Unity in diversity, the discrepancy of people with various similar identities including language, climate, religion, festivals, and so on. In the path of growth from ancient to the modern generation, food has been a key in underscoring the differences between races, cultures, and social causes. Food is used to reinforce the group identity and differentiate “us” from ”others”. Food took the initiative to bring people of different cultures together. Even eating the food of others seems to be interpreted as decoding their languages. Food is represented as a mechanism for detecting different ethnic, cultural, and social identities. Utterance on geographic eating, in terms of cuisines, which is the local identity born on the moment the new product or recipe rises from diverse cultures and diets. These diverse cultures turned out to be a new reality.
MEDITERRANEAN CUISINE
"There is no love sincerer than the love of food”
The Mediterranean basin is a large basin surrounded by mountains and coastal plains, having three peninsulas and intermediate fertile soil that encourages migrant pasturing. People started migrating in search of living in a better land having moderate climatic conditions. During the 11th and 12th centuries, the commercial contact between Muslims and Christians in the Iberian peninsula resulted in the rise of a large number of upgraded food products appropriate to the new cultures and community. A new food civilization was born as a result of the fusion of Roman-Christian and German cultures, in contact with the Arab world. This developed different food cultures on the southern shores of the Mediterranean. The Muslim style of agriculture introduced a lot of wealthier classes of plant species among the Mediterranean cuisines including eggplants, sugar cane, rice, citrus, spinach, and so on. Also, the enforcement of Islamic culture transformed the impact of Romans brought in Mediterranean cuisine. The discovery of the Americas by Europe was reflected in the exchange of food products such as potato, tomato, pepper chilies, and various types of beans. The red edible vegetable tomato became the symbol of Mediterranean and Italian cuisines. The vegetables and grains are the main characteristics of the Mediterranean cuisines. Mediterranean diet is portrayed as the expression for the entire culture system not only for its nourishment but also for the long tradition passed down from generation to generation. It stays as an inspiration and local identity for most populations.
ORIENTAL CUISINE
Oriental cuisine is the real fruit of historical and cultural tradition developed by Chinese, Thai, Japanese and Vietnamese. In particular, the Chinese tradition having distinctive traits of cuisines is known all over the world. The Chinese tradition pays more importance to flavourful ingredients and dietary qualities. Health holds the central focus of their food habits. One must acknowledge the relationship between health and diet to understand the Chinese tradition. The Chinese believe that the proper diet is the only way to lead a long and immortal life. They have symbolic values for their food. The long noodles they eat during special occasions hold the meaning of wishing to have a long life as if the noodle and breaking it before cooking are believed to be signs of bad luck. They trusted the philosophy of yin and yang (good /bad, dark/light, feminine/masculine, cold/heat) and categorized the food products according to it. Yin- the fresh food products (fresh vegetables, fruits, grains, etc.), that do not undergo any special process during cultivation and preservation. Yang-the food products undergoing refining process and losing their fresh and energetic yin and became yang (refined food, meat, etc.).
They also practice unique cooking and cutting methods. The main motto of cooking is ”to bring out the best in the ingredient through heat”. The Chinese were the first to cultivate and consume tea which is the characteristic element of their tradition. As a whole, oriental cuisine gives importance to flavour and has cordiality equal to the Mediterranean basin. The real enjoyment of food is to eat together. It's a way to be together and to enjoy.
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