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European cuisine, or alternatively Western cuisine is a generalized term collectively referring to the cuisine
Cuisine

Cuisine is a specific set of cooking traditions and practices, often associated with a specific culture. A cuisine is primarily influenced by the ingredients that are available locally or through trade....
s of Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
 and other Western countries
Western world

The term Western world, the West or the Occident can have multiple meanings dependent on its context . Accordingly, the basic definition of what constitutes "the West" varies, expanding and contracting over time, in relation to various historical circumstances....
. European cuisine includes that of Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
 and to some extent Russia
Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
, as well as non-indigenous cuisines of North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
, Australasia
Australasia

Australasia is a region of Oceania: New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes ....
, Oceania
Oceania

Oceania is a geography, often geopolitics, region consisting of numerous lands—mostly islands in the Pacific Ocean and vicinity. The term "Oceania" was coined in 1831 by French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville....
, and Latin America
Latin America

Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages ? particularly Spanish language and Portuguese language, and variably French language ? are primarily spoken....
. The term is used by East Asians
East Asia

East Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either Geography or cultural terms. Geography and geopolitically, it covers about 12,000,000 km?, or about 28 percent of the Asian continent, about 15 percent bigger than the area of Europe, though some categorize Tibet, Xinjiang, and Mongolia as Central Asia....
 to contrast with Asian styles of cooking.






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European cuisine, or alternatively Western cuisine is a generalized term collectively referring to the cuisine
Cuisine

Cuisine is a specific set of cooking traditions and practices, often associated with a specific culture. A cuisine is primarily influenced by the ingredients that are available locally or through trade....
s of Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
 and other Western countries
Western world

The term Western world, the West or the Occident can have multiple meanings dependent on its context . Accordingly, the basic definition of what constitutes "the West" varies, expanding and contracting over time, in relation to various historical circumstances....
. European cuisine includes that of Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
 and to some extent Russia
Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
, as well as non-indigenous cuisines of North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
, Australasia
Australasia

Australasia is a region of Oceania: New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes ....
, Oceania
Oceania

Oceania is a geography, often geopolitics, region consisting of numerous lands—mostly islands in the Pacific Ocean and vicinity. The term "Oceania" was coined in 1831 by French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville....
, and Latin America
Latin America

Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages ? particularly Spanish language and Portuguese language, and variably French language ? are primarily spoken....
. The term is used by East Asians
East Asia

East Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either Geography or cultural terms. Geography and geopolitically, it covers about 12,000,000 km?, or about 28 percent of the Asian continent, about 15 percent bigger than the area of Europe, though some categorize Tibet, Xinjiang, and Mongolia as Central Asia....
 to contrast with Asian styles of cooking. This is analogous to Westerners referring collectively to the cuisines of Asian countries as Asian cuisine
Asian cuisine

Asian cuisine styles can be broken down into several regional styles that have roots in the peoples and cultures of those regions. The major types can be roughly defined as East Asian with its origins in Imperial era of Chinese history and now encompassing modern Japan and the Korean peninsula; Southeast Asian which encompasses th...
. When used by Westerners, the term may refer more specifically to cuisine in Europe; in this context, a synonym is Continental
Continental Europe

Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands and, at times, peninsulas....
 cuisine, especially in British English
British English

British English or UK English is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere....
.

The cuisines of Western countries are diverse by themselves, although there are common characteristics that distinguishes Western cooking from cuisines of Asian countries and others. Compared with traditional cooking of Asian countries, for example, meat is more prominent and substantial in serving-size, and Westerners traditionally have a far more in-depth knowledge concerning specific methods of preparing and serving different cuts of meat than Asian cooks. Steak
Steak

A steak is a slice of meat, typically beef. Most steaks are cut perpendicular to the muscle fibres, improving the perceived tenderness of the meat....
 in particular is a common dish across the West. Similarly to some Asian cuisines, Western cuisines also put substantial emphasis on sauces as condiments, seasonings, or accompaniments (in part due to the difficulty of seasonings penetrating the often larger pieces of meat used in Western cooking). Many dairy products are utilized in the cooking process, except in nouvelle cuisine
Nouvelle Cuisine

