This is a list of European cuisines. A cuisine is a characteristic style of cooking practices and traditions,"Cuisine." Thefreedictionary.com. Accessed June 2011. often associated with a specific culture. European cuisine refers collectively to the cuisines of Europe. . Accessed July 2011.
The cuisines of European countries are diverse by themselves, although there are common characteristics that distinguishes European cooking from cuisines of Asian countriesKwan Shuk-yan (1988). Selected Occidental Cookeries and Delicacies, p. 23. Hong Kong: Food Paradise Pub. Co. and others. Compared with traditional cooking of Asian countries, for example, meat is more prominent and substantial in serving-size.Lin Ch'ing (1977). First Steps to European Cooking, p. 5. Hong Kong: Wan Li Pub. Co. Wheat-flour bread has long been the most common sources of starch in this cuisine, along with pasta, dumplings and pastries, although the potato has become a major starch plant in the diet of Europeans and their diaspora since the European colonization of the Americas.
Southern European cuisines
Cuisines of the Iberian Peninsula Gibraltarian cuisine Portuguese cuisine Portuguese wine Port wine Spanish cuisine has a variety of dishes including thousands of recipes and flavors arising from Spain's extensive history with many cultural influences, and variations in geography and climate. It is heavily influenced by seafood available from the waters that surround the country, and reflects the country's deep maritime roots. Spanish wine is a significant part of Spanish cuisine. Regional Spanish cuisines include: Andalusian cuisine Asturian cuisine Aragonese cuisine Balearic cuisine Basque cuisine Canarian cuisine Cantabrian cuisine Castilian-Leonese cuisine Castilian-Manchego cuisine Cuisine of the Community of Madrid Catalan cuisine (includes Andorran cuisine) Extremaduran cuisine Galician cuisine Leonese cuisine Valencian cuisine Cuisine of Minorca
Cuisines of the Italian Peninsula Italian cuisine – presents popular dishes like pizza, pasta, lasagne, Mozzarella and other well-known food. Italian cuisine has been influenced by Ancient Greek, Ancient Roman, Etruscan cuisines and dates back to 4th century BCE. It maintains strong regional diversity and it uses a vast variety of ingredients, mostly because of the political divisions in Italian history and different climate and resources in the country. Most of the dishes are simple to prepare and not expensive, which is one of the reason it is very popular around the world. Italian wine Regional Cuisines – in Italian cuisine, each area has its own specialties, primarily at the regional level, but also at provincial levels. The cuisine has an abundance of differences in taste, and is known to be one of the most popular in the world, with influences abroad. The differences can derive from a bordering country (such as France or Austria), whether a region is close to the sea or the mountains, and economics. Italian cuisine is also seasonal, often incorporating fresh produce. Italian regional cuisines include: Abruzzese and Molisan Arbëreshë Basilicatan or Lucanian Calabrian Emilia-Romagnan Friuli-Venezia Giulian Lazian or Roman Ligurian Lombard Mantuan Marche Neapolitan cuisine, Campanian Piedmontese Pugliese Sardinian Sicilian cuisine Trentino-South Tyrolean cuisine Tuscan cuisine Umbrian Valle d'Aostan Venetian cuisine Maltese cuisine Maltese wine Sammarinese cuisine
Mediterranean cuisine Mediterranean diet Cypriot cuisine is the cuisine of Cyprus and can be described as a blend of Greek and Turkish cuisines. Greek Cypriot cuisine is another regional Greek cuisine along with Cretan, Ionian, or Attic. Cypriot wine
Turkish cuisine is largely the heritage of Ottoman cuisine, which can be described as a fusion and refinement of Central Asian, Middle Eastern, Eastern European, Armenian and Balkan cuisines. Turkish wine Northern Cypriot cuisine
Southeastern European cuisines
Albanian cuisine is uniquely influenced by Turkish, Greek, and Italian cuisines. Every region in Albania has its own unique dishes. Albanian cuisine is characterized by the use of various Mediterranean herbs such as oregano, black pepper, mint, basil, rosemary and more in cooking meat and fish. Albanian wine Aromanian cuisine Bosnian cuisine Bulgarian cuisine is essentially South Slavic with Turkish influences, and shares characteristics with other Balkans cuisines. Owing to the relatively warm climate and diverse geography affording excellent growth conditions for a variety of vegetables, herbs and fruits, Bulgarian cuisine is diverse. Bulgarian wine Croatian cuisine Croatian wine List of Croatian dishes
Greek cuisine Greek wine Macedonian cuisine (Greek) Regional foods Taramosalata, a Greek meze made with salted and cured fish roe."Taramosalata." Ultimate-guide-to-greek-food.com . Accessed August 2011. Hungarian cuisine is primarily based on meats, seasonal vegetables, fruits, and fresh bread. It shares a number of features with Turkish cuisine. Paprika, introduced to Hungary under Ottoman rule, is a staple in Hungarian cuisine. Recipes are based on centuries-old traditions of spicing and preparation methods. Hungarian cuisine features regional dishes such as piláf, muszaka, pogácsa, paszuly főzelék and sarma. Hungarian wine Goulash Kosovan cuisine Macedonian cuisine Macedonian wine Montenegrin cuisine Montenegrin wine Serbian cuisine Serbian wine Slovenian cuisine There is a wide variety of meats in different parts of Slovenia. Dandelion is Slovenian wild lettuce, which has been gathered in the fields for centuries. It has notable influences from Croatian cuisine, and other cuisines of the former Yugoslavia. Slovenian wine
