We are well aware that in different countries, food traditions, products used and methods of cooking vary greatly. In recent years, we have been watching television programs with pleasure and buying books introducing the cuisine of the peoples of the world. We try to diversify home feasts. If we choose a restaurant for a gala dinner, we are interested in what dishes of cuisine can be ordered to the table. All this is curious for our taste and smell, as well as for the mind, which constantly asks questions: why is this and not otherwise? where did that come from? is it good or not? Let's try to answer some of these questions.

WHERE IT ALL STARTED

One has to start, of course, from the depths of centuries and even millennia, because the basis of modern food traditions is the experience of distant ancestors, their cultural tradition. Although man is an omnivore, he is taught to choose food in childhood by members of the society in which he was born. Remember what they say to a baby pulling a wooden cube into his mouth: "They don't eat it." Gradually there is a learning about what you can eat, how to cook food. At the same time, in different communities, cultural traditions recognize some of the nutritious foods as inedible or forbidden. For example, how long have we come to terms with the idea that the French eat frogs and the Japanese eat raw fish? Not to mention beetles, snakes and worms, which are also eaten. But mushrooms among some peoples, for example, the tundra Nenets, are considered inedible. Some types of food are regulated by religious traditions. So, Muslims and Jews do not eat pork, and according to most religious ideas of the peoples of India, a cow is considered a sacred animal and its meat cannot be eaten. However, in the tradition of some Indian castes, vegetarianism generally lies, completely depriving its adherents of animal protein, which is not in vain for the growth, development and health of entire peoples.
However, any tradition is based on cultural and historical experience in the broadest sense of the word. Since ancient times, man has used those food resources that were easily available in his habitats. On the one hand, in the course of natural selection for hundreds of generations, those randomly occurring physiological variants of digestion were fixed that allowed a person to survive and continue the race. After all, procreation is the main task of all living beings from the point of view of nature. On the other hand, a person gradually mastered new products, adapting them for nutrition, learning to process and make them more suitable for absorption by the body. This is how the “counter” adaptation took place, and along with it, cultural traditions, including the culture of food, were formed.
But let's not forget that the tribes of primitive people wandered and settled in different parts of the planet, where the climate, living conditions, flora and fauna were completely different, so the food also varied. Unlike animals, people could not only dig up edible roots, moreover, with the help of various tools, but also heat them on fire. Judging by some data, people learned to use fire for cooking at least 750 thousand years ago, expanding the range of their skills. Fried or cooked plant foods became more nutritious because they broke down undigestible cellulose. At high temperatures, poisonous substances contained in the tubers of many plants were destroyed. Smoked and fried foods could be stored for a long time. Paleolithic hunter-gatherers in western Europe already 15,000 years ago ate a wide range of wild plants and animals, varied in taste and rich in vitamins, minerals and trace elements. Most of the protein was of animal origin.
The transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture and a settled way of life occurred rather quickly, in about ten thousand years, and was tantamount to a nutritional revolution. On the one hand, agriculture made it possible to feed hundreds of times more people on the same territory, which was most important. But on the other hand, the changed diet negatively affected health. The food became predominantly carbohydrate, based on cereals, which upset the nutritional balance. The result was beriberi, iron deficiency anemia, even a slowdown in growth processes in children. Nutrition during a sedentary lifestyle was highly dependent on the local source of food. For example, the Neolithic population of the Iberian Peninsula, who lived in villages just 10 km from the coast, consumed little algae, molluscs, and crabs. And the inhabitants of coastal settlements consumed relatively little agricultural products.
The change in the composition of food and the type of nutrition in the Neolithic era entailed an adaptive restructuring of the human body. In the process of life, a person changed the environment and himself adapted to new conditions, partly created by him. By the way, with such mutual adaptive changes, as a rule, the course of biological evolution also accelerates. The new, softer boiled and baked carbohydrate foods no longer required the powerful masticatory muscles that primitive people had, which led to a decrease in the size of the jaws and facial part of the skull. The biochemistry, physiology and anatomy of the digestive tract changed, adapting to a protein-fat and carbohydrate diet. In general, these changes concerned man as a biological species.
But with the development of man as a biological species, settlement also took place in various climatic and geographical regions, where already natural conditions dictated the ways of life, obtaining food and its predominant species. Probably the most remarkable example of such an adaptation was the “relationship” of the body of different peoples to milk. Man, like all mammals, feeds on milk at an early age. But the assimilation of whole milk in the intestine occurs only after the breakdown of the milk sugar contained in it - lactose - by a special enzyme lactase. At the same time, a large molecule of milk sugar, which does not pass through through the walls of the intestine, it turns into small molecules of nutritious monosaccharides, which freely penetrate into the blood.
Milk feeding of cubs allowed this class of vertebrates to successfully develop and settle on the planet. But too long feeding the cub with milk prevented the mother from giving birth and feeding the next child. This problem was solved in a natural way: as the child grew, the production of the enzyme began to decrease, milk began to be digested worse, and the unpleasant sensations that arose in this case gradually forced the cub to move on to independently obtaining food. For this very reason, even domestic cats and dogs often do not drink milk. Sometimes pediatricians encounter similar problems in young children when newborns do not produce this enzyme. They call such a nuisance hypolactasia, and they learned how to deal with it quite recently, at the end of the last century.
The hereditary ability to secrete a large amount of the lactase enzyme in adults (associated with the presence of a certain gene) was preserved mainly among the descendants of those ancient peoples who, in the Neolithic era, mastered and consolidated the traditions of dairy farming. This gene variant is most common among residents of Northwestern Europe, individual populations of India and Africa. And in our time, whole milk from cows and camels provides the pastoralists of the Kenyan Turkana tribe with about 60% of the total energy intake and 70% of the annual protein intake. At the same time, adult natives of America, Australia, Central Africa, most peoples of Asia and indigenous northerners cannot consume whole milk.
Just as the Turkana tribe, due to natural conditions, focused on a predominant diet of milk, so among other peoples, crop products most often became the basis of the diet. Rice in South Asia, maize (corn) and potatoes in America, wheat in Europe and Central Asia. It turns out that the basis of the nutrition of modern communities, focused primarily on agricultural products, is made up of only nine plant species. Four of them (wheat, rice, potatoes, corn) account for about 75%, the other five are sorghum, sweet yam, barley, millet and cassava. About 80% of the animal food of modern man is beef and pork, and the remaining 20% ​​is chicken and meat of sheep, goats, buffaloes and horses.
The prevailing type of nutrition, as well as other natural factors, determines many features of the health and possible diseases of the inhabitants of different regions of our planet. Among the reasons, one can single out chemical, associated with chemicals of natural origin, and biological, including those associated with the nature of nutrition and pathogens of various diseases living in the surrounding animal and plant world.

