/ck/ - Food & Cooking

[Anonymous No.5655772]

So, let's settle it.

Which country/culture has the greatest food on the planet?

>my vote

[Anonymous No.5655790]

merca cuz all the cultures

[Anonymous No.5655805]

>>5655790
Yeah, watered down versions
>mexican
the only "authentic" mexican food is in San Diego. Farther north/east you go - the more mercan it gets.
i went for tacos in virginia and it came with fucking hidden valley ranch drenched on it w/o asking.

[Syn No.5655828]

>>5655772
What's funny to me is that, while watching Masterchef Australia, they had a round of cooking where the chefs were supposed to make 'American' cuisine. They wound up doing something kind of like a southern cuisine dish.

Ah, and I'd have to agree with OP.

[Anonymous No.5655844]

>>5655828
What's funny though is that a lot of southern American cooking is just bastardized French (creole) cooking.
Our one original culinary export is just French with more frying/bbq sauce/sweets

[Syn No.5655852]

>>5655844
True.

And no country takes cooking as seriously as France. It's hard to find a cuisine that isn't fused with or a branch off of French. Even Vietnamese carries forward their French heritage (pho is in a French broth).

[Anonymous No.5655860]

>>5655852
>pho is in a French broth
I had no idea.
Even better, I'm watching an Anthony Bourdain episode in Burgundy.
Jesus Christ I need to make a pilgrimage, both to Lyon/Burgundy and to Emilia Romagna in Italy,

[Anonymous No.5655866]

united states of course

> inb4 butthurt yuropoors

[Anonymous No.5655869]

>>5655866
see
>>5655805
>>5655844

[Anonymous No.5655880]

>>5655844
creole cooking is only in one region of the south most of the south doesnt cook the same way they do in LA/parts of MS

[Anonymous No.5655908]

No idea. But I think that China is a big contender. It has a ridiculous amount of variate because of how vast and old China is. Unfortunately it doesn't really translate that well to other places because recipes are mostly passed on without written recipes. Only some regions are well represented outside of their own local area.

[Anonymous No.5655909]

>>5655772
agreeing with France

[Anonymous No.5656352]

1. France
2. China
3. India
4. Peru

These are considered the world's haute cuisines. France is the spiritual home of cuisine and gastronomy. China and India just have immense culinary histories with their many cooking traditions. Peru is an odd one, but from what has been reported there is a burgeoning fusion cuisine incorporating South American folk cuisines, Spanish, French, Japanese and Chinese cuisines.

Of them all, I would vote France. There is no great, meaningful conversation about cooking, culinary arts, gastronomy, and food without the French.

Honorable Mentions: Spain, Japan, Italy

[Anonymous No.5656391]

[Anonymous No.5656401]

I'm really convinced Italy is in the top 2. Maybe there's some weird country out there that has amazing food I've never had, so I can't say it's for sure number 1.

[Anonymous No.5656404]

Any country that understands that you need nice ingredients and to cook it well first before adding in all your seasonings and spices to cover it up is good.

[Anonymous No.5656429]

france is good. if mexico had more interesting beverages I'd consider it a strong contender but let's face it, a few maguey distillates, pulque, a lot of shitty beer, and a small number of knockoffs of american microbrews isn't that impressive.

any candidate for #1 has to have some of the best drinking in the world and I'm not sure who can beat france. inb4 scotland, shove it in your stink hole you neckbeards

[Anonymous No.5656435]

It's clearly France. Not only do they have a great tradition of incredible fine dining, but the regional fare is the best in the world, too, and touring France is like a mini culinary tour of Europe with how diverse the regional cuisines are.

[Anonymous No.5656446]

Greece.

>Tiropita, spanakopita, prasopita, all the pites really
>Greek salad
>Lamb on the spit
>Souvlakia
>All that delicious seafood
>Bougatsa, galaktoboureko, kourambiedes

Pic related, kourambiedes (almond shortbread cookies)

[Anonymous No.5656450]

>>5656391
I Used to work in a small restaurant just down to the left of pic (as a commis)
12-14 hr shifts no breaks, harsh

[Anonymous No.5656452]

>>5656446
Spanakopita!?

