Every culture takes/mixes foods from other cultures and makes it their own. I think the difference with the US is that there isn’t an ancient history to form a basis.
Stop it, you know what I mean. I’m talking European colonials which formed the basis for the modern US, even if it shouldn’t be that way. They stole Native American food too. The combination of these things formed the basis of “American” cuisine, but it wasn’t long ago in a historical sense.
In significant swathes of the US the natives were more or less successfully exterminated so there’s no clear cultural line from ancient natives to the people living there today.
Every culture takes/mixes foods from other cultures and makes it their own.
Perhaps more importantly, every generation remixes their parents’ and grandparents’ food.
French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Mexican food aren’t the same as they were 50 years ago. Lots of new dishes were invented and remixed, sometimes from imported influence. It’s not like chefs sit around and refuse to do anything different from how they learned. They do invent and innovate and tweak recipes. That’s, like, the job.
Maybe its Chinese altogether since Chinese and other Asian people would travel to the Philippines to catch a ride to the US and Mexico to then go to Europe. They would leave a trial of kids and culture back and forth. Similarly Mexicans in the Philippines, Europe and even Japan and China do exist.
Yes. I view Chinese American food as American food. Sweet General Tso’s Chicken, orange chicken, fortune cookies, crab rangoons, etc. Basically anything they overly sweetened.
Most of what constitutes “traditional” American cuisine is broadly based on European traditions, with British, French, Italian, and German influences being the most dominant. Though many of the recipes have changed and evolved over time, you can still see the influences pretty clearly.
Take the classic Thanksgiving dinner, for instance: although many of the ingredients (such as sweet potatoes and turkey) were unknown in Europe, the way they are prepared is still very similar to how Europeans prepare traditional holiday roasts.
Also, a “proper” meal generally consists of a chunk of meat, veggies, and carbs, usually all prepared separately, or sometimes as a casserole or a stew. Stir-frying is not that common, for instance, but frying, roasting and baking is. If you look into the history of any particular American dish, its roots can often be traced back to the exact wave of immigration that went on to popularize it.
Depending on the region, however, you may also find Native American influences, such as Creole, Cajun, Tex-Mex, etc.
I mean, technically, even the use of tomatoes or potatoes is Native American influence. Except those have become so ubiquitous in European cuisine that no one would even consider for a moment that they were completely unknown there just 500 years ago. Imagine Italian food without tomatoes, or German food without potatoes…
Corn as well, though that didn’t catch on quite as much on the continent, where it’s still mostly a boring vegetable, while Americans use it to bake as well (not to mention putting it into literally everything ever since they figured out HFCS).
Every culture takes/mixes foods from other cultures and makes it their own. I think the difference with the US is that there isn’t an ancient history to form a basis.
way to brush off thousands of year of native american dishes :/
Stop it, you know what I mean. I’m talking European colonials which formed the basis for the modern US, even if it shouldn’t be that way. They stole Native American food too. The combination of these things formed the basis of “American” cuisine, but it wasn’t long ago in a historical sense.
In significant swathes of the US the natives were more or less successfully exterminated so there’s no clear cultural line from ancient natives to the people living there today.
Perhaps more importantly, every generation remixes their parents’ and grandparents’ food.
French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Mexican food aren’t the same as they were 50 years ago. Lots of new dishes were invented and remixed, sometimes from imported influence. It’s not like chefs sit around and refuse to do anything different from how they learned. They do invent and innovate and tweak recipes. That’s, like, the job.
Ketchup as close as we know it comes from the Philippines right? So there goes that whole thing.
And the word “ketchup” is Chinese.
Maybe its Chinese altogether since Chinese and other Asian people would travel to the Philippines to catch a ride to the US and Mexico to then go to Europe. They would leave a trial of kids and culture back and forth. Similarly Mexicans in the Philippines, Europe and even Japan and China do exist.
Yes. I view Chinese American food as American food. Sweet General Tso’s Chicken, orange chicken, fortune cookies, crab rangoons, etc. Basically anything they overly sweetened.
Most of what constitutes “traditional” American cuisine is broadly based on European traditions, with British, French, Italian, and German influences being the most dominant. Though many of the recipes have changed and evolved over time, you can still see the influences pretty clearly.
Take the classic Thanksgiving dinner, for instance: although many of the ingredients (such as sweet potatoes and turkey) were unknown in Europe, the way they are prepared is still very similar to how Europeans prepare traditional holiday roasts.
Also, a “proper” meal generally consists of a chunk of meat, veggies, and carbs, usually all prepared separately, or sometimes as a casserole or a stew. Stir-frying is not that common, for instance, but frying, roasting and baking is. If you look into the history of any particular American dish, its roots can often be traced back to the exact wave of immigration that went on to popularize it.
Depending on the region, however, you may also find Native American influences, such as Creole, Cajun, Tex-Mex, etc.
I’m glad someone brought up Native American influence. It’s more widespread in American food than people realize.
I mean, technically, even the use of tomatoes or potatoes is Native American influence. Except those have become so ubiquitous in European cuisine that no one would even consider for a moment that they were completely unknown there just 500 years ago. Imagine Italian food without tomatoes, or German food without potatoes…
Corn as well, though that didn’t catch on quite as much on the continent, where it’s still mostly a boring vegetable, while Americans use it to bake as well (not to mention putting it into literally everything ever since they figured out HFCS).
Im particularly fond of hominy and other alkaline treated corn products.
Which I see as a positive