UNBALANCED NUTRITION

People who have been living on the territory of different continents for thousands of years have at all times had to interact with the surrounding flora and fauna. This world lives in conditions of fierce competition for nutrients and energy for life. The ability of the biological adaptation of the aboriginal organism to local conditions allowed them to successfully adapt to heat and cold, humid subtropics and arid deserts, sharp temperature fluctuations throughout the year and every day, rarefied air in the highlands. Various biological, behavioral and cultural means were developed that made it possible, on the one hand, to provide oneself with food and warmth, and on the other hand, to protect oneself from pathogens characteristic of this climatic and geographical zone.
The oldest ancestors of modern man - Homo erectus, or pithecanthropes - lived in Africa and the tropical zone of Asia for many millennia before they began to spread around the planet. Therefore, all of us, all of humanity, to one degree or another, keep in ourselves traces of adaptation to the ecological conditions of the tropics that influenced the human body in the period of its early evolution. This applies not only to people, but also to plants and animals that form the basis of nutrition. Today, up to 80% of the food of Europeans is of tropical or subtropical origin, which is not surprising given the current level of trade. Sugar, rice, corn, coffee, cocoa, tea, oranges, tomatoes came to us from the tropics. As early as the beginning of the 18th century, the poorest segments of the population of southern Europe ate mainly dishes from corn (maize, domesticated in the tropical regions of America), molasses (sugarcane molasses originally from tropical Asia) and corned beef. Domestication of livestock and poultry, which are now common throughout the world, also began in the tropics.
According to archaeologists, the domestication of cattle and the spread of dairy products occurred in the eighth millennium BC. All breeds of modern domestic cows belong to two subspecies. European breeds are descendants of the wild bull from the subtropics of Western Asia, and the humpback cows of India and Pakistan come from the domesticated zebus of Hindustan. Zebu-like cattle, more accustomed to arid climates, were able to cross desert areas and gave rise to hybrid breeds that have been discovered by archaeologists in ancient Mesopotamian settlements. Here is the genetic history of our cows.
But let's get back to the tropics, to the way of life of the natives, the ways of eating and their consequences.
You already know that chronic protein deficiency leads to a decrease in muscle volume in adults and slower growth in children. Small body sizes with weakly expressed muscles are characteristic of representatives of most groups of tropical Africa and India, the natives of Australia, and the indigenous population of the tropical regions of Central and South America. Such an adaptation allows them to spend less energy on the main metabolism, i.e. to ensure the basic functions of the body in a state of muscle rest. Moreover, even with equal body sizes, these costs are reduced by 5% with an increase in the average annual temperature for every 10 ° C. But this does not mean that the needs for energy and protein in the tropics are less than in temperate climates. Indeed, representatives of tropical populations leading a “traditional” lifestyle cover long distances on foot every day (men - more, women - less), carrying a significant load. For example, among the Indians living in the southwest of Venezuela, women carry a load of about 16 kg (35% of their own body weight), and men - 5 kg, that is, 8%. And the energy consumption of women in the processing and preparation of sago, one of the main crops of the tropics, is five times higher than the level of basic metabolism! What kind of food covers such an energy expenditure?
It can be assumed that the tropical climate provides man with food in abundance all year round. This is not entirely true. For example, in New Guinea, 250 species of trees with edible fruits are known, and only 40 are used for food. Despite the high yield of agricultural crops, half of the crop is lost due to numerous pests and poor storage.
The variety of food among the inhabitants of the tropics, as in other climatic and ecological zones, depends on economic and cultural traditions. What seems strange at first glance is that a more highly organized life support system is often based on a less varied diet. For example, hunter-gatherers in the tropics of Northern Australia consume over 300 plant and animal species, with plants accounting for a quarter of the diet. The Indians of one of the Mexican states, who combine hunting and gathering with primitive agriculture, have a diet that includes a smaller number of species - about 200, but is also very diverse and balanced. The Acha Indians of Paraguay, hunter-gatherers, eat even less varied, but their diet contains 90 species of animals and plants, which is much more than that of modern city dwellers. But the farmers of the tropics, as a rule, eat monotonously and are focused mainly on the cultivation of "monocultures" and, accordingly, a carbohydrate diet.
