French Recipes and British Recipes in the USA - Research Paper Example

Introduction The purpose of this research of French Recipes and British Recipes in the USA is to identify food coming from the culture of France andUK, in order to see how their food have become acceptable to Americans. A little of each of the country’s background relevant to the recipes had to be included to give an idea of how such recipe became popular in the past and how such recipe reached the present or were changed to meet the demands of the present American society. In place of describing the colour and appearance in words, pictures of the selected recipes are shown. A.French Dishes La Salade Lyonnaise (French Appetizer) It will take about 20 minutes to prepared this salad recipe. Given the mixture of vegetables below, these are mixed with a little water, mustard, and vinegar along with Rapeseed Oil to serve as emulsifier. Notice that the specified gree vegetables are not specified. In order to utilize fresh American vegetables depending on whatever is available, this French salad is prepared in the procedures described bel;ow. a. Mixed Greens b. Lardons c. Croutons d. Poached Egg L’Assiete de Hors D’oeuvres 8 Lentil e. Celery Root f. Carrot Salads Water and white wine vinegar are boiled first. While the water and vinegar are simmering, eggs are cracked, poured onto the liquid, and stirred for 3 minutes. The eggs are then removed from the simmering liquid and cooled with fresh water. In a separate saucepan, water and bacon are boiled with high heat and boil for only 10 seconds. Bacon is drained. Thereafter. The bacon is transferred to a large frying pan and cooked some more for 1 minute under high heat, followed by a medium heat cooking time of 5 minutes while it is stirred. Before serving with the vegetables and dressing, the eggs are heated for 3 minutes with 90 degrees hot water. The salt and better amount will depend on the taste test. A recommended dressing would be made up of a combination of 20 grams of mustard, 15 grams of white wine vinegar, 5 grams of water, 45 grams of Rapeseed Oil, Sea Salt, Black Pepper, 10 grams of chopped Shalot, 20 grams or ¼ of diced garlic clove. (Blanc, R. n.d.) Picture of Salad Lyonnais Matsumoto, M. (2012) described the taste to be “like a fireworks display for your taste bud” while the eggs and bacon fat protect the tongue with too much taste and these ingredients add texture. The salad itself can be placed on a sandwich. Thus for Americans who love to eat sandwiches, this will make it very tasty. Mark Matsumoto was featured in USA Today, HY Times, and Wall Street Journal for his culinary expertise. To the French people, the Salad Lyonnaise is essentially fresh bitter vegetables with properly cooked bacon and eggs. At La Sardin in the USA, the price is $ 8.oo. L’Assiette de Charcuterie The term came the L’Assiette which means a plate, and the French word Charcuterie which refers to a 1930 shop of a pork butcher ( Boogert, K.2012, p.149) reminds people in France about a moderate-priced but delicious food. The recipe itself may vary. Meat is usually from pork. But it can be from other meat sources like ducks. At La Sardine, it is made up of Duck Rillette, Peppered Salami, Beet Salad, and Cornichons. a. Country Pate b. Duck Rillette c. Peppered Salami d. Beet Salad e. Cornichons The preparation is very common in France as a starter with several slices of French salami on a plate made of cured meat. It can be served in 5 minutes. In 2010, according to Midson, L. (2010), Assiette de Charcuterie ranked # 95 in the Top 100 Best of Denver at Café Society. One of the feedback from customers is that everything on the plate can be eaten regarless of which mealtime it may be (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack before dinner, and even after dinner before midnight. The price is about $ 12 to $ 15. Picture of Assiette de Charcuterie [Source: MenuGourmet.com - http://www.menugourmet.com/en/recipe/assiette-de-charcuterie,958 ] La Bouillabaisse A mixture of seafood makes up the ingredients of La Bouilabaise. The recipe originated from Marseille port city. The broth of seafood is served with olive oil based mayonnaise with garlic, cayenne pepper, saffron, and grilled bread slices. An American chef by the name of Julia Child (Micheline Guide 1990, p.31) prefers to have the seafoods mixed with tomatoes, fennel, aside from olice oil, garlic, thyme, saffron, and onions. Picture of La Bouillabaise a. Mussels b.Clams c. Shrimps d. Calamari e. Scallops f. Monkfish in Saffron Lobster Broth The recipe is cooked in boiling water for only one minute. Then the heat is reduced while adding seafood. Onions and fennel are fried until softened for 3-5 minutes. Garlic, tomatoes and wine are added. These