[Anonymous No.5656457]

>>5656446
Greek food is good, but there isn't enough variety. I feel like you could eat the entirety of Greek cuisine over the course of a month. That being said, it's healthful as a mother fucker, and definitely tastes a lot better than any other healthful cuisine.

[Anonymous No.5656482]

>>5655772
France has great basics (more or less put all the professional techniques qe know on paper and in school after all), and great traditional dish, but the actual French chef's scene is rather shit. Way too much "lol I put truffle and caviar in this burger so original" and not enough people who actually know their shit and prepare food made to be eaten. As far as I know, USA and Japan does best modern cuisine than my country, France.

[Anonymous No.5656484]

>>5656482
I feel like your post only applies to Paris.

[Anonymous No.5656490]

>>5656484
As I said, France has decent traditional dishes, but have hard time taking a modern approach to their tradition.French people are way too confident about "French cuisine being the best" to try and feel in competition with other countries, and it shows. Same with alcohols and art imo. I think the only thing France genuinely still lead is cartoons.

[Anonymous No.5656494]

>>5656490
That all makes a lot of sense, actually. However, the great modernist chefs in America learned how to cook by studying French cuisine. Although, since French cuisine has always taken from surrounding cuisines, and gone through a lot of evolution over the past 500 years, you would think they would continue to evolve past 1960's nouvelle cuisine. I don't know; I love the food in American cities, but most of the food in my country from outside of the cities/the south is kind of crap. I would trade places with you in a second if I could.

[Anonymous No.5656497]

>>5656452
Spinach and feta cheese pastries.

>>5656457
I think that's what I like about it. I love olive oil and the emphasis Greek food has on fresh ingredients. I get what you mean by not enough variety though, it balances out with certain foods only being cooked when they're in season/near a traditional event.

[Anonymous No.5656503]

>>5655790
ive never tried somalian food whats it like?

[Anonymous No.5656514]

>>5655772
>Which country/culture has the greatest food on the planet?
For fine dining it's a shootout between France and Italy, and France probably edges out.

For casual dining I love Spain. Underrated dark horse.

For depth it's hard to beat places that have traditionally been crossroads, like Turkey and Thailand.

China deserves a shoutout because it's five or six food cultures under one food obsessed nation.

For street food Mexico and Vietnam are hard to beat.

And Japan does food really well.

But I'd have to say New York is the overall best. Because the whole fucking world comes here, and you can get whatever you want. You may not find the best examples of everything here, but you can get shockingly close if you take the time to look around.

[Anonymous No.5656521]

>>5656497

[Anonymous No.5656523]

>>5656490

France also has good electro

[Anonymous No.5656575]

Thailand, Greece, miscellaneous island countries

[Anonymous No.5656585]

Probably france but if i had to pick one cuisine to eat for the rest of my life it would be italian hands down.

[Anonymous No.5656600]

>>5655852
>pho is in a French broth

The main French thing about it is the beef (oxen were mainly used for rice farming and not for food). The spices are the taste of Asia. At best it's fusion food. Is there a French influence? Yes. Just as much as the noodles themselves are an influence of somewhere else. That; however, doesn't make make the dish the creation of either of those places.

[Anonymous No.5656613]

The answer is USA.

[Anonymous No.5656660]

Peru.

[Anonymous No.5656846]

>>5656600
its based on pot au feu

>>5656490
you clearly dont know many modern french chefs, they are still on the cutting edge as well as keeping to tradition. Look at Seba Bras

[Anonymous No.5656864]

>>5655805
You haven't traveled much, have you?

[Anonymous No.5656895]

>>5655772
1. French
2. Chinese
3. Italian
>if they're actually pure cuisine
HUGE gap
4. Spanish
5. Mexican
>Another giant gap
6. Japanese
7. Southeast Asian (they're different, but pretty much the same)
>obese tier
8. American
9. English
>It's good but not terribly great
10. Indian
Superbly uninteresting gap
11. All south american food
It's edible, but that's it tier
12. German/eastern block food
13. Middle eastern cuisine
I'm starving tier
9000. Africa

[Anonymous No.5656904]

>>5656846
>its based on pot au feu

Have you look at a bowl pot au feu and a bowl of pho and think they are similar? Or are you just guesstimating it based on the supposed etymology?

