European cuisine (also known as Continental cuisine) comprises the

cuisine A cuisine is a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, List of cooking techniques, techniques and Dish (food), dishes, and usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region. Regional food preparation techniques, ...

s originating from the various countries of

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. The cuisines of European countries are diverse, although some common characteristics distinguish them from those of other regions.Kwan Shuk-yan (1988). ''Selected Occidental Cookeries and Delicacies'', p. 23. Hong Kong: Food Paradise Pub. Co. Compared to traditional cooking of East Asia, meat holds a more prominent and substantial role in serving size.Lin Ch'ing (1977). ''First Steps to European Cooking'', p. 5. Hong Kong: Wan Li Pub. Co. Many dairy products are utilised in cooking. There are hundreds of varieties of

cheese Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk (usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats or sheep). During prod ...

and other fermented milk products. White

wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...

-flour bread has long been the prestige

starch Starch or amylum is a polymeric carbohydrate consisting of numerous glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by most green plants for energy storage. Worldwide, it is the most common carbohydrate in human diet ...

, but historically, most people ate bread, flatcakes, or porridge made from rye, spelt,

barley Barley (), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains; it was domesticated in the Fertile Crescent around 9000 BC, giving it nonshattering spikele ...

, and oats. Those better-off would also make

pasta Pasta (, ; ) is a type of food typically made from an Leavening agent, unleavened dough of wheat flour mixed with water or Eggs as food, eggs, and formed into sheets or other shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. Pasta was originally on ...

dumpling Dumplings are a broad class of dishes that consist of pieces of cooked dough (made from a variety of starchy sources), often wrapped around a filling. The dough can be based on bread, wheat or other flours, or potatoes, and it may be filled wi ...

s and pastries. The

potato The potato () is a starchy tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'', a perennial in the nightshade famil ...

has become a major starch plant in the diet of Europeans and their diaspora since the European colonisation of the Americas.

Maize Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...

is much less common in most European diets than it is in the

Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...

; however, corn meal ( polenta or mămăligă) is a major part of the cuisine of

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

and the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

. Although flatbreads (especially with toppings such as

pizza Pizza is an Italian cuisine, Italian, specifically Neapolitan cuisine, Neapolitan, dish typically consisting of a flat base of Leavening agent, leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomato, cheese, and other ingredients, baked at a high t ...

or tarte flambée) and rice are eaten in Europe, they are only staple foods in limited areas, particularly in Southern Europe.

Salad A salad is a dish consisting of mixed ingredients, frequently vegetables. They are typically served chilled or at room temperature, though some can be served warm. Condiments called '' salad dressings'', which exist in a variety of flavors, a ...

s (cold dishes with uncooked or cooked vegetables, sometimes with a dressing) are an integral part of European cuisine. Formal European dinners are served in distinct courses. European presentation evolved from service à la française, or bringing multiple dishes to the table at once, into service à la russe, where dishes are presented sequentially. Usually, cold, hot and savoury, and sweet dishes are served strictly separately in this order, as

hors d'oeuvre An hors d'oeuvre ( ; ), appetiser, appetizer or starter is a small dish served before a meal in European cuisine. Some hors d'oeuvres are served cold, others hot. Hors d'oeuvres may be served at the dinner table as a part of the meal, or ...

(appetizer) or soup, as entrée and

main course A main course is the featured or primary dish in a meal consisting of several courses. It usually follows the entrée () course. Usage In the United States and Canada (except Quebec), the main course is traditionally called an "entrée". En ...

, and as dessert. Dishes that are both sweet and savoury were common earlier in Ancient Roman cuisine, but are today uncommon, with sweet dishes being served only as dessert. A service where the guests are free to take food by themselves is termed a buffet, and is usually restricted to parties or holidays. Nevertheless, guests are expected to follow the same pattern. Historically, European cuisine has been developed in the European royal and noble courts. European nobility was usually arms-bearing and lived in separate manors in the countryside. The knife was the primary eating implement ( cutlery), and eating steaks and other foods that require cutting followed. This contrasted with East Asian cuisine, where the ruling class were the court officials, who had their food prepared ready to eat in the kitchen, to be eaten with chopsticks. The knife was supplanted by the spoon for soups, while the fork was introduced later in the

early modern period The early modern period is a Periodization, historical period that is defined either as part of or as immediately preceding the modern period, with divisions based primarily on the history of Europe and the broader concept of modernity. There i ...

, ca. 16th century. Today, most dishes are intended to be eaten with cutlery and only a few finger foods can be eaten with the hands in polite company.

History

Medieval

In medieval times, a person's diet varied depending on their

social class A social class or social stratum is a grouping of people into a set of Dominance hierarchy, hierarchical social categories, the most common being the working class and the Bourgeoisie, capitalist class. Membership of a social class can for exam ...

