European cuisine, or alternatively Western cuisine is a generalized nomenclature for people especially from East and Southeast Asian countries referring collectively to the cuisines of the Western countries including Europe, Russia, North America, and Australasia, Oceania, and Latin America [1]. This term is rarely used in the West except in the context of contrasting with Asian styles of cooking. It is analogous to Westerners referring collectively the cuisines of Asian countries as Asian cuisine. The cuisines of Western countries are diverse by themselves, although there are common characteristics that distinguish Western cooking from cuisines of Asian countries [2]. Compared with traditional cooking of Asian countries, meat is more prominent and substantial in serving, and Westerners traditionally have a far more in depth knowledge concerning specific methods of preparing and serving different cuts of meat than Asians[3]. Steak in particular is a common dish across the West. Western cuisines also put in substantial emphasis on sauce (or called gravy in meat dishes) as condiments, seasonings, or accompaniments due to the difficulty of seasonings penetrating larger pieces of meat used in cooking. Plenty of dairy products are utilized in the cooking process, except for the nouvelle cuisine days [4]. Spices are more prominent than many East and Southeast Asian cuisines due to the heavy use of meat [5]. Carbohydrate staples play a more minor role than Asian cuisines. Restaurants advertised to be specializing in generic Western cuisine in Asia tend to have menus containing a mixture of dishes mainly from France, the English-speaking world, and Germany. Since the early 1990s dishes from Italy and Spain have become more prominent on these restaurants' menus.
Contents |
Eastern European cuisines
- Belarusian cuisine
- Bulgarian cuisine
- Czech cuisine
- Hungarian cuisine
- Jewish cuisine
- Polish cuisine
- Romanian cuisine
- Russian cuisine
- Slovak cuisine
- Slovenian cuisine
- Ukrainian cuisine
Northern European cuisines
- British cuisine
- Nordic cuisine
- Irish cuisine
- Latvian cuisine
- Lithuanian cuisine
Southern European cuisines
- Albanian Cuisine
- Bosnian cuisine
- Croatian cuisine
- Turkish cuisine
- Cypriot cuisine
- Gibraltarian cuisine
- Greek cuisine
- Italian cuisine
- Slav Macedonian cuisine
- Maltese cuisine
- Montenegrin cuisine
- Portuguese cuisine
- Serbian cuisine
- Spanish cuisine
Western European cuisines
- Austrian cuisine
- Belgian cuisine
- Dutch cuisine
- German cuisine
- French cuisine
- Luxembourgian cuisine
- Swiss cuisine
See also
- European cuisine
- Cuisine of the Mediterranean
- Eastern European cuisine
- Medieval cuisine
- Early modern European cuisine
References
- ^ Lai Tzi-chuen, Practical Western Cookbook, pg 39, Food Paradise Publishing Co, Hong Kong, 1986
- ^ Kwan Shuk-yan, Selected Occidental Cookeries and Delicacies, pg 23, Food Paradise Publishing Co, Hong Kong, 1988
- ^ Lin Ch'ing, First Steps to European Cooking, pg 5, Wan Li Publishings Co, Hong Kong, 1977
- ^ Kwan Shuk-yan, pg 26
- ^ Lin Ch'ing, pg 1
This article is part of the Cuisine series | |
|---|---|
| Regional Cuisines | Asia · Europe · Caribbean · South Asia · Latin America · Middle East · North America · Africa · Other cuisines... |
| Foods | Bread · Pasta · Cheese · Rice · Sauces · Soups · Desserts · Herbs and spices - Other ingredients |
| Preparation techniques and cooking items | Techniques · Utensils · Weights and measures |
| See also | Kitchens · Meals · |
