The food and culture around the world handbook

384 Pages·2011·1.66 MB·English

by  Helen C. Brittin

The Food and Culture Around
the World Handbook
Helen C. Brittin
Professor Emeritus
Texas Tech University, Lubbock
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Brittin, Helen C.
The Food and culture around the world handbook/Helen C. Brittin.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-13-507481-7 (alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0-13-507481-9 (alk. paper)
1. Diet––Handbooks, manuals, etc. 2. Food habits––Handbooks, manuals, etc.
3. Cookery––Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Title.
TX353.B6985 2011
394.1––dc22
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
ISBN 10: 0-13-507481-9
ISBN 13: 978-0-13-507481-7
PREFACE
Culture, a pattern or design for living, allows individuals in social groups to live together in relative
harmony through shared values, beliefs, and practices. The variety of social groups in the world and
diversity of the environmental contexts in which they live lead to great intergroup variation in val-
ues, beliefs, and practices that arise in an attempt to meet the basic needs of existence, including
food and nutrition. Similarly, individuals have many different life experiences that contribute to
intragroup variation in the degree of adherence to norms in their culture. Members of a society often
have different interpretations of the same situation because of factors such as age, income, educa-
tion level, and religion.
Food and nutrition professionals, as well as persons from all walks of life, need quick access
to information to interact effectively with individuals from different cultural groups. This is espe-
cially important now in the United States because recent population changes have resulted in an
increasingly culturally diverse society. This pocket guide is a resource containing basic cultural and
geographic information about cultural groups throughout the world. It is intended to provide a
snapshot of the cultural diversity that exists and that we must understand to fulfill our dual roles as
citizens and providers of competent education and care, including food service. The author encour-
ages the reader to use the book as an introduction to the diversity of factors that affect values,
beliefs, and practices related to food and nutrition. The reader can use the book as an initial step-
ping stone to multicultural competence in providing food and nutrition education and care to a cul-
turally diverse population and to gain a better understanding of ones self.
The purpose of this guide is to help focus attention on the potential variations a culturally di-
verse client or student may, or may not, exhibit. One needs to be aware of the cultural factors such
as availability of food, income, and religion which might influence a person’s food practices and
preferences in order to address them in nutrition assessment, education, and care. The facts must
not be converted into stereotypes by the user. Use this guide to start increasing your awareness and
understanding of potential similarities and differences. Then build on this information with an indi-
vidualized cultural assessment.
This book is also about food of countries throughout the world. Included is information on
influences on food, usual foods listed in food groups, seasonings, typical dishes, national dish if
there is one, special occasion foods, beverages, meals and service, and street food and snacks. This
information is included for each country if it is available. The information on food is designed to be
used with the information on culture in this book.
The book is designed to be a convenient, brief reader and reference on food and culture of all
the countries of the world. As of mid-2009, there are 195 nations in the world. The book profiles the
culture and food of the 195 countries, in alphabetical order. Certain regions and territories that are
not independent nations can be found in the entry for the governing nation. The book will be use-
ful to people who are already interested in food and it may spark an interest in food of people
throughout the world to others who read it.
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THE AUTHOR
Helen C. Brittin, PhD, RD, LD, FADA, CFCS, Professor Emeritus of Food and Nutrition at Texas Tech
University, created the course on cultural aspects of food at Texas Tech University and taught thou-
sands of students in the course. She is a Registered Dietitian, Licensed Dietitian, Fellow of the
American Dietetic Association, and is Certified in Family and Consumer Sciences. An active researcher,
she has more than 100 presentations and publications, including a classic textbook. Her research is
on meat, sensory evaluation, wine, iron in food, and cultural aspects of food. Active in teaching,
research, and service, she has served as President of the Texas Dietetic Association and received
university, state, and national awards including the Texas Dietetic Association 2000 Distinguished
Dietitian Award. She was recognized by Florida State University with a Centennial Award in 2005. In
addition to degrees from Florida State University and Texas Tech University, she has taken graduate
courses in cultural aspects of food at New York University and Washington State University. She also
did a Mini Development Leave at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Brittin has served as a
Professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Middle East Technical University in Ankara,
Turkey. She has served as the International Federation for Home Economics Research Committee
chairperson and was instrumental in increasing research presentations at IFHE World Congresses.
She has traveled to numerous countries throughout the world in her research, teaching, and service.
Dr. Brittin’s avid and longtime interest in people and their food has culminated in this book.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The following sources were especially helpful in the preparation of this manuscript and deserve
special recognition for their contributions. These sources are cited for demographic, economic, and
geographical data.
Time Almanac 2009. Chicago, IL: Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2009.
The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2009. Pleasantville, NY: World Almanac Books, 2009.
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CONTENTS
Countries
A
Afghanistan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Albania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Algeria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Andorra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Angola . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Antigua and Barbuda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Argentina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Armenia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Austria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Azerbaijan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
B
Bahamas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Bahrain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Bangladesh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Barbados . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Belarus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Belgium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Belize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Benin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Bhutan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Bolivia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
Bosnia and Herzegovina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Botswana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Brazil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
Brunei . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
Bulgaria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
Burkina Faso . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Burma (see Myanmar) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Burundi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
C
Cambodia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Cameroon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
ix