Polish Cuisine

Polish kitchen (Polish: kuchnia polska) is a mixture of Slavic and foreign culinary traditions. Born as a mixture of various culinary traditions, both of various regions of Poland and surrounding cultures, it uses a large variety of ingredients. It is rich in meat of all kinds and with spices, as well as in different kinds of noodles and dumplings, the most notable of which are the pierogi. It is related to other Slavic cuisines in usage of kasza and other cereals, but was also under the heavy influence of Turkic, Germanic, Hungarian, Jewish, French or colonial cuisines of the past. Generally speaking, Polish cuisine is rich, substantial and relatively high in fat. Poles allow themselves a generous amount of time in order to enjoy their meals.

A typical lunch is usually composed of at least three courses, starting with a soup, such as barszcz (beet) or żurek (sour rye meal mash), followed perhaps in a restaurant by an appetizer of salmon or herring (prepared in either cream, oil or vinegar).

Other popular appetizers are various meats, vegetables or fish in aspic. The main course may be the national dish, bigos (sauerkraut with pieces of meat and sausage) or kotlet schabowy (breaded pork cutlet). Meals often finish with a dessert such as ice cream, makowiec (home-made poppy seed cake), or drożdżówka, a type of yeast cake. Other Polish specialities include chłodnik (a chilled beet or fruit soup for hot days), golonka (pork knuckles cooked with vegetables), kołduny (meat dumplings), zrazy (slices of beef), salceson and flaczki (tripe). Many dishes contain quark.

Northern Europe

English cuisine

English cuisine is shaped by the country's temperate climate, its island geography and its history. The latter includes interactions with other European countries, and the importing of ingredients and ideas from places such as North America, China and India during the time of the British Empire and as a result of post-war immigration.

As a result, traditional foods with ancient origins, such as bread and cheese, roasted and stewed meats, meat and game pies, and freshwater and saltwater fish, are now matched in popularity by potatoes, tomatoes and chillies from the Americas, spices and curries from India and Bangladesh, and stir-fries based on Chinese and Thai cooking. French cuisine and Italian cuisine, once considered alien, are also now admired and copied. Britain was also quick to adopt the innovation of fast food from the United States, and continues to absorb culinary ideas from all over the world.

These trends are exemplified by the ubiquitous spaghetti bolognese which has been a common family meal in Britain since at least the 1960s. More recently there has been a huge growth in the popularity of dishes influenced by the Indian Sub-Continent (a throwback to the times of British influence in the region), though modified to suit British tastes.

The British curry, essentially a holdover from the days of the British Raj (and subsequently embellished by immigrants), may be hotter and spicier than the traditional North Indian variety, though Bangladeshis and Southern Indians find it insipid. The post-war introduction of refrigeration, in parallel with the rise of the supermarket, has led to the packaging of such foods into oven-ready meals which, often cooked by microwave oven, which are used widely for their practicality however they are rarely eaten every day in place of a home cooked meal.
New cuisine

The increasing popularity of celebrity chefs on television has fuelled a renewed awareness of good food and New British cuisine has shaken off much of the stodgy "fish and chips" image. The best London restaurants rival those anywhere in the world, in both quality and price, and this influence is starting to be felt in the rest of the country. There is even a wave of chefs struggling to retain the classic greatness of British country cooking, for example Fergus Henderson.

There has been a massive boom in restaurant numbers driven by a renewed interest in quality food, possibly due to the availability of cheap foreign travel. Organic produce is increasingly popular, especially following a spate of farming crises, including BSE.

There has also been a quiet revolution in both quality and quantity of places to dine out in Britain, in particular, the humble Public House has been transformed in the last twenty or so years. Many have made the transition from eateries of poor reputation to rivals of the best restaurants, the so called Gastropub — very often they now are the best restaurants in smaller towns. The term "Pub Grub", once derogatory, can now be a sign of excellent value and quality dining. Some credit for this sea change has to go to the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), for helping to improve the quality of pubs and their products in general, and some to the privatisation of breweries, which forced many pubs to diversify into dining in order to survive as a business, as well as a greater appreciation and demand among consumers.

Traditional cuisine

The Sunday roast is perhaps the most common feature of English cooking. The Sunday dinner traditionally includes roast potatoes accompanying a roasted joint of meat such as roast beef, lamb , or a roast chicken and assorted vegetables, themselves generally roasted or boiled and served with a thick gravy. Yorkshire pudding and gravy is often served as an accompaniment to the main course. Since its wide-spread availability after World War II the most popular Christmas roast is Turkey. Game meats such as venison which were traditionally the domain of higher classes are occasionally also eaten by those wishing to experiment with a wider choice of foods, due to their promotion by Celebrity Chefs, such as Antony Worrall Thompson, although it is not generally eaten regularly in the average household.

