The Influences of Immigrant Cultures on American Cuisine Essay Example
The Influence of Immigrant Cultures on American Cuisine Thomas J Smith Sullivan University
Abstract
American Cuisine has benefited from an infusion of cultural influences. Primary among these is the indigenous cuisines of its various immigrant groups. This melding of cuisine and culture has resulted in a diverse and vibrant cuisine, taking from the host culture, transposing it, and incorporating its essence into the whole. This melding, however can lead to the loss of culture, as it pertains to the host culture. As the identities of these groups are incorporated into the adopted culture, the original can get watered down, if not lost completely. The loss of this culture would be tragic. One saving grace to this situation would be that as the host cuisine becomes part of the mainstream experience, the desire for the flavor profiles that define the host cuisine become desired; leading the new aficionados on a quest to experience the authentic cuisine, thus exposing it to a whole new audience, preserving the culture in an enduring fashion.
The Influence of Immigrant Cultures on American Cuisine Food in America is a passion. This country has elevated the art of gastronomy to a pinnacle seldom seen in the annals of human history. While other countries can boast a longer culinary history, and a more narrowly defined cuisine, America’s position in the culinary world is supported by their unapologetic lack of these constraints. American cuisine has been influenced by a great many things. Primary among the influences has been the introduction of immigrant cultures into the “Great American Melting Pot” resulting in an eclectic cuisine unique in the world for its diversity and surprising homogeneity. The “Melting Pot” metaphor is appropriate, as the immigrants of different nationalities retained their cultural characters’ and yet blended together to become a single people. As such, dining in the United States demands a knowledge of all the
Abstract
American Cuisine has benefited from an infusion of cultural influences. Primary among these is the indigenous cuisines of its various immigrant groups. This melding of cuisine and culture has resulted in a diverse and vibrant cuisine, taking from the host culture, transposing it, and incorporating its essence into the whole. This melding, however can lead to the loss of culture, as it pertains to the host culture. As the identities of these groups are incorporated into the adopted culture, the original can get watered down, if not lost completely. The loss of this culture would be tragic. One saving grace to this situation would be that as the host cuisine becomes part of the mainstream experience, the desire for the flavor profiles that define the host cuisine become desired; leading the new aficionados on a quest to experience the authentic cuisine, thus exposing it to a whole new audience, preserving the culture in an enduring fashion.
The Influence of Immigrant Cultures on American Cuisine Food in America is a passion. This country has elevated the art of gastronomy to a pinnacle seldom seen in the annals of human history. While other countries can boast a longer culinary history, and a more narrowly defined cuisine, America’s position in the culinary world is supported by their unapologetic lack of these constraints. American cuisine has been influenced by a great many things. Primary among the influences has been the introduction of immigrant cultures into the “Great American Melting Pot” resulting in an eclectic cuisine unique in the world for its diversity and surprising homogeneity. The “Melting Pot” metaphor is appropriate, as the immigrants of different nationalities retained their cultural characters’ and yet blended together to become a single people. As such, dining in the United States demands a knowledge of all the