the word western food is determined by its specific geographical location. "West" means the west. Generally refers to western European countries. "Meal" is a diet dish. What we usually call western food includes not only the food dishes of western European countries, but also the food of eastern European countries, including America, Oceania, Middle East, Central Asia, South Asian subcontinent and Africa. Western food generally takes knives and forks as tableware, bread as staple food, and long tables and tables as a table shape.

the main features of western food are prominent main ingredients, beautiful colors, delicious taste, rich nutrition and convenient supply.

Western food can be roughly divided into French, English, Italian, Russian, American and so on. People in different countries have different eating habits. There is a very vivid saying that "the French praise the chef's skills, the British pay attention to etiquette, the Germans consider nutrition, and the Italians eat happily ..." Now, let's take a look at the main characteristics of different western food.

The first western food-French cuisine

The French have always been famous for being good at eating and being good at it, and French cuisine still ranks first in the world.

French cuisine is characterized by a wide selection of ingredients (such as snails and foie gras), fine processing, exquisite cooking, strong and light taste and many varieties of colors; French cuisine also pays more attention to eating semi-cooked or raw food, such as steak and leg of lamb, which are characterized by semi-cooked and tender, seafood oysters can also be eaten raw, and roasted wild ducks can be eaten when they are ripe. French dishes attach importance to seasoning, and there are many kinds of condiments. Flavoring with wine, there are strict rules on what kind of wine to choose for what kind of dishes, such as wine for clear soup, brandy for seafood, and all kinds of sweet wine or brandy for dessert. French food and cheese are diverse. French people like cheese, fruits and all kinds of fresh vegetables very much.

The famous French dishes are Marseille fish soup, foie gras steak, Paris lobster, red pheasant, Savoro chicken, chicken liver steak and so on.

Pay equal attention to conciseness and etiquette-English western food

British food cooking is known as a family delicacy. The characteristics of English dishes are: less oil, light, less wine when seasoning, and condiments are mostly placed on the dining table for guests to choose. Cooking pays attention to freshness, light taste, seafood and all kinds of vegetables, and the quantity of dishes is small but fine. The cooking methods of English dishes are mainly steaming, boiling, burning and smoking.

The famous English dishes are: chicken salad, roast prawn souffle, stewed mutton with potato, roast sheep saddle, winter solstice pudding, Meiji steak and so on.

the ancestor of western cuisine-Italian cuisine

During the Roman Empire, Italy was once the political, economic and cultural center of Europe. Although Italy fell behind later, it was the ancestor in terms of western cooking, comparable to France and Britain.

Italian cuisine is characterized by its original flavor and strong flavor. Cooking pays attention to frying and smoking, and is good at frying, frying, frying and stewing.

Italians love pasta and eat it in many ways. Its noodles are unique. There are at least dozens of noodles with various shapes, colors and tastes, such as letter-shaped, shell-shaped, solid noodles and macaroni strips. Italians also like to eat Italian wonton and Italian jiaozi.

The famous Italian dishes are: macaroni and vegetable soup, local wonton, macaroni with cheese, macaroni with minced meat, pizza and so on.

fast nutrition-American cuisine

American cuisine is developed on the basis of British cuisine, which inherits the simple and light characteristics of British cuisine and tastes salty and sweet. Americans are generally not interested in spicy taste, and prefer grilled dishes. Fruits are often used as ingredients to cook with dishes, such as pineapple ham and roasted duck with vegetables and fruits. I like to eat all kinds of fresh vegetables and fruits. Americans don't have high dietary requirements, as long as they are nutritious and fast.

The famous American dishes include roast turkey, roast duck with orange, American steak, apple salad, pancakes with sugar sauce and so on.

classic western cuisine-Russian feast

The upper class in the Tsar's Russian era worshipped France very much. The nobles were not only proud of speaking French, but also learned from France in their food and cooking skills. But after years of evolution, especially in Russia, food pays attention to high-calorie varieties and gradually forms its own cooking characteristics. Russians like to eat hot food, and they like to eat buns and patties made of fish, minced meat, eggs and vegetables. All kinds of snacks are quite famous.

Russian dishes are heavy in taste and like to use oil, so the preparation method is relatively simple. Taste is mainly sour, sweet, spicy and salty. Pickled cucumber and pickled cabbage are often necessary foods on the dining table of restaurants or families. The cooking method is characterized by roasting and fumigation. Russian cuisine has a great influence on western food. Some ethnic people in the Nordic countries and Central Europe and Yugoslavia in the cold zone have similar daily habits to Russians, and most of them like pickled fish, bacon, sausage, ham, sauerkraut and pickled cucumber.

