Cuisine of Saudi Arabia
Food in Saudi Arabia differs on the basis of different part of country. Usually food in Saudi Arabia consists of rice, meat and vegetables. Kabsa, a meal cooked with chicken or meat is very popular in Saudi Arabia. Chicken and Meat are cooked in many different ways and there are many different ways. Food is added with spices and Mazby and Mandy are popular ways to cook meals. Arabian coffee and dates are served together to guests and Arabian coffee is preferred drink of many Saudi Arabians.
Staple Foods
Bread: Breads have many varieties served in Saudi Arabia and one of them is flat bread known as fatir, arikah and spiced bread known as hawayji.
Hummus: Dip which is made up of garlic, lemon, tahini and mashed chickpeas (Garbanzo beans).
Rice: Rice is served in most dishes as side or a base of dishes.
Tabbouleh: Salad made out of bulgur, garlic, lemon, tomatoes and parsley.
Regional Variations, Specialties, & Unique Dishes
Kapsa: It is the national dish made up of chicken, rice and vegetables.
Kebab: Served in a pita bread, there are numerous styles, usually has base of roasted chicken or lamb and vegetables.
Cuisine of United States
The United States is large country and each region has its own take on American Cuisine. Currently there are many restaurants based in United States which offer “contemporary American cuisine” or “New American cuisine” actual “American Cuisine” is a term lost on translation. In past generations, American cooking used to be defined on the basis of regions it used to be from “Tex-Mex” or “Southern” are classic examples of these. Nowadays, the techniques, flavors, ingredients vary from city to city. To add more confusion to the term American Cuisine many new terms have been added on the basis of regions like “Northwestern”, “New York Style”, “Chicago Style” or “California Cuisine”. “Comfort food” is another addition to modern cuisine of America as ethnic flavors and cuisines like Chinese, Indian, Mexican and Italian have been casted within American Cuisine.
In a Harris Opinion poll on the most American food, American public chose Hamburgers and Cheeseburgers received the highest vote with 29%, apple pie came second with 20% and hot dogs (frank furter) came third with 20% of the votes. Other significant choices were barbeque with 9% and fried chicken with 7%.
Nowadays, foods cannot be used to define religious and ethnic diversity in Unites states. Americans, eat curry, bagels, salsa, egg rolls and the popular Thanksgiving Turkey regardless of their religion. Wealthier people prefer to dine with red wine and food prepared after proper preparation and artistic serving. Expensive dining has become the reason behind shifts and fads in taste of Americans. With European food especially German and French becoming choice of yesteryears, focus is now shifting towards Latin and Asian cooking in American Cuisine.
Conclusion
Every country has its own traditional food which makes it unique. In Saudi Arabia, people eat many kinds of food like marqog and kabsa. They also drink tea and milk post meal. However, Traditional American food like steak, burgers and French fries are popular in Saudi Arabia too. Shift of many Saudi people to America has also been made Saudi food also popular in the United States. There are differences in the traditional cuisines of both countries but with change in time and intermixing of populations food has also started to get popular in other cultures.
