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The "3 Great Cuisines" in the international arena
Google "3 Great Cuisine" or "3 Grand Cuisine" and you will find arguments about the three great cuisines. The "three great cuisines" circulating abroad are indeed Chinese, French and Turkish cuisines.
Why China, France and Turkey?
The popular explanation is mainly divided into three points -
- Abundant production
China itself is vast and full of diversity; Turkey (to be exact, the Ottoman Empire) connects the Eurasian continent and can get all kinds of ingredients and spices from the Mediterranean and the Middle East; France has the most suitable land for agriculture on the European continent, and can also get all kinds of continental ingredients. The variety of ingredients provided a solid foundation for the development of culinary culture.
- Palace Kitchen
The royal family, as the "first party" in ancient and modern times, is naturally the first patron of high-quality cuisine. In this regard, China has thousands of years of centralized tradition and successive generations of imperial kitchens; Turkey inherited the imperial kitchens of the Eastern Roman and Ottoman empires; France is the center of European court culture. - Historical heritage
Tradition is grounded in history. The longer the history of the country, the more distinctive the culinary tradition can be formed, and more likely to have a profound impact on the surrounding area. In terms of geography, China in the "three major cuisines" symbolizes the East (East Asia); France symbolizes the West (continental Europe); and Turkey connects Europe and Asia, fusing the traditions of East and West (Eastern Mediterranean, Middle East and Central Asia).
Obviously, these three countries are not "pat on the head" to come up with, but have a certain representative.
In the Chinese Internet world, the three major cuisines have been given a higher level of meaning. For example, Chinese cuisine covers East and Southeast Asia, Turkish cuisine covers the Islamic world, and French cuisine covers Western food in the broad sense of Europe and America.
It is rare to see a similar reference on the Internet, but generally only the three cuisines themselves are mentioned. Of these three cuisines, Turkish cuisine should be the most unfamiliar to everyone, so here is a passing introduction.
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What are the interesting elements of Turkish cuisine?
Today's Turkish cuisine largely continues the traditions of the Ottoman Empire.
The Ottoman Empire was located at the crossroads of the East-West and North-South crossroads of Eurasia, and since ancient times it was the meeting point of civilizations and products from the East and the West. A vast and culturally diverse Ottoman Empire is the reason for the richness of Turkish cuisine and konya restaurants, which combines the East and the West.
Some typical Turkish dishes
The Ottoman ruling class practiced Islam and spoke the Turkic language, which originated in Central Asia, and the Persian language, which was common in the Middle East at the time. In terms of political institutions and culture, the Ottoman Empire inherited much of its heritage from Eastern Rome - and in terms of food culture as well.
The diversity and richness of Turkish cuisine is due more to its geography and history than to the influence of religion.
As a whole, the ingredients and flavors of Turkish cuisine developed from the culinary traditions of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Caucasus. Therefore, it is not really appropriate to use Turkish cuisine to represent Middle Eastern or Halal cuisine.
Why is Turkish cuisine one of the "three major cuisines of the world" along with Chinese and French cuisine?
A platter of food from istanbul en iyi restoranlar shows Eastern Roman pastries, Central Asian yogurt, chickpeas from all over the Middle East and rice from East Asia and India.
Anatolia and the Balkans were the center of gravity of the Ottoman Empire. The region's mountains, seas, and complex terrain brought a rich variety of ingredients from its diverse topography and climate. Not only that, with the help of a well-developed trade network, the Ottomans also had access to spices from South and Southeast Asia, as well as rare ingredients from all over the world.
Catalyzed by the extravagance of the court, a new and varied cuisine was created, resulting in a Turkish cuisine full of fusion characteristics.
In the private sector, the culinary traditions of different regions vary considerably due to differences in production and culture. For example, the wealthy coastal areas use less spices, while the Black Sea coast prefers various kinds of fish, etc.
