Japanese cuisine has historically included rice as a staple with fish and vegetables as side dishes. Historically, the Japanese did not consume meat but the process of modernization has led to many meat-based dishes appearing in Japan. For a visitor to Japan, the sensations of taste, sight, and smell can be overwhelming. Not only is Japanese food quite colorful, the flavor is also brilliant according to the seasons. All this presents a breathtaking sight to the visitor in Japan. As any tourist will agree, no visit is complete without trying the local cuisine; the temptation to try any dish you set your eyes on might be overwhelming. No visit to Japan is complete without trying at least one of the following:

Yakisoba Cuisine

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A clever mixture of fried noodles, stirred together with vegetables and sauce. Cooking Yakisoba is best over a grill and served hot. You will find many outdoor vendors that sell Yakisoba served fresh from the skillet. Noodles have long been a part of Japanese cuisine so this meal is one you should not miss, especially if you seek historic flavor.

Yakiniku Cuisines

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For those who love grilled meat, Yakiniku is the cuisine for you. Before serving, the meat must soak in a Japanese Barbecue sauce that is very appetizing and tempting. Served raw, you cook the meat pieces by yourself over a small grill at your table and enjoy them together with a side dish of your choice.

Takoyaki Cuisine

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Takoyaki are deep-fried octopus balls served in sauce. This round delicacy tastes remarkable with various fillings such as rice and shrimp pieces. A perfect serve of Takoyaki in Japan is always available during festivals, but you can find plenty of restaurants that will cook and serve this specialty. They are deceptively small and quite filling.

Japanese cuisine has definitely evolved from the days of pickled rice with vegetables to the current sensational cuisine that is becoming more and more popular in various parts of the world as evidenced by the success of Japanese restaurants abroad. The beauty of Japanese cuisine lies in the fact that there is always a dish for everyone to suit personal preferences. Whether you are a vegetarian or like meat, there is a tasty Japanese meal for you. Go out and dare to try.

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French cuisine is the most famous cuisine all over the word. Its origins overlap with the Italian dishes but over the years it has transformed into haute cuisine that is a very popular term used for French dishes. The cuisine makes extensive use of wine and cheese to give dishes rich flavor and exotic smell that you can’t resist to taste.

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The French cuisine has become popular after the French Revolution and there has been a major change in the taste and feel of dishes. You can enjoy very rich tastes and amazing aromas of wine and smooth and tasty flavors of cheese in the haute cuisine. Here are the amazing dishes that are known worldwide for their taste and French origins. In fact an animated Hollywood movie had been made on of the popular dishes.

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Ratatouille

It is a perfect blend of vegetables that taste extremely good when taken together. The key ingredient of this dish is tomato with aborigine (eggplant), garlic, onions, and curette (zucchini). It is an amazing dish that makes your mouth moist as soon as you see it. An animated movie has been made by the name of this dish.

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Salad Nicosia

It is more popularly known by the Americans through “the French Chef”. It is a measured mixture of salad, tomatoes, and green beans and topped sometimes with tuna and anchovies. It is traditionally not served on a bed of lettuce. It can give all the dishes a perfect taste when enjoyed with it. It is an aura of French cuisine.

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Beef Bourguignon

More popularly known as Beef Burgundy, it is dish that will fill tummies and is an aromatic and tasteful dish. It is actually a stew made in red wine, beef broth, onions and bouquet garn, and mushrooms. It is a very taste and you can always enjoy it with your friends and family in a breezy evening.

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Invite your friends and have an amazing dinner with these dishes that outline perfection of haute cuisine. Your friends will love the lustful aromas and delicious and rich tastes that these dishes offer. It will be fun and excitement for your guests as well. The dishes are enjoyed worldwide with a reception that is regarded as a prestige for French and amazing meals for others. Make these dishes at home and enjoy.

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My husband and I love to travel offbeat and almost shocked our friends and families when we told them that we’d decided to go to Egypt and Morocco for our honeymoon! Everybody was expecting a romantic getaway to Europe or South East Asia. “You will get hurt in the political riots!”, my then to-be mother-in-law warned. But we went…and it was awesome!

After seeing a lot of ancient ruins in Egypt, we reached Morocco to realize how different the African continent can get in only a couple thousand miles! Morocco, in December, looks like a sunny Europe with green fields, long stretches of roads and cafes with French speaking patrons! Morocco was a French colony until 1956, when they attained independence and you’ll find the French and Spanish influences on language and cuisine.

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Our first stop was Marrakech – this was my favorite city in Morocco! You can spend an entire day in the town square (called the Jemaa el-Fnaa Square) sipping on hot mint tea and looking at the different types of people that make up the market’s crowd. Also, don’t miss the Bahia Palace and the Menara.

