangsu cuisine is one the Eight Culinary Traditions of China. It is derived from the native cooking styles of the Jiangsu region in China. In general, Jiangsu cuisine's texture is characterized as soft, but not to the point of mushy or falling apart. For example, the meat tastes so soft but would not separate from the bone when being picked up. Other characters includes the strict selection of ingredients according to the seasons, emphasis on the matching color and shape of each dish and emphasis on using soup to improve the flavor. Although sometimes simply called Yang cuisine, named after its major style, the Huaiyang cuisine, Jiangsu cuisine actually consists of several styles, including:
• Nanjing cuisine: its dishes emphasize an even taste and matching color, with excellent dishes incorporating river fish/shrimps and duck.
• Suzhou cuisine: emphasis on the selection of material, stronger taste than Nanjing cuisine, and with a tendency to be sweeter than the other varieties of the cuisine.
• Wuxi cuisine: famed for the numerous types of congee.
Shandong cuisine is one the Eight Culinary Traditions of China. It is derived from the native cooking styles of the Shandong region in China. Shandong cuisine consists of two major styles:
• Jiaodong style: This style encompasses dishes from Fushan, Qingdao, Yantai and surrounding regions. It is characterized by seafood cooking, with light tastes.
• Jinan style: This style encompasses dishes from Jinan, dezhou, Tai'an and surrounding regions. It is famed for its soup and utilizing soups in its dishes.
Influence
Shandong cuisine is sometimes considered the most influential in Chinese cuisine, with majority of the culinary styles in China is developed from it.
Ingredients
Though modern transportation methods have greatly increased the availability of ingredients throughout China, Shandong cuisine remains rooted in its ancient traditions. Most notable is the staggering array of seafood, including scallops, prawns, clams, sea cucumbers, and squid, all of which are well-known in Shandong as local ingredients of exemplary quality.
Beyond the use of seafood, Shandong is somewhat unique for its wide use of corn, a local cash crop that is not widely cultivated elsewhere. Unlike the sweet corn of North America, Shandong corn is chewy and starchy, often with a grassy aroma. It is often served simply as steamed or boiled cobs, or removed from the cob and lightly fried.
Shandong is also well known for its peanut crops, which are fragrant and naturally sweet. It is common at meals in Shandong, both formal and casual, to see large platters of peanuts, either roasted in the shell, or shelled and stir-fried with salt. Peanuts are also served raw in a number of cold dishes that hail from the region.
Shandong is also distinct from most of China's other culinary traditions in its wide use of a variety of small grains. Millet, wheat, oat and barley can be found in the local diet, often eaten as porridge (Zhōu), or milled and cooked into one of the many varieties of steamed and fried breads eaten in Shandong. More so than anywhere else in China, Shandong people are known for their tendency to eat steamed breads, rather than rice, as the staple food in a meal.
Despite its rich agricultural output, Shandong has not traditionally used the wide variety of vegetables seen in many southern styles of Chinese cooking. Potatoes, tomatoes, cabbages, mushrooms, onions, garlic and eggplants make up the staple vegetables in the Shandong diet. Grassy greens, sea grasses, and bell peppers are also not uncommon. The large, sweet cabbages grown in central Shandong are renowned for their delicate flavor and hardiness. As has been the case for generations, these cabbages are a staple of the winter diet throughout much of the province, and are featured in a great many dishes.
Possibly Shandong's greatest contribution to Chinese cuisine has been in the area of brewing vinegars. Hundreds of years of experience combined with unique local methods have led to Shandong's prominence as one of the premier regions for vinegar production in China. Unlike the lighter flavored, sharper vinegars popular in the southern regions, Shandong vinegar has a rich, complex flavor which, among some connisseurs, is considered fine enough to be enjoyed on its own merits.
Zhejiang cuisine is one of the Eight Culinary Traditions of China. It is derived from the native cooking styles of the Zhejiang region in China. The cuisine is consisted of three styles, each originating from a city in the province: the Shaoxing style specializing in poultry and freshwater fish, and the Ningbo style specializing in seafood, with emphasis on freshness and salty taste. Hangzhou style is characterized in rich in variation and the utilization of bamboo shoots.
Beijing cuisine (Chinese:; Pinyin: jīngcài; literally "capital cuisine") is a cooking style in Beijing, China. It is also formally known as Mandarin cuisine.
Since Beijing has been the Chinese capital city for centuries, its cuisine has been influenced by culinary traditions from all over China, but the cuisine that has exerted the greatest influence on Beijing cuisine is the cuisine of the eastern coastal province of Shandong. Beijing cuisine has itself, in turn, also greatly influenced other Chinese cuisines, particularly the cuisine of Liaoning, the Chinese imperial cuisine, and the Chinese aristocrat cuisine. "The Emperor's Kitchen" ; pinyin: was a term referring to the cooking places inside of the Forbidden City, Beijing where thousands of cooks from the different parts of China showed their best cooking skills to please royal families and officials. Therefore, it is at times rather difficult to determine the actual origin of a dish as the term "Mandarin" is generalized and refers not only to Beijing, but other provinces as well. However, some generalization of Bejing cuisine can be characterized as follows: Foods that originated in Beijing are often snacks rather than full courses, and they are typically sold by little shops or street vendors. There is emphasis on dark soy paste, sesame paste, sesame oil, and scallions, and fermented tofu is often served as a condiment. In terms of cooking method, methods relating to the different way of frying is often used.
Well known Mandarin dishes
Meat:
• Peking Duck
• Hot and Sour Soup
• Peking Barbecue
• Mutton Hot pot
• Sweetened Vinegar Spareribs
• Stir Fried Tomatoes with Scrambled Eggs
• Sweet Stir Fried Mutton/Lamb (Ta Si Mi)
Beijing cuisine (Chinese: 京菜 or 北京菜; Pinyin: jīngcài; literally "capital cuisine") is a cooking style in Beijing, China. It is also formally known as Mandarin cuisine.
Since Beijing has been the Chinese capital city for centuries, its cuisine has been influenced by culinary traditions from all over China, but the cuisine that has exerted the greatest influence on Beijing cuisine is the cuisine of the eastern coastal province of Shandong. Beijing cuisine has itself, in turn, also greatly influenced other Chinese cuisines, particularly the cuisine of Liaoning, the Chinese imperial cuisine, and the Chinese aristocrat cuisine. "The Emperor's Kitchen" (御膳房; pinyin: yùshànfáng) was a term referring to the cooking places inside of the Forbidden City, Beijing where thousands of cooks from the different parts of China showed their best cooking skills to please royal families and officials. Therefore, it is at times rather difficult to determine the actual origin of a dish as the term "Mandarin" is generalized and refers not only to Beijing, but other provinces as well. However, some generalization of Bejing cuisine can be characterized as follows: Foods that originated in Beijing are often snacks rather than full courses, and they are typically sold by little shops or street vendors. There is emphasis on dark soy paste, sesame paste, sesame oil, and scallions, and fermented tofu is often served as a condiment. In terms of cooking method, methods relating to the different way of frying is often used
Hakka cuisine is the cooking style of the Hakka, and originally came from southeastern China (Guangdong and Fujian).
Hakka people are migratory tribes of ethnic Han Chinese originated from central China. Their ancestors exiled themselves from foreign rulers such as the Mongols during the Yuan Dynasty. Due to their late migration to the southern areas of China, they found that all of the best land had been settled long before. The Hakkas then were forced to settle in the sparsely settled hill country.
As a result, fresh produce was at a premium, forcing the Hakkas to heavily utilize dried and preserved ingredients, such as various kinds of fermented tofu and much use of onion. Due to the hill country being far inland seafood is a rarity. Pork is by far the most favored meat of the Hakkas, with belly bacon being the preferred cut as it has alternating layers of fat and lean meat, providing an excellent texture.
Famous dishes
Salt baked chicken
Famous dishes in Hakka restaurants in Hong Kong include:
• Salt baked chicken - originally baked inside a heap of hot salt, but today many restaurants simply cook in brine, or cover it with a salty mixture before steaming it or baking it in an oven.
• Duck stuffed with rice - a whole duck is de-boned while maintaining the shape of the bird, the cavities being filled with seasoned sticky rice.
• Beef ball soup - very simple clear broth with lettuce and beef balls.
• Fried pork with fermented tofu: this is a popular Chinese New Year offering which involves two stages of cooking. As previously mentioned, fresh food was at a premium in Hakka areas, so the marinated pork was deep fried to remove the moisture in order to preserve it. When a meal of pork was desired, the fried pork was then stewed with water and wood's ear fungus. It is a Hakka equivalent to canned soup.
Ngiong Tew Foo , stuffed tofu cube)
• Ngiong Tew Foo , stuffed tofu cube : one of the more popular foods that originated from deep Hakka roots, it consists of tofu cubes heaped with minced meat (usually pork) and herbs, then fried till golden brown, or sometimes braised. Variations include usage of various oddments including eggplants, shiitake mushrooms, and bitter melon stuffed with the same meat paste. Traditionally, Yong tao foo is served in a clear yellow bean stew along with the bitter melon and shiitake variants. Modern variations that are more commonly seen sold in foodstalls are made by stuffing the tofu with solely fish paste. Usage of oddments to replace the tofu are more noticeable in this version, ranging from fried fish maw slices and okra to chili peppers.
• Kiu nyuk , sliced pork with preserved mustard greens): thick slices of pork belly, with a layer of preserved mustard greens between each slice, are cooked and served in a dark sauce made up of soy sauce and sugar. A variation of the recipe on Wikibooks Cookbook is available here.

Kiu nyuk;, sliced pork with preserved mustard greens)
• Lei cha or Pounded Tea : A consortment of tea leaves (usually green tea), peanuts, mint leaves, sesame seeds, mung beans and other herbs, which are pounded or ground into a fine powder which is mixed as a drink, or as a dietary brew to be taken with rice and other vegetarian side dishes such as greens, tofu, and pickled radish.
• Poon Choi : A variety of ingredients served in a basin.
Lebanese cuisine

Lebanese Cuisine,(Arabic , المأكولات اللبنانية ) or foods from Lebanon, are considered a Mediterranean delicacy consisting of a variety of fresh vegetarian recipes, salads and stews all seasoned with a flavorsome combination of herbs and spices. One of the most world known Lebanese specialties is called the Maza, also written "Mezze", which is a selection of appetisers: olives, cheeses, Labanee, or small portions also known as muqabbilat (starters).
As with most Mediterranean cuisines, Lebanese cuisine is considered to be a very balanced, healthy diet.
The cuisine of Lebanon is the epitome of the Mediterranean diet. It includes an abundance of starches, fruits, vegetables, fresh fish and seafood; animal fats are consumed sparingly. Poultry is eaten more often than red meat, and when red meat is eaten it is usually lamb. It also includes copious amounts of garlic and olive oil-nary a meal goes by in Lebanon that does not include these two ingredients. Most often foods are either grilled, baked or sauted in olive oil; butter or cream is rarely used other than in a few desserts. Vegetables are often eaten raw or pickled as well as cooked. While the cuisine of Lebanon doesn't boast an entire repertoire of sauces, it focuses on herbs, spices and the freshness of ingredients; the assortment of dishes and combinations are almost limitless. The meals are full of robust, earthy flavors and, like most Mediterranean countries, much of what the Lebanese eat is dictated by the seasons.
Common foods & recipes
This is a selection of appetizers that can be eatin alone as in breakfast
• Ackawi white cheese
• Baba ghanoush made from eggplant
• Baklava Dessert
• Balila
• Batata harra
• Falafel
• Fattoush Middle Eastern mixed salad with toasted pits bread
• Fried cauliflower
• Fried eggplant
• Fuul beans can be made with olive oil or as salad
• Grape Leaves
• Hummus
• Kebab
• Kibbeh Mainly stuffed, can be made in different form like (fried,un cooked,cooked with yogurt)
• Kofta or Kafta
• Kubideh
• Labneh
• Ma'amoul Dessert made in religious holiday as after Ramadan
• Manaeesha collection of oriental pastries
• Mujaddara (Imjaddarra)
• Mutabbel made from eggplant
• Pastirma or Bastirma
• Shanklish
• Shawarma
• Tabbouleh diced Middle Eastern salad
• Tahini
• Za'atar (Thyme)
Beverages
• Almaza
• Arak
• Cola
• Tahn
• White coffee
Baklava or Baklawa is a rich, sweet pastry featured in many cuisines of the Middle East and the Balkans (i.e., former Byzantine[1][2] and later Ottoman[3][4] countries). It is a pastry made of layers of phyllo dough filled with chopped nuts, usually walnuts or pistachios, and sweetened with sugar syrup or honey.
Baklava is a popular dessert throughout the former Ottoman world. [3][4] After the meal, an assortment of small pastries is typically brought to the table on a brass tray, accompanied by tiny cups of Turkish coffee.
Gaziantep, a city in Turkey, is famous for its baklava and, in Turkey, is widely regarded as the native city of the sweet.[
Balila, also known as Cumin Chickpeas, consists of boiled chickpeas mixed with garlic, salt, cumin and olive oil.
It is usually served as a hot Mezze dish.
Batata harra (literally "hot potatoes") is a Lebanese vegetable dish. It consists of potatoes, red peppers, coriander, chilli, and garlic which are all fried together in olive oil.
Batata harra is also an Indian vegetable dish. In fact, potatoes in Western India are known as Batata, and Harra means green in Hindi. To prepare, boil the potatoes, then saute them in oil with cumin seeds and curry leaves. Garnish with coriander.
Falafel ( Arabic: فَلافِِل falaafil (help•info), also known in Egypt and Sudan as ta'meya (طعمية), is a fried ball or patty made from spiced fava beans and/or chickpeas. It has become a popular form of fast food in the Levant and in the Mashriq (Arab East), where it is also served as a mezze (snack or tapas). The word "falafel" is the plural of the Arabic word فِِلِِفِِل (filfil), meaning pepper.[1]
Falafel is usually served as a sandwich wrapped in pita bread, and outside the Middle East, the term "falafel" commonly refers to this sandwich—falafel in a pita is typical street food or fast food. Along with the falafel balls, which may be crushed onto the bread or added whole, topping variations are usually included. Falafel balls may also be eaten alone as a snack or served as part of a mezze. During Ramadan they are sometimes eaten as part of an iftar, the meal which breaks the daily fast after sunset.
Falafel has been part of the diet of Mizrahi Jews for centuries and is a staple of the Israeli diet. It has become the national dish of Israel. [2]
Fattoush (Arabic , فتوش ) is a Levantine salad made from several garden vegetables and toasted or fried pieces of pita bread. Fattoush salad allows cooks to use seasonal produce by mixing different vegetables and herbs according to taste, and also to make use of pitas that have gone stale. The vegetables are cut into relatively larges pieces compared to Tabbouleh which requires ingredients to be finely chopped. Sumac is usually used to give Fattoush its sour taste.
Primary Ingredients
• Tomato
• Lettuce
• Onion
• Sumac
• Mint
• Pita - toasted or fried
• Salt
• Olive oil
• Lemon juice
Optional Ingredients
• Feta Cheese
• Cucumber
• Parsley
• Carrot
• Red Pepper
• Green pepper
• Red Cabbage
• Black olive
• Pepper
Dolma is a family of stuffed vegetable dishes in Turkish cuisine and the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire and surrounding regions, including, Albania, Azerbaijan, Armenia, the Middle East, the Balkans, Greece, and Central Asia. Perhaps the best-known is the grape-leaf dolma, which is more precisely called yaprak dolma or sarma. Common vegetables to stuff include tomatoes and peppers. The stuffing may include meat or not. Meat dolma are generally served warm, often with sauce; meatless ones are generally served cold. Both can be eaten along with yoghurt.
The filling may be minced meat, rice or grain. In either case, the filling includes lemon juice, onion, parsley, herbs and spices. Meatless fillings are cooked with olive oil and include dried grapes, nuts or pulses.
Dolma, strictly speaking, is a stuffed vegetable, that is, a vegetable that is hollowed out and filled with stuffing. This applies to courgette, tomato, pepper, eggplant and the like; stuffed mackerel, squid and mussel are also called "dolma". Dishes involving wrapping leaves such as vine leaves or cabbage leaves around a filling are called 'sarma' though in many languages, the distinction is usually not made. Sarma is derived from the Turkish verb sarmak which means to wrap. Other variants derive from the Turkish word for 'leaf', yaprak.
Dolma cooked with olive oil without minced meat is sometimes called "yalancı" which literally means "liar", "false" or "fake" in Turkish. The reason for which it is described "false" is that it does not contain meat.
Hummus or hummus bi tahini (Arabic: حُمُّص; Hebrew: חוּמוּס‎; Armenian համոս) also spelled hamos, houmous, hommos, hommus, hummos, hummous or humus) is a dip or spread made of ground chickpeas, sesame tahini, lemon juice, and garlic.
In Arabic the word hummus is used to describe the dish or just chickpeas by themselves. The full name of the dish is hummus bi tahina (Arabic: حُمُّص بطحينة) 'chickpeas with tahini'. Hummus is popular in various local forms throughout the Middle Eastern world. Its origins are unknown and are hotly debated throughout the Middle East.
Hummus is traditionally scooped with flatbread (such as pita or a piadini), but is increasingly popular as a dip for tortilla chips outside the Middle East. Hummus is also used as an appetizer dish to accompany main courses, as part of a meze, and as a dressing (for such things as falafel, Israeli salad, grilled chicken, or eggplant). In Israel, a hummus sandwich is a popular children's snack.
Hummus can be garnished in numerous ways, including sprinkling parsley, paprika, cumin (popular in Egypt), pine nuts (traditional in Palestinian hummus [1]), tomatoes, cucumber, pickled turnips (traditional in Lebanon), cilantro, thinly-sliced tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms, or with whole chickpeas over top before drizzling with olive oil
Kibbeh or kibbe (Arabic كبة ['kibbeh] or ['kubbah]) is a dish of minced meat with bulgur and spices with many variants, both raw and cooked. It is a popular dish in the Levant, sometimes considered the national dish of Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, and Iraq.[citation needed] It is also a common food in North Africa, Turkey, the Arabian Peninsula, and parts of the Caucasus such as Armenia.
In its most common form, it consists of minced lamb mixed with bulgur and spices, stuffed inside a bulgur pastry crust and grilled, boiled or fried. The shape, size and ingredients vary between different types of kibbeh and between the recipes traditional in different areas. The mix of spices changes as does the composition of the crust. Kubbat Halab is an Iraqi version made with a rice crust, though apparently not originating in the Syrian city of Halab (Aleppo) as its name suggests. Kubbat Mosul is another Iraqi version originally from Mosul where a bulgur crust is used, but the shape is flat and round, like a disc. Finally, Kubbat Shorwa is an Assyrian-Iraqi version where kibbeh is mixed in a stew, usually cooked with tomato sauce and spices.
The meat and bulgur mix, without the crust, is often served raw (called Kibbe nayye), similar to steak tartare. It is a popular delicacy in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Iraq and is often accompanied by arak. In Lebanon, it is common to serve fresh kibbeh meat raw, and then cook the remainder the next day.
It is traditionally served with a tahina dip, which is a sesame seed paste. Sometimes Lebanese and northern Palestinians will serve the dish without the pastry bread and only eat the meat.
Kebab (also transliterated as kabab, kebap, kabob, kibob) refers to a variety of grilled/broiled meat dishes in Middle Eastern cuisine and South Asian cuisine. Kebabs usually consist of lamb and beef, though particular styles of kebab have chicken or fish. Pork is never used for kebabs by Muslims or Jews because of the religious prohibition on the meat, but is sometimes used by non-Halal or non-Kosher sellers.
Kofta, köfte, kafta, kufta or kafteh (Arabic,كوفته ,کفتة in Persian) are a family of Middle Eastern and South Asian meatballs or dumplings.
In their simplest form, they consist of balls of minced or ground meat — usually beef or lamb — mixed with spices and/or onions. The meat is often mixed with other ingredients such as rice, burghul, vegetables, or eggs to form a smooth paste. Koftas are sometimes made with fish or vegetables rather than meat, especially in India. They can be grilled, fried, steamed, poached, baked or marinated, and may be served with a rich spicy sauce. Variations occur in North Africa, the Mediterranean, Central Europe, Asia and India. According to a 2005 research done by a private food company, there were 291 different kinds of köfte in Turkey, where it is very popular.[1] In Arab countries, kufta is usually shaped into cigar-shaped cylinders.
The word kofta is derived from Persian kūfta: In Persian , "Kuftan کوفتن" means "to beat" or "to grind" or meatball[2].Early recipes (included in some of the earliest known Arabic cookbooks) generally concern seasoned lamb rolled into orange-sized balls, and glazed with egg yolk and sometimes saffron. This method was taken to the west and is referred to as gilding, or endoring. Many regional variations exist, notable among them the unusually large Iranian Kufteh Tabrizi, having an average diameter of 20cm (8").[3].
Koftas in South Asian cuisine are normally cooked in a spicy curry and sometimes with whole pre-boiled eggs. Sometimes the eggs are encased in a layer of the spicy kofta meat so that the final product resembles an Indian Scotch egg. These kofta dishes are very popular with South Asian families and are widely available from many Indian restaurants. In Bengal, a region of East India, koftas are made with prawns, fish, green bananas, cabbage, as well as minced goat meat.
Kubideh is a Lebanese dish made from chopped beef or lamb meat with onion, egg and other ingredients. It is also popular in Iran. The meat is then grilled and served with rice and salad
Strained yoghurt, yoghurt cheese, labneh (also labaneh, lebnah; Arabic لبنة), or Greek yoghurt (in northern Europe and the U.S.) is a type of yoghurt which is strained in a cloth or paper bag or filter, traditionally made of muslin, to remove the whey, giving a consistency between that of yoghurt and cheese, while preserving yoghurt's distinctive sour taste. It is a traditional food in the Middle East and South Asia, where it is often used in cooking, as it is high enough in fat not to curdle at higher temperatures. Like many yoghurts, strained yoghurt is often made from milk which has been enriched by boiling off some of the water content, or by adding extra butterfat and powdered milk.
Strained yoghurt is used in both savoury and sweet dishes, both cooked and raw. In the Middle East and South Asia, it is often used to enrich savoury sauces, as it does not curdle when cooked like unstrained yoghurt. It is used raw in savoury sauces and dips and in sweet desserts.
Recently, it has become popular in northern European cookery, partly because low-fat versions are now made, and so it can function as an alternative to cream in many preparations.[1]
In the United States, strained yoghurt has mostly been available in ethnic stores catering to a Middle Eastern clientele, but FAGE brand moved into the health and natural food stores market starting in 2000.[2]
Japanese cuisine
There are many views as to what defines Japanese cuisine, as the everyday food of the Japanese people has diversified immensely over the past century or so. In Japan, the term "Japanese cuisine" (nihon ryōri, or washoku,) means traditional-style Japanese food, similar to what already existed before the end of national seclusion in 1868. In a broader sense of the word, it could also include foods whose ingredients or cooking methods were subsequently introduced from abroad, but which have been developed by Japanese who made them their own.
Japanese cuisine is known for its emphasis on seasonality of food (旬, shun),[1] quality of ingredients and presentation. Local, regional and seasonal dishes are invariably a key tourist attraction for the domestic traveler.

