Tips on Food & Dining Etiquettes
Meetings are conducted over power breakfasts, interview at leisurely lunches and business deals celebrated with indulgent dinners. The restaurant is no more a place for just a meal; it’s the venue for introductions, negotiations, strengthening affiliations and celebrations. Choosing the right restaurant for the occasion and the mood is important in both professional and social situations.
While in India, some fine-dining restaurants may accommodate you without a reservation; this is not the case in the west. Always make a reservation, and make sure you are on time. Some restaurant insist on dinner jacket and tie; if you aren’t wearing one then they will often, but not always, loan you the same. Check beforehand. Open-toed shoes and dress shorts are never permitted.
Fine – Dining & Casual
Restaurants can be broadly divided into two categories: fine-dining and casual. Though fine-dining restaurants are a lot more casual, they still maintain very high standards as far as the food, the wines, the service and the tableware is concerned. Meals are usually served course-wise and portion-sizes are based on expectation that diners are going to be ordering a three-to-five course meal. The cutlery will be laid out according to a classical thirteen course meal, though often it may be laid out course-wise as well.
Casual restaurants come in many forms and sizes. Bistros, cafés, coffee shops, steakhouses, pubs, gastropubs, tearooms, trattorias, brasseries, izakayas, coffee houses are some common types of informal eateries.
Coffee Shops or coffee houses primarily serve a variety of hot and cold, alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages, light snacks and heavy meals. The emphasis however is on easy, popular food and those that serve alcohol are more likely to have beers and wines by the glass rather than premium liquors.
Serving a variety of coffees, some teas, a few cold beverages and occasionally snacks or light food, cafés are perfect for informal, friendly meetings. They often include an enclosed or outdoor section extending onto the pavement or sidewalk.
Somewhat similar to the café, but with the emphasis being on teas, tearooms serve a range of teas and tea-time snacks and even a proper High Tea. A step up from the café, bistros are small restaurants serving moderately priced simple meals in an unpretentious setting. A bistro may not offer professional service or printed menus, and it will usually specialize in simple classic dishes. Brasseries are French-style, all-day dinning, café-cum-restaurants which offer single dish meals. While English pubs primarily serve alcohol and small eats, the gastro pub, specializing in quality food, is an Anglicized version of the brasseries and the Izakaya its Japanese counterpart. Trattorias are Italian restaurants serving modest, family-style food offering a limited menu, casual service and low prices.
Food in Fashion
One of the most exciting and path-breaking culinary trends at the moment is Molecular Gastronomy. Described as the application of scientific principles to culinary practices and, equally importantly, to the experience of eating, molecular gastronomy is practiced by no more than a dozen chefs globally. The most famous are Heston Blumenthal at the Fat Duck in Bray, England; Ferran Adria at El Bulli on the Coast Brave in Spain; Homaru Cantu at Moto in Chicago; Wylie Dufresne at WD-50 in Manhattan; and Pierre Gagnaire at 6 Rue Balzac in Paris.
Amongst ethnic cuisines, the good news is that Mexican and Indian cuisine are currying favour as the two most popular emerging cuisines. You can now find good high-end restaurants specializing in these foods globally.
South-east Asian cuisines are being re-discovered in either cuisine-specific or pan-Asian restaurant formats. Vietnamese, Malaysian and Korean foods are leading the charge. Sushi, sashimi and teppanyaki continue to be all-time favorites.
Once dismissed as the domain of fast food outlets, the lowly burger is going through a renaissance in the US. Gourmet burgers made with premium cuts of beef, flavoured with exotic spices and sauces, and topped with expensive super chefs like Bobby Flay and Thomas Keller.
What’s HOT & in Style?
Table side service, where waiters prepare dishes at the table, is coming back in fashion. The most indulgent incarnation is the caviar cart where an array of caviar is wheeled to your table, complete with a bucket of assorted champagnes. Soufflés are also ceremoniously finished at the table, complete with cracking the crust with a silver spoon and pouring in crème anglaise.
Many restaurants now cater to customers with special dietary needs. You can find restaurants that will offer vegan menus, menus based entirely on organic produce, gluten-free foods, low-fat and low-sugar options.
Almost every high-end restaurant will offer private dining rooms for guests who want special treatment when entertaining high profile clients. The restaurant charges a minimum per head cost and offers services like a tailor-made menu including dishes that may not be on the menu, an exclusive waiter, a private music system and often, even a special wine list.
Menus on Offer
Restaurants will essentially offer two kinds of menus. A fixed price, also called prix-fixe menu and menu du jour, is quite rigid: the menu, price, number of courses is fixed and at best you will have an either/or choice. The à la carte where each individual dish has its own price is the most common menu format. Coffee shops usually offer both options in the form of a fixed price, eat-all-you-want buffet and an ala carte menu.
Fine –dinning restaurants often offer a fixed price degustation or tasting menu. This is usually a five or seven-course menu consisting of dishes from the regular menu but in smaller portion sizes. The degustation menu allows diners to sample a large selection of the menu without eating too much.
A more sophisticated and upscale version of the degustation menu is the menu gourmand or chef’s menu. These dishes are not listed on the regular menu, change daily and have been specially created by the chef for guests who are looking for a gastronomic adventure. Highly-priced, the menu is often paired with premium wines and almost always consists of the chef’s signature dishes.
Bistros, brasseries, trattorias and other casual restaurants that have a fixed menu may also offer specials of the day. These are either written up on a black-board or narrated by your waiter and are usually based on seasonal ingredients. They’re great if you’re looking for some local, seasonal flavour.
Points to Ponder on Placing your Order
Having perused the menu and decided what you want to have, it’s time to order. If you are the one ordering, then as a matter of courtesy always order for your guest first and place your order last. Place the order course-wise. First the appetizer, followed by the soup, main course and dessert. If some at the table are skipping certain courses, then inform the waiter accordingly and direct them as to the order you’d like to be served.
Make sure that the waiter repeats your order so that they know who has to get what as well as any specific instructions that you may have given.
If you have any doubt about how a certain dish is made or the ingredients it contains, ask the waiter. If they don’t know, ask them to find out from the kitchen. Those allergic to any ingredient, or who do not eat certain kinds of foods, should inform the waiter before placing the order. This helps the service staff recommend dishes suitable to your dietary requirement and tastes.
Question to ask
Find out what are the specialties of the restaurant. Not every dish on the menu is equally good. Often signature dishes are ‘off the menu’- they are not listed on the menu and are known only to regulars. Try to find out what “special” dishes the restaurant does.
Though most menus give elaborate descriptions of what will appear on the plate, these are not always clear or comprehensible. Find out form the waiter what the accompaniments will be. Table accompaniments also vary by country. In India, pickles and onions will be served complimentary, but an Indian restaurant in New York might charge you for the same.
Dishes with foreign names can be confusing. Ask the waiter to explain what the dish is exactly.
Questions you will be asked
The first question you’ll always be asked is what water you’d like to have. While regular water in the west is safely potable, it is not so in the east, except in Japan.
When ordering red meats, the waiter will ask you how you’d like it done. Meat cooked rare is cooked only on the surface with the inside being pink and raw. The internal juices will flow when you cut the meat. Medium indicates a longer cooking time and most of the meat will be cooked with only the core remaining raw. Well done is when the meat is completely and thoroughly cooked. It’s what Indians are used to but severely frowned upon by gourmets. Beware; some chefs may refuse to serve you a well done steak!
Best Plate
Being Familiar with the order in which food is served in different cuisines is vital. Fortunately, you won’t have to worry about this at a restaurant as it is the duty of the waiter to inform the guest what is being served. Unfortunately, you will have to worry about it at a formal banquet where you might be seated next to a stranger, and everyone is watching everyone else very closely.