The famous dishes of Russian cuisine are: assorted cold cuts, caviar, sour cucumber soup, cold apple soup, fish steamed stuffed bun, chicken rolls with butter and so on.

beer, buffet-German cuisine

Germans are not particular about diet, and like to eat fruits, cheese, sausages, sauerkraut, potatoes, etc., instead of being flashy, they only seek affordable nutrition, and first invented buffet fast food. Germans like to drink beer, and the annual Oktoberfest in Munich consumes about 1 million liters of beer.

talk about western food in detail

people who are at the forefront of fashion should be familiar with western food. Western food is an exotic product which is quite different from Chinese food culture. Many people have heard of it and eaten western food, but I wonder if they know the root of this complicated and exquisite thing.

Starting from this issue, this magazine will open a column entitled "Cultural Profile of Western Food", which will tell you about the long-standing western food culture in detail ...

What is western food?

western food is a general term for western food by Chinese people and people from other eastern countries and regions. In a broad sense, it can also be said to be a general term for western food and beverage culture.

what we call "western" is traditionally referred to European countries and regions, as well as the vast areas of North America, South America and Oceania where these countries and regions are the main immigrants, so western food mainly refers to the catering culture in the above areas.

Westerners call China's dishes "Chinese food", Japanese food, Korean food and so on. They don't call them "Oriental food" in a cage, but divide them carefully and name them according to their country names.

In fact, the catering culture in western countries has its own characteristics, and the dishes in each country are different, such as the French. Westerners themselves do not have a clear concept of "western food", which is the concept of China and other orientals.

so why do we have such a concept? This is because when we first came into contact with western food, we still couldn't tell what Italian food was, what French food was and what British food was, and we could only have a general concept. At that time, Chinese people generally called it "Fancai", which means western. The ancients in China often thought that China was the center of the world, and they used to take a derogatory view of other countries and regions, calling the East "Yi", the West "Fan", the North "Hu" and the South "Man". Therefore, the so-called "Fancai" refers to western food.

in addition, as far as western countries are concerned, because the geographical location of European countries is relatively close, and there have been many great ethnic migrations in history, their cultures have already infiltrated and merged with each other, and they have many similarities with each other. Furthermore, the religious beliefs in western countries are mainly Catholicism, Orthodox Christianity and Protestantism (only a few people believe in Islam), which are the main branches of Christianity, so the dietary taboos and dining customs are basically the same. As for South, North America and Oceania, their cultures are also in the same strain as those of Europe. Therefore, regardless of whether westerners have a clear concept of "western food", Chinese people and other orientals are generally the same as this part of western food culture, but they are completely different from eastern food.

However, in recent years, with the continuous collision, infiltration and blending of eastern and western cultures, people in the East have gradually realized the different characteristics of various dishes in western food and started to treat them differently. Some high-end hotels have also set up French restaurants and Italian restaurants, etc. As a general concept, western food tends to fade away, but western food culture as a whole will continue to exist.

six m's who eat western food

How to taste western food culture? After a long-term discussion and summary, scholars who study western food think that eating western food should pay attention to the following six m's.

the first is "Menu";

When you walk into a cafe or a western restaurant, the waiter will show you to your seat first. When you are seated, the menu will be served first. The menu is regarded as the facade of the restaurant, and the boss has always attached importance to it. The best materials are used as the cover of the menu, and some even use soft sheepskin to make all kinds of beautiful patterns, which is particularly elegant and exquisite.

how to order good food? Here is a little experience, that is, after opening the menu, see which dish is named after the store name. Don't miss this dish. Because that restaurant won't joke about its reputation, the dishes they make with great efforts will definitely be delicious. Everyone must order this "signature dish".

In addition, it is important to note that you should not treat the ordering problem of western food with the habit of eating Chinese food: that is, don't ignore the menu and don't ask the waiter to order for you. In France, even President De Gaulle and President D 'Estaing have to look at the menu to order western food. Because reading the menu and ordering food has become an indispensable procedure for eating western food, and it is a manifestation of an elegant lifestyle.

the second one is "Music";

Luxury and advanced western restaurants usually have bands playing some soft music, and ordinary western restaurants also play some beautiful and elegant music. However, the most important thing here is the "audibility" of the music, that is, the sound should reach the level of "seemingly heard and inaudible", that is to say, you should concentrate on talking with your friends, you can't hear it, you can hear it when you are resting and relaxing, and you should master this temperature well.

the third is "Mood" (atmosphere);

western food pays attention to elegant environment and harmonious atmosphere. Music must be accompanied, tables and tables must be neat and clean, and all tableware must be clean. In case of dinner, the lights should be dim and there should be red candles on the table to create a romantic, charming and elegant atmosphere.

the fourth is "Meeting";

that is to say, you have to choose who to eat western food with. It is best to eat western food with friends and relatives or people with similar interests. Eating western food is mainly for connecting feelings, and it is best not to talk about business at the western food table. Therefore, in western restaurants, the atmosphere is generally very warm, and there are few red-faced scenes.

the fifth is "Manner" (manners and customs);

this refers to "eating" and "eating". Since you are eating western food, you should follow western customs, and don't do anything abrupt, especially if you dance with your knife and fork in your hand, you will be "rude".

