Is this perception true? (cultural difference between Europe and N. America) (best, country)
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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 doubt it is because of climatic difference because a lot of Europe and North America share similar climate anyways. All I can say is for Sweden, I think the preference is similar to both North America and other places in Europe.
The recipes differ in village and town, in rich and poor districts. You can find in Europe both heavy chocolate pie and light cake with flavor of rose.
I would say it's true. Mostly cultural differences.
Most of our pastries and desserts are very old and stem from the nobility and their experiments during hundreds of years.
Peanut butter and cookie dough are almost unheard of here, while we excel in berries. Strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, cloudberry, redcurrant, blackcurrant, gooseberry, lingonberry you name it. And make everything from them, from desserts to ice cream to booze. We even eat the berries from rowan trees.
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?
This is only in your perception. Strawberry cake with vanilla frosting is very popular in the US. It sounds like where you live, the bakeries take the Ben-and-Jerry's approach to cake flavors. That's unusual. Walnut used to be popular in parts of northern CA, I don't know about now. I'll admit that I've never heard of rose cake. Lemon is popular in the US. Strawberry shortcake has always been a popular dessert.
Americans don't make enough use of berries in general. A limited variety of berries are available in stores. Berrying is a rare pastime anymore, viewed mainly as an amusement for children, with the exception of Alaska, where it's a core part of the Native diet. Most Americans lost their connection to the land and its natural bounty after migrating across the ocean and leaving their ancestral turf behind. I wish we had more products from blackcurrant, redcurrant, cloudberry, etc. We do have boysenberries and their variations: loganberries, olallieberries, and other hybrids. They're delicious!
Last edited by Ruth4Truth; 01-04-2015 at 11:14 AM..
Location: Near Tours, France about 47°10'N 0°25'E
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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.
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.
Yes, you always remind us of this, but then you have no problems lumping American, British and Northern European in one. And how would you even know? You know nothing of what we eat.
What's interesting is that most settlers in my province (SK) are of German descent (50%, give or take). Germany is arguably one of the most interesting European cultures when it comes to dessert (no offense to the French and Finn people here ) but something was obviously lost along the way. Our Russian and Ukrainian immigrants have done a much better job of preserving their traditions.
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.
"Industrialized cakes"? Only in the supermarkets. The best place to buy pies and cakes is in independent bakeries. Everyone knows that.
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) but something was obviously lost along the way. Our Russian and Ukrainian immigrants have done a much better job of preserving their traditions.
