Traditional foods are foods and dishes that are passed on through generations[1] or which have been consumed for many generations.[2] Traditional foods and dishes are traditional in nature, and may have a historic precedent in a national dish, regional cuisine[1] or local cuisine. Traditional foods and beverages may be produced as homemade, by restaurants and small manufacturers, and by large food processing plant facilities.[3]
Although it is common for them to be used as synonyms, the truth is that "traditional" cuisine and "typical" cuisine are considered two different concepts according to culinary anthropology; The first refers to culinary customs that are invariably inherited orally, on a small scale in the family, and a large scale in a community as part of its culture and identity. On the other hand, when we speak of typical (or "popular") cuisine, it is one that most people in a place like and is massively replicated.[5] Therefore, a traditional dish may be typical and vice versa, but neither much less all the typical dishes are traditional nor the traditional ones are typical.
Most traditional dishes are originated from the skill of housewives who creatively and sensibly combined the techniques and ingredients they had on hand to create new recipes. If people like that recipe, it becomes worthy of being imitated. In other words, it is spread and replicated so many times that it becomes a classic recipe. For this reason, the culinary tradition is made up of a vast variety of classic recipes, which are necessarily linked to a land of origin, specific products, and specific local habits. There are classic recipes that can fall into oblivion and disappear forever, but if they are consumed massively, they become part of the typical cuisine of a place. The Mexican culinary anthropologist Maru Toledo adds a third concept to this process, which is that of "typical commercial" cuisine,[6] something that did not exist until the commercialization of cuisine (a process that has occurred very recently, if we observe the complete chronology of food history).
The commercialized cuisine appropriates the characteristics of the traditional (even the same adjective "traditional", on numerous occasions) but the aim is none other than economic profit. For this reason, it does not want to delve into the origin, nor in the context, much less the diversity around the dishes, it sells. Finally, the mainstream population, generally without much culinary knowledge, believe that the food they are buying is their own, thus happening a kind of food acculturation[7] and simplifying the diversity of products, techniques, recipes and other culinary aspects of the tradition.
Fuling jiabing – a traditional snack food of Beijing and an integral part of the city's culture. It is a pancake-like snack made from flour, sugar, and fuling (Poria), rolled around nuts, honey, and other ingredients.
Spring pancake – a traditional Chinese food unique to the northern regions. People eat spring pancakes on the day called lichun to celebrate the beginning of spring.
Zhongzi - sticky rice with savory or sweet ingredients wrapped in bamboo leaves and boiled. Made to commemorate the poet and minister Qu Yuan during the Dragon boat festival.
Fiambre is a traditional Guatemalan dish that is prepared and eaten yearly to celebrate the Day of the Dead (Día de Los Muertos) and the All Saints Day (Día de Todos Los Santos).
Panna cotta – The northern Italian Region of Piedmont includes panna cotta in its 2001 list of traditional food products of the region.[19] Panna cotta is not mentioned in Italian cookbooks before the 1960s,[20][21] yet it is often cited as a traditional dessert in Piedmont.
Traditional beverages in Jordan include sous (also referred to as 'irqsus), a drink prepared using the dried root of Glycyrrhiza glabra (liquorice), tamr hindi, a drink prepared from an infusion of the dried pulp of Tamarindus indica (tamarind), and laban (labneh), a drink prepared with yogurt and water.[3] A significant amount of labneh in Jordan and nearby countries continues to be prepared using the traditional method of "straining set yogurt in cloth bags".[3]
Denominação de Origem Controlada is the system of protected designation of origin for wines, cheeses, butter, and other agricultural products from Portugal.
Boroña – a cornbread that is a traditional food in the regions of Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, the Basque Country and northern Castilla-Leon (areas of León, Palencia and Burgos)
^"... the sizzle of the traditional Sunday roast."[18]
^"Food in the Maldives may be thought of in three categories: the traditional fare, Sri Lanka cuisine, and the newer imported foods. The traditional fare is mostly fish boiled in a broth called Gaudiya, and coconut pieces ..."[22]
^"England's best-known traditional dish is fish and chips ..."[34]
^"... the Sunday roast; the tradition is continued every Sunday lunchtime in pubs and restaurants across England."[35]
^Guerrero, L.; et al. (1 November 2010). "Consumer-driven definition of traditional food products and innovation in traditional foods. A qualitative cross-cultural study". Appetite. 52 (2): 345–354. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2008.11.008. PMID19084040. S2CID17169454.