Nouvelle cuisine is an approach to cooking and food presentation used in French cuisine. Contrasted with cuisine classique, nouvelle cuisine is characterized by lighter, more delicate dishes and an increased emphasis on presentation....
. Wheat
Wheat

Wheat , is a worldwide cultivated Poaceae from the Levant region of the Middle East. Globally, after maize, wheat is the second most-produced food among the cereal just above rice....
-flour bread has long been the most common sources of starch
Starch

File:Amylose2.svgFile:Amylopektin Sessel.svgStarch or amylum is a polysaccharide carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds....
 in this cuisine, along with pasta
Pasta

Pasta is a generic term for Italian cuisine variants of noodles, food made from a dough of flour, water and/or Egg , that is Boiling. The word can also denote dishes in which pasta products are the primary ingredient, served with sauce or seasonings....
, dumpling
Dumpling

Dumplings, as defined in a standard English dictionary, fall in two main categories: these are either "piece[s] of dough, sometimes filled, that are cooked in liquid such as water or soup" or alternatively "sweetened dough wrapped around fruit, such as an apple, baked and served as a dessert." More generally, dumplings may be any of a wi...
s and pastries
Pastry

Pastry is the name given to various kinds of baking made from ingredients such as flour, butter, shortening, baking powder or Egg s. Small cakes, tarts and other sweet baked goods are called "pastries"....
, although the potato
Potato

The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial plant Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family. The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well....
 has become a major starch plant in the diet of Europeans and their diaspora since the European colonization of the Americas
European colonization of the Americas

The start of the European colonization of the Americas is typically dated to 1492, although there was at least one earlier colonization effort....
.

Restaurants advertised to be specializing in generic Western cuisine in Asia tend to have menus containing a mixture of dishes mainly from France, the English-speaking world, and Germany. Since the early 1990s dishes from Italy and Spain have become more prominent on these restaurants' menus.

Central and Eastern European cuisines

Azerbaijani cuisine
Cuisine of Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani cuisine, throughout the centuries, has been influenced by the foods of different cultures due to political and economic processes in Azerbaijan....
 Belarusian cuisine
Belarusian cuisine

Belarusian cuisine derives from the same sources as those of its neighbours - Lithuanian cuisine, Cuisine of Ukraine, Polish cuisine, and in later times Russian cuisine....
 Bulgarian cuisine
Bulgarian cuisine

Bulgarian cuisine is a representative of the cuisine of Southeastern Europe. Essentially South Slavic, it shows Turkish cuisine, Greek cuisine and Middle Eastern cuisine influences, and to a lesser extent Armenian cuisine, Italian cuisine, Mediterranean cuisine and Hungarian cuisine ones....
 Czech cuisine
Czech cuisine

Czech cuisine has both influenced and been influenced by the cuisines of surrounding countries. Many of the fine cakes and pastries that are popular in Central Europe originated in the Czech lands....
 Georgian cuisine Hungarian cuisine Jewish cuisine
Jewish cuisine

Jewish cuisine is a collection of international cookery traditions linked by Jewish dietary laws and Jewish holiday traditions. Certain foods, notably pork and shellfish, are forbidden; meat and dairy may not be combined, and meat must be Ritual slaughter and salted to remove all traces of blood....
 Lithuanian cuisine
Lithuanian cuisine

Lithuanian cuisine features the products suited to its cool and moist northern climate: barley, potatoes, rye, beets, Leaf vegetable, berries, and mushrooms are locally grown, and dairy products are one of its specialities....
 Moldovan cuisine Polish cuisine
Polish cuisine

Polish cuisine is a mixture of Slavs and Germanic culinary traditions. It is rich in meat, especially chicken and pork, and winter vegetables , and spices, as well as different kinds of noodles the most notable of which are the pierogi....
 Romanian cuisine
Romanian cuisine

Romanian cuisine is diverse. It blends different dishes from several traditions with which it has come into contact, but it also maintains its own character....
 Russian cuisine
Russian cuisine

