Cuisine and Ethnic Diversity

Ethnicity comprises group cultural factors such as nationality, ancestry, language, traditions, and beliefs. Ethnic groups across America use their cultural foods to maintain their identity within the larger culture. “Cuisine” refers to a style of cooking that reflects ethnic or regional influences. Most foods and cooking techniques considered “American” had their origin with the Native American cuisines and those brought by immigrants, beginning with the first European colonists. Multicultural America continues to offer a diversity of ethnic cuisines from around the world.

Different cultures developed within various ecological environments and used foods locally available. Cooking techniques were developed that allowed the local ingredients to be combined into edible forms. As populations moved, they adapted and adjusted their traditional recipes to use indigenous ingredients. And as ethnic groups immigrated, many began to share and incorporate other ethnic foods and cooking techniques into their own diets. For example, pizza first appeared in the United States with Italian immigrants in the 19th century.

Different ethnic groups continued to prepare their foods, but sometimes the original ingredients were not available in their new settings. And, just as the immigrant groups became Americanized, so did ethnic foods prepared with American ingredients. In many circumstances, ethnic neighborhoods survived because of cultural institutions such as churches and food suppliers. With the advent of the Internet and modern food storage and transportation, original ingredients for ethnic foods, previously not available beyond the country of origin, can be found in any part of the world. In neighborhoods with large ethnic populations, even “American” stores carry products to meet the needs of local groups. For example, a grocery chain might stock spices and foods from the Middle East in its New York stores, while its Miami stores carry items for Cuban cuisine. American recipes from their earliest history represent “fusion” cuisine, combining elements of many different culinary traditions.

Religion is also an element of culture and many religious groups have certain dietary laws. Observant Jews (kosher) and Muslims (halal) follow dietary regulations from scripture. Some Buddhists and Hindus are vegetarians, following religious principles of nonviolence toward animals. Other religious groups have certain food requirements for certain holidays or observances, such as Catholics not eating fish on Fridays. For many years, public schools throughout the United States served fish sticks for lunch on that day. As various religious groups entered the United States, they brought their food needs with them, influencing public institutions such as schools, prisons, and hospitals. As with other ethnic groups, they have developed some unique fusion cuisines, such as kosher Chinese, prepared without pork or shellfish, staples in traditional Chinese cooking.