From the words of travelers, we know the name of the cultivated plant cassava, traditionally eaten. The tuberous cassava root grows quickly, in a few months, and the yield from one plant reaches 25 kg. Manioc is boiled, it is used to make cakes, porridge, tapioca grits. Cassava is unpretentious, easy to cultivate, and ripe tubers are available at any time of the year. In short, the perfect comfort food. Only these wonderful tubers contain mainly starch, they contain only 1% protein, and there are very few vitamins. And this protein is poorly absorbed by the body. To meet your daily protein requirement, you need to eat 11 kg of cassava groats. Because the "cassava diet" is common to many tropical farmers, it often leads to chronic protein and vitamin deficiencies. The same applies to the “maize diet” of Mexican and Guatemalan peasants, in whom maize and maize dishes make up up to 80% of the diet, and fruits, vegetables, dried mushrooms, meat and fish are only a small addition. The result is a number of health disorders caused by a lack of protein, vitamins, trace elements.
Due to the chronic lack of protein in tropical and subtropical regions, where rice, corn, cassava, cassava, taro, sweet potato and other similar plants are the main food, people develop specific diseases from childhood, from which in the 1980s every year about 4 million people died on the planet, mostly children. Many children from 1 to 7 years old, along with growth retardation, have deviations that indicate a general slowdown in development.
Lack of fat in the diet of indigenous people in the tropics often leads to rickets because they lack the fat-soluble vitamin D, and the hard-to-reach sunlight in the rainforest makes it impossible to get this vitamin from provitamins. Due to rickets, even mild, frequent dysentery associated with poor-quality drinking water is difficult.
The inhabitants of tropical regions are also in dire need of trace elements. The soil is poor in calcium and phosphorus salts, necessary for the formation of bones. By the way, many researchers associate the small growth of representatives of the pygmy tribes precisely with the lack of these minerals. Violation of protein and fat metabolism, especially with low quality of water and minerals contained in it, as well as B vitamins, is a serious problem for the body. The associated disease is none other than the infamous beriberi disease. Anemia is also due to a lack of iron. In a word, "do not go, children, to walk in Africa ...", especially for a long time.
Surprising, in our opinion, vitamin deficiency among the inhabitants of Asia, Africa, South America, the Caribbean, in which green vegetables and fruits are “not honored”, often leads to impaired twilight vision, and sometimes to blindness due to a lack of vitamin A. Another feature: tropical fruits and vegetables contain little ascorbic acid - vitamin C. In a hot climate, its deficiency, especially in combination with a lack of vitamin P, can lead to endocrine system disorders.
The relative poverty of the diets of the farmers of the tropical regions of Asia, Central and South America is compensated by an exceptional variety of spices: there are dozens of varieties of pungent and aromatic substances, of which we know only a few. What is the point of using so many seasonings? Firstly, “hygienic”: in a hot climate, spices and an increased amount of salt help to preserve quickly perishable meat and fish products and even counteract helminthic invasions. Secondly, they stimulate digestion, which is inhibited by high ambient temperatures. Thirdly, they increase thirst and water consumption, without which the water-salt balance is disturbed in the heat, which threatens to dehydrate the body. So if you are going to tropical regions even for a week or two on vacation, and even more so for a long time, our unobtrusive information and casual advice will come in handy, because if you are warned, then you are armed.
Among the tropical and subtropical diets, the "traditional mixed diet" of South China is considered the most balanced. It is based on products of plant origin (primarily rice) and is complemented by dishes of fish (mainly pond fish), poultry (most often duck), and pork. According to WHO (World Health Organization) experts, the Chinese traditional diet can be considered optimal for tropical and subtropical regions.

