Foodways: Asian

Only one percent of Wood County’s 123,000 residents are Asian, but with a continual influx of international faculty, students, and industry professionals, we are expanding our acceptance of, and creativity surrounding, Asian flavors. Asian-influenced meals are now more common in cookbooks and on restaurant menus. Groceries also carry a wider variety of Asian foods.

By toning down spicy ingredients and fishy flavors, modified Asian foods have gained popularity in Northwest Ohio. This blending of Asian traditions with American spices and methods, out of popularity or necessity, is called a CULINARY HYBRID. Hybrids can also be traditional American dishes enhanced with Asian or other ethnic influences - by adding soy sauce or bean curd, for example.

FUSION CUISINE, however, is an intentional blend of cultural foodways. Americanized versions of sushi named “Philly” or “Cancun” contain non-Japanese ingredients such as cream cheese, pico de gallo, or avocado.

CHINESE
What we consider CHINESE food, is specifically Cantonese style, brought by mid- 1800s immigrants from Southern China. It is characterized by mild spices, sauce, and rice, resembling German traditions of mellow spices, gravies, and filling starches.
[ more about CHINESE ]
KOREAN
Similar to the Chinese in ingredients and cooking methods, KOREAN
cuisine is distinctive with its heavy use of garlic and hot chili peppers.
[ more about KOREAN ] THAI
THAI food draws from Chinese and Indian food traditions, emphasizing rice and noodle stir-fries along with coconut and peanut-based curries, fresh basil, lime juice, and lemongrass. Unlike most Asian cuisines, Thai food is traditionally eaten with a spoon or by dipping balls of rice into sauces by hand.
[ more about THAI ]
JAPANESE
JAPANESE meals pay close attention to artistic arrangement. Seaweed is a common ingredient, often dried into thin sheets (called “nori”) for sushi. Spices are limited to bring out the natural flavor of the ingredients.
[ more about JAPANESE ]

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	Only one percent of Wood County’s 123,000 residents are Asian, but with a continual influx of international faculty, students, and industry professionals, we are expanding our acceptance of, and creativity surrounding, Asian flavors. Asian-influenced meals are now more common in cookbooks and on restaurant menus. Groceries also carry a wider variety of Asian foods. By toning down spicy ingredients and fishy flavors, modified Asian foods have gained popularity in Northwest Ohio. This blending of Asian traditions with American spices and methods, out of popularity or necessity, is called a CULINARY HYBRID. Hybrids can also be traditional American dishes enhanced with Asian or other ethnic influences - by adding soy sauce or bean curd, for example. FUSION CUISINE, however, is an intentional blend of cultural foodways. Americanized versions of sushi named “Philly” or “Cancun” contain non-Japanese ingredients such as cream cheese, pico de gallo, or avocado.


CHINESE What we consider CHINESE food, is specifically Cantonese style, brought by mid- 1800s immigrants from Southern China. It is characterized by mild spices, sauce, and rice, resembling German traditions of mellow spices, gravies, and filling starches. [ more about CHINESE ]	KOREAN Similar to the Chinese in ingredients and cooking methods, KOREAN cuisine is distinctive with its heavy use of garlic and hot chili peppers. [ more about KOREAN ]	THAI THAI food draws from Chinese and Indian food traditions, emphasizing rice and noodle stir-fries along with coconut and peanut-based curries, fresh basil, lime juice, and lemongrass. Unlike most Asian cuisines, Thai food is traditionally eaten with a spoon or by dipping balls of rice into sauces by hand. [ more about THAI ]	JAPANESE JAPANESE meals pay close attention to artistic arrangement. Seaweed is a common ingredient, often dried into thin sheets (called “nori”) for sushi. Spices are limited to bring out the natural flavor of the ingredients. [ more about JAPANESE ]