European cuisine (also known asContinental cuisine) comprises thecuisines originating from the various countries ofEurope.[1]
The cuisines of European countries are diverse, although some common characteristics distinguish them from those of other regions.[2] Compared totraditional 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 ofcheese and otherfermented milk products. Whitewheat-flour bread has long been the prestigestarch, but historically, most people ate bread, flatcakes, orporridge made fromrye,spelt,barley, andoats.[5][6] Those better off would also makepasta,dumplings andpastries. Thepotato has become a major starch plant in the diet of Europeans and their diaspora since theEuropean colonisation of the Americas.Maize is much less common in most European diets than it is in theAmericas; however, cornmeal (polenta ormămăligă) is a major part of the cuisines ofItaly, theBalkans and theCaucasus. Although flatbreads (especially those with toppings, such aspizza ortarte flambée) and rice are eaten in Europe, they are onlystaple foods in limited areas, particularly in Southern Europe.Salads—cold dishes with uncooked or cooked vegetables, sometimes with adressing—are an integral part of European cuisine.
Formal European dinners are served in distinct courses. European presentation evolved fromservice à la française, or bringing multiple dishes to the table at once, intoservice à la russe, where dishes are presented sequentially. Usually, cold, hot and savoury, and sweet dishes are served strictly separately in this order, ashors d'oeuvre (appetizer) or soup, asentrée andmain course, and asdessert. Dishes that are both sweet and savoury were common earlier in Ancient Roman cuisine, but are today uncommon, with sweet dishes usually being served only as dessert. A service where the guests are free to take food by themselves is termed abuffet, and is usually restricted to parties or holidays.
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 its adoption. This contrasted with East Asian cuisine, where the ruling class consisted of court officials, who had their food prepared in the kitchen, ready to be eaten withchopsticks. The knife was supplanted by thespoon for soups, while thefork was introduced later in theearly modern period, in or around the 16th century. Today, most dishes are intended to be eaten with cutlery and only a fewfinger foods can be eaten with the hands in polite company.
In medieval times, a person's diet varied depending on theirsocial class. However, cereal grains made up a significant part of a medieval person's diet, regardless of social class.Bread was common to both classes; it was eaten forlunch by working men, and thick slices of it were used as plates calledtrenchers.[8] 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.[9] Dishes for people of these classes were often heavily spiced.[10]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 werecinnamon,ginger,nutmeg, pepper,cumin,cloves,turmeric,anise, andsaffron.[11] Other ingredients used in dishes for the nobility and clergy includedsugar,almonds and dried fruits likeraisins.[12] These imported ingredients would have been very expensive and nearly impossible for commoners to obtain. When banquets were held, the dishes served would be 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.[13]
Milan is home to the oldest restaurant in Italy and the second oldest in Europe, theAntica trattoria Bagutto, which has existed since at least 1284.[7] The diet of a commoner would have been much simpler. Strictpoaching 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.[14] Much of the commoners' food would have been preserved in some way, such as throughpickling orsalting.[15] Breads would have been made usingrye orbarley, and any vegetables would likely have been grown by the commoners themselves.[16] 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.[17] When meat was eaten, it would have been beef, pork, or lamb. Commoners also atepottage, a thick stew of vegetables, grains, and meat.[18]
The cuisine ofearly modern Europe during the 16th through 19th centuries consisted of a mix of dishes inherited frommedieval cuisine combined with innovations that persisted in themodern era.
The discovery of theNew World, the establishment of new trade routes withAsia, and increased foreign influences fromsub-Saharan Africa and theMiddle East meant that Europeans became familiarized with many new foodstuffs. Spices that had been prohibitively expensive luxuries, such aspepper, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger,[19] soon became available to the majority of the population, and the introduction of new plants from the New World and India likemaize,potato,sweet potato,chili pepper,cocoa,vanilla,tomato,coffee, andtea transformed European cuisine.
Though there was a great influx of new ideas, an increase in foreign trade, and aScientific Revolution, preservation of foods remained traditional: drying, salting, smoking, or pickling invinegar. Fare was naturally dependent on the season; a cookbook by Domenico Romoli calledPanunto made a virtue of necessity by including a recipe for each day of the year.[20] Both doctors and chefs continued to characterize foodstuffs by their effects on thefour humours: foods and beverages were considered to be heating or cooling, and moistening or drying, to the constitution.
Prosperity increased in Europe during this period, gradually reaching all classes and areas, and considerably changed the patterns of eating.Nationalism was first conceived in the early modern period, but it was not until the 19th century that the notion of a national cuisine emerged. Class differences were more important dividing lines, and it was almost always upper-class food that was described in recipe collections and cookbooks.
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