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Which cuisines are ingredient-intensive, and which seem more focused on the how the ingredients are combined, and not necessarily themselves per se?
It seems to me that freshness of ingredients takes a back seat in Indian and Ethiopian cooking. I have never been to the countries before, so I don't know if it's the case there, but there are so many spices in both cuisines that the freshness of the vegetables and meats are rendered less important than other cuisines. I've never seen a packaged Ethiopian meal before, but I regularly have vacuum-sealed commercial Indian meals from such food companies as Gits and Deep (along with basmati rice), and some of them almost taste like meals from an Indian restaurant (or at least buffet).
On the other hand, top-quality ingredients seem to be very important to Japanese, and also a critical part of upscale American food, or even mid-range fare like steakhouses, where the food is presented in a less altered form.
Do you think my assessments are accurate? What cuisines would you add to the ingredient- and composition-intensive lists?
I'd assume some countries developed a food system that relied on a lot more preservation of foods due to a limited growing season, at least before the modern era of global food trade and transportation.
Someone mentioned Korean food as focusing on freshness but many of the staples of Korean cuisine are pickled or fermented. When they bring out all those little plates/bowls that accompany the main dish I think the majority are something prepared in a manner that indicates preservation, hell one could probably make the claim that (with a nod to bulgogi) kimchee is their national dish.
I'd assume some countries developed a food system that relied on a lot more preservation of foods due to a limited growing season, at least before the modern era of global food trade and transportation.
Someone mentioned Korean food as focusing on freshness but many of the staples of Korean cuisine are pickled or fermented. When they bring out all those little plates/bowls that accompany the main dish I think the majority are something prepared in a manner that indicates preservation, hell one could probably make the claim that (with a nod to bulgogi) kimchee is their national dish.
I mentioned Korean food. I don't know how familiar you are with it. But this is what I know:
I have a Korean brother, a Korean grandson, and a Korean daughter in law (and none of them are in the same nuclear family - LOL!). Random. But anyway, my Korean daughter in law and my son live in Korea. They enjoy cooking traditional Korean dishes and so our family has learned a lot about that cuisine from them. In fact, I go to Ko Mart (a large Korean market) pretty often to stock up on odd foods I can't get in the regular market (though most of the meats and veggies required can be bought locally - I'm talking more about spices, baking or noodle supplies, snacks and beverages).
Yes, kimchee is a staple, and they do have a lot of pickled foods and spices, mostly used as garnishes. But they are HUGE into seafood - the fresher the better - and sushi. They also use a lot of fresh produce in their dishes. For instance, they wrap sauteed meats in these minty type leaves that have a very short shelf life. They saute a lot of various fresh veggies. They use a lot of peppers (fresh as well as dried or as a paste), fresh seaweeds, bean sprouts, and fresh herbs. Here are some typical Korean "meal scenes:"
It is commonly called something that sounds like "bimbambop!" (actually bibimbap) And I am for real! It's really good.
Kathyrn,
Thanks for the information. It looks really great. I will have to try it when I see it later this year.
The problem that I have with many of the Korean restaurants in the Chicagoland area (the ones that I have been to) is that the staff seems less willing or able to explain what a particular menu item is.
Fortunately, the local H-Mart (Koren) staff is great and has been very helpful in helping me choose the right vegetables and kimchi.
I believe most Asian foods stress freshness more than actual presentation. Yes, OP, American foods are inclined to consentrate on freshness as well, especially the upper end eateries. Probably the two ethnic foods that I don't associate with truely fresh would be Mexican for sure and tue Spanish foods.
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