Russian cuisine derives its rich and varied character from the vast and multicultural expanse of Russia. Its foundations were laid by the peasant food of the rural population in an often harsh climate, with a combination of plentiful fish, poultry, game , mushrooms, Berry, and honey....
 Slovak cuisine
Slovak cuisine

Slovak cuisine varies slightly from region to region. It was influenced by the traditional cuisines of its neighbours and influenced these as well....
 Slovenian cuisine
Slovenian cuisine

There is no such thing as a single, uniform, distinct Slovenian cuisine. In the opinion of some experts, there are more than 40 distinct cuisines in a country, whose main distinguishing feature is a great variety and diversity of land formation, climate, wind movements, humidity, terrain and history....
 Tatar cuisine
Tatar cuisine

Tatar cuisine is the characteristic cuisine of the Volga Tatar people, who live mainly in Tatarstan, Russia and surrounding areas....
 Ukrainian cuisine
Ukrainian cuisine

Ukrainian cuisine has a rich history and offers a wide variety of dishes. The cuisine of modern Ukraine is based on traditional Ukrainian recipes, Ukrainian recipes also bears influences from its neighbors' cuisines like Russian cuisine, German cuisine, Turkish cuisine and Polish cuisine, Lithuanian cuisine, and what can be called the Soviet...
 Montenegrin cuisine
Montenegrin cuisine

Montenegro cuisine is a result of Montenegro's geographic position and its long History of Montenegro.The traditional dishes of Montenegro's heartland and its Adriatic Sea coast have a distinctively Italian cuisine flavour which shows in the bread-making style, the way meat is cured and dried, cheesemaking, wine and distilled beverage, the...


Northern European cuisines

Danish cuisine Estonian cuisine Finnish cuisine Icelandic cuisine
Icelandic cuisine

Important parts of Icelandic cuisine are fish, being in an area where fish is plentiful, lamb and dairy. Popular foods in Iceland include skyr, hangikj?t , kleina, laufabrau? and bolla ....
 Lappish cuisine Latvian cuisine Lithuanian cuisine
Lithuanian cuisine

Lithuanian cuisine features the products suited to its cool and moist northern climate: barley, potatoes, rye, beets, Leaf vegetable, berries, and mushrooms are locally grown, and dairy products are one of its specialities....
 Norwegian cuisine Swedish cuisine

Southern European cuisines


Albanian cuisine Bosnian cuisine
Bosnian cuisine

File:Urban Grill Restaurant2.jpgFile:Bsarma.jpgBosnian cuisine is about the food, cooking, and eating habits of the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina....
 Croatian cuisine
Croatian cuisine

Croatian cuisine is heterogeneous and is therefore known as the cuisine of regions, since every region has its own distinct culinary traditions....
 Cypriot cuisine Gibraltarian cuisine
Gibraltarian cuisine

Gibraltarian cuisine is the result of a long relationship between the Andalusian people and the United Kingdom, as well as the many foreigners who made Gibraltar their home over the past three centuries....
 Greek cuisine Italian cuisine
Italian cuisine

Italian cuisine as a national cuisine known today has evolved through centuries of social and political changes, with its roots traced back to 4th century BC....
  • Sicilian cuisine
Macedonian cuisine Maltese cuisine
Maltese cuisine

Malta cuisine is typically Mediterranean cuisine, based on fresh seasonal locally available produce and seafood, with some influence from Italian cuisine, particularly Sicilian cuisine....
 Montenegrin cuisine
Montenegrin cuisine

Montenegro cuisine is a result of Montenegro's geographic position and its long History of Montenegro.The traditional dishes of Montenegro's heartland and its Adriatic Sea coast have a distinctively Italian cuisine flavour which shows in the bread-making style, the way meat is cured and dried, cheesemaking, wine and distilled beverage, the...
 Portuguese cuisine
Portuguese cuisine

