2. Asia is the largest, most populated continent on Earth and contains within its over 17
million square miles (44.5 million square kilometers) 49 countries that together are home
to about 60% of the world's population. From the northernmost reaches of Russia’s
Siberia to the thousands of tropical islands making up Indonesia, the vast Arabian
Desert spanning much of Saudi Arabia to the heavily forested, mountainous archipelago
of Japan—Asia is incredibly rich and diverse when it comes to geography, climate,
economy, politics, people groups, and, of course, cuisines.
3. Asian food incorporates a few significant provincial cooking
styles: Central Asia, East Asia, North Asia, South Asia,
Southeast Asia, and West Asia.
Food is a trademark way of cooking practices and customs,
usually associated with a specific culture. Asia, being the
largest and most populous continent, is home to many
cultures, many of which have their own characteristic cuisine.
4. Asian cuisine is also famous for its spices, Asian people
traditionally use different kind of spices in their regular meals.
Ingredients common to many cultures in the East and
Southeast regions of the continent include rice, ginger,
garlic, sesame seeds, chilies, dried onions, soy, and tofu.
Stir-frying, steaming, and deep frying are common cooking
methods.
5. While rice is common in most Asian cuisines, different varieties
are popular in various regions. Glutinous rice is ingrained in the
culture, religious tradition, and national identity of Laos. Basmati
rice is popular in the Indian subcontinent, jasmine rice is often
found across Southeast Asia, while long-grain rice is popular in
China and short-grain in Japan and Korea.
6. Curry is a common dish in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East
Asia. Curry dishes have their origins in the Indian subcontinent,
with present-day Armenia mainly using a meat base, while those
in India and Southeast Asia generally use vegetarian foundation.
7. A heavily influential aspect of Asian culture is the food, especially the various traditional
ways of Asian cuisine and cooking. Although many Asian cultures often share the
traditions of bringing the family or group together to socialize or have celebrations over a
meal, the various cultures of Asia each developed their own individual ethnic cultural
takes on food through the interaction of history, culture, and environment.
8. North Asian cuisine is often synonymous with Russian cuisine, due to all of Northern Asia
being a part of the Russian Federation. However, some cultures or areas of Siberia have
in-depth cuisines, such as the Yakuts (or Sakha) and Yamal cuisine. Buryats also have
their own cuisine, although it is very similar to that of the related Mongolians.
Altai cuisine
Buryat cuisine
Chukchi cuisine
Sakha cuisine
Tuvan cuisine
Yamal cuisine
North Asian cuisine
The Asian part of the Russian
Federation
9. Pelmeni, originally a Permic or Ugric dish, has entered
into mainstream Russian cuisine as a well-known dish.
Some speculate them to be a simplified version of the
Chinese wonton. In Siberia, pelmeni is frozen outdoors
to preserve the meat inside throughout the long winter. In
Yamal, other types of drying and preservation are
common.
Key ingredients in most northern Siberian cuisine include
fish and cowberries, sometimes known as lingonberries in
Europe and North America. Yakuts, like many other Turkic-
speaking peoples, traditionally enjoy kumis as a common
drink.
10. Most Central Asian nations have similar cuisines to each other as well as their neighbors,
taking many features of the neighboring cuisines of Western and Eastern Asia, particularly
Iran, and Mongolia. A dish known as "plov", or "osh", for example, is a widespread
variation of pilaf. However, many of the same countries use horse meat and mutton as the
most common meats, similar to beef. This is owing to Mongolian cuisine. In Kazakhstan and
Kyrgyzstan, the cuisine has evolved to meet the needs of a nomad lifestyle.
Kazakh cuisine
Kyrgyz cuisine
Tajik cuisine
Turkmen cuisine
Uzbek cuisine
Central Asian cuisine
11. Kumis is a widespread drink among Turkic peoples, especially in Central Asia.
Central Asia is also noted for being the birthplace of yogurt. Like kumis, it is widespread
among Turkic peoples.
12. West Asian cuisine is the cuisine of the various
countries and peoples of West Asia. The cuisine
of the region is diverse while having a degree of
homogeneity. Some commonly used
ingredients include olives and olive oil, pitas,
honey, sesame seeds, dates, sumac, chickpeas,
mint, and parsley. Some popular dishes include
kibbeh and shawarma.