The knife and fork must be held correctly: the knife should be held in the right hand and the fork in the left hand. Cut the food into small pieces with a knife and then fork it into the mouth. Generally speaking, Europeans don't change hands when using knives and forks, and always use the fork in their left hand to send food into their mouths. Americans, on the other hand, put down the knife and put the fork in their right hand to send the food into their mouth after cutting it. But at any time, the knife must not be sent to the entrance. At western banquets, the host will arrange for men and women to sit next to each other, and western gentlemen who pay attention to "ladies first" will show their hospitality to ladies.

the sixth one is "Meal" (food).

An American gourmet once said, "Japanese people eat with their eyes, and the form of cooking is beautiful; We eat our western food with our noses, so our noses are very big. Only your great China people know how to eat with their tongues. " Chinese food takes "taste" as the core, while western food takes nutrition as the core. As for taste, it can't be compared with Chinese food.

western food etiquette

1. When sitting, keep your body straight, don't put your elbows on the table, and don't tilt your feet. The distance from the table is better to facilitate the use of tableware. Don't fiddle with the tableware set on the dining table. Fold the napkin in half and gently put it on your lap.

2. When eating with a knife and fork, take the knife and fork from the outside to the inside, holding the fork in your left hand and holding the knife in your right hand; When cutting things, hold the fork in your left hand and hold the food, and hold the knife in your right hand to cut it into small pieces and send it to your mouth with a fork. When using a knife, the blade should not be outward. When you put down your knife and fork during a meal, you should put them in a figure of eight and put them on the edge of the plate respectively. The blade is facing itself, indicating that you will continue to eat. After each dish, put the knife and fork together on the plate. If you are talking, you can hold a knife and fork without putting it down. When you don't use a knife, you can hold a fork in your right hand, but if you need to make gestures, you should put down your knife and fork, never wave and shake it in the air with your hand, and never wipe your mouth with a napkin in one hand, nor take a glass in one hand and a fork in the other. Remember, never put one end of the knife and fork on the plate and the other end on the table.

3. Don't sip when drinking soup, but shut up and chew when eating. Don't lick your lips or smack your lips. If the soup is overheated, wait until it is slightly cold before eating, and don't blow it with your mouth. When drinking soup, scoop it out from the inside with a spoon. When the soup in the soup plate is almost finished, tilt the outside of the soup plate slightly with your left hand and scoop it out with a spoon. After eating the soup, leave the spoon in the soup plate (bowl) and point the spoon at yourself.

4. When eating fish, meat and other dishes with thorns or bones, don't spit out directly. Cover your mouth with a napkin and spit gently on the fork and put it on the plate. If there is a small amount of dishes left in the plate, don't scrape the bottom of the plate with a fork, let alone use your fingers to help you eat, but use a small piece of bread or fork to help you eat. When eating noodles, you should roll them up with a fork and then send them into your mouth.

5. Bread is usually broken into small pieces and sent to your mouth. Don't bite the whole piece of bread. When spreading butter and jam, break the bread into small pieces before spreading it.

6. When eating chicken, most Europeans and Americans regard chicken breast as the most expensive. When eating chicken legs, you should first remove the bones forcibly, and don't eat them with your hands. When eating fish, don't turn the fish over. After eating the upper layer, remove the fish bones with a knife and fork, and then eat the meat at the lower layer. When eating meat, cut one piece and eat one piece. The pieces can't be cut too big, or cut all the meat into pieces at once.

7. If you want to add milk or sugar to your coffee, stir it evenly with a small spoon and put it on the saucer of coffee. When drinking, you should hold the cup handle in your right hand, put the saucer on your left hand, and drink directly with your mouth, instead of scooping it with a spoon. When eating fruit, don't bite the whole fruit. Cut it into four pieces with a fruit knife, then remove the skin and core with a knife and fork it.

8. Eat meat with bones with a knife and fork. When eating meat with bones, you can eat it with your hands. If you want to eat more elegantly, you'd better use a knife. Fix the whole piece of meat with a fork (you can put the fork up and press the meat with the back of the fork), then insert a knife along the bone and cut the meat. It is best to eat while cutting. When you have to eat it by hand, hand washing water will be attached. When hand washing water is served with meat with bones, it means "please eat with your hands". After eating with your fingers, wash your fingers in a bowl filled with hand washing water. When eating ordinary dishes, if you get your fingers dirty, you can also ask the waiter to bring hand washing water, and pay attention to washing your hands gently.

9. It is polite to the chef to dip bread in the sauce until there is no sauce left. Be careful not to lick the bread plate clean, but fork the bread that has been torn into small pieces and dip it in a little seasoning.