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Traditional food

Traditional foods are foods and dishes that are passed on through generations or which have been consumed for many generations. Traditional foods and dishes are traditional in nature, and may have a historic precedent in a national dish, regional cuisine or local cuisine. Traditional foods and beverages may be produced as homemade, by restaurants and small manufacturers, and by large food processing plant facilities.

Some traditional foods have geographical indications and traditional specialties in the European Union designations per European Union schemes of geographical indications and traditional specialties: Protected designation of origin (PDO), Protected geographical indication (PGI) and Traditional specialties guaranteed (TSG). These standards serve to promote and protect names of quality agricultural products and foodstuffs.

This article also includes information about traditional beverages.

Difference between traditional and typical

Although it is common for them to be used as synonyms, the truth is that "traditional" cuisine and "typical" cuisine are considered two different concepts according to culinary anthropology; The first refers to culinary customs that are invariably inherited orally, on a small scale in the family, and a large scale in a community as part of its culture and identity. On the other hand, when we speak of typical (or "popular") cuisine, it is one that most people in a place like and is massively replicated. Therefore, a traditional dish may be typical and vice versa, but neither much less all the typical dishes are traditional nor the traditional ones are typical.

Most traditional dishes are originated from the skill of housewives who creatively and sensibly combined the techniques and ingredients they had on hand to create new recipes. If people like that recipe, it becomes worthy of being imitated. In other words, it is spread and replicated so many times that it becomes a classic recipe. For this reason, the culinary tradition is made up of a vast variety of classic recipes, which are necessarily linked to a land of origin, specific products, and specific local habits. There are classic recipes that can fall into oblivion and disappear forever, but if they are consumed massively, they become part of the typical cuisine of a place. The Mexican culinary anthropologist Maru Toledo adds a third concept to this process, which is that of "typical commercial" cuisine, something that did not exist until the commercialization of cuisine (a process that has occurred very recently, if we observe the complete chronology of food history).

Commercialized cuisine

The commercialized cuisine appropriates the characteristics of the traditional (even the same adjective "traditional", on numerous occasions) but the aim is none other than economic profit. For this reason, it does not want to delve into the origin, nor in the context, much less the diversity around the dishes, it sells. Finally, the mainstream population, generally without much culinary knowledge, believe that the food they are buying is their own, thus happening a kind of food acculturation and simplifying the diversity of products, techniques, recipes and other culinary aspects of the tradition.

By continent

Africa

Bambara groundnut – a traditional food crop in Africa

Europe

Traditional food products have been described as playing "an important part of European culture, identity, and heritage".

South America

Humita – a traditional food in Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru

By country

Canada

Country food refers to the traditional diets of Aboriginal people (known in Canada as First Nations, Metis, and Inuit), especially in remote northern regions where Western food is an expensive import, and traditional foods are still relied upon.
Thanksgiving dinner

Québec

Poutine
Tourtière
Sucre à la crème
Pâté chinois
Pouding chômeur
St. Catherine's taffy
Spruce beer
Maple syrup
Cretons

Acadia

Poutine râpée
Fricot

China

Ciba cake
Dim sum
Fuling jiabing – a traditional snack food of Beijing and an integral part of the city's culture. It is a pancake-like snack made from flour, sugar, and fuling (Poria), rolled around nuts, honey, and other ingredients.
Spring pancake – a traditional Chinese food unique to the northern regions. People eat spring pancakes on the day called lichun to celebrate the beginning of spring.
Zhongzi - sticky rice with savory or sweet ingredients wrapped in bamboo leaves and boiled. Made to commemorate the poet and minister Qu Yuan during the Dragon boat festival.

Costa Rica

Rice and beans

Croatia

Lecsó

Cyprus

Tsamarella – a traditional food and one of Cyprus' main lunch meats

Czech Republic

Lecsó
Svíčková

Estonia

Mulgipuder
Sepik

Eswatini

Faroe Islands

Faroese puffin
Garnatálg
Skerpikjøt
Whale meat

Finland

Karelian stew
Karelian pasty
Kesäkeitto
Sautéed reindeer
Ruisreikäleipä
Ryynimakkara
Mustamakkara
Kalakukko
Lörtsy
Rönttönen
Sultsina
Mämmi

France

Appellation d'origine contrôlée – the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products
- Bresse chicken – a French chicken product with appellation d'origine contrôlée status
- List of Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée liqueurs and spirits
- List of Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée wines

Germany

Black Forest ham – produced in the Black Forest region of Germany, it is a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) food in the European Union.

Guatemala

Fiambre is a traditional Guatemalan dish that is prepared and eaten yearly to celebrate the Day of the Dead (Día de Los Muertos) and the All Saints Day (Día de Todos Los Santos).

Iceland

Hákarl – a traditional food and national dish of Iceland
Hangikjöt
Þorramatur – a selection of traditional Icelandic food, consisting mainly of meat and fish products cured in a traditional manner, cut into slices or pieces and served with rúgbrauð (dense and dark rye bread), butter and brennivín (an Icelandic akvavit)