13. Arab cuisine
Armenian cuisine
Assyrian cuisine
Azerbaijani cuisine
Bahraini cuisine
Cypriot cuisine
Egyptian cuisine
Emirati cuisine
Georgian cuisine
Jewish cuisine
West Asian Cuisine
Kuwaiti cuisine
Lebanese cuisine
Iranian cuisine
Iraqi cuisine
Israeli cuisine
Qatari cuisine
Omani cuisine
Saudi Arabian cuisine
Syrian cuisine
Turkish cuisine
Yemeni cuisine
West Asian Cuisine
14. Cereals constitute the basis of the West Asian diet, both historically and today. Wheat and rice
are the major and preferred sources of staple foods. Barley is also widely used in the region and
maize has become common in some areas as well. Bread is a universal staple, eaten in one form
or another by all classes and groups practically at every meal.
Butter and clarified butter (also known as Semna) are, traditionally, the preferred medium of
cooking.
15. Lamb and mutton have always been the favored meats of West Asia. Prominent among the meat
preparations are grilled meats, or kebabs. Meat and vegetable stews, served with rice, bulgur, or
bread, are another form of meat preparation in the region.
Vegetables and pulses are the predominant
staples of the great majority of the people in West
Asia. They are boiled, stewed, grilled, stuffed, and
cooked with meat and rice. Among the green leafy
vegetables, many varieties of cabbage, spinach,
and chard are widely used. Root and bulb
vegetables, such as onions and garlic, as well as
carrots, turnips, and beets are equally common.
16. Considering this is the most populated region of the world, it has many regional cuisines
(especially in China). Examples of staple foods include rice, noodles, mung beans,
soybeans, seafood (Japan has the highest per capita consumption of seafood), mutton
(Mongolia), bok choy (Chinese cabbage), and tea.
Chinese cuisine
Taiwanese cuisine
Japanese cuisine
North Korean cuisine
South Korean cuisine
Mongolian cuisine
East Asian cuisine
17. South Asian cuisine includes cuisines from the Indian subcontinent. Food items in this
region are generally rich in spices, however, it also caters to a blend of multi-cuisine
cultures from all across the world. Food is flavored with various types of chili, black pepper,
cloves, condiments, and other herbs and spices. The use of flavored butter and ghee is
prominent in many places. Turmeric, coriander, and cumin are often used to make curries.
Indian cuisine
Pakistani cuisine
Bangladeshi cuisine
Nepali cuisine
Afghan cuisine
Bhutanese cuisine
Sri Lankan cuisine
Maldivian cuisine
South Asian cuisine
18. The use of mustard, groundnut, sunflower, and soybean oil for cooking. Usage of refined oil
to make pooris is quite famous. Poori Bhaji, Idli, Dosa, Dal Baati, and Litti Chokha are
among the most popular and representative dishes of Indian cuisine.
Vegetables are generally eaten with a type of bread called Chapati which is the staple food
of the region. Rice is generally taken with dal to moisten it in the northern parts and with
curd as you move towards the southern region.
19. Tea and coffee are prominent all
across with the former available at
every street corner. Egg dishes are
also available in a similar fashion.
Common meats include lamb, goat,
fish, and chicken. Fish is commonly
used in South India, Sri Lanka, and the
Bengal region i.e. (Bangladesh and
West Bengal state of India). The
Northern region's diet mostly includes
wheat and other major crops.
20. Southeast Asian cuisine includes a strong emphasis on
lightly prepared dishes with a strong aromatic
component that features such flavors as citrus and
herbs such as lime, coriander/cilantro, and basil.
Ingredients in the region contrast with the ones in the
East Asian cuisines, substituting fish sauces for sauce
and the inclusion of ingredients such as galangal,
tamarind, and lemongrass. Cooking methods include a
balance of stir-frying, boiling and steaming.
21. Broadly speaking, common ingredients include rice,
vinegar, fish sauce, shrimp paste, chili, and fresh
herbs. The most popular proteins include pork,
chicken, beef, fish, and shrimp.
Bruneian cuisine
Burmese cuisine
Cambodian cuisine
Christmas Island cuisine
East Timorese cuisine
Filipino cuisine
Indonesian cuisine
Lao cuisine
Malaysian cuisine
Singaporean cuisine
Thai cuisine
Vietnamese cuisine
Southeast Asian cuisine
