Cuisines To Try and Culinary Rules To Watch Out For

Food is a way for people to gather Food is quite a reason to travel, isn’t it? What’s more adventurous and fun than to try out new delicacies, explore various cuisines and give your taste buds a thrill?

Try out these unique cuisines from around the world, but keep in mind the strange customs followed in these new lands. Don’t want to get thrown out or get nasty glances, do you?

Mexican Cuisine

From chilli con carne to enchiladas, spicy Mexican dishes are a popular choice. Ancient Mayan dishes have a subtler flavour while Central and Southern Mexico have a sophisticated taste. One can enjoy eggs, vegetables, beans, chilies and cumin in major Mexican dishes. Chocolate, tomatoes and salsa are all-time favourites. Hot!
Try in Mumbai- @ Red Chilli, Powai

Italian Cuisine

Spumoni ice cream, spaghetti, lasagna and pizza are traditional dishes that are widely available. Beyond these basic dishes, there are a number of regional favourites like Parmesan cheese and Parma ham, the country has more than 400 types of cheese. (Cheesy or?) Although Italian cuisine varies from region to region, each meal will generally be set up in a similar way. It will begin with the antipasto or appetizer menu. Next, diners enjoy the primo course which consists of pasta or rice. The second course is a meat. To top it off, the last course is an entirely mouthwatering dessert. Italians never order a milk beverage after a meal because milk hinders digestion. Instead, they’ll opt for straight espresso or coffee. No one’s going to be outraged at you for ordering a cappuccino, but you might be branded a tourist.
Try in Mumbai- @ Italian Pronto, Bandra

Thai Cuisine

Over the last decade, Thai food has grown in popularity. Hands down, the most popular dish is Pad Thai. To truly experience Thai cuisine, you should step away from the basic Pad Thai and try some of the broths and noodle dishes that make this cuisine so delectable. This cuisine focuses on a lot of herbs and offers a range of sweet, sour, spicy and bitter tastes. It focuses on fresh herbs, so this cuisine always has a vivid flavor. You’re supposed to use your fork to shovel food onto your spoon, and then eat off that. But, Sheldon already told you that, didn’t he?
Try in Mumbai –@ BusaGo, Bandra

Greek Cuisine

This cuisine has a unique mix of different Mediterranean styles. Back in the day, the Greeks were well-positioned to become a major port for sea trading. Every time sailors returned from traveling, they brought back different dishes and dining styles. In Greece, visitors can expect fresh herbs, olive oil and feta. Due to its location near the sea, fish is a popular dining option. Wine is ample. But know that you should never fill your own glass here.

Chinese Cuisine

Chinese food is impossible to pin down. China has one of the most diverse mixes of cultures and cuisines in the world. The main eight styles of cooking are: Fujian, Cantonese, Anhui, Zhejiang, Sichuan , Shandong and Hunan. In Chinese traditional medicine and culture, the opposites of yin and yang must always be kept in balance. When cooking, the Chinese try to balance different colours, tastes, textures and smells. This focus has paid off and made Chinese cuisine one of the world’s finest. Vegetables are always included with dinner, and they are far from your mother’s broccoli. Chinese vegetable dishes are often the most delicious part of the meal. Flipping a whole fish after eating one side is considered bad luck, as it’s associated with a capsized fishing boat, and that makes total sense. Instead, remove the bones completely if you want to get to the other side, or just stare at that delicious fish meat taunting you from your plate. When dining in China, go nuts. Burping is a sign of appreciation for the food.
Try in Mumbai – @ Mainland China, 5 Spice

Japanese Cuisine

The Hibachi or Teppanyaki grills are some of the most delectable of Japanese dining options. At a Hibachi grill, you can watch a cook flip, fry, griddle and cut the food in front of you. This cuisine focuses on noodles, tofu, sushi and vegetables. Each meal is meticulously prepared and exceptionally delicious. Even better, Japanese restaurants often serve oolong or green tea. In Japan, never stick your chopsticks into the rice bowl, this behaviour is only acceptable at funerals, when food is offered to hungry ghosts. Also, it can resemble funeral incense, which is just going to make dinner awkward. Never pass food from chopsticks to chopsticks. During funeral rituals in Japan, bones are passed from one set of chopsticks to the other, so passing food this way is considered taboo.

Try in Mumbai – @Wasabi by Taj

American Food

American food is an extremely popular dining option. With so many cultures moving in and out of the country, American food encompasses a range of different dining styles. At most traditional American diners, you can expect hot dogs, hamburgers, Buffalo wings, biscuits & gravy and omelettes.
Try in Mumbai –@ Hard Rock, Parel or @ the Table, Colaba

French Food

Say Oui, Oui to French cuisine! Five-star chefs are often trained in French cooking. It uses cheese, chocolate and baguettes for delicious meals. Of course, a French meal would never be complete without some wine! Despite their focus on cheese, bread and chocolates, the French amazingly remain thin. Perhaps something in France air?
Try in Mumbai –@ Suzette, Sassy Spoon

German Cuisine

From sauerkraut to bratwurst, German is known for its flavourful dishes. Restaurant goers can expect spatzl (potatoes), rich varieties of bread, cheese and sausages. Even better, this country is known for its many delicious beers. Surrounded by the world famous cuisines of Italy, Spain and France, Germany has not gotten the attention it deserves from foodies. Nonetheless, it is truly worth that attention. Attention though, be on time! Germans hate late comers, they believe in being  on time and dining fine!
Try in Mumbai – @ Imbiss, Bandra

Food is a great reason to bond. And to travel. Intermingling different cultures, filling hungry tummies- Food is just magical. Weaving magic through ingredients and creating things unique in essence. Food is much more than well, just Food, It is moulded and shaped by us, for us.  Want to learn about a new culture? Try the food. Ask why the dining methods are the way they are, and you might just open your mind more.

• About the Author

About Moulshree Rana

A lost and quiet soul, searching for something here and there, fuelled by wanderlust. With thoughts that wander off the edge of the world - Hand me a pen and my hand now has its own mind, gliding over pages expressing the incomprehensible. Over-thinker. Dreamer. Dauntless. Awkward. Clumsy. A little crazy. Sunshine mixed with a little hurricane. Easily inspired and awed; and that's what keeps me going – knowing that there's still another nook to find. Still another idea to pen. An Avid Poet and a humble blogger @ wordsweavesuchmagic.blogspot.in