The average life expectancy is 82 years, the degree of obesity is 21%.

Icelanders are fish lovers and connoisseurs. If 15 kilograms of fish are eaten all over the world per year, then on average there are 90 kilograms of fish per Icelander! Nutritionists believe that it is a large number of fish rich in essential fatty acids that contributes to a high life expectancy, despite a considerable degree of obesity.

Fish is prepared in a variety of ways, fried, steamed, stewed and marinated. The national dish is harcarl, which is quite exotic, since in fact it is rotten fish. Dairy dishes are present in the kitchen, recently Icelanders have included a lot of vegetables on the menu, which are practically absent in traditional cuisine.

Traditional Icelandic dishes are a clear exotic for many. And, of course, not everyone dares to try it. In order not to make a mistake with the choice (not everyone will want to try the Icelandic delicacy of rotten shark meat or the head of a ram, cut in half and barely scalded), it is better to choose familiar dishes, for example, marinated salmon, smoked lamb, volcanic bread.

Brazil: rice and beans will help you lose weight

Life expectancy - 73.5 years, the degree of obesity - 15%.

Traditional Brazilian dishes are served with rice or beans as a side dish. These side dishes are rich in fiber, satisfying, contain a lot of vegetable protein. Not too high in calories, but quite satisfying, rice and bean side dishes allow you to control your appetite.

The regional cuisine of Brazil is very different in each locality. But the crown dish is feijoada, the basis of which is beans and various types of meat, served with cabbage and oranges, sauce and spices. Now it is hard to imagine that the roots of this dish are in the kitchen of slaves who mixed the leftovers from the owners’ table with animal feed, which explains the brilliance - meat and poverty - beans. The dish has improved, it has African roots, but the Portuguese and Indians participated in the final formation of the dish. Now the dish is served at all food outlets, and is also prepared in national restaurants in other countries.

Lebanon: Mediterranean food with an oriental flavor

Undoubtedly, Lebanese cuisine is traditionally Middle Eastern, but along with Arabic cooking culture, it has absorbed much from the Mediterranean countries with an abundance of vegetables. There is much less animal fat and meat, but a lot of vegetables, garlic, fruits, and vegetable oil, mostly olive.

In Lebanese cuisine, there are a number of dishes that can be considered dietary. For example, traditional hummus is a dish of ground peas (chickpeas), mixed with vegetable oil and seasoned with lemon juice. Vegetable ingredients are used in the dish - eggplant, mint, garlic and other useful additives. There are a lot of all kinds of salads made from fresh vegetables in traditional Lebanese cuisine.

So, if you want to try oriental dishes without harming your health, start with Lebanese cuisine.

Armenia: healthy Caucasian food

Russians are used to thinking that Caucasian dishes are barbecue, pita bread and shawarma. But Armenian cuisine is a unique cooking of healthy and healthy dishes. Yes, the abundance of meat dishes is undeniable. But all meat dishes are served with a wide variety of salads that can be used as side dishes. For example, lentils are served with tomatoes, onions, herbs, eggplants and other vegetables are added to the dish. All meat dishes are also served with lots of greens.