Portuguese cuisine is characterised by rich, filling and full-flavored dishes and is an example of a Mediterranean cuisine. Mutual influence between Portuguese and Spanish cuisine is common....
 Serbian cuisine
Serbian cuisine

The Serbian cuisine is a heterogeneous one, influenced by Cuisine of the Mediterranean , Oriental and Austro-Hungarian.It has unique mix of various traditions; Serbian confectionery are places where koljivo, baklava, nut roll and sachertorte live in perfect harmony....
 Turkish cuisine Spanish cuisine
Spanish cuisine

Spanish cuisine consists of a variety of dishes which stem from differences in geography, culture and climate. It is heavily influenced by seafood available from the waters that surround the country, and reflects the country's deep maritime roots....
  • Andalusian cuisine
    Andalusian cuisine

    Andalusian cuisine is rather varied, corresponding to a region that is itself extensive and varied. Notwithstanding that, the cuisine of Andalusia is characterized by gazpacho, fried fish , the jam?n of Jabugo and Trev?lez, and the wines of Jerez, particularly sherry....
  • Asturian cuisine
    Asturian cuisine

    Asturian cuisine refers to the typical dishes and ingredients found in the cuisine of the Asturias region of Spain.Asturias is especially known for its seafood, such as fresh squid, crab, shrimp and sea bass....
  • Aragonese cuisine
    Aragonese cuisine

    Aragonese cuisine refers to the typical dishes and ingredients of cuisine in the Aragon region of Spain. These include roast Domestic sheep ; ham from Teruel; olive oil from Empeltre and Arbequina; a local taste for unusual vegetables as borages and sweet varieties of onion as well as wines from Cari?ena, Somontano , Calatayud and Campo de B...
  • Balearic cuisine
    Balearic cuisine

    Balearic cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine as cooked in the Balearic Islands, Spain. It can be regarded as part of a wider Catalan cuisine, since it shares many dishes and ingredients with Catalonia and the Valencian Community....
  • Basque cuisine
    Basque cuisine

    Basque cuisine refers to the typical dishes and ingredients of the cuisine of the Basque people. These include meats and fish grilled over hot coals, marmitako and lamb stews, cod, Tolosa, Spain bean dishes, paprikas from Lekeitio, pintxos , Idiaz?bal cheese, txakoli sparkling wine, and Sagardotegi....
  • Canarian cuisine
    Canarian cuisine

    Canarian cuisine refers to the typical dishes and ingredients in the cuisine of the Canary Islands. These include plentiful fish, generally roasted, Canarian wrinkly potatoes , mojo s , and wine from the malvasia....
  • Cantabrian cuisine
    Cantabrian cuisine

    Cantabrian cuisine refers to the typical dishes and ingredients in the cuisine of the Cantabria region of Spain. These include cocido monta??s, marmita, anchovy from Santo?a, Sobao, mistela and orujo from Li?bana....
  • Castilian-Manchego cuisine
    Castilian-Manchego cuisine

    Castilian-Manchego cuisine refers to the typical dishes and ingredients in the cuisine of Castile-La Mancha region of Spain. These include pisto , gazpacho manchego, the famous queso manchego , the white wine of La Mancha, and the red wine from Valdepe?as....
  • Catalan cuisine
    Catalan cuisine

    Catalan cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine from Catalonia in Spain. It may also refer to the shared cuisine of French Catalonia or Andorra. It is considered a part of Spanish cuisine or, simultaneously, a part of Western Mediterranean cuisine....
  • Extremaduran cuisine
    Extremaduran cuisine

    File:Chickpea pods.jpgFile:Porc ib?rique Cerdo ib?rico.JPGExtremadura, Spain is known for the different ways of preparing the Iberian pork and the mutton....
  • Galician cuisine
    Galician cuisine

    Galician cuisine refers to the typical dishes and ingredients found in the cuisine of the Galicia region of Spain. These include shellfish, empanadas, polbo ? feira , the cheese tetilla cheese, the ribeiro and albari?o wines and orujo liquor....
  • Leonese cuisine
    Leonese cuisine

    Castilian-Leonese cuisine refers to the typical dishes and ingredients of the region of Castile and Leon in Spain. This cuisine is known for its cooked dishes and its grilled or roasted meats , its high-quality wines, the variety of its desserts, its sausages , and its cheeses....
  • Valencian cuisine
    Valencian cuisine

    Valencian cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine as cooked in the Valencian Community, Spain. It's basic ingredients are vegetables, seafood and meat....