At home, the British have many original home-made desserts such as rhubarb crumble, bread and butter pudding, trifle and spotted dick. The traditional accompaniment is custard, known as crème anglaise (English sauce or English Cream) to the French. The dishes are simple and traditional, with recipes passed on from generation to generation. There is also Christmas pudding.

Notably, England is famous for its fish and chips and has a huge number of restaurants and take-away shops catering to it. It is possibly the most popular and uniquely English dish, and is traditionally served with a side order of mushy peaswith salt and vinegar as condiments. The advent of take-away foods during the industrial revolution, led to foods such as fish and chips, mushy peas, and steak and kidney pie with mashed potato (pie and mash). These were the staples of the UK take-away business, indeed English diets for many years, though ethnic influences, particularly Indian and Chinese, have led to the introduction of ethnic take-away foods. From the 1980s onwards, a new variant on curry, the balti, began to become popular in the West Midlands, and by the mid 1990s was commonplace in Indian restaurants and takeaways over the country. Kebab houses, pizza restaurants and American-style fried chicken restaurants aiming at late night snacking have also become popular in urban areas.

At teatime, especially in Devon and neighbouring counties, meals eaten include scones with jam and butter or clotted cream, while nationwide, assorted biscuits and sandwiches are often eaten. Teatime is not practised by many British people in the 21st century, having been replaced by snacking, or simply ignored, although regional variations do exist and many areas such as Devon and Cornwall feature establishments catering to tourists with traditional cream teas.

The full English breakfast (also known as "cooked breakfast" or "fried breakfast") also remains a culinary classic. Its contents vary, but it normally consists of a combination of bacon, grilled tomatoes, fried bread, black pudding, baked beans, fried mushrooms, sausages, eggs (fried, scrambled or boiled) and other variations on these ingredients and others. Hash browns are sometimes added, though this is not considered traditional.

Bacon Sandwiches, often referred to as "bacon sarnies" or "bacon butties" are commonplace as well, sometimes eaten as an informal outdoor breakfast or in midmorning as a workplace snack.

A unique sandwich filling is Marmite, a dark brown savoury spread made from yeast extract, with a thick sticky texture and a strong, salty taste. There are also butterfly cakes, simple small sponge cakes which can be iced or eaten plain.

Tea, usually served with milk, is consumed throughout the day and is sometimes drunk with meals. Coffee is perhaps a little less common than in continental Europe, but is still drunk by many, typically with milk. Italian coffee preparations such as espresso and cappuccino are popular, especially in more urban areas, while tea, though is still an essential part of British life. In recent years herbal teas and specialty teas have become popular. In more formal contexts wine can be served with meals, though for semi-formal and informal meals bitter (beer) or cider may also be drunk.

In the Victorian era, during the British Raj, Britain first started borrowing Indian dishes, creating Anglo-Indian cuisine, some of which is still eaten today although many once-popular Anglo-Indian dishes such as kedgeree have largely faded from the scene.

Another formal British culinary tradition rarely observed today is the consumption of a savoury course, such as Welsh rarebit, toward the conclusion of a meal. This now though maybe eaten as a snack or a light lunch or supper. Most main meals today end with a sweet dessert, although cheese and biscuits may be consumed as an alternative or as an addition. In Yorkshire, fruit cake is often served with Wensleydale cheese. For formal meals, coffee is a usual culminatory drink.

Reputation abroad

English cuisine still suffers from a relatively poor international reputation, being typically represented by dishes consisting of simply cooked meats and vegetables that need to be accompanied by bottled sauces or other condiments after cooking to make them more palatable. Many Francophiles think that food served in England often fails to reach the same general level of excellence that can easily be found across the English Channel in France. In fact French president Jacques Chirac in 2005 openly proclaimed that English food was the second-worst in Europe, after Finnish. This view of English food is changing, the poor reputation originated from poor quality foods in resturants that did not really represent the quality or taste of food cooked in homes. Jacques Chiracs comments where widely condemned for being out of date and out of touch. Traditional English food, with its heavy emphasis on 'meat-vegetable-and-potatoes' falls squarely into the north European tradition extending from Austria and Germany to the Low Countries and Scandinavia, albeit with a marked French influence.

