We live to eat and eat to live. It is that spectrum of existence which we cannot deny and without which we cannot exist. Food however has never been mere sustenance, it’s at least as much about indulgence and appeasement as it is about ravenous appetites. How else would you explain the myriad flavours and the multitude of dishes shaping up different cuisines of the world? Food culture across the world is more varied than you can imagine. Countries and states have their own gastronomic heritage, while even remote regions and small valleys have their own distinctive platter, each reflecting a taste medley unique to them. Here’s a roundup of the best cuisine in the world that will have your taste buds in for a feast!
Italian Cuisine
Source: Azamara
Pizzas and pastas- Italy does not need any more reason to be home to the best cuisine in the world. Very cliched but Italy is worth all the hype. What makes the country a global destination for food enthusiasts is its very distinctive taste and cheesy excellence. Italian cuisine is vibrant and flavoursome, both in its ingredients and in its many colors.
Italians are generous with their dashes of olive oil and pourings of tomato sauces, which makes their food all the more zesty and healthy. Italian food sounds so much like what comfort food should be- apart from the typical fare of the P’s, Italian cuisine is characterised also by unmellow coffees and sinful desserts. Lasange and Ricotta, Polenta and Bruschetta, Tiramisu and Panna Cotta are other Italian dishes equally popular the world over.
Italian cuisine however does not come easy to all. The dishes require meticulous precision- too much baking time and your pizza can be a papad, too less cheese and you will be biting into dry bread. Also with so much emphasis on the quality of the ingredients, authentic Italian fare would be best experienced on your next trip to the European land.
French Cuisine
Source: SBS
Contemporary and classic, French cuisine has been extremely popular all over the world. Culinary experience is never so refined in any other part of the world as in France. Innovative and indigenous, French cuisine boasts of a diversity that will bowl you over. Even without the standard wine and cheese, and the ubiquitous French Fries of course, French food has more than enough elements to fall back on. Crisp baguettes, flaky croissants, multicolored macaroons, fine crepes, softy souffles, rich quiches- there are so many delectable picks to choose from the wagon of French foods! Not to forget the best pastries and assorted sauces and you will know the flavour haven that French cuisine is!
Chinese Cuisine
Source: Mental Floss
China amazes you with food that is categorically very different from what other cuisines in the world has to offer. However it’s indeed a great deal to lure your taste buds with authentic Chinese fare since the indigenous delicacies are most flavourfully deciphered in the country than anywhere else.
There exists an insane amount of variety within the regional confines of Chinese food. Oozing with the flavours of traditional culinary secrets and ingredients, the cuisine of China stands out as distinct from the rest of the world. Delicious, wholesome and all- encompassing, Chinese cuisine is as unique as enticing.
Even when it is distinctly definitive, Chinese food is instantly recognised and is easily favoured. Wontons and dumplings, chowmeins and noodles, hot and sour soups and spring rolls, tofus and teas, schezwan and soy sauces, fried rice and hot pot dishes are only a part of the wide assortment of lip smacking delicacies that China offers to be the food land your taste buds desire. A burst of spicy flavours is what characterises Chinese cuisine as many other Asian cuisines.
Turkish Cuisine
Source: Daily Sabah
Rich and dynamic, Turkish cuisine is food for the soul. Steeped in heritage, food from this part of the world is extensive and exclusive. Even in its very overwhelming diversity, Turkish cuisine remains as appetising to the palate as to the senses.
What strikes the mind the most when speaking about food from Turkey is the land’s namesake couplet. Turkish dessert and Turkish coffee are perhaps the most widely explored food of the country even when Turks are known as the ones who put kebabs on the plate. Turkish spreads are all things lavish. Assorted desserts like baklava and kunafa and gastronomic delights like koftes, meze and dolma and sarma sums up an authentic Turkish indulgence to establish its own place of prominence as one among the best cuisine in the world.
