By Sinchana Holla and Sophie Schwarz
There are around 195 countries in the world with a plethora of different foods and cuisines. Each issue, we will go through five countries and reveal their most popular foods. Hopefully, this will give an insight into the wide variety of different cuisines.
England– Full English breakfast
A full English breakfast consists of fried eggs, sausages, bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms, fried bread, and often a slice of white or black pudding. The breakfast is usually accompanied with teas, sometimes coffee, and warm, buttered toast. This massive breakfast, also known as a fry up, has been a native dish in England that has been around since the 1300s.
Mexico– Tacos
A taco is a traditional Mexican food that is formed by filling a small corn or flour tortilla with a wide variety of fillings. Some options for filling include meat (usually ground beef or chicken), beans, rice, fajita veggies, cheese, pico de gallo, guacamole, white onions, cilantro, and homemade salsa. Since there is such a wide variety of fillings, it is often easy to edit it to your dietary needs. After filling your taco with whatever variety of fillings you want, you fold the tortilla in half and eat it by hand.
Japan– Sushi
By far the most popular food in Japan, sushi, is raw seafood or vegetables wrapped in rice and seaweed wraps. Since Japan is an island, sushi is a great option because the seafood is always extremely fresh. Although the large majority of sushi contains seafood, there are some rolls that are vegetarian and vegan, and many are gluten free and do not contain any nuts, which make it a good food if you have specific dietary requirements.
Costa Rica – Gallo Pinto
Costa Rican food is much different than other Latin American food. Since exotic fruits grow locally in the tropical environment, there is always something to make the food exciting.
Meals in Costa Rica often contain both rice and black beans. One popular dish is Gallo Pinto, which is a breakfast dish made of rice and beans. The cuisine itself has roots in both Costa Rican and Nicaraguan culture. The dish’s main ingredients, rice and beans, are mixed with other ingredients to enhance the food like red bell peppers, cilantro, onions, and most importantly Salsa Lizano.
India – Samosas
A popular appetizer/snack are samosas. This delicious food option is a fried dough pocket filled with tasty ingredients such as potato, onion, spices, and peas. Samosas are often eaten as snacks in India. They are especially delicious when topped with sweet and spicy sauces or chutneys. Surprisingly, samosas are seen in different countries. From India, the samosa spread itself across many cultures and made its way to North and East Africa, Mediterranean, Southeast Asia and Polynesia. Over time, the recipes varied, and every region added its own flair to the traditionally simple pastry.