[Syn No.5656906]

>>5656895
I feel like India deserves to be two tiers higher. I've had it done really well and it's like nothing else.

The general problem with this question is that even if one is 'best,' you don't want to eat it exclusively. The correct answer is all of the above - or this guy: >>5656514

[Anonymous No.5656910]

>>5656904
Its a well known fact. There is a reason they sound similar. Or do you not know about their history with france?

[Anonymous No.5656917]

>>5655772
There is no one country with the single best food on the planet. Sorry.

[Anonymous No.5656918]

>>5656910
They also say it also sounds similar to the Cantonese.

[Anonymous No.5656919]

>>5656906
I like Indian food a lot, but it's not particularly diverse. You get your spicy/hot/sweet, but Indian food has complexity, but no depth. It's excellent cuisine, but not imaginative like Chinese or French food.

[Syn No.5656920]

>>5656846
>>5656904
>>5656910

Pho didn't exist until the French colonized them. Asian noodles/spices + French broth.

It was created in Hanoi, which is where I ate it. Unlike Saigon, which is very much Americanized, Hanoi may as well be a sleepy French village.

On a side note, I really dislike Pho and find consider it flavorless dishwater; I much prefer ramen. However, I realize my pallet may just be shit and I will keep trying pho until I find a way to enjoy it. All those hipsters can't be wrong, amirite?????

[Syn No.5656923]

>>5656919
If you were in DC, I could recommend a place that might change your mind about that. It's call Rasika.

I didn't care too much for many cuisines until I went to a place that did them right - and being in the country and doing it right aren't necessarily the same thing.

[Anonymous No.5656926]

>>5656917
this.

[Anonymous No.5656928]

>>5656920
What makes the broth French? I'm honestly curious.

[Anonymous No.5656933]

>>5656920
>broth doesn't exist in Pan-Sino cuisine until the French came
kek

[Anonymous No.5656949]

>>5656660
This guy is right. If you ever go to Peru youll know what its about. Cuisines from many places end up there. Best ever.

[Anonymous No.5656950]

I think Danish/Swedish cuisine deserve an honerable mention.

[Anonymous No.5656963]

>>5656895

>british national dish is tikka masala
>English above Indian

pick one

[Anonymous No.5657257]

>>5655772
Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese are my preferences.

[Anonymous No.5657307]

>>5656950
Danish/Swedish cuisine is the most aesthetically pleasing food

[Anonymous No.5657320]

>>5656523
Been overtaken by Germans

[Anonymous No.5657325]

China because it's fucking huge and has so many cultures and their associated foods.

[Anonymous No.5657345]

Turkish cuisine is my favourite. It's complete in my opinion.

[Anonymous No.5657358]

>>5655772
germany hands down.

[Anonymous No.5657371]

>>5657345
>ctrl + f 'turkish'
>0 results
I really recommend you guys going to a Turkish restaurant and try it if you haven't already.

[Anonymous No.5657380]

>>5657358
Because sausage and beer is all you need right?

[Anonymous No.5657390]

>>5655772
We're not going to settle anything here.

[Anonymous No.5657412]

Thai is the most delicious food in existence.

[Anonymous No.5657420]

>>5656490
Exactly this. It's either haute cuisine BS or peasant food. I like both but no way are they the best.

[Anonymous No.5657428]

>>5657420
>has never been to France

[Anonymous No.5657436]

The greatest cuisine is in Southeast Asia, particularly Vietnam. Best of all worlds

[Anonymous No.5657441]

>>5657428
> wouldn't know French food if it was shoved up his arsehole

[Anonymous No.5657444]

>>5657436
>best food in the world
>reuses coke bottles

[Anonymous No.5657450]

>>5657444
>Sees best food on earth
>focuses on empty coke bottle
Who's the faggot now, faggot?

