Food in Asia
Asian cuisine holds a special fascination for the Western visitors. Food in Asia is a true festival of scents and flavors.
Asian cuisine holds a special fascination for the Western visitors. Food in Asia is a true festival of scents and flavors. After all, most spices originated somewhere there.
The Western world has always been reasonably acquainted with Middle East food as Middle Eastern cooking has influenced that of all Mediterranean countries. There was awareness of Indian cooking through the love British could not help to feel towards Indian dishes, particularly curries. But to the Western eye, the Far East has always seemed remote and inscrutable. Only recently we have begun to explore their enviable cuisine and we are trying to make up for the lost time.
Oriental cooking is a hit with home cooks exploring other cuisines for its simplicity, blend of flavors and easy, quick recipes. Find the Orient in your kitchen. Though rice is used in all cuisines, it is a staple food and essential in oriental cooking and many times other foods are seen as an accompaniment to the rice more than as the main course by themselves. Learn how to prepare a perfect rice with easy step by step instructions to prepare a simple boiled rice. Also tips to prepare it in the microwave, the oven, or steaming it.
East Asia
Chinese cooking
Chinese cooking is the product of history and developed consummate skills; it attaches great importance to the combination of beautiful shapes and delicious tastes. Chinese food is in continuously changing to reflect the people's quest for delicacies and the many particulars in the country's history.
Chinese New Year
Nearly all food served during the Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations has a a double meaning.
South Korean cuisine
South Korea is a symphony of age-old traditions and avant-garde modernity, and nowhere is this harmony more evident than in its rich food culture. Getting to know South Korean cuisine means an exploration of vibrant flavors and food culture.
Japanese cuisine
Food at Japan boasts a culinary heritage that is as deep and vast as its surrounding waters. The history and evolution of Japanese cuisine, often referred to as "washoku," is a testament to the nation's reverence for nature, tradition, and artistry.
South East Asia
Thai cooking
Thai Pantry: The Flavor of Thailand in your kitchen
Thailand, a country where a meal means rice accompanied by other dishes. Flavors of Thailand, a look at the traditional ingredients used in Thai cooking.
Thai recipes
Some easy to prepare Thai recipes to re-create a menu from Thailand at home.
Vietnamese food
Vietnamese food will take you on a delightful exploration of flavors and textures, distinguished by its fresh ingredients, minimal use of dairy and oil, and reliance on herbs and vegetables. With rice as a staple in many dishes, Vietnamese food is known for its balance of five elemental tastes (sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and umami), often in a single dish. Each meal is a testament to the country's rich culinary traditions and its philosophy of harmony and health in food preparation.
Indonesian cooking
Food in Indonesia stands out for its rich blend of flavors and cultural influences. From savory nasi goreng to a delicious satay, each dish tells a story.
Food in the Philippines
Filipino cuisine features a rich blend of flavors from various cultures, with staples like rice and dishes that highlight salty, sweet, and sour tastes.
South Asia
Indian cooking
Indian food is colorful and vibrant, seasoned with many species.
A trip to India made Jonathan realize that many dishes were cooked in yogurt sauce and that lightly fried onions are one of the favorite ingredients in most recipes, for him, India is a country of yogurt and onions.
Chopsticks
Japanese chopsticks are more pointed than Chinese ones.
Middle East food and cooking
Food in the Middle East is noted by its diverse flavors, staple ingredients like grains and spices, and communal dining traditions such as meze. The cuisine includes a variety of dishes from regions across Western Asia and North Africa, showcasing a blend of traditional and modern culinary practices.
United Arab Emirates cooking
Food in the Emirates has evolved from dates, salted fish and camel milk with some rice to a much more sophisticated cuisine adopting typical Middle East dishes and incorporating international cuisine.
Turkish cooking
Turkey’s cuisine offers an array of dishes rich in flavor and tradition, from spicy kebabs and savory mezes to sweet baklava.
The Mediterranean side of Asia has its very distinctive cuisine, vey different in techniques and ingredients to the Oriental side. Turkey is famous for dried fruits and nuts and Turkish confectionery, from which baklava is one of the best known treats, is an example of how to use this fine ingredients in different ways.
Bamboo is not only food for the giant panda - bamboo shoots are edible and used in many Asian dishes, the leaves can be used to wrap food and the sap of young bamboo plants is fermented to make wine - but the vast wild bamboo covered areas where pandas live are under pressure.