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Infinitely varied, endlessly fascinating and potentially fattening,
the world’s great cuisines are more than nourishment, they are food
raised to the level of art. As expressive of their cultures as poetry
or painting, cuisine and its accompanying rituals are a delicious window
to a culture, providing a view of a people and its history that feeds
body and soul.
Narrowing this endless field of culinary classics to ten was nearly
impossible! While few will miss the omission of English fare (apologies
to the Queen, of course), many will protest the absence of Chinese and
Southwestern cuisine. And why include Ethiopian and Persian over Spanish
and South African? All we can venture by way of reply is this: We had
to chose ten — and wait, just wait, ‘til you try them!
With that said, here are our top picks for the world’s most delicious,
delectable and downright mouthwatering cuisines.
1. Nuevo American Cuisine
Not unlike the melting pot of ideas and cultures that define
the American ideal, Nuevo American cuisine combines the finest native
and imported foods into dishes that transcend their roots to become
uniquely American works of art: field greens and goat cheese dressed
with a blackberry vinaigrette, a peanut-coconut reduction drizzled on
salmon over black rice, chicken topped with a mango-fig comfit. In chic
American bistros such exotic, flavorful dishes are part of an ever-evolving
Nuevo American menu.
Growing out of the California cuisine movement of the 1980s, Nuevo
American fare often features locally grown, organic produce, free-range
meats and wine from nearby vineyards. Frequently served in small portions
on large plates in the hip sections of town, Nuevo America cuisine delights
the palette — even if it pinches the wallet. But these unique,
flavor-rich delights are worth the wait, the fashion and the price —
especially if you’re craving a break from humdrum traditional
fare.
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2. Cajun Cooking
Speaking of melting pots, the Cajun food of New Orleans is quite
literally a brew of culture in a pot — be it jambalaya or
gumbo. Evolving as much out of the cross-pollination of Acadians,
American Indians, African slaves and freemen, and Europeans, as
out of necessity, Cajun food combines what’s handy (yesterday’s
dinner) with today’s catch (shrimp, frogs’ legs or
alligator).
Cajun cuisine is as loose as a blues jam and as spicy as a Saturday
night in the French Quarter. Key to the cuisine is the art of
sauce, stock and reduction, often starting with a roux —
a thickener made of flour and butter that will make or break a
dish.
Here’s dinner in the French Quarter: Start with a fried
alligator and a cup of sausage gumbo. Move on to jambalaya with
a side of greens and corn bread. End with half a slice each (we’re
in New Orleans after all) of sweet potato pie and coconut buttermilk
pie. And wash it all down with a mug of fresh-brewed hickory nut
coffee.
Mark Twain offered the following: "New Orleans food is as
delicious as the less criminal forms of sin."
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3. French Cuisine
Considered one of the world's most refined and elegant cuisines,
French cuisine has exercised a major influence on Western culture
and maintains a nearly universal appeal. The relaxed aura surrounding
a French meal, where a family gathers to savor both the cuisine
and the company, has contributed to the current “slow food”
movement in America, which seeks to enjoy life’s simple
pleasures.
Even a cursory glance at French staples reveals some of the world’s
most delicious items: croissants, peasant loaves and baguettes;
brie, camembert and Munster cheese; and wines from Bordeaux, Burgundy
and Champagne.
Masters of sauces that nurse the flavor from local seafood, meat
and poultry, the French have elevated food preparation to an art
form. Imagine an ideal pairing of wine with foods or the combination
of fresh vegetables bathed in flavorful sauces, or the relaxing
finish of a digestif and chocolate.
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4. Italian
There are few cuisines in the world with as widespread an appeal
as Italian food. From Americanized pizza to delicacies such
as Timpano — a mouthwatering casserole of pasta, ragú,
salami, meatballs, eggs and cheese — Italian food is perhaps
the world’s most influential cuisine.
Italians will tell you that the best Italian food is home-cooked:
linguini rolled and cut on a woodblock table, tomatoes and basil
canned in the kitchen, and peppers fresh from the garden. While
we all may not have the time or talent, a home-cooked meal —
in Italy — is worth the trip.
Italians are fiercely proud of their food and traveling through
the country reveals delicious regional varieties: polenta, lasagna
and tortellini in the north and pastries, mozzarella cheese
and hot peppers in the south. Yet there’s a world in between
that celebrates a love affair with rustic bread, olive oil,
pasta, basil, cheese and wine.
To truly appreciate Italian food, you simply have to pull up
a chair at a table beside an olive grove and savor a pasta tossed
with olive oil, broccoli, basil and garlic, or perhaps gnocchi
in a prosciutto cream sauce, or a pesto, or …
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5. Middle Eastern
No one in the world handles a chickpea with greater respect
than a chef from the eastern Mediterranean. To sit down to a
pile of fresh-from-the-oven pita bread and a plate ringed with
fresh, airy hummus, centered within smooth tahini, and drizzled
with olive oil is to discover the meaning of flavor.
And then there’s the falafel — fried balls of chickpeas,
parsley and spices set into the pita pocket and loaded with
fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and various sauces! And the kabobs:
skewered chicken, lamb or beef fresh from a lemon marinade and
roasted over an open flame to tender perfection. Not to mention
the salads — cucumbers, tomatoes, fresh parsley and cilantro
piled high and doused with lemon juice and dashed with sea salt.
This is food best savored overlooking the blue Mediterranean
or in a café in Old Jerusalem or Damascus.
After the plates are cleared, it is time for baklava —
flaky phyllo, layered with pistachio nuts and soaked with rose-water
syrup — that will send your taste buds into orbit. Finish
with a thick, cardamom-laced shot of Arabic coffee, and you
have lived a Middle Eastern dream.