In the West
Western formal meals follow a rigid order based on the classical 13-course French menu. Since 13 courses aren’t in vogue anymore, you can expect to work your way through just seven courses.
Light and delicate, hors d`oeuvres or appetizers, served either hot or cold, constitute the first course. On rare occasions, and at very high end restaurants, you might be served an amuse-bouche-a tiny portion, not more than a bite or a spoonful to tease the taste buds.
Soup is usually served after the appetizer but it may also be served as the first course instead. Soups are primarily of two kinds: thick soup (creams, veloutes and purees) or clear soups (consommés).
Next on the agenda is the entrée or main course. This will be small serving of rice, pasta, meat, seafood, vegetable or poultry. In the French classical menu smaller cuts of meats were served as entrées, while the larger cuts would be served later. This system is still followed for more elaborate 10-course dinners where you might find dealing with up to three entrées; in this case lighter foods like rice, vegetables, seafood, and poultry will precede heavy red meats.
In between the entrées, you will be served a flavored ice in a champagne or martini glass. This is not dessert but a sorbet which cleanses and refreshes the palate as well as allowing the server to lay out fresh cutlery for the following courses. After the last savoury dish has been cleared, the finger bowl will be presented. Once it has been cleared, dessert will be served. The last course to be served is the cheese platter; this may be followed by a fresh fruit basket.
La dolce vita
Italian cuisines follow a somewhat similar order but with slight variations. Antipasti, a variety of cold meats, cold meats, and cold vegetables marinated in olive oil and herbs, sliced bread with toppings are served first. Next is the primi piatto which usually consists of pasta or rice, though sometimes substituted by soup. A formal meal at this point would introduce the piattidi mezzo- small; light dishes that refresh the palate as a sorbet would. Secondi, the main course, generally consisting of meat, poultry or seafood, will now be served. Contorni, or vegetable side dishes that will complement the meat or fish course, accompany the secondi. After this course has been cleared away, a palate cleansing serving of salad, or insalata that helps to cut through the fats of the pasta, meat or fish and aid the digestive process is served. Finally, it’s time for dolce or the sweet course. Apart form confections and desserts, fruits are quite popular and cheese too may be served at this point.
Going East
In China cutlery and crockery is limited to a pair of chopsticks, soupspoon and teacups. The first course is an even-numbered selection of cold dishes- eight or ten are traditionally served.
After the cold course comes a soup, such as shark’s fin soup or bird’s nest soup. The guests help themselves to the dishes at a banquet, but the soup is served by the host.
Following the soup, a decorative meat dish will be served and this will be followed by more meat, seafood and poultry dishes. Sweetmeats are rarely served as a separate course, but like soup are served intermittently as refreshers during the meal.
Peking duck with scallion brushes, hoisin sauce and thin pancakes are often served in the middle of the meal. Traditionally, the final course is a whole fish, which is placed on the table with its head pointed towards the guest of honour. The banquet is finished with dessert, usually fresh fruit or fresh fruits cooked together, sweetened and slightly thickened with starch.
In dramatic reversal of everyday habit, banquets consist solely of special dishes. The meat and vegetables that serve as side dishes at regular meals become the focus, and fan, or grain, is relegated to the very end of the meal. Guests should only pick at the fan, indicating their supreme satisfaction. To eat one’s rice at a banquet might hint that the host failed to provide enough food. In traditional Chinese culture, cold beverages are believed to be harmful to digestion of hot food, so items like cold water or soft drinks are traditionally not served at meal-time. Besides soup, if any other beverages are served, it would most likely be hot tea or hot water.
Land of the rising sun
Traditionally Japanese meals are served all together and the difference lays only the number of dishes that accompany the rice and soup that are nearly always served. The simplest Japanese meal, for example, consists of ichijū-is-sai (‘one soup, one side’ or ‘one dish meal’). This means soup, rice and one accompanying side dish or okazu. A standard Japanese meal however, generally consists of several different okazu accompanying a bowl of cooked white Japanese rice (gohan), a bowl of soup and some tsukemono (pickles). The most common meal comprises three okazu and is termed ichijū-sansai (‘one soup, three sides’). Different cooking techniques are applied to each of the three okazu; they may be raw (sashimi), grilled, simmered, steamed, deep-fried, vinegared or dressed.
Traditionally, the rice bowl is placed on the left and the soup bowl on the right. Based on the standard three okazu formula, behind the rice and soup are three flat plates to hold the three okazu; one to far back left, one at far back right, and one in the centre. Pickled vegetables are often served on the side but are not counted as part of the three okazu.
Teppanyaki
A teppanyaki meal is different from traditional Japanese cuisine. A salad with a sweet or sour dressing is served first, followed by the main course of stir-fried beef, chicken, seafood or lamb, accompanied by a side of stir-fried vegetables. Rice is served after the main course after which a soup, usually miso is served. The meal wraps up with fruit and dessert like green-tea, ginger or red-bean ice cream. Several dipping sauces for meat and seafood usually accompany the meal. Typically one will find the clear, sourish ponzu sauce for seafood, a spring onion soy sauce for meats and a sweetish mayonnaise for seafood, along with barbecue and light soy sauce.
Cover on the Table
The golden rule is ‘from the outside in’, i.e., starting with the knife, fork, or spoon that is farthest form your plate, work your way in, using a new utensil or set of them, for each course.
Hors d’oeuvres/ appetizers come first and for that you will have a distinctly smaller fork on the left and knife on the right. Next is the soup for which a soupspoon, distinguishable by its broad, almost circular bowl, will be placed on the right of the plate. For the main course, the cutlery placed will be a large fork and knife, on the left and right of the plate respectively. However for spaghetti it would be a dessert spoon on the left and a large fork on the right, while for other pastas the fork-spoon arrangement is reserved. If fish is being served, a distinctive fish fork (indentations just below the tines) and knife (indentation on the spine of the blade just before the tip) are placed. When using a knife and fork to cut your food, both the American and European styles are appropriate. The American style cuts the food by holding the knife in the right hand, fork in the left, then exchanging the fork from left to right to eat. The European style lets the user keep the fork in the left hand, and simply eat the cut pieces with the same hand. Choose whatever style is the most comfortable and natural for you, and always remember to cut bite-sized pieces!
The fork and spoon placed above the plate are for the dessert course. They will be brought to the sides of the plate before dessert is served. To the left of your plate is a side plate on which is placed a napkin and butter knife. Keep your bread on the side plate.
Along with crockery and cutlery an elaborate barrage of stemware will be placed to the top right of your plate. From left to the right, is a water goblet, a red wine glass, a white wine glass and sherry glass. Behind the water goblet and the red wineglass, a champagne flute may be set. The water goblet and white wine glass bowls are of approximately the same size.
Choosing the Wine
The first and most important rule about ordering wines is: THERE ARE NO RULES. ‘White wines with white meat and red wines with red meat’ is not followed anymore. Winemakers and sommeliers prefer to only offer suggestions on what wines to order, and insist that it’s more important that you enjoy your wine than try and follow abstract rules.
There is however a certain convention followed in the other in which wines are served. Sparkling wines such as champagne, or the Italian Prosecco, are served as an aperitif before meal, white, rosé, and red wines with the meal and fortified wines are served either before or after the meal. Dessert wines or sweet wines are always served with dessert course. Cognac or brandy is served after, or instead of, coffee.
Wines are classified into four categories: still, sparkling, dessert and fortified. Still wines are further divided by colour: white, red and rosé (also called pink or blush). Sparkling wine, popularly called ‘bubbly’ because of its effervescent character may be either white or rosé, never red. Champagne is the name given to the sparkling wine produced in the champagne region of France: all sparkling wines are not champagne, but champagne is always a sparkling wine. Fortified wines, ones to which a spirit, usually brandy has been added and dessert wines which have sugar content may be white, rosé or red.