Food unique to Japan
Japanese cuisine is based on combining staple foods (shushoku), typically rice or noodles, with a soup, and okazu - dishes made from fish, meat, vegetable, tofu and the like, designed to add flavour to the staple food. These are typically flavoured with dashi, miso, and soy sauce and are usually low in fat and high in salt.
A standard Japanese meal generally consists of several different okazu accompanying a bowl of cooked white Japanese rice (gohan), a bowl of soup and some tsukemono (pickles). The most standard meal comprises three okazu and is termed ichijū-sansai ( "one soup, three sides"). 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. This Japanese view of a meal is reflected in the organization of Japanese cookbooks, organized into chapters according to cooking techniques as opposed to particular ingredients (e.g. meat, seafood). There may also be chapters devoted to soups, sushi, rice, noodles, and sweets.
As Japan is an island nation its people eat much seafood. Meat-eating has been rare until fairly recently due to restrictions placed upon it by Buddhism. However, strictly vegetarian food is rare since even vegetable dishes are flavoured with the ubiquitous dashi stock, usually made with katsuobushi (dried skipjack tuna flakes). An exception is shōjin ryōri, vegetarian dishes developed by Buddhist monks. However, the advertised shōjin ryōri usually available at public eating places includes some non-vegetarian elements.
Noodles, originating in China, have become an essential part of Japanese cuisine usually as an alternative to a rice-based meal. Soba (thin, grayish-brown noodles containing buckwheat flour) and udon (thick wheat noodles) are the main traditional noodles and are served hot or cold with soy-dashi flavourings. Chinese-style wheat noodles served in a meat stock broth known as ramen have become extremely popular over the last century.
Traditional Japanese table settings
The traditional Japanese table setting has varied considerably over the centuries, depending primarily on the type of table common during a given era. Before the 19th century, small individual box tables or flat floor trays were set before each diner. Larger low tables (chabudai,) that accommodated entire families were becoming popular by the beginning of the 20th century, but these gave way to western style dining tables and chairs by the end of the 20th century.
Traditionally, the rice bowl is placed on the left and the soup bowl on the right. Behind these, each okazu is served on its own individual plate. Based on the standard three okazu formula, behind the rice and soup are three flat plates to hold the three okazu; one to far back left, one at far back right, and one in the center. Pickled vegetables are often served on the side but are not counted as part of the three okazu.
Chopsticks are generally placed at the very front of the tray near the dinner with pointed ends facing left and supported by a chopstick rest, or hashioki .
Eating etiquette
• It is customary to say itadakimasu (lit. "I shall receive") before starting to eat a meal, and gochisoosama deshita, (lit. "That was a feast") to the host after the meal and the restaurant staff when leaving.
• Before eating, most dining places will provide either a hot towel or a plastic wrapped wet napkin. This is for cleaning of the hands prior to eating and not after. It is rude to use them to wash the face or any part of the body other than the hands.
• The rice or the soup is eaten by picking the relevant bowl up with the left hand and using chopsticks with the right. Bowls of soup, noodle soup, donburi or ochazuke may be lifted to the mouth but not white rice. Soy sauce is not usually poured over most foods at the table; a dipping dish is usually provided. Soy sauce is, however, meant to be poured directly onto tofu and grated daikon dishes. In particular, soy sauce should never be poured onto rice or soup. Blowing one's nose at the table is considered extremely offensive. Noodles are slurped.
• Chopsticks are never left sticking vertically into rice, as this is how they are ritually offered to the dead. Using chopsticks to spear food, to point, or to pass food into someone else's chopsticks is also frowned upon. It is also very bad manners to bite on your chopsticks.
• When taking food from a communal dish, unless they are family or very close friends, turn the chopsticks around to grab the food; it is considered cleaner. If sharing with someone else, move it directly from one plate to another; passing food from one pair to another is a funeral rite.
• It is customary to eat rice to the last grain. Being a fussy eater is frowned upon, and it is not customary to ask for special requests or substitutions at restaurants. It is considered ungrateful to make these requests especially in circumstances where you are being hosted, as in a business dinner environment. Good manners dictate that you respect the selections of the host. This is a common mistake that visiting business people make.
• Even in informal situations, drinking alcohol starts with a toast (kanpai, 乾杯) when everyone is ready. It is not customary to pour oneself a drink; but rather, people are expected to keep each other's drinks topped up. When someone moves to pour your drink you should hold your glass with both hands and thank them.
Japanese ingredients
Rice
• Short or medium grain white rice
• Mochi rice (glutinous rice)
Beans
• azuki
• soy
Eggs
• chicken
• quail
Flour
• katakuri flour
• kudzu flour
• rice powder
• soba flour
• wheat flour
Fruits
• citrus fruits:
• amanatsu
• daidai
• iyokan
• kabosu
• kumquat
• mikan
• natsumikan
• sudachi
• yuzu
• chestnut
• loquat
• nashi pear
• persimmon
Fu (wheat gluten)
Meats
• beef
• chicken
• horse
• pork
• sometimes as minchi ( minced meat)
Mushrooms
• enokitake
• eringi
• matsutake
• maitake
• nameko
• hiratake
• shiitake
• shimeji
Noodles
• soba
• somen
• ramen
• udon
Seafood
Every type of seafood imaginable features in Japanese cuisine. Only the most common are in the list below. Includes freshwater varieties.
• Finned fish:
• skipjack tuna (katsuo)
• pacific saury (sanma)
• flounder (karei / hirame)
• Japanese amberjack (buri / hamachi)
• mackerel (saba)
• Japanese jack mackerel (aji)
• salmon (sake)
• tuna (maguro)
• red sea bream (madai)
• pufferfish (fugu)
• sardine (iwashi)
• Japanese eel (unagi)
• ayu
• Sea Mammals:
• baleen whale (kujira)
• dolphin (iruka)
• Shellfish:
• prawn, shrimp (ebi)
• squid, cuttlefish (ika)
• octopus (tako)
• sea urchin (uni)
• scallop (hotate-gai)
• littleneck clam (asari)
• freshwater clam (shijimi)
• oyster (kaki)
• spiny lobster (ise-ebi)
• horned turban (sazae)
• Crab (kani)
• snow crab (zuwaigani)
• horsehair crab (kegani)
• king crab (tarabagani)
• horse crab (gazami)
• Roe
• salmon roe (ikura)
• herring roe (kazunoko)
• pollock roe (tarako)
• flying fish roe (tobiko)
• Processed seafood:
• chikuwa
• kamaboko
• niboshi
• surimi
• Satsuma age
• Seaweed
• hijiki
• konbu
• nori
• wakame, etc.
Soy products
• Edamame
• Miso
• Soy sauce (light, dark, tamari)
• Tofu
• soft: kinugoshi-dōfu (silken), oboro-dōfu, kumidashi-dōfu
• firm: momen-dōfu (cotton)
• freeze-dried: kōyadōfu
• fried: aburaage, agedōfu, atsuage, ganmodoki
• residue: Okara
• Soy milk, Yuba
Vegetables
• cucumber
• daikon
• eggplant
• fuki (a type of butterbur)
• gobo (greater burdock)
• hakusai (Chinese cabbage)
• kaiware (radish sprouts)
• Konnyaku (shirataki)
• moyashi (mung or soybean sprouts)
• negi (Welsh onion)
• nira (Chinese chives)
• renkon (lotus root)
• Sansai (wild vegetables)
• spinach
• sweet potato
• takenoko (bamboo shoots)
• Tsukemono (pickled vegetables)
Japanese flavourings
It is not generally thought possible to make authentic Japanese food without shōyu (soy sauce), miso and dashi.
• Kombu (kelp), katsuobushi (flakes of cured skipjack tuna, sometimes referred to as bonito) and niboshi (dried baby sardines) are often used to make dashi stock.
• Negi (welsh onion), onions, garlic, nira (Chinese chives), rakkyō (a type of scallion).
• Sesame seeds, sesame oil, sesame salt (gomashio), furikake, walnuts or peanuts to dress.
• Shōyu (soy sauce), dashi, mirin, sugar, rice vinegar, miso, sake.
• Wasabi (and imitation wasabi from horseradish), karashi (hot mustard), red pepper, ginger, shiso (perilla or beefsteak plant) leaves, sansho, citrus peel, and honeywort (called mitsuba).
Less traditional, but widely used ingredients include:
• Monosodium glutamate, which is often used by chefs and food companies as a cheap flavor enhancer. It may be used as a substitute for kombu, which is a traditional source of free glutamate
• Japanese-style Worcestershire sauce, often known as simply "sauce", thicker and fruitier than the original, is commonly used as a table condiment for okonomiyaki tonkatsu croquette and the like.
• Japanese mayonnaise is used with salads, okonomiyaki , yaki soba and sometimes mixed with wasabi or soy sauce.
Common Japanese staple foods (Shushoku)
Rice (gohanmono)
Rice served in Japan is of the short-grain Japonica variety. In a traditional Japanese setting (e.g. served in a conic bowl) it is known as gohan or meshi ( generally only males say meshi). In western-influenced dishes, where rice is often served on the plate (such as curries) it is called raisu (, after the English word "rice".)
• Gohan or Meshi: plainly cooked white rice. It is such a staple that the terms gohan and meshi are also used to refer meals in general, such as Asa gohan/meshi ( (breakfast), Hiru gohan/meshi ( lunch), and Ban gohan/meshi ( dinner). Some alternatives are:
• Genmai gohan : white rice cooked with brown rice
• Okowa : cooked glutinous rice
• Mugi gohan/meshi : white rice cooked with barley
• Soy-flavored raw egg (Tamago kake gohan), nori, and furikake are popular condiments in Japanese breakfast
• Ochazuke: hot green tea or dashi poured over cooked white rice, often with various savoury ingredients
• Onigiri: balls of rice with a filling in the middle. Japanese equivalent of sandwiches.
• Takikomi gohan: Japanese-style pilaf cooked with various ingredients and flavored with soy, dashi, etc.
• Kamameshi: rice topped with vegetables and chicken or seafood, then baked in an individual-sized pot
• Sekihan: red rice. white rice cooked with azuki beans to Glutinous rice
• Japanese curry: Introduced from UK in the late 19th century, "curry rice" (karē raisu is now one of the most popular dishes in Japan. It is not as spicy as its Indian counterpart.
• Hayashi rice: thick beef stew on rice; origin of the name is unknown
• Omurice (Omu-raisu, ): omelet filled with fried rice, apparently originating from Tōkyō
• Mochi: glutinous rice cake
• Chāhan: fried rice, adapted to Japanese tastes, tends to be lighter in flavour and style than the Chinese version from which it is derived
Congee
• Kayu or Okayu: rice congee (porridge), sometimes egg dropped and usually served to infants and sick people as easily digestible meals
• Zosui (Zōsui) or Ojiya: a soup containing rice stewed in stock, often with egg, meat, seafood, vegetables or mushroom, and flavoured with miso or soy. Known as juushii in Okinawa. Some similarity to risotto and Kayu though Zosui uses cooked rice
Donburi
A one-bowl lunchtime dish, consisting of a donburi (どんぶり, big bowl) full of hot steamed rice with various savory toppings:
• Katsudon: donburi topped with deep-fried breaded cutlet of pork (tonkatsudon), chicken (chickendon)
• Tekkadon: donburi topped with tuna sashimi
• Oyakodon (Parent and Child): donburi topped with chicken and egg (or sometimes salmon and salmon roe)
• Gyūdon: donburi topped with seasoned beef
• Tendon: donburi topped with tempura (battered shrimp and vegetables).
• Unadon: donburi topped with broiled eel with vegetables.
Sushi
Sushi comes from Japan and is a vinegared rice topped or mixed with various fresh ingredients, usually fish or seafood.
• Nigiri-sushi: This is sushi with the ingredients on top of a block of rice.
• Maki-zushi: Translated as "roll sushi", this is where rice and seafood or other ingredients are placed on a sheet of seaweed (nori) and rolled into a cylindrical shape on a bamboo mat and then cut into smaller pieces.
• Temaki: Basically the same as makizushi, except that the nori is rolled into a cone-shape with the ingredients placed inside. Sometimes referred to as a "hand-roll".
• Chirashi: Translated as "scattered", chirashi involves fresh sea food, vegetables or other ingredients being placed on top of sushi rice in a bowl or dish.
Sake
Sake is a rice wine that typically contains 12~20% alcohol and is made by multiple fermentation of rice. At traditional meals, it is considered an equivalent to rice and is not simultaneously taken with other rice-based dishes. Side dishes for sake is particularly called sakana or otsumami.
Noodles (men-rui)
Noodles often take the place of rice in a meal. However, the Japanese appetite for rice is so strong that many restaurants even serve noodles-rice combination sets.
Soba with sliced duck breast, negi (scallions) and mitsuba
• Traditional Japanese noodles are usually served chilled with a dipping sauce, or in a hot soy-dashi broth.
o Soba: thin brown buckwheat noodles. Also known as Nihon-soba ("Japanese soba"). In Okinawa, soba likely refers to Okinawa soba (see below).
o Udon: thick wheat noodles served with various toppings, usually in a hot soy-dashi broth, or sometimes in a Japanese curry soup.
o Somen: thin wheat noodles served chilled with a dipping sauce. Hot Somen is called Nyumen.
• Chinese-influenced noodles are served in a meat or chicken broth and have only appeared in the last 100 years or so.
o Ramen: thin light yellow noodles served in hot chicken or pork broth with various toppings; of Chinese origin, it is a popular and common item in Japan. Also known as Shina-soba or Chuka-soba (both mean "Chinese-style soba")
o Champon: yellow noodles of medium thickness served with a great variety of seafood and vegetable toppings in a hot chicken broth which originated in Nagasaki as a cheap food for students
• Okinawa soba: thick wheat-flour noodles served in Okinawa, often served in a hot broth with sōki, steamed pork. Akin to a cross between udon and ramen.
• Yaki soba: Fried Chinese noodles
• Yaki udon: Fried udon noodles
Bread (pan)
Bread (the word "pan" is derived from the Portuguese pão) is not native to Japan and is not considered traditional Japanese food, but since its introduction in the 19th century it has become common.
• Curry bread (karē pan): deep fried bread filled with Japanese curry sauce.
• Anpan: sweet bun filled with red bean(anko) paste.
• Yakisoba-pan: bread roll sandwich with yakisoba (fried noodles and red pickled ginger) filling.
• Katsu-sando: sandwich with tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet) filling.
Common Japanese main and side dishes (okazu)
Deep-fried dishes (agemono)

Ebi tempura.
• Karaage: bite-sized pieces of chicken, fish, octopus, or other meat, floured and deep fried. Common izakaya food, also often available in convenience stores.
• Korokke (croquette): breaded and deep-fried patties, containing either mashed potato or white sauce mixed with minced meat, vegetables or seafood. Popular everyday food.
• Kushikatsu: skewered meat, vegetables or seafood, breaded and deep fried.
• Tempura: deep-fried vegetables or seafood in a light, distinctive batter.
• Tonkatsu: deep-fried breaded cutlet of pork (chicken versions are called chicken katsu).
Grilled and pan-fried dishes (yakimono)

Yakitori being cooked
• Gyoza: Chinese ravioli-dumplings (potstickers), usually filled with pork and vegetables and pan-fried.
• Kushiyaki: skewers of meat and vegetables.
• Okonomiyaki: savory pancakes with various meat and vegetable ingredients, flavoured with the likes of Worcestershire sauce or mayonnaise.
• Takoyaki: a spherical, fried dumpling of batter with a piece of octopus inside. Popular street snack.
• Teriyaki: grilled, broiled, or pan-fried meat, fish, chicken or vegetables glazed with a sweetened soy sauce.
• Unagi, including Kabayaki: grilled and flavored eel.
• Yakiniku ("grilled meat"): may refer to several things
o "Korean BBQ" - Bite-sized pieces of meat (usually beef) grilled, usually at the table, originating from Korean galbi and bulgogi.
o Horumonyaki ("offal-grill"): similar homegrown dish, but using offal
o Genghis Khan barbecue: barbecued lamb or mutton, with various seafoods and vegetables. A speciality of Hokkaidō.
• Yakitori: barbecued chicken skewers, usually served with beer. In Japan, yakitori usually consists of a wide variety of parts of the chicken. It is not usual to see straight chicken meat as the only type of yakitori in a meal.
• Yakizakana: flame-grilled fish, often served with grated daikon. One of the most common dishes served at home.
Nabemono (one pot "steamboat" cooking)
Nabemono includes:
• Oden: surimi, boiled pork and beans, mutton, etc. simmered in broth. Common wintertime food and often available in convenience stores.
• Motsunabe: beef offal, Chinese cabbage and various vegetables cooked in a light soup base.
• Shabu-shabu: hot pot with thinly sliced beef, vegetables, and tofu, cooked in a thin stock at the table and dipped in a soy or sesame-based dip before eating.
• Sukiyaki: thinly sliced beef and vegetables cooked in a mixture of soy sauce, dashi, sugar, and sake. Participants cook at the table then dip food into their individual bowls of raw egg before eating it.
• Tecchiri: hot pot with blowfish and vegetables, a specialty of Osaka.
Nimono (stewed dishes)
• Kakuni: chunks of pork belly stewed in soy, mirin and sake with large pieces of daikon and whole boiled eggs. The Okinawan variation, using awamori, soy sauce and miso, is known as rafuti.
• Nikujaga: beef and potato stew, flavoured with sweet soy
• Nizakana: fish poached in sweet soy (often on the menu as "nitsuke")
• sōki: Okinawan dish of pork stewed with bone
Itamemono (stir-fried dishes)
Stir-frying is not a native method of cooking in Japan, however mock-Chinese stir fries such as yasai itame (stir fried vegetables) have been a staple in homes and canteens across Japan since the 1950s. Home grown stir fries include:
• Chanpurū: A stir-fry from Okinawa, of vegetables, tofu, meat or seafood and sometimes egg. Many varieties, the most famous being gōyā chanpurū.
• Kinpira gobo: Thin sticks of greater burdock (gobo, ゴボウ) and other root vegetables stir-fried and braised in sweetened soy.
Sashimi
Sashimi is raw, thinly sliced foods served with a dipping sauce and simple garnishes; usually fish or shellfish served with soy sauce and wasabi. Less common variations include:
• Fugu: sliced poisonous pufferfish (sometimes lethal), a uniquely Japanese specialty. The chef responsible for preparing it must be licensed.
• Ikizukuri: live sashimi
• Tataki (ja:たたき): raw/very rare skipjack tuna or beef steak seared on the outside and sliced, or a finely chopped fish, spiced with the likes of chopped spring onions, ginger or garlic paste.
• Basashi (ja:馬刺し): horse meat sashimi, sometimes called sakura (桜), is a regional speciality in certain areas such as Shinshu (Nagano, Gifu and Toyama prefectures) and Kumamoto.[1] Basashi features on the menu of many izakayas, even on the menus of big national chains.
• Torisashi: chicken breast sashimi, regional specialty of Kagoshima, Miyazaki prefectures.
• Rebasashi: usually liver of calf, completely raw (rare version is called "aburi" (あぶり)), usually dipped in salted sesame oil rather than soy source.
• Shikasashi: deer meat sashimi, a rare delicacy in certain parts of Japan, frequently causes acute hepatitis E by eating hunted wild deer.[2]
Soups (suimono (吸い物) and shirumono (汁物))
Soups include:
• Miso soup: soup made with miso dissolved in dashi, usually containing two or three types of solid ingredients, such as seaweed, vegetables or tofu.
• Tonjiru: similar to Miso soup, except that pork is added to the ingredients
• Dangojiru: soup made with dumplings along with seaweed, tofu, lotus root, or any number of other vegetables and roots
• Imoni: a thick taro potato stew popular in Northern Japan during the autumn season
• Sumashijiru: a clear soup made with dashi and seafood
• Zoni: soup containing mochi rice cakes along with various vegetables and often chicken. It is usually eaten at New Years Day.
• Kiritanpo: freshly cooked rice is pounded, formed into cylinders around cryptomeria skewers, and toasted at an open hearth. The kiritanpo are used as dump-lings in soups.
Pickled or salted foods

