The World In Food
Jang Morgan | 28th July 2015
In Spain, they have the almighty paella. This traditional recipe from Valencia is infused with the flavours and colours of the Mediterranean. Its core ingredients are rice, vegetables and seafood, which is all bigger and fresher down there. It’s cooked in saffron, which is what lends the dish its glorious golden colour. Often arranged artfully with wedges of lemon and red king prawns, the end result is a beautiful dish that pleases both the eye and the appetite.
Greece is known for its celebrated Greek salad. The fact we refer to the salad by demonym reveals the extent to which this dish is associated with the country. A medley of tomato, cucumber, onion, feta and olives tossed in salt and olive oil, it’s another bright and super-healthy recipe bursting with Mediterranean flavours. If this is one of Greece’s most famous exports, it’s no wonder their food (alongside Japanese) is considered the most healthy in the world.
Fish and chips are the pride and joy of British cuisine. A perfect combination of potato, cod/ haddock and pure grease, it goes straight to the heart (in more ways than one) of British identity, up there with Constitutional Monarchy and the rain.
So casting an eye overseas, what other dishes are so entwined with their nation’s cultural identity?
The Middle East is famed for falafel. I say the Middle East rather than a single country because ownership of falafel is an area of hot dispute, particularly in a part of the world known for deep neighbourly tensions. This vegan classic consists of deep-fried balls of chickpea, onion, garlic, cumin and coriander. Extremely tasty and suitable for pretty much everyone to eat, this is definitely the Middle East’s most popular culinary export. And all laying claim to its ownership are Lebanon, Israel, Syria, Jordan and Egypt.
Japan gave us sushi, and for this we are eternally grateful. The healthiest fast food in the world, it’s probably the trendiest dish of recent times. Here in the West, we practically inundate ourselves with endless sushi shops (such as Wasabi, Itsu and Yo Sushi), enamoured by the simplicity and freshness of its ingredients: rice, seaweed, fresh vegetables, seafood and tofu. The rice is lightly vinegared and sometimes scattered with sesame seeds, giving it that particular sushi taste.
So there are just a few (far healthier) worldly counterparts to our beloved fish and chips.