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6. Persian
Persian food is one of the world’s least appreciated cuisines
— inventive and exotic yet simple, healthy and aromatic.
Similar to India’s rich use of spice but without the density
or heat, Persian food employs fruits and nuts in innovative,
completely original combinations that leave the Western palate
surprised and delighted.
Consider fesenjoon — a stew combining crushed
walnuts and fresh pomegranate with chicken and served over fluffy,
lemon-scented white rice — or chicken, lamb or beef kabobs
— tenderized and marinated in lemon/lime juice and dusted
with spices before simmering over the fire.
Approaching the realm of reverence, Persians cuisine holds
rice and tea in high regard. Rice is rinsed, boiled and then
steamed, often with varying combinations of lentils, fruits
and nuts, and emerges from the pot fluffy and light. Tadiq,
the bottom layer of rice, is left to brown into a crunchy delicacy,
in some cases with thin slices of crisped potato. Similarly,
tea is a process as savored as the result. Traditionally brewed
in elaborate metal samovars, Persian tea is served without milk
in clear glass cups to reveal the brew’s golden hue, which
is as appreciated as the aroma and flavor.
7. Indian
Increasingly ubiquitous on the American scene, Indian food expresses
a rich culture that reaches back thousands of years. The cuisine
of India is almost infinite in its variety, heavily accented
by region and, in the West, almost universally represented by
the northern state of Punjab.
Fortunately for most Americans, Indian restaurants offer “mild”
versions of such classics as alloo mutter (paneer cheese
and peas in a thick sauce), chicken biryani (rice, peppers,
chicken, nuts and raisins), and chicken tikka misalla (chicken
breast served in a mild, sweet cream sauce). What often begins
as sweet — cardamom, anise, cinnamon and fresh cilantro
— can veer sharply to the hot testing even the
bravest tasters among us. It may seem that no amount of limbu
pani (limeade), lassi (sweet yogurt and ice drink) or raita
(yogurt with cucumber and dill) can quench the fire, but as
lovers of Indian fare will attest, it’s such sweet suffering
to savor the rich flavors of India!
For dessert, Indian offers numerous sweets, foremost among
them the rose-water-soaked gulab jamun. And the perfect
finish is chai, robust black tea brewed with cardamom, ginger,
spices and milk.
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8. Ethiopian:
Eaten by hand around a large shared plate, Ethiopian cuisine is
held together by injera, a large, spongy sourdough flatbread.
Thick wats (stews) are placed on the flatbread. Always using the
right hand, one tears off a section of the injera, scoops up the
wat and enjoys! The shared nature of the meal implies close family
or friendship ties, an essential element of Ethiopian culture,
and one enjoyed in Ethiopian eateries that are increasingly prevalent
in America’s cities.
Much Ethiopian cuisine is vegetarian — consisting of split
pea or lentil dishes and curries, akin to some Indian varieties.
Fiery beyond compare, but fortunately available in variable degrees
in most eateries, the fare is flavored with berbere — a
combination of chilies and spices, and niter kebbeh — a
ginger and garlic-infused clarified butter.
Popular with American vegetarians, the cuisine features numerous
meat-free options, largely due to the religious make-up of Ethiopian
society, which is made up of Muslims, Ethiopian Orthodox Christians
and Jews, none of whom eat pork.
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9. Thai:
At the turn of the millennium, Thai restaurants seemed to appear
overnight in every metropolitan area in North America and with
good reason: No one does things with peanuts, coconut and basil
(forgive us Italy) quite like the Thai.
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One serving of fresh, quick-fried
veggies drizzled with peanut sauce over white rice will make a
believer of any doubter. Or try the quintessential Thai noodle
dish, pad Thai, served in a light fish sauce and sprinkled with
bean sprouts, crushed peanuts and basil. If that doesn’t
move you, sip a cup of tom kha gai soup — a light coconut
milk broth with fresh basil, mushrooms, chicken and lime juice.
And, speaking of basil (which is native to tropical Asia, we
might add), Thai food exploits basil to amazing ends. While the
Italians tend to use basil in sweeter combinations, Thai food
uses the versatile herb’s full potential from simple noodle
stir-fries to complex chili-infused curries.
As in most of Asia, rice is essential, and the Thais favor highly
aromatic jasmine rice. Lime juice, fish sauces, garlic and lemon
grass are accents that make the cuisine as unique as it is delicious.
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10. Japanese:
Highly stylized, Japanese cuisine consists of simple elements
presented in formalized combinations. As with Japanese poetry
or painting, this simplicity is understood and savored through
patient, courteous observation and sampling.
The island’s cuisine is structured around rice and side
dishes. A meal might be a “one-dish” meal, a “two-dish”
meal and so on with various combinations of soup, rice and vegetable.
Ever-present is the sea and the Japanese have adapted seaweed
into salads that nourish and delight. Fish, both raw and cooked,
is a signature ingredient, with sushi and sashimi
being perhaps the nation’s most famous culinary exports.
It seems Westerners either love or loathe sushi, but the food
is one of the world’s most distinct: thin slices of raw
fish overlaying a rectangular of sticky rice dipped in soy sauce
flavored with spicy horseradish.
Noodles, introduced from China, have become a fixture in the
island’s cuisine: soba, a thin, brown, buckwheat noodle,
and udon, a wide, white, wheat noodle. Both are used in thin fish
broths with fresh or lightly steamed vegetables, seaweeds and
tofu.
And no Japanese meal is complete without tea: powdered green,
black, twig, jasmine and more.
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