are then added to seafood with a pinch of salt and boiled for about 2-3 minutes. When the Mussels open, the recipe is considered cooked. And then Parsely is added when the fish recipe is served. The American Heart Association has recommended eating seafood that are safe because seafood has less cholesterol and saturated fats. And many Americans are obese. Fish can also have Omega – 3 Fatty Acids, an ingredient good for the heart.. (AHA 2012). B. British Dishes in the USA According to a British Food in America Manifesto, there are but a handful restaurants in the USA that offer British dishes (BritishFoodinAmerica 2013). British dishes in the USA became the object of jokes in the past. Another source, Hechinger, P. (2012) reported in BBC America that “20 years ago, said Zimmem, the food of the British Isles was universally considered among the world’s worst –boring, bland, and boiled”. The history matters because it takes time to popularize restaurants and food with the presence of heavy competition. By 2007, Hechinger, P. (2012) noted a significant development with the British dishes in USA and wrote about five myths: (a) that British roast beef was boring; (b) that their food was bland; (c) that their food was either overcooked or boiled; (d) that there was lack of alternative choices because the recipes came from one island; and (e) that British food could not compete in terms of the cheese flavour compared to France. These comments are important because such information serves as a historical common denominator for all recipes of UK. But changes in recipes took place only sometime 2007. And the following year, recession began, causing low consumer demand for almost all industries including food industry. Since late 2008 up to the present, there have been high unemployment rates in the USA. Even at present, Wise, L. (2013) reported that British dish tends to be rich in starch. And influence from past years has made the ingredients oftentimes insufficient to the taste of people in the USA. Aside from vegetables and fish, most of the recipes are fried or roasted meat. She noted that the flavour was adjusted to the country where the food is served. This can be observed with the popular Fish and Chips, Black Pudding, Pork Pie, and Kippers. Using a variety of fish although usually large, the recipe prepared is battered, crispy fish with mashed potatoes and green peas. Vinegar is poured on the fried fish. This becomes the British Fish and Chips dish. For the Black Pudding, pig blood is used along with cereal grain that is crushed after being hulled, pork fat, onions, flour, and then seasoned with herbs or mint. The result looks like sausage by the time the mixed ingredients are stuffed in pork intestine skin that has been cleaned. Then the entire sausage-looking recipe is either baked or boiled. This will then be served for breakfast together with sliced bread or stored in refrigerators for consumption at a later time. For the Pork Pie, ingredients include flour, pork, water, lard, pepper, and salt. Meat ingredient can be changed to turkey or chicken so that the name will also be changed, e.g. instead of Pork Pie, it will be called Turkey Pot Pie after ingredients are baked. Kippers refer to the Herring fish which is smoked after cleaning and while cold. This recipe had a place in British History since the recipe was very common for the survival of soldiers during the wars. At present, this fish recipe may be served in sandwiches or plain fish or mixed with salads and pasta. Picture of British Fish and Chips Pictures of British Black Pudding Pictures of the British Pork Pie Pictures of British Kippers Traditional English Breakfast “Eggs, bacon, sausages, fried bread, baked beans, and mushrooms” are available and sold in hotels (Barrow, M. 2012). Light meals served in pubs include sandwiches like the Triple Decker Chicken and Bacon with Lettuce, Mayonnaise, roast chicken, tomato, and smoked bacon, or the Grilled Steak with onions, salad garnish, and crisp Ciabatta. This would compete with McDonald’s hamburgers. Picture of the Traditional English Breakfast Omellettes There are two traditional British omelettes, namely, (1) “Prawn Sausage Mushroom Bacon”, and (2) “Spanish Omellette served with sauté potatoes and salad” (Barrow, M. 2012). Picture of the British Omellettes show how their presentation can be changed a bit. The ingredients may consist of a couple of eggs, 25 grams of grated cheese, ground black pepper and salt in amounts adjusted to taste preferred by customers, a teaspoon of olive oil, a slice of chopped and cooked ham, fresh rhyme Sprig. Cooks use an Omelette Pan or Non-Stick frying pan to prepare this food. Meat may be changed to cooked chicken or beef instead of ham. Pictures of British Omelletts