Asian cuisine encompasses the cuisines of many diverse countries and regions. It has been influenced by factors like geography, climate, religion, and colonization. Some key characteristics include the use of rice, noodles, soy sauce, fish sauce, fresh herbs like cilantro and basil, and cooking techniques like stir-frying and steaming. Popular dishes vary between regions, from sushi and tempura in Japan to curries in Thailand and adobo stew in the Philippines. Asian cuisine showcases a wide variety of flavors balanced across meat, seafood, vegetable, and grain-based dishes.

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2. Asian Cuisine
Mostly referred to as Chinese cuisine in the past, this
world-class cuisine includes Southeast Asia, the
Philippines, India, and Japan, Korea
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4. Asian Cuisine
 More than just a stir fry, or a curry
 Can be described as a balance of flavors
 Influenced by a shortage of fuel, grazing land, even food and cooking
utensils
 There is a staggering array of foodstuffs available
 Chinese cuisine was world-class 3,000 years ago, rivaling even ancient Rome
and Egypt
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5. Influences
• Chinese cuisine has influenced
most of the Asian cuisines,
techniques, tools, cutting
procedures, heat applications
• Introduced chopsticks
• Religion has a major influence
• Restrictions of certain meats, or
any meats at all, some types of
fish
• Restrictions on certain days,
even months
• 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
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6. Culinary Groups and Regions
China, third largest country in the world, cuisines include:
Cantonese, offering dumplings, seafood, rich sauces, minimal
seasoning
Szechwan, smoked, hot/spicy, uses chilies, mustard, ginger
Beijing, known for noodles, pancakes, rolls, meat-filled buns, root
vegetables, and fish and lamb; described as light, elegant, and mildly
seasoned
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7. Japan
 Noted for presentation
 Sushi, sashimi, tempura very popular
in U.S. today
 Also known for dried fish, pickles
 Tofu, rice, and eggs and the
famous green tea found to be
excellent for minimizing heart disease
 A variety of seafood, vegetables, and little
meat
 Teriyaki, wasabi, miso, fermented bean paste
 Tuna and the famous dashi
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8. Southeast Asia
 Subtropical, rich in seafood, fruits
 Areas include Vietnam, known for fish sauce (nuoc mam), shrimp
paste, lemon grass, mint, basil, and baguettes, pastries, and custards
 These last products were influenced by the French colonization of the
country before the 1970s
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9. Thailand
 Most notable feature of cuisine is curry flavor
 Color of curry indicates the flavor profile
 Green is the hottest, followed by red, and yellow curry gets its flavor
from turmeric
 Mussaman (Muslim) curry includes Middle Eastern spice influences
 Other important flavor ingredients include kaffir lime leaves,
lemongrass, holy basil, tamarind, galangal, sambal olek
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10. Other Areas of Culinary
Notability
Korea is influenced by China and Japan
Seafood, pickled vegetables and cabbage (kimchee), hearty stews, and a dish
known as bulgogi
Malaysia and the Philippines
Meats, seafood (pork) and poultry is easily grown or harvested
The Philippines are also influence by a long colonization by Spain, and by the
commerce and migration from the mainland areas
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11. Korea
 also use rice
 Kimchi - spicy fermented cabbage or vegetable dish
 family preparation in autumn = sign of wealth
 Grilled meat and seafood are common
 seasonings - garlic, ginger root, scallions, toasted sesame
 Chilies - 16th c intro by Portuguese
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12. Philippines
blends, Malaysian, Polynesian, Spanish, and Chinese foodstuffs
Original inhabitants = Aetas
15th c immigrants from China and other areas
arrival of Islam, Muslim religion
1521 Magellan claimed for Spain
administered control through Mexico
Spanish influence - including hot/cold theories
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13. Filipino diet
 Never cook foods by themselves
 fry with garlic in olive oil or lard
 adobo = stew with chicken, pork, sometimes seafood - first fried with garlic
then seasoned with soy and vinegar
 food may be left in clay pot to absorb fat
 some water buffalo milk
 used to make one of few Asian cheeses
 fish paste or sauce can be common
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14. Staple Foods 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
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15. Meats, Poultry, and Fish
 Northern countries rely on lamb and sheep
 Fresh- and saltwater fish are available to most
countries
 Chickens and ducks are everywhere
 Pork is available throughout, while beef is available
in the big grazing plains
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16. Common Flavors
 Every region and country has a distinct flavor
profile
 Some very hot, some subtle and some mild
 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),
Hoisan and plum sauce
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17. Some Asian famous ingredients
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18. 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
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19. Preserved Foods
 Little or no refrigeration and/or electricity in many areas
 People shop every day
 Dried fish, pickled vegetables, smoked meats
 Preserved and dried fruits
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