Food Habits From Across The World

If you love travelling abroad, you will get to learn abundantly about the amazing food habits of different countries. You will get to notice their culture, their cuisines, their dining habits, and their tastes.

You will get to savour dishes that taste exceptionally good and you will never be able to make out how they are made. The food, the habits are so different in different geographies, and getting around them will give you an insight into the amazing world of food and culture across the globe.

Let's have a look at the different food habits you can explore around the world!

India

Indian food is popular across the whole world. People fall in love with the wide range of spices, the ingredients, the variety that the cuisine offers, and whatnot!

Traditionally, Indians eat with their hands. People from rural as well as urban areas even today, prefer eating their meals with their hands. According to the people, food tastes more delicious when they ditch spoons and forks to eat food with their hands.

In India, people wash their hands with water before beginning their meal. After this, they sit down on a mat, and the food is served to them on a banana plant leaf. People consider it ominous to eat food with their left hands and prefer going with the right hands instead. 

Before settling down to begin your meal.

The way the food is served depends on the area of India you are in. The country is very diverse; so are the food and serving habits. You will be shocked to see how foiled South Indian dishes are to the North Indian ones.

Indian people love pickled mangoes and vegetables and serve them in a glass jar where they are stored too. If you know how glass bottles are made, you would know that their material does not react with the pickles, and that's the reason Indians and other people around the world serve and store pickles in glass jars.

People here mainly are vegetarians and do not prefer having meat, eggs, or any type of animal skin for their meal for that matter.

When Indians eat meat, they incorporate it into their dishes in the form of chicken, lamb, pork, or beef. South Indian seafood is loved by many foreigners.

Hindus prohibit consuming beef or pork because of their religious sentiments.

Whenever a guest visits an Indian house, they are first served with water, followed by tea along with some snacks. Sometime later they eat their traditional food together. They traditionally eat chapatis, rice, and vegetable curry. Family members mostly partake together, and some even join their hands and thank God for blessing them with food for yet another day.

China

One thing that must have struck you almost instantly after hearing the word 'Chinese food' would be 'Chopsticks'. Yes! If you are planning your next trip to China, make sure you practice the art of using chopsticks really well, beforehand.

In China, people offer meals to their guests to enhance their relationships with them or even to start one.

On their breakfast, people sip tea together and chatter about business, news, and exchange information.

In Chinese culture, serving expensive and rare meals to guests is used to show respect to them. They generally serve  4 cold dishes and at least 8 hot dishes to guests on a dinner night. People also prefer serving fruits and drinks to their guests. 

In China, the type of food people eat is representative of their social status. People who are well-off, prefer eating expensive food to highlight their social status. These expensive and rare folds include bird's nest, bear's paw, shark's fin, and lobster.

Japan

Japanese food is very traditional and people prefer eating it that way too. The food eaten is rich in fish, seafood, plant-based food, least animal protein, and fat. Traditional Japanese cuisine comprises dishes of simple and fresh ingredients.

Before anybody sits to dine, hot towels( called oshibori) are given to them to clean their hands. To show their gratitude toward the food in a restaurant, people say 'itadakimasu' which stands for 'I graciously receive' or 'bon appetit '.

Traditional Japanese food is mainly least-processed and made using natural flavors.

Japanese cuisine is filled with steamed rice, noodles, tofu, fish, seaweed, and fresh, or pickled fruits and vegetables.

They prefer taking in fewer sugars and fats. Dairy products and eggs make up a small part of their diet. People enjoy eating noodles with soup and slurp them to highlight their enjoyment.

Britain

Britain's cuisine is substantial and simple. A fun fact about Britain's food culture is that the word 'dinner' here does not refer to the dinner that we all are aware of. In some parts of Britain, dinner is called the afternoon meal or lunch, as we call it. Sometimes, dinner could be used to refer to tea or supper.

As you go to some other part of Britain, you will realize that their 'dinner' refers to the biggest and most crucial feast of the day, be it afternoon or evening. Do not get confused, just ask the time, if you are invited to 'dinner' in Britain.

Russia

Russia, too, has its own culture and traditions regarding food habits. People here eat lunch between 1pm to 3pm, and it is generally the heaviest meal of the day. As is scientifically suggested, people prefer light food for dinner in Russia. Tea is served after dinner.

People here do not prefer adding anything, not water, nor ice, to their Vodka and drink it plain to give the impression of enjoying pure alcohol. 

Here, people serve meals with salads, pickled vegetables, and potatoes(boiled or fried).

Conclusion

Meals around the world have a wide range of specialties attached to them. The folding habits of the people vary greatly within one nation itself. The diversity intensifies as one starts looking beyond a country.

The next time you plan to go abroad for your vacay, make sure you learn and read about the country's food habits and culture to make the journey easier, convenient, filled with family vibes, and, most importantly, memorable.