. However, cereal grains made up a lot of a medieval person's diet, regardless of social class.

Bread Bread is a baked food product made from water, flour, and often yeast. It is a staple food across the world, particularly in Europe and the Middle East. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cu ...

was common to both classes; it was taken as a lunch for the working man, and thick slices of it were used as plates called trenchers. People of the noble class had access to finely ground flours for their breads and other baked goods. Noblemen were allowed to hunt for deer, boar, rabbits, birds, and other animals, giving them access to fresh meat and fish for their meals. Dishes for people of these classes were often heavily spiced.

Spice In the culinary arts, a spice is any seed, fruit, root, Bark (botany), bark, or other plant substance in a form primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of pl ...

s at that time were very expensive, and the more spices used in dishes, the more wealth the person needed to purchase such ingredients. Common spices used were

cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, biscuits, b ...

ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of l ...

, nutmeg, pepper, cumin,

clove Cloves are the aromatic flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae, ''Syzygium aromaticum'' (). They are native to the Maluku Islands, or Moluccas, in Indonesia, and are commonly used as a spice, flavoring, or Aroma compound, fragrance in fin ...

s, turmeric, anise, and saffron. Other ingredients used in dishes for the nobility and clergy included

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

almond The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', Synonym (taxonomy)#Botany, syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree from the genus ''Prunus''. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus ''Amygdalus'', distinguished from the other subgenera ...

s and dried fruits like

raisin A raisin is a Dried fruit, dried grape. Raisins are produced in many regions of the world and may be eaten raw or used in cooking, baking, and brewing. In the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and South Afri ...

s. These imported ingredients would have been very expensive and nearly impossible for commoners to obtain. When banquets were held, the dishes served would be very spectacular: another way for the noblemen to show how rich they were. Sugar sculptures would be placed on the tables as decoration and to eat, and foods would be dyed vibrant colors with imported spices.

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

is home to the oldest restaurant in Italy and the second in Europe, the Antica trattoria Bagutto, which has existed since at least 1284. The diet of a commoner would have been much simpler. Strict

poaching Poaching is the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set against the huntin ...

laws prevented them from hunting, and if they did hunt and were caught, they could have parts of their limbs cut off or they could be killed. Much of the commoners' food would have been preserved in some way, such as through pickling or by being salted. Breads would have been made using rye or

, and any vegetables would likely have been grown by the commoners themselves. Peasants would have likely been able to keep cows, and so would have access to milk, which then allowed them to make butter or cheese. When meat was eaten, it would have been beef, pork, or lamb. Commoners also ate a dish called pottage, a thick stew of vegetables, grains, and meat.

Early modern era

The

early modern Europe Early modern Europe, also referred to as the post-medieval period, is the period of European history between the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, roughly the mid 15th century to the late 18th century. Histori ...

(c. 1500–1800) was a mix of dishes inherited from

medieval cuisine Medieval cuisine includes foods, eating habits, and cooking methods of various Culture of Europe, European cultures during the Middle Ages, which lasted from the 5th to the 15th century. During this period, Diet (nutrition), diets and cooking ch ...

combined with innovations that would persist in the

modern era The modern era or the modern period is considered the current historical period of human history. It was originally applied to the history of Europe and Western history for events that came after the Middle Ages, often from around the year 1500 ...

. The discovery of the

New World The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...

, the establishment of new trade routes with

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

and increased foreign influences from

sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lie south of the Sahara. These include Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the list of sovereign states and ...

and the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

meant that Europeans became familiarized with a multitude of new foodstuffs.

s that previously had been prohibitively expensive luxuries, such as pepper,

, cloves, nutmeg, and

, soon became available to the majority population, and the introduction of new plants coming from the New World and India like

maize Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...

, sweet potato,

chili pepper Chili peppers, also spelled chile or chilli ( ), are varieties of fruit#Berries, berry-fruit plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for their pungency. They are used as a spice to ...

, cocoa,

vanilla Vanilla is a spice derived from orchids of the genus ''Vanilla (genus), Vanilla'', primarily obtained from pods of the flat-leaved vanilla (''Vanilla planifolia, V. planifolia''). ''Vanilla'' is not Autogamy, autogamous, so pollination ...

tomato The tomato (, ), ''Solanum lycopersicum'', is a plant whose fruit is an edible Berry (botany), berry that is eaten as a vegetable. The tomato is a member of the nightshade family that includes tobacco, potato, and chili peppers. It originate ...

coffee Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...

, and tea transformed European cuisine forever. Though there was a great influx of new ideas, an increase in foreign trade and a

Scientific Revolution The Scientific Revolution was a series of events that marked the emergence of History of science, modern science during the early modern period, when developments in History of mathematics#Mathematics during the Scientific Revolution, mathemati ...

