Cuisines Around the World - Which One Is the Best?

The world has been blessed with a variety of cuisines. Cuisines develop as a result of culture, geographical location, climate, trade among different countries and even culinary cultural exchange. Let us explore the different types of cuisines and attempt to determine which one is the best.

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American Cuisine

American cuisine dates back to the cooking traditions of the Native Americans. The Native Americans diet which included a mix of farmed and hunted food, and varied a lot across the continent. American food as it is now is a mix of food adapted by immigration. This has allowed for a lot of cultural diversity through food to take place throughout the continent.

In the 20th century, highlights of American cuisine include milkshakes, barbecues, and a wide range of fried foods. In some areas their traditional food includes cheesesteaks and gumbo; a type of stew. American cuisine has certain foods that are eaten on special occasions such as Thanksgiving for example. In this festival they eat turkeys.

Italian Cuisine

Italian cuisine is a Mediterranean type of cuisine consisting of ingredients, recipes and cooking techniques developed across the Italian Peninsula. This cuisine offers a wide range of flavours and an abundance of taste and is one of the most popular cuisines in the world. Italian cuisine is rich in utilization of ingredients such as tomatoes, cheese, and the many different types of pasta and bread.

 Common foods in Italian cuisine include pasta, pizzas, lasagna, and so on. The desserts have a long tradition of merging local flavors such as citrus fruits, pistachios and other nuts with sweet cheeses like mascarpone and ricotta along with exotic tastes such as cocoa or vanilla. Gelato, tiramisu and cassata are the most common Italian desserts.

French Cuisine

French cooking is considered by many to be the most prestigious and respectable cuisine in the world. With its formal techniques, emphasis on fresh ingredients and simple flavors, pride in presentation, and rich and colorful history, French cuisine truly has come to rule the world, laying the foundations for many other styles and specialties. 

French cuisine refers to the cooking traditions and practices from France. Cheese and wine are big components of French cuisine. French cuisine is very popular worldwide. Common foods included in French cuisine are primarily the bakery products such as madeleines, croissants, and so on. Other foods included in French cuisine are those such as bouillabaisse, crème brûlée, coq au vin, and many others.

Thai Cuisine

Thai cuisine refers to the foods eaten by the people of Thailand. This cuisine emphasises on lightly prepared dishes with strong aromatic components and a spicy edge. Traditional Thai cuisine falls into 4 categories - tom (boiled dishes), yam (spicy salads), tam (pounded foods) and kaeng (curries). Traditional Thai cuisine involves a combination of 4 traditions: ingredient tradition, origin tradition, taste tradition and recipe tradition. 

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This cuisine is influenced by cuisines of its neighbouring countries such as Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, India, Malaysia and Indonesia. Foods that fall into Thai cuisine include Pad Thai (stir fry noodles), Tom Yum Goong (Hot & Sour Shrimp Soup), Kaeng Lueang (Yellow Curry), Gaeng Daeng (Red Curry), Gaeng Keow Wan Gai (Green Curry) and many others. Salads such as Spicy Green Papaya Salad – Som Tam and soups such as Thai Noodle Soup – Kuay Teow and Spicy Shrimp Soup – Tom Yum Goong are also a key component of Thai cuisine.

Vietnamese Cuisine

Vietnamese cuisine represents the food and beverages that Vietnamese people consume traditionally. Traditional Vietnamese cooking incorporates the use of a lot of fresh produce, and not a lot of oil or dairy. They make use of herbs and vegetables primarily in their cuisine. 

The cuisine is naturally low in sugar, and almost always gluten - free, as many of the dishes are rice based. Recipes use ingredients such as lemongrass, ginger, mint, Vietnamese mint, long coriander, Saigon cinnamon, bird's eye chilli, lime, and Thai basil leaves. Very popular foods in Vietnamese cuisine include Pho and Banh Mi. Pho is a Vietnamese soup dish consisting of broth, rice, noodles, herbs and meat. 

Banh Mi is a short baguette with a thin crisp crust and soft, airy texture. This sandwich usually has meat and pickled vegetables and some sauces in it. However, there is more to Vietnamese cuisine than just Pho and Banh Mi. Cao Lau is a noodle soup dish popular in central Vietnam's Quảng Nam Province.

The Bottom Line

There are so many cuisines in the world, each with their own individuality and uniqueness. It is extremely difficult to pick as they are all beautiful in their own way. As per convenience though, american cuisine seems to be most popular as it is primarily just fast food, so that seems to be the world’s favourite!

Written by - Vidita Sachdeva