During the Middle Ages, English cuisine enjoyed an excellent reputation, its decline can be firmly traced back to the mid 20th century when the quality was compounded by the effects of rationing during two World Wars (rationing finally ended in 1954), followed by the increasing trend toward industrialised mass production of food. However, in Britain today there is more interest in food than there has ever been before, with celebrity chefs leading the drive toward raising the standard of food in the UK.

In 2005 British cuisine reached new heights when 600 food critics writing for Restaurant magazine named 14 British restaurants among the 50 best restaurants in the world with the number one spot going to The Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire and its chef Heston Blumenthal.

Despite the availability of better quality fare, pre-packaged "ready meals" that require little preparation time have become more popular over the last 30 years - but they have themselves advanced considerably from their very basic beginnings

French Cuisine

French cuisine is considered to be one of the world's most refined and elegant styles of cooking, and is renowned for both its classical ("haute cuisine") and provincial styles. Many of the world's greatest chefs, such as Taillevent, La Varenne, Carême, Escoffier, and Bocuse, are or were masters of French cuisine. Additionally, French cooking techniques have been a major influence on virtually all Western cuisines, and almost all culinary schools use French cuisine as the basis for all other forms of Western cooking.

French cuisine is characterized by its extreme diversity, and style. Traditionally, each region of France has its own distinctive cuisine:

Cuisine from northwest France uses butter, cream, and apples

Cuisine from southwest France uses duck fat, foie gras, porcini mushrooms, and gizzards

Cuisine from southeast France uses olive oil, herbs, and tomatoes, and shows deep influences from Spanish cuisine, Catalan cuisine and Italian cuisine.

Cuisine from northern France uses potatoes, pork, endives and beer, and shows Flemish cuisine influences.

Cuisine from eastern France uses lard, sausages, beer, and sauerkraut, and shows German cuisine influences.

Besides these five general areas, there are many more local cuisines, such as Loire Valley cuisine, Basque cuisine and the cuisine of Roussillon, which is similar to Catalan cuisine. With the movements of population of contemporary life, such regional differences are less noticeable than they used to be, but they are still clearly marked, and one traveling across France will notice significant changes in the ways of cooking and the dishes served. Moreover, recent focus of French consumers on local, countryside food products means that the regional cuisines are experiencing a strong revival in the early 21st century, especially as the slow food movement is gaining popularity.

What is often known outside of France as French cuisine is the traditionally elaborate haute cuisine, served in restaurants for high prices. This cuisine is mostly influenced by the regional cuisines of Lyon and northern France, with a marked touch of refinement. Average French people do not eat or prepare this cuisine in their everyday life. As a general rule, elderly people tend to eat the regional cuisine of the region where they are located, while younger people will be more inclined to eat dishes from other regions and foreign dishes. Exotic cuisines, particularly Chinese cuisine and Vietnamese cuisine and some dishes from former colonies in Northern Africa, have made inroads.

French wine and French cheese are an integral part of French cuisine, both as ingredients and accompaniments. France is known for its large ranges of wines and cheeses.

German Cuisine

German Cuisine varies greatly from region to region. The southern regions of Bavaria and Swabia share many dishes among them and with their neighbours to the south, Switzerland and Austria.

Breakfast (Frühstück) commonly consists of bread, toast, and/or bread rolls (Brötchen, Semmeln, Broodje, Schrippen, Wecken or Rundstücke) with jam, marmalade or honey, eggs, and strong coffee or tea (milk or cocoa for children). Deli meats, such as ham, salted meats and salami, are also commonly eaten on bread in the morning, as are various cheeses. A variety of meat-based spreads such as Leberwurst (literally liver-sausage) can be found during breakfast as well. Müsli and cereals such as cornflakes are also popular.

Traditionally, the main meal of the day has been lunch (Mittagessen), eaten around noon. Dinner (Abendessen or Abendbrot) was always a smaller meal, sometimes consisting only of sandwiches. However, in Germany, as in other parts of Europe, dining habits have changed quite radically over the last 50 years. Today, many people eat only a small meal in the middle of the working day and enjoy a hot dinner in the evening. Breakfast is still very popular and may be elaborated and extended on weekends, with friends invited as guests..

Mediterranean

The Mediterranean is a world unto its own when it comes to cuisine. From the oils, sauces and pastas of the Italians to the olives and complicated masterpieces of the Greeks to the exotic grains and intense flavours of the Moroccans, this region of the world covers a lot of ground. So let's begin our whirlwind tour of the tastes of the Mediterranean.