Central European cuisines
Austrian cuisine is a style of cuisine native to Austria and composed of influences from throughout the former Habsburg Empire. Regional influences from Italy, Germany and the Balkans have had an effect on Austrian cooking, and in turn this fusion of styles was influential throughout the Empire.Culinary Influences Austrian wine Viennese 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. Czech cuisine is marked by a strong emphasis on meat dishes. Pork is quite common, and beef and chicken are also popular. Czech wine German cuisine German wine Baden cuisine Bavarian cuisine Berliner cuisine Brandenburg cuisine Franconian cuisine Hamburg cuisine Hessian cuisine Lower Saxon cuisine Mecklenburg cuisine Palatine cuisine Pomeranian cuisine Rhenish-Hessian cuisine Saxon cuisine Schleswig-Holstein cuisine Silesian cuisine Swabian cuisine Liechtensteiner cuisine Liechtenstein wine Polish cuisine is the cuisine characteristic of the nation of Poland and its primary ethnic group, the Poles. Traditional Polish dishes are based on meats, vegetables, fruits, breads, cheeses, sausages, milk, etc. The most typical ingredients used in Polish cuisine are sauerkraut, paprika, beetroot, cucumbers (gherkins), sour cream, kohlrabi, mushrooms, sausages and smoked sausage. A meal owes its taste to the herbs and spices used; such as marjoram, dill, caraway seeds, parsley, or pepper. The most popular desserts are cakes and pastries. Polish wine Pierogi Silesian cuisine Slovak cuisine varies slightly, though sometimes dramatically, from region to region, and was influenced by the traditional cuisine of its neighbors. The origins of traditional Slovak cuisine can be traced to times when the majority of the population lived in villages, in self-sustenance, with very limited food imports and exports and with no modern means of food preservation or processing. This gave rise to a cuisine heavily dependent on a number of staple foods that could stand the hot summers and cold winters, including wheat, potatoes, milk and milk products, pork meat, sauerkraut and onion. To a lesser degree beef, poultry, lamb and goat, eggs, a few other local vegetables, fruit and wild mushrooms were traditionally eaten. Slovak wine Swiss cuisine Swiss wine
Eastern European cuisines
Cuisines of Eastern Europe Belarusian cuisine shares the same roots with cuisines of other Eastern and Northern European countries, basing predominantly on meat and various vegetables typical for the region.
Kazakh cuisine Moldovan cuisine – Moldova's fertile soil (chernozem) produces plentiful grapes, fruits, vegetables, cereals, meat and milk products, all of which have found their uses in the national cuisine. The fertile black soil combined with the use of traditional agricultural methods permits growing a wide range of ecologically clean foods in Moldova. Moldovan wine Romanian cuisine is a diverse blend of different dishes from several traditions with which it has come into contact, but it also maintains its own character. It has been greatly influenced by Ottoman cuisine. Romanian wine Russian cuisine is diverse, as Russia is the largest country in the world."Russia." The World Factbook. U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. Accessed July 2011. Russia's great expansions of territory, influence, and interest during the 16th–18th centuries brought more refined foods and culinary techniques, as well as one of the most refined food countries in the world. It was during this period that smoked meats and fish, pastry cooking, salads and green vegetables, chocolate, ice cream, wine, and liquor were imported from abroad. At least for the urban aristocracy and provincial gentry, this opened the doors for the creative integration of these new foodstuffs with traditional Russian dishes. The result is extremely varied in technique, seasoning, and combination. Traditional and common Russian foods include: Beer"Russian Traditional Foods." Goeasteurope.about.com . Accessed July 2011. Blini, a pastry rolled with a variety of ingredients Borshch, a traditional Ukrainian beet soup Caviar Crêpe Ice cream Pelmeni, pastry dumplings filled with minced meat Pirozhki, pastries filled with potato, cabbage, meat or cheese Shashlyk, Russian kebab Sour cream Russian vodka Tatar cuisine Mordovian cuisine Russian wine
Ukrainian cuisine has significant diversity, historical traditions and is influenced by Russian, Turkish and Polish cuisines."Cuisine – Flavors and Colors of Ukrainian Culture." Ukraine.com. Accessed July 2011. Common foods used include meats, vegetables, mushrooms, fruits, berries and herbs."Ukraine National Food, Meals and Cookery." Ukrainetrek.com . Accessed July 2011. In Ukraine, bread is a staple food, there are many different types of bread, and Ukraine is sometimes referred to as the "breadbasket of Europe." Pickled vegetables are utilized, particularly when fresh vegetables are not in season. There are about 30 varieties of Ukrainian Borscht soup, a common dish that often includes meat. Crimean Tatar cuisine is primarily the cuisine of the Crimean Tatars, who live on the Crimean Peninsula in Ukraine. The traditional cuisine of the Crimean Tatars derives basically from the same roots as the cuisine of the Volga Tatars, although unlike the Volga Tatars they do not eat horse meat and do not drink mare's milk (kymyz). However, the Crimean Tatars adopted many Uzbek dishes during their exile in Central Asia since 1944, and these dishes have been absorbed into Crimean Tatar national cuisine after their return to Crimea. Ukrainian wine Caucasian cuisine – cuisines of The Caucasus