India

Kheer
Roti and Sabzi

South Indian Food

Idli
Dosa
Sambar and Chutneys
Rasam
Puttu
Idiyappam
Paniyaram

Indonesia

Brem – a fermented snack and beverage from Java and Bali
Docang – a traditional food from Cirebon
Gado-gado – a traditional salad in peanut sauce dressing
Gudeg – a young unripe jackfruit stew, a traditional food from Yogyakarta
Ketupat – a traditional rice dumpling commonly served during Lebaran, Indonesian idul fitri
Kuluban – an ancient Javanese traditional salad
Lawar – a traditional Balinese vegetable dish
Opor ayam – chicken in coconut milk stew, a traditional dish commonly consumed with ketupat during Lebaran
Pallubasa – a traditional food from Makassar, South Sulawesi made from offal of cattle or buffalo
Papeda – sago congee, a traditional staple of Eastern Indonesia (Maluku and Papua)
Rendang – traditional Minangkabau dish from West Sumatra
Satay – grilled meat on skewers, various traditional regional variants exist in Indonesia
Soto – a category of traditional soup of Indonesia, numerous regional variations exist
Tempeh – fermented soy cake, traditional food from Java
Tumpeng – a ceremonial rice cone surrounded by various side dishes, an Indonesian national dish

Iran

Chelow kabab
Tahdig
Ghormeh sabzi
Fesenjān
Sabzi polo
Abgoosht
Gheimeh
Sholezard
Āsh
Mirza Ghassemi
Nargesi
Baghala ghatogh

Ireland

Full breakfast
Sunday roast

Italy

Pasta
Pizza
Prosciutto (PDO)
Ravioli
Salami
Spaghetti

By designation of origin

Denominazione di origine controllata – a quality assurance label for Italian food products, especially Italian wine and cheese
- List of Italian DOC wines
- List of Italian DOCG wines
Indicazione geografica tipica
Prodotto agroalimentare tradizionale is an official approval for traditional Italian regional food products similar to the Protected Geographical Status of the European Union.
- Mascarpone
- Piadina
Strada dell'Olio – a kind of gastronomical route in Italy that crosses a territory rich of traditional products, PDOs and PGIs, DOCs and DOCGs in Italy.

Piedmont

Panna cotta – The northern Italian Region of Piedmont includes panna cotta in its 2001 list of traditional food products of the region. Panna cotta is not mentioned in Italian cookbooks before the 1960s, yet it is often cited as a traditional dessert in Piedmont.

Japan

Mochi – eaten year-round in Japan, mochi is a traditional food for the Japanese New Year and is commonly sold and eaten during that time

Jordan

Traditional beverages in Jordan include sous (also referred to as 'irqsus), a drink prepared using the dried root of Glycyrrhiza glabra (liquorice), tamr hindi, a drink prepared from an infusion of the dried pulp of Tamarindus indica (tamarind), and laban (labneh), a drink prepared with yogurt and water. A significant amount of labneh in Jordan and nearby countries continues to be prepared using the traditional method of "straining set yogurt in cloth bags".

Korea

Bibimbap
Bulgogi
Ganjang Gyejang
Kimchi
Nurungji
San Nakji
Sickhye
Sungnyung

Latvia

Grey peas
Layered rye bread
Sklandrausis
Speķrauši

Lithuania

Cepelinai

Maldives

Garudiya
Maldives fish – cured tuna fish traditionally produced in the Maldives. It is a staple food in Maldivian cuisine

Malta

Lent in Malta § Traditional food eaten throughout the period
- Kwareżimal – Lent cake

Mexico

Nepal

Dhindo

Portugal

Denominação de Origem Controlada is the system of protected designation of origin for wines, cheeses, butter, and other agricultural products from Portugal.

Saudi Arabia

Hininy
Kabsa

Singapore

Hainanese chicken rice – considered as a national dish of Singapore
Teochew porridge

Slovakia

Bryndzové halušky – a national dish of Slovakia consisting of halušky and bryndza.
Lecsó

Spain

Boroña – a cornbread that is a traditional food in the regions of Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, the Basque Country and northern Castilla-Leon (areas of León, Palencia and Burgos)
Denominación de Origen – part of a regulatory classification system primarily for Spanish wines (similar to the French appellations) but also for other foodstuffs like cheeses, condiments, honey and meats, among others

Sweden

Falukorv
Janssons frestelse
Pyttipanna

Switzerland

Appellation d'origine protégée – A Swiss geographical indication protecting the origin and the quality of traditional food products other than wines
Capuns – a traditional food from the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland

Tanzania

Pare people § Traditional food

Thailand

Mango sticky rice
Pad Thai

Turkey

İmam bayıldı

Uganda

Malewa – smoked bamboo shoot which is dried for preservation. The food originated from Eastern Uganda in the Bugisu sub-region

United Kingdom

England

Bangers and mash
Cottage pie
Faggot
Fish and chips
Full breakfast
Sunday roast

Wales

Cawl
Welsh cakes
Glamorgan sausages
Laverbread
Welsh rarebit
Bara brith

Scotland

Haggis
Lorne sausage
Neeps and tatties
Cullen skink
Arbroath smokies
Reestit mutton

United States

Cardamom bread – considered as a traditional food among Swedish Americans
Thanksgiving dinner

Southern United States

Biscuit
Cheese straw
Cornbread
Collard greens
Hoppin' John
Sweet potato

Vanuatu

Laplap – a national dish

Yemen

Kabsa

By region

Arab states of the Persian Gulf

Khabees – traditional sweet dish in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf

Commonwealth Caribbean

Rice and peas – a traditional dish in the Anglo-Caribbean

Levant (Eastern Mediterranean)

Traditional foods of the Levant include falafel, fuul, halawa, hummus, kanafeh, labaneh, medammis and tahini. among others. The most popular traditional foods in the region are those prepared from legumes, specifically, falafel, fuul, hummus and medammis.

Popular traditional foods in the Eastern Mediterranean region

European Union

Geographical indications and traditional specialties in the European Union
Quality Wines Produced in Specified Regions – a quality indicator used within European Union wine regulations that identifies wines with protected geographical indications
List of geographical designations for spirit drinks in the European Union