Mexican Cuisine
Source: Scripps Health
Mexican food is world cuisine at its best. With elements ranging from Greek to Spanish, Thai to Indian and a diversity that is more pan- Asian, Mexico sums up the enchantment of its natural landscape also in the food it offers. Simple yet bold, authentic yet derived, food in Mexico is more than just health. It’s also about indulgence. Food in Mexico is what lives are made of!
Among the very famous fare of Mexico are tacos and tequilas, enchiladas and quesadillas, creamy flans and sweet pan dulces. Beans and corns, cilantro and chillies, avocados and limes and a range of spices dominate the flavours in Mexican food. But what has been the most striking aspect of Mexico is its specialty chocolate. Infused with spices and granular in texture, Mexican chocolate is quite an unique chocolatey experience that would have your sweet tooth on a spicy roll!
Indian Cuisine
Source: masalatwist.net
No discussion of the best cuisine in the world can be complete without a generous mention of the vast variety that Indian cuisine offers. Striking in its diversity and flavours as well as in its offering of wholesome health and taste, Indian food has all elements that can turn even the most picky eater into someone who gorges over its every aspect.
Even the blandest of vegetables and lentils are spiced up in ways that render them at par with succulently cooked meats and steaks. And that’s not even all about the most popular of Indian foods. The country is as rich in its snacks and sweets, in its appetisers and starters as in its main course. The flavours are very unique to the region and the range of myriad eatables gets as stark as they can. From rich gravies and creamy soups to thin broths and light stews, Indian cuisine has it all.
You can’t really have enough of Indian food. The condiments are so extensive that they mostly outnumber the main ingredients of the dishes. Yet there are also dishes that are so simple that they hardly incorporate more than a couple elements. Indian meals are also hardly one pot affairs- sides and chutneys have at least as many variations as the mains. The Indian culinary experience is so unique that you will never encounter monotonity in any of its offerings. Even the same ingredients can produce dynamically different dishes if you know how to proportion them perfectly.
Source: Travel + Leisure India
A plateful of biryani with the palate cleansing bowl of raita, the comfort of dal- chawal, the goodness of steamed idlis done up with diverse chutneys, the lavishness of butter chicken and naan, the contrast of tangy- chilly rasam with plain rice, the cravings for street fare as diverse as samosa and chaat and panipuri, the sweet touch of gajar ka halwa and rasgullas, kalakands and barfis, the zing of spicy coriander and lentils chutney, the sourness of tomataoes easily morphed into sweetness, the veggie essence of potatoes made into delectable halwa, the skins of vegetable making up unique tasting sides, roasted seeds and toasted nuts in savoury and sweet dishes- there really is no dearth of inventiveness and tradition and taste in Indian cuisine.
American Cuisine
Source: TripAdvisor
American cuisine is an amalgamation of food cultures of different parts of the world, making it more encompassing than distinctive. The food culture of the country is essentially KFC and McDonald’s or Subway and Starbucks for us now, though Pepsi and Coca Cola or Lay’s are equally memorable food jargon from the American mainland. And not to forget the iconic Mac n Cheese. Even when it is quite an apparent derivation of the Italian pasta and the multi- lineal cheese, Mac n Cheese is what convenient American food sounds like for the rest of the world.
Traditional American picks are a bit more diverse but nevertheless univocally appealing in its deliciousness. Most of the modern day fast foods like potato chips and nachos, hot dogs and hash browns and even healthier snacking options like popcorn owe their origin to the States. There is more though. Who on earth could have imagined a world without chocolate chip cookies in them? Or just how could we have our health boost without those yummilicious peanut butter sandwiches? Even meals that are as tasty and nutritious as baked beans and wholesome meatloaves are very much the American blessing. Not to forget the sinful decadence of straight out-of-the-oven mud pies and freshly whipped up sundaes. American food is everything familiar, yet nothing less appealing. Surely this one of the best cuisine in the world is worthy of all the buzz.
