Taste matters, but so do presentation, variety and tradition. A photo story in the Kolkata daily Ei Samay sets out seven countries' ways of serving food, where the serving itself becomes an art.
Japan's bento is a meal packed into a box: rice, fish or meat, egg and assorted vegetables, with close attention to colour, shape and arrangement, and easy to carry through a busy day. At a Korean table, the main dish comes with several small side dishes called banchan, such as kimchi, vegetables and fried or cooked dishes in little bowls, bringing salty, spicy, sour and sweet flavours to the same meal.
Turkish meze is a custom of serving many small dishes together, which may include hummus, olives, yoghurt dips, stuffed vine leaves and vegetable dishes, shared with friends and family as a sign of Turkish hospitality. French patisserie is the art of sweets and baked goods, from croissants and macarons to fruit tarts and cakes, where taste and appearance count equally.
An Indian thali brings rice, bread, dal, curries, pickles, chutneys and sometimes a sweet together on one large plate, with different flavours in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Bengal and the south. Ethiopia's injera is a soft, slightly sour flatbread spread on a large platter and topped with lentil, vegetable and meat dishes; pieces of injera are torn off by hand to scoop up the rest.
Spain's tapas are also small plates, such as olives, potato dishes, croquettes and slices of Spanish omelette, closely tied to sharing several dishes while talking with friends.
The story's point is that whether it is a neatly packed box, a table of small bowls or one big shared platter, each way of serving reflects its country's heritage and way of life.
Photo: Blue Lotus / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0); a bento box at Koyasan, Japan
Source: Ei Samay
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