Western European cuisines

Sunday Roast Roast Beef 1
Austrian cuisine Belgian cuisine
Belgian cuisine

Belgium is the nation of Gourmands rather than Gourmets which translates into big cuisine rather than fine cuisine. In reality this means that along with big portions, you get pretty good quality and a kind of unpretentiousness....
 British cuisine
British cuisine

English cuisine is shaped by the country's temperate climate, its island geography, and its history. The latter includes interactions with other European countries, and the importing of ingredients and ideas from places such as North America, China, and India during the time of the British Empire and as a result of World War II Immigration t...
  • English cuisine
  • Scottish cuisine
    Scottish cuisine

    Scottish cuisine is the specific set of cooking traditions and practices associated with Scotland. It shares much with wider British cuisine but has distinctive attributes and recipes of its own, as a result of foreign and local influences both ancient and modern....
  • Welsh cuisine
    Welsh cuisine

    Welsh cuisine is the cuisine of Wales. It has influenced, and been influenced by, other British cuisine.Although both beef and dairy cattle are raised widely, especially in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire, Wales is best known for its sheep, and thus Lamb and mutton is the meat traditionally associated with Welsh cooking, such as roast lam...
  • Anglo-Indian cuisine
    Anglo-Indian cuisine

    Anglo-Indian cuisine is the often distinct cuisine of the Anglo-Indian community in both United Kingdom and India.Some Anglo-Indian dishes involve traditional British cuisine, such as roast beef, with cloves, Chili pepper, and other Indian spices....
Dutch cuisine
Dutch cuisine

Dutch cuisine is shaped by the practice of farming, including the cultivation of the soil for raising crops and the raising of domesticated animals and the history of the Netherlands of the Netherlands....
 French cuisine
French cuisine

French cuisine is a style of cooking derived from the nation of France. It evolved from centuries of social and political change. The Middle Ages brought lavish banquets to the upper class with ornate, heavily seasoned food prepared by chefs such as Guillaume Tirel....
 German cuisine
German cuisine

German cuisine is a style of cooking derived from the nation of Germany. It has evolved as a national cuisine through centuries of social and political change with variations from region to region....
 Irish cuisine
Irish cuisine

Irish cuisine can be divided into two main categories – traditional, mainly simple dishes, and more modern dishes, as served in restaurants and hotels....
 Luxembourgian cuisine
Luxembourgian cuisine

Luxembourgish cuisine reflects Luxembourg's position on the border between the Latin and Germanic peoples worlds, being heavily influenced by the cuisines of neighbouring France and Germany....
 Swiss cuisine
Swiss cuisine

The Swiss cuisine is unique in its many regional influences from its neighbors' cuisine, including Italian cuisine, French cuisine, and German cuisine....


See also


Category: European cuisine
  • Cuisine of the Mediterranean
    Cuisine of the Mediterranean

    Mediterranean cuisine is the food of the areas around the Mediterranean Sea.Whether this is a useful category is disputed:Mediterranean cuisine is the food of the areas around the Mediterranean Sea....
  • Eastern European cuisine
    Eastern European cuisine

    Eastern European cuisine is the cuisine of Eastern Europe.Since the cuisine of a country is strongly influenced by its climate, however, the term is of limited usefulness....
  • Medieval cuisine
    Medieval cuisine

    Medieval cuisine includes the foods, eating habits, and cooking methods of various Culture of Europe during the Middle Ages, a period roughly dating from the 5th to the 16th century....
  • Early modern European cuisine
    Early modern European cuisine

    The cuisine of early modern Europe was a mix of dishes inherited from medieval cuisine combined with innovations that would persist in the modern era....