European cuisine
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European cuisine (also known as Continental cuisine) comprises the cuisines originating from the various countries of Europe.[1]
The cuisines of European countries are diverse, although some common characteristics distinguish them from those of other regions.[2] Compared to traditional cooking of East Asia, meat holds a more prominent and substantial role in serving size.[3] Many dairy products are utilised in cooking.[4] There are hundreds of varieties of cheese and other fermented milk products. White wheat-flour bread has long been the prestige starch, but historically, most people ate bread, flatcakes, or porridge made from rye, spelt, barley, and oats.[5][6] Those better-off would also make pasta, dumplings and pastries. The potato has become a major starch plant in the diet of Europeans and their diaspora since the European colonisation of the Americas. Maize is much less common in most European diets than it is in the Americas; however, corn meal (polenta or mămăligă) is a major part of the cuisine of Italy and the Balkans. Although flatbreads (especially with toppings such as pizza or tarte flambée) and rice are eaten in Europe, they are only staple foods in limited areas, particularly in Southern Europe. Salads (cold dishes with uncooked or cooked vegetables, sometimes with a dressing) are an integral part of European cuisine.
Formal European dinners are served in distinct courses. European presentation evolved from service à la française, or bringing multiple dishes to the table at once, into service à la russe, where dishes are presented sequentially. Usually, cold, hot and savoury, and sweet dishes are served strictly separately in this order, as hors d'oeuvre (appetizer) or soup, as entrée and main course, and as dessert. Dishes that are both sweet and savoury were common earlier in Ancient Roman cuisine, but are today uncommon, with sweet dishes being served only as dessert. A service where the guests are free to take food by themselves is termed a buffet, and is usually restricted to parties or holidays. Nevertheless, guests are expected to follow the same pattern.
Historically, European cuisine has been developed in the European royal and noble courts. European nobility was usually arms-bearing and lived in separate manors in the countryside. The knife was the primary eating implement (cutlery), and eating steaks and other foods that require cutting followed. This contrasted with East Asian cuisine, where the ruling class were the court officials, who had their food prepared ready to eat in the kitchen, to be eaten with chopsticks. The knife was supplanted by the spoon for soups, while the fork was introduced later in the early modern period, ca. 16th century. Today, most dishes are intended to be eaten with cutlery and only a few finger foods can be eaten with the hands in polite company.
History
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Medieval
[edit]In medieval times, a person's diet varied depending on their social class. However cereal grains made up a lot of a medieval person's diet, regardless of social class. Bread was common to both classes; it was taken as a lunch for the working man, and thick slices of it were used as plates called trenchers.[7] People of the noble class had access to finely ground flours for their breads and other baked goods. Noblemen were allowed to hunt for deer, boar, rabbits, birds, and other animals, giving them access to fresh meat and fish for their meals.[8] Dishes for people of these classes were often heavily spiced.[9] Spices at that time were very expensive, and the more spices used in dishes, the more wealth the person needed to purchase such ingredients. Common spices used were cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, pepper, cumin, cloves, turmeric, anise, and saffron.[10] Other ingredients used in dishes for the nobility and clergy included sugar, almonds and dried fruits like raisins.[11] These imported ingredients would have been very expensive and nearly impossible for commoners to obtain. When banquets were held, the dishes served would be very spectacular: another way for the noblemen to show how rich they were. Sugar sculptures would be placed on the tables as decoration and to eat, and foods would be dyed vibrant colors with imported spices.[12]
The diet of a commoner would have been much simpler. Strict poaching laws prevented them from hunting, and if they did hunt and were caught, they could have parts of their limbs cut off or they could be killed.[13] Much of the commoners' food would have been preserved in some way, such as through pickling or by being salted.[14] Breads would have been made using rye or barley, and any vegetables would likely have been grown by the commoners themselves.[15] Peasants would have likely been able to keep cows, and so would have access to milk, which then allowed them to make butter or cheese.[16] When meat was eaten, it would have been beef, pork, or lamb. Commoners also ate a dish called pottage, a thick stew of vegetables, grains, and meat.[17]
Early modern era
[edit]In the early modern era, European cuisine saw an influx of new ingredients due to the Columbian Exchange, such as the potato, tomato, eggplant, chocolate, bell pepper, pumpkins, and other squash. Distilled spirits, along with tea, coffee, and chocolate were all popularized during this time. In the 1780s, the idea of the modern restaurant was introduced in Paris; the French Revolution accelerated its development, quickly spreading around Europe.