Wine satiates both the gustatory an olfactory senses, which is why wine glasses are shaped in the form of a bulb. The aromas, called bouquet, become concentrated above the liquid around the mouth enhancing the sensual appeal of the wine and providing an important indicator of the health of the wine. If you top up your glass- you won’t able to smell the bouquet and you’ll miss out on an important element of the wine.
Pairing and matching
There are two approaches to ordering wines with your meal – you can either change the wine with each course or you can select a wine that you like and stick to it through the meal. If you choose the latter, or if you’re in a group of more than four persons, order a bottle. However if you’re not having a three, or more, course meal then ordering by glasses makes more sense and it gives you an opportunity to try out more wines.
Choosing a wine with each course can get a bit tricky, especially when different dishes have been ordered. If you’re at European restaurant this is a little easier, wines complement food from the same country from which they come- French food, French wines; Italian food, Italian wines etc.
Asian foods, whether south Asian, south east Asian or Chinese, go best with white wines like Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Viognier, Chenin Blanc, Zinfandel, German Rieslings, and New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs. Choose reds like Shiraz, Zinfandel, Pinot Noir or any of the rosés. However, if the food is spicy, or has lots of chillies, stick to beer. Steaks and grilled red meats go well with full-bodied reds which are full of flavour. Zinfandel, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon are good choices. Grilled seafood and chicken are better paired with a Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc or Chianti.
Wine Testing
Once you’ve selected your wine the unopened bottle will be presented in a three-step ritual to ensure that you get the wine, you ordered and it is in good condition.
First, the unopened bottle with the wine label facing you is presented, so you can check if it’s the wine and vintage that you ordered.
Next, the bottle will be opened in your presence and the cork presented. Check that the cork is moist and the cork is stamped with the same winery name and vintage as is shown on the label.
A small amount of wine will then be poured into the glass. You now need to look at the colour and appearance, smell and taste the wine. White wines are not exactly white but they should never be amber or golden unless it’s a dessert wine. A bad wine will have tints of reddish brown. The wine should be clear. Red wine may have some sediments floating in it which are normal. Return all cloudy wines!
If the colour and appearance are fine then you need to ‘nose’ the wine. This is a very important step and will tell you more about the wine than the actual tasting. With the resting on the table, put your fingers on the base and rotate the glass gently so the wine swirls around. This releases the wine’s aroma or bouquet. Raise the glass to your nose and inhale deeply. Reject it if it has a mouldy, musty smell of mushrooms or wet paper; smells like vinegar, rotten-eggs or sulphur.
By this point you should be able to tell the condition of the wine, but you should still taste it. Take a small sip and swirl it around your mouth. Don’t swallow. If it tastes flat or vinegary send it back. At this you could also ask the sommelier to smell and taste it. In the unlikely event the sommelier doesn’t agree with you, smell and taste it again and if you are unhappy reject it.
Remember, you are only checking to see if the wine is in good condition. You cannot refuse a wine because you don’t like it.
Take Help
A sommelier or wine butler will help you choose your wine in the event that you’re unable to decide for yourself. He does this by asking a series of questions that helps him to understand your tastes and preferences. First he’ll want to know what you’ve ordered so that he can narrow down the field. Giving examples of wines that you like or flavours that you are inclined towards helps tremendously. Where possible suggest the name of the wine, a region or even varietals. If you’re not sure about the wine he’s suggesting ask about the taste of the wine, whether it’s dry, fruity tannic etc. Most Indians prefer young, fruity whites or young reds with just hint of tannins.
The Spirit
After wine, whisky is considered to be the finest alcohol to consume. Even oenophiles will reluctantly acknowledge that single malts deserve to be treated with the utmost respect. When drinking single malt, never drown it with water or soda or fill the glass with ice. If you can’t drink it neat, then it’s acceptable to use 2-3 ice cubes and just a little water.
While single malts are unquestionably the best whiskies, some Irish and American whiskies are as good as Scotch blends. Bourbon is a type of American whiskey named after Bourbon County, Kentucky and made primarily form corn. It can be legally distilled anywhere in the US. Drink it neat or as you would single malt.
Rums are the next most popular spirits and are of three types, light (or white) rum, amber or golden rum and dark rum. The best rums come from the Caribbean with the ones from Cuba, Barbados and Puerto Rico being especially prized. Fortunately, there is almost no rum etiquette and you’re free to enjoy them any way you like.
The best gin comes from Holland, though England and Belgium too produce high quality gins. Gins are rarely drunk neat but most commonly with a mixer like tonic water or Angostura Bitters. It’s great for cocktails though. It’s still largely considered a ladies drink except when served with martini.
Vodka however should be drunk neat and ideally stored in the freezer compartment of a refrigerator. (Its high alcohol content prevents it from freezing.) Polish and Russian vodkas are globally acknowledged as being the most superior and should be drunk neat from shot glasses. Don’t waste premium vodka on a cocktail.
Everyone loves a good beer, but if you want the beat, stick to Belgian or Czech beers. German beers are pretty good and the English have quite a variety. Guinness, the black stout the Irish are famous for, takes some getting used to, but once you get a taste for it there’s no turning back. Americans sell a large variety of terrible mass-produced beer; however micro-breweries which produce small quantities sufficient to cater to local communities produce some excellent beers.
Etiquettes at Table!
It is proper etiquette to wait for the host or hostess to unfold the napkin and begin eating before guests do likewise. When eating bread, tear off pieces with your fingers- don’t cut it. Also, butter the piece you’ve just torn right before you eat it; don’t butter the whole piece first.
To eat soup, dip the spoon into the soup, and then remove it by going away from your body, not toward it. Sip the soup off the side of the spoon, instead of placing the whole spoon in your mouth.
When you are finished with the course, place your fork at the right end of you plate, using a slight diagonal to signify that you are done. For a soup course or another course that uses a wide bowl, place the spoon on the plate below the bowl. If a shallow bowl is used, place the spoon on the bowl like a fork on a plate.
In Japan, you say itadakimasu (I gratefully receive) before staring to eat and gochisosama (Thank you for the meal) after finishing the meal. According to Japanese chopstick etiquette, it is forbidden to directly pass food from your chopsticks to somebody else’s chopsticks or vice versa. The reason this is a taboo is that the bones of the cremated body are passed in that way form person to person in Japanese Funerals. It is Impolite to waste food, especially rice, so most Japanese eat every grain of rice in their rice bowls. Sushi can be eaten either with chopsticks or with your hands by holding each piece gently with the thumb and first two fingers.
When dipping sushi in soy sauce, only dip the fish or the “top side” into the soy sauce, never the rice side as it tends to come apart and make a mess. However when eating from rice bowl do not pour soy sauce directly on your rice.
Unlike other parts of East Asia, it is considered bad manners to burp after a meal in Japan but not to slurp on your noodles. It is polite to pour tea or sake into the cups of others and to allow them to do the same for you rather than serve yourself.
Right Terms to Remember
Al dente: Italian for ‘to the tooth,’ al dente describes pasta and other foods that are cooked just until they resist slightly when chewed.
Amuse-bouche: Also known as amuse-guele these are tiny bites of food served before a meal to whet the palate and invigorate the appetite. They’re more whimsical than hors d’oeuvres, and smaller than appetizers.
Antipasto: Literally meaning ‘before the meal’, these are cold hors d’oeuvres, served at the beginning of a meal.
Aperitif: Alight alcoholic beverage that is served before the meal which may stimulate the appetite but must not kill it.
