European cuisine
European cuisine comprises the cuisines of Europe[1][2] including the cuisines brought to other countries by European settlers and colonists. Sometimes the term "European", or more specifically "continental" cuisine, is used to refer more strictly to the cuisine of the western parts of mainland Europe.
The cuisines of Western countries are diverse, although there are common characteristics that distinguish them from those of other regions.[3] Compared with traditional cooking of East Asia, meat is more prominent and substantial in serving size.[4] Steak and cutlets in particular are common dishes across the West.[dubious ] Western cuisines also emphasize grape wine[dubious ] and sauces as condiments, seasonings, or accompaniments (in part due to the difficulty of seasonings penetrating the often larger pieces of meat used in Western cooking). Many dairy products are utilised in cooking.[5] There are hundreds of varieties of cheese and other fermented milk products. White wheat-flour bread has long been the prestige starch, but historically, most people ate bread, flatcakes, or porridge made from rye, spelt, barley, and oats.[6][7] The better-off also made pasta, dumplings and pastries. The potato has become a major starch plant in the diet of Europeans and their diaspora since the European colonisation of the Americas. Maize is much less common in most European diets than it is in the Americas; however, corn meal (polenta or mămăligă) is a major part of the cuisine of Italy and the Balkans. Although flatbreads (especially with toppings such as pizza or tarte flambée) and rice are eaten in Europe, they are only staple foods in limited areas, particularly in Southern Europe. Salads (cold dishes with uncooked or cooked vegetables, sometimes with a dressing) are an integral part of European cuisine.
Formal European dinners are served in distinct courses. European presentation evolved from service à la française, or bringing multiple dishes to the table at once, into service à la russe, where dishes are presented sequentially. Usually, cold, hot and savoury, and sweet dishes are served strictly separately in this order, as hors d'oeuvre (appetizer) or soup, as entrée and main course, and as dessert. Dishes that are both sweet and savoury were common earlier in Ancient Roman cuisine, but are today uncommon, with sweet dishes being served only as dessert. A service where the guests are free to take food by themselves is termed a buffet, and is usually restricted to parties or holidays. Nevertheless, guests are expected to follow the same pattern.
Historically, European cuisine has been developed in the European royal and noble courts. European nobility was usually arms-bearing and lived in separate manors in the countryside. The knife was the primary eating implement (cutlery), and eating steaks and other foods that require cutting followed. This contrasted with East Asian cuisine, where the ruling class were the court officials, who had their food prepared ready to eat in the kitchen, to be eaten with chopsticks. The knife was supplanted by the spoon for soups, while the fork was introduced later in the early modern period, ca. 16th century. Today, most dishes are intended to be eaten with cutlery and only a few finger foods can be eaten with the hands in polite company.
History[edit]
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Medieval[edit]
In medieval times, a person's diet varied depending on their social class. Cereal grains made up a lot of a medieval person's diet, regardless of social class. Bread was common to both classes- it was taken as a lunch for the working man, and thick slices of it were used as plates called trenchers.[8] People of the noble class had access to finely ground flours for their breads and other baked goods. Noblemen were allowed to hunt for deer, boar, rabbits, birds, and other animals, giving them access to fresh meat and fish for their meals.[9] Dishes for people of these classes were often heavily spiced.[10] Spices at that time were very expensive, and the more spices used in dishes, the more wealth the person had to be able to purchase such ingredients. Common spices used were cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, pepper, cumin, cloves, turmeric, anise, and saffron.[11] Other ingredients used in dishes for the nobility and clergy included sugar, almonds and dried fruits like raisins.[12] These imported ingredients would have been very expensive and nearly impossible for commoners to obtain. When banquets were held, the dishes served would be very spectacular- another way for the noblemen to show how rich they were. Sugar sculptures would be placed on the tables as decoration and to eat, and foods would be dyed vibrant colors with imported spices.[13]
The diet of a commoner would have been much more simple. Strict poaching laws prevented them from hunting, and if they did hunt and were caught, they could have parts of their limbs cut off or they could be killed.[14] Much of the commoners food would have been preserved in some way, such as through pickling or by being salted.[15] Breads would have been made using rye or barley, and any vegetables would likely have been grown by the commoners themselves.[16] Peasants would have likely been able to keep cows, and so would have access to milk, which then allowed them to make butter or cheese.[17] When meat was eaten, it would have been beef, pork, or lamb. Commoners also ate a dish called pottage, a thick stew of vegetables, grains, and meat.[18]
Early modern era[edit]
In the early modern era, European cuisine saw an influx of new ingredients due to the Columbian Exchange, such as the potato, tomato, eggplant, chocolate, bell pepper, pumpkins, and other squash. Distilled spirits, along with tea, coffee, and chocolate were all popularized during this time. In the 1780s, the idea of the modern restaurant was introduced in Paris; the French Revolution accelerated its development, quickly spreading around Europe.
