New England Cuisine

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= New England - Cooking and Food =

Overview of New England Cuisine History
The New England cuisine is part of the multi-cultural and complex nature of American cuisine. New England cuisine represents a northeastern region of America, where the staple aliments, preparations for cooking, and culinary habits all come from the historical background and cultural mixing. Due to high fishing in the area and the development of the fishing industry, New England cuisine focuses greatly seafood products. Besides these, there are animal products, but not only meat – dairy products are a result of the seaport imports and an effect of the great farming process. Among the most famous dishes and aliments, there is the lobster, which can be prepared in various ways, cheddar cheese, chicken, syrups, cranberries and maple, clams, hamburger sandwiches, barbeques and fresh salads. Added to all these, the most consumed vegetable is the potato, which is integrated in various salads, with hard boiled eggs, meat like chickens, veggies and greens or on its own.

Cuisines of New England
New England cuisine can be described be a mixture between fresh and natural aliments and rich flavors, given by various meat and intense spices. The range of aliments includes veggies, greens, various fruits, all kinds of meat and seafood, dairy products, pastas, pastries and soups, creams or traditional syrups and sauces for various meals. The vegetarian dishes include the fiddle heat pie is made of pie crust, sautéed and chopped fiddle heads, Cheddar cheese, eggs and mustard, the eggplant rollups, the mushroom sautés and vegetable salads. Poultry is typified by the chicken cordon bleu, chicken breasts archduke, fried chicken wings, grilled lime chicken and duck Bombay, which is flavored with garlic, ginger and almonds. The soft shells clams are mostly served as appetizers or casual meals and sometimes, they are even consumed raw. The salads which are consumed as main courses are cabbage and pork bacon salads, curried chicken salad, lobster salad and white bean and tuna salad.

Some of the most popular cakes include the apple sauce cake, the gingerbread apple upside down, the carrot cake and the butterscotch tarts. Mulket cider is a drink which contains apple cider, cinnamon, brown sugar, nutmeg and ginger and it is served with alcoholic beverages.

Preparation Methods for New England Cooking
The New England cooking requires various preparation methods and techniques, ranging from the simple ones to complicated and complex methods. The fish is eaten smoked and this is a common procedure that it is applied on various meats, cheese and other aliments. Still, most of the seafood is cooked simple, steamed, fried in butter or sometimes raw or marinated in lime juice. Mashing is another common procedure and this is applied in the case of some veggies and fruits, like bananas and breadfruits, which are consumed either as garnishes or as desserts. The preparation of the local syrups, such as the blueberry and the cranberry syrup is very complex and these toppings are served hot on various meals.

Special Equipment for New England Cooking
The basic elements that are needed when cooking in a New England style are the regular cutlery, the wide and the flat plates, various bowls and frying pots – as frying is a common preparation method in this cuisine. The New England cooking equipment is very much like the general American and the European ones, but with some more artistic and exotic elements, borrowed from other culinary cultures, ceramics and pottery. Because there are various sauces and syrups, mashing and macerating equipment are required and as well, a grinder for various herbs and spices, which are added mostly to meat meals.

New England Food Traditions and Festivals
Christmas and Easter are significant holidays – on these occasions, roasted pig, smoked goat or lamb steak are served, together with the traditional beverages, like the mullet cider - this is a drink which contains apple cider, cinnamon, brown sugar, nutmeg and ginger and it is served with alcoholic beverages. On special occasions and celebrations, the variety of cookies, cheesecakes and traditional pastries is very wide, including sweets like apple crisp, apple grilled in paper, apple and maple pie, raisin pie and raspberry pie. The apple crisps basically include wheat flour, brown or white sugar, cinnamon, uncooked oatmeal, butter and cored, peeled and sliced apples. The maple pecan pie is done in a similar way, including melted butter, dark brown sugar, and dark maple syrup, eggs, pecans, and vanilla and pie shell. There is also the famous pumpkin pie, which is prepared out of unbaked pie shells, can pumpkin, cinnamon, brown sugar, flour, eggs, nutmeg, milk (both evaporated milk and can milk).

People in New England Food
Due to the fact that they are trying to conserve the particularity of the New England cuisine, the New England chefs are very fond of their traditions and old culinary habits, which are the most important aspect when cooking, eating and presenting the traditional food. The New England people are very passionate about they culinary culture, cuisine, cooking techniques and specific elements and they give their best when trying to reproduce a specific and traditional dish. Using the local aliments and influences from significant cuisines, the New England chefs combine in an optimum way all their characteristic elements and form a unique, exotic, yet modern cuisine.
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