Food cultures

Sep142021 by foodtrotterNo Comments

Best Rosh Hashanah Recipes to Gift Your Loved Ones

When you’re looking for gifts for your Jewish friends on the occasion of Rosh Hashanah, you’ll pay special attention to their customs and traditions. Food is always a welcome gift and typical Jewish New Year or Rosh Hashanah gifts center around apples and honey. Ancient Jews believed that apples have curative properties, while honey signifies sweetness and hope for the new year. Eating apple slices dipped in honey has special significance. When your friends open their mouths to consume the apple, they’re offering prayers to Hashem for mercy. Several Other Foods Have Symbolic Meaning Foods that have symbolic meaning for the Jewish New Year are called Simanim, and it is customary for people to present a Rosh Hashanah gift basket to their friends. Getting a kosher basket ensures that...

May262020 by foodtrotterNo Comments

A Complete Guide to Peppercorns

Cooking tips, Food cultures, Foods

The spiciness is one thing, but pepper has more qualities: its unique flavors! Peppercorns are not only about adding spiciness to your food, but also to provide rich and tasty aromas. The flavor sits in aromatic essential oils in the peppercorn husk, which is released only when grinding/milling. This is why freshly ground peppercorns always give the best taste. However, both taste and quality can vary considerably as the pepper fruit, like wine, is affected by the local climate and its soil. Pepper is the world's most used spice - but surprisingly forgotten and neglected even though it is found in almost every dish! Often pepper is only associated with heat and spiciness, but this "king of spices" has significantly more qualities. The unique pepper flavor comes from the bal...

May262020 by foodtrotterNo Comments

A Guide to European Food Culture

Food cultures, Food Europe

Food and culture are very closely related to each other. Food culture includes traditions, dishes, and ingredients. The food culture in Europe differs from country to country, but there are common characteristics that distinguish European cuisines from, for example, Asian. The biggest source of starch in the kitchen is wheat flour, as well as dumplings of various kinds, pasta, and pastries. Most countries in Europe use sauces and spices as condiments and accessories. Let's look closer at the general rules and traditions of European food culture and how it varies depending on the country and which part of Europe you are in. Nordic cuisine The Finnish cuisine is reminiscent of the German, Swedish and Russian cuisines. The food culture in Norway is based primarily on the raw mater...

May172020 by foodtrotterNo Comments

Guide to Food as Culture Heritage

Food cultures

Food and meals are an important part of our cultural heritage. Even though we are far from pre-industrial storage today, there is much knowledge and inspiration to be gained from food traditions of old times. Food is not only vital to us, but it also tells us so much about our way of life, about nature and culture. In fact, food tends to play an important role in cultures. Some more than others. Even if we leave the country or culture in which we grew up, the food traditions will follow. This is also what has contributed to spreading food cultures, dishes, and traditions across the world. Many countries have been open to the food of other cultures more than others, which means that many cultures have been influenced by other food cultures. Before industrialism, it was very muc...

May172020 by foodtrotter6 Comments

How to Find Good Restaurants During Vacations

Food cultures, Foods

Finding good and interesting restaurants on your vacation and holiday is an important part of the holiday for many. But how do you avoid the tourist traps and find really good restaurants on the trip? In your home town, you have probably tried many of the restaurants that are available. You know which are good, which are terrible, and which restaurants are the best option depending on what you want to eat. But when you go abroad, perhaps on a vacation or business trip, to a completely new city, how do you know which restaurants are good and which you should absolutely stay away from? The difference between good and bad restaurants is huge. At worst, you may get ill due to improperly handled food such as cross-contamination and dirty kitchens, and at best you will have the best...

May32020 by foodtrotterNo Comments

A Guide to Indian Food Culture

Food Asia, Food cultures

India is the second most populated country in the world. With so many inhabitants and such a large country, there are many different food cultures inside of India with regional differences, traditions, and ways of life, with a great difference in both taste and ingredients. With that said, Indian food culture is not as easily explained as the food culture in many smaller countries with fewer inhabitants, where regional differences are not as big. Because of this Indian food culture is huge, and with many different dishes, methods of cooking, and eating. The country consists of 28 states (as well as 7 sub-territories) and they all have their traditional kitchens and dishes. In this guide, we go into detail about Indian food culture to try and understand what it really is, common ...

May22020 by foodtrotterNo Comments

The World’s TOP 10 Best Food Countries

Food cultures

Where in the world can you eat the best food? The answer to this question is rather complex and doesn't have a fixed answer. The "best" will always, to a great extent, be subjective, and doesn't have a fixed answer. Different people have different preferences, and it also depends on where you eat, who is cooking it, and what you are eating. But the fact of the matter is that some countries in the world are more influential and famous than others when it comes to food and food culture. This ultimately comes down to the country's history, heritage, and its relationship with food. All countries have their own food cultures which involve anything from traditions, eating habits, ingredients, dishes, and much more. But with that said, in some countries, food plays a more important and vit...

May22020 by foodtrotterNo Comments

A Guide to French Cuisine and Dishes

Food cultures, Food Europe

Hardly any country in the world is as famous for its food as France is. When it comes to food culture, there are very few, if any, countries that can compete with France. They are known for using as much as it can of just the finest and freshest ingredients they can come across and for their sophisticated cooking methods. The only ones who may still consider that France is not perfect when it comes to cooking may be vegetarians or vegans. It is quite unusual with vegetarians and vegans in France and therefore the supply is quite narrow. However, more and more alternatives have begun to emerge as the trend grows. If you travel through the country you will soon discover that the dishes differ a great deal between the different regions. If you want to get the most "French" food a...

May22020 by foodtrotterNo Comments

A Guide to Chinese Food Culture

Food Asia, Food cultures

Chinese food culture Chinese food culture is rich, to say the least, it includes cuisines from both different regions of China to variants of these cuisines. People of Chinese origin, living in other parts of the world, often customize their kitchen to suit the host country - for good or evil. As is usually the kitchen is divided into several main groups. The history of Chinese cuisine The history of Chinese cuisine goes back thousands of years. The influence comes from, for example, climate change, local preferences and not forgetting - imperial fashion. The phenomenon that kitchens from other countries are inspired and influenced by different techniques and ingredients over time, of course, also applies to Chinese cuisine. Chinese cuisine has historically evolved both from th...

May22020 by foodtrotterNo Comments

A Guide to Spanish Cuisine

Food cultures, Food Europe

In Spain, tapas is the most typical dish for the country. It is an ancient tasty tradition and almost all of the Spanish cuisine is like tapas. Spain is known as the land of small dishes and it is a must to eat tapas when visiting the country. On the walkway along the shops there is a large selection of tapas bars where you can pick and choose. It is common for different areas or bars to specialize in tapas. For tapas, it may be appropriate to have a beer or a glass of wine. Madrid's most dense and best tapas neighborhood is located just southwest of Plaza Mayor in the La Latina district. In the streets of Cava Alta and Cava Baja, you can eat tapas for hours. Food that Spain is famous for and that you often find in tapas is a lot of seafood and fish. There are also Iberian ham an...