I was recently discussing this idea with various eGullet members, transferred, of course, from media to cuisine. Lissome suggested the following topic:
Lissome's note treats the subject as I had it in mind: that the stereotypical perceptions of a country, or regions of a country, and its people, carry over into the way we perceive their cuisines. For example, do you think of French food (and by this I am thinking of public, restaurant food as opposed to domestic or homemade food) as formal and elaborate in keeping with the French emphasis on decoration in architecture, applied arts and fashion? Do you experience Italian food as having the naturalness, expansiveness and earthiness of the Italian people? Does you see California cuisine as a reflection of Californians' casual approach to life?
Whereas the French approach their cuisine with a largely unimpeachable sense of right and wrong*; the Italians distinguish their culinary identity with an almost monomanical sensuality; and an exuberant humor seems to thrive at the heart of much advanced Spanish cuisine (and literature - Cervantes - and painting - Miro, Goya and architecture - Gaudi etc.).
Intellect, sensuality and humor: not exclusively of course, but nationally accentuated.
Adria would seem perfectly in line with such (general, granted) observations. Would you agree?
*and far be it from me to argue with them on this count
Jonathan Day reminded me that:
However, he was skeptical about whether these supposed national personality traits would affect more than the ways that people in France, Italy, etc. go about their cooking:
The idea of linking cuisine to national character goes back a long way: think, for example, of the French characterisation of the English as "rosbifs" and the English calling the French "frogs", each based on ideas of the food eaten in the other country.
Instead, Jonathan focused more on the more external, tangible factors that might influence national cuisines:
The French, for example, have a tendency to classify and grade everything, starting with quality classifications attached to fruits and vegetables in the market and going up to Michelin and Gault Millau's restaurant rankings. Has this affected the style and nature of their food, or the ways in which they write and talk about it?
But the association of national stereotypes with cuisine seems less than illuminating to me, mostly because the stereotypes themselves seem less than reliable: German cuisine as heavy and phlegmatic, Italian as sensual and joyous, French as intellectualised, Spanish as humorous. What about American cuisine? All mixed up, reflecting America as cultural "melting pot"? Or, as British comedian Jonathan Ross characterised Americans on a UK television series, "Rich, Fat, Dumb"?
In your view, is it valid to draw comparisons between national character or cultural stereotypes and perceptions of a country's cuisine? Do you agree with Lissome's cultural perspective or, as Jonathan does, would you look for more tangible influences on a nation's cuisine?
One would be the agricultural setting of the country involved. While to some extent this results from choice (e.g. to grow rice or potatoes or wheat) it is unquestionably easier to grow olives in Italy or Greece than in Norway.
Another would be the daily cycle of working, sleeping and eating. Spaniards and many South Americans tend to dine late, and have a tradition of small dishes (tapas) taken in the earlier parts of the evening. The French extended lunch makes more sense under the assumption that it can be followed by a rest, before work begins again at 1600 or even later.
The existence of religious feasts, fasts and proscriptions on certain foods (or requirements to eat them) must make a difference to a national cuisine. Latin countries have a tradition of fasting ("magro" or "maigre") foods, to be eaten at seasons such as Lent and Advent, as well as fattier or more extravagant foods to be eaten either before these fasts begin (Mardi Gras dishes, for example) or once they have ended (roast meats at Easter).