A stall selling a variety of pickled and cured foods including squid, cabbage and daikon at a Tokyo supermarket.
These foods are usually served in tiny portions, as a side dish to be eaten with white rice, to accompany sake or as a topping for rice porridges.
• Ikura: salt cured salmon caviar.
• Mentaiko: salt-cured pollock roe.
• Shiokara: salty fermented viscera.
• Tsukemono: pickled vegetables, hundreds of varieties and served with most rice-based meals.
o Umeboshi: small, pickled ume fruit. Usually red and very sour, often served with bento lunch boxes or as a filling for onigiri.
• Tsukudani: Very small fish, shellfish or seaweed stewed in sweetened soy for preservation.
Miscellaneous
• Agedashi dofu: cubes of deep-fried silken tofu served in hot broth.
• Bento or Obento: combination meal served in a wooden box, usually as a cold lunchbox.
• Chawan mushi: meat (seafood and/or chicken) and vegetables steamed in egg custard.
• Edamame: boiled and salted pods of soybeans, eaten as a snack, often to accompany beer.
• Himono: dried fish, often aji (鯵, Japanese jack mackerel). Traditionally served for breakfast with rice, miso soup and pickles.
• Hiyayakko: chilled tofu with garnish.
• Natto: fermented soybeans, stringy like melted cheese, infamous for its strong smell and slippery texture. Often eaten for breakfast. Typically popular in Kantō and Tōhoku but slowly gaining popularity in other regions which Natto was not as popular
• Ohitashi: boiled greens such as spinach, chilled and flavoured with soy sauce, often with garnish.
• Osechi: traditional foods eaten at New Year.
• Sunomono: vegetables such as cucumber or wakame, or sometimes crab, marinated in rice vinegar.
Chinmi
Chinmi are regional delicacies, and include:
• Ankimo
• Karasumi
• Konowata
• Uni: Specifically salt-pickled sea urchin
Although most Japanese eschew eating insects, in some regions, locust (inago, ja:イナゴ)[2] and bee larvae (hachinoko, ja:蜂の子)[3] are not uncommon dishes. The larvae of species of caddisflies and stoneflies (zaza-mushi, ja:ざざむし), harvested from the Tenryū river as it flows through Ina, Nagano, is also boiled and canned, or boiled and then sautéed in soy sauce and sugar.[4] Japanese clawed salamander (Hakone Sanshōuo, ja:ハコネサンショウウオ, Onychodactylus japonicus) is eaten as well in Hinoemata, Fukushima in early summer.
Regional specialities
Dishes for special occasions
In Japanese tradition some dishes are strongly tied to a festival or event. Major such combinations include:
• Botamochi (sticky rice dumpling with sweet azuki paste): Spring equinox.
• Chimaki (steamed sweet rice cake): Tango no Sekku and Gion Festival.
• Hamo (a kind of fish) and somen: Gion Festival.
• Osechi: New Year.
• Sekihan, literally "red rice", rice cooked with adzuki: celebration in general.
• Soba: New Year's Eve. This is called toshi koshi soba (ja:年越しそば) (literally "year crossing soba").
• Chirashizushi, Ushiojiru (clear soup of clams) and amazake: Hinamatsuri.
In some regions every 1st and 15th day of the month people eat a mixture of rice and adzuki (azuki meshi (小豆飯), see Sekihan).
Sweets and snacks (okashi), oyatsu
Japanese-style sweets (wagashi, 和菓子)
Wagashi in a storefront in Sapporo, Japan
Wagashi include
• Amanatto
• Anpan: bread with sweet bean paste in the center
• Dango: rice dumpling
• Hanabiramochi
• Higashi
• Hoshigaki: Dried persimmon fruit
• Imagawayaki: also known as 'Taikoyaki' is a round Taiyaki and fillings are same
• Kakigori: shaved ice with syrup topping.
• Kompeito: crystal sugar candy
• Manju: sticky rice surrounding a sweet bean center
• Matsunoyuki
• Melonpan: a large, round bun which is a combination of regular dough beneath cookie dough, with a sweet filling in between. It often (but not always) contains a melon-flavored cream, and its general shape is said to resemble that of a melon.
• Mochi: steamed sweet rice pounded into a solid, sticky, and somewhat translucent mass
• Oshiruko: a warm, sweet red bean (an) soup with mochi: rice cake
• Uiro: a steamed cake made of rice flour
• Taiyaki: a fried, fish-shaped cake, usually with a sweet filling such as an: red bean paste
Old-fashioned Japanese-style sweets (dagashi)
• Karumetou: Brown sugar cake. Also called Karumeyaki
• Sosu Senbei: Thin wafers eaten with soy sauce
• Mizuame: sticky liquid sugar candy
Western-style sweets (yōgashi)
Yōgashi are Western-style sweets, but in Japan are typically very light or spongy.
• Kasutera: "Castella" Iberian-style sponge cake
• Mirukurepu: "mille crepe": layered crepe (in French, "one thousand leaves")
Snacks include:
• Azuki Ice: vanilla flavored ice cream with sweet azuki beans
• Koara no māchi
• Umai Bō　Puffed corn food with various flavors
• Pocky
• Hello Panda
• Hi-chew
• Ice cream - usual flavours such as vanilla and chocolate are the most common. Distinctly Japanese ones include Matcha Ice (green tea ice cream), less common ones include Goma (black sesame seed) and sweet potato flavours.
Tea and other drinks
Barrels of sake, a traditional Japanese alcoholic drink
Tea and non-alcoholic beverages
Sea also Japanese green teas and Japanese drinks
• Amazake
• Genmaicha: green tea combined with roasted brown rice.
• Hojicha: green tea roasted over charcoal.
• Kombucha (tea): a tea poured with Kombu giving rich flavor in monosodium glutamate.
• Kukicha: a blend of green tea made of stems, stalks, and twigs.
• Matcha: powdered green tea. (Green tea ice cream is flavoured with matcha, not ocha.)
• Mugicha: barley tea, served chilled during summer.
• Sencha: steam treated green tea leaves then dried.
• Umecha: a tea drink with Umeboshi giving refreshing sourness.
Soft drinks
• Calpis
• Pocari Sweat
• Ramune
• Oronamin C Drink
• Yakult
• Qoo
Alcoholic beverages
• Awamori semirefined sweet sake
• Sake
• Shōchū Japanese rice spirit
• Umeshu
• Japanese beer - leading brands are Sapporo, Asahi and Kirin Imported and adapted foods
Japan has incorporated imported food from across the world (mostly from Asia, Europe and to a lesser extent the Americas), and have historically adapted many to make them their own.
Foods imported from Portugal in the 16th Century
• Tempura - so thoroughly adopted that its foreign roots are unknown to most people, including many Japanese. As such, it is considered washoku.
• castella - sponge cake, originating in Nagasaki
• Pan is bread, introduced by Portugal. (Bread is Pão in Portuguese.)
Yōshoku
Japan today abounds with home-grown, loosely western-style food. Many of these were invented in the wake of the 1868 Meiji restoration and the end of national seclusion, when the sudden influx of foreign (in particular, western) culture led to many restaurants serving western food, known as yōshoku (洋食), a shortened form of seiyōshoku (西洋食) lit. Western cuisine, opening up in cities. Restaurants that serve these foods are called yōshokuya (洋食屋), lit. Western cuisine restaurants.
Many yōshoku items from that time have been adapted to a degree that they are now considered Japanese and are an integral part of any Japanese family menu. Many are served alongside rice and miso soup, and eaten with chopsticks. Yet, due to their origins these are still categorized as yōshoku as opposed to the more traditional washoku (和食), lit. Japanese cuisine.
• Katsuretsu (カツレツ, "cutlet") - deep fried, breaded meat, usually served with shredded cabbage, Japanese Worcestershire sauce or tonkatsu sauce, and lemon.
o Tonkatsu - breaded pork
o Menchi katsu - breaded minced meat patties
• Furai (フライ, "fry") - deep fried, breaded seafood, usually served with shredded cabbage, Japanese Worcestershire sauce and lemon.
o Kaki furai (カキフライ) - breaded oyster
o Ebi furai (エビフライ) - breaded shrimp

Korokke for sale at a Mitsukoshi food hall in Tokyo, Japan
• Korokke ("croquette") - breaded mashed potato and minced meat patties.
• Japanese curry-rice - imported in the 19th century by way of the United Kingdom and adapted by Japanese Navy chefs. One of the most popular food items in Japan today. Eaten with a spoon. Curry is often eaten with pickled vegetables called fukujinzuke or rakkyo
o Curry Pan - deep fried bread with Japanese curry sauce inside. The pirozhki of Russia was remodeled, and Curry bread was made.
o Curry udon
• Hayashi rice - beef and onions stewed in a red-wine sauce and served on rice
• Nikujaga - meat and potato stew. Has been Japanised to the extent that it is now considered washoku (和食), but again originates from 19th Century Japanese Navy chefs adapting beef stews of the Royal Navy.
• Omu raisu - ketchup-flavored rice wrapped in omelet.
Other yōshoku (洋食) items were popularized after the war:
• Hamburg steak - a ground beef patty, usually mixed with breadcrumbs and fried chopped onions, served with a side of white rice and vegetables. Popular post-war food item served at homes. Eaten with a fork.
• Spaghetti - Japanese versions include:
o with tomato ketchup, wieners, sliced onion and green pepper (called 'neapolitan')
o with mentaiko sauce topped with nori seaweed
o with Japanese Curry
Other homegrown cuisine of foreign origin
• Japanese American cuisine
o Burgers have various variations in Japan. MOS Burger developed Teriyaki Burgers and kinpira rice burger
• Korean cuisine
o Kimchi - from Korea is often served with Japanese dishes, though the local variant may use thinner cabbage.
• Japanese Chinese cuisine
o Ramen and related dishes such as champon and yaki soba
o Mabo Doufu tends to be thinner than Chinese Mapo doufu.
o Japanese-only "Chinese dishes" like Ebi Chili (shrimp in a tangy and slightly spicy sauce)
o Nikuman, anman, butaman and the obscure negi-man are all varieties of mantou with fillings.
o Gyoza are a very popular dish in Japan. Gyoza are the Japanese take on the Chinese dumplings with rich garlic flavor. Most often, they are seen in their pan-fried form, but they can be served boiled as potstickers or even deep fried, as well.
• Japanese English cuisine
o Purin has improved the custard pudding.
Foreign food in Japan
Many imported foods are made suitable for the Japanese palate by reducing the amount of spice used or changing a part of a recipe. For example, Japanese pizza may have toppings such as sliced boiled eggs, pineapple, sweetcorn, nori, and mayonnaise instead of tomato sauce. Shrimp, squid and other seafood excluded in the US is often retained in Japan, just as in other parts of the world.
Foods from other countries vary in their authenticity. Many Italian dishes are changed, however Japanese chefs have preserved many Italian seafood oriented dishes that are forgotten in other countries. These include pasta with prawns, lobster (an Italian specialty known in Italy as pasta arragosta), crab (another Italian specialty, in Japan is served with a different species of crab) and pasta with sea urchin sauce (the sea urchin pasta being a specialty of the Puglia region of Italy).
Japanese rice is usually used instead of indigenous rice (in dishes from Thailand, India, Italy, etc.) or including it in dishes when originally it would not be eaten with (in dishes like hamburger, steak, omelets, etc.).

A McDonald's in Narita, Japan
The Japanese often eat at hamburger chains such as McDonald's, First Kitchen, Lotteria or MOS Burger. Many chains developed uniquely Japanese versions of American fast food such as teriyaki burger, kinpira rice burger, green-tea milkshakes and fried shrimp burgers.
In Tokyo, it is quite easy to find restaurants serving authentic foreign cuisine. However, in most of the country, in many ways, the variety of imported food is limited; for example, it is rare to find pasta that is not of the spaghetti or macaroni varieties in supermarkets or restaurants; bread is very rarely of any variety but white; and varieties of imported cereal are also very limited, usually either frosted or chocolate flavored. "Italian restaurants" also tend to only have pizza and pasta in their menus. Interestingly for Italian visitors, the cheaper Italian places in Japan tend to serve the American version of Italian foods, which often vary wildly from the version you might find in Italy or in other countries.
Fusion foods
• California roll (not to mention the New Mexico and Philadelphia rolls)
• Teppanyaki - a style of cooking beef, seafood and vegetables on a large griddle in front of customers, invented in Tokyo in 1945. Made famous in the United States by the Benihana chain which incorporated stunt-like performances to impress American customers.
• Spam musubi - a snack from Hawaii resembling onigiri made with Spam.
Influence of Japanese food outside Japan
• Japanese cuisine is an integral part of food culture in Hawaii. Popular items are sushi, sashimi and teriyaki. Kamaboko, known locally as fish cake, is a staple of saimin, a noodle soup invented in and extremely popular in the state.
• Sushi, long regarded as quite exotic in the west until the 1970s, has become a popular health food in parts of North America, Western Europe and Asia.
• South Korea:
o Kamaboko is popular in South Korea, where it is known as eomuk (어묵), usually boiled on a skewer in broth and often sold in street restaurant carts where they can be eaten with soju.
o Oden is popular in South Korea, where it is known as kkochi anju (꼬치按酒) or odeng.
• Taiwan has adapted many Japanese food items.
o Taiwanese versions of tempura, only barely resembling the original, is known as 天婦羅 or 甜不辣 (tianbula) and is a famous staple in night markets in northern Taiwan.
o Taiwanese versions of oden is known locally as Oren (黑輪) or 關東煮 Kwantung stew, after the Kansai name for the dish.
• Skewered versions of oden is also a common convenience store item in Shanghai where it is known as aódiǎn (熬点).
• Ramen, of Chinese origin, has been exported back to China in recent years where it is known as ri shi la mian (日式拉面, "Japanese lamian"). Popular Japanese ramen chains serve ramen alongside distinctly Japanese dishes such as tempura and yakitori, something which would be seen as odd in Japan.
• Ramen has also gained popularity in some western cities in part due to the success of the Wagamama chain, although they are quite different from Japanese ramen.
• Instant ramen, invented in 1958, has now spread throughout the world, most of them barely resembling Japanese ramen.
"Sushi Police" controversy
Despite its popularity, Japanese food available outside Japan tends to vary strongly from what is considered normal within Japan. Key areas of difference are the organisation of menus, the ingredients used, the nature of the dishes served and the structure of the meal. Whilst all cuisines tend to vary when provided in foreign countries, there appears to be a consensus that Japanese foods vary much more than others.
Japanese kitchen knives
• Deba bocho: Kitchen carver
• Nakiri bocho and usuba bocho: Japanese vegetable knives
• Oroshi hocho and hancho hocho: Extremely long knives to fillet tuna
• Tako hiki, yanagi ba, and fugu hiki: Sashimi slicers
• Unagisaki hocho: Japanese eel knife
• Udon kiri and soba kiri: Knife to make udon and soba
Pots, pans, and bowls
• Abura kiri: Drainer tray for oil
• Agemono nabe: Deep frying pot
• Donabe: Ceramic pot for use on an open flame
• Hangiri: Rice barrel
• Makiyakinabe: Rectangular pan for omelets
• Mushiki and seiro: Steamers
• Otoshi buta: Drop lid
• Rice cooker: Electric appliance for cooking rice
• Suribachi and surikogi: Grinding mortar and pestle
• Takoyaki pan: Frying pan for takoyaki
• Tetsubin: Cast iron teapot.
• Tetsunabe:Cast iron pot (common for sukiyaki)
• Usu and Kine: Large mortar and pestle for pounding rice
See also: Cooking pan
Other kitchen tools

A katsuobushi kezuriki, with its blade cover removed a and drawer slightly open.
• Ami shakushi: Scoop with a net bottom
• Katsuobushi kezuriki: Mandoline-like device traditionally used to shave katsuobushi.
• Kushi: Skewers
• Makisu: Bamboo mat for sushi rolls
• Oroshigane: Graters
• Oshizushihako: Box for pressed sushi
• Saibashi: Japanese kitchen chopsticks
• Shamoji: Rice paddle
• Tsukemonoki and tsukemonoishi: Japanese-style pickle press
• Urokotori: Fish scaler
• Zaru: Bamboo draining basket
• Iki jime: Awl or spike, used on fish's brain.
Serving tools
• Shokado bento: Bento box
Hangiri

A hangiri. This example is 41 cm (16 inches) in diameter.
In Japanese cuisine, a hangiri (半切) is a round, flat-bottom wooden tub or barrel used in the final steps of preparing rice for sushi. Traditional hangiri are made from cypress wood bound with two copper bands. They may range in diameter from about 30 cm (1 ft) for use at home, to 1 meter (3 feet) for use in a restaurant.
The chef uses the hangiri and a wooden paddle (shamoji) to dress and cool the rice. After it is boiled, the rice is transferred to the hangiri where it is tossed with a dressing made of rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. When the mixing is complete, it is covered with a cloth (fukin) and allowed to cool..
Many types of sushi ready to be eaten.
In Japanese cuisine, sushi (寿司, 鮨, 鮓?) is a food made of vinegared rice, usually combined with other ingredients (uncooked and in some cases cooked) such as fish.
Sushi as an English word has come to refer to a complete dish with rice and toppings; this is the sense used in this article. The original term Japanese: 寿司 sushi (-zushi in some compounds such as makizushi), written in kanji, refers to the rice, but not fish or other toppings.[1]
Outside of Japan, sushi is sometimes misunderstood to mean the raw fish by itself, or even any fresh raw-seafood dishes. In Japan, however, sliced raw fish alone is called sashimi and is distinct from sushi.
There are various types of sushi: sushi served rolled inside nori (dried and pressed layer sheets of seaweed or alga) called makizushi (巻き) or rolls; sushi made with toppings laid with hand-formed clumps of rice called nigirizushi (にぎり); toppings stuffed into a small pouch of fried tofu called inarizushi; and toppings served scattered over a bowl of sushi rice called chirashi-zushi (ちらし).
Contents
History
Main article: History of sushi
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Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

