Immigrants to America brought their foods and cooking methods with them. American cooking varies from most other world cuisines in that, just as America is a ‘melting pot’ of people, so it is with our food. So Americans are lucky to take pleasure in various cuisines which have been carefully integrated into our modern culture. Crawfish are a Louisiana delicacy you won’t find in the French bouillabaisse.

The ever present mussels of the bouillabaisse are not usually included in Cajun Gumbo. These American cooking recipes are a combination of Southern ingredients and culinary influences from France , the Caribbean and Africa . Gumbo is a case in point. The French are chiefly fond of the burger. It’s served in just about each bistro, French style.

American cooking recipes are derived from other cultures with only some exceptions. Really, when you start to think of dishes we consider being every day ‘American’ fare, most are take-offs from other countries dishes. For instance, pizza is consumed on a regular basis in almost every American household. Yankee pot roast is another American cooking recipe that’s now a standard menu item in the American household. The American cooking recipe for pizza is far dissimilar than what you’d eat in Italy while being of Italian origin. The ‘more is better’ principle is applied to the American description. In America , we also have what’s termed ‘regional’ American cooking recipes.

These recipes often reflect a blending of different cuisines, sometimes substituting ingredients which are plentiful in that region. Take Cajun cooking. I’ll willingly admit to enjoying the ample American pizza, but there is a certain delicacy of taste to the simpler Italian version that can’t be denied. In the early 1900s, some guy had the bright idea of putting a beef patty between two pieces of round bread, a cross between a biscuit and bread, which has named a ‘hamburger bun’.

The French burger comes with a fried egg (’sunny side up’) on top of the burger. No tomato, lettuce etcetera garnishes are to be found. While almost certainly most like a French bouillabaisse, there are ingredients like okra, used in some versions, originating from African cuisines.

The comical thing about this American cooking recipe is that it traveled over to European nations that picked it up with eagerness, obviously giving it their own spin. The French burger is always cooked quite rare – so much so that, in order to get a rare cooked burger – by American definitions, you must ask for your burger ‘bien cuit’, which means well done. New England clam chowder is a really American invention, concocted of nearby available ingredients.

Now, how about the American hamburger? The only place in France where you’ll find a real American burger is at a McDonald’s! Yes, this is also a genuine American cooking recipe. Relish, pickles, mustard and mayonnaise and a slice of tomato and a lettuce leaf were what became known as the burger. This innovative kind of sandwich caught on all over America.

Hey, this makes me wonder what a Frenchman would think of a real American burger. The majority of American cooking recipes are Americanized versions of dishes from around the world.