Cultural Connections With Food

Cultural Connections With Food

I wanted to explore and present the cultural connection with food coming from a diverse group of individuals that I am well acquainted with through work and church. The countries

represented are:

VietnamTurkeyEstoniaHolland

PhilippinesJapanKoreaMexico

A series of questions were sent to each participant where they were asked to share information regarding the importance of their

native dishes with personal reflections on theircultural connections with food.

Traditional FoodsNoodle soups - Pho

Noodle dishes – Bun Thit NuongRice dish with meat – Com Tam

Common Spices/SeasoningsGarlic ~ Green onionLemon grass ~ Chili

Shrimp Paste ~ Fish sauceFermented soybean ~ Hoisin sauce

Personal FavoritesBun thit noung – rice vermicelli with

grilled pork and fish sauceAny of the Pho or Com tam

Special Occasions or HolidaysNew Years and Weddings

A whole pig is roasted

Personal MemoryDuring a wedding or memorial day of our great grand parents, there is a lot of cooking, a lot of

food and a lot of people.

VIETNAM

Bun Thit Nuong Com Tam

Traditional FoodsVegetables cooked in olive oilMeatballs spiced with cumin

Lamb (Gyros) cooked on a doner (which means “spin” in Turkish)

Personal FavoritesAnything with lamb and kabobs

Special Occasions or Holidays

Irmik helva is made when someone dies or on the anniversary date of their death.

This is a sweet and buttery dish made with butter, pine nuts, semolina, water and sugar.

Some regions use milk or a water-milk mixture.

TURKEY

Turkish Meatballs with Cumin

Lamb Kabobs

Irmik Helva

An American TwistGyros

Gyros

Cooking lamb on doner (my son Andrew calls it “flat meat”

Traditional FoodsRice ~ Various types of kim-chi

Vegetable dishes Spicy stews using meat or seafood

Bulgo-gi (beef)

Personal FavoritesSeaweed soup with beef

Meat-jeon (meat pancake)Mixed vegetables with rice with

Hot pepper seasoning

Special Occasions or HolidaysRice cake soup with beef to count individual ages to

appreciate for prior passed years and also to welcome the New Year. Without eating the soup, we don’t count individuals getting one year older even though the new

year day passes over.

KOREA

Bulgo-gi beef Kim-chi

Meat-jeon

Rice Cake Soup with Beef

An American TwistMost Americans do not like the hot and spicy flavors of Korean food such as the spicy rice cake pasta. It’s been localized and becomes a little bit sweet and less spicy.

Rice Cake Pasta

Traditional FoodsChicken and Pork Adobo

Lechon (roast piglet)Lumpia (egg roll)

Pancit (Filipino noodles)Callos (ox tripe with tomato sauce)Dinuguan (pork blood with inards)

Kare-kare (oxtail with peanut sauce)

Personal FavoritesLechon de Leche

Pansit

Special Occasions or HolidaysLechon is typically served on big occasions like

weddings, Christmas/New Years, and baptisms. Every big occasion and holiday involves LOTS of food.

PHILIPPINES

Personal Reflections on FoodFilipinos are very charitable people and

everything they do revolves around food. There is no celebration when there is not enough food to serve. Everyone goes home not only full from

eating but brings food home.

Callos Dinuguan

Lechon de Leche

Pancit

Traditional FoodsMiso soup

Miso broth with flavors taken from kelp or dried bonito flakes including tofu,

seaweed and green onion.Traditional breakfast of miso soup, bowl of rice and grilled fish (sometimes natto

which is fermented soybeans)

Personal FavoritesFresh fish and seafood

“Good Japanese food” = good ingredients not so much good flavoring. My mother comes from Sado where you can catch fresh fish straight

from the ocean and even get our own abalone. Food that is freshly picked, such as a juicy

cucumber, is a real treat.

Special Occasions or HolidaysNew Years - Foods that are traditionally eaten are

Osechi and Soba. Each ingredient symbolizes important things about the new year.

JAPAN

Personal Reflections on FoodJapan has a history of being a closed country (no

foreign trade/foreigners allowed). Because of that, Japan developed their own condiments

made from a key ingredient which is soy. Two useful condiments that were invented from the use of soy are soy sauce and miso. These two

ingredients are used in many and most traditional type dishes. Most traditional food is with minimal flavoring with the natural flavor of

the ingredients enjoyed in its pure form.

Miso soup with tofu

Osechi

Soy

Fresh abalone Japanese cucumber

Traditional FoodsMeat is always served with potatoes.

(there are 40 different kinds of potatoes)along with vegetables (leeks and onions)

and a salad tossed with Dutch mayonnaise dressing

Personal FavoritesI eat some kind of Dutch food everyday. Rusk

toast with breakfast, Dutch meatballs with Dutch spices. Licorice (of course) and I always have chocolate sprinkles (Hagel or hagelslag) to put

on different things. They sell Dutch waffle cookies at Trader Joe’s and Dutch mini potatoes that taste like butter. Belgian Endive (Witlof) -

take out the bitter heart add cream cheese , salt/pepper, and cover it with black forest ham and Gouda cheese and bake to a crispy crust.

Special Occasions or HolidaysWe go all out and eat and serve the best of the best

and the freshest available no matter the cost. Lots of veggies and soft cut meats and au jus with it. Lots of fresh French breads with garlic and herb butters. We also eat a lot of Spanish foods like Tapas as well as

Mediterraneaan foods/yogurts and dairy products that are lean and healthy.

HOLLAND

Personal Reflections on FoodThe Dutch were the first to bring spices to Europe from Asia so we use a lot of curry,

paprika, nutmeg, coriander, pepper, cinnamon. We have developed a variety of different blends for certain dishes and for specific meat and fish.

When I was young, we used to have Chinese/Indonesian dinners about once a week. Usually fish on Friday or Saturday, soup on the weekend and a fancy dinner on Sunday nights. A lot of Dutch people have small yards so they will try to get a plot at a community garden for

their own fresh vegetables.

Meat and potatoes Salad with Dutch mayonnaise

Traditional FoodsBlack bread (leib) ~ Potatoes, fish, pork

Vegetables ~ Fruits and berriesDairy products (milk and yogurt – about

20%richer than US)Kohupiim -similar to cottage cheese when unsweetened, but when it is sweetened, it’s the best thing ever tasting similar to

cheesecake.

Personal FavoritesAnything my mom makes at home. She makes all kinds of potatoes and sauces from scratch to go with meat and potatoes. This warm and filling home-made meal is something I cannot compare

to anything else. She also makes cream of wheat (manna) with kissell (thick fruit/berry juice).

Kohuke (small cheesecake piece covered in chocolate with filling inside)

is definitely my favorite.

Special Occasions or HolidaysBread is an every day food and is also served during

most holidays. Christmas is the biggest celebration as far as our food intake goes. Blood sausages are

popular to eat . Sometimes we would have a contest to see who could eat the most (4 was the highest if I

remember correctly)

ESTONIA

Personal Reflections on FoodBread has almost taken on a sacred quality.

When the bread falls on the floor, you have to kiss it (older tradition – not many people follow anymore) and you cannot ever put the bread

down on the wrong side up. Respect for bread is most important and has been throughout

history. An Estonian version of bon appétit is jätku leiba which literally means “may your

bread last.”

Black BreadKohupiim

Kohuke Cream of Wheat

Traditional FoodsChilies ~ Tortillas ~ Corn

Jalapenos ~ Coconut ~ MolePozole ~ Mexican ChocolateHorchata Water (rice water)

Personal FavoritesTlacoyos – Aztec name to a homemade tortilla

filled with refried beans topped with cotija, salsa and onion

Huazontles – vegetable that looks like trees filled with mozzarella cheese and

cooked in a tomato sauceFlan – Mexican custard adopted from SpainMole – chocolate sauce poured on chicken

Special Occasions or HolidaysDia de Reyes – January 6th

We make a rosca, a very large round cake with a plastic baby hidden inside. If you get it you would

make a party on February 2nd, usually with tamales.Dia de Muertos – November 2nd

Special bread as well as sugar skeleton that children decorate with their names.

MEXICO

The Spanish ConnectionMexican chocolate was discovered by the Aztecs and Spain adopted. Chilies were also specially produced by the Aztecs. Corn, Jicama are other

foods that date back to the Aztecs.

JalapenosPozole

Huazontles Tlacoyos

Rosca Cake Sweet bread for Dia de Muertos

Cultural Connections With FoodFood is one of the most common cultural traditions

which plays an integral part of daily living.

Food is a source of comfort, pleasure and security as well as a symbol of hospitality, celebration and religious significance.

What foods are eaten, how food is prepared and when certain foods are served are a reflection of individual cultural inheritance.

Understanding and appreciating the many aspects of a cultures’ food traditions is indispensable in the world of diversity.

Food is an essential part of culture, society and socialization which includes a complete set of customs, history and nuances.

Embrace and enjoy a new food adventure - Bon appétit!!

Cultural Connections With Food

Jalpeno Bagels by Natasha WingEverybody Bakes Bread by Norah DooleyDim Sum for Everyone! By Grace LinGrandma’s Latkes by Malka DruckerTortilla Factory by Gary PaulsenTea with Milk by Allen SayHow Pizza Came to Queens by Dayal Kaur KhalsaDumpling Soup by Jama Kim RattiganIn My Momma’s Kitchen by Jerdine NolenApple Pie and Onions by Judith CaseleyFirst Book of Sushi by Amy Wilson SangerEverybody Cooks Rice by Norah DooleyLet’s Eat by Ana ZamoranoChar Siu Bao Boy by Sandra S. YamateThis is the Way We Eat Our Lunch by Edith BaerThe Story of Chopsticks by Ying CompestineHalmoni and the Picnic by Sook Nyul Choi

The following is a diverse selection of children’s books to discover and explore additional cultural connections with food