The basic idea behind the preparation of sushi is the preservation and fermentation of fish with salt and rice, a process that has been traced back to Southeast Asia where fish and rice fermentation dishes still exist today. The science behind the fermentation of fish in rice is that the vinegar produced from the fermenting rice breaks the fish down into amino acids. This results into one of the five basic tastes, called umami in Japanese.[2] The oldest form of sushi in Japan, Narezushi still very closely resembles this process. In Japan, Narezushi evolved into Oshizushi and ultimately Edomae nigirizushi, which is what the world today knows as "sushi".
Modern Japanese sushi has little resemblance to the traditional lacto-fermented rice dish. Originally, when the fermented fish was taken out of the rice, only the fish was consumed and the fermented rice was discarded. The strong-tasting and -smelling funazushi, a kind of narezushi made near Lake Biwa in Japan, resembles the traditional fermented dish.
Beginning during the Muromachi period (1336–1573) in Japan, rice vinegar was added to the mixture for better taste. The vinegar accentuated the rice's sourness, and was known to increase its life span, allowing the fermentation process to be shortened and eventually abandoned.
In the following centuries, sushi in Osaka evolved into oshi-zushi, the seafood and the rice were pressed into wooden moulds, by the mid 18th century, this form of sushi had reached Edo (contemporary Tokyo).
Today's dish, internationally known as "sushi," was invented by Hanaya Yohei (華屋与兵衛; 1799–1858) at the end of Edo period. The sushi invented by Hanaya was an early form of fast food that was not fermented, (therefore prepared quickly) and could be eaten with one's hands roadside or in a theatre. Originally, this sushi was known as Edomae zushi, because it used freshly-caught fish in the Edo-mae (Edo Bay). Though the fish used in modern sushi no longer usually come from Edo bay, it is still formally known as Edomae nigirizushi.
Types of sushi
The common ingredient across all the different kinds of sushi is sushi rice (known as shari in Japanese). The variety in sushi arises from the different fillings and toppings, condiments, and the way these ingredients are put together. The same ingredients may be assembled in a traditional or a contemporary way, creating a very different final result.[3]
Nigiri-zushi
• Nigiri-zushi (握り寿司, lit. hand-formed sushi). The most typical form of sushi in restaurants. It consists of an oblong mound of sushi rice that is pressed between the palms of the hands, with a speck of wasabi and a slice of topping called neta draped over it. This is possibly bound with a thin band of nori, and is often served in pairs.
• Gunkan-maki (軍艦巻, lit. warship roll). A special type of nigiri-zushi: an oval, hand-formed clump of sushi rice that has a strip of "nori" wrapped around its perimeter to form a vessel that is filled in with topping(s). The topping is typically some soft, loose or fine-chopped ingredient that requires the confinement of nori such as roe, natto, oysters, quail eggs, cucumber bits or, more recently, macaroni salad or guacamole. Gunkan-maki was invented at the Ginza Kyubey (Kubei) restaurant in 1931;[4][5] its invention significantly expanded the repertoire of soft toppings used in sushi.
Maki-zushi (roll)

• Makizushi (巻き寿司, lit. rolled sushi). A cylindrical piece, formed with the help of a bamboo mat, called a makisu (巻き簾). Makizushi is generally wrapped in nori, but can occasionally be found wrapped in a thin omelette, sesame seeds, cucumber, or parsley.[1] Makizushi is usually cut into six or eight pieces, which constitutes an order. Below are some common types of makizushi, but many other kinds exist.
o Futomaki (太巻き, lit. large or fat rolls). A large cylindrical piece, with nori on the outside. A typical futomaki is three or four centimeters (1.5 in) in diameter. They are often made with two or three fillings that are chosen for their complementary tastes and colors. During the Setsubun festival, it is traditional in Kansai to eat uncut futomaki in its cylindrical form. Futomaki is generally vegetarian, but may include toppings such as tiny fish eggs.
o Hosomaki (細巻き, lit. thin rolls). A small cylindrical piece, with the nori on the outside. A typical hosomaki has a diameter of about two centimeters (0.75 in). They generally contain only one filling, often tuna, cucumber, kampyō, thinly sliced carrots, or, more recently, avocado.
 Kappamaki, (河童巻き) a kind of Hosomaki filled with cucumber, is named after the Japanese legendary water imp fond of cucumbers called the kappa. Traditionally, Kappamaki is consumed to clear the palate between eating raw fish and other kinds of food, so that the flavors of the fish are distinct from the tastes of other foods.
 Tekkamaki (鉄火巻き) is a kind of Hosomaki filled with raw tuna. Although some believe that the name "Tekka", meaning 'red hot iron', alludes to the color of the tuna flesh, it actually originated as a quick snack to eat in gambling dens called "Tekkaba (鉄火場)", much like the sandwich.[6][7]
o Uramaki (裏巻き, lit. inside-out rolls). A medium-sized cylindrical piece, with two or more fillings. Uramaki differs from other maki because the rice is on the outside and the nori inside. The filling is in the center surrounded by nori, then a layered of rice, and an outer coating of some other ingredients such as roe or toasted sesame seeds. It can be made with different fillings such as tuna, crab meat, avocado, mayonnaise, cucumber, carrots. This is typically thought of as an invention to suit the American palate [2], and is not commonly seen in Japan. The increasing popularity of sushi in North America, as well as around the world, has resulted in numerous kinds of uramaki and regional off-shoots being created, such as the California roll, the B.C. roll (grilled salmon skin), and the Philadelphia roll (cream cheese).
 The caterpillar roll includes avocado, unagi, and carrot antennae.
 The dynamite roll includes prawn tempura along with vegetables like radish sprouts, avocado or cucumber, as well as Japanese mayonnaise.
 The rainbow roll features like a sashimi, layered outside with rice.
 The spider roll includes fried soft shell crab and other fillings such as cucumber, avocado, daikon sprouts or lettuce, and spicy mayonnaise.
 A Philadelphia roll contains smoked salmon, cream cheese, cucumber, and/or onion.
 A BC roll has grilled salmon with sweet sauce and cucumber. It is named after British Columbia for its famous wild Pacific salmon.
 A crunchy roll is typically a California roll with shrimp tempura wrapped inside with the other ingredients, with the outside of the roll coated with fried tempura batter crumbs. It is often served with chili sauce on the side.
 A Craig Roll contains spicy tuna, crab, asparagus, and egg and is rolled in roe.
 The Godzilla Roll includes yellowtail, deep-fried in tempura, topped with teriyaki and a stripe of hot sauce, and then sprinkled with green onions.
 Other rolls may include scallops, spicy tuna, beef or chicken or teriyaki roll, okra, vegetables, and cheese. Sushi rolls can also be made with Brown rice and black rice. These have also appeared in Japanese cuisine.
• Temaki (手巻き, lit. hand rolls). A large cone-shaped piece of nori on the outside and the ingredients spilling out the wide end. A typical temaki is about ten centimeters (4 in) long, and is eaten with fingers because it is too awkward to pick it up with chopsticks. For optimal taste and texture, Temaki must be eaten quickly after being made because the nori cone soon absorbs moisture from the filling and loses its crispness and becomes somewhat difficult to bite.

Makizushi selection (Futomaki and Inarizushi at right) from a Kansai Super store.
• Inari-zushi (稲荷寿司, stuffed sushi). A pouch of fried tofu filled with usually just sushi rice. It is named after the Shinto god Inari, who is believed to have a fondness for fried tofu. The pouch is normally fashioned as deep-fried tofu (油揚げ, abura age). Regional variations include pouches are made of a thin omelet (帛紗寿司, fukusa-zushi or 茶巾寿司, chakin-zushi) or dried gourd shavings (干瓢, kanpyo).
Oshizushi
• Oshizushi (押し寿司, lit. pressed sushi). A block-shaped piece formed using a wooden mold, called an oshibako. The chef lines the bottom of the oshibako with the toppings, covers them with sushi rice, and then presses the lid of the mold down to create a compact, rectilinear block. The block is removed from the mold and then cut into bite-sized pieces.
Chirashi

Chirashizushi
• Chirashizushi (ちらし寿司, lit. scattered sushi). A bowl of sushi rice with other ingredients mixed in (also refers to barazushi). It is commonly eaten in Japan because it is filling, fast and easy to make. Chirashizushi most often varies regionally because it is eaten annually as a part of the Doll Festival, celebrated only during March in Japan.
o Edomae chirashizushi (Edo-style scattered sushi) is an uncooked ingredient that is arranged artfully on top of the sushi rice in a bowl.
o Gomokuzushi (Kansai-style sushi). Cooked or uncooked ingredients mixed in the body of rice in a bowl.
A Korean variation, found in Japanese Korean sushi restaurants, is hwe dup bap. It is similar in concept with bibimbap. Like chirashi, it is served in a bowl of rice topped with raw fish, but also includes raw salad vegetables such as lettuce and avocado, and a spicy chili paste on the side.[8]
Narezushi (old style fermented sushi)
• Narezushi (熟れ寿司, lit. matured sushi) is an older form of sushi. Skinned and gutted fish are stuffed with salt, placed in a wooden barrel, doused with salt again, and then weighed down with a heavy tsukemonoishi (pickling stone). They are supposedly salted for ten days to a month, then placed in water for 15 minutes to an hour. They are then placed in another barrel, sandwiched, and layered with cooled steamed rice and fish. Then the mixture is again partially sealed with otoshibuta and a pickling stone. As days pass, water seeps out, which must be removed. Six months later, this funazushi can be eaten, and remains edible for another six months or more.
• Funazushi (鮒寿司) is a dish in Japanese cooking, which involves with anaerobic lacto-fermentation of fresh water fish, funa (鮒, crucian carp). The dish is famous as a regional dish from the "Shiga Prefecture", It is considered to be a chinmi, a delicacy in Japanese cooking.[9]
Ingredients
All sushi has a base of specially prepared rice, and complemented with other ingredients.
Sushi rice
Sushi is made with white, short-grained, Japanese rice mixed with a dressing made of rice vinegar, sugar, salt, kombu, and occasionally sake. It is usually cooled to room temperature before being used for a filling in a sushi. In some fusion cuisine restaurants, short grain brown rice and wild rice are also used.
Sushi rice (sushi-meshi) is prepared with short-grain Japanese rice, which has a consistency that differs from long-grain strains such as India. The essential quality is its stickiness. Rice that is too sticky has a mushy texture; if not sticky enough, it feels dry. Freshly harvested rice (shinmai) typically has too much water, and requires extra time to drain the rice cooker after washing.
There are regional variations in sushi rice and, of course, individual chefs have their individual methods. Most of the variations are in the rice vinegar dressing: "the Tokyo version of the dressing commonly uses more salt; in Osaka, the dressing has more sugar".
Sushi rice generally must be used shortly after it is made. The Wiki Cookbook has a simple recipe for sushi.
Nori
The seaweed wrappers used in maki and temaki are called nori. Nori is an algae, traditionally cultivated into the harbors of Japan. Originally, algae was scraped from dock pilings, rolled out into sheets, and dried in the sun, in a process similar to making paper. Nori is toasted before being used in food.
Today, the commercial product is farmed, produced, toasted, packaged, and sold in standard-size sheets in about 18 cm by 21 cm (7 in by 8 in). Higher quality nori is thick, smooth, shiny, black, and has no holes.
Nori by itself is an edible snack and is available flavored with teriyaki sauce. The flavored variety, however, tends to be of lesser quality and is not suitable for sushi.
Omelette

Wikibooks Cookbook has an article on
Inarizushi
When making fukusazushi, a paper-thin omelet may replace a sheet of nori as the wrapping. The omelet is traditionally made on a rectangular omelet pan (makiyakinabe), and used to form the pouch for the rice and fillings.
Toppings and fillings

Yaki Anago-Ippon-Nigiri A roasted and sweet sauced whole conger.
Main article: List of sushi and sashimi ingredients and styles
• Fish
For culinary, sanitary, and aesthetic reasons, fish eaten raw must be fresher and of higher quality than fish which is cooked.
Professional sushi chefs are trained to recognize good fish. Important attributes include smells, color, and being free of obvious parasites that normal commercial inspection do not detect (many go undetected).
Only ocean fish are used raw in sushi; freshwater fish are more likely to harbor parasites that are harmful to humans if uncooked.
Commonly-used fish are tuna (akami, chutoro, shiro-maguro, toro), Japanese amberjack, also known as yellowtail (hamachi), snapper (kurodai), conger (hamo), mackerel (saba), salmon (sake), and eel (anago and unagi). The most valued sushi ingredient is toro, the fatty cut of tuna. This comes in a variety of ōtoro (often from the bluefin species of tuna) and chutoro, meaning middle toro, implying that it is halfway into the fattiness between toro and regular red tuna (akami).
Aburi style refers to nigiri sushi where the fish is partially grilled (topside) and partially raw.
• Seafood
Other seafoods such as squid (ika), octopus (tako), shrimp (ebi and amaebi), clam (mirugai, aoyagi and akagi), fish roe (ikura, masago, kazunoko and tobiko), sea urchin (uni), crab (kani), and various kinds of shellfish (abalone, prawn, scallop, uni sea urchin) are the most popular seafoods in sushi. Oysters, however, are not typically put in sushi because the taste is not thought to go well with the rice. However, some sushi restaurants in New Orleans are known to have Fried Oyster Rolls and Crawfish rolls.

Ebifurai-Maki - . Fried-Shrimp Roll.
• Vegetables
Pickled daikon radish (takuan) in shinko maki, pickled vegetables (tsukemono), fermented soybeans (nattō) in nattō maki, avocado in California rolls, cucumber in kappa maki, asparagus, yam, tofu, pickled ume (umeboshi), gourd (kampyō), burdock (gobo), and sweet corn may be mixed with mayonnaise.
• Red meat
Beef, ham, spam, sausage, and horse meat are often lightly cooked.
Note: It is a common misconception that in Hawaii, fried Spam is a popular local variation for sushi. In reality, Spam musubi differs from sushi in that its rice lacks the vinegar required to classify it. Spam musubi is correctly classified as onigiri.
• Other fillings
Eggs (in the form of slightly sweet, layered omelet called tamagoyaki), and raw quail eggs ride as a gunkan-maki topping.

Date-Maki Futomaki wrapped with sweet-tamagoyaki.
Condiments
• Shōyu
The common name for soy sauce. In sushi restaurants, it may also be referred to as murasaki (lit. "purple").
• Wasabi
A piquant paste made from the grated root of the wasabi plant. Real wasabi (hon-wasabi) is Wasabi japonica. Hon-wasabi has anti-microbial properties and may reduce the risk of food poisoning.[10] The traditional grating tool for wasabi is a sharkskin grater or samegawa oroshi.
An imitation wasabi (seiyo-wasabi), made from horseradish, mustard powder and dyed green are common. It is found at lower-end kaiten zushi restaurants, in bento box sushi and at most restaurants outside of Japan. If it is manufactured in Japan, it may be labelled "Japanese Horseradish".[11]
In sushi restaurants, wasabi may be referred to as namida ("tears").
• Gari
Sweet, pickled ginger. Eaten to both cleanse the palate as well as to aid in the digestive process.
• Ocha
In Japan, green tea (ocha) is invariably served together with sushi. Better sushi restaurants often use a distinctive premium tea known as mecha. In sushi vocabulary, green tea is known as agari.
Nutritional information
The main ingredients of sushi, raw fish and rice are naturally low in fat (with the exception of some rolls and western style rolls), high in protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals.[12] Specifically:
• Fats: Most seafood are naturally low in fat; and what fat is found in them is generally rich in unsaturated fat Omega-3. Since sushi is often served raw, no fat is introduced in its preparation.
• Proteins: Fish, tofu, seafood, egg, and many other sushi fillings contain high levels of protein.
• Vitamins and Minerals: These are found in many of the vegetables used for sushi. For example, the gari and nori used to make sushi are both rich in nutrients. Other vegetables wrapped within the sushi also offer various degrees of nutritional value.
• Carbohydrates: These are found in the rice and the vegetables.
On the other hand, some fish such as tuna can carry high levels of mercury and can be hazardous when consumed in large quantities.
Presentation
Sushi chef preparing Nigirizushi, Kyoto, Japan.
In Japan, and increasingly abroad, conveyor belt sushi/sushi train (kaiten zushi) restaurants are a popular, cost effective way of eating sushi. At these restaurants, the sushi is served on color-coded plates, with each color denoting the cost of the sushi serving. The plates are placed on a conveyor belt or boats floating in a moat. As the belt or boat passes, the customers choose their desired plates. After finishing, the bill is tallied by counting how many plates of each color have been taken. Some kaiten sushi restaurants in Japan operate on a fixed price system, with each plate, consisting usually of two pieces of sushi, generally costing ¥100.
More traditionally, sushi is served on minimalist Japanese-style, geometric, wood or lacquer plates which are mono- or duo-tone in color, in keeping with the aesthetic qualities of this cuisine. Many small sushi restaurants actually use no plates — the sushi is eaten directly off of the wooden counter, usually with one's hands.
Modern fusion presentation, particularly in the United States, has given sushi a European sensibility, taking Japanese minimalism and garnishing it with Western gestures such as the colorful arrangement of edible ingredients, the use of differently flavored sauces, and the mixing of foreign flavors, highly suggestive of French cuisine, deviating somewhat from the more traditional, austere style of Japanese sushi.
Etiquette
Sushi can be eaten either by hands or by chopsticks, although traditionally nigiri is eaten with the fingers because the rice is meant to be packed so loosely that it falls apart in ones mouth (and would disintegrate on chopsticks)[13]. Traditionally, one should start with white-fleshed or milder-tasting items and proceed into darker, stronger-flavored varieties later. For example, putting condiments such as the famous wasabi or soy sauce onto a piece of sushi would make it taste better. Like fish (not the rice), they should be dipped into soy sauce to extract the raw taste, so this should be used sparingly. In top-end sushi restaurants, it is considered a bad form to request or add extra wasabi when the chef has (or should have) already placed a suitable amount in each morsel. Likewise, one connoisseur counsels "adding wasabi to soy sauce is a disaster. It reduces the spiciness dramatically and masks the taste of the fish."[14] Also contrary to popular belief in the west, sake is not considered a natural pairing of sushi, since the flavor is too similar to rice to enrich the meal.
Many sushi restaurants offer fixed-price sets, selected by the chef from the catch of the day. These are often graded as shō-chiku-bai (松竹梅), shō/matsu (松, pine), chiku/take (竹, bamboo) and bai/ume (梅, ume), with matsu the most expensive and ume the cheapest. The house soy sauce is often diluted with dashi, a broth made from fish flakes and kelp.
In Japan, staff in sushi restaurants often employ a complex code-like vocabulary, where alternate words are substituted for common items. For example, egg is called gyoku ("jewel"), rice is called shari (Buddha's bones), soy sauce is called murasaki ("purple") and the bill is known as o-aiso ("courtesy", "compliment"). The code words vary from place to place and often evolve locally to incorporate puns: for example, shako (giant clam) might be called garēji (garage), because the Japanese word shako can also refer to a vehicle depot. These terms would not be used, or even understood, in other contexts, but regular patrons may pick up and use this specialized terminology themselves while dining in the restaurant.
Utensils for preparing sushi

Cheese-topped sushi is seared using a blow torch
• Fukin: Kitchen cloth.
• Hangiri: Rice barrel.
• Hocho: Kitchen knives.
• Makisu: Bamboo rolling mat.
• Ryoribashi: Cooking chopsticks.
• Shamoji: Wooden rice paddle.
• Makiyakinabe: Rectangular omelet pan.
• Oshizushihako: a mold used to make oshizushi.
Also see the comprehensive list of Japanese cooking utensils.
Guinness World Records
1. January 1992. A 325 kg (715 lb) Bluefin tuna sold for $83,500 (almost $257 / kg or $117 / lb) in Tokyo, Japan. The tuna was reduced to 2,400 servings of sushi for wealthy diners at $75 per serving. The estimated takings from this one fish were approximately $180,000. At the time, the fish held the record for Most Expensive Fish.
2. October 12, 1997: The longest sushi roll. Six hundred members of the Nikopaka Festa Committee made a kappamaki (cucumber roll) that was 1 km (3,281 ft.) long at Yoshii, Japan.