Arborio Rice: white rice grown in Northern Italy which has a short, fat grain. The high-starch kernels are traditionally used fro risotto due to their ability to absorb flavour while cooking, yet remain somewhat firm in the centre.
Au Gratin: A French phrase for food with a coating such as breadcrumbs or cheese until brown and crunchy.
Bento box: Thin lacquered wooden box divided into compartments used in Japan for storing separate small dishes that comprise an individual meal (most often Lunch).
Biscotti: Meaning “twice cooked”, it is also the generic term for cookies in Italian.
Bisque: Bisque is a thick, rich, creamy sauce in the form of a puree usually of shellfish. Lobster bisque is the most famous bisque.
Bitter: An aromatic bitter drink made from root and herbal extracts. Bitter can be drunk alone, used in cocktails or drunk as a tonic.
Blini: These are Russian pancakes made with yeast and buckwheat flour that are classically served with sour cream and caviar or smoked salmon.
Capers: The flower buds of a shrub native to eastern Asia. They are used as a condiment either pickled in vinegar or dried and salted.
Café au lait: French for coffee with milk. Also called latté or café leche.
Cappuccino: One-third espresso, one-third steamed milk topped with creamy foam from the steamed milk. The foam’s surface may be dusted with sweetened cocoa powder or cinnamon.
Couscous: A traditional North African dish made from grain-like hard wheat semolina that has been ground, moistened, and rolled in flour and finally steamed. It is often served with a stew.
Crème brûlée: A rich custard dessert covered with a hard caramel glaze. The glaze should be thick enough so it gives a lovely crackle and shatters when gently tapped with a spoon.
Espresso: A dark, strong coffe with a thin layer of creamy, dark beige froth served in atiny espresso cup. An espresso doppio is simply a double espresso.
Filet Mignon: Also known as tenderloin steak it is a cut of meat that is considered the king of steaks because of its tender, melt in the mouth texture: A French term it means small (mignon) bone-less meat (filet).
Flambé: To enhance the flavour of food by pouring spirits over food and then igniting it.
Foie gras: Goose or duck liver from birds fed on diet of corn. It is sold in either a raw, fresh, semi-cooked pasteurized or preserved form.
Fondue: A hot dish made of melted cheese and wine and eaten with bread. Also any dish, consisting of a melted sauce in which pieces of food, such as bread, meat, or fruit, are dipped or cooked.
Fondant: A creamy white substance created by kneading cooked sugar syrup. It is used often as a filling for chocolates, frosting for cakes, or pastries.
Gorgonzola: An Italian cow’s milk cheese or yellow and streaked with blue. It has a distinct smell and can mellow, strong or sharp flavour, depending on its degree of maturity.
Granita: A mixture of water, sugar, and liquid flavourings that is stirred occasionally while being frozen to create a granular texture.
Hashi: The Japanese word for chopsticks. Unlike Chinese chopsticks, which are squared-off and blunt at the end, Japanese chopsticks are rounded and tapered to a point.
Hummus: An Arabic dish made of cooked chickpeas ground to a paste and flavoured with tahini.
Kampai: Japanese for cheers.
Ketjap manis: Similar to dark soy sauce, but sweeter, this extremely rich, dark and syrupy sauce is used in marinades, as a condiment or as an ingredient in Indonesian cooking.
Konbu: Edible seaweed used as a garnish or as a stock base for soup and fish in Japanese cookery.
Laksa: A popular Malaysian spicy noodle soup made with either a coconut curry or a sour fish soup base.
Macarpone Cheese: An Italian cream cheese most often used in desserts. It has a soft and buttery consistency, resembling stiffly whipped cream.
Mezze: The Easter Mediterranean name given to the assortment of hors d’oeuvres consisting of spice snacks.
Mirin: A sweet Japanese rice wine related to sake used only in cooking. It adds a hint of sweetness to most dishes.
Miso: A thick fermented paste made by grinding together cooked soybeans, rice or barley, and salt, used in making soups and sauces.
Mole: A spicy, rich Mexican sauce consisting of nuts, seeds, spices, chocolate, and peppers.
Nasi goreng: An Indonesian and Malaysian version of fried rice, often accompanied by a fried egg, fried chicken, satay, or krupuk (fried crackers / chips made of shrimps or vegetables).
Nori: In Japanese cookery, edible seaweed sold either as a powder in strands or pressed and dried into papery sheets.
Paella: A Spanish dish of saffron flavoured rice combined with a variety of meats and shellfish (such as shrimp, lobster, clams, chicken, pork, ham and spicy sausage), garlic, onions, peas, artichoke hearts and tomatoes.
Pesto: A northern Italian sauce made primarily from pine nuts, basil and garlic, many variations of this sauce exists including nut based pesto, herb based pestos, sun dried tomato pesto, and black olive pesto.
Prosuitto: The Italian word for ham, used in the names of raw hams coming from Italy, in particularly Proscuitto di Parma and Proscuitto di San Daniele.
Ramen: A Japanese dish of noodles, small pieces of meat and vegetables and broth.
Rösti: A Swiss potato cake made from layers of sliced or grated potatoes, fried until ‘crisp and golden’ which is exactly what ‘rösti’ means in Switzerland.
Sake: A Japanese alcoholic beverage produced from rice in much the same way that beer is brewed from wheat and barley, but is termed a rice wine because its alcohol content is similar to strong wines. It is usually served hot.
Sambuca: An Italian liqueur flavoured with aniseed. It’s drunk with a coffee beans floating in the glass, and is usually flamed before serving.
Sashimi: Sliced raw fish or seafood served with wasabi or soy sauce. Only the freshest and highest-quality fish are used which, depending on the fish, are cut into extremely thin or thick slices.
Satay: A South-east Asian spatiality eaten across much of Indonesia (from where it originates). Thailand and Malaysia consisting of small pieces of marinades meat or fish skewered on small wooden sticks and grilled or barbecued. Satay is usually served with spicy peanut sauce.
Shiitake: Also called Chinese black or oriental mushroom, shiitake is a strongly flavoured mushroom and can be as large as9-10 inches.
Smorgasbord: An assortment of hot and cold dishes served in Sweden as hors d’oeuvres, or a full buffet meal.
Soba: A dark brown buckwheat noodle resembling spaghetti used in Northern Japanese cooking.
Sushi: A Japanese specialty of boiled rice flavoured with sweetened rice vinegar that may be shaped into bite-sized, mounded pads, then overlaid with a thin slice of raw fish or other seafood, or rolled up in a sheet of toasted, dried nori topped with a selection od pickled vegetables, carrot, omelette and wasabi, with or without seafood. Contrary to popular belief, sushi does not mean ‘raw fish,’ but actually means ‘with rice’.
Tapas: In Spain, an assortment of hors d’oeuvres or cocktail snacks served as an accompaniment to Sherry.
Tempura: A Japanese method of deep-frying batter coated foods. Raw foods (seafood or fresh vegetables) are cut up, dipped in a batter made of egg yolks, flour, oil and water and then dropped into boiling oil until pale-brown.
Teppanyaki: A Japanese style of grilling meats and poultry on a large metal griddle. Diners can watch the cook beef, chicken, shrimp, and vegetables.
Teriyaki: Usually, a Japanese dish consisting of beef, chicken or fish that has been marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, mirin, sugar, ginger and seasonings before being grilled or fried. However, the term can be used to describe the sauce itself or the cooked dish made with the sauce.
Tortilla: A round, unleavened, thin Mexican bread made of either corn flour or wheat flour. In Spain, the word tortilla refers to thin omelette.
Tahini: An oily paste made from ground sesame seeds.
Wasabi: Also called Japanese horseradish, a pungent green paste usually served with sushi as a condiment.