It is very interesting that mayonnaise or sour cream is not used in Armenian cuisine. For example, a spring salad with cucumbers and radishes is served with fat-free kefir and garlic sauce. There are many vegetarian soups, such as dzawarapur - a soup made from potatoes, wheat and tomatoes.

The gastronomic traditions of Armenian cuisine are the richest. Can it be called exotic? Maybe yes. But undoubtedly, if you choose a healthy diet, Armenian dishes should be there.

Bulgaria: the secret is in the spices

Culinary experts all over the world admit that the unusualness of Bulgarian dishes is precisely in seasonings. Bulgarian chefs are masters of spices. And with them, even the most familiar dish will be unusual. Vegetables are widely used in Bulgarian cuisine, and vegetables can be both fresh and processed. Moreover, in the Bulgarian cuisine, vegetables are combined not only with meat and fish dishes, but also with flour, egg, and sour-milk dishes. Be sure to serve vinegar, spicy tomato sauces, red and black pepper. From herbs, basil, parsley, mint are widely used.

This is only a small part of the secrets of national cuisines. Nutrition in different countries is different as well as the way of life and habits of the peoples of the world. But in the cuisine of any nation you can find food recipes that maintain the health of the people and ensure longevity.

Rosstat reports that unhealthy food is ruining Russians. Maybe sometimes, in order to diversify your diet, you should look at the cuisines of other nations? Or maybe pay attention to Russian cuisine, in which there are enough healthy dishes?

TRADITIONAL WEEKLY DIET

SUPPLY IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES

(photo report)

The culture of eating, cooking and eating food is one of the oldest areas of culture, which is also distinguished by stability and great tradition, and by the way people eat, one can judge in many ways about the culture and the country. As well as per capita income

American photographer Peter Menzel traveled to 46 countries of the world for a year and a half (but never got to Russia) and asked local families to show what they eat during the week and the cost of this

.
Menzel chose average families - by income, number of children and lifestyle.

Let's look at himHungry Planet project :

German family Melander from the town of Bertiheid. The cost of food for a week for 4 people was 375.39 euros (500 dollars and 7 cents). Favorite food of this family: fried potatoes with onions, bacon and herring, fried noodles with eggs and cheese, pizza, vanilla pudding. The photo shows that the diet is dominated by meat, bread, vegetables, a huge amount of alcoholic and non-alcoholic store drinks. I wonder if only the father of the family drinks these drinks or the whole family?

The Cutten-Casses family from Erpeldang, Luxembourg. The cost of food for a week for 4 people was 347.64 euros (465 dollars and 84 cents). Favorite family food: shrimp pizza, chicken in wine sauce and Turkish kebab. The photograph shows that bread, pizza, alcohol, fruits predominate: So much bread and bakery products used to be eaten only by the poor. But now bread is more expensive than many products, pizza, spaghetti, muffins, sushi and other rubbish - this is not for satiety, but for status: accessories with the middle class

The Lemon family from Montreux, France. The cost of food for a week for 4 people was 315.17 euros (419 dollars and 95 cents). Favorite food of this family: carbonara pasta, apricot pies, Thai food. The photo shows that factory products and some fruits prevail: a purely female diet, and the man apparently adapted

The Brown family is from Rivier View, Australia. The cost of food for a week for 7 people was A$481.14 ($376.45). Favorite food of this family: Australian peaches, pie, yogurt. The photo is dominated by a huge amount of meat, store-bought drinks and refined foods, fruits. Meat, with potatoes and vegetables, eggs and bananas for dessert is good food, if we discard factory-made ketchups and yogurt

The Melanson family from the town of Iqaluit, Canada (Arctic Territory). The cost of groceries for a week for 5 people was $345. Favorite family food: narwhal and polar bear meat, pizza with cheese, watermelons. The photograph shows that meat, fish, vegetables, factory products predominate. Not bad either - in the foreground it looks like a huge piece of fat is lying, as well as potatoes and vegetables for salads. This food is closest to Russian, only the narwhal meat remains to be replaced with chicken

The Revis family is from North Carolina, USA. The cost of groceries for a week for 4 people was $341.98. Favorite family food: spaghetti, potatoes, sesame chicken. The photo is dominated by chips, pizzas and a huge amount of refined products, meat and semi-finished meat products, store-bought drinks:

The Ukita family from Kodaira, Japan. The cost of groceries for a week for 4 people was 37,699 yen (317 dollars and 25 cents). Favorite family food: sashimi fish dish, fruit, cakes and chips. The photo is dominated by fish products, sauces and specific Japanese food:

The Madsen family from the settlement of San Nore, Greenland (an autonomous territory of Denmark). The cost of groceries for a week for 5 people was DKK 1928.80 ($277.12). Favorite family food: polar bear and narwhal meat, seal stew. The photo is dominated by meat and factory products:

The Bayton family from Clinburn, England. The cost of food for a week for 4 people was 155.54 British pounds (253 dollars and 15 cents). Favorite family food: avocado, mayonnaise sandwiches, shrimp soup, chocolate cream cake. The photo is dominated by chocolate bars, refined foods and some vegetables:

The Al Hagan family from Kuwait. The cost of food for a week for 8 people was 63.63 dinars (221 dollars and 45 cents). Favorite family food: chicken with basmati rice. The photo is dominated by fruits, vegetables, pita bread, eggs and some strange boxes:

The Casales family from the town of Guernovaca, Mexico. The cost of groceries for a week for a person was 1862.78 Mexican pesos (189 dollars and 9 cents). Favorite family food: pizza, crab, pasta (macaroni) and chicken. The photo shows that fruits, bread, a huge amount of Coca-Cola and beer predominate:

The Dong family from Beijing, China. The price of food in China for a week for 4 people was 1,233.76 yuan, or 155 dollars and 6 cents on the day of purchase. What do the Chinese eat? Chinese family favorite food: fried pork with sweet and sour sauce. The photo is dominated by fruits, vegetables, meat, refined foods:

The Sobzhinsh family from the town of Konstncin-Jezorna, Poland. The cost of groceries for a week for 5 people was PLN 582.48 ($151.27). Favorite family food: pork feet with carrots, celery and parsnips. The photo shows that the set is dominated by vegetables, fruits, chocolate bars and pet food:

The Selik family from Istanbul, Turkey. The cost of groceries for a week for 6 people was 198.48 Turkish lira (145 dollars and 18 cents). Favorite family food: Melahat biscuits. The photo is dominated by bread, vegetables, fruits:

Ahmed family from Cairo, Egypt. The cost of food for a week for 12 people was 387.85 Egyptian pounds (68 dollars and 53 cents). Favorite family food: lamb okra. The photo is dominated by vegetables, fruits, herbs and meat:

The Batsuuri family from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The cost of food for a week for 4 people was 41,985.85 tugriks (40 dollars and 2 cents). Favorite family food: lamb dumplings. The photo is dominated by meat, eggs, bread, vegetables:

The Patkar family from Ujjan, India. The cost of groceries for a week for 4 people was 1,636.25 rupees (39 dollars and 27 cents). Favorite family food: rice cereal. The photo is dominated by vegetables and fruits:

The Aime family from Tingo, Ecuador. The cost of food for a week for 9 people was 31 dollars and 55 cents. Favorite family food: potato soup with cabbage. The photo is dominated by vegetables, fruits, cereals, potatoes, bananas:

Different nations and peoples differ from each other not only in appearance, language, culture and way of life, but also have differences in health, that is, they are characterized by various diseases. The determining role of this factor largely belongs to nutrition.
It has long been known that residents of coastal countries suffer less from cardiovascular diseases, there are many centenarians among the highlanders of the Caucasus, and beriberi is less common among residents of southern countries. All these features, according to scientists, are caused by the originality in nutrition.
What are the main passions of different peoples?

The basis of the kitchen Great Britain are meat, fish, vegetables, cereals. Of the first courses, the most popular soups are mashed potatoes and broths. From meat, the British prefer beef, veal, lean pork. Meat is served with various sauces (most often tomato), potatoes or vegetables are garnished. A large place in the diet of the British is occupied by various puddings. Of the cereals, the British prefer porridge, the famous "oatmeal". Among the drinks, beer is especially popular (from non-alcoholic, of course, tea with milk).

german The cuisine is distinguished by a wide variety of vegetable dishes. Among them, string beans, cauliflower, carrots, red cabbage, boiled potatoes, legumes are especially popular. The Germans eat a lot of pork, poultry, beef and fish, especially sausages and frankfurters. They eat a lot of eggs. Fruit salads should be noted among sweet dishes. Beer is considered to be the national German drink. From soft drinks, Germans prefer coffee with milk.

At the heart of authentic cuisine Spain lies simple food: onions, garlic, tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet peppers, herbs. Of the soups, the Spaniards prefer cream soups, garlic soup is especially popular. Along with beef, veal, pork and young lamb, the Spaniards enjoy eating poultry dishes. As for sweet dishes, the Spaniards are especially fond of pies stuffed with almond cream. Spaniards drink a lot of natural low-alcohol wine.

