Traditional food

Traditional foodsare foods anddishesthat are passed on throughgenerationsor which have been consumed for many generations.Traditional foods and dishes aretraditionalin nature, and may have a historic precedent in anational dish,regional cuisineor localcuisine. Traditional foods and beverages may be produced as homemade, by restaurants and small manufacturers, and by large food processing plant facilities.
Some traditional foods havegeographical indications and traditional specialties in the European Uniondesignations per European Union schemes ofgeographical indicationsand traditional specialties:Protected designation of origin(PDO),Protected geographical indication(PGI) andTraditional specialties guaranteed(TSG). These standards serve to promote and protect names of quality agricultural products and foodstuffs.
This article also includes information about traditionalbeverages.
Although it is common for them to be used as synonyms, the truth is that "traditional" cuisine and "typical" cuisine are considered two different concepts according toculinary anthropology; The first refers to culinary customs that are invariably inheritedorally, on a small scale in the family, and a large scale in a community as part of itscultureandidentity. On the other hand, when we speak of typical (or "popular") cuisine, it is one that most people in a place like and is massively replicated.Therefore, a traditional dish may be typical and vice versa, but not all the typical dishes are traditional nor all the traditional ones typical.
Most traditional dishes are originated from the skill of housewives who creatively and sensibly combined thetechniquesand ingredients they had on hand to create new recipes. If people like that recipe, it becomes worthy of being imitated. In other words, it is spread and replicated so many times that it becomes aclassicrecipe. For this reason, the culinary tradition is made up of a vast variety of classic recipes, which are necessarily linked to a land of origin, specific products, and specific local habits. There are classic recipes that can fall into oblivion and disappear forever, but if they are consumed massively, they become part of the typical cuisine of a place. The Mexican culinary anthropologistMaru Toledoadds a third concept to this process, which is that of "typical commercial" cuisine,something that did not exist until the commercialization of cuisine (a process that has occurred very recently, if we observe the complete chronology of food history).
Thecommercialized cuisineappropriates the characteristics of the traditional (even the same adjective "traditional", on numerous occasions) but the aim is none other than economic profit. For this reason, it does not want to delve into the origin, nor in the context, much less the diversity around the dishes, it sells. Finally, the mainstream population, generally without much culinary knowledge, believe that the food they are buying is their own, thus happening a kind offood acculturationand simplifying the diversity of products, techniques, recipes and other culinary aspects of the tradition.
Traditional food products have been described as playing "an important part of European culture, identity, and heritage".
South Indian Food
Traditional beverages inJordanincludesous(also referred to as'irqsus), a drink prepared using the dried root ofGlycyrrhiza glabra(liquorice),tamr hindi, a drink prepared from an infusion of the dried pulp ofTamarindus indica(tamarind), andlaban(labneh), a drink prepared with yogurt and water.A significant amount of labneh in Jordan and nearby countries continues to be prepared using the traditional method of "straining set yogurt in cloth bags".
Traditional foods of theLevantincludefalafel,fuul,halawa,hummus,kanafeh,labaneh,medammisandtahini.among others. The most popular traditional foods in the region are those prepared fromlegumes, specifically, falafel, fuul, hummus and medammis.