Meetings are conducted over power breakfasts, interview at leisurely lunches and business deals celebrated with indulgent dinners. The restaurant is no more a place for just a meal; it’s the venue for introductions, negotiations, strengthening affiliations and celebrations. Choosing the right restaurant for the occasion and the mood is important in both professional and social situations.
While in India, some fine-dining restaurants may accommodate you without a reservation; this is not the case in the west. Always make a reservation, and make sure you are on time. Some restaurant insist on dinner jacket and tie; if you aren’t wearing one then they will often, but not always, loan you the same. Check beforehand. Open-toed shoes and dress shorts are never permitted.
Fine – Dining & Casual
Restaurants can be broadly divided into two categories: fine-dining and casual. Though fine-dining restaurants are a lot more casual, they still maintain very high standards as far as the food, the wines, the service and the tableware is concerned. Meals are usually served course-wise and portion-sizes are based on expectation that diners are going to be ordering a three-to-five course meal. The cutlery will be laid out according to a classical thirteen course meal, though often it may be laid out course-wise as well.
Casual restaurants come in many forms and sizes. Bistros, cafés, coffee shops, steakhouses, pubs, gastropubs, tearooms, trattorias, brasseries, izakayas, coffee houses are some common types of informal eateries.
Coffee Shops or coffee houses primarily serve a variety of hot and cold, alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages, light snacks and heavy meals. The emphasis however is on easy, popular food and those that serve alcohol are more likely to have beers and wines by the glass rather than premium liquors.
Serving a variety of coffees, some teas, a few cold beverages and occasionally snacks or light food, cafés are perfect for informal, friendly meetings. They often include an enclosed or outdoor section extending onto the pavement or sidewalk.
Somewhat similar to the café, but with the emphasis being on teas, tearooms serve a range of teas and tea-time snacks and even a proper High Tea. A step up from the café, bistros are small restaurants serving moderately priced simple meals in an unpretentious setting. A bistro may not offer professional service or printed menus, and it will usually specialize in simple classic dishes. Brasseries are French-style, all-day dinning, café-cum-restaurants which offer single dish meals. While English pubs primarily serve alcohol and small eats, the gastro pub, specializing in quality food, is an Anglicized version of the brasseries and the Izakaya its Japanese counterpart. Trattorias are Italian restaurants serving modest, family-style food offering a limited menu, casual service and low prices.
Food in Fashion
One of the most exciting and path-breaking culinary trends at the moment is Molecular Gastronomy. Described as the application of scientific principles to culinary practices and, equally importantly, to the experience of eating, molecular gastronomy is practiced by no more than a dozen chefs globally. The most famous are Heston Blumenthal at the Fat Duck in Bray, England; Ferran Adria at El Bulli on the Coast Brave in Spain; Homaru Cantu at Moto in Chicago; Wylie Dufresne at WD-50 in Manhattan; and Pierre Gagnaire at 6 Rue Balzac in Paris.
Amongst ethnic cuisines, the good news is that Mexican and Indian cuisine are currying favour as the two most popular emerging cuisines. You can now find good high-end restaurants specializing in these foods globally.
South-east Asian cuisines are being re-discovered in either cuisine-specific or pan-Asian restaurant formats. Vietnamese, Malaysian and Korean foods are leading the charge. Sushi, sashimi and teppanyaki continue to be all-time favorites.
Once dismissed as the domain of fast food outlets, the lowly burger is going through a renaissance in the US. Gourmet burgers made with premium cuts of beef, flavoured with exotic spices and sauces, and topped with expensive super chefs like Bobby Flay and Thomas Keller.
What’s HOT & in Style?
Table side service, where waiters prepare dishes at the table, is coming back in fashion. The most indulgent incarnation is the caviar cart where an array of caviar is wheeled to your table, complete with a bucket of assorted champagnes. Soufflés are also ceremoniously finished at the table, complete with cracking the crust with a silver spoon and pouring in crème anglaise.
Many restaurants now cater to customers with special dietary needs. You can find restaurants that will offer vegan menus, menus based entirely on organic produce, gluten-free foods, low-fat and low-sugar options.
Almost every high-end restaurant will offer private dining rooms for guests who want special treatment when entertaining high profile clients. The restaurant charges a minimum per head cost and offers services like a tailor-made menu including dishes that may not be on the menu, an exclusive waiter, a private music system and often, even a special wine list.
Menus on Offer
Restaurants will essentially offer two kinds of menus. A fixed price, also called prix-fixe menu and menu du jour, is quite rigid: the menu, price, number of courses is fixed and at best you will have an either/or choice. The à la carte where each individual dish has its own price is the most common menu format. Coffee shops usually offer both options in the form of a fixed price, eat-all-you-want buffet and an ala carte menu.
Fine –dinning restaurants often offer a fixed price degustation or tasting menu. This is usually a five or seven-course menu consisting of dishes from the regular menu but in smaller portion sizes. The degustation menu allows diners to sample a large selection of the menu without eating too much.
A more sophisticated and upscale version of the degustation menu is the menu gourmand or chef’s menu. These dishes are not listed on the regular menu, change daily and have been specially created by the chef for guests who are looking for a gastronomic adventure. Highly-priced, the menu is often paired with premium wines and almost always consists of the chef’s signature dishes.
Bistros, brasseries, trattorias and other casual restaurants that have a fixed menu may also offer specials of the day. These are either written up on a black-board or narrated by your waiter and are usually based on seasonal ingredients. They’re great if you’re looking for some local, seasonal flavour.
Points to Ponder on Placing your Order
Having perused the menu and decided what you want to have, it’s time to order. If you are the one ordering, then as a matter of courtesy always order for your guest first and place your order last. Place the order course-wise. First the appetizer, followed by the soup, main course and dessert. If some at the table are skipping certain courses, then inform the waiter accordingly and direct them as to the order you’d like to be served.
Make sure that the waiter repeats your order so that they know who has to get what as well as any specific instructions that you may have given.
If you have any doubt about how a certain dish is made or the ingredients it contains, ask the waiter. If they don’t know, ask them to find out from the kitchen. Those allergic to any ingredient, or who do not eat certain kinds of foods, should inform the waiter before placing the order. This helps the service staff recommend dishes suitable to your dietary requirement and tastes.
Question to ask
Find out what are the specialties of the restaurant. Not every dish on the menu is equally good. Often signature dishes are ‘off the menu’- they are not listed on the menu and are known only to regulars. Try to find out what “special” dishes the restaurant does.
Though most menus give elaborate descriptions of what will appear on the plate, these are not always clear or comprehensible. Find out form the waiter what the accompaniments will be. Table accompaniments also vary by country. In India, pickles and onions will be served complimentary, but an Indian restaurant in New York might charge you for the same.
Dishes with foreign names can be confusing. Ask the waiter to explain what the dish is exactly.
Questions you will be asked
The first question you’ll always be asked is what water you’d like to have. While regular water in the west is safely potable, it is not so in the east, except in Japan.
When ordering red meats, the waiter will ask you how you’d like it done. Meat cooked rare is cooked only on the surface with the inside being pink and raw. The internal juices will flow when you cut the meat. Medium indicates a longer cooking time and most of the meat will be cooked with only the core remaining raw. Well done is when the meat is completely and thoroughly cooked. It’s what Indians are used to but severely frowned upon by gourmets. Beware; some chefs may refuse to serve you a well done steak!
Best Plate
Being Familiar with the order in which food is served in different cuisines is vital. Fortunately, you won’t have to worry about this at a restaurant as it is the duty of the waiter to inform the guest what is being served. Unfortunately, you will have to worry about it at a formal banquet where you might be seated next to a stranger, and everyone is watching everyone else very closely.