[Anonymous No.5657456]

>>5657450
>empty
its not and if they cant practice basic food safety if can hardly be the best there is

[Anonymous No.5657470]

>>5657456
There are plenty of pho restaurants in VN with higher standards in cleanliness than random side street stalls if that what you're worried about.

[Anonymous No.5657510]

>>5657436
Southeast asian cuisine is actually way overrated. Much like Indian food. Truly bad cuisines.

[Anonymous No.5657514]

>>5657510
"Truly bad cuisines"?

[Anonymous No.5657516]

>>5657510
> actually

Thanks for letting us know faggot

[Anonymous No.5657522]

>>5657516
You're welcome.

[Anonymous No.5657534]

>>5656429
Wine from Villa de Guadalupe, Micro brewery that won awards , Mezcal, which is 10x better than tequila . yeah no.

[Anonymous No.5657548]

>>5656503

pic related

[Anonymous No.5657615]

>>5657456
>Implying cleanliness of a stall has any bearing over the overall quality of a nations cuisine

Keep digging deeper into the faggot barrel, you've nearly hit the bottom!

[Anonymous No.5657648]

>>5655772
Chinese - thousands of years of feasts and famines and various regional cuisines developed without new world crops. French would be second for me.

>>5656920
I am with you on Pho. No idea why it took off as a good trend the last 5-10 years but it is pretty uninteresting, even by soup standards.

[SadDana !!9r4Q2W3uhUc No.5657656]

>>5656446
malaka pls

[Anonymous No.5657719]

>>5657325
doesn't make it especially good. 90% of china is about surviving by eating everything not toxic.

[Anonymous No.5657735]

>>5656521

SPANAKOPITA!!!

[Anonymous No.5657765]

>>5655772
Philippine.

[Anonymous No.5657822]

Nobody on /ck/ is qualified enough to say what is the best cuisine. I had 3 masters so far over 12 years of apprenticeship as itamae (traditional Japanese chef), and none of them have claimed to be masters of their own trade.

How can anybody judge other cuisines if they don't even understand their own?

There are other metrics to judge cuisines. For example, the most influential ones are undoubtedly French, Italian, and Chinese. French and Italian, because their techniques form the basis of modern, Western cooking, and Chinese, because of its extreme diversity, flexibility, and influence to the rest of Asia.

Anyone who says "Pho," "Mexican," or even "Japanese" are just stating their preferences.

Pho is a specific dish.

Mexican cuisine is not held to the same standards as others, and many of their dishes can be replicated at home.

Japanese cuisine (traditional kaiseki) is on the other hand too dogmatic, and I would say that it is more of a ceremonial practice than cuisine. Not to mention the fact that garlic is taboo in our tradition, which is unthinkable to the rest of the world.

[Anonymous No.5657842]

>>5657822
>another opinion

[Anonymous No.5657857]

>>5657842

You are free to scrutinize any one of my points.

I might even add Greek or Turkish to the list of influential cuisines, but look at Greek food today. It is simply not held to the same standard as French or Italian.

Others may argue that South American cuisine, African cuisine, and other regions hold their own, but are the practitioners of South American/African/Middle Eastern cuisine as disciplined as the European traditions?

[Anonymous No.5657894]

>>5657534
>villa de guadalupe

Great, so mexico has a couple of wines that aren't a complete joke? I seriously hope you're not comparing that to the french wine scene.

>mexican microbreweries winning "awards"

The "best third world beer" award? Sorry. I've had mexican microbrews, they're alright, pretty fucking amazing by third world standards, better than french beer even, but the mexican beer scene is essentially a derivative of the american beer scene. They're good beers but they're also a very new, very small phenomenon, culturally insignificant compared to tequila, pulque, and mezcal, and unless they figure out how to get hops to grow down there, it's extremely unlikely mexico will ever be known for its beers.

>mezcal
>10x better than tequila

And still that's the best mexico can do, so where does that leave you? Sorry but next to a country that produces armagnac, cognac, and all the amazing herbal liqueurs that the french have developed, "but mezcal" isn't going to cut it.

