Oriental‌ ‌Cuisine‌ ‌Vs‌ ‌Continental‌ ‌Cuisine‌ ‌‌Know‌ ‌the‌ ‌Difference‌ ‌

Food is the one thing that brings us closer to different parts of the world. It connects us to the remote cities and towns of the world. The food of a particular region carries its story. It is a symbol of their tradition and culture. The cooking style is unique to every culture. A hot bowl of Thai curry can bind you to the culture of Thailand and a plate full of crepes can take you back to the streets of France. This is the magic of different cuisines. It gives you experience and insight into one’s culture. While we are familiar with some of the cuisines from around the world, people are usually confused between oriental cuisine and continental cuisine. They are mistakenly considered the same. The most striking difference between these two cuisines in the regions they are prepared in. Continental food comes from Europe while Oriental food is cooked in the Asian cooking style.

Continental Cuisine

This cuisine is largely eaten and prepared in European and Western countries. The food has a very classic European touch to it. A minimal number of herbs and spices are used in this cuisine. Garlic, olive oil, and wine are important elements used in cooking continental food. French, Italian and Spanish cuisines fall under this category. Meat is a prominent element in continental cuisine. Steak is one of the most famous delicacies. Sauces are used to season the food or as condiments. Baking is one of the cooking styles specific to continental cuisine. A typical continental breakfast would include tea or coffee, rolls or pastry with butter and jam and some fresh fruits. Continental food is rich in calories and involves cooking techniques such as baking, frying, and roasting. Some famous continental delicacies are pasta, chicken and cheese salad, prawn pie, sweet pie, batter fish, chickpea soup, and roast turkey with cranberry sauce.

Oriental Cuisine

Oriental cuisine is prepared in Southeast Asian countries with a range of culinary traditions. It is cooked in an Asian cooking style. The food is cooked with a lot of vegetables as compared to the continental cuisine which used a less amount of vegetables. This cuisine uses dry ingredients such as dry apricots and dry plums. Spices and herbs are crucial to oriental cuisine and are added in large quantities. Sauces are used as a part of the dish and not as a seasoning. Chinese, Korean and Japanese cuisines are included under the list of oriental cuisine. A basic oriental breakfast plate would include fried rice, fried noodles, ham, pork, congee, and boiled eggs. The major cooking styles involved are stir-frying, boiling and quick frying. Rice and noodles are specific to oriental cuisine. Some mouth-watering oriental dishes are Peking duck, schezwan chicken, sushi, Cantonese chicken soup, and Thai fish curry.

Footnote

Every cuisine has some culture and history. Trying out new and different cuisines can provide an enriching experience.