The Multifaceted Nature of Food

Basic Concepts of Food

• Food nourishes the body by providing energy, building and repairing cells, and regulating bodily functions.
• Food is multidimensional, containing nutrients and non-nutritional components that contribute to color, texture, flavor, and palatability.

Context of Health

• Encompasses heart-healthy, diabetic, low-carb, vegetarian, functional, enriched, supplementary, nutrient-dense, allergenic, and junk food options.

Religion

• Each religion adheres to a specific set of food beliefs and practices.

Safe Food

• Involves food processing to prevent foodborne illnesses and proper food packaging.

Socio-Economic Dimension

• Includes traditional foods served during family celebrations, hospitality through entertaining, and business negotiations involving food.

Emotional Factor

• Includes comfort foods, refusal to eat certain foods due to traumatic experiences, and food storage practices.

Foodways

• Includes food habits, meal patterns, timing, and culinary practices.
• Encompasses what, when, where, and with whom people eat, and the reasons behind their food choices.

Culture

• Culture is a composite of customs, traditions, values, art, literature, history, and norms that are developed, learned, shared, and practiced by a group, passed down through generations.

Factors Affecting Foodways and Culinary Practices

• Geographical location determines the climate, neighboring countries, and water sources, influencing food availability.
• Climate variations divide the world into distinct natural regions, affecting the growth of different produce.
• Topography refers to terrain like mountains, valleys, forests, rivers, and lakes.
• History: Knowledge depends on documents or records about native populations before foreign influence.
• Religion: Food symbolism and observance of preparation, timing, and types of food.

Buddhism

• Predominantly lacto-ovo vegetarians.
• Meat consumption is generally not allowed.
• Prohibits the taking of life.
• Some adherents consume fish and meat if they were not responsible for killing the animal.

Christianity

• Religious holidays include traditional foods.
• Involves fasting and abstinence practices.

Confucianism and Taoism

• Involves food festivals with traditional dishes like Lunar New Year and All Souls' Day.
• Rituals are related to religion.

Hinduism

• The cow is considered sacred and should not be slaughtered.
• Pork and misshapen fishes are avoided, along with the head of certain animals.
• Pure foods include milk, water, turmeric, and certain beans, while alcoholic drinks are not allowed.

Islam

• Halal foods are permitted, while Haram foods are forbidden.
• Pork is prohibited, as well as animals that catch prey with their mouths, birds of prey, and improperly slaughtered animals; religious holidays are also marked.

Judaism

• Kosher foods are "fit to eat."

Seventh Day Adventists

• Promotes a healthy vegetarian diet and prohibits alcohol, tea, and coffee.

Shintoism

• Observe religious festivals and offer fresh food to kami or supernatural beings.

Iglesia Ni Cristo

• Forbids the consumption of blood and alcohol.

Culinary Culture

• Cultural influences, including nationality, ancestral background, and religion, affect food choices and dining habits.

Evolution of Asian Cuisine

• Regional cuisines begin to take shape in subsistence farming societies, featuring simple dishes because of limited ingredients and preparation time.
• The evolution of Asian cuisine involves diverse cultural influences and culinary techniques across various regions.

Three Areas of Asian Cuisine

• South West Asian Cuisine
  • Includes the cuisines of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Burma, Syria Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon.
  • Involves meat prepared with mutton, lamb, chicken, goat or camel meat.
  • Muslim and Jewish prohibitions on pork are observed; sheep and other animals are slaughtered using the halal method in Muslim countries.
  • The Mediterranean area, Persian Gulf and the Red Sea have a wide variety of seafood. -Supports a diet rich in vegetables, fruit, nuts, dairy products and rice, with meat used as flavoring.
  • Featuring dishes like Shish tawook with garlic paste, French fries, and pita bread

Southeast Asian Cuisine

• The original cuisine from this region is likely the peasant cuisine of Thailand.
• Dishes frequently served include rice, noodles, mung beans, soy beans, seafood and mutton
• Some regions in the Southeast Asian community successfully resisted European colonization
• The traditional wok cooking utensil uses stir fry techniques incorporating garlic and ginger
• Flavorful spices incorporate cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, coriander and star anise

East Asian Cuisine

• The East Asian cuisine includes Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Mongolian, and Taiwanese food.
• The region is most populated in the world, it has many regional cuisines (especially China).
• The cuisine is based upon ingredients as staple foods included rice, noodles, mung beans, soy beans, seafood and mutton

Central Asia

• Most Central Asian nations have cuisines similar to each other and their neighbors, taking many features of the neighboring cuisines of Western and Eastern Asia, particularly Mongolia.
• The cuisine incorporates plov and ash as widespread variations of pilaf.
• Often, horse meat and mutton are common meats, similar to beef -Widespread drinks among Turkic peoples include Kumis and yogurt

West Asia / Middle East

• West Asian Cuisine is similar to the cuisine of the Middle East, without Egypt.
• Commonly used ingredients include olives and olive oil, pitas, honey, sesame seeds, dates, sumac, chickpeas, mint and parsley.
• Popular dishes include kibbeh and shawarma.
• Cereals can be eaten, both historically and today.  Wheat and rice are the major sources of staple foods.