And it's telling that you left out mexican brandy, which is a shitty imitation of jerez and yet is far more culturally relevant than a few microbrews with fake frida kahlo motifs on the label.

Don't get me wrong, I love mexican food, and I'm glad to see that mezcal is getting broader appreciation internationally, but it's delusional to think that they can compete with france when it comes to drink culture.

[Anonymous No.5657920]

>>5657822
>Mexican cuisine is not held to the same standards as others, and many of their dishes can be replicated at home.

Find me another cuisine that has world class street food, fine dining and traditional all in one? Mexican food is as extensve as Chinese and the flavors can vary to a mole sauce made with 50 ingredients to local geoduck carpaccio made with regional olive oil and a serrano ponzu sauce.

[Anonymous No.5657932]

>>5655772
>greatest
>opinions of personal preference and exposure

My favorite is.... nah, I can never pick one. I love Italian and Mexican equally. Never mix, the flags mislead in that respect, haha. And I do know both "authentic" and Americanized versions of both said cuisines very well so. I was engaged to a woman from Italy for 5 years, and now I'm married to a woman from Mexico, as well as myself currently residing in a location heavily stocked with tex-mex food. Been to both Mexico and Italy many times to boot, pun intended.

[Anonymous No.5657988]

For me its Italy, France or China. Japan is a runner up.
>inb4 weaboo

[Anonymous No.5658001]

>>5657894
I'm not comparing it to France, and France is many years ahead of Mexico when it comes to wine. But go to Mexico's wine country and the food scene blows any California region away. I more or less agree with this >>5657920 people in general don't understand the gastronomic diversity in Mexico. There's so many different ingredients and styles of cooking but people only see Mexican food as bar food thanks to the influence of American tastes. But whatever, what's happening in Mexican gastronomy today is better than it ever was. Mexico are going through a craft beer revolution phase , restaurants are buying local wine instead of imported, cheese , cheese everywhere, the best chefs in the country are focusing on Mexican themed restaurants instead of European and take advantage of the local ingredients/agriculture (seafood such as geoduck, tuna,chocolate clams, local olive oil, heirloom beans, cheese, angus beef imported from Sonora herbs and of course various peppers). Give it some time.

[Anonymous No.5658002]

>>5656963
>media trying to force multiculturalism by saying that tikka masala our national dish u guyz love immigrants rite

I wonder who could be behind this

[Anonymous No.5658011]

>implying it's not China

shiggles, giggles

[Anonymous No.5658066]

>>5658001
Go back to my original post. I said the only thing holding mexico back is the alcohol. No matter what a few restaurants do, the alcohol industry is extremely basic.

The restaurant culture benefits from a ridiculously diverse and bountiful supply of cooking ingredients thanks to long standing traditions (native and imported). Sadly that supply doesn't extend to alcoholic beverages and that's unlikely to change due to climate and economic issues. Even after heavy tariffs on brandy, an extremely popular beverage, their best brandies are merely so-so. In fact even the currently improving supply of good mezcal is largely thanks to foreign demand.

Mexicans just have fairly plain tastes when it comes to drink. When they want something fancy to celebrate a special occasion they're happy to look for an imported product and that won't be changing, certainly not with wine, let alone distilled drinks that don't come from maguey.

[Syn No.5658141]

>>5657436

I've been there. I'd give the nod to Thai food, however.

BUT WHO IS THAT qt3.14 on the left?

[Anonymous No.5658145]

>>5658141
catriona rowntree

[Syn No.5658150]

>>5658145
>catriona rowntree
shit, I was hoping it was the poster so I could believe for a moment that this board had more than neckbeards faggots and heroin-addicted dishwashers.

[Anonymous No.5658262]

>>5656446
Bulgaria > Greece

[Anonymous No.5658593]

my top three would probably go
1. Italian
2. Mexican
3. Indian
really can't think of many french dishes I would order at a restaurant

[Anonymous No.5658600]

>>5655772
1.italian mexican french
personally