- published: 01 Dec 2011
- views: 829811
A national dish is a dish, food or a drink that is considered to represent a particular country, nation or region.
A dish can become a national dish for a variety of reasons. It can be the national dish because it is a staple daily food for the majority of the population. It can also be the national dish because it represents the regions and ethnicities of the whole country. In addition, it can be the national dish because it incorporates locally produced ingredients. National dishes are part of a nation's identity and self-image. During the age of European empire-building, nations consciously developed a national cuisine as a matter of distinction from their rivals.
In Latin America, such dishes are both officially and unofficially designated as "plato nacional". Ironically, in many cases they transcend national borders. Both Peru and Ecuador claim ceviche as their national dish. Colombian ajiaco and the sancocho of the Dominican Republic, Colombia, and Panama, all of which are stews of meats, plaintains, and root vegetables are the plato nacional of them all. Zilka Janer, lecturer on Latin American culture at Hofstra University observes that this sharing of the same plato nacional by different countries calls into question the idea that every country has a unique national dish that is special to that country, and indicates, rather, that cuisine is something that does not respect national and geopolitical borders.
National may refer to:
Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is ingested by an organism and assimilated by the organism's cells in an effort to produce energy, maintain life, or stimulate growth.
Historically, people secured food through two methods: hunting and gathering, and agriculture. Today, most of the food energy consumed by the world population is supplied by the food industry.
Food safety and food security are monitored by agencies like the International Association for Food Protection, World Resources Institute, World Food Programme, Food and Agriculture Organization, and International Food Information Council. They address issues such as sustainability, biological diversity, climate change, nutritional economics, population growth, water supply, and access to food.
The right to food is a human right derived from the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), recognizing the "right to an adequate standard of living, including adequate food", as well as the "fundamental right to be free from hunger".