V Italy The national dish is spaghetti, served with various sauces, grated cheese or butter. The diet of Italians includes not only well-known vegetables - tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, artichokes, but also less well-known - chicory, lettuce, dandelion leaves. From soups, Italians prefer mashed soups, transparent, with pasta. They also eat a lot of cheese. Cheese is served with soups, pizza is cooked with it. Rice is widely used in Italian cuisine. The national drink of Italy is grape wine.

Extremely rich cuisine Of China. It includes a variety of products: cereals, vegetables, meat, fish, marine invertebrates, algae, poultry, young bamboo shoots. However, the palm in Chinese cuisine undoubtedly belongs to rice. The Chinese cook many dishes from soy: soybean oil, soybean curd, soy milk, etc. Flour products are very popular: noodles, vermicelli, flat cakes, dumplings, sweet biscuits. The Chinese eat a lot of vegetables: all kinds of cabbage, sweet potatoes, potatoes, radishes, onions, garlic, tomatoes. Chinese culinary virtuosos have learned how to cook unusually delicious dishes from vegetables. From meat, the Chinese prefer pork. Of poultry meat, preference is given to chickens and ducks. Eggs are also eaten by both chicken and duck. Fish and seafood are extremely popular. The most common drink is tea, and not only black, but also green.

Traditionally, in Of Russia they prefer sour dishes: rye bread, sauerkraut, cranberry kvass, etc. There are a lot of soups in the diet of a Russian person: cabbage soup, borscht, solyanka, mushroom, fish, okroshka, botvinya. The choice of cereals is extremely rich. Russian cuisine is characterized by offal dishes: jelly, dishes from the liver, tongue, kidneys. Fish, which used to be constantly present on the Russian table, is becoming an increasingly rare dish. Of the spices on the table, there are usually dill, parsley, celery, cilantro, onion, garlic, horseradish, mustard. Of the sweet dishes, thick jelly is considered to be primordially Russian. From drinks - liquid jelly, kvass, fruit drink, as well as tea, once imported from China and very fond of the Russian people. Of flour dishes, Russian cuisine is famous for pancakes and pies with various fillings. Of course, the table of a modern Russian is not distinguished by a clear adherence to traditional nutrition; new products and new dishes have appeared, borrowed from the cuisine of other countries. According to average statistics, the diet of a Russian person lacks vitamins and many micro- and macroelements, and carbohydrates, fats and sugars predominate.

Favorite food in USA are fruit and vegetable salads, meat and poultry with vegetable garnish, fruit desserts. Of the first courses, Americans prefer broths, soups, mashed potatoes. The most popular meats are beef, lean pork, chicken, and turkey. The cuisine is not spicy - all dishes are lightly salted and not too spicy. For garnish, vegetables are used: beans, beans, peas, corn and potatoes. Americans do not like cereals and pasta. Fast food restaurants are popular in the US, where you can buy hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs and other fast food. Americans drink a lot of black coffee, which is usually not very strong. Ginger beer and iced tea with lemon are also popular.

The Scandinavian countries are Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland. Seafood is the basis of Scandinavian cuisine. Salads, first and second courses are prepared from fish, not to mention sandwiches, which are extremely popular in these countries. A sandwich is prepared in several rows from various products. Scandinavians consume a lot of meat, preferring beef, veal, pork. Another feature of Scandinavian cuisine is the extensive use of milk and dairy products. Traditional for them and porridge, as well as potato dishes. Of the drinks, Scandinavians prefer coffee.

A characteristic feature of the kitchen France is the abundance of vegetables, especially root vegetables. French cuisine uses all types of meat. Fish and seafood dishes are very popular: shrimp, oysters, lobsters, scallops. From drinks, the French prefer fruit juices, mineral waters, coffee is very popular.

V Of Japan The basis of the cuisine is vegetable products, vegetables, rice, fish, seafood. Meat is used, but is not the basis of nutrition. The Japanese favorite food is rice. Great importance is attached to dishes from legumes, from soybeans. Most Japanese national dishes are served with spicy seasonings, which are prepared from radishes, radishes and herbs. Salted and pickled vegetables are popular.

