Asian Cuisine Characteristics

Compare and contrast the characteristics of different world region cuisines. (34.1.1)

Asian

Asia, the largest and most populated continent, is made up of hundreds of different regions, countries, and subcultures that has established its characteristic cuisine. It is very much distinct in each area and is usually broken down into regions.

Asian cuisine is all about balance. In a meal, it includes a balanced mixture of proteins, vegetables, and grains. This is done to control and portion the meals for a healthier option. In Asia, meals are served family style, a practice wherein everything is placed on the table, unlike the Europeans in which they serve their meals in courses. In Western cuisine, soups are served as a starter. In Asian

Asia’s hot climate is well-suited for growing rice. It is high in carbs, which may not be viewed as a good thing as of today, but it meant providing energy to help you through the day. Its blandness made its great ability to mesh well with sauces and spices. It is affordable, filling, nutritious and easy to prepare. Because of this, Rice has become the staple food of Asia. As of today, the majority of all rice produced can be found in Asia.

As you can notice, the use of dairy is not often seen in traditional Asian cuisine, with the exception of Indian cuisine. Historically, Asian countries’ topography was not contributed to raising herds of cattle or goat. Instead, they were raised to provide meat and

Emperor Fuxi taught the people of China how to hunt, fish, farm crops and cook twenty centuries B.C.. Be that as it may, cooking was not viewed as an art until the arrival of the Chou Dynasty (1122－249 B.C.).

Confucianism and Taoism are the two dominant philosophies in the Chinese Culture. Each impacted the course of Chinese history and the advancement of Culinary arts greatly.

Confucius adored and greatly respected the art of cooking. He built the culinary standards and table etiquette even up to this day. In China, a gathering should always be accompanied with food because to the Chinese, food and friends should not be separated. During preparation, it is a tradition to cut food into bite size pieces. It is considered “poor taste” to use knives at a Chinese dinner. Confucius also taught that great cooking relies on the mixing of different ingredients and condiments as opposed to the taste of the individual components. He believed that a great cook must first be a great matchmaker. There should be harmony in the flavors of the ingredients. Confucius also emphasized the importance of color and texture in preparing a dish. Confucianism has definitely elevated cooking to a form of