Bengali Cuisine - 27th and 28th of August 2007 III Semester BHM F& B Production practicals

2007-08-24T02:37:00.000-07:00

Traditional Bengali cuisine
The traditional society of Bengal has always been heavily agrarian; hunting, except by some local tribals, was uncommon. The rearing of animals was also not popular. This is reflected in the cuisine, which relies on staples like rice and đal, with little place for game or meat.
Fish is the dominant kind of meat, cultivated in ponds and fished with nets in the fresh-water rivers of the Ganges delta. More than forty types of mostly freshwater fish are common, including carp varieties like rui (rohu), katla, magur (catfish), chingŗi (prawn or shrimp), as well as shuţki (dried sea fish). Salt water fish (not sea fish though) Ilish (hilsa ilisha) is very popular among Bengalis, can be called an icon of Bengali cuisine. Almost every part of the fish (except fins and innards) is eaten; the head and other parts are usually used to flavor curries. Khashi (referred to as mutton in Indian English, the meat of sterilized goats) is the most popular red meat.
Other characteristic ingredients of traditional Bengali food include rice, moshur đal (red lentils), mug đal (mung beans), shorsher tel mustard oil, mustard paste, posto (poppyseed) and narkel (ripe coconut). Bengal is also the land of am (mangoes), which are used extensively—ripe, unripe, or in pickles. Ilish machh (hilsa fish), which migrates upstream to breed is a delicacy; the varied salt content at different stages of the journey is of particular interest to the connoisseur, as is the river from which the fish comes - fish from the river Pôdda (Padma or Lower Ganges) in Bangladesh, for example, is traditionally considered the best.To some part of the community, particularly from West Bengal, Gangatic Ilish is the best.The pãch phoron spice mixture is very commonly used for vegetables. A touch of gôrom môshla or hot spices (elachi cardamom, darchini cinnamon, lông clove, tej pata bay leaves, and peppercorn) is often used to enliven food.
Another characteristic of Bengali food is the use of a unique cutting instrument, the bothi. (This instrument is also used in Maharashtra, where it is known as vili). It is a long curved blade on a platform held down by foot; both hands are used to hold whatever is being cut and move it against the blade. The method gives excellent control over the cutting process, and can be used to cut anything from tiny shrimp to large pumpkins. Traditional cuisine is very demanding in the kind of cuts of vegetable used in each dish, vegetables cut in the wrong way is often frowned upon. Furthermore, since different vegetables are usually cooked together, the wrongly cut ones could remain raw or become overcooked.
In Bangladesh (formerly East Bengal), the culinary style developed rather independently; it was not greatly influenced by the rest of India and Southeast Asia because of the difficult geography of the Ganges delta. Four characteristics stand out: fresh-water fish, beef(only for Muslims), the extensive use of parboiled rice and mustard oil. Đal is also a staple. Spices are used sparingly, and the methods of preparation are relatively simple - steaming, frying or stewing. Floods are common in the region, so there is an extensive use of root vegetables and dried fish (shuţki). Milk and dairy products, so widely used in the neighboring India, are not as common here; the geography prevents large scale breeding of cows, thus making dairy an expensive indulgence. Notably, hardly any food calls for curd or ghee. However, sweets do contain milk and dairy products as well as jaggery and rice paste.
In western parts of Bengal, more connected with the rest of India and dominated by the megacity of Kolkata since the late eighteenth century, a separate culinary style emerged. The delta is thinner there, with fewer rivers and more open plains. There is significant commerce with the rest of India, leading to a flow of spices, ingredients and techniques. The food is much richer with various spices, the presentations are more elaborate and a significant feature of the cuisine is a vast array of sweets based on milk and sugar - the result of both better supply and the influence of traders from the milk belts of Gujarat and Benares. While fresh-water fish is still common, mutton is more common among the Muslim population than beef and dried fish. Wheat makes its appearance alongside rice, in different types of breads such as luchi, kochuri and pôroţa. Though mustard paste is extensively used, mustard oil is abandoned in favor of groundnut oil or refined vegetable oil. There's a greater use of coconut, both in cooking and in desserts.
Prosperity and urbanization also led to the widespread use of professional cooks who introduced complex spice mixtures and more elaborate sauces, along with techniques such as roasting or braising. Also introduced around this time, probably as a consequence of increased urbanization, was a whole new class of snack foods. These snack foods are most often consumed with evening tea. The tea-time ritual was probably inspired by the British, but the snacks bear the stamp of the substantial Marwari population in Kolkata - chaţ, kachori, samosa, phuluri and the ever-popular jhal-muri.
Bengali Meals
The typical Bengali fare includes a certain sequence of food - somewhat like the courses of Western dining. Two sequences are commonly followed, one for ceremonial dinners such as a wedding and the day-to-day sequence. Both sequences have regional variations, and sometimes there are significant differences in a particular course between West Bengal and Bangladesh.
At home, Bengalis typically eat without the use of dining utensils; kaţa (forks), chamoch (spoons), and chhuri (knives) are used in the preparation of food, but will almost certainly not be used to eat one's own food, except in some urban areas. Most Bengalis eat with their right hand, mashing small portions of meat and vegetable dishes with rice and lentils into lokma. In rural areas, Bengalis traditionally eat on the ground with a large banana leaf serving as the plate or plates made from sal leaves sown together and dried.
The elaborate dining habits of the Bengalis were a reflection of the attention the Bengali housewife paid to the kitchen. In modern times, this is rarely followed anymore. Courses are frequently skipped or combined with everyday meals. Meals were usually served course by course to the diners by the youngest housewives, but increasing influence of nuclear families and urbanization has replaced this. It is now common to place everything on platters in the centre of the table, and each diner serves him/herself. Ceremonial occasions such as weddings used to have elaborate serving rituals, but professional catering and buffet-style dining is now common. The traditions are far from dead, though; large family occasions and the more lavish ceremonial feasts still make sure that these rituals are observed.
Courses in a daily meal
The foods of a daily meal are usually simpler, geared to balanced nutrition and makes extensive use of vegetables. The courses progress broadly from lighter to richer and heavier. Rice remains common throughout the meal until the chaţni (chutney) course.
The starting course is a bitter. The bitter changes with the season but common ones are kôrolla (bitter gourd) which is available nearly throughout the year, or tender nim leaves in spring. Bitters are mostly deep fried in oil, or steamed with cubed potatoes. Portions are usually very small - a spoonful or so to be had with rice - and this course is considered to be both a palate-cleanser and of great medicinal value.
Another bittersweet preparation usually eaten in summer, especially in West Bengal, is a soupy mixture of vegetables in a ginger-mustard sauce, called shukto. This usually follows the dry bitters, but sometimes replaces it, and is eaten in much bigger portions. Shukto is a complex dish, a fine balance of many different kinds of tastes and textures and is often a critical measure of a Bengali housewife's abilities in the kitchen. However, shukto is not popular in Bangladesh.
This is followed by shak (leafy vegetables) such as spinach, palong chard, methi fenugreek, or amaranth. The shak can be steamed or cooked in oil with other vegetables such as begun (eggplant). Steamed shak is sometimes accompanied by a sharp paste of mustard and raw mango pulp called Kasundi.
The đal course is usually the most substantial course, especially in West Bengal. It is eaten with a generous portion of rice and a number of accompaniments. In Bangladesh, đal is usually eaten with the fish and meat courses, while in West Bengal it is eaten somewhat beforehand.
A common accompaniment to đal is bhaja (fritters). Bhaja literally means 'deep-fried'; most vegetables are good candidates but begun (aubergines), kumra (pumpkins), or alu (potatoes) are common. Machh bhaja (fried fish) is also common, especially rui (rohu) and ilish (hilsa) fishes. Bhaja is sometimes coated in a beshon (chickpea flour) and posto (poppyseed) batter. A close cousin of bhaja is bôra or deep-fried savoury balls usually made from posto (poppyseed) paste or coconut mince. Another variant is fried pointed gourd as potoler dorma with roe stuffing.
Another accompaniment is a vegetable preparation usually made of multiple vegetables stewed slowly together without any added water. Labra, chorchori, ghonto, or chanchra are all traditional cooking styles. There also are a host of other preparations that do not come under any of these categories and are simply called tôrkari - the word merely means 'vegetable' in Bengali. Sometimes these preparations may have spare pieces of fish such as bits of the head or gills, or spare portions of meat. A charchari is a vegetable dish that is cooked without stirring, just to the point of charring.
The next course is the fish course. Common fish delicacies include machher jhol, tel koi, pabda machher jhal, Doi machh, Chingri machh (shrimp) malai curry, and bhapa ilish (steamed hilsa).
Then comes the meat course. The divide among the Bengalis of Bangladesh and West Bengal is most evident when it comes to the meat course. Meat is readily consumed in urban parts of Bangladesh and some consider it the meal's main course. Khashi mutton or goat meat is traditionally the meat of choice, especially West Bengal, but murgi chicken and đim eggs are also commonly consumed. At the time of Partition, it was rare for caste Hindus to eat chicken or even eggs from hens, choosing rather, duck eggs if eggs were to be consumed. Although it is debatable as to whether chicken is more popular than khashi in West Bengal today, the proliferation of poulty farms and hatcheries makes chicken the cheaper alternative. Beef is popular in Bangladesh, but not in most parts of West Bengal.
Finally comes the chutney course, which is typically tangy and sweet; the chutney is usually made of am mangoes, tomatoes, anarôsh pineapple, tetul tamarind, pepe papaya, or just a combination of fruits and dry fruits. In Bangladesh, chutney is usually eaten during the đal course and no separate course is dedicated to chutney. Papoŗ, a type of wafer, thin and flaky, is often made of đal or potatoes or shabu (tapioca) and is a usual accompaniment to the chutneys.
Mishţi (Sweets)
Sweets occupy an important place in the diet of Bengalis and at their social ceremonies. It is an ancient custom among Hindus to distribute sweets during festivities. The confectionery industry has flourished because of its close association with social and religious ceremonies. Competition and changing tastes have helped to create many new sweets, and today this industry has grown within the country as well as all over the world.
The sweets of Bengal are generally made of sweetened cottage cheese (chhena), khoa (reduced solidified milk), or flours of different cereals and pulses. Some important sweets of Bengal are:
Shôndesh
Made from sweetened, finely ground fresh chhena (cheese), shôndesh in all its variants is among the most popular Bengali sweets. The basic shôndesh has been considerably enhanced by the many famous confectioners of Bengal, and now a few hundred different varieties exist, from the simple kachagolla to the complicated abar khabo, jôlbhôra or indrani. Another variant is the kôrapak or hard mixture, which blends rice flour with the paneer to form a shell-like dough that last much longer.
Rôshogolla
Rôshogolla is one of the most widely consumed sweets. The basic version has many regional variations.
Pantua
Pantua is somewhat similar to the rôshogolla, except that the balls are fried in either tel (oil) or ghi (clarified butter) until golden or deep brown before being put in syrup.
Chômchôm
Chômchôm (especially from Porabari, Tangail District in Bangladesh) goes back about 150 years. The modern version of this sweet was inspired by Raja Ramgore of Ballia district in Uttar Pradesh in India. It was then further modernised by his grandson, Matilal Gore. This oval-shaped sweet is reddish brown in colour and it is of a denser texture than the rôshogolla. It can also be preserved longer. Granules of maoa or dried milk can also be sprinkled over chômchôm.
Several varieties of yoghurts such as mishţi doi, custards, and rice pudding (khir or firni) are also popular in both Bangladesh and West Bengal.
Shôndesh, chhanar jilepi, kalo jam, darbesh, raghobshai, paesh, nalengurer shôndesh, shor bhaja and an innumerable variety are just a few examples of sweets in Bengali cuisine.
Piţha
In both Bangladesh and West Bengal, the tradition of making cakes, locally known as piţha, still flourishes. They are usually made from rice or wheat flour mixed with sugar, jaggery, grated coconut etc. Piţhas are usually enjoyed with the sweet syrups of khejurer gur (date tree molasses). They're usually fried or steamed; the most common forms of these cakes include bhapa piţha (steamed), pakan piţha (fried), and puli piţha (dumplings), among others. The other common pithas are chandrapuli, gokul, pati sapta, chitai piţha, muger puli and dudh puli.
Piţhas are usually a celebration of the new crop, and often associated with harvest festivals.
Snacks
Muŗi
Muŗi (puffed rice) is made by heating sand in a pot, and then throwing in grains of rice. The rice can have been washed in brine to provide seasoning. The rice puffs up and is separated from the sand by a strainer. Muŗi is very popular and is used in a wide variety of secular and religious occasions, or even just munched plain.
A variant of muŗi is khoi, which is flattened puffed rice. Both varieties are used to make many different snack foods.
Jhal-Muŗi
One of the most popular and iconic snack foods of Bengal, jhal literally means 'hot' or 'spicy'. Jhal-muŗi is puffed rice with spices, vegetables and raw mustard oil. Depending on what is added, there are many kinds of jhal-muŗi but the most common is a bhôrta made of chopped onion, jira roasted ground cumin, bitnoon black salt lôngka / morich chilis (either kacha 'ripe' or shukna 'dried'), mustard oil, and dhone pata (fresh coriander leaves).
Moa
A moa is made by taking muri with gur (jaggery) as a binder and forming it into a ball. Another popular kind of moa is Joynagorer moa, a moa particularly made in Joynagor from a district of West Bengal which uses khoi and a sugar-milk-spices mixture as binder.
Anaj Bazaar
(A Vegetable Market)
The variety of fruits and vegetables that Bengal has to offer is incredible. Markets are usually open air ones. This scene is from the busy Sealdah vegetable market in Calcutta. A host of gourds, roots & tubers, leafy greens, succulent stalks, lemons & limes, green and purple eggplants, red onions, plantain, broad beens, okra, banana tree stems and flowers, green jackfruit and red pumpkins are just some of what you'll see if you visit
Maachher Bazaar
(A Fish Market)
Visitors enjoy a tour of Calcutta's fish markets like this one. They are fascinated by the lively koi (climbing perch), the wriggling catfish family of tangra, magur, shingi and the pink-bellied Indian butter fish, the pabda. Among the larger fish, rui (rohu) and bhetki weigh upto eight kilograms. Baskets of pink and silvery ilish (hilsa) match the shine on the glistening blade of the fishmonger's boti. And the fish itself is eaten from top to tail! A Bengali Bazzar

Inside the Bengali Kitchen
With the shopping done, the scene shifts to the ranna bari (cookhouse). The storage, cooking and eating areas in a Bengali home were a separate unit and the domain of the womenfolk. This barrack-like cookhouse was a row of rooms running parallel to a wide airy veranda often used as the dining space. In an orthodox Bengali home, fish and vegetables were cooked over separate fires, rice over another and meat, if cooked at all was done in a portable bucket fire outside the kitchen. However, recipes that were once cooked on these cowpat, wood or charcoal fires have now been adapted to emerge almost perfect from the gas, electric and microwave ovens that are in use today.
Here are some essential items you are sure to spot if you ever take a peek into a Bengali kitchen (even today!).
The staple food, rice, is bought by the sack and stored in huge containers. Pure golden mustard oil, that pungent Bengali cooking medium is usually stored in zinc lined tins. Large square tins are usually used to store the favorite Bengali snack food - muri (puffed rice). Achaars (pickles), spices, dals and ghee are kept in various sized bottles and jars on a shelf. And you will find many baskets, large and small, lidded and unlidded strewn all over the floor to store vegetables that just arrived from the market.
Among the cooking vessels, the karais (woks) where most of the cooking and frying is done, the tawa (griddle) on which rotis and parotas are made, the handi - a special large pot for cooking rice and the handleless modification of the sauce pan - the rimmed, deep, flat-bottomed dekchi are all hallmarks of the Bengali kitchen. And of course you will also find the pressure cooker which is indispensable to any Indian kitchen. As for the other utensils you absolutely can't do without the hatha (ladle), the khunti (metal spatula), the jhanjri (perforated spoon), the sharashi (pincers to remove vessels from the fire), the ghuntni (wooden hand blender) for puréeing dal and the old wooden chaki belon (round pastry board and rolling pin).
The action in the kitchen begins with the cutting of fish and vegetables and the grinding of spices. And this is when the two star attractions of the Bengali kitchen - the sil nora (grinding stone) and the boti (a cutting tool) appear. The items to be ground are put on the heavy sil, a pentagonal slab of stone and are crushed over and over by its moving partner the nora, a smooth black stone you hold with your hands. This inseperable pair lasts longer than a lifetime and is usually handed down from mother-in-law to daughter-in-law.
Although knives and peelers have made their debut into the modern Bengali kitchen, the boti, that unique cutting tool, has not yet been ousted. Boti, the Bengali woman's pride and joy and her proverbial weapon, is fitted on a wooden stand and held in place by the feet on the floor so that both hands are free. The blade of the versatile boti varies and is sharp enough to cut off the head of the toughest carp and yet safe enough to peel
Common Bengali Cooking Styles
AMBAL : A sour dish made either with several vegetables or with fish, the sourness being produced by the addition of tamarind pulp.
BHAJA : Anything fried, either by itself or in batter.
BHAPA : Fish or vegetables steamed with oil and spices. A classic steaming technique is to wrap the fish in banana leaf to give it a faint musky, smoky scent.
BHATE : Any vegetable, such as potatoes, beans, pumpkins or even dal, first boiled whole and then mashed and seasoned with mustard oil or ghee and spices.
BHUNA : A term of Urdu origin, meaning fried for a long time with ground and whole spices over high heat. Usually applied to meat.
CHACHCHARI : Usually a vegetable dish with one or more varieties of vegetables cut into longish strips, sometimes with the stalks of leafy greens added, all lightly seasoned with spices like mustard or poppy seeds and flavoured with a phoron. The skin and bone of large fish like bhetki or chitol can be made into a chachchari called kanta-chachchari, kanta, meaning fish-bone.
CHHANCHRA : A combination dish made with different vegetables, portions of fish head and fish oil (entrails).
CHHENCHKI : Tiny pieces of one or more vegetable - or, sometimes even the peels (of potatoes, lau, pumpkin or patol for example) - usually flavored with panch-phoron or whole mustard seeds or kala jeera. Chopped onion and garlic can also be used, but hardly any ground spices.
DALNA : Mixed vegetables or eggs, cooked in a medium thick gravy seasoned with groung spices, especially garom mashla and a touch of ghee.
DAM : Vegetables, especially potatoes, or meat, cooked over a covered pot slowly over a low heat.
GHANTO : Different complementary vegtables (e.g., cabbage, green peas, potatoes or banana blossom, coconut, chickpeas) are chopped or finely grated and cooked with both a phoron and ground spices. Dried pellets of dal (boris) are often added to the ghanto. Ghee is commonly added at the end. Non-vegitarian ghantos are also made, with fish or fish heads added to vegetables. The famous murighanto is made with fish heads cooked in a fine variety of rice. Some ghantos are very dry while others a thick and juicy.
JHAL : Literally, hot. A great favorite in West Bengali households, this is made with fish or shrimp or crab, first lightly fried and then cooked in a light sauce of ground red chilli or ground mustard and a flavoring of panch-phoron or kala jeera. Being dryish it is often eaten with a little bit of dal pored over the rice.
JHOL : A light fish or vegetable stew seasoned with ground spices like ginger, cumin, corriander, chilli and turmeric with pieces of fish and longitudinal slices of vegetables floating in it. The gravy is thin yet extreamely flavorful. Whole green chillies are usually added at the end and green corriander leaves are used to season for extra taste.
KALIA : A very rich preparation of fish, meat or vegetables using a lot of oil and ghee with a sauce usually based on ground ginger and onion paste and garom mashla.
KOFTAS (or Boras) : Ground meat or vegetable croquettes bound together by spices and/or eggs served alone or in savory gravy.
KORMA : Another term of Urdu origin, meaning meat or chicken cooked in a mild yoghurt based sauce with ghee instead of oil.
PORA : Literally, burnt. Vegetables are wrapped in leaves and roasted over a wood or charcoal fire. Some, like eggplants (brinjals/aubergines), are put directly over the flames. Before eating the roasted vegetable is mixed with oil and spices.
TARKARI : A general term often used in Bengal the way `curry' is used in English. Originally from Persian, the word first meant uncooked garden vegetables. From this it was a natural extension to mean cooked vegetables or even fish and vegetables cooked together.
Eating and Serving Bengali Food
Whether you have five dishes or sixty, the most important part of eating in Bengal is eating each dish seperately with a little bit of rice in order to savour its individual bouquet. The more delicate tastes always come first and it is only by graduating from these to stronger ones that you can accommodate the whole range of taste. Vegetables, especially the bitter ones, are the first item followed by dal, perhaps accompanied by fries or fritters of fish and vegetables. After this comes any of the complex vegetable dishes like ghanto or chachchari, followed by the important fish jhol as well as other fish preparations. Meat will always follow fish, and chutneys and ambals will provide the refeshing touch of tartness to make the tongue anticipate the sweet dishes.
With all these delicious flavors combined with textures to be chewed, sucked, licked and gulped with suitable chomps and slurps (the better the meal the louder the sounds of appreciation) the Bengali meal usually ends with a great fortissimo burp!
A distinct culinary tradition emerged in Bengal based on the availability of local ingredients. The great river systems, heat and humidity combine with the fertile soil to allow rice and an abundance of vegetables to thrive; these became the corner stones of the diet. Mangoes, bananas, coconuts, and cane sugar grew in abundance; fish, milk, and meat were plentiful; yogurt and spices such as ginger and black mustard would season the dishes.
Even though fish and meat were generally popular, there was a predisposition to vegitarianism, based on religious principles, that has continued to the present. Strict vegetarians also omit onion and garlic from their diet, foods that "heat rather than cool", preferring to substitute a garlicky-flavored spice called asafoetida. The taboo against the consumption of fish and meat became even stronger with the flowering of religions such as Jainism and Buddhism. But with the decline of Buddhism in the ensuing centuries, fish and meat returned to the menu.
Rice, the staple of Bengalis since ancient times, has remained untouched by the currents of religious change and its preparation has held to a continuing high standard. One crop a year was sufficient to sustain the people, providing ample leisure time for the Bengalis to pursue cultural ideals: folklore, music, and the culinary arts.
The 16th-century Mongol kings left their mark on the cooking of Northern India, which to this day is known as moghlai cooking. With the introduction of Islam, Bengali Moslems adopted dishes such as kababs, koftas and biriyani from their Moghul conquerors. But the major portion of Bengali Hindu cuisine retained its original characteristics except that the use of onion and garlic became more popular.