Main Meals Barbecue Spare Ribs, Stead and Kidney Pudding, Chili con Carne, and Chasseur Chicken Supreme are examples of alternative main meals. British barbecue recognized that Americans enjoy eating barbecue meat recipes. To make a difference, the British barbecue, pork ribs are simmered with hot water before roasting to make the meat tender by the time it is roasted. Of course, there is a marinade containing what many Americans like, e.g. mustard spicing, paprika, tomato ketchup, and dark sugar. Slow cooking of the spare ribs can last for 2 hours. It is then allowed to cool in the marinade. It results in having a juicy and tender roasted barbecue spare rib. The color of a cooked spare rib should be light brown. The corresponding marinade is a “deep red paste, fennel seeds, smoked papika, dried rhyme, brown sugar (The Guardian 2011). Pork ribs are soaked in apple juice only after one hour and a half of baking and 15 minutes of drying. Then it is brushed with marinade. After the marinade has been brushed all over, the final cooking is done until the ribs are nearly charred and appearing to be with caramel. This would compete with Kenny Rogers roasted Spare Ribs, except that the flavour will be different. Such British Recipe can be found in restaurants and bars where the Pubs are located. Picture of British Barbecue Spare Ribs Picture of British Stead & Kidney Pudding Note that the British Black Pudding looks very similar to the British Steak and Kidney Pudding. The former is very traditional. Traditional British dinner, on the other hand, is made up of vegetables like carrots, Brussels sprouts, or roasted potatoes, onions, cabbage, peas, and meat. Choices of meat can be in terms of pork, beef, and even lamb. There are usually two kinds of vegetables along with the chosen meat. Visit To British Restaurants in the USA to Verify Available Menu At the British Elephant & Castle Pub, the serve classic recipes like the Fish and Chips. There are 20 branches of E & C Pub in different parts of the USA (Boston, Chicago [3], Pennsylvania, Ottawa, Edmonton-Southside, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington DC [3], Winnipeg, Vancouver [2], Toronto [2], and Philadelphia). These Pubs have Roast Beef Stuffed Yorkshire, Fish & chips, a variety of sandwiches which can be with hamburgers, grilled chicken, Salmon Fillet Burgers, Veggie Burger, and even Cheese. The main ingredient which would be meat, fish, or veggie should first be identified. Then the additional fillings are separately ordered. Lunch recipes can be selected from a variety of options: Steak and Chips, Grilled Salmon, Guinness Meat Loaf which is similar to the Black Pudding earlier described except that it is served with green peas, mashed potatoes with garlic, BBQ sauce, and mushrooms. One observation about the advertisements of this Pub is that invitations remind people of beer drinking along with the selected menu. It means most of the food can be taken along with beer as the customers’ drinks. British Restaurants in San Francisco TripAdvisor.com (Trip Advisor 2013) informs the online people that there are over 3,000 restaurants that serve British food in restaurants although the restaurants themselves might not be purely British. In its website, the British Restaurants and their corresponding recipes can be ranked according to their popularity in San Francisco, although not all ranks are shown. For example, The Codmother Fish & Chips ranked # 20 out of 3,633 restaurants. The rankings can also be changed according to which one has the lower price. A well advertised restaurant other than those earlier mentioned would be Lovejoy’s Tea Room which serves Sausage Rolls at $2.00 per A La Carte order or $ 7.95 for those served in the restaurant also with baked beans and spring greens. The picture of Sausage Rolls shows the similarity to the traditional Black Pudding. Picture of Lovely Tea Room’s Sausage Rolls America is now a mixture of people coming from various countries like China, Mexico, England, and so on. The attraction to the restaurant will vary. Chinese people find tea as their favourite drink. And so, when Lovely Tea Room restaurant gets customers like Chinese, tea is the initial attraction, unlike in other restaurants where beer attracts. Once inside, they have choices of British food also adjusted to the taste of most people in the area, while maintaining the basic ingredients. Brief Discussion Demand for British food in USA grew by adjusting the flavour and appearance or presentation of basic ingredients that make up the recipe. What must have been important was to preserve the culture in terms of how food is prepared at the same time that restaurant owners had to satisfy the taste and wishes of customers in the area somewhere in the