Cuisines around the Globe.
Food is just another way to know more about a country. Many countries have cooking traditions using various spices or combinations of flavors unique to that culture that evolves over time. Some popular types of foods include Italian, American and Mexican. The most delicious, traditional and unique cuisine is Mexican food; it is known for its varied flavors, colorful decoration, and variety of spices and ingredients. American food is known for a cultural mix in its cuisine, and Italian food for its variety depending on the regions, and for keeping the cooking style simple and easy to prepare. Although each cuisine is delicious, there are some differences that make them stand out among the others. Some countries have diversified their foods by variety, flavors and the utensils they use to prepare it.
Mexican, American and Italian cuisines vary by region. Mexican food depends on the weather, geography and ethnicity. The north of Mexico is known for its beef, goat, ostrich, and meat dishes. Central Mexico's cuisine is largely influenced by the rest of the country, but has unique dishes such as barbacoa, pozole, menudo, and carnitas. The cuisine of South Mexico has a lot of Caribbean influence due to its location. Seafood is commonly prepared in states that border the Pacific Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico. The variety of Italian food is huge. Because it is divided into nineteen regions, this means there are nineteen different types of Italian food. In contrast with Mexican food that is only divided in three regions, it is harder to know nineteen types of food than three. The use of a lot of cheese, pasta and tomato in its food is another things that contrast Italian and Mexican food. So, I’m going to divide the Italian cuisine into three regions, north, central, and south. Northern Italy’s most common plates are polenta, risotto, and hearty soups. Southern Italy is best known for pizza, minestra marinata, a soup that combines pork fat and boiled greens. Another plate is the Maccheroni, it is made with little meatballs, sliced hardboiled eggs, pieces of artichoke, salame, and cheese. And central Italy is known for Tortellini of Emilia and the Cappelletti of Romagna. In contrast, the variety of American food like Sandy Moyer says is:
One characteristic of American cooking is the fusion of multiple ethnic or regional approaches into completely new cooking styles. Asian cooking has played a particularly large role in American fusion cuisine. Similarly, while some dishes considered typically American many have their origins in other countries, American cooks and chefs have substantially altered them over the years, to the degree that the dish as now enjoyed the world over are considered to be American. Hot dogs and hamburgers are both based on traditional German dishes, brought over to America by German immigrants to the United States, but in their modern popular form they can be reasonably considered American dishes. (Lee, 1)
Flavor is essential for people to like the food of another country. Sometimes, they do not like the food because they are used to another kind of flavor in their regional cuisine. “Mexico is probably the best neighbor a food-lover could have, when you consider the natural bounty of this rich and varied country”(Elaine, 1). Most of the ingredients that give Mexican food this special flavor are chili powder, cumin, oregano, cilantro, epazote, cinnamon, garlic, onions, and cocoa. In contrast, American food uses a lot of fat, butter, and oils. And most of the flavors they have in their food come from other nations and other cultures. Both San Francisco and New York City are famous for Chinese food; this is due to their heavy immigrant populations. In New Mexico, the blending of Native American and Spanish foods gives a mix of flavors sparked with native herbs and spices. The article of Italian Cuisine, Flavors of Italy reports: “Italian cuisine is regarded and imitated all over the world for its robust flavor”(1). The northern and southern Italian cuisines are different by the style of pasta and the amount of cooking fat commonly used. Northern Italian cuisine is characterized by less use of olive oil, pasta, and tomato sauce and more use of butter or lard, rice, corn for polenta, and chesse for cream sauces.
Mexican, American, and Italian cuisines use different utensils to prepare their food. In Mexican cuisine, they use different utensils that are unique and no other cuisine uses it. One example is the Metate that is a large tool made of stone or lava rock. It consists of a large stone surface with 3 short legs, and it is used to mix things. Another one is the Molcajete that is a small wood, stone, or clay bowl with a cylinder of the same material, most of the time it is used to make salsa. In contrast, American cuisine is more likely to use a grill, since most of the food they eat is grilled. While in Italian cuisine they use more utensils to cut than to prepare and, these kinds of utensils are more commercial, so most of the other cuisines use them. One example is a pasta machine that makes cuts in different shapes and it is attached to the table.
The food in different parts of the world may vary because of different circumstances. For example, how they prepare it, the ingredients they use, and their history. Some of them vary depending on their country’s regions, other have a mix of a lot of other cuisines, and some like Mexican cuisine are the ones that stand for themselves having special things that make it unique and interesting. For me at least, Mexican cuisine will be always be one of a kind and the very best.
Works Cited.
Elaine Sosa,”Ethnic Cuisine: Mexico”,2020.Web http://www.sallybernstein.com/
food/cuisines/mexico/. 10-29-10
Italian Cuisine, Flavors of Italy. http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/italian-cuisine
flavors-of-italy-732612.html.10-29-10
Lee. "Asian Cuisine & Foods." Asian-Nation: The Landscape of Asian America.
2010 (November 19, 2010).
Sandy Moyer, “Hamburgers & Hot Dogs” - All-American Food!,
United States Regional Cuisine, http://american-cuisine.pdqguides.com/United-States
