European cuisine facts for kids

Spanish pinchitos are small snacks.

A French baguette is a long, thin loaf of bread.

Italian pasta comes in many shapes and sizes.

European cuisine includes all the different ways of cooking and eating from countries across Europe. It also covers the foods brought to other parts of the world by European explorers and settlers. Sometimes, when people say "European cuisine," they mean the food from the western parts of mainland Europe.

Grilled steak is a popular dish.

Bratkartoffeln are a type of German fried potatoes.

Even though Western countries have many different foods, they share some common features. For example, meat is often a main part of the meal, and servings can be quite large. Dishes like steak and cutlets are common.

European cooking often uses grape wine and different sauces. These sauces can be used for flavor, seasoning, or as a side. Many dairy products are also used, like the hundreds of types of cheese and other fermented milk foods.

For a long time, white wheat-flour bread was seen as fancy. But in the past, most people ate bread, flatcakes, or porridge made from grains like rye, spelt, barley, and oats. Wealthier people also enjoyed pasta, dumplings, and pastries.

After Europeans explored the Americas, the potato became a very important food in Europe. Maize (corn) is not as common in most European diets as it is in the Americas. However, cornmeal, like polenta or mămăligă, is a big part of the food in Italy and the Balkans.

While flatbreads (like pizza) and rice are eaten in Europe, they are only main foods in a few areas, mostly in Southern Europe. Salads, which are cold dishes with raw or cooked vegetables and sometimes a dressing, are also a key part of European meals.

How European Meals Are Served
History of European Cuisine
Central European Cuisines
Eastern European Cuisines
Northern European Cuisines
Southern European Cuisines
Western European Cuisines
See also

How European Meals Are Served

Formal European dinners are usually served in separate parts, called courses. In the past, all dishes were brought to the table at once. Now, dishes are served one after another.

Usually, cold foods, then hot and savory foods, and finally sweet foods are served in this order. This means you might start with an appetizer or soup, then have the main dish, and finish with dessert. In ancient times, sweet and savory dishes were mixed, but today, sweet foods are only for dessert.

When guests can serve themselves food, it's called a buffet. Buffets are often for parties or holidays. Even at a buffet, people usually follow the same order of courses.

Historically, European cooking was developed in royal and noble courts. Noble people often lived in country homes and carried knives. So, eating steaks and other foods that needed cutting was common. This was different from East Asia, where court officials had food prepared to eat with chopsticks.

Later, the spoon was used for soups, and the fork became common around the 16th century. Today, most European dishes are eaten with cutlery (knives, forks, spoons). Only a few finger foods are eaten with hands in polite company.

History of European Cuisine

Medieval Times: Food for Everyone

In the Middle Ages, what a person ate depended a lot on their social class. Grains were a huge part of everyone's diet. Bread was common for both rich and poor. Working people ate bread for lunch, and thick slices of it were even used as plates, called "trenchers."

Noble people had access to very fine flours for their breads and baked goods. They could also hunt animals like deer, boar, rabbits, and birds, giving them fresh meat and fish. Their dishes often had many spices. Spices were very expensive back then, so using a lot of them showed how wealthy a person was. Common spices included cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, pepper, cumin, cloves, turmeric, anise, and saffron.

Other expensive ingredients for nobles included sugar, almonds, and dried fruits like raisins. These imported items were almost impossible for common people to get. When banquets were held, the food was amazing. Sugar sculptures decorated tables, and foods were dyed bright colors with costly spices to show off wealth.

Commoners' Simple Meals

The food for common people was much simpler. Strict laws prevented them from hunting, and if they were caught, they could be killed. Much of their food was preserved, like by pickling or salting. Their breads were made from rye or barley. Any vegetables they ate were likely grown by themselves.

Peasants could often keep cows, so they had milk to make butter or cheese. When they ate meat, it was usually beef, pork, or lamb. Commoners also ate a dish called pottage, which was a thick stew of vegetables, grains, and sometimes meat.

Early Modern Era: New Foods Arrive

In the Early modern period, European food changed a lot. New ingredients arrived from the Americas because of the Columbian Exchange. These included the potato, tomato, eggplant, chocolate, bell pepper, and different types of squash.

Drinks like distilled spirits, tea, coffee, and chocolate also became very popular during this time. In the 1780s, the idea of the modern restaurant began in Paris. The French Revolution helped restaurants grow quickly and spread across Europe.

Central European Cuisines

Each country in Central Europe has its own special dishes. Austria is famous for Wiener schnitzel, a breaded veal cutlet. The Czech Republic is known for its beers. Germany has world-famous wursts (sausages), and Hungary is known for goulash. Slovakia is famous for gnocchi-like Halusky pasta. Slovenia's food is influenced by German and Italian cooking. Poland is known for its pierogi, which are like a mix of ravioli and empanadas. Liechtenstein and German-speaking Switzerland are famous for Rösti, while French-speaking Switzerland is known for fondue and Raclettes.