In the West
Western formal meals follow a rigid order based on the classical 13-course French menu. Since 13 courses aren’t in vogue anymore, you can expect to work your way through just seven courses.
Light and delicate, hors d`oeuvres or appetizers, served either hot or cold, constitute the first course. On rare occasions, and at very high end restaurants, you might be served an amuse-bouche-a tiny portion, not more than a bite or a spoonful to tease the taste buds.
Soup is usually served after the appetizer but it may also be served as the first course instead. Soups are primarily of two kinds: thick soup (creams, veloutes and purees) or clear soups (consommés).
Next on the agenda is the entrée or main course. This will be small serving of rice, pasta, meat, seafood, vegetable or poultry. In the French classical menu smaller cuts of meats were served as entrées, while the larger cuts would be served later. This system is still followed for more elaborate 10-course dinners where you might find dealing with up to three entrées; in this case lighter foods like rice, vegetables, seafood, and poultry will precede heavy red meats.
In between the entrées, you will be served a flavored ice in a champagne or martini glass. This is not dessert but a sorbet which cleanses and refreshes the palate as well as allowing the server to lay out fresh cutlery for the following courses. After the last savoury dish has been cleared, the finger bowl will be presented. Once it has been cleared, dessert will be served. The last course to be served is the cheese platter; this may be followed by a fresh fruit basket.
La dolce vita
Italian cuisines follow a somewhat similar order but with slight variations. Antipasti, a variety of cold meats, cold meats, and cold vegetables marinated in olive oil and herbs, sliced bread with toppings are served first. Next is the primi piatto which usually consists of pasta or rice, though sometimes substituted by soup. A formal meal at this point would introduce the piattidi mezzo- small; light dishes that refresh the palate as a sorbet would. Secondi, the main course, generally consisting of meat, poultry or seafood, will now be served. Contorni, or vegetable side dishes that will complement the meat or fish course, accompany the secondi. After this course has been cleared away, a palate cleansing serving of salad, or insalata that helps to cut through the fats of the pasta, meat or fish and aid the digestive process is served. Finally, it’s time for dolce or the sweet course. Apart form confections and desserts, fruits are quite popular and cheese too may be served at this point.
Going East
In China cutlery and crockery is limited to a pair of chopsticks, soupspoon and teacups. The first course is an even-numbered selection of cold dishes- eight or ten are traditionally served.
After the cold course comes a soup, such as shark’s fin soup or bird’s nest soup. The guests help themselves to the dishes at a banquet, but the soup is served by the host.
Following the soup, a decorative meat dish will be served and this will be followed by more meat, seafood and poultry dishes. Sweetmeats are rarely served as a separate course, but like soup are served intermittently as refreshers during the meal.
Peking duck with scallion brushes, hoisin sauce and thin pancakes are often served in the middle of the meal. Traditionally, the final course is a whole fish, which is placed on the table with its head pointed towards the guest of honour. The banquet is finished with dessert, usually fresh fruit or fresh fruits cooked together, sweetened and slightly thickened with starch.
In dramatic reversal of everyday habit, banquets consist solely of special dishes. The meat and vegetables that serve as side dishes at regular meals become the focus, and fan, or grain, is relegated to the very end of the meal. Guests should only pick at the fan, indicating their supreme satisfaction. To eat one’s rice at a banquet might hint that the host failed to provide enough food. In traditional Chinese culture, cold beverages are believed to be harmful to digestion of hot food, so items like cold water or soft drinks are traditionally not served at meal-time. Besides soup, if any other beverages are served, it would most likely be hot tea or hot water.
Land of the rising sun
Traditionally Japanese meals are served all together and the difference lays only the number of dishes that accompany the rice and soup that are nearly always served. The simplest Japanese meal, for example, consists of ichijū-is-sai (‘one soup, one side’ or ‘one dish meal’). This means soup, rice and one accompanying side dish or okazu. A standard Japanese meal however, generally consists of several different okazu accompanying a bowl of cooked white Japanese rice (gohan), a bowl of soup and some tsukemono (pickles). The most common meal comprises three okazu and is termed ichijū-sansai (‘one soup, three sides’). Different cooking techniques are applied to each of the three okazu; they may be raw (sashimi), grilled, simmered, steamed, deep-fried, vinegared or dressed.
Traditionally, the rice bowl is placed on the left and the soup bowl on the right. Based on the standard three okazu formula, behind the rice and soup are three flat plates to hold the three okazu; one to far back left, one at far back right, and one in the centre. Pickled vegetables are often served on the side but are not counted as part of the three okazu.
Teppanyaki
A teppanyaki meal is different from traditional Japanese cuisine. A salad with a sweet or sour dressing is served first, followed by the main course of stir-fried beef, chicken, seafood or lamb, accompanied by a side of stir-fried vegetables. Rice is served after the main course after which a soup, usually miso is served. The meal wraps up with fruit and dessert like green-tea, ginger or red-bean ice cream. Several dipping sauces for meat and seafood usually accompany the meal. Typically one will find the clear, sourish ponzu sauce for seafood, a spring onion soy sauce for meats and a sweetish mayonnaise for seafood, along with barbecue and light soy sauce.
Cover on the Table
The golden rule is ‘from the outside in’, i.e., starting with the knife, fork, or spoon that is farthest form your plate, work your way in, using a new utensil or set of them, for each course.
Hors d’oeuvres/ appetizers come first and for that you will have a distinctly smaller fork on the left and knife on the right. Next is the soup for which a soupspoon, distinguishable by its broad, almost circular bowl, will be placed on the right of the plate. For the main course, the cutlery placed will be a large fork and knife, on the left and right of the plate respectively. However for spaghetti it would be a dessert spoon on the left and a large fork on the right, while for other pastas the fork-spoon arrangement is reserved. If fish is being served, a distinctive fish fork (indentations just below the tines) and knife (indentation on the spine of the blade just before the tip) are placed. When using a knife and fork to cut your food, both the American and European styles are appropriate. The American style cuts the food by holding the knife in the right hand, fork in the left, then exchanging the fork from left to right to eat. The European style lets the user keep the fork in the left hand, and simply eat the cut pieces with the same hand. Choose whatever style is the most comfortable and natural for you, and always remember to cut bite-sized pieces!
The fork and spoon placed above the plate are for the dessert course. They will be brought to the sides of the plate before dessert is served. To the left of your plate is a side plate on which is placed a napkin and butter knife. Keep your bread on the side plate.
Along with crockery and cutlery an elaborate barrage of stemware will be placed to the top right of your plate. From left to the right, is a water goblet, a red wine glass, a white wine glass and sherry glass. Behind the water goblet and the red wineglass, a champagne flute may be set. The water goblet and white wine glass bowls are of approximately the same size.
Choosing the Wine
The first and most important rule about ordering wines is: THERE ARE NO RULES. ‘White wines with white meat and red wines with red meat’ is not followed anymore. Winemakers and sommeliers prefer to only offer suggestions on what wines to order, and insist that it’s more important that you enjoy your wine than try and follow abstract rules.
There is however a certain convention followed in the other in which wines are served. Sparkling wines such as champagne, or the Italian Prosecco, are served as an aperitif before meal, white, rosé, and red wines with the meal and fortified wines are served either before or after the meal. Dessert wines or sweet wines are always served with dessert course. Cognac or brandy is served after, or instead of, coffee.
Wines are classified into four categories: still, sparkling, dessert and fortified. Still wines are further divided by colour: white, red and rosé (also called pink or blush). Sparkling wine, popularly called ‘bubbly’ because of its effervescent character may be either white or rosé, never red. Champagne is the name given to the sparkling wine produced in the champagne region of France: all sparkling wines are not champagne, but champagne is always a sparkling wine. Fortified wines, ones to which a spirit, usually brandy has been added and dessert wines which have sugar content may be white, rosé or red.