USA. Further studies would have to be done to confirm that the owners actually perform surveys or trials to determine the preferred taste and presentation or to identify who are the majority of people living in the place or frequenting the location to eat or buy food from restaurants. In business, profits have to be earned. To profit, customers have to be satisfied. First of all, they should be identified. Customers may be US citizens or residents but coming from other countries with different cultures. Who should be served? Who can afford to buy British food? How do they get to be attracted to eat in the restaurants? These are questions that businessmen normally ask. This should then be followed by adjusting the seasoning and presentation of British Appetizers, Breakfast, Snacks, Lunch, Dinner, and Take-Outs in order to meet the demand of the people who buy their food from Pubs and restaurants. Essentially, the culture in British food preparation has been the same for the different recipes with variations in seasoning and presentation to the prospective customers. And the people in America have learned to accept the adjusted British recipes. Otherwise, there would not be thousands of restaurants serving British food in San Francisco alone. Conclusion The past may have been harsh to British food in the USA. There were those who suspected it was due to historical enmities between two countries. Many criticized and joked about the way British food tasted. Time proved that it was just a matter of adapting to the preferred needs of people in the USA. The flavour had to be a bit stronger or simply different. And the appearance had to be attractive. French food also adapted to the need for changes along the same criteria to win customers. Most probably, even the pricing of restaurants have to be competitive aside from attractive. The eating place should serve the purpose of those who usually look for a restaurant while achieving a goal for the day. It is all about satisfying whatever might be the preferences of the market when it comes to eating food outside. Of course, the French and British would remember their own recipes and whichever they enjoyed in the past. And they would tend to patronize their own food. But compared to the bigger population of potential customers around the world, people who travel to the USA, while the French and British can better afford to pay for best restaurants, the business owners have to consider where their profits can be derived utilizing their food preparation expertise. And then recipes have to be adjusted to availability of raw materials, customer preferences, pricing, and functionality of their restaurants. Reference AHA (2012) . Eat More Chicken, Fish, and Beans Than Red Meat. American Heart Association, June 28, 2012. Viewed April 1, 2013 @ http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/WeightManagement/LosingWeight/Eat-More-Chicken-Fish-and-Beans-than-Red-Meat_UCM_320278_Article.jsp Barrow, Mandy(2012). Meals and Meal Item. Project Britain: British Life & Culture. Viewed April 1, 2012 @ http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/questions/food/meals.htm Blanc, Raymong (n.d.) Salade Lyonnaise. The Very Hungry Frenchman, Episode III. Viewed April 1, 2013 @ http://www.raymondblanc.com/Portals/14/docs/TVHF%20Salade%20Lyonnaise.pdf BritishFoodinAmerica.com (2013). Our Modest Manifesto. British Food in America Magazine No. 36, Spring 2013. Hechinger, Paul (2012). Five Myths About British Food. BBC America, March 20, 2012. Viewed April 1, 2013 @ http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2012/03/five-myths-about-british-food/ Michelin Guide Vert-Cote d Azur, 1990. Midson,Lori (2009). 100 Favorite Dishes of 2010: Assiette de Charcuterie Maison from Z Cuisine A Cote. Denver Westword Blogs, November 18, 2009. Viewed April 1, 2013 @ http://blogs.westword.com/cafesociety/2009/11/100_favorite_dishes_charcuteri.php Matsumoto, Mark (2012). Create a Colorful Plate With Salade Lyonnaise. PBS Food Fresh Tastes: A Celebration of Food and Cooking. Viewed April 1, 2013 @ http://www.pbs.org/food/fresh-tastes/salade-lyonnaise/ Prince, Danforth and Porter, Darwin (2010). Frommer’s France 2011. NJ,USA: John Wiley & Sons The Guardian (2011). How To Cook Perfect Barbecue Ribs. Guardian.co.uk. Viewed April 1, 2013 @ http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/jun/30/how-cook-perfect-barbecue-ribs Trip Advisor (2013). San Francisco British Restaurants. TripAdvisor.com. Viewed April 2, 2013 @ http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g60713-c7-San_Francisco_California.html Wise, Lauren (2013). Famous British Foods. USA Today, Travel Tips. Viewed April 2, 2013 @ http://traveltips.usatoday.com/famous-british-foods-1279.html Read More