Is this perception true? (cultural difference between Europe and N. America) (UK, Hungary)
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Europeans like chocolate, too. However, peanut butter is not common in Europe like it is in USA.
Typical american cakes are, I have to say, awful! If you want good pastry and cakes, go to french bakery or any european, the quality is on higher level.
Personally I find the desserts in North America, both USA and Canada, to be sweeter and heavier than the desserts from Europe. Not a lot of choices mostly pies, muffins, banana breads. Same for chocolate and ice cream.
Funny enough speaking of North America I was surprised to find the desserts in Mexico much better than in USA. More refined, lighter, freher, way more variety even in a regular supermarket like a Mexican Walmart or Mega.
It is too true that you can find some small, good bakeries in every American town but they are few and far between and a lot of them are ethnic bakeries (Italian, French, Polish, German).
Once again Europe is not one country, one cilture, etc. The taste is cultural, but there are 27 different cultures in Europe. To a french point of view american taste is quite similar to british/northern European one rather than ours.
Exactly! Which is what makes answering this question nearly impossible.
To me, as a person who DOES NOT like heavy desserts at all, and I'm American, I associate them with 'Middle America', where obesity and 'treats' and a dessert after a meal, seems to be more commonplace. On the U.S. coasts, it's almost unheard of to eat a large dessert after a large meal. So, the U.S. already can't be lumped into one category based on that.
Than Europe, with all the many cultures, it's impossible. I do recall going to parts of Europe, and seeing these heavy meals and heavy desserts, and it made me think that maybe the heartland of the U.S., perhaps developed those habits from their European descendants.
But, all I can really say is that both the U.S. and Europe have parts to them, that do prefer different desserts and some are heavy and some are light.
For me, I can't stand 99% of the heavy desserts, and I don't understand the attraction to them. I don't like the whole routine or dessert culture. I just associate with obesity or the roots of obesity, to have such habits.
I've had plain, hearty desserts in both Europe and the US, and I've had complex, unique desserts in both Europe and the US.
I live in a midsize US city and we have at least six local bakeries that sell absolutely delicious desserts, including cream and custard and berry based desserts.
I have come to the following very general conclusion regarding desserts such as pies, cakes and ice cream:
North Americans prefer earthy, heavy and/or monochromatic flavors, such as peanut butter, fudge, chocolate, vanilla, cookie dough, etc. Most recipes are simple and with few ingredients.
Europeans prefer lighter, fruitier and/or more complex flavors, including rose, raspberry, strawberry, walnut and hazelnut, often with the addition of liqueurs. In addition, there is far greater diversity in flavors, tastes and textures from region to region. Most recipes are fairly complex.
I'm trying to figure out why this is the case, if true. Climatic differences?
I see no link what so ever to the continent a person was born on and how they like their dessert.
I see no link what so ever to the continent a person was born on and how they like their dessert.
You obviously haven't traveled anywhere if you think the food habits of an average Chinese person, the average Indian person, the average Nigerian person, the average Peruvian person, the average American or the average German, among others, are not influenced by where they were born. Do you seriously think everyone around the world eats the same food? Have you been anywhere outside Minnesota.
Americans have much less variety, bulkier rations and far more industrialised..plus awfully fattening. In Europe, evey town has a different speciality, while in the US you always have the same pies, no matter the varieties, "danish", fattening industrialised cakes.
Unfortunately, large supermarkets and hypermarkets sell just the same stuff.
And that is different in the land of supermarket discounters aka. Germany?
Americans have much less variety, bulkier rations and far more industrialised..plus awfully fattening. In Europe, evey town has a different speciality, while in the US you always have the same pies, no matter the varieties, "danish", fattening industrialised cakes.
Unfortunately, large supermarkets and hypermarkets sell just the same stuff.
The variety and tradition in American foods is largely in the home. The deserts and foods I just ate in my househod over the Christmas holiday were very different from that of my neighbors who have different ethnic backgorounds. I can assure you there were plenty of Lingonberries and cloudberries with cream at my house while I doubt my Dominican neighbors had much in the way of berries at all, but probably some tropical fruits for their desert.
Of course when Americans try to discuss these differences, some posters on city-data like to accuse Americans of being obsessed with their ethnic heritage and urge them to just go eat a pile of homogeneous, caloric, industrial slop like any proper non-European American should, and stop putting on airs.
You obviously haven't traveled anywhere if you think the food habits of an average Chinese person, the average Indian person, the average Nigerian person, the average Peruvian person, the average American or the average German, among others, are not influenced by where they were born. Do you seriously think everyone around the world eats the same food? Have you been anywhere outside Minnesota.
Literally never used those words in my post lol.
I think people all like their desserts in a different way and there is no way to tell what a whole nationality likes.
IMO people tend to eat foods that are widely available in their geographical locations. How many apple orchards are there in Europe? How many peanut farms? I haven't looked it up, but I am guessing a lot less than in many parts of the US.
My parents were raised by European parents and have had a heavy influence of jams/jellies and lots of fresh produce in general. Much more so than any of my friends had, including my husband;s family.
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