Wine satiates both the gustatory an olfactory senses, which is why wine glasses are shaped in the form of a bulb. The aromas, called bouquet, become concentrated above the liquid around the mouth enhancing the sensual appeal of the wine and providing an important indicator of the health of the wine. If you top up your glass- you won’t able to smell the bouquet and you’ll miss out on an important element of the wine.
Pairing and matching
There are two approaches to ordering wines with your meal – you can either change the wine with each course or you can select a wine that you like and stick to it through the meal. If you choose the latter, or if you’re in a group of more than four persons, order a bottle. However if you’re not having a three, or more, course meal then ordering by glasses makes more sense and it gives you an opportunity to try out more wines.
Choosing a wine with each course can get a bit tricky, especially when different dishes have been ordered. If you’re at European restaurant this is a little easier, wines complement food from the same country from which they come- French food, French wines; Italian food, Italian wines etc.
Asian foods, whether south Asian, south east Asian or Chinese, go best with white wines like Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Viognier, Chenin Blanc, Zinfandel, German Rieslings, and New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs. Choose reds like Shiraz, Zinfandel, Pinot Noir or any of the rosés. However, if the food is spicy, or has lots of chillies, stick to beer. Steaks and grilled red meats go well with full-bodied reds which are full of flavour. Zinfandel, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon are good choices. Grilled seafood and chicken are better paired with a Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc or Chianti.
Wine Testing
Once you’ve selected your wine the unopened bottle will be presented in a three-step ritual to ensure that you get the wine, you ordered and it is in good condition.
First, the unopened bottle with the wine label facing you is presented, so you can check if it’s the wine and vintage that you ordered.
Next, the bottle will be opened in your presence and the cork presented. Check that the cork is moist and the cork is stamped with the same winery name and vintage as is shown on the label.
A small amount of wine will then be poured into the glass. You now need to look at the colour and appearance, smell and taste the wine. White wines are not exactly white but they should never be amber or golden unless it’s a dessert wine. A bad wine will have tints of reddish brown. The wine should be clear. Red wine may have some sediments floating in it which are normal. Return all cloudy wines!
If the colour and appearance are fine then you need to ‘nose’ the wine. This is a very important step and will tell you more about the wine than the actual tasting. With the resting on the table, put your fingers on the base and rotate the glass gently so the wine swirls around. This releases the wine’s aroma or bouquet. Raise the glass to your nose and inhale deeply. Reject it if it has a mouldy, musty smell of mushrooms or wet paper; smells like vinegar, rotten-eggs or sulphur.
By this point you should be able to tell the condition of the wine, but you should still taste it. Take a small sip and swirl it around your mouth. Don’t swallow. If it tastes flat or vinegary send it back. At this you could also ask the sommelier to smell and taste it. In the unlikely event the sommelier doesn’t agree with you, smell and taste it again and if you are unhappy reject it.
Remember, you are only checking to see if the wine is in good condition. You cannot refuse a wine because you don’t like it.
Take Help
A sommelier or wine butler will help you choose your wine in the event that you’re unable to decide for yourself. He does this by asking a series of questions that helps him to understand your tastes and preferences. First he’ll want to know what you’ve ordered so that he can narrow down the field. Giving examples of wines that you like or flavours that you are inclined towards helps tremendously. Where possible suggest the name of the wine, a region or even varietals. If you’re not sure about the wine he’s suggesting ask about the taste of the wine, whether it’s dry, fruity tannic etc. Most Indians prefer young, fruity whites or young reds with just hint of tannins.
The Spirit
After wine, whisky is considered to be the finest alcohol to consume. Even oenophiles will reluctantly acknowledge that single malts deserve to be treated with the utmost respect. When drinking single malt, never drown it with water or soda or fill the glass with ice. If you can’t drink it neat, then it’s acceptable to use 2-3 ice cubes and just a little water.
While single malts are unquestionably the best whiskies, some Irish and American whiskies are as good as Scotch blends. Bourbon is a type of American whiskey named after Bourbon County, Kentucky and made primarily form corn. It can be legally distilled anywhere in the US. Drink it neat or as you would single malt.
Rums are the next most popular spirits and are of three types, light (or white) rum, amber or golden rum and dark rum. The best rums come from the Caribbean with the ones from Cuba, Barbados and Puerto Rico being especially prized. Fortunately, there is almost no rum etiquette and you’re free to enjoy them any way you like.
The best gin comes from Holland, though England and Belgium too produce high quality gins. Gins are rarely drunk neat but most commonly with a mixer like tonic water or Angostura Bitters. It’s great for cocktails though. It’s still largely considered a ladies drink except when served with martini.
Vodka however should be drunk neat and ideally stored in the freezer compartment of a refrigerator. (Its high alcohol content prevents it from freezing.) Polish and Russian vodkas are globally acknowledged as being the most superior and should be drunk neat from shot glasses. Don’t waste premium vodka on a cocktail.
Everyone loves a good beer, but if you want the beat, stick to Belgian or Czech beers. German beers are pretty good and the English have quite a variety. Guinness, the black stout the Irish are famous for, takes some getting used to, but once you get a taste for it there’s no turning back. Americans sell a large variety of terrible mass-produced beer; however micro-breweries which produce small quantities sufficient to cater to local communities produce some excellent beers.
Etiquettes at Table!
It is proper etiquette to wait for the host or hostess to unfold the napkin and begin eating before guests do likewise. When eating bread, tear off pieces with your fingers- don’t cut it. Also, butter the piece you’ve just torn right before you eat it; don’t butter the whole piece first.
To eat soup, dip the spoon into the soup, and then remove it by going away from your body, not toward it. Sip the soup off the side of the spoon, instead of placing the whole spoon in your mouth.
When you are finished with the course, place your fork at the right end of you plate, using a slight diagonal to signify that you are done. For a soup course or another course that uses a wide bowl, place the spoon on the plate below the bowl. If a shallow bowl is used, place the spoon on the bowl like a fork on a plate.
In Japan, you say itadakimasu (I gratefully receive) before staring to eat and gochisosama (Thank you for the meal) after finishing the meal. According to Japanese chopstick etiquette, it is forbidden to directly pass food from your chopsticks to somebody else’s chopsticks or vice versa. The reason this is a taboo is that the bones of the cremated body are passed in that way form person to person in Japanese Funerals. It is Impolite to waste food, especially rice, so most Japanese eat every grain of rice in their rice bowls. Sushi can be eaten either with chopsticks or with your hands by holding each piece gently with the thumb and first two fingers.
When dipping sushi in soy sauce, only dip the fish or the “top side” into the soy sauce, never the rice side as it tends to come apart and make a mess. However when eating from rice bowl do not pour soy sauce directly on your rice.
Unlike other parts of East Asia, it is considered bad manners to burp after a meal in Japan but not to slurp on your noodles. It is polite to pour tea or sake into the cups of others and to allow them to do the same for you rather than serve yourself.
Right Terms to Remember
Al dente: Italian for ‘to the tooth,’ al dente describes pasta and other foods that are cooked just until they resist slightly when chewed.
Amuse-bouche: Also known as amuse-guele these are tiny bites of food served before a meal to whet the palate and invigorate the appetite. They’re more whimsical than hors d’oeuvres, and smaller than appetizers.
Antipasto: Literally meaning ‘before the meal’, these are cold hors d’oeuvres, served at the beginning of a meal.
Aperitif: Alight alcoholic beverage that is served before the meal which may stimulate the appetite but must not kill it.
