It is generally accepted that such a thing as national American cuisine does not exist. After all, the history of America is far from so long as many other countries of the world. But do not forget that in addition to the colonialists, its indigenous population, Indians, lives in America. And all these people together created a rather distinctive and peculiar national cuisine.
Rainbow of flavors
It is impossible to imagine a greater mixture of traditions and tastes than in American cuisine. Here you can find dishes of Asian, European, African, and many other cuisines that exist on the planet. After all, the formation of national dishes was due to the first settlers who arrived completely from different countries.
It’s hard enough to single out the dishes that Americans love most, because each state has its own. And there are 50 states. And yet, there are dishes of American cuisine, the recipes of which we learn today, which are known in any corner of this vast country.
Thanksgiving Symbol
Thanksgiving is one of the most favorite holidays for Americans. On this day, the whole country thanks the newfound homeland. The culinary symbol is, of course, Turkey. To prepare this fragrant and satisfying dish, you need to take:
- turkey weighing about 5 kg;
- 4-5 Art. l butter, pre-melted butter;
- 1 large orange;
- 1 large onion;
- 1 stalk of celery;
- 1 large carrot;
- bay leaf and thyme.
You also need to prepare a pickle for the bird by mixing:
- 7 liters of water;
- 200 g of salt;
- a glass of brown sugar;
- cut orange and lemon (2 pcs each);
- 6 stems of thyme;
- 4 stems of rosemary.
A fully thawed turkey must be soaked in a container using a pre-prepared marinade. The bird should insist all night. After that, the turkey must be thoroughly dried inside and out with paper towels. Cut carrots, onions, celery and orange into parts convenient for stuffing and stuff inside, adding spices. Lubricate the outside with melted butter without letting go. After that, put the bird in the oven preheated to 160 ° C for at least 4 hours.
Such a rosy and mouth-watering turkey will become the centerpiece of any festive table, and not only in America.
Mexico is near
The territorial proximity of Mexico to the United States explains the huge number of Mexicans living in America. Therefore, spicy Mexican cuisine has become so close to the Americans. Many dishes are even considered national. For example, Chili Con Carne, a meat stew reminiscent of Italian Bolognese sauce. For cooking you will need:
- ground beef - 600 g;
- motley beans - 300 g, canned with sauce;
- large tomatoes - 3 pcs.;
- medium pepper, Bulgarian - 1 pc.;
- onion - 1 pc.;
- garlic - 3-4 teeth;
- chilli;
- sauce of grated tomatoes in their own juice - 2-3 tbsp. l;
- corn - 4 tbsp. l;
- cayenne pepper, coriander, paprika, zira.
Remove the peel from the tomatoes, before dousing them with boiling water. Prepare bell peppers and tomatoes, equally chopped. Fry finely chopped onion and garlic in vegetable oil, add minced meat to them. Spices to taste are added to the minced meat. Next, vegetables and beans interfere with minced meat. It is necessary to pour the amount of water, which will slightly cover the entire mixture. Add tomato paste, hot pepper and simmer over low heat for another 30-35 minutes, sometimes stirring. At the end, corn is added.
You should get quite a sharp, thick stew, which can be served with rice or eat as an independent dish. The main thing is to regularly try everything in the cooking process so as not to make a mistake with pungency.
Seafood soup
Features of American cuisine can be seen with the naked eye. Ease of execution is one of them. Clam Chowder clam soup was no exception.
It is very fast and not difficult to prepare, but it will be necessary to approach the search for ingredients responsibly:
- clams in their own juice - 300 g;
- milk - 0.5 l;
- cream with a high percentage of fat content - 0.25 l;
- flour - ¾ cup;
- potato tubers - 4-5 pcs.;
- celery pod;
- onion head - 1 pc.;
- raw bacon - 150 g;
- melted butter, butter - 150 g;
- water - 0.25 l;
- salt, pepper and other spices to taste.
As mentioned above, the recipe itself is very simple. Cut the bacon and fry in a hot stew for several minutes without adding oil. Add chopped onions and celery to the stewpan and fry until the onions are transparent. Add the diced potatoes there. After 2-3 minutes add water, milk and juice from the clams, stir in spices. Cook for about 15 minutes. At the same time, in another bowl, melt the butter over a fire, add flour to it and fry until a dark shade appears, without ceasing to stir. Pour the cream into the butter and flour and cook for another couple of minutes. Mix with the contents of the stewpan, warm and add the clams.
Proper nutrition
As you know, American cuisine is replete with deep-fried dishes, convenience foods and junk food. But there are options for adherents of good nutrition. Almost all recipes of American cuisine at home can be prepared by any interested person. These include Cole Slow Salad. Essential Ingredients:
- white cabbage - 700-750 g;
- carrots - 1 pc.;
- onion head - 1 pc.;
- mayonnaise and sour cream - 3 tbsp each. l;
- natural yogurt - 1-1.5 tbsp. l;
- vinegar, preferably apple - 1 tbsp. l;
- mustard, not Dijon mustard - 1 tsp;
- sugar - 1 tbsp;
- other spices to taste.
As you can understand from the recipe, the main highlight of the salad will be a dressing that gives an unusual, piquant taste. Chop cabbage thinly, carrots with small strips. Cut the onion in half rings. Mix all other ingredients from the list in a separate bowl, thereby preparing the sauce. Mix vegetables and sauce and leave in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes, only after that the salad is ready to serve.
Village apples
Probably every American family has its own recipe for making apple pie. Here is a classic recipe that does not require large financial and physical costs.
One and a half cups of flour, 3-4 tbsp. l cold milk, 2 tsp. sugar and 1 tsp. mix the salts until a homogeneous consistency, then add half a glass of vegetable oil and knead again, divide into two parts and put one part in a baking dish, leaving the dough at the edges. The edges must be bent outward. Next, cut the apples coarsely and put on top of the dough. For the filling, melt ½ cup butter, add ground cinnamon and nutmeg to taste, then add ½ cup flour to the liquid and pour the apples into the resulting mixture. Cover the pie with the second part of the dough and send to the oven preheated to 180 ° C for about 40-45 minutes.
This cake is a real symbol of home well-being among Americans.
Good morning!
A traditional American breakfast is hard to imagine without lush and ruddy pancakes. This is a variety of pancakes, characterized by its airiness. You can make such an appetizing dish for breakfast yourself. It is necessary to prepare a fairly standard pancake dough, with some exceptions. Pour 3 tbsp into a glass of flour. l sugar, 0.5 tsp salt, soda 1.5 tsp quenched with citric acid. We mix all the dry ingredients with each other and then dissolve them in the egg. We use 3 pcs. After the eggs, in turn, add a glass of milk and 3 tbsp. l olive or linseed oil.
Heat the pan over medium heat. You do not need to add oil, since it is already in the test itself. You can spread pancakes with a spoon, or you can purchase a special form. Turn over when bubbles appear on the outer surface of the pancake.
Serve these charming pancakes with any toppings. Berries, fruits, honey, jam. Absolutely everything suits you, with which you would be pleased to start the morning.
Down with stereotypes
So, we saw that American cuisine, recipes (with photos) from which are given above, is not at all as stereotypical and banal as many people think.
You can learn a lot of interesting things for yourself, plunging into the culinary world of this multinational country. After all, the list of her mouth-watering masterpieces is far from limited to those dishes that you learned today.