Central European cuisines[edit]
All of these countries have their specialities.[19] Austria is famous for Wiener Schnitzel - a breaded veal cutlet served with a slice of lemon, the Czech Republic for world renowned beers. Germany for world-famous wursts, Hungary for goulash. Slovakia is famous for gnocchi-like Halusky pasta. Slovenia is known for German and Italian influenced cuisine, Poland for world-famous Pierogis which are a cross between a ravioli and an empanada. Liechtenstein and German speaking Switzerland are famous for Rösti and French speaking Switzerland for fondue and Raclettes.
- Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine
- Austrian cuisine
- Czech cuisine
- German cuisine
- Hungarian cuisine
- Polish cuisine
- Liechtensteiner cuisine
- Silesian cuisine
- Slovak cuisine
- Slovenian cuisine
- Swiss cuisine
Austrian strudel
Austrian Wiener Schnitzel
Czech Smažený sýr
Czech Svíčková
German Currywurst
German potato salad
German Sauerbraten
Hungarian goulash
Polish bagel
Polish pierogi
Slovakian Bryndzové halušky
Slovenian Idrijski žlikrofi
Slovenian Prekmurska gibanica
Swiss fondue
Swiss raclette
Eastern European/Caucasian cuisines[edit]
- Armenian cuisine
- Azerbaijani cuisine
- Belarusian cuisine
- Bulgarian cuisine
- Georgian cuisine
- Kazakh cuisine
- Moldovan cuisine
- Romanian cuisine
- Russian cuisine
- Ukrainian cuisine
Armenian khorovats
Azerbaijani Gürzə
Bashkir and Tatar Öçpoçmaq
Belarusian potato babka
Bulgarian banitsa
Circassian Haliva
Crimean Tatar chiburekki
Georgian khachapuri
Kazakh beshbarmak
Moldovan Tochitură
Romanian Cocoloși
Romanian mititei
Russian beef Stroganoff
Russian pirozhki
Russian pelmeni
Ukrainian borscht
Ukrainian pampushka
Ukrainian pysanka
Northern European cuisines[edit]
- British cuisine
- Danish cuisine
- Estonian cuisine
- Finnish cuisine
- Icelandic cuisine
- Irish cuisine
- Latvian cuisine
- Lithuanian cuisine
- Livonian cuisine
- Norwegian cuisine
- Sami cuisine
- Swedish cuisine
British bangers and mash
British Sunday roast
British trifle
Cornish pasty
Danish stegt flæsk
English fish and chips
English full breakfast
English roast beef
Estonian kama dessert
Faroese tvøst og spik
Finnish leipäjuusto
Icelandic Hákarl
Irish breakfast roll
Latvian layered rye bread
Lithuanian cepelinai
Livonian Sklandrausis
Northern Irish pastie supper
Norwegian fårikål
Norwegian krumkake
Sami Sautéed reindeer
Scottish haggis
Scottish Scotch pie
Swedish cinnamon roll
Swedish smörgåsbord
Swedish surströmming
Welsh crumpet
Southern European cuisines[edit]
- Albanian cuisine
- Aromanian cuisine
- Bosnian cuisine
- Croatian cuisine
- Cypriot cuisine
- Gibraltarian cuisine
- Greek cuisine
- Italian cuisine
- Macedonian cuisine
- Maltese cuisine
- Montenegrin cuisine
- Ottoman cuisine
- Portuguese cuisine
- Sammarinese cuisine
- Sephardic Jewish cuisine
- Serbian cuisine
- Spanish cuisine
- Turkish cuisine
Albanian Tavë kosi
Andalusian gazpacho
Aromanian Metsovone
Balearic ensaïmada
Basque talo
Bosnian ćevapi
Canarian Papas arrugadas
Catalan pa amb tomàquet
Cretan Dakos
Croatian Licitar
Croatian Zagorski štrukli
Cypriot Afelia
Greek gyros
Greek spanakopita
Greek souvlaki
Italian gelato
Italian polenta