Arborio Rice: white rice grown in Northern Italy which has a short, fat grain. The high-starch kernels are traditionally used fro risotto due to their ability to absorb flavour while cooking, yet remain somewhat firm in the centre.
Au Gratin: A French phrase for food with a coating such as breadcrumbs or cheese until brown and crunchy.
Bento box: Thin lacquered wooden box divided into compartments used in Japan for storing separate small dishes that comprise an individual meal (most often Lunch).
Biscotti: Meaning “twice cooked”, it is also the generic term for cookies in Italian.
Bisque: Bisque is a thick, rich, creamy sauce in the form of a puree usually of shellfish. Lobster bisque is the most famous bisque.
Bitter: An aromatic bitter drink made from root and herbal extracts. Bitter can be drunk alone, used in cocktails or drunk as a tonic.
Blini: These are Russian pancakes made with yeast and buckwheat flour that are classically served with sour cream and caviar or smoked salmon.
Capers: The flower buds of a shrub native to eastern Asia. They are used as a condiment either pickled in vinegar or dried and salted.
Café au lait: French for coffee with milk. Also called latté or café leche.
Cappuccino: One-third espresso, one-third steamed milk topped with creamy foam from the steamed milk. The foam’s surface may be dusted with sweetened cocoa powder or cinnamon.
Couscous: A traditional North African dish made from grain-like hard wheat semolina that has been ground, moistened, and rolled in flour and finally steamed. It is often served with a stew.
Crème brûlée: A rich custard dessert covered with a hard caramel glaze. The glaze should be thick enough so it gives a lovely crackle and shatters when gently tapped with a spoon.
Espresso: A dark, strong coffe with a thin layer of creamy, dark beige froth served in atiny espresso cup. An espresso doppio is simply a double espresso.
Filet Mignon: Also known as tenderloin steak it is a cut of meat that is considered the king of steaks because of its tender, melt in the mouth texture: A French term it means small (mignon) bone-less meat (filet).
Flambé: To enhance the flavour of food by pouring spirits over food and then igniting it.
Foie gras: Goose or duck liver from birds fed on diet of corn. It is sold in either a raw, fresh, semi-cooked pasteurized or preserved form.
Fondue: A hot dish made of melted cheese and wine and eaten with bread. Also any dish, consisting of a melted sauce in which pieces of food, such as bread, meat, or fruit, are dipped or cooked.
Fondant: A creamy white substance created by kneading cooked sugar syrup. It is used often as a filling for chocolates, frosting for cakes, or pastries.
Gorgonzola: An Italian cow’s milk cheese or yellow and streaked with blue. It has a distinct smell and can mellow, strong or sharp flavour, depending on its degree of maturity.
Granita: A mixture of water, sugar, and liquid flavourings that is stirred occasionally while being frozen to create a granular texture.
Hashi: The Japanese word for chopsticks. Unlike Chinese chopsticks, which are squared-off and blunt at the end, Japanese chopsticks are rounded and tapered to a point.
Hummus: An Arabic dish made of cooked chickpeas ground to a paste and flavoured with tahini.
Kampai: Japanese for cheers.
Ketjap manis: Similar to dark soy sauce, but sweeter, this extremely rich, dark and syrupy sauce is used in marinades, as a condiment or as an ingredient in Indonesian cooking.
Konbu: Edible seaweed used as a garnish or as a stock base for soup and fish in Japanese cookery.
Laksa: A popular Malaysian spicy noodle soup made with either a coconut curry or a sour fish soup base.
Macarpone Cheese: An Italian cream cheese most often used in desserts. It has a soft and buttery consistency, resembling stiffly whipped cream.
Mezze: The Easter Mediterranean name given to the assortment of hors d’oeuvres consisting of spice snacks.
Mirin: A sweet Japanese rice wine related to sake used only in cooking. It adds a hint of sweetness to most dishes.
Miso: A thick fermented paste made by grinding together cooked soybeans, rice or barley, and salt, used in making soups and sauces.
Mole: A spicy, rich Mexican sauce consisting of nuts, seeds, spices, chocolate, and peppers.
Nasi goreng: An Indonesian and Malaysian version of fried rice, often accompanied by a fried egg, fried chicken, satay, or krupuk (fried crackers / chips made of shrimps or vegetables).
Nori: In Japanese cookery, edible seaweed sold either as a powder in strands or pressed and dried into papery sheets.
Paella: A Spanish dish of saffron flavoured rice combined with a variety of meats and shellfish (such as shrimp, lobster, clams, chicken, pork, ham and spicy sausage), garlic, onions, peas, artichoke hearts and tomatoes.
Pesto: A northern Italian sauce made primarily from pine nuts, basil and garlic, many variations of this sauce exists including nut based pesto, herb based pestos, sun dried tomato pesto, and black olive pesto.
Prosuitto: The Italian word for ham, used in the names of raw hams coming from Italy, in particularly Proscuitto di Parma and Proscuitto di San Daniele.
Ramen: A Japanese dish of noodles, small pieces of meat and vegetables and broth.
Rösti: A Swiss potato cake made from layers of sliced or grated potatoes, fried until ‘crisp and golden’ which is exactly what ‘rösti’ means in Switzerland.
Sake: A Japanese alcoholic beverage produced from rice in much the same way that beer is brewed from wheat and barley, but is termed a rice wine because its alcohol content is similar to strong wines. It is usually served hot.
Sambuca: An Italian liqueur flavoured with aniseed. It’s drunk with a coffee beans floating in the glass, and is usually flamed before serving.
Sashimi: Sliced raw fish or seafood served with wasabi or soy sauce. Only the freshest and highest-quality fish are used which, depending on the fish, are cut into extremely thin or thick slices.
Satay: A South-east Asian spatiality eaten across much of Indonesia (from where it originates). Thailand and Malaysia consisting of small pieces of marinades meat or fish skewered on small wooden sticks and grilled or barbecued. Satay is usually served with spicy peanut sauce.
Shiitake: Also called Chinese black or oriental mushroom, shiitake is a strongly flavoured mushroom and can be as large as9-10 inches.
Smorgasbord: An assortment of hot and cold dishes served in Sweden as hors d’oeuvres, or a full buffet meal.
Soba: A dark brown buckwheat noodle resembling spaghetti used in Northern Japanese cooking.
Sushi: A Japanese specialty of boiled rice flavoured with sweetened rice vinegar that may be shaped into bite-sized, mounded pads, then overlaid with a thin slice of raw fish or other seafood, or rolled up in a sheet of toasted, dried nori topped with a selection od pickled vegetables, carrot, omelette and wasabi, with or without seafood. Contrary to popular belief, sushi does not mean ‘raw fish,’ but actually means ‘with rice’.
Tapas: In Spain, an assortment of hors d’oeuvres or cocktail snacks served as an accompaniment to Sherry.
Tempura: A Japanese method of deep-frying batter coated foods. Raw foods (seafood or fresh vegetables) are cut up, dipped in a batter made of egg yolks, flour, oil and water and then dropped into boiling oil until pale-brown.
Teppanyaki: A Japanese style of grilling meats and poultry on a large metal griddle. Diners can watch the cook beef, chicken, shrimp, and vegetables.
Teriyaki: Usually, a Japanese dish consisting of beef, chicken or fish that has been marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, mirin, sugar, ginger and seasonings before being grilled or fried. However, the term can be used to describe the sauce itself or the cooked dish made with the sauce.
Tortilla: A round, unleavened, thin Mexican bread made of either corn flour or wheat flour. In Spain, the word tortilla refers to thin omelette.
Tahini: An oily paste made from ground sesame seeds.
Wasabi: Also called Japanese horseradish, a pungent green paste usually served with sushi as a condiment.
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