A History of Bengali Cuisine and Cookery
The European traders introduced food from the New World - potatoes, chillies, and tomatoes. Bengalis incorporated them into their diet, combining them with a variety of native ingredients creating new dishes.
Then as now, Bengali cooking is mostly confined to the home. Dishes are carefully prepared according to recipes handed down through generations. Modern Bengalis have become culinary innovators. They search for, and experiment with, foreign culinary ideas, incorporating such new food items as noodles, soy bean and custard into an increasingly cosmopolitan bill of fare. But in their hearts, they still delight in such traditional dishes as maacher chochori and rosogolla.
How Bengali Cuisine Differs from other Indian Cuisines
An abundant land provides for an abundant table. The nature and variety of dishes found in Bengali cooking are unique even in India. Fish cookery is one of its better-known features and distinguishes it from the cooking of the landlocked regions. Bengal's countless rivers, ponds and lakes teem with many kinds of freshwater fish that closely resemble catfish, bass, shad or mullet. Bengalis prepare fish in innumerable ways - steamed or braised, or stewed with greens or other vegetables and with sauces that are mustard based or thickened with poppy seeds. You will not find these types of fish dishes elsewhere in India.
Bengalis also excel in the cooking of vegetables. They prepare a variety of the imaginative dishes using the many types of vegetables that grow here year round. They can make ambrosial dishes out of the oftentimes rejected peels, stalks and leaves of vegetables. They use fuel-efficient methods, such as steaming fish or vegetables in a small covered bowl nestled at the top of the rice cooker.
The use of spices for both fish and vegetable dishes is quite extensive and includes many combinations not found in other parts of India. Examples are the onion-flavored kalonji seeds and five-spice (a mixture of cumin, fennel, fenugreek, kalonji, and black mustard). The trump card card of Bengali cooking probably is the addition of this phoran, a comination of whole spices, fried and added at the start or finish of cooking as a flavouring special to each dish. Bengalis share a love of whole black mustard with South Indians, but the use of freshly ground mustard paste is unique to Bengal.
All of India clamors for Bengali sweets. Although grains, beans and vegetables are used in preparing many deserts, as in other regions, the most delicious varieties are dairy-based and uniquely Bengali.

Bengali Cuisine - 27th and 28th of August 2007 III Semester BHM F& B Production practicals

2007-08-24T00:49:00.000-07:00

MENU

Begun Bhaja
Aloo Posto
Shukto
Misti Sona Moongh Dal
Chingri Malai Curry
Maacher Paturi/ Steamed Rice
Bonde Raita / Luchis
Bengali Kala Jamun

Begun Bhaja
Ingredients:
Eggplant 2 kg
Mustard oil 200 ml
Salt to taste
Sugar 50 g
Turmeric powder 15 g
Red chili powder 100 g
Method:
• Cut the pieces horizontally or roundels with a thickness of 1/2 inches.
• Marinate with turmeric and chilli powder, sugar and salt for 15 minutes.
• Add oil in a shallow vessel. Keep the flame at minimum.
• Add the pieces, cover the vessel and fry. Occasionally flip the pieces.
• Fry till the pieces are soft.

Shukto

Ingredients:
Broad Beans 500 g.
Vadi 200 g (Dried black gram cakes)
Bitter Gourd 250 g
Ridge Gourd 250 g
Parval - 250 g
Drumstick 10 nos
White Pumpkin 250 gms.
Carom seeds 15 g
Khus Khus 100 g
Mustard 100g
Dhara Oil 200 ml
Salt to taste
Coconut Milk . 1 litre

Method:
• Cut the vegetables into1” length and keep aside.
• Grind to a smooth paste the carom seeds, khus khus and white mustard seeds.
• Take oil in a kadai, saute the vegetables, cover for five minutes and then add the ground masala, stir for three minutes, add the coconut milk, little water, salt, and cook till vegetables are tender
• Fry vadi till golden brown and mix with shukto.
• Serve hot.

Misti Sona Moongh Dal
Ingredients:
Green gram dal (washed & split) 1 kg
Shallots 250 g
Green chillies 50 g
Sugar 50 g
Cumin seed 50 g
Turmeric powder 10 g
Milk 200 ml
Ghee 200 g
Bay leaves 10 g
Salt to taste

Method:
• Dry roast the dal till golden, wash and boil with turmeric and keep it aside.
• Heat ghee in a frying pan, add cumin seeds, bayleaves , shallots, slit green chilies and fry well.
• When the oil leaves the side of the frying pan, add the boiled dal, salt, sugar and milk and allow it to simmer on a low flame for 15 minutes, garnish with corriander leaves and serve hot with steamed rice(make sure that the dal is not mashed and you can see the pieces).

Aloo Posto

Potatoes 3 kg
Onion 250 g
Green chillies 50 g
Corriander leaves 1 bunch
Turmeric powder 5 g
Chilli powder or paste 25 g
Poppy seeds 75 g
Oil 100 ml
Mustard seeds 30 g
Whole red chillies 5 g
Salt to taste

Method

• Heat oil in a pan, fry red chillies and splutter mustard seeds, add the peeled and cubed potatoes and fry for five minutes on high heat
• Add the sliced onions, chopped green chillies, masala and fry for few minutes and then add the poppy seed paste, stir fry until the vegetable is quite dry and turning brown.
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with steamed rice.

Chingri Malai Curry

Prawns 3 kg
Onions 250 g
Turmeric 15 g
Chili paste 100 g
Onion Paste 250 g
Coconut milk 2 litres
Garam masala(Whole)20 g
Bayleaves 10 g
Salt to taste
Sugar 50 g

Method

• Warm ghee in a pan, add bayleaves and whole garam masala
• Add sliced onions and fry to golden brown
• Then add ground onions, chilies and turmeric and cook well
• Add prawns and stir well. Cook for a few minutes, add the coconut milk (reserve one cup of milk) sugar, salt and simmer
• Add the reserved coconut milk and bring to a boil
• Serve it hot with rice or pulao or luchis
.

Macher Paturi

Ingredients:

• Hilsa (fish) 5 kg
• Turmeric powder 15 g
• Mustard paste 250 g
• Green chillies 200 g
• Red chili paste 100 g
• Salt to taste
• Mustard oil 750 g
• Banana leaves 20 leaves

Method:
• Clean and wash fish- marinate with masalas
• Add mustard oil and green chillies and mix
• On a tawa place 3 or 4 banana leaves one on top of the other and another 3 or 4 crosswise over the first ones
• Carefully place the hilsa slices, well coated with masala in the centre of the banana leaves
• Pour all the oil and remaining masala gravy over it
• Fold the banana leaves envelop fashion towards the centre from each side to make a 6 inch – 8 inch square packet tie with a string
• Cook on a tawa and serve with rice ( It can also be steamed )

Bonde Raita
Savoury Boondhi 1 kg
Curds ½ kg
Salt to taste
Sugar 100 g
Corriander leaves 1 bunch(chopped)

Method

• Mix all and serve it chilled

LUCHI
Ingredients:
Refined flour 2 kg
Salt to taste
Vanaspati 200 g
Dhara oil 2 litres
Method:
• Sieve the flour well with salt and place in a flat dish or parat.
• Make a bay in the centre and add vanaspati for leavening.
• Add cold water and make a stiff dough.
• Cover with wet cloth and refrigerate.
• Make roundels of 15 gms and form pedhas.
• Roll out on an oily surface into thin discs.
• Briskly fry in smoking oil till puffed up and turn over.
• Serve hot.

KALA JAMUN
Ingredients:
Khoya 2kg
Paneer 1 kg
Refined flour 200 g
Cooking soda 15 g
Sugar 3 ½ kg
Water 1 ½ litre
Cardamom powder 10 g
Milk 100 ml
Oil 1 litre
Method:
• Make 1 string syrup of sugar and water.
• Grate or crumble khoya and paneer together.
• Add cardamom powder, flour, soad and knead well with your palm, till smooth.
• If too dry, add a little milk. Form a soft dough.
• Make small balls out of dough rolling lightly between palms.
• The balls should be half the size of ping pong balls.
• Heat oil till slightly fuming. Cool for 3 minutes.
• Add some balls, and allow them to rise before putting back on heat.
• Fry on low heat, till dark from all over. Drain and dip into syrup.
• Allow to soak till next batch is ready. Repeat till all dough is exhausted.
• Drain and transfer to serving dish.

Maharashtrian Cuisine III Semester F&B Production Practicals on 13th and 14th August 2007

2007-07-27T04:02:00.000-07:00

MAHARASHTRA CUISINE
Maharashtrian or Marathi Cuisine is cuisine of the Marathi-speaking people, those from the state of Maharashtra in India. Maharashtrian cuisine covers a wide range from being extremely mild to very spicy dishes. Although gaining popularity in India, it remains a mystery to most westerners. Wheat, rice, jowar, vegetables, lentils and fruit form important components of Marathi diet. Popular dishes include Puran Poli and aamras.
Staple dishes
Bread and rice
• Poli or Chapati - Unleavened bread made of wheat flour, more common in urban areas.
• Bhakri - Bread made of all kinds of flours, mainly jowar and bajra, form part of daily food in rural areas.
• Rice - Rice is eaten throughout Maharashtra and is a large part of the daily meal, although Maharashtrians are not totally dependent on rice only. Normally meals contain some form of bread, some bhaji (sabzi) and some rice with dal.
The bhaji is typically a vegetarian dish made from a vegetable, with some masala. Masala essentially consists of onion, garlic and mustard. Dishes are usually cooked with groundnut oil. The one masala that gives Maharashtrian cuisine its authentic flavor is the goda masala or Kala masala.
Non-vegetarian dishes are mainly popular with the predominant Maratha - warrior community and those really are very popular amongst a lot of people. They are normally chicken or mutton dishes. The taambda rassa (red curry) and pandhra rassa (white curry) of Kolhapuri chicken dishes from the southern city of Kolhapur and Varhadi rassa (or Varhadi chicken curry) from Vidarbha region are especially well known throughout the Marathi speaking world.
Appetizers
There are a lot of snack and side dishes in maharashtrian cuisine, although these days the South Indian delicacies of Dosa, Idli and Medu-Vada have taken over along with a lot of popular Punjabi dishes, especially in urban areas.
Some quintessentially Marathi dishes are:
• Poha: Poha or Pohay is a snack made from a type of rice flakes called Pohay. Normally onions, potatoes and green peas are added to it. It is most likely served with tea and is probably the most likely dish that any maharashtrian will offer his guest. During arranged marriages in Maharashtra Kanda-Pohay or onion-Pohay is the most likely dish over which the boy's and girl's families meet. It’s so common that sometimes arranged marriage itself is referred colloquially as "kanda-pohay". There are many variations of the 'Poha' snack besides 'kanda pohe'- you can have 'batata pohe'(where diced potatoes are used instead of onion shreds); 'Dadpe pohe', in which are added shredded coconut and lots of green chillies and lemon juice to give it a tangy taste; and 'kachche pohe', wherein the pohas are applied minimal embellishments of oil, red chili powder, salt and unsauted onion shreds.
• Upma or Sanja: This snack is similar to the South Indian upma, but which is essentially porridge made of coarse wheat flour perked up with spices.
• Vada pav: Vada - pav is the most popular Marathi dish and a lot has been said and written about it.
• Matar-usal- pav: It’s another simple dish made from green peas in curry made of onion, green chillies and sometimes garlic. Its eaten with a western style leavened bread (or pav).
• Misal- pav :Quintessentially Marathi. Made from a mix of lentils. Topped with batata-bhaji, Poha, Sabudhana khichadi, chivda. Also some times eaten with yogurt. Bread is a must.
• Pav bhaji:
• Sabudanyachi Khichadi
Vegetable and lentil preparations
• Batatyachi Bhaji (Potato preparations)
• Bharli Vangi (Stuffed Aubergines)
• Dalimbya (Beans)
• Farasbichi Bhaji (French beans)
• Palkachi Takatli Bhaji (Spinach cooked in buttermilk)
• Kelphulachi/Phansachi Bhaji (Jackfruit preparation)
• Walache Birdha
Meat preparations
• Taambda rassa (Red curry)
• Pandhra rassa (White curry)
• Varhadi rassa
Soups and consommes
Unlike western eating habits where soups are consumed before the main course is eaten, soups are consumed along with the main course. Some popular soups are
• Solkadhi
• Tomato Saar
• Kokam Saar
• Varan
• Aamti
• Kadh
Pickles and condiments
• Ambyacha Loncha (Mango Pickle)
• Limbacha Loncha (Lemon Pickle)
• Awlyacha Loncha (Amla Pickle)
• Mohoricha Loncha (Mustard Pickle)
• Dangar
• Papad
• Thecha
Sweetmeats
• Puran Poli: Puran Poli is one of the most popular sweet items in the Maharashtrian Cuisine. It is made from jaggery (molasses or gur), yellow gram (chana) dal, plain flour, cardamom powder and ghee
• Modak: Modak is an Indian sweet prepared either deep fried or steamed (Ukdiche Modak). Modak is almost exclusively prepared during the Ganesha Festival around August, when it is often given as an offering to Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed 'Remover of Obstacles' (Vighna-harta). Modak is reportedly his favorite sweet. For more info, visit http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cookbook:Modak
• Karanji: Karanji is a deep fried dumpling with a filling of grated coconut sweetened with jaggery and flavoured with powdered cardamom seeds. It is also known as Kanola in some circles
• Kheer: Kheer is a prepared by cooking shevaya(thin rice or semolina noodles) in milk. The preparation is sweetened with jaggery or sugar, flavoured with powdered cardamom seeds and finally garnished with chopped nuts.
• Anarsa
• Chirota
• Jilbi
• Shrikhand: An improvised version with mango pulp is known as Amarkhand.
• Shankarpali
• Basundi
Gulachi poli is similar to puran poli but this doesn’t include chana daal. It is made up of grated jaggery, elaichi powder and nutmeg powder

MENU

Sabudhana Vada / Sweetened curds
Chicken Kolhapuri / Phulkas
Maharashtrian bhurli Vaangi / Steamed Rice
Bhindichi Bhaaji
Tomatar Saar
Vatana Usal
Aamati/Steamed Rice
Koshimbir
Puranpoli

SABUDHANA VADA:

Ingredients:

Sago (Sabudhana) 1 kg
Potatoes 3 kg
Raw grated potato 200 g
Green chilies 100 g
Ginger (optional) 50 g
Coriander leaves 1 big bunch
Peanut powder 200 g
Cumin seeds 30 g
Lemon juice (optional) 100 ml
Salt to taste
Oil 150 ml

Method:

• Soak sago in water for ten minutes, drain and keep it in the colander overnight or minimum for 2-4 hrs atleast
• Mash the boiled potatoes, mix in the grated raw potatoes and ginger, chopped garlic, chopped green chillies, onions and coriander leaves, peanut powder, cumin seeds, salt, lemon juice and sago.
• Make small balls of the mixture and flatten them.
• Deep fry these vadas till golden brown and crispy and serve with sweetened curds

Tip: Raw grated potato gives crispiness to vadas

MAHARASHTRIAN BHARLI VAANGI (STUFFED BRINJAL)

Ingredients:

Small round brinjals, 2 kg
Dry shredded coconut ½ kg
Peanut powder 150 g
Sesame seeds 50 g
Coriander-cumin seeds 50 g
Maharashtrian goda Masala 50 g
Tamarind 100 g
Jaggery 50 g
Chili powder 50 g
Salt to taste
Ginger-garlic paste (optional) 100 g
Asafetida 10 g
Turmeric powder 15 g
Oil 200 ml

Method:

• Remove stems and give four slits (not fully) to the brinjals. Wash them in salt water and keep aside.
• Roast coconut, sesame seeds, and coriander-cumin seeds together till light brown. Powder this mixture and mix tamarind, jaggery, peanut powder, ginger-garlic paste, salt, chili powder and goda masala into it. Alternatively, grind all these ingredients together with the roasted mixture.
• Fill all the brinjals with above masala.
• In a pan heat oil and add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add asafetida, turmeric powder.
• Add the brinjals, fry for some time and pour in some water just to cover the top of brinjals.
• Cover and cook over medium heat for about 15 min.
• Remove the lid, add the remaining masala, boil well for few more minutes and garnish with coriander leaves.
• Serve hot with chapatti or rice.

AAMTI
Ingredients:
Red gram dal ½ kg
Curry leaves 1 small bunch
Bay leaf 5 g
Cloves 5 g
Green chillies 50 g
Coriander leaves 1 big bunch
Maharashtrian goda masala 30 g
Garam Masala 15 g
Coriander seeds 50 g
Turmeric powder 10 g
Salt to taste
Kokams 50 g
Ghee 100 ml
Cumin 30 g
Mustard seeds 25 g
Method:
• Wash and soak dal for 15 minutes.
• Pressure cook till very soft (4 whistles).
• Cool cooker and remove. Drain water from dal and save.
• Knead the kokams between fingers.
• Press out and remove. Keep the water aside.
• Mash dal and mix with water and residual water of dal.
• Mix well and keep it aside..
• Heat oil in a deep saucepan. Add mustard and cumin seeds, curry leaves, allow spluttering.
• Add slit chillies, cloves, bay leaf, and sauté one minute.
• Add kokam water.
• Make paste of masalas in water.
• Add paste, fry further one minute. Add dal.
• Bring to a boil and simmer for 8-10 minutes.
• Add chopped coriander.
• Serve hot with bhakris or steamed rice.

Tomato saar:
Ingredients

Tomatoes 2 kg
Coconut milk 1 litre
Peanut powder 100 g
Garlic cloves, 5 g
Small piece ginger, 50 g
Green chilies 50 g
Curry leaves (optional), 1 small bunch
Coriander leaves, 1 small bunch
Cumin seeds, 15 g
Asafoetida, 5 g
Salt to taste
Ghee only 150 ml
Jaggery 25 g

Method
• Boil tomatoes till soft.
• Skin and purée tomatoes in a blender.
• Grind together green chilies, garlic and ginger with a tsp of peanut powder.
• Add coconut milk, peanut powder, chili paste, salt, sugar and water to the tomato purée.
• Let it boil over medium heat.
• Now heat another small pan. Add ghee. When the ghee is heated, add cumin seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves. When tomato purée starts boiling, pour the hot tempering over it. Stir well and simmer for 5 minutes.
Garnish with lots of coriander leaves.

Tip: Peanut powder is used to thicken the saar as well as for good flavor.

Matki Chi Usal

Ingredients
Small cow peas 1 kg
Chopped onions 250 g
Coriander leaves 1 big bunch
Mustard seeds 50 g
Asafoetida 5 g
Turmeric powder 10 g
Red chilli powder 30 g
‘Goda' masala 15 g
Grated coconut 1 no.
Jaggery 50 g
Peanut powder 100 g
Oil 100 ml
Salt to taste

Method
• Soak cow peas overnight. Boil with ½ tsp turmeric powder and ½ tsp salt. Keep aside.
• Heat oil in pan. Add mustard seeds, asafoetida and onions. Wait till onions turn translucent. Add tomatoes, turmeric powder and red chilli powder. Stir for a minute.
• Add the par boiled cow peas. Add salt to taste. Add goda masala or garam masala. Add grated coconut.
• Add jaggery and peanut powder.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and desiccated coconut.
• Serve with jawaar roti or bread.

Bhendichi Bhaaji - Kaachrya
Lady’s finger 1 kg
Green chilies 50 g
Turmeric powder 10 g
Salt and sugar to taste,
Coriander leaves 1 bunch
Mustard seeds 30 g
Oil 50 g
Lemon juice 15 ml

• Wash lady’s finger, wipe dry, remove stems and slice.
• Heat oil in a pan.
• Add mustard seeds, asafoetida and turmeric powder.
• Add sliced lady’s finger and fry for sometime.
• Cook over low heat without lid. To keep it from sticking to the bottom of pan, keep tossing the bhaaji constantly.
• Once it is done, add salt, sugar, chili powder and stir. Remove from the heat.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with chapati.