Italian spaghetti
Lombard risotto
Macedonian Tavče gravče
Madrilenian squid sandwich
Maltese pastizz
Montenegrin njeguški pršut
Neapolitan pizza
Portuguese bacalhau
Portuguese Cozido à portuguesa
Roman Carciofi alla Romana
Sammarinese Bustrengo
Sardinian casu martzu
Serbian Pljeskavica
Sicilian cannoli
Spanish churro
Spanish tapas
Turkish doner kebab
Turkish macun
Valencian paella
Venetian carpaccio
Western European cuisines[edit]
- Belgian cuisine
- Dutch cuisine
- French cuisine
- Luxembourgian cuisine
- Mennonite cuisine
- Monégasque cuisine
- Occitan cuisine
Belgian moules-frites
Belgian waffle
Corsican fritelli
Dutch kibbeling
French pot-au-feu
French quiche
Luxembourgian Judd mat Gaardebounen
Monégasque Barbajuan
Occitan aligot
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Culinary Cultures of Europe: Identity, Diversity and Dialogue. Council of Europe.
- ^ "European Cuisine." Europeword.com Archived 2017-10-09 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed July 2011.
- ^ Kwan Shuk-yan (1988). Selected Occidental Cookeries and Delicacies, p. 23. Hong Kong: Food Paradise Pub. Co.
- ^ Lin Ch'ing (1977). First Steps to European Cooking, p. 5. Hong Kong: Wan Li Pub. Co.
- ^ Kwan Shuk-yan, pg 26
- ^ Alfio Cortonesi, "Self-sufficiency and the Market: Rural and Urban Diet in the Middle Ages", in Jean-Louis Flandrin, Massimo Montanari, Food: A Culinary History from Antiquity to the Present, 1999, ISBN 0231111541, p. 268ff
- ^ Michel Morineau, "Growing without Knowing Why: Production, Demographics, and Diet", in Jean-Louis Flandrin, Massimo Montanari, Food: A Culinary History from Antiquity to the Present, 1999, ISBN 0231111541, p. 380ff
- ^ "British Library". www.bl.uk. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
- ^ "Middle Ages Food and Diet". www.lordsandladies.org. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
- ^ "British Library". www.bl.uk. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
- ^ "Middle Ages Food and Diet". www.lordsandladies.org. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
- ^ "British Library". www.bl.uk. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
- ^ "British Library". www.bl.uk. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
- ^ "Middle Ages Food and Diet". www.lordsandladies.org. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
- ^ "British Library". www.bl.uk. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
- ^ "Middle Ages Food and Diet". www.lordsandladies.org. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
- ^ "Middle Ages Food and Diet". www.lordsandladies.org. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
- ^ "British Library". www.bl.uk. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
- ^ "Cuisine from Central Europe". Visit Europe. Archived from the original on 23 August 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
Further reading[edit]
- Albala, Ken (2003). Food in Early Modern Europe. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 0313319626. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
- R & R Publishing (2005). European Cuisine: The Best in European Food. Cpg Incorporated. ISBN 1740225279. Retrieved 6 June 2017.