Austrian strudel
European cuisine (also known as Continental cuisine) comprises the cuisines originating from the various countries of Europe.[1]
The cuisines of European countries are diverse, although some common characteristics distinguish them from those of other regions.[2] Compared to traditional cooking of East Asia, meat holds a more prominent and substantial role in serving size.[3] Many dairy products are utilised in cooking.[4] There are hundreds of varieties of cheese and other fermented milk products. White wheat-flour bread has long been the prestige starch, but historically, most people ate bread, flatcakes, or porridge made from rye, spelt, barley, and oats.[5][6] Those better-off would also make pasta, dumplings and pastries. The potato has become a major starch plant in the diet of Europeans and their diaspora since the European colonisation of the Americas. Maize is much less common in most European diets than it is in the Americas; however, corn meal (polentaormămăligă) is a major part of the cuisine of Italy and the Balkans. Although flatbreads (especially with toppings such as pizzaortarte flambée) and rice are eaten in Europe, they are only staple foods in limited areas, particularly in Southern Europe. Salads (cold dishes with uncooked or cooked vegetables, sometimes with a dressing) are an integral part of European cuisine.
Formal European dinners are served in distinct courses. European presentation evolved from service à la française, or bringing multiple dishes to the table at once, into service à la russe, where dishes are presented sequentially. Usually, cold, hot and savoury, and sweet dishes are served strictly separately in this order, as hors d'oeuvre (appetizer) or soup, as entrée and main course, and as dessert. Dishes that are both sweet and savoury were common earlier in Ancient Roman cuisine, but are today uncommon, with sweet dishes being served only as dessert. A service where the guests are free to take food by themselves is termed a buffet, and is usually restricted to parties or holidays. Nevertheless, guests are expected to follow the same pattern.
Historically, European cuisine has been developed in the European royal and noble courts. European nobility was usually arms-bearing and lived in separate manors in the countryside. The knife was the primary eating implement (cutlery), and eating steaks and other foods that require cutting followed. This contrasted with East Asian cuisine, where the ruling class were the court officials, who had their food prepared ready to eat in the kitchen, to be eaten with chopsticks. The knife was supplanted by the spoon for soups, while the fork was introduced later in the early modern period, ca. 16th century. Today, most dishes are intended to be eaten with cutlery and only a few finger foods can be eaten with the hands in polite company.
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In medieval times, a person's diet varied depending on their social class. However cereal grains made up a lot of a medieval person's diet, regardless of social class. Bread was common to both classes; it was taken as a lunch for the working man, and thick slices of it were used as plates called trenchers.[7] People of the noble class had access to finely ground flours for their breads and other baked goods. Noblemen were allowed to hunt for deer, boar, rabbits, birds, and other animals, giving them access to fresh meat and fish for their meals.[8] Dishes for people of these classes were often heavily spiced.[9] Spices at that time were very expensive, and the more spices used in dishes, the more wealth the person needed to purchase such ingredients. Common spices used were cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, pepper, cumin, cloves, turmeric, anise, and saffron.[10] Other ingredients used in dishes for the nobility and clergy included sugar, almonds and dried fruits like raisins.[11] These imported ingredients would have been very expensive and nearly impossible for commoners to obtain. When banquets were held, the dishes served would be very spectacular: another way for the noblemen to show how rich they were. Sugar sculptures would be placed on the tables as decoration and to eat, and foods would be dyed vibrant colors with imported spices.[12]
The diet of a commoner would have been much simpler. Strict poaching laws prevented them from hunting, and if they did hunt and were caught, they could have parts of their limbs cut off or they could be killed.[13] Much of the commoners' food would have been preserved in some way, such as through pickling or by being salted.[14] Breads would have been made using ryeorbarley, and any vegetables would likely have been grown by the commoners themselves.[15] Peasants would have likely been able to keep cows, and so would have access to milk, which then allowed them to make butter or cheese.[16] When meat was eaten, it would have been beef, pork, or lamb. Commoners also ate a dish called pottage, a thick stew of vegetables, grains, and meat.[17]
In the early modern era, European cuisine saw an influx of new ingredients due to the Columbian Exchange, such as the potato, tomato, eggplant, chocolate, bell pepper, pumpkins, and other squash. Distilled spirits, along with tea, coffee, and chocolate were all popularized during this time. In the 1780s, the idea of the modern restaurant was introduced in Paris; the French Revolution accelerated its development, quickly spreading around Europe.
All of these countries have their specialities.[18] Among many such specialities, Austria is famous for Wiener schnitzel, a breaded veal cutlet served with a slice of lemon; the Czech Republic for world-renowned beers; Germany for world-famous wursts, Hungary for goulash. Slovakia is famous for gnocchi-like halušky pasta. Slovenia is known for German- and Italian-influenced cuisine, Poland for pierogis which are a cross between ravioli and empanada. Liechtenstein and German-speaking Switzerland are famous for Rösti and French-speaking Switzerland for fondue and raclettes.
Austrian cuisine
Czech cuisine
German cuisine
Hungarian cuisine
Liechtensteiner cuisine
Polish cuisine
Silesian cuisine
Slovak cuisine
Slovenian cuisine
Swiss cuisine
Armenian cuisine
Azerbaijani cuisine
Belarusian cuisine
Bulgarian cuisine
Georgian cuisine
Kazakh cuisine
Moldovan cuisine
Ossetian cuisine
Romanian cuisine
Russian cuisine
Ukrainian cuisine
British cuisine
Danish cuisine
Estonian cuisine
Finnish cuisine
Icelandic cuisine
Irish cuisine
Latvian cuisine
Lithuanian cuisine
Livonian cuisine
Norwegian cuisine
Sami cuisine
Swedish cuisine
Albanian cuisine
Aromanian cuisine
Bosnian cuisine
Croatian cuisine
Cypriot cuisine
Gibraltarian cuisine
Greek cuisine
Italian cuisine
Kosovar cuisine
Macedonian cuisine
Maltese cuisine
Montenegrin cuisine
Ottoman cuisine
Portuguese cuisine
Sammarinese cuisine
Serbian cuisine
Spanish cuisine
Turkish cuisine
Belgian cuisine
Dutch cuisine
French cuisine
Frisian cuisine
Limburgian cuisine
Luxembourgian cuisine
Monégasque cuisine
Occitan cuisine
