Japanese Cuisine v. French Cuisine
Japanese and French cuisines are original and equally favored by people. The main characteristic of Japanese cuisine named “washoku” is its specific menu structure consisting of one soup and three dishes, that is three other dishes are added to cooked rice, soup, and pickles. Another important feature of washoku is the fact that it is based on the two main components – vegetables and seafood as they are commonly widespread in the territory of Japan. In contrast, French cuisine follows a European model of serving dishes, and its typical menu consists of appetizers, soup, salad, fish or meat, and desert (or a plate of cheese). This particular cuisine offers a bigger variety of components. Its traditions have formed over the course of time and usually base on the rule of using the freshest ingredients possible with the minimal time of cooking. Furthermore, French chefs tend to use heavy sauces like espagnole and bechamel less often. The French has adopted the tradition of consuming much butter a long time ago. The nation is believed to consume more butter than any other, but the people still manage to keep fit. Thus, it is evident that Japanese and French cuisines are very different and both have their own distinguishing features.
Japanese and French Region Cuisines
It should be mentioned that each of the discussed cuisines combines various peculiarities depending on the regions of corresponding countries. For instance, there are 12 main cooking regions in France with Paris being the major one and comprising the features of all regional cuisines that exist in France. To compare, the number of regional cuisines in Japan varies, because each small island or part of the country has its typical characteristics. The main area is Tokyo with diverse ingredients delivered from all over the world, while Hokkaido - the second largest island – occupies the second position. Evidently, the factor that influences regional cuisines of both countries is geographic. The climate of certain areas forms the suitable condition for the variety of fruits and vegetables which grow there, and the types of animals and fish which are bred. The closer the region is to the central areas, the more opportunities it has for receiving different food supplies.
Historical and Geographical Influences on the Multicultural Nature of Food and Drinks Worldwide
In the current age of globalization, the nature of food and drinks worldwide is highly multicultural. Cultural factors should be included in the analysis of the traditions of food and drinks of different countries: the study of food casts light on the reciprocal influences between cultures and the geographical and ecological contexts in which they developed and evolved. It is possible to distinguish such historical factors as the environment throughout different periods of the development of a society, when certain food traditions were formed, like conservation of products, new technologies for growing vegetable and fruits, cattle breeding etc., the level of life of the society, which influenced the types of the consumed food products and drinks. At the geographical level, it is worth mentioning a climatic factor, the types of products in certain regions, and the prevailing temperatures of the atmosphere that influence food technologies. Thus, these unique for each society factors mixed in the period of globalization in the process of international trade and in such a way conditioned the multicultural nature of food and drinks worldwide. To illustrate this fact, there are some examples of multicultural traditions in modern British cuisine like American hamburgers or Chinese chop suey, which are very popular among the British.
British Cuisine
As long as the peculiarities of cultural cuisine are concerned, British cuisine is another interesting topic for discussion. British cuisine has a long history of formation, and the typical food products of Great Britain significantly depend on the climate prevailing in the country. Being situated on the British Isles, the country has a temperate climate with not high level of sunlight. The agriculture in Great Britain is not highly developed. Though the country possesses fertile lands, it cannot completely satisfy its agricultural needs. Farmers grow cereals, wheat, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, and different fruits. Sheep, goats, and poultry are bred on the territory of Great Britain. The most popular traditional food, which appeared at the same time as ice cream, and has French and Jewish origins, is fish and chips. Roast beef and apple tart are also considered traditional British dishes. British cuisine has adopted many international ingredients to its dishes (from French, Jewish and Muslim cuisines), which are now called “typically British.”
Furthermore, there are some differences in the cuisines of the northern and southern parts of Britain. Particularly, as northern regions are poorer, they cook and consume simpler and less healthy dishes, like pudding, crisps, and fried food. The international cuisine is also not the best in these regions. The southern regions (with London, which is situated in the south east of the Island of Great Britain) offer a more diverse menu of international dishes. There are Jewish, Italian, South Asian, and other restaurants in the capital of Great Britain offering more than 40 types of cuisines.
The Actual Developing Trends in Food and Drinks
Food and drinks are important elements of any culture and potentially can characterize people. The trends in food and drinks tend to change under the influence of different historical and cultural factors. When speaking about actual developing tendencies in food and drinks, the popularity of eating healthy food is obvious: In this regard, consumer demands for natural and ‘less processed’ food and drink are forcing companies to remove artificial ingredients. Nowadays, people care much for the components of the food they consume and want them to be of the highest quality. Moreover, the fashion for different healthy products and fitness diets make people clearly see the connection between their eating habits and health state. All these factors are the advantages of the current trends in food and drinks.
Nevertheless, modern trends in food culture are not always ideal and have some disadvantages. For example, the fact that the Internet shopping for eco products becomes more popular makes the business of physical retailers suffer. The demand for natural organic products requires more investments and considerable changes in the production systems of different states. This fact leads to a growing economic burden.
Another issue closely related to the current trends in healthy food and drink is the notion of “good fats”. Consumers’ awareness of the many sources of good and bad fats is ushering in a paradigm shift in which fat content is not the first and foremost consideration in the search for healthy products. If the general amount of consumed fat makes a person overweight, this fact increases cancer risks for him or her. Discussing the paradigm shift, people are not aware of the fact that not all fat substitutes contain the sufficient amount of useful ingredients to protect people from gaining weight and prevent other disorders. Consequently, the products that were alternatives and substitutes beforehand become mainstream food. It is possible to conclude that healthy foods are those types of products, which contain the necessary amount of elements for normal functioning of a person’s organism.
The essay was written and published by professional writer Jenna Hetry, more her articles you can find just simply following the site essay empire service.
