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Cuisine around the world

It cannot be denied that gastronomy has always been a significant aspect of tourism. Gastronomy is important in every culture, as it shows the geography, climate, religious affairs, historic invasions and likes of the people. Every region of the world has its own typical dishes and way of cooking them, still, nowadays, people can find all kinds of food everywhere or find the blending of dishes from different cultures.

For example, Latin American is a very diverse area and it has developed various cuisines. Most Latin American dishes include maize and rice-based recipes. This region has historically been influenced by immigrations. After colonization, the Native American dishes mixed with the European dishes and later with African. For instance, the habit of eating “menudos” came from the African slaves who developed a particular way to clean and season the animal entrails.

By the seaside countries, such as the Caribbean, Colombia, Ecuador, etc, the food is mainly based on sea food and fish and exotic combinations of meat fruits and vegetables.

South America will surprise every visitor with dishes such as, the Colombian “bandeja paisa”; that includes beans, rice, ground meat, chorizo, fried egg, arepa and chicharrón, and the representative Argentinean “asado”, which is based on barbecued meat. Brazil also has a very characteristics cuisine too, dominated by sea food, feijoad (black beans) and tropical fruits.

North American food includes has also received the influence of Native American and European food, yet it seems that African cuisine was not that successful. Mexican cuisine is well known for its spiciness and appealing decoration. However, it should not be confused the authentic Mexican food with “Tex Mex”. Mexican food includes chocolate, sweet potatoes, fish, turkey, maize, tomato, papaya, pineapple, etc. What is more, In Mexican villages, there are exotic dishes cooked in the Mayan or Aztec way with ingredients that include iguana, deer, spider, insects, ect. Tex Mex is what the world knows as Mexican food, which includes melted cheese, meat, beans, heavy spices, chili ect.

European gastronomy varies according to the region. The Eastern Mediterranean, is dominated by grilled fish, olive oil, tomatoes and a wide variety o vegetables. In the Balkan Peninsula, salt and freshwater fish are very common and is well known for its traditional dried pork sausage. Central European Gastronomy, which includes countries such as Poland and Slovakia, is characterized by hearty soups, goulash and paprika-based dishes. Germanic Gastronomy needs to be strength due to its freezing climate. that is why they eat lots of melted cheese, potatoes and all kinds of sausages.

Western Europe gastronomy is the most widely known and spread in the world. In this region, it has to be distinguished French, Italian and Spanish Gastronomy. Italy is famous for its pasta, pizza an fine wineries, France for is gourmet cuisine and delicate Champaign, and Spain for its plenty sea food, olives, paella, tapas, fruits and vegetables.

The most representative Asian foods are Chinese, Indian, Thai and Arab. Pork is commonly used in Chinese food due to economic and religious reasons. Chinese food also includes diverse rice, chicken and salad recipes plus exotic vegetables such as bamboo. Indian food is characterized by its spiciness and the well known curry which is a blend of many spices. Vegetarianism is very common, as it is fostered by Buddhism. Thai food is also very spicy and hot and usually includes fresh, rather than dried, herbs. In Thai food, rice is also highly prized, especially the sweet-smelling jasmine rice. Arabian cuisine, influenced by religious beliefs, does not include pork and alcohol. Lamb, grilled chicken, rice and tea are the most common traditional food.