Cuisine

A cuisine (/kwɪˈziːn/ kwi-ZEEN; from French [kɥizin], in turn from Latin coquere "to cook") is a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, techniques and dishes, and usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region. A cuisine is primarily influenced by the ingredients that are available locally or through trade. Religious food laws, such as Hindu, Islamic and Jewish dietary laws, can also exercise a strong influence on cuisine. Regional food preparation traditions, customs and ingredients often combine to create dishes unique to a particular region.

Factors that affect a cuisine

Some of the elements that have an influence on a region's cuisine include the area's climate, which in large measure determines the native foods that are available, the economic conditions, which affect trade and can affect food distribution, imports and exports, and religiousness or sumptuary laws, under which certain foods and food preparations are required or proscribed.

Climate also affects the supply of fuel for cooking; a common Chinese food preparation method was cutting food into small pieces to cook foods quickly and conserve scarce firewood and charcoal. Foods preserved for winter consumption by smoking, curing, and pickling have remained significant in world cuisines for their altered gustatory properties even when these preserving techniques are no longer strictly necessary to the maintenance of an adequate food supply.

Cuisine (magazine)

Cuisine is a bi-monthly food and wine magazine published in New Zealand. It began publication in 1986, and has also existed in website form since December 2000.

The magazine features recipes, restaurant reviews, wine reviews and travel features. Annual promotions includeCuisine Restaurant of the Year awards and the Cuisine Artisan Awards.

Cuisine has won multiple awards including best food magazine at the Gourmet Voice World Media Awards in 2006, and best food magazine at the 2007 Le Cordon Bleu Food Media Awards.

History

Cuisine was originally started by Hamish Allison, then brought by Julie Dalzell in 1986 and was the first New Zealand magazine devoted to food and wine. In 2001 it was bought by INL who was then in turn bought by the current publisher Fairfax Media. Sarah Nicholson is the current editor.

Cuisine Restaurant of the Year awards

In 2004 Cuisine developed a New Zealand restaurant competition. The awards are sponsored by Mercedes-Benz.

2011 Results