Central European cuisines
[edit]All of these countries have their specialities.[18] Among many such specialities, Austria is famous for Wiener schnitzel, a breaded veal cutlet served with a slice of lemon; the Czech Republic for world-renowned beers; Germany for world-famous wursts, Hungary for goulash. Slovakia is famous for gnocchi-like halušky pasta. Slovenia is known for German- and Italian-influenced cuisine, Poland for pierogis which are a cross between ravioli and empanada. Liechtenstein and German-speaking Switzerland are famous for Rösti and French-speaking Switzerland for fondue and raclettes.
- Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine
Austrian cuisine
Czech cuisine
German cuisine
Hungarian cuisine
Liechtensteiner cuisine
Polish cuisine
Silesian cuisine
Slovak cuisine
Slovenian cuisine
Swiss cuisine
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Austrian strudel
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Austrian Wiener Schnitzel
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Czech Smažený sýr
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Czech Svíčková
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German bratwurst
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German pretzel
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German Sauerbraten
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Hungarian goulash
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Hungarian hortobágyi palacsinta
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Liechtensteiner Rheintaler Ribelmais
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Polish bagel
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Polish bigos
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Polish pierogi
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Slovakian Bryndzové halušky
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Slovenian Ajdovi žganci
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Slovenian Carniolan sausage
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Swiss cordon bleu
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Swiss fondue
Eastern European cuisines
[edit]Armenian cuisine
Azerbaijani cuisine
Belarusian cuisine
Bulgarian cuisine
- Cossack cuisine
Georgian cuisine
Kazakh cuisine
Moldovan cuisine
Ossetian cuisine
Romanian cuisine
Russian cuisine
Ukrainian cuisine
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Armenian khorovats
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Azerbaijani Gürzə
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Bashkir and Tatar Öçpoçmaq
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Belarusian potato babka
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Bulgarian banitsa
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Circassian Haliva
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Crimean Tatar chiburekki
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Georgian khachapuri
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Georgian satsivi
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Kazakh beshbarmak
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Moldovan Tochitură
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Romanian mămăligă
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Romanian pastrami
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Russian beef Stroganoff
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Russian pirozhki
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Russian pelmeni
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Ukrainian borscht
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Ukrainian pampushka
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Ukrainian paska
Northern European cuisines
[edit]British cuisine
Danish cuisine
Estonian cuisine
Finnish cuisine
Icelandic cuisine
Irish cuisine
Latvian cuisine
Lithuanian cuisine
Livonian cuisine
Norwegian cuisine
Sami cuisine
Swedish cuisine
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British bangers and mash
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British full breakfast
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British Sunday roast
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Danish Smørrebrød
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English fish and chips
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English trifle
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Estonian kama dessert
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Faroese tvøst og spik
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Finnish Lohikeitto
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Icelandic hákarl
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Irish bacon and cabbage
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Irish breakfast roll
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Jersey wonders
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Latvian speķrauši
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Lithuanian cepelinai
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Swedish gravlax
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Norwegian fårikål
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Norwegian lutefisk
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Sami Sautéed reindeer
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Scottish haggis
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Swedish cinnamon roll
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Swedish smörgåsbord
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Swedish surströmming
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Welsh cawl
Southern European cuisines
[edit]Albanian cuisine
Aromanian cuisine
Bosnian cuisine
Croatian cuisine
Cypriot cuisine
Gibraltarian cuisine
Greek cuisine
Italian cuisine
Kosovar cuisine
Macedonian cuisine
Maltese cuisine
Montenegrin cuisine
Ottoman cuisine
Portuguese cuisine
Sammarinese cuisine
- Sephardic Jewish cuisine
Serbian cuisine
Spanish cuisine
Turkish cuisine
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Albanian Tavë kosi