For variation,
1. Use coriander and cumin powder.
2. Add finely chopped onions

CHICKEN KOLHAPURI

Ingredients:

Chicken 6 kg
Browned onions 2 kg
Sesame and poppy seeds 100 g
Grated coconut ½ kg
Turmeric powder 10 g
Ginger, garlic paste 150 g
Green chilli paste 50 g
Yoghurt 250 g
Corriander leaves paste 250 g
Onions ½ kg
Red chilli powder 50 g
Corriander powder 100 g
Tomatoes 2 kg
Goda masala 50 g
Coriander leaves 1 big bunch
Oil 300 ml
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves 1 big bunch

Method:

• Make cuts on the chicken pieces. In a bowl mix together half of the ginger-garlic paste, green chilli and coriander leaves paste, yoghurt,turmeric powder and salt to taste. Mix well. Rub this marinade into the chicken pieces very well and allow marinating for about an hour and deep fry, keep it aside
• Grind together the browned onions, roasted coconut, sesame and poppy seeds to a paste.
• Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan till hot, add the chopped onions and fry for a few seconds.
• Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry till the onions are browned. Add the red chilli powder, coriander powder, goda masala and fry till it is aromatic.
• Then add the chopped tomatoes and fry on medium level for about 3 minute(s) or till the fat separates from the sides of the pan.
• Add the chicken pieces and fry on high level for about 2 minutes.
• Add the ground paste, water and sprinkle salt to taste. Mix well. Bring to a boil. Stir in hot spice mix and chopped coriander leaves. Cover and cook on low heat for about 30 minutes or till the chicken is fully tenderized. Garnish it finely chopped coriander leaves.
• Serve hot with: Peas pulao, white rice or Indian bread (Roti).
Tip: Traditionally this is a very hot and spicy dish. The level of spice can be toned down by reducing the amount of red chilli powder as per taste.
Maharashtrian goda (black) masala
Coriander seeds 250 g
Dry coconut 100 g
White sesame seeds 50 g
Black sesame seeds 50 g
Cumin seeds 25 g
Caraway seeds 25 g
Asafoetida (hing) 10 g
Cinnamon 10 g
Cloves 10 g
Black cardamom 5 g
Red chilies 50 g
Turmeric powder 10 g
Salt to taste

Method
• Roast all the ingredients except coconut & coriander seeds with a little amount(1 teaspoon) of oil.
• Roast coconut & coriander seeds separately without oil.
• Now grind all these items and 2 teaspoon raw (unroasted) cumin seeds and salt(to taste) together.
• Let it cool & store in an airtight container.
• This masala is just like garam masala and can be used in curries or rice.

Tip: If you are trying this masala for the first time, make it in small quantity
KAKDICHI KOSHIMBIR/ KHAMANG KAKADI
Ingredients:
Cucumber 1 kg
Green chillies 30 g
Coriander leaves 1 bunch
Ground nut powder 150 g
Yogurt 1 ½ kg
Salt to taste
Sugar to taste.
For tempering:
Oil 50 ml
Curry leaves, 1 small bunch
Asafoetida 5 g
Cumin seeds 30 g
Method for tempering (tadka)
• Heat ghee in a small pan.
• Add cumin seeds followed by curry leaves and hing
Method:
• Peel the cucumber, cut into lengthwise, remove the seeds and keep it aside
• Finely grate the cucumber.
• Chop the green chillies and coriander leaves finely.
• Take a salad bowl, add the chopped cucumber, beaten yogurt, ground nut powder, salt and sugar to taste. Mix well.
• Pour the tadka on the top of salad
• Mix well.
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve chilled

Puranpoli
For filling (Puran):
Bengal gram dal 1 kg
Grated jaggery 1 ¼ kg
Cardamom powder 20 g

For dough:
Refined flour 1 ½ kg
Salt 10 g
Oil 200 g
Rice flour ½ kg

Method
• Sieve the flour and salt twice.
• Make a soft and pliable dough with water and some oil. Keep it under a wet cloth for an hour.
• Boil bengal gram with plenty of water. Drain it while it is still hot.
• Now add jaggery to this hot boiled bengal gram and cook over medium heat.
• Keep stirring constantly so that it will not stick to the vessel. The exact consistency is reached when it leaves the sides of the vessel and gets thicker. Remove from the heat now.
• Allow it to cool and grate in a puran machine or a grinder( this helps to remove the lumps) Add cardamom powder, mix, and keep it aside.
• Knead the dough with hands. Use oil as well as water for kneading.
• Make rounds of this dough. Roll each a little bit and make a flat disc.
• Place some puran (about twice the quantity of outer dough) in the center of this flat disc.
• Seal it tightly. Roll again to make thin puran polis of 6 to 7 inch. diameter. Use rice flour for smooth rolling.
• Heat a flat griddle. On a medium flame, roast one side. Flip it and roast another side.
• Do not flip the sides over and over. Roast till golden brown.
• Smear ghee on top and serve hot.

Tip:.
• Dough should be very loose and pliable.
• Knead the dough gently before rolling puran polis.
• Puran is one of the many popular 'Naivedya's (food which is offered to God on holy occasions) in Maharashtra.

Gujarathi Cuisine - III Sem F & B Production Practicals on 6th & 7th of August 2007

2007-07-27T03:35:00.001-07:00

GUJARATHI CUISINE

Gujarati cuisine refers to the cuisine of the people from the state of Gujarat in the Northwest Region of India. It is predominantly vegetarian. The typical Gujarati Thali consists of Rotli (a flat bread made from wheat flour), daal or kadhi, rice, and sabzi/shaak (a dish made up of different combinations of vegetables and spices, which may be stir fried, curry-like, or even dry boiled). Cuisine varies in taste and heat, depending on a given family's tastes and caste. Mainly vegetarian, energy-efficient, environment-friendly, and highly nutritious with many subtle tastes, it is also very hygienic and high in food safety. Many gujurati dishes have a beld of sweetness. Dishes are not too sweet, but some are a bit sweeter then other other parts of India.
Staples include salad, homemade pickles, Khichdi (rice and lentil or rice and mung daal), and chhaas (buttermilk). Main dishes are based on steamed vegetables and dals that are added to a vaghaar, which is a mixture of spices sterilised in hot oil that is adjusted for the digestive qualities of the main ingredient. Salt, sugar, lemon, lime, and tomato are used frequently to prevent dehydration in an area where temperatures reach 50C (120F) under the shade. It is common to add a little sugar or jaggery to some of the sabzi/shaak and daal. The sweet flavour of these dishes is believed to neutralize the slightly salty taste of the water.
The cuisine changes with the seasonal availability of vegetables and, in knowledgeable families, the spices also change depending on the season. Garam Masala and its constituent spices are used less in summer. Regular fasting, with diets limited to milk and dried fruits, and nuts, are commonplace.
In modern times, some Gujaratis have become increasingly fond of very spicy and fried dishes, which has led to increased incidence of Western diseases. There are many chefs who have came up with ultimate fusion of Western and Gujrati food.
Sweets made from such ingredients as local sugar cane, jaggery, milk, almonds, and pistachios were originally served at weddings and family occasions as an instant energy booster for relations travelling long distances to attend. They are now being enjoyed every day by those with sedentary occupations.

Almost always strictly vegetarian, Gujarathi cuisine is unlike any other Indian cuisine. The difference lies in the unusual blending of the sweet with the savoury into a harmonious whole. Even though the state of Gujarat has absorbed many outside influences down the ages, the cuisine has remained much the same. The grand spread of Gujarati cuisine can be glimpsed and savoured in the very popular "Gujarati Thali" a large silver platter consisting of innumerable bowls full of vegetable curries, dals or lentil based gravies, a variety of breads, savouries - crisp spicy fried farsans, sweetmeats and an amazing range of sweet and sour chutneys and pickles. The entire meal including the vegetables and dals (curried lentils) achieves a delicate balance of flavours – sweet and sour, salty and spicy, crisp and soft, low fat and deep-fried!
Some of the well-known Gujarati delicacies are Paunk (combination of various roasted cereals), undhyoo (a speciality of potatoes, sweet potatoes, brinjals and broad beans baked in an earthenware pot in a mud oven), kadi (a curry of yogurt and chopped vegetables), khamam dhokla (a salty, sweet-and-sour cake made from chickpea flour), shrikhand (a dessert made from yoghurt spiced with saffron, nuts, cardamom and dry fruit) and doodh pak (a dessert of thick sweetened milk with dry fruit and nuts).
METHODS
The state of Gujarat is renowned for sophisticated, light, vegetarian meals and there are slight variations in eating habits and modes of preparation in its three component regions.

Kathiawari and Kutch food both use red chili powder to make the cuisine spicy. The cuisine in south Gujarat too, is spicy but here green chilies add 'life' to the food. The Suratis also use far more sugar in their cooking and as a result the cuisine has a sweet, tangy flavor.
SPECIALITIES
A Kathiawari favorite is debra. Made with wheat flour mixed with spinach, green chilies, a dollop of yogurt and a pinch of salt and sugar, these are eaten with chudo-a thick sweet chutney made with raw man-goes, cardamoms, cloves, saffron and sugar. Yet another specialty is methia masala, a dry powder made from fenugreek seeds, chili powder and salt. This is sprinkled over raw vegetables and salads for a piquant flavor. A peanut fudge made from gur is another specialty, which is quite delicious.

In Gujarat, during winter when green vegetables are available in plenty, a delicious vegetable concoction called undhyoo is made using potato, brinjal, and green beans amongst several other vegetables. Paunk, another winter favorite in this region, is a dish that is a blend of tender, roasted cereal, jowar, and sev (a type of farsan), savory twists, garlic chutney and sugar balls.

Gujarati specialties like the nankhatais, kesar biscuits, khari biscuits, ghebar, gharis, a rich, round sweet made with condensed milk, ghee and dry fruit and the saglu baglu mithai are sold in bakeries and confectionery shops in Surat.

The main dish of Kutch cuisine is the khichdi, a simple lentil and rice mixture. It is eaten with kadhi-a savory curry made with yogurt using bay leaves, ginger, chilies and finely chopped vegetables as garnishing-onions and pickle.

Using the same lentils and rice, Kutchi kitchens produce delectable items like the khaman dhokla, a salty steamed cake made from chickpea flour; doodha pak, sweet, thickened milk confectioned with nuts, and srikhand, a dessert made of yogurt, flavored with saffron, cardamom, nuts and candied fruit which is eaten with hot, fluffy pooris. These three delicacies have made their way into the favorites list of the rest of India too and can be found in restaurants all over the country.

In contrast to the majority Hindus who are pure vegetarians, the Bohras, a community of Muslim traders, are famous for their beef preparations called malai tikka and malai wa khalija. An exclusive beef dish is the sagle bagla - exclusive because it is available only in a particular shop in Surat.

HOW TO EAT
Faithful to Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of "simple living, high thinking" and abhorrence of western customs, even the richest families in the state believe in eating seated on the floor. In all the three regions, dining tables are scarcely seen and food is served in thalis, to people sitting cross-legged on the floor. Being a food that is basically rather bland, the dishes are pepped up with plenty hot pickles and chutneys that accompany all meals.

The Bohras set out dishes on a large metal plate, thali, mounted on a low stool around which eight to ten people can be seated.

For a taste of traditional Gujarati cuisine, one has to try the typical Gujarati thali that consists of one variety of dal, Kadhi (curd preparation), two to three vegetables and pulses, salad savories, sweets, puri or chappati, rice chutneys, pickles and papad.

MENU

Chaas
Gujarati Kadhi
Undhia
Achaari Paneer /Theplaas
Trevti dal/Bhakri
Gujarathi Khattai Aloo
Peela Bhat
Makai na bharta
Papaya Salaad
Shrikhand

Chaas
Ingredients:
Buttermilk 4 litres
Oil 30 ml
Mustard seeds 30 g
Curry leaves 1 big bunch
Ginger 50 g
Asafetida 5 g
Green chillies 30 g
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves 1 bunch
Mint leaves 1 bunch
Method:
• Pour the yoghurt, add ginger, green chillies, little curry leaves and coriander leaves chopped finely and salt to taste into a food processor and blend well.
• In a small pan heat the oil. When it is hot add the mustard seeds, remaining curry leaves and asafetida. Remove from the fire and add this to the buttermilk mixture and mix well.
• Serve in glasses.

Gujarati Karhi:
Ingredients:
Bengal gram flour 200 g
Yoghurt, 2 litres
Water 4 litres
Grated ginger 50 g
Green chilli(es) slit 50 g
Sugar 50 g
Mustard seeds 30 g
Cumin seeds 30 g
Asafoetida 5 g
Turmeric 10 g
Ghee 30 g
Red chilli 10 g
Curry leaves 1 bunch
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves 1 bunch

Method
o Mix the yoghurt, gram flour and water in a vessel beating well so that no lumps are formed. Add the grated ginger, slit green chillies, curry leaves, sugar and salt. Keep on low flame for 5 minutes or till the mixture comes to a boil. Keep simmering.
o For the tempering, heat the ghee in a pan for 2 minutes. Add the mustard seeds and the cumin seeds. Let them crackle. Now, add the asafoetida, the red chilli bits, turmeric powder, chilli powder and fry on low heat for a few seconds.
o Add the tempering to the gram flour gravy and stir occasionally whilst simmering on very low heat for few minutes.
o Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves before serving with steamed rice.

For the Pakhora (optional)

Ingredients:

Bengal gram flour 400 g
Spinach 1 kg
Soda bicarbonate 5 g
Salt to taste
Coriander powder 30 g
Ajwain 15 g
Ginger, julienne 50 g
Green chillies 50 g
Oil 1 litre
Method:
• Mix all the ingredients together, add little water and mix well.
• Heat oil in a kadai and drop spoonfuls of the batter.
• Deep fry over medium heat until golden.
• Remove to an absorbent paper to drain the excess fat and add to the boiling kadhi.
.
Theplaas
Ingredients
Wheat flour 1 kg
Gramflour 250 g
Red chilli powder 20 g
Turmeric powder 10 g
Salt to taste
Asafetida 15 g
Cumin seeds 30 g
Sesame seeds 30 g
Oil 100 ml
Oil for shallow frying 300 ml

Method
• Mix all ingredients except oil for shallow frying.
• Use a little water and knead a soft pliable dough .
• Divide dough into even shape, roll each into a 5" round.
• Sprinkle flour over chappati while rolling, for ease.
• Place on a hot griddle, roast and drizzle oil, to shallow fry.
• Repeat for other side. Repeat for remaining dough.
• Serve hot with chunda (refer pickles) or other pickle or curds.
• Equally tasty when cold too.
Trevti dal
Ingredients:

Bengal gram dal 250 g
Green gram dal 250 g
Red gram dal 250 g
Ginger 50 g
Green chillies 50 g
Onions 250 g
Tomatoes 250 g
Garlic 100 g
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder 15 g
Oil 100 ml
Lemon Juice 6 nos
Corainder leaves 1 bunch

Tempering:

Dry red chillies 10 g
Cloves 10 g
Bay leaves 5 g
Asafoetida 5 g

Method:

• Soak all the dals for one hour and pressure cook the dals. Keep aside.
• Heat oil in a pan, add the spices and fry until they turn brown.
• Add chopped ginger, garlic, chillies and fry for 4-5 minutes.
• Add onions and tomatoes, salt, turmeric powder and cook until done.
• Mash the dals. Add the dals with water. Simmer the flame and let the dal boil for few minutes.
• Add the lemon juice, corainder leaves and stir well.
• Serve hot with rice and papads.
Makai na bharta

Fresh corns 1 kg
Onions 250 g
Tomatoes 250 g
Green chillies 50 g
Coriander leaves 1 bunch
Coriander powder 30 g
Red chilli powder 30 g
Turmeric powder 5 g
Garam masala powder 15 g
cumin seeds 15 g
Oil 50 ml
Salt to taste

Method

• Boil the whole corn, take off the niblets and grind it coarsely in a blender.
• Finely chop the onions, tomatoes and green chillies.
• Heat up oil in a kadhai, mix in cumin seeds and stir fry till they crackle.
• Add the chopped onions, green chillies and stir fry till light brown.
• Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder and salt.
• Stir fry for few seconds and then add the chopped tomatoes, cook till they are soft and add corn, salt and little water.
• Stir fry for another 5-10 minutes.
• Serve hot decorated with cut coriander.
Dhokla
Gram flour 1 kg
Water 1 ltire
Sugar 50 g
Citric acid 15 g
Soda bicarb/Eno salt 25 g
Green chillies 15 g
Ginger grated 15 g
Salt to taste
• For Tempering
Coconut grated 2 nos
Coriander chopped 1 bunch
Mustard seeds 30 g
Oil. 50 ml.
Method
o Mix gram flour, oil, salt, sugar, chilly powder(optional), citric acid and then add boiled water enough to make a thick paste and mix them well
o Then, take a vessel which can fit in steamer or pressure cooker and grease it with oil, and then add soda or eno to the gram paste and stir well and pour into prepared tin before the foam goes down
o Steam cook it for 45 minutes on medium low flame (but keep it for 2-3 minutes on medium high flame).
o After it is ready take it out let it cool for 5 minutes.
o In the mean time take a pan and pour 2tbsp. of oil in it and then add mustard seeds
o When the seeds splutters, add curry leaves, hing, sesame seeds(optional) and green chillies to it.
o Then, pour the khatta mixture over the dhokla (to keep it moist) and cut into square pieces and pour the oil in the pan over the khaman.
o And then garnish it with chopped coriander leaves and shredded coconut and serve with green chutney.

Undhia
Ingredients

Mixed vegetables 2 kg
Spring onions ½ kg
Coriander-chopped fine 1 bunch
Cumin seeds 15 g
Powdered coriander 50 g
Chilli powder 30 g
Turmeric 10 g
Salt to taste
Oil 100 ml
Small muthias (make a dough with besan, methi, seasoning, a little ghee. Make small round flat shapes and fry)
(Mixed vegetables are yam, potato, raw banana, broad beans, egg-plants, peas)

• Grind Together
Grated coconut 1 no
Chopped garlic 50 g
Chopped ginger 50 g
Green chillies 50 g
Method
o Heat oil and add the cumin seeds. Add garlic and the ground ingredients and stir fry.
o Add coriander powder, chilli powder, turmeric and the salt.
o Stir fry till the fat separates and add the parboiled vegetables. Turn around a few times over high heat and then lower the heat and let it cook till all the vegetables are tender (takes approx. 45 minutes.).
• Add muthias and simmer for about 15 minutes more and serve hot.

Achaari paneer

Ingredients
Paneer 1 kg
Sauf 30 g
Mustard seeds 30 g
Methi dana 15 g
Kalonji 10 g
Jeera 30 g
Garlic 50 g
Ginger 30 g
Curd 300 g
Oil 150 ml
Onion 250 g
Green chilli 30 g
Haldi 10 g
Amchur powder 30 g
Slit green chillies 50 g
Salt to taste

Method:-
• Cut paneer into rectangular pieces.
• Collect all seeds-saunf, mustard seeds, methi dana, kalonji and jeera together.
• Crush garlic and ginger and keep aside.
• Heat oil. Add the collected seeds together to the hot oil. Let them crackle for a minute.
• Add onions and chopped green chillies. Cook till onions turn golden brown.
• Add haldi and crushed garlic-ginger paste. Cook for a minute.
• Beat curd with a spoon till smooth. Add gradually and keep stirring. Add dried mango pdr and salt. Cook till the curd dries up a little.

Peela bhat

Ingredients:

Basmati rice 3 kg
Ghee 200 g
Cloves 10 g
Cinnamon 10 g
Turmeric 30 g
Salt to taste
Method:

• Heat the ghee, add the cloves and cinnamon, sauté and add the rice, sauté.
• Add the turmeric, boiling water and salt and cook till done and serve with kadhi.

Bhakri
Ingredients

Whole wheat flour 3 kg
Ghee ¼ kg
Cumin seeds 50 g
Carom seeds 30 g
Salt to taste

Method:
• Combine the flour, ghee, cumin seeds, salt and mix well.
• Add enough water and knead into a firm dough. Keep aside for 15 to 20 minutes. Divide into equal portions.
• Roll out each portion into a 100 mm. (4") diameter round.
• Roast each round on both sides on a tava till golden brown, putting light pressure on the bhakhri so that the insides cook evenly.
• Serve hot with any vegetable of your choice

.
Gujarati khattai alu
Ingredients:

Floury potatoes 1 ½ kg
Tamarind pulp 50 g
Brown sugar 100 g
Ghee or oil 150 ml
Black mustard seeds 30 g
Turmeric 10 g
Chili powder 15 g
Ground coriander 30 g
Ground cumin 10 g
Salt to taste
Green chilies, 50 g
Desiccated coconut 1 no or 300 g

Method:
• Peel and dice potatoes.
• Soak tamarind in hot water for 5 minutes and then squeeze it firmly to extract all the juice and strain the liquid through a sieve. Dissolve the sugar in the liquid.
• Heat the ghee or oil and fry the mustard seeds until they pop.
• Add the turmeric, chili powder, coarse coriander and cumin powder and fry for about few minutes on low. Add the potatoes and toss for about a minute.
• Sprinkle with salt and little water, cover tightly and cook on a very low flame for about 15 minutes.
• Add the tamarind juice, sliced chilies and coconut and stir well.
• Cover and cook for about 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through.
• Serve hot with rice or chapattis.