Much like the variety of its cuisine, each country in the Mediterranean region offers a wealth of culture and tradition. Get a glimpse of Christmas in Italy, Easter in Greece or a traditional wedding in Morocco to learn about the traditional celebrations of the Mediterranean.

Given the geography, these nation-states have influenced each other over time and the cooking evolved into sharing common principles. Mediterranean cuisine is characterized by its flexibility, its range of ingredients and its many regional variations. The terrain has tended to favour the raising of goats and sheep.

Fish dishes are also common, although today most of the fish is imported since the Mediterranean Sea has been overfished. Seafood is still prominent in many of the standard recipes.

Olive oil, produced from the olive trees prominent throughout Turkey, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain and other Mediterranean nations, adds to the distinctive taste of the food.

It is believed this kind of cooking, especially olive oil, is one of the factors responsible to the longevity of the Mediterranean people.

Barbecue or grilled meats, pita bread, hummus, and falafel are very popular forms of the eastern type of the cuisine.

Much like the variety of its cuisine, each country in the Mediterranean region offers a wealth of culture and tradition. Get a glimpse of Christmas in Italy, Easter in Greece or a traditional wedding in Morocco to learn about the traditional celebrations of the Mediterranean.

Let's begin in Greece. The home of famous and ancient philosophers, and a place where the food smells fantastic. The olive groves of Greece are as breathtaking as the olives themselves. You'll find calamari and octopus on menus as often as the traditional gyros and kabobs.

The flavour of Greece comes from all over the Mediterranean. Their cuisine is based on 3,500 years of local experience. It certainly shows.

Moroccan Culture

Moroccan culture can be described as a blend of Muslim and African cultures and has become very much its own. While women are still treated very much in the Muslim style, it is slowly changing due to European influence. The cooking is still regarded as "women's work" but therefore they hold the secrets to many of the regions best dishes.

Italian cuisine

Italian cuisine is extremely varied: the country of Italy was only officially unified in 1861, and its cuisines reflect the cultural variety of its regions and its diverse history (with culinary influences from Greek, Roman, Gaul, Germanic, Goth, Norman, Lombard, Frank, Turkish, Hebrew, Slavic, Arab and Chinese civilizations). Italian cuisine is imitated all over the world.

To a certain extent, there is really no such thing as Italian cuisine in the way that one usually understands national cuisines. Each area has its own proud specialties, primarily at regional level, but also even at provincial level. Italian cuisine is not only highly regionalised, it is very seasonal. The high priority placed on the use of fresh, seasonal produce distinguishes the cuisine of Italy from the imitations available in most other countries.

Regional differences

Roman cuisine, for example, uses a lot of pecorino (sheep milk cheese) and offal (frattaglie, frattaje in dialect), while Tuscan cooking features white beans, meat, and unsalted bread. Pizza also varies across the country, the crusts of pizzas in Rome are thin as crackers, while Neapolitan pizza and Sicilian pizza is thicker.

The influence of Northern Italian cuisine can be seen in French and German cuisines. Piedmont and Lombardy each grow their own different kind of rices, which are used to make risotto. The North of Italy is the home of polenta. Emilia-Romagna is known for lasagna and tortellini (stuffed pasta), mortadella, prosciutto, and parmigiano. Naples (Napoli) is the home of pizza, mozzarella cheese and pastries (babà, sfogliatelle). Calabria's cuisine uses a lot of hot pepper for its distinctive salami (that are common, in several varieties, throughout the country) and uses capsicum.

Sicily is the home of gelato (ice cream) and granita but its cuisine also has many influences from Arab cuisine (lemon, pistachio) and also includes fish (tuna, swordfish). Sardinia is famous for lamb and pecorino. Every province (sub-division of a Region) has proper desserts and many other recipes.

Northern versus Southern Italian cooking

Traditional Italian cuisine is very regional and does not follow strict North-South patterns. To most, northern and southern Italian cuisines are differentiated primarily by the north using more butter and creams and the south more tomato. In general terms, however, there is a marked difference between regional use of cooking fat and traditional style of pasta. Inland northern and north-eastern regions tend to favour more butter, cream, polenta, mascarpone, grana padano, and parmigiano cheeses, risotto, lasagna and fresh egg pasta. Coastal northern and central regions are somewhat of a bridge between north and south and often use tortellini, ravioli and are known for prosciutto. The southern regions are traditionally known for mozzarella, caciocavallo, and pecorino cheeses, olive oil, and dried pasta. Southern Italian cuisine also makes far greater use of the ubiquitous tomato.

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