, preservation of foods remained traditional: preserved by drying, salting, and smoking or pickling in vinegar. Fare was naturally dependent on the season: a cookbook by Domenico Romoli called "Panunto" made a virtue of necessity by including a recipe for each day of the year.Romoli, ''La singolar dottrina'', Venice, 1560. Everywhere both doctors and chefs continued to characterize foodstuffs by their effects on the four humours: they were considered to be heating or cooling to the constitution, moistening or drying. There was a very great increase in prosperity in Europe during this period, which gradually reached all classes and all areas, and considerably changed the patterns of eating.

Nationalism Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation, Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Theory, I ...

was first conceived in the

, but it was not until the 19th century that the notion of a national cuisine emerged. Class differences were far more important dividing lines, and it was almost always upper-class food that was described in recipe collections and cookbooks. Cuisines of Europe

Central European cuisines

Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine is an assortment of Traditional food, cooking traditions that was developed by the Ashkenazi Jews of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, Northwestern Europe, Northwestern and Northern Europe, Northern Europe, ...

Austrian cuisine Austrian cuisine consists of many different local or regional cuisines. In addition to Viennese cuisine, which is predominantly based on the cooking traditions of the Habsburg monarchy, Habsburg Empire, there are independent regional traditions ...

** Viennese cuisine * Czech cuisine ** Moravian cuisine * German cuisine ** Baden cuisine ** Bavarian cuisine ** Berliner cuisine ** Brandenburg cuisine ** Franconian cuisine ** Hamburg cuisine ** Hessian cuisine ** Lower Saxon cuisine ** Mecklenburg cuisine ** Palatine cuisine ** Pomeranian cuisine ** Saxon cuisine *** Ore Mountain cuisine ** Schleswig-Holstein cuisine ** Swabian cuisine *

Hungarian cuisine Hungarian or Magyar cuisine (Hungarian language, Hungarian: ''Magyar konyha'') is the cuisine characteristic of the nation of Hungary, and its primary ethnic group, the Hungarians, Magyars. Hungarian cuisine has been described as being the P ...

* Liechtensteiner cuisine * Polish cuisine ** Lublin cuisine ** Opole cuisine ** Podlaskie cuisine ** Silesian cuisine ** Świętokrzyskie cuisine * Slovak cuisine * Slovenian cuisine *

Swiss cuisine Swiss cuisine (, , , ) is an ensemble of national, regional and local dishes, consisting of the ingredients, recipes and List of cooking techniques, cooking techniques developed in Switzerland or assimilated from other cultures, particularly ne ...

Eastern European cuisines

* Armenian cuisine * Azerbaijani cuisine * Belarusian cuisine * Bulgarian cuisine * Cossack cuisine * Georgian cuisine * Kazakh cuisine * Moldovan cuisine ** Gagauz cuisine * Ossetian cuisine *

Romanian cuisine Romanian cuisine () is a diverse blend of different dishes from several traditions with which it has come into contact, but it also maintains its own character. It has been influenced mainly by Ottoman cuisine, Ottoman and Turkish cuisine but a ...

** Transylvanian Saxon cuisine * Russian cuisine **

Bashkir cuisine Bashkir cuisine () is the traditional cuisine of the Bashkirs. Their way of life, and the predominance of cattle breeding contributed culture, traditions, and cuisine of the Bashkirs. Traditional dishes and products Bashkir dishes are dis ...

** Chechen cuisine ** Circassian cuisine ** ** Komi cuisine ** Mordovian cuisine **

Tatar cuisine Tatar cuisine is primarily the cuisine of the Volga Tatars, who live in Tatarstan, Russia, and surrounding areas. History The cuisine of the Volga Tatars takes its origin from the cuisine of the Volga Bulgars, who once were nomads, but nearly 15 ...

** Udmurt cuisine *

Ukrainian cuisine Ukrainian cuisine is the collection of the various cooking traditions of Ukrainians, the people of Ukraine, one of the largest and most populous European countries. It is heavily influenced by the rich dark soil () from which its ingredients com ...

** Crimean Tatar cuisine ** Odesite cuisine

Northern European cuisines

British cuisine British cuisine consists of the cooking traditions and practices associated with the United Kingdom, including the regional cuisines of English cuisine, England, Scottish cuisine, Scotland, Welsh cuisine, Wales, and Northern Irish cuisine, Nort ...

** Channel Islands cuisine **

English cuisine English cuisine encompasses the cooking styles, traditions and recipes associated with England. It has distinctive attributes of its own, but is also very similar to wider British cuisine, partly historically and partly due to the import of i ...