Image via: Bjørn Giesenbauer on flickr

After spending 2 days in Marrakech, we headed for Fez, which has the largest medina in Morocco. A medina is a walled town, usually an old city from Arabic descent. The maze of lanes will give you a feel of what Arab cities used to look like about 500 years back! Check out the tanneries, buy some spices and Morocco’s special Argon oil and have a chilled out meal at Café Clock, owned and run by a British fellow.

Oh and how can I forget the stop we made at Ifrane, on our way from Marrakech to Fez?! Ifrane is a small city that hosts a top of the line university, attended by the richest kids in the Arab world! The city is dotted with cafes and gardens and transports you to the feeling of sitting in any quaint town in France. This is the only place in Morocco where we were sold goods based on a printed price – everywhere else in Morocco, you just have to trust what the store owner quotes!

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From Fez, a quick trip to Volubilis showed us ancient Roman ruins that are over 2000 years old. And from here, we headed to Rabat, the capital of Morocco. A part of the king’s palace grounds is open to public and it is grand! Talk to anyone in Morocco and you will feel the love and gratefulness that people have for their king. King Mohammed VI is popular for his progressive views and fairness in justice. He is responsible for giving better opportunities to women and increasing the level of education in the country. Chat up with a local to feel the warmth!

Finally, how can you visit Morocco and not visit Casablanca! The city that was made popular by the romantic 1942 American classic lies by the seashore and is Morocco’s largest city. Go partying here! We also visited the Hassan II mosque – the largest mosque in the country, 7th largest in the world and one of the very few ones that allow women inside. It’s not so much for religion that you should go in, but for its brilliant architecture. Outside, the mosque looks out at the Atlantic Ocean. Stone and marble floors and columns, carved wood ceilings, titanium, bronze and granite finishes make this mosque a marvel to look at from inside. It even has a retractable roof that can be opened up on good days!

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Morocco was a surprise for both my husband and me. The lovely sights, the excellent infrastructure, the good governance and the delectable food won us over. Did I tell you to try a ‘tagine’? It’s a Moroccan delicacy and if you have planned a trip to this wonderful country, do not leave without trying it!

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One of the most liked cuisines of the world is the Italian cuisine. It is famous for very delicious and distinct tastes in its dishes. The key ingredients in Italian dishes are various types of cheeses and wines. The aromatic flavors of Italian dishes have spread across the globe and have secured permanent placements in the menus worldwide. Within Italy, the dishes vary regionally and have diverse attractions for customers. Rice and corn have become special ingredients for Italian cuisine after the 18 th century and today people use them to add diversity in flavors of different pastas.

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Simplicity

The aura of Italian cuisine is its simplicity. Foods most used in Italian dishes are breads, cheese, pastry, and salami. Seasoning pasta with melted butter and freshly grate cheese is as simple as it gets. Most of the dishes in Italy have four to eight ingredients. Cooks blend dishes with only these ingredients to perfection to prepare various dishes. The dishes are always prepared in a matter of minutes.

Quality of ingredients

Italians give importance to quality instead of quantity. You can have a cuisine at your kitchen with as little ingredients as spaghetti, guanciale, pancetta cream and eggs and you can prepare Spaghetti alla Carbonara in fifteen minutes. A mouth-watering dish anyone can make in a matter of minutes. The more quality of ingredients you use, the better taste you get.

Richness in Spice

People use a range of different, delicious sauces in making pasta and pizzas. Some sauces are very spicy and give a strong aroma of flavor and taste. Tagliatelle with bolognese sauce is a famous recipe that will increase your appetite as soon as you see it being prepared. You can add different sauces in your dishes to make them more spicy and rich in taste.

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You can do many experiments at your home with cheeses, salami, belly button pasta, and a range of ingredients that are available from the house of Italian cuisine. Remember always use the best quality of ingredients for making Italian dishes.

Diverse cultures and cuisines influence Italian dishes and this makes it more versatile in tastes and can lure you into having these dishes at meals.

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Before or after your holidays to the Maldives, why not make some of the country’s food at home? The beautiful island nation in the Indian Ocean shares many similarities in local food traditions and recipes with its closest cultural cousin, Sri Lanka, by incorporating delicate and spicy flavours into its curries. One Maldivian curry is a particularly good representation of Maldivian ingredients (coconut and coconut oil are particularly important in Maldivian cuisine), while also reflecting the increasingly pan-Asian nature of the country’s food.

