Cuisine: A Unique Type of Food

Cuisine is a type of food cooked in a specific way depending on ingredients, region & traditions. Learn more about different types & styles.

Cuisine: A Unique Type of Food

Cuisine is a type of food that is cooked in a specific way, depending on the ingredients, region, and traditions of a culture. For instance, if you are a fan of cannoli, a visit to Chinatown would not be the best idea since cheese is more characteristic of Italian cuisine. Recently, I had a conversation with a friend about the use of the kitchen versus food. I argued that we have a wide selection of kitchens around here, while she thought it would be more appropriate to use food instead.

I had to explain that cooking is a term used to describe the cooking style of food, while food is simply what we eat. After this discussion, my friend now uses the word kitchen instead of food. She was convinced that cooking and food were the same thing. Can you help me prove her wrong? For example, foods preserved for winter consumption by smoking, curing and pickling have been important in world cuisine due to their altered taste properties.

New Zealand cuisine consists of European-inspired dishes such as Pavlova and native Maori cuisine. Regional cuisines may vary depending on the availability and use of specific ingredients, local culinary traditions and practices, and general cultural differences. Regional cuisines include North American cuisine, Mexican cuisine, Central American cuisine, South American cuisine and Caribbean cuisine. Similarly, national dishes have variations such as gyros in Greek cuisine and hamburgers in American cuisine.

We usually use this word with country adjectives (Italian cuisine, Brazilian cuisine, Moroccan cuisine) or ethnic or regional (Cajun cuisine, Jewish cuisine, South Indian cuisine). European cuisine (alternatively known as Western cuisine) includes the cuisines of Europe and other Western countries. European cuisine also includes non-indigenous cuisines from North America, Australasia, Oceania and Latin America. Because Guangdong is located on the southern coast of China, fresh seafood is a specialty of Cantonese cuisine.

A global kitchen is a type of cooking that is practiced all over the world and can be classified according to the common use of main food products such as cereals, agricultural products and cooking fats. The introduction of hot pepper to China from South America at the end of the 17th century greatly influenced Sichuan cuisine which combines the original flavor (with the use of Sichuan pepper) with the flavor of the newly introduced hot pepper creating a unique mala () flavor that is both spicy and pungent. African cuisine uses a combination of locally available fruits, cereals and vegetables as well as milk and meat products. In Italy for instance, the northern cuisine which uses butter and rice contrasts with that of the south which uses wheat pasta and olive oil. The French could say 'cuisine delicat' (a type of cooking that produces delicate foods) or 'haute cuisine' (a kitchen capable of producing food in the most refined traditional French way - literally 'the tallest kitchen') but they have other words for food.

Oceanic cuisines include Australian cuisine, New Zealand cuisine and the cuisines of many other islands or island groups throughout Oceania. Australian cuisine consists of the cooking style of immigrants from Anglo-Celtic origin as well as wild food prepared and consumed by native Australian aborigines plus several more recent Asian influences.

Joanne Thomas
Joanne Thomas

Subtly charming social mediaholic. Unapologetic twitter scholar. Friendly travel evangelist. Extreme coffee specialist. Passionate beer practitioner. Avid beer buff.

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