From the description presented, it can be concluded that not all peoples eat properly balanced food. Even such a brief overview of the cuisine of different countries testifies to the peculiarities of the lifestyle and health of the inhabitants of these countries. So, judging by nutrition, we can say that the Japanese and the inhabitants of the Mediterranean are less at risk of cardiovascular diseases than the inhabitants of Russia, Germany or the United States, since the Japanese diet contains a lot of rice, soy, seafood and fish, and the inhabitants of the Mediterranean consume a lot of vegetables , fruits, seafood and dry wine. It is worth taking a closer look at the diet of the inhabitants of these countries and using their nutritional experience. But the health of the people and each person individually depends not only on the traditions of national nutrition. Much depends on proper organized, rational nutrition.

Each country has its culinary or dining specialties. We bring to your attention the basic rules of good and bad taste in restaurants in Europe.

Italy. All Italian cuisine is built on pasta (macaroni). Remember, the pasta is eaten correctly, winding it on a fork. In addition, in Italy it is not customary to order it as a main course - it is only an appetizer.

When paying a bill in restaurants in Italy, it is not customary to leave a tip, since everything is already counted in “il coperto” or “servisio incluso”, which means service charge. But if you are very happy with the service, you can leave a few euros on the table (do not leave coins below 1 euro, this is considered offensive).

Drinking coffee is a special ritual of Italians. For breakfast, they usually drink cappuccino, latte macchiato or strong espresso. After dinner, Italians prefer only "Un caffe per favore". If you go into a restaurant and say this phrase, they will make you an excellent espresso, and if you also have no sugar, expect the joke “Do you like sugar free? Yes, you already have a sweet life.

If you are invited to visit, be sure to buy a small treat or flowers (except for chrysanthemums, which are considered cemetery).

Spain. Spain also has its own peculiarities, the main of which is Siesta. From 13.30, at about 3 o'clock, most shops are closed, many Spaniards do not mind taking a nap at this time.

As for dinner, it starts at 21.00, some can come to eat around midnight. Remember, sitting at a table where there are already guests is very impolite. Dinner is usually accompanied by music, but don't clap or sing along, especially if you have no ear or rhythm.

Austria. In this country, special rules apply mostly to coffee houses. Here, the waiter should be addressed with all respect with the phrase “Mr. waiter” (much attention is also paid to the title “Mr. Master”). The waiter himself will approach you only at the first order, then only on demand, and do not be surprised if he is very laconic, it is so accepted here. Along with your coffee, you will be served free water and fresh publications. It would be correct to leave a tip on the table in the exchange of 10-20%.

In Austria, it is customary to sit down at the table five times a day: breakfast, lunch, dinner, a small snack before lunch and coffee in the afternoon.

France. If you decide to go to a French restaurant for a meal, a waiter will always meet you at the entrance, find out how many people you need a table for and lead you to it. You shouldn't be selfish. In addition to the regular menu, there is an option to order a “dish at will”, but it will cost you a little more. Desserts, as a rule, are not on the menu - you yourself must say what you would like.

Lunch in France can last up to two hours. Before eating, you will always be wished bon appetit, and at the end they will ask if you had a good meal. It is customary to serve a fresh baguette to the meal, which must be “teared” with your hands. If you want to leave a tip, leave it directly on the table.

Greece. Greek cuisine is based on simple products. The traditions of eating in the country are very much appreciated. If you are invited to dinner, be prepared for a long feast with many dishes. If you refuse to eat, you show disrespect for the owner of the house. Usually, dinner in Greece starts like in Spain, from 9 pm.

In Greece, while eating, you can stain tablecloths. Often the owner himself will put the first spot to show that you can relax at the table.

If you have visited a Greek restaurant, then there are also their own manners. It is not customary to order dishes only for yourself. As a rule, the Greeks order a lot of dishes, and then share them among all. In addition, many restaurants do not have menus.

Great Britain. The main rule is that a tourist should not criticize the local cuisine. An English breakfast is very high in calories: a dish of beans, bacon, black pudding, sliced ​​\u200b\u200bpotatoes, tomatoes, scrambled eggs, mushrooms and sausages. Agree, it will not be easy to push it through, especially if you are used to skipping breakfast. The bon appetit procedure can be omitted, as there is no suitable sentence in English for this.

Black tea is a drink that the British can drink at any time of the day. It is noteworthy that there are special full-fledged dishes for tea.

Sweden. The main feature of Swedish catering establishments is that restaurant guests pay for a meal once, after which they have the right to receive as many free supplements as they like. Often there is a self-service system - you yourself make an order at the bar, as you pay.