*** Cornish cuisine *** Devonian cuisine *** Dorset cuisine *** Victorian cuisine ** Northern Irish cuisine ** Scottish cuisine ** Welsh cuisine *** Cuisine of Carmarthenshire *** Cuisine of Ceredigion *** Cuisine of Gower *** Cuisine of Monmouthshire *** Cuisine of Pembrokeshire *** Cuisine of the Vale of Glamorgan *

Danish cuisine Danish cuisine originated from the peasant population's own local produce and was enhanced by cooking techniques developed in the late 19th century and the wider availability of goods during and after the Second Industrial Revolution, Industrial ...

** Faroese cuisine ** New Nordic Cuisine *

Estonian cuisine Traditional Estonian cuisine has substantially been based on meat and potatoes, and on Fish (food), fish in coastal and lakeside areas. However, it now shows influences from a variety of international cuisines and ingredients, with a number of co ...

Finnish cuisine Finnish cuisine is notable for generally combining traditional country fare and ''haute cuisine'' with contemporary continental-style cooking. Fish (food), Fish and meat (usually pork, beef or reindeer) play a prominent role in traditional Finl ...

Icelandic cuisine The cuisine of Iceland has a long history. Important parts of Iceland, Icelandic cuisine are lamb, dairy, and Fish as food, fish, the latter because Iceland has traditionally been inhabited only near its coastline. Popular foods in Iceland incl ...

* Irish cuisine *

Latvian cuisine Latvian cuisine typically consists of agricultural products, with meat featuring in most main dishes. Fish (food), Fish is commonly consumed due to Latvia's location on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Latvian cuisine has been influenced by o ...

Lithuanian cuisine Lithuanian cuisine features products suited to the cool and moist northern climate of Lithuania: barley, potatoes, rye, beets, Leaf vegetable, greens, Berry, berries, and Edible mushroom, mushrooms are locally grown, and dairy products are one of ...

* Livonian cuisine *

Norwegian cuisine Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *Norwegian language, including the two ...

* Sami cuisine *

Swedish cuisine Swedish cuisine () is the traditional food of Sweden. Due to Sweden's large north-to-south expanse, there are regional differences between the cuisine of Norrland, North and South Sweden. Historically, in the far north, meats such as reindeer, ...

Southern European cuisines

* Albanian cuisine * Aromanian cuisine * Bosnian cuisine * Croatian cuisine * Cypriot cuisine * Gibraltarian cuisine * Greek cuisine ** Ancient Greek cuisine ** Byzantine cuisine ** Cretan cuisine ** Epirotic cuisine ** Greek Macedonian cuisine ** Ionian cuisine *

Italian cuisine Italian cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine#CITEREFDavid1988, David 1988, Introduction, pp. 101–103 consisting of the ingredients, recipes, and cooking techniques developed in Italy since Ancient Roman cuisine, Roman times, and later spread ...

** Abruzzian cuisine ** Ancient Roman cuisine ** Apulian cuisine ** Arbëreshë cuisine ** Ligurian cuisine **

Lombard cuisine Lombard cuisine consists of the cooking traditions and practices of the Italian region of Lombardy. The historical events of its provinces and of the diversity of its territories resulted in a varied culinary tradition. First courses in Lombar ...

*** Mantuan cuisine ** Lucanian cuisine ** Neapolitan cuisine ** Piedmontese cuisine ** Roman cuisine ** Sardinian cuisine ** Sicilian cuisine ** Venetian cuisine * Kosovar cuisine * Macedonian cuisine *

Maltese cuisine Maltese cuisine reflects History of Malta, Maltese history, showing strong Italian cuisine, Italian influences, as well as influences from Spanish cuisine, Spanish, French cuisine, French, Provençal cuisine, Provençal and other Mediterranean cu ...

* Montenegrin cuisine * Ottoman cuisine *

Portuguese cuisine Portuguese cuisine () consists of the traditions and practices of cooking in Portugal. The oldest known book on Portuguese cuisine, entitled ''Livro de Cozinha da Infanta D. Maria de Portugal'', from the 16th century, describes many popular dish ...

Sammarinese cuisine As San Marino is a European microstates, microstate completely Landlocked country, landlocked by Italy, Sammarinese cuisine is strongly similar to Italian cuisine, especially that of the adjoining Emilia-Romagna and Marche regions. San Marino's p ...

* Sephardic Jewish cuisine * Serbian cuisine * Spanish cuisine ** Andalusian cuisine ** Aragonese cuisine ** Asturian cuisine ** Balearic cuisine *** Menorcan cuisine ** Basque cuisine ** Canarian cuisine ** Cantabrian cuisine ** Castilian-Leonese cuisine *** Vallisoletano cuisine ** Catalan cuisine ** Castilian-Manchego cuisine ** Deconstructed cuisine ** Extremaduran cuisine ** Galician cuisine ** Madrilenian cuisine ** Valencian cuisine * Turkish cuisine

Western European cuisines

* Belgian cuisine * Dutch cuisine *

French cuisine French cuisine is the cooking traditions and practices of France. In the 14th century, Guillaