North American Cuisine: Huge Portions And Real Barbecue

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

We all know that America is a conglomeration of nations. The dishes have a variety of origins - Jewish, Polish, Irish, British, Chinese - from almost all over the world. In the southern states, French and Latin American traditions have a strong influence.

The American experience

North American cuisine is, in general, European in origin and this is seen in the culinary techniques and eating style. But for example, Jewish muffins, smoked salmon, huge double and triple sandwiches, giant salads can not be found anywhere else but in New York. There is always something non-Japanese in a California or New York sushi bar, and barbecue or roasted ribs from the Midwest can't go wrong with anything else.

All this is due in part to the quantities served in American restaurants. The sandwich is not a snack, but a huge dish. The steak will be enough for three people, and from a European point of view, one serving of ice cream is a huge vase full of incredible amounts of cream, ice cream and cholesterol. One would watch with an open mouth three children ravaging a dish of baked ribs and fries in quantities large enough to frighten an adult Frenchman.

American Products

We present you typical American products, which are only a small part of the existing abundance.

Nuts

America is home to peanuts, macadamia nuts and American walnuts grown on huge plantations. They are also the basis of many dishes. Walnut pie is a trademark. Nuts, pralines and fruit pies are made with nuts.

Photo: Sofia

Fruits

There are many fruits in America, but some are especially popular. Blueberries are small and round, but can be eaten raw or added to pies, muffins, puddings, creams and pancakes. They are fresh or canned. Cranberries are harvested at the end of the year and used as blueberries.

Pumpkins

Pumpkin is a perfect addition to any main dish. It can be cooked in a variety of ways, the market is available in all sizes, and there are two main types - summer and winter. The summers are smaller, the winters have a harder bark and a firmer pulp.

Fish

All kinds of fish are cooked - freshwater and sea. Americans love shellfish. Lobsters, oysters, shrimps, crabs and mussels are considered great delicacies. They are cooked on their own, but also in stewed dishes or soups.

Cereals

The plains of the Midwest have been famous for decades for producing large quantities of wheat and corn. They are the basis of many recipes - cornbread, puddings, cakes, muffins. The best Midwestern dish is the commander's corn - boiled in salted water and served with melted rural butter.

Techniques and tips

If one unfolds old American cookbooks, one will find archaic terms such as scallion instead of fresh onion and skillet instead of frying pan - words carried by the persecuted Puritans to their new homeland and long out of use in the metropolis. Some terms are remnants of the language of the seventh century, while others are borrowings from foreign languages.

Fish stew (Chowder)

This is one of the most popular American dishes. It is eaten from New Hampshire to Northern Canada. It is prepared from fish and thickened with potatoes. The New England recipe includes mussels and a piece of salted pork for added flavor. The word chowder only comes from the French chaudiere - stew. The original thick fish soup included vegetables, meat and poultry. Corn fish stew contains salted pork, onions and potatoes.

Baking in a pan

Some of the traditional cooking methods are reminiscent of the development of new territories, such as roasting in an iron pan or burying a thick iron pot covered in the ashes of the fire, as well as the economical slow-cooking pots, exemplified by the New York pot.

Outdoor cooking

Outdoor cooking is a major part of Americans' eating habits - and the climate helps. Ranch dwellers are the first to start cooking outdoors - this is the forerunner of barbecue, the fastest and most efficient way to satisfy the insatiable appetite of hungry farmers and shepherds.

Cornbread

It is thick, solid and slightly dry, very tasty when smeared with plenty of butter and served with American stew Chowder.

Earth furnaces

In those places in the United States where authorities allow open fires to be lit, the traditional roasting (and eating) of a whole piglet is complemented by other delicious temptations. First, a deep hole is dug in the ground or sand, which is covered with large porous stones. A fire is lit at the bottom and the stones turn red. Wet algae are thrown on them and products are arranged that are baked quickly - mussels, various seafood, even whole chickens, covered with more wet algae and finally a tarpaulin is placed to retain the steam. The food prepared in this way is juicy and tender.

Salads

In the United States, this is a priority on the West Coast - Americans are more resourceful in this area than the British. The abundance of exotic fruits and vegetables partly explains the incredibly appetizing results. Many classic salads such as Caesar, Waldorf and Cobb have Californian roots.

Sweets

America has a strong tradition in homemade pastries and is home to chocolate cakes, biscuits and muffins. American muffins are very different from British yeast cookies. It looks more like a big cake, but it comes in many variants - with chocolate, blueberries, strawberries - the list is endless. The biscuits are rich, crunchy, three times larger than the British and abound in nuts and chocolate chips.

Ice cream is the passion of Americans, and the most gorgeous is Knickerbocker - a great blend of ice cream, fruit syrup, sliced fresh or canned fruit, chocolate and nuts.