Papaya salad

Ingredients:

Raw papaya 1 kg
Lemon juice 8 nos
Peanuts 200 g
Coriander leaves 1 bunch
Green chillies 50 g
Sugar 50 g
Salt to taste

Tempering:
Mustard 15 g
Cumin seeds 15 g
Asafetida 5 g
Oil 30 ml

Method:

• Heat the oil; add the asafetida, cumin seeds and mustard seeds and green chillies and sauté.
• Add the grated papaya, sugar, peanuts, lemon juice, coriander leaves and salt and mix thoroughly and remove from heat. Keep aside to cool.
• Serve cold as an accompaniment

Shrikhand
Ingredients

Hung curds 3 litres
Sugar-powdered ½ kg
Elaichi powder 10 g
Saffron(optional) 1 box

Method
• Hang the yoghurt overnight in a strainer lined with a thin cloth and leave to drain the extra water.
• Transfer the hung curd into a mixing bowl start sieving the hung curd by adding sugar little by little and collect it into a clean vessel.
• Mix in half the elaichi and soaked saffron in milk well till smooth
• Transfer on to a serving bowl and garnish with the rest of the elaichi powder and saffron strands.
• Leave to set in the refrigerator, chilling for at least 2 hours and serve.

Gujarathi Cuisine - III Sem F & B Production Practicals on 6th & 7th of August 2007

2007-07-27T03:35:00.000-07:00

MENU VI - III Semester BHM, Food and Beverage Production Practicals on 30th & 31st July 2007

2007-07-18T02:59:00.000-07:00

PUNJABI CUISINE
Punjabi people are robust people with robust appetites and their food is like the Punjabis themselves, simple, sizeable and hearty with no unnecessary frills or exotic accompaniments. The Punjabi tandoori cooking is celebrated as one of the most popular cuisines throughout the world. Huge earthen ovens are half buried in the ground and heated with a coal fire lit below it. Marinated meat, chicken, fish, paneer, rotis and naans of many types are cooked in this novel oven and the results are absolutely scrumptious!

Punjab has imbibed some aspects of its cuisine from external influences. Connoisseurs of the cuisine say that the gravy component of Punjabi cuisine came from the Mughals. The most popular example is the murg makhani. It served the state well to combine this influence in its cooking since it had a lot of pure ghee and butter. Murg makhani also provided a balance to tandoori chicken, which was dry because it was charcoal cooked. Nans and parathas, rotis made of maize flour are typical Punjabi breads. Of course, over the years the roti has been modified to add more variety, so there is the rumali roti, the naan and the laccha parathas, all cooked in the tandoor.

Winter, in Punjab, brings in the season of the famous makki ki roti(maize flour bread) and sarson ka saag(mustard leaf gravy). No meal is complete without a serving of lassi( sweet or salted drink made with curd) or fresh curd and white butter which is consumed in large quantities. The other popular dishes, which belong exclusively to Punjab, are ma ki dal, rajma (kidney beans) and stuffed parathas.
In a vastly diverse country like India, every region has something typical to offer whether it is in clothes or in food or in its music, dance and art.
Punjab, the land of milk and honey, boasts of a robust climate where the agricultural revolution has reaped rich dividends. The land of plenty has a cuisine, which caters to the characteristic needs of the people.
Punjabi cuisine is not subtle in its flavor. There are no intricate marinades or exotic sauces but it has full-bodied masalas (spices) cooked with liberal amount of desi ghee (clarified butter) always served with a liberal helping of butter or cream. Milk and its products are an essential part of every day cookery, curd and buttermilk are also an essential concomitant with every Punjabi meal.
A predominantly wheat eating people, the Punjabis cook rice only on special occasions. It’s never eaten plain or steamed, for steamed rice implies that somebody is sick. Rice is eaten always with a Bagar (flavoring) of cumin or fried onions with Rajma or Kadhi, Rajma with rice or rice with Kadhi is eaten or holidays or on festive days. In winter rice is cooked with Gur or with peas called matarwale chawal or as a delicacy called Rao Ki Kheer which is rice cooked on very slow fire for hours together with sugar cane juice.
In Punjab itself, there are differences in flavors and style. For example, people around Amritsar prefer well-fried stuffed paraunthas and milk sweets. The people of Doaba region eat more of them; in the Malwa region Bajra (ground maize) khitchadi (kedgeree) is a delicacy. There are a course certain dishes, which are part and parcel of Punjab, and their very mention conjures up the rich flavor of the state. Mah ki Dal, Sarson Ka Saag and Makkee Ki Roti, meat curry like Roghan Josh and stuffed paraunthas can be found in no other state except Punjab. The food is suitable for these who burn up a lot of calories while working in the fields and tilling their small acres. For the urban folk, however, eating even one dish is enough because life in the cities is so sedentary. The main masala in a Punjabi dish consists of onion, garlic, ginger and a lot of tomatoes fried in pure ghee
An average day’s meal would generally comprise :
BREAKFAST
Stuffed Alloo Mattar (potatoes and peas) Paraunthas and a glass of butter milk.
LUNCH
Sarson Ka Saag and Makki Ki Roti with onion Chutney.
DINNER
Mah Ki Dal, Bhunna Gosht, Tandoori Roti and Dahi Raita.
The food of Punjab is meant for the strong-hearted. It is rich in flavours and has a liberal dose of ghee (clarified butter) and spices. Punjab has an abundance of milk and therefore milk products are an important part of daily diet. No meal is complete without large glassfuls of butter milk or lassi (yoghurt drink). The people of this region are largely wheat eaters and have developed variations of breads including the stuffed aloo paratha (potato bread) and the makke ki roti (maize bread). Vegetarian delights such as sarson saag (mustard leaf curry), rajma-chawal (kidney beans with steamed rice) and Kadhi (gram flour and yoghurt curry) are the most popular Punjabi dishes. Punjabis have also created a combination of the northwest frontier cuisine and Mughlai recipes to present rich poultry and mutton dishes. The ubiquitous ‘tandoori chicken’ is a great favourite!
Punjabi cuisine can be non-vegetarian or completely vegetarian. The level of spices can vary from minimal to very prevalent. One of the main features of Punjabi cuisine is its diverse range of dishes. Home cooked and restaurant Punjabi cuisine can vary significantly, with restaurant style using large amounts of clarified butter, known locally as desi ghee, with liberal amounts of butter and cream with home cooked concentrating on mainly upon wheat masalas (spice) flavourings. Though wheat varieties form their staple food, Punjabis do cook rice on special occasions. During winter a delicacy, Rao Ki Kheer, is cooked using rice. Rice is cooked for a long time in sugar cane juice.
Within the state itself, there are different preferences. People in the area of Amritsar prefer stuffed parathas and milk products. In fact, the area is well known for quality of its milk products. There are certain dishes which are exclusive to Punjab, such as Maha Di Dal and Saron Da Saag (Sarson Ka Saag).saag is especially hard work to make, as it's made out of the mustard plant, (the top half - seeds - are made into mustard, and the bottom half is what saag is made of) you have to grind it (ghoat) and do a lot of other things to it before its made!
The food is tailor-made for the Punjabi lifestyle in which most of the rural folk burn up a lot of calories while working in the fields. The main masala in a Punjabi dish consists of onion, garlic and ginger.
Hallmarks of Punjabi food
Pulse, bean and / or lentil preparations:
• Dal makhani (ma di dal)
• Dal maharani
• Dal amritsari
• Lobiya (black eyed bean)
• Rajmah( Red kidney bean)
• Punjabi pindi chholey(Whole Bengal gram)
• Punj ratani dal (mixtures of 5 lentils) etc...
These are generally soaked overnight or for at least 8 hours and gently simmered on the embers of a tandoor (A clay oven of the shape of a horizontally sliced pot) along with ginger, garlic and a few other garam masala (whole spices like cardamom, cinnamon, mace, and bay leaf).
These are then combined with a tangy masala base which could include tomato or dried mango (aam choor powder) or even pomegranate seeds (anar dana). The character typical to the bean or whole lentil preparation is that the shape is retained intact, but the gentlest pressure would make it into a paste.
Dollops of cream and butter provide for the rich finishing touch. Garnishing is usually with shredded coriander leaves and juliennes of ginger.
Bread preparations
The Punjabi breads are generally flat breads; only a few varieties are raised breads. The breads may be made of different types of flour and can be made in various ways:
1. Baked in the tandoor like naan, tandoori roti, kulcha, lachha paratha
2. Dry baked on the tava (Indian griddle) like phulka or chappati, jowar ki roti, baajre ki roti and the very famous makke ki roti (these are also smeared with ghee or white butter)
3. Shallow fried like paratha, aloo or mooli paratha
4. Deep fried like puri and bhatoora
5. Missi Roti of Punjab is delicious
The tandoor also allows for tasty chicken and meat preparations including seekh kebab, tandoori chicken, reshmi tikka and malai tikka. Patiala Shahi murgh and murgh makhani are among the famous Punjabi dishes.
This is a northern state of India which carries its culture with pride and pomp, with wonderfully bright turbans worn by the gents and equally bright salwar kameezes worn by ladies. The richness of their clothes is reflected in the richness of their jewellery, hospitality, food and festivities. Punjab ! The name is synonymous with luscious gravies, vegetables rich with creamy and aromatic spices. The sweets are lavishly garnished with chopped and slivered and sliced spices, while gravies are made rich by the use of ghee and cream. Their breads like naans, parathas, etc. are soft, buttery and melt in the mouth. Many people abroad identify Indian cuisine with Punjabi food. For them, eating indian food means eating naans, gravied vegetables, curries and pulaos.

MENU
Lassi Patiala
Aloo Tikki / Tamarind Chutney
Dal Makhni
Sarson ka saag / Makki ki Roti
Matar Paneer
Baingan da bhurta
Lauki da raita
Jeera Pulao
Murgh Makhanwala
Gajerala

Lassi Patiala

Ingredients
Fresh curds chilled 4 litres
Sugar 400 g
Powdered cardamom 20 g
Saffron 1 g
Crushed ice 1 kg
Hot milk 1 litre
Method
• Soak saffron in 1 tsp. and rub till dissolved.
• Mix sugar in curds till well dissolved.
• Just before serving combine all ingredients.
• Whip well with a hand or electric beater.
• The lassi is ready when it is light and frothy.
• Serve well chilled.
Aloo tikki
Ingredients:
• Potatoes boiled and grated 3 kg
• White bread 2 loaves
• Green chillies finely chopped 100 g
• Ginger grated 100 g
• Chopped fresh coriander 1 big bunch
• Garam Masala 50 g
• Chaat masala (optional) 20 g
• Roasted cumin powdered 20 g
• Lemon juice 50 ml
• Oil for shallow frying
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Boil potatoes and cool them before grating them.
• Add the rest of the ingredients except the ghee and mix well.
• Flatten them and shape into cutlets or round burger shaped patties and flatten them a bit.
• Heat little oil on a griddle and add 3 to 4 tikkis at a time and let them cook on slow fire till a crisp golden color crust is formed on both the sides.
• Remove on absorbent paper and serve with tamarind chutney.

Tip: Aloo Tikki can be served in a number of ways and one way is to drizzle some green chutney over the tikkis or just plain tamarind chutney and the other is to pour some beaten curd and tamarind chutney with a sprinkling of coriander leaves.

Tamarind chutney
Ingredients:
• Tamarind 200g
• Jaggery 100 g
• Sugar 50 g
• Chilli powder 25 g
• Black pepper powder 15 g
• Roasted cumin powder 25 g
• Cloves 10 g
• Warm water 1 litre
• Vegetable oil 50 ml
• Salt to taste
Method:
• Remove the seeds from tamarind and soak it in water for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Heat oil in a pan and add cloves. Fry for about 30 seconds.
• After half an hour, take out the pulp from the tamarind and add jaggery, sugar, red chilli powder, black pepper powder, roasted cumin powder, cloves and salt.
• Cook the tamarind mixture for 15 minutes on medium. Remove from the gas and let it cool.
• On cooling, blend the contents in a blender (optional)
• Strain and cook until it becomes thick.
Mint chutney
Ingredients:
• Coriander leaves 1 big bunch
• Mint leaves 1 small bunch
• Green chillies 50 g
• Lemon Juice 50 ml (approx)
• Onion 100 g
• Tomato. 100 g
• Ginger 50 g
• Garlic 50 g
• Sugar 50 g
• Salt as per taste
Method:
• Chop the coriander and mint leaves coarsely.
• Put all ingredients in a small blender.
• Blend till smooth or coarse and serve with aloo tikki. if required.
Dal makhani
Ingredients:
• Black urad dal 1 kg
• Rajmah 200 g
• Red chilli Powder 100 g
• Oil 100 g
• Butter 250 g
• Cumin seeds 50 g
• Chopped onion 250 g
• Chopped ginger 100 g
• Chopped garlic 100 g
• Chopped tomatoes 500 g
• Garam masala 50 g
• Fresh cream (malai) 250 g
• Salt to taste
Method:
• Wash and soak black gram dal and rajmah overnight
• Cook the soaked dal and rajmah with salt
• In a thick bottom pan heat oil and butter. Season cumin seeds. Add chopped onions and sauté until golden brown. When it is done, add chopped ginger, garlic and tomatoes. Sauté till tomatoes are well mashed and oil separates. Add red chilli powder, boiled dal and rajmah and mix well.
• Add garam masala powder to the dal makhani and simmer for 15 minutes. Add fresh cream and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Serve hot with naan or parathas.
Sarson ka Saag
Ingredients
Sarson greens 8 bunches
Spinach 8 bunches
Onion grated ½ kg
Ginger & garlic grated 100 gm
Green chillies 50 g
Lemon juice 100 ml
Salt to taste
Ghee 200 g
Oil 100 ml
Garam masala 50 ml
Maize or wheat flour 100 g
Method
• Chop both greens, wash, drain.
• Heat oil, add both greens, green chillies, stir.
• Add ginger, garlic, stir.
• Add few pinches salt, 1 cup water.
• Pressure cook till done. (2 whistles).
• Mash well.
• Heat ghee in a pan, add onion, saute till brown,
• Add all other ingredients, stir well and cook till oil separates.
• Serve hot with makki ki roti, or paratha.
Makki ki Roti
Ingredients
Maize flour 2 kg
Plain flour 250 g
Oil 250 ml
Salt to taste
Water to knead
Method
• Mix maize flour, oil and salt.
• Knead in a soft pliable dough, adding very little water at a time.
• When the dough is very smooth and soft, bread a lump.
• Shape into a ball, flatten and pat with palm, to make a thin roti.
• Use dry plainflour to help. Or roll with a rolling pin.
• Take care to dust with flour and lift and turn to avoid sticking.
• Place on a heavy iron or earthen griddle and roast till crisp.
• Repeat on both sides. Repeat for all rotis.
• Cover and line with napkins to keep warm.
• Drizzle with ghee or butter if desired.
• Serve hot with sarson ka saag and slice of onion and lime.

Baingan da bhurta
Ingredients
Brinjals large 2 kg
Onions 1 kg
Tomato finely chopped ½ kg
Ginger & garlic grated 100 g
Green chillies 25 g
Cumin seeds 30 g
Red chilli powder 30 g
Dhania powder 30 g
Turmeric powder 10 g
Punjabi garam masala powder 15 g
Salt to taste
Lemon juice 100 ml
Ghee 50 g
Oil 100 g
Method
• Apply oil and grill the brinjals with stems over fire, to burn skin.
• When skin blackens, hold under running water.
• Gently scrub off skin. Mash brinjals and keep it aside
• Heat oil in a heavy kadai. Add cumin seeds, ginger garlic and stirfry for a minute.
• Add onions, chopped green chillies, all dry masalas, except red chilli powder, stir for a minute more. Add tomatoes, brinjals, salt, lemon juice and stir.
• Simmer for five minutes. Take in serving bowl.
• Just before serving, heat ghee in a small pan.
• Hold pan over bowl, add chilli powder, and pour immediately over bhartha.
• Do not allow the chilli powder to burn.
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves
Serve hot with tandoori roti, paratha, etc
Paneer matar
Ingredients:
• Paneer 1 kg
• Green peas ½ kg
• Onion ½ kg
• Ginger-garlic paste 150 g
• Yogurt 250 g
• Red chilli powder 100 g
• Coriander powder 150 g
• Cumin powder 15 g
• Tomatoes ½ kg
• Cashew nut paste 200 g
• Garam masala 50 g
• Khoya 200 g
• Cream 250 g
• Green chillies 50 g
• Coriander leaves 1 big bunch
• Saffron (optional) 1 g
• Oil 200 ml
• Salt to taste
Method:
• Make puree out of tomato in a blender.
• Boil the onions in water for few minutes, strain and puree.
• Heat oil in a pan, add ginger-garlic paste stir for few minutes, then add boiled onion paste. Stir for few minutes and add red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala and cumin powder. Stir and add tomato puree and salt.
• Cook till oil leaves the masala, add yogurt, cashew paste beaten to a smooth texture and stir.
• Cook for 10-12 minutes till the oil leaves the masala. Add little water, green peas and saffron. Cook till green peas are tender.
• Cut the fresh paneer into cubes and fry in oil till golden. Dip in cold and turmeric water.
• Squeeze the paneer and add to the gravy.
• Lastly add the cream, grated khoya and serve hot garnished with fresh coriander leaves and slit green chillies.
Jeera pulao
Ingredients:
• Saffron 1 g
• Basmati rice 4 kg
• Ghee ½ kg
• Bay leaves 10 g
• Cumin seeds 100 g
• Green peas 1 kg
• Green chillies 50 g
• Cashews 200 g
• Raisins 100 g
Method:
• Soak the saffron in little warm milk for an hour.
• Wash the basmati rice and allow soaking for about a half hour. Drain.
• Heat oil to medium high heat, add cumin seeds, whole garam masala, bayleaves, slit green chillies, ginger garlic paste and mint leaves and sauté' till they turn golden brown and then add the drained rice, saute for about five minutes and then add the twice the amount of hot water and cook till done. (When rice is about 1/2 to 3/4 cooked, mix in the saffron milk, nuts, raisins and peas)
• To serve, remove rice to serving dish and fluff with large fork and spoon. Most of the rice grains should be separate. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and mint leaves
Note: If not using saffron be sure to add about 1 tbsp lemon juice to the soaking rice to maintain the white colour. Also, use vegetable oil in place of ghee.
Lauki ka raita
Ingredients:
• Bottle gourd 4 kg
• Yoghurt 2 litres
• Cumin seeds (roasted) 30 g
• Black salt 10 g
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves 1 big bunch
Method:
• Peel, grate and soak bottle gourd in hot water for 5 minutes
• Squeeze out every drop of water and pour the beaten yoghurt over it.
• Temper with cumin seeds, add the salt and black salt and garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve it chilled
Murgh Makhanwalla

Ingredients
Marinade
Chicken 7 kg
Chilli powder 200 g
Lemon juice 100 g
Yogurt (hung curd) 2 litres
Ginger & garlic paste 250 g
Cumin powder 100 g
Garam masala powder 150 g
Kasoori methi (dried) 100 g
Tandoori color 10 g
Mustard oil 200 ml
Salt to taste

Method
•
Skin, wash and clean the chicken. Make incisions with a sharp knife on breast and leg pieces.
• Apply a little of kashmiri red chilli powder, lemon juice and salt to the chicken and keep it aside for half an hour.
• Remove whey of yogurt by hanging it in a muslin cloth for 6 – 8 hours
• Mix kashmiri red chilli powder, salt, ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice, garam masala, crushed dried kasoori methi leaves and cumin powder and mustard oil to the yogurt.
• Apply this marinade onto the chicken pieces and refrigerate for approximately four hours.
• Put the chicken onto the skewers and cook in a moderately hot tandoor or a pre-heated oven (200 degrees Celsius) for ten to twelve minutes or until almost done.
• Baste it with butter and cook for another four minutes.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE GRAVY
• Butter ½ kg
• Onion 1 kg
• Garam masala 50 g
• Ginger&garlic paste 100 g
• Green chillies 50 g
• Tomatoes 2 kg
• Chili powder 100 g
• Cashew nuts 250 g
• Dried fenugreek leaves 50 g
• Heavy cream 250 g
• Salt to taste
METHOD
• Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in. boiled onion paste, ginger, garlic paste, green chile slits. Saute until brown, then stir in tomato puree, chili powder, salt, garam masala and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low simmer, add fenugreek leaves and add the cashew nut paste, boil for few minutes
• Add the tandoored chicken into the gravy and continue cooking for another 15-20 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink inside. Stir in fresh cream and serve hot with naan or tandoori roti
.
Gajeralla
Ingredients:
• Juicy orange carrots 5 kg
• Milk 5 litres
• Sugar 2 kg
• Cardamom powder 15 g
• Saffron 1 g
• Ghee 500 g
• Khoya 1 kg
• Almonds, pista 200 g
• Cashews and raisins 200 g
Method:
• Peel and grate carrots
• Put milk and carrots in a heavy saucepan. Boil till thick, stirring occasionally. Once it starts thickening, stir continuously.
• Add sugar and cook further till thickens.
• Add ghee, cardamom powder and saffron.
• Stir on low heat till the mixture collects in a soft ball or the ghee oozes out and sprinkle grated khoya.
• Serve hot, decorated with chopped almonds or pista