The word "cuisine" is a commonly used word.  If you love food and cooking, you probably know what the word means and you can probably describe the different cuisines around the globe.  We have been featuring the different world cuisines.  Our last two recent posts on this topic covered the different regional cuisines of India.

But what is cuisine?  Wikipedia.com defines this as "a specific set of cooking traditions and practices, often associated with a specific culture.  It is often named after the region or place where its underlying culture is present."  Since it is specific to a certain region, the ingredients used are those available locally and the religion can be a huge influence in the cuisines as well.

Although every country offers culinary treats unique only to its own, we can say that there are certain similarities to the influences, texture, ingredients and tastes of these different cuisines of the world depending on their geographic location.

For instance, there are many countries in Africa and each of these countries has their own respective culinary specialties.  In general, however, African cuisine highly reflects that of local traditions, but it cannot be denied that their cuisine is already influenced by European and Asian cooking.  Africa, however, is a huge continent.

Not surprisingly, the cuisine of every country offers its own unique ingredients as well as its own unique method of cooking.  There are many kinds of African cuisines among which include South African cuisine, East African cuisine, Egyptian cuisine and Moroccan cuisine.

Asia is another huge continent and Asian cuisines have a lot to offer.  Every country has something unique to offer.  The style, taste, technique, ingredients and food preparation vary from one country to another.  These things root down to the culture and people themselves/

Basically, however, the cuisines can be roughly classified into four – East Asian cuisine, Southeast Asian cuisine, Central Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine.  East Asian cuisine, for instance, include cuisines of China, Korea and Japan.  Although the cuisines of these countries are unique on their own, it cannot be denied that there are certain similarities in ingredients, cooking preparation and cooking style.  The same thing can be said for Central, Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern cuisines.

In truth, the same thing can be said of European cuisine which includes cuisines of European countries and Russia.  Of course, these cuisines are also referred to sometimes as Western cuisine, loose term which basically includes not only European cuisine but also North American and South American cuisines.  The term "Western cuisine" is a use as opposed to the term "Asian cuisine".

European cuisines are varied as well, but there are some similarities in their ingredients, food preparation or cooking style.  European cuisines include Northern European cuisine, Western European, Eastern European and Southern European cuisine.  On the other hand, we also have the Mediterranean cuisine which includes Greek, Turkish, Italian, Sicilian, Portuguese and Spanish cuisines.

Spanish cuisine is actually one of the most influential cuisines in the world.  It can be found in various countries regardless of geography, culture and climate.  This particular cuisine has influenced a lot of culture and many of Spanish recipes have been embraced by many countries as part of their own respective cuisines.  Basically, one Spanish recipe can have numerous versions.  Not surprisingly, there are variations of Spanish recipes and there are literally thousands of Spanish recipes these days.

Australian cuisine includes the cuisine of Palau, Samoa, Tonga, New Zealand, Mariana and mainland Australia.  Similar to Asian and European cuisine, Australian cuisines are similar in food preparation, ingredients and cooking technique.  However, each of these cuisines has something unique to offer, a taste unique to the locality.

The same thing can be said of the cuisines of the New World or the American cuisine.  This is highly influenced by the cuisines of the countries from where the immigrants who now reside in America came from.  European cuisine is a huge influence and has been adopted largely or to a lesser degree.  Spaghetti and meatballs, for instance, is a staple dinner of any average American family.  Accordingly, ingredients and cooking techniques have also been adopted by American chefs and cooks.  Ironically, some of the world's best chefs preparing French, Italian or Spanish food are actually Americans.

Cuisines of America include that of Canada, United States, South America and Latin America.  The United States cuisine dates back to the colonial period.  Native Americans had already their own style and method of cooking, but the country's cuisine changed with the introduction of European cooking styles and techniques.  Latin America cuisine embraces influences from all across the globe.  History and colonization play a huge role in the changes and development of Latin American cuisine.  This cuisine includes that of Costa Rica, Guatemala, Hondura and Panama.

Caribbean cuisine offers a fusion of various cuisines which include British, Spanish, African, Indian, America, French and Dutch.  This is the result of the colonization of the Caribbean islands by people from all over the globe.  Caribbean cuisine is the result of this fusion and it offers styles that are now unique only to the region.  A favorite ingredient of Caribbean cuisine is seafood which is not surprising considering its geographic location.  This cuisine includes that of Dominican Republic, Curacao, Antigua, Haiti and Puerto Rico.

These are just a few of what we have covered.  We have also written articles Jewish cuisine, fusion cuisine, vegetarian cuisine amongst others.  But if we are asked what the best cuisine in the world is?  We wouldn't say European, Australian or Asian.  No, we cannot say that because we believe that the best food in the world is food shared with family and friends.  It truly doesn't matter what cuisine it is.

Image Credit: bkktonight.com