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Aromanian Metsovone
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Balearic ensaïmada
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Basque talo
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Bosnian ćevapi
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Canarian Papas arrugadas
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Catalan pa amb tomàquet
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Cretan Dakos
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Croatian Licitar
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Croatian Zagorski štrukli
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Cypriot Afelia
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Gibraltarian japonesa
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Greek gyros
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Greek spanakopita
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Greek souvlaki
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Italian gelato
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Italian polenta
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Italian ravioli
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Lombard risotto
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Macedonian selsko meso
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Macedonian Tavče gravče
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Madrilenian squid sandwich
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Maltese Stuffat tal-Fenek
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Montenegrin njeguški pršut
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Neapolitan pizza
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Portuguese bacalhau
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Portuguese Cozido à portuguesa
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Roman carbonara
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Sammarinese Bustrengo
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Sardinian casu martzu
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Serbian Pljeskavica
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Sicilian cannoli
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Spanish churro
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Spanish tapas
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Turkish baklava
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Turkish doner kebab
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Valencian paella
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Venetian carpaccio
Western European cuisines
[edit]Belgian cuisine
Dutch cuisine
French cuisine
Frisian cuisine
Limburgian cuisine
Luxembourgian cuisine
- Mennonite cuisine
Monégasque cuisine
Occitan cuisine
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Belgian moules-frites
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Belgian waffle
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Corsican fritelli
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Dutch coleslaw
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French croissant
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French pot-au-feu
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French quiche
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Limburger cheese
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Luxembourgian Judd mat Gaardebounen
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Monégasque Barbajuan
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Occitan aligot
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Culinary Cultures of Europe: Identity, Diversity and Dialogue. Council of Europe.
- ^ Kwan Shuk-yan (1988). Selected Occidental Cookeries and Delicacies, p. 23. Hong Kong: Food Paradise Pub. Co.
- ^ Lin Ch'ing (1977). First Steps to European Cooking, p. 5. Hong Kong: Wan Li Pub. Co.
- ^ Kwan Shuk-yan, pg 26
- ^ Alfio Cortonesi, "Self-sufficiency and the Market: Rural and Urban Diet in the Middle Ages", in Jean-Louis Flandrin, Massimo Montanari, Food: A Culinary History from Antiquity to the Present, 1999, ISBN 0231111541, p. 268ff
- ^ Michel Morineau, "Growing without Knowing Why: Production, Demographics, and Diet", in Jean-Louis Flandrin, Massimo Montanari, Food: A Culinary History from Antiquity to the Present, 1999, ISBN 0231111541, p. 380ff
- ^ "British Library". www.bl.uk. Archived from the original on 31 July 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ "Middle Ages Food and Diet". www.lordsandladies.org. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ "British Library". www.bl.uk. Archived from the original on 31 July 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ "Middle Ages Food and Diet". www.lordsandladies.org. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ "British Library". www.bl.uk. Archived from the original on 31 July 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ "British Library". www.bl.uk. Archived from the original on 31 July 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ "Middle Ages Food and Diet". www.lordsandladies.org. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ "British Library". www.bl.uk. Archived from the original on 31 July 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ "Middle Ages Food and Diet". www.lordsandladies.org. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ "Middle Ages Food and Diet". www.lordsandladies.org. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ "British Library". www.bl.uk. Archived from the original on 31 July 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ "Cuisine from Central Europe". Visit Europe. Archived from the original on 23 August 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
Further reading
[edit]- Albala, Ken (2003). Food in Early Modern Europe. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 0313319626. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
- R & R Publishing (2005). European Cuisine: The Best in European Food. Cpg Incorporated. ISBN 1740225279. Retrieved 6 June 2017.