Asian cuisine is characterized by a balance of flavors including sweet, sour, salty, spicy and bitter. It has evolved over time based on factors like geography, climate, availability of resources and cultural influences. The cuisines of different Asian regions developed their own styles. Some key aspects include an emphasis on fresh ingredients, use of aromatic herbs and spices, and cooking techniques like stir-frying and steaming. Staple foods vary by area but include rice, noodles, vegetables and beans. Common flavors come from ingredients like soy sauce, fish sauce, herbs and chilies. Tools used include woks, cleavers and clay pots.

1. ASIAN
CUISINE
A
BACKGROUND

3. Asian Cuisine
A blend of several taste such as sweet,
sour, salty, spicy, and bitter.
Various cultures of Asia each
developed their own ethnic cuisine
through their history, environment and
tradition
Can be described as a balance of flavors
Influenced by a shortage of fuel, grazing land,
even food and cooking utensils

4. Asian Cuisine
Geographic influences include a vast coastline,
monumental distances between pockets of people in
the deserts and plains of China
Colonization by Western Europeans
Warring peoples
Nomadic lifestyles
The monsoons and other climactic conditions

5. Evolution of Asian Cuisine
First Stage: Hunter- Gatherer
►cooking is very simple- kill something,
throw it on the fire along with whatever
vegetables & fruits there is and eat.
►cooking equipment includes a few
sticks for skewering meat and vegetables,
leaves for wrapping and baking, and a hot flat
rock

6. Evolution of Asian Cuisine
Second Stage: Subsistence Farming
►Agriculture increases the
selection of food stuffs available and
also increases the probability that any
given foodstuff will be available when
wanted.

7. Evolution of Asian Cuisine
Second Stage: Subsistence Farming
►cooking techniques such as baking
and boiling surfaced as well as
development of arts such as pottery and
metal works
►Peasant cuisine were coined to
this stage.

8. Evolution of Asian Cuisine
Third Stage: Central Authority and
Trade
►Central authority implies
palaces and castles, a ruling class
who likes to indulge their whims and
show off to their neighbors and
subjects.
►professional cooks were
needed to provide the ruler with

9. Evolution of Asian Cuisine
Third Stage: Central Authority and
Trade
►Trade implies towns and cities
specializing in labor, exotic food from
far away and processed food stuff.
►Tavern appear in the market and
food is served.
►upscale restaurant serving the
lesser nobility and rich merchant
classes often mimic the cooking of the

10. Three Asian Dietary Category
1. Southwest Style
† includes cuisines from India, Pakistan, Sri
Lanka and Myanmar (formerly Burma)
† influenced by Persian-Arabian civilization
†characterized by the following:
a. eating of naan or flat bread along with
mutton, kebabs, and the use of hot peppers, black
pepper, cloves and other strong spices along with
ghee

11. Three Asian Dietary Category
1. Southwest Style
b. cows were used only for their milk
and not for the meat
c. rice, chapatti and beans became a
staple in the meals
† tends to be aromatic and colorful
† non-vegetarian meals include fish,
meat or chicken with spiced vegetables,
lentil dish , yogurt and rice or bread

12. Three Asian Dietary Category
2. Northeast Style
† comprised of China, Korea and Japan
† gives emphasis in using fats, oils, use of marinades
and sauces in cooking
†usage of soy milk is also common especially in
Chinese cuisine
† food, spices, and seasonings are also being used as
medicines
† food became associated with many religious
traditions

13. 2. Northeast Style
 The most basic difference between the
different cuisines
1. Southern part of China emphasizes
freshness and tenderness due to its
cold weather while northern part is
mostly oily, soy sauce, and usage of
vinegar and garlic are more popular

14. 2. Northeast Style
2. Japanese cuisine gives emphasis to
deep-frying, vegetable oil and raw
food/ingredients
3. Korean dishes which is mostly
grilling, sautéing and the use of hot chili
spices

15. Three Asian Dietary Category
3. Southeast Style
†includes Thailand, Laos, Cambodia,
Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore,
Brunei and Philippines
† peasant cuisine of Thailand
† gives emphasis on aromatic and
lightly-prepared foods with a delicate
balance of stir-frying, steaming and/or
boiling

16. Three Asian Dietary Category
3. Southeast Style
† usage of fish sauces, galangal,
lemon grass and tamarind is very
popular
† combination of sweet and
sour, hot and sour, hot and sweet
are common in various regions
† use of dairy product such as
milk were also common.

17. Three Asian Dietary Category
3. Southeast Style
†Sourness from ingredients such as
tamarind, lemongrass, galangal, turmeric,
bitter gourds and other sour fruits is
common
†Major influences have been exerted
by China and India, but the most profound
impact on the region’s cooking was made
in the 16th century, when the Portuguese
brought chili from the Americas

18. Three Asian Dietary Category
3. Southeast Style
† No standard courses of meal
† Usually considered nutrition,
economy and ease of preparation in
cooking meals/dishes

19. Staple Food of Asia
 Grain, throughout most areas
 Legumes, noodles, millet, and buckwheat
 Beans, nuts, seeds, lentils very popular
 Vegetables include bamboo shoots, water chestnuts,
okra from Africa, hearts of palm, mushrooms
 Fruits include cherries, plums, peaches, pomegranates,
figs, citrus, apples, carambolas, and bananas

20. Common Flavors
 Flavor profiles come from various combinations: of
cilantro, mint, basil, lemongrass, fermented sauces
and pastes such as bean paste, soy sauce, rice
wine and vinegar, pickled ginger, fish sauce (nouc
man), Hoisin and plum sauce
 Preserved vegetables are also common in different
areas (pickled)

21. COOKING METHODS
STIR-FRYING, cutting foods to shorten cooking
times, and use little oil and heat
STEAMING, used to prepare dumplings, steamed
fish in bamboo baskets, steam bread
DEEP-FRYING, tempura in Japan uses rice flour,
peanut oil in other areas
SIMMERING AND BRAISING
Salads used to cool the heat in other dishes
GRILLING, often over open fires or braisiers
Nomadic people pick up dried dung for fuel

22. COMMON TOOLS
Chapatti Griddle -
a very thick based but shallow
pan for the cooking of Chapatti.
Usually made from iron, it's thick base
and construction allow it to become hot
without warping and to cook chapatti
and other breads without burning.

23. COMMON TOOLS
Cooking Chopsticks-
commonly being used,
specially by Chinese chefs, in
stir-frying and fast sautéing
dishes.
Cleaver
used for a variety of
tasks from hacking, chopping
and bashing to delicately
slicing.

24. COMMON TOOLS
Clay pots-
used for slow cooking.
Made of earth ware, dishes
requiring slow cooking can be
placed upon a stove over a very
low heat.
Spider Strainer
usually a loosely woven round
wire mesh attached to a bamboo handle,
but more modernly a large metal spoon
with holes in it. Its purpose is to strain
foods removed from hot oils or stocks.

25. COMMON TOOLS
Wok and Wok Tools- It's main
function is for stir frying, but is
equally adept as a deep fat fryer, a
standard frying pan, it can be used
for braising, boiling, steaming and
poaching

26. End of Asian Cuisine
Introduction: Part 1