While this dish doesn’t feature fish – which, being an island country, many Maldivian dishes do (though it should be noted that unlike many other island cultures, the Maldivians don’t eat raw fish), this curry reflects the country’s Muslim heritage (no pork) and geography (little beef, given the lack of proximity to good grazing land for cattle), uses coconut oil, and features an array of spicy and sweet ingredients, some from Asian ‘neighbours’ (not exactly around the corner, but still…) such as China, while other ingredients are more Indian in nature, such as cardamom.
The dish is a chicken curry called Kukulhu Riha, and the recipe is as follows:

Ingredients:

1 (1200g) whole chicken – skinned, cut into 8 pieces
4 tbsp cooking oil
1 cup onion – finely sliced
¼ cup curry leaves
1 tsp ginger – grated
4 cloves garlic – pressed/grated/very finely chopped
1 Dorset Naga (Chinese capsicum/ ghost chili/githeyo mirus) – chopped
3 pieces of Pandan (rampe/ raambaa) leaves – cut into ½ inch pieces
3 cardamon seeds
1 tsp chili powder
2 tbsp chicken curry powder/paste
1 cup coconut cream/milk (thick)
1 cup coconut cream/milk (thin)
1 cup water
Salt to taste

Directions:

Heat the oil, sauté the onions, garlic, ginger, curry leaves, Pandan leaves. Add the chili powder, while stirring, then add the curry powder/paste and ½ cup water and cook on low heat, stirring frequently. When this curry paste starts bubbling, add the chicken pieces and toss until all chicken pieces are well coated. Add salt, Dorset Naga, cardamoms, thin coconut cream/milk and the remaining water and cook on low heat, stirring occasionally. When the chicken is cooked, add the thick coconut cream/milk and simmer for about a minute.

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Any visitor to Mexico can tell you about the pristine beaches, world-class archaeological sites and friendly people, but those who have really experienced Mexico first mention the food. Mexican food has been captured in film, discussed by historians, talked about on television shows, reproduced by multi-national food companies, written about in literature and even honoured by the United Nations as a cuisine of international importance.

Discovering authentic Mexican cuisine:

Immediately after booking their cheap holidays to Mexico on websites such as Holiday Hypermarket, gourmet travelers can start preparing for a real ‘foodie’ experience: this country offers countless local traditions to be experienced, and recipes that you can take home and use.
First, it is useful to see what the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said in awarding Mexican cuisine with its one-of-a-kind honour. UNESCO writes, ‘Traditional Mexican cuisine is a comprehensive cultural model comprising farming, ritual practices, age-old skills, culinary techniques and ancestral community customs and manners. It is made possible by collective participation in the entire traditional food chain: from planting and harvesting to cooking and eating.’ So at its most holistic and pure, Mexican food is about not only passing along traditions in the kitchen, but it is a communal activity with people involved in growing food also.

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The key ingredients in traditional Mexican cuisine:

Mexicans use several key ingredients: usually corn and maize for tortillas (though sometimes flour is used), beans (local favourites such as black and pintos have been used for centuries and precede Columbus), and spices that are combined with tomatoes to make salsa (generally much runnier than salsa purchased in the supermarkets outside of Mexico).

Of course, wealthier Mexicans would incorporate meat into their diet – often chicken – though we must remember that Mexico is a large country, with different traditions in its various regions: for example, for those closer to the water, fish and other seafood makes up a much larger part of the diet, and indeed, a wonderful seafood paella (incorporating traditions from Mexico’s Spanish colonizers) can be had at reasonable prices in the villages and towns near the Gulf of Mexico or Pacific Ocean.

Excellent food recipes can be found using these ingredients, though it is the ethos the UN mentioned, and the local people of Mexico, who make the food special.

Image sources: 1, 2

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Have you ever tasted a Thai recipe? Well, the Thai Corn Fritters can be something that you will surely love to eat. This home-style Thai recipe is seasoned with strips of kaffir lime leaves and curry paste that gives an authentic Thai flavor. This is a delicious snack or appetizer for people who don’t want to eat meat for whatever reason.

Thank you Serious Eats for the recipe!

Thai Corn Fritters Recipe

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Ingredients

• 4 ears of corn
• 1 quart vegetable oil for deep-frying
• 1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup rice flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 3 kaffir lime leaves or 1/4 cup Thai basil leaves
• Store-bought or homemade Thai sweet chili sauce

Directions

1. Remove corn kernels from cobs. Heat oil to 300°F in a wok or Dutch oven. Line a large platter or cookie sheet with paper towel and keep it nearby.
2. Reserve half of corn kernels and place the other half in the blender or food processor along with red curry paste, egg, rice flour, baking powder, and salt; blend until smooth and transfer mixture to a bowl.
3. Stack up kaffir lime leaves (or basil leaves) and roll them up tightly into a roll. Slice the roll crosswise as finely as possible. Fold in kaffir lime leaf strips into corn batter along with reserved whole corn kernels.
4. Drop corn batter very gently into oil by the tablespoonful. Do not over-fill pot. Once the fritters float to the top, flip them around to make sure they’re browned evenly. Once they’re golden brown and then start to darken around the edges, fish them out onto the paper towel-lined platter with a slotted spoon. Repeat until all fritters are cooked.
5. Allow the fritters to cool slightly. Serve them with Thai sweet chili sauce.

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You can also use frozen corn kernels in this recipe. All you have to do is to completely thaw and squeeze out the moisture. You can serve as much as 30 two-inch fritters in just 15 minutes.

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