Western food (Western foods), is a general term for the dishes of Europe and the United States, often refers to Europe, North America and Oceania countries, of which the world-famous Western food are France, Italy, the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia as the representative of the dishes. In addition, Greece, Germany, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Hungary, Austria, Poland and other European countries are also very famous dishes, and has its own characteristics.

On the origin of Western food, can be called the "mother of Western food", to be considered from the Roman culture of Italian food, if every country in Europe's culinary arts are originated in Italy is not too much.

Modern Western cuisine is based on the traditional techniques of French, Italian, British and Russian cuisine, combined with food ingredients and food culture around the world, made of nutritious, flavorful list of new Western dishes.

Here are the main categories and characteristics of modern western food.

French cuisine

The first of the Western dishes

The French have always been known to eat and eat well, French cuisine is still ranked as the world's first Western dishes.

French cuisine is characterized by: a wide range of materials (such as snails, foie gras are delicious French cuisine), fine processing, cooking, taste thick and light, colorful varieties; French cuisine is also more concerned about eating half-cooked or raw food, such as steak, lamb shank to half-cooked tender characteristics of the oysters of the sea can be eaten raw, roasted duck can be eaten in general to the six ripe, etc.; French cuisine attaches importance to seasoning, seasoning variety. French cuisine emphasizes flavoring and a wide variety of condiments. Seasoned with wine, what kind of dishes to choose what wine have strict rules, such as soup with wine, seafood with brandy, desserts with a variety of liqueurs or brandy, etc.; French cuisine and cheese, a variety of varieties. French people are very fond of eating cheese, fruit and a variety of fresh vegetables.

French cuisine, the famous dishes are: Marseille fish soup, foie gras steak, Paris lobster, red wine, chicken, chicken, chicken, chicken liver steak, and so on.

British cuisine

Simplicity and etiquette are both important

British food cooking, known as the family cuisine.

British cuisine is characterized by: less oil, light, less use of wine when seasoning, condiments are mostly placed on the dining table by the guests to choose their own. Cooking pay attention to tender, light flavor, the selection of materials focus on seafood and various types of vegetables, the amount of food requirements for a small but refined. British cuisine cooking methods to steam, boiled, burned, smoked, deep-fried.

The famous dishes of British cuisine are: chicken salad, grilled prawns Soufflé, potatoes braised lamb, roast lamb saddle, winter solstice pudding, Meiji chops and so on. Meanwhile fish and chips (fish and chips) is the most familiar British meal to the public.

Italian cuisine

The originator of Western cuisine

During the era of the Roman Empire, Italy was the political, economic and cultural center of Europe, and although Italy has since fallen behind, it is the originator of Western cooking, comparable to France and England.

Italian cuisine is characterized by: original flavor, known for its strong flavor. Cooking focus on deep-fried, smoked, etc., to stir-fry, fried, deep-fried, braised and other methods.

Italians love pasta, the practice of eating a lot. The production of pasta has unique features, a variety of shapes, colors, flavors of at least dozens of kinds of pasta, such as letter-shaped, shell-shaped, solid pasta, macaroni, etc.. Italians also enjoy Italian ravioli, Italian dumplings and so on.

The famous dishes of Italian cuisine are: macaroni and veggie soup, baked ravioli, baked macaroni with cheese, macaroni with minced meat, pizza and so on.

American cuisine

Nutritious and quick

American cuisine is developed on the basis of British cuisine, inheriting the simple and light characteristics of British cuisine, with salty and sweet flavors. Americans are generally not interested in spicy flavor, like iron steak dishes, commonly used fruit as ingredients and dishes cooked together, such as pineapple Bureau ham, vegetables and fruit roast duck. Like to eat a variety of fresh vegetables and various fruits.

Americans do not have high dietary requirements, as long as the nutrition, fast, the original juice is fresh flavor. But the meat quality requirements are very high, such as roast beef tenderloin with lobster will be selected from the United States Angus beef. Only half-raw beef has a wonderful beef juice.

Relatively speaking, the American food culture is much simpler than the traditional Western food. There are not many knives, forks, plates and disks on the dining table, only the most basic knife, fork and spoon each one. It is said that only in very formal banquets or family feasts, there will be more rules and procedures.

Famous dishes of American cuisine include roast turkey, orange-roasted mallard duck, American beef steak, apple salad, and pancakes with sugar sauce. Pies of all kinds are a staple of American food.

Russian cuisine

Western classics

The upper classes of the Tsarist Russia era admired France, and the aristocracy not only prided themselves on speaking French, but also on studying mainly French in their diet and cooking techniques. But after years of evolution, especially in the Russian zone, food is concerned about calorie-rich varieties, and gradually formed its own cooking characteristics. Russians like to eat hot food, love to eat fish, minced meat, eggs and vegetables made of small buns and meat pie, etc., all kinds of snacks are quite famous.

Russian cuisine is heavier, like to use oil, the production method is relatively simple. The taste is mainly sour, sweet, spicy and salty, and sour cucumber and sour cabbage are often the necessary food in restaurants or on the family table. Cooking methods are characterized by baking, smoking and pickling. Russian cuisine in the Western food influence, some of the Nordic countries located in the frigid zone and Central Europe Yugoslavia national people's daily habits are similar to the Russians, most of them like to pickle a variety of fish, bacon, sausage, ham, as well as pickled cabbage, sour cucumber and so on.

Russian cuisine famous dishes are: assorted cold dishes, caviar, sour cucumber soup, cold apple soup, fish buns, butter chicken rolls and so on. In Harbin, for historical reasons, there is still an authentic Russian Western-style food.

German cuisine

Beer, self-help

Germans do not pay attention to diet, like to eat fruit, cheese, sausage, sauerkraut, potatoes, etc., do not want to seek ostentatious only seek affordable nutrition, the first invention of the self-service fast food.

Traditional dishes: vegetable salad, fresh mushroom soup, baked fish steak, etc..

Germans love to drink beer, and the Munich Oktoberfest consumes about 1 million liters of beer every year.

Other Cuisines

Greek cuisine is characterized by lightness, elegance and originality.

Spanish-Portuguese cuisine is known for its rice, often accompanied by stewed meat and seafood.

Eastern European cuisine is similar to Russian.