Around the world , there are many different ways of dining. Different cultures , especially eastern and western culture have different methods of eating and cooking food.
Body
Flavor
Eastern cuisine is known for the variety of seasoning which make up their unique flavors : bold and aromatic.
- In Korean cooking, chilly is one of the indispensable ingredient that creates different kinds of seasoning. For example, Sundubu-jjigae, as known as spicy tofu stew, uses a special type of chilli paste to highlight its flavor.
- In many Chinese dishes, ginger and garlic are staple seasoning. They often appear in Chinese recipes which are great choices for spices.
- Also, there are other seasoning that make different flavors, such as vinegar, cooking wine, soy sauce,etc.
On the other hand, Western food is more bland in flavor.
- In Australia, chilli is not as spicy as Asian chili. Also, they don’t serve chilli in every meal.
- In Western food, processed sauces are more common. For instance, tomato sauce, mustard, mayonnaise, barbecue sauce are some popular sauces that can be found easily in American, European and Australian cuisine.
Plating
In Eastern cuisine , dishes are often shared and placed in the center of the table. Many types of food are plated in bowls. In Chinese culture , this is synonymous with sharing and being a part of a family. Individual servings are more common in Western cuisine and they are plated in dishes. This helps everyone to eat their own share and to pay for their own bills fair and square
Ingredients and recipes
When it comes to creating a good dish, the ingredients are often the most important part. Special ingredients help to portray and brings out the main flavor of each individual cuisine.
- Western dishes combine ingredients which are contradictory while Eastern dishes tends to combine ingredients with common flavors
- Butter, milk and eggs are often use in Western dishes, but are absent in most Western dishes
- The environment also has a big effect on which ingredients are used in each cuisine.
- Eastern countries traditional meals often contain rice, vegetables and some kind of fish. They don’t consume much meat for their main course but focus more on natural vegetables. In Western cuisine, meat is considered one of the most important parts in each meal. Some of the most popular kinds of meat are lamb and beef. Side foods like cereal and bread or noodles and cakes are served with the main part of the dish.
Process
Eastern cooking methods can be a lot different from Western ones. For example, the Chinese often use techniques like steaming, boiling or stir frying in their most common dishes. By this way, the food in Eastern areas remain warm, which is a must in most Asian dishes. In contrast, Westerners cook their food by frying, baking, or both. In addition, their cuisines are often served in many ways. A normal Western dish can be hot, cold, or even raw served. These differences in food making process and serving styles between the Western and the Eastern cuisine have affected the particular tastes and textures of their food.
Serving size
One of the most noticeable differences between western and eastern food is serving size. Compared with traditional eastern dishes, western serving sizes are much larger and sizes that are considered larger in eastern cultures appear only regular sized to westerners.
Larger serving sizes in western societies are part of the reason why westerners have higher rates of obesity and heart disease than those living in eastern countries. A common criticism of western diets is that we eat too much, too often, while eastern cuisine is considered much lighter while still being filling.
Portions tend to bigger when it comes to Western cuisine, more food per serving. Perhaps the most famous kind of portion is the supersize options in many fast food outlets in the States, portions that are known to contribute to obesity.
From what I noticed, the portions for Asian cuisine here in Australia are much bigger than what you get in Asia. That said, in Chinese culture eating until you are full is encouraged and many Chinese festivals such as the Chinese New Year and Dragon Boat Festival revolve around food. Even breakfast in Asia can be quite a big affair portion-wise, just as big as lunch and dinner: dim sum, fishball noodle soup, coconut rice, century egg congee were breakfasts I had at hawker centres on weekends in Malaysia and Singapore.
Common dishes
When we talk about Eastern cuisine, we usually think of dishes originating from the Asian region, maybe rice and noodle dishes.
- Japan is famous for sushi, which is made with vinegared rice and fresh fish and presented in a number of ways and shapes.
- Chicken rice can be found anywhere in Singapore, from hawker stalls, franchised outlets to restaurants. This tasty and reasonably priced food is one of the daily meal choices of locals and travelers.
- In China, small bite-sized portions of food served in small steamer baskets are called dim sum. This style of food has a wide variety of dishes, which usually served with tea.
- Going to Vietnam without eating pho would be less interesting because this bowl of soup is super flavorful with the incredibly tender meat
However, a typical Western dish includes meat of any sort, dairy products and vegetables.
- Croissant of France will never make you disappointed. With the ingredients like butter, sugar, eggs, cream, and milk, this pastry is worth trying because of its sweetness and flaky texture.
- Fenkata, also known as rabbit stew is from Malta, Southern Europe. Locals marinate the rabbit with a liquid such as wine and add carrots, beetroot, garlic, onion, and mushrooms to create an extraordinary taste you won’t find anywhere else.
Conclusion
In conclusion, by listing out differences and similarities between Western and Eastern cuisine, we can clearly identify each cuisine and understand an important part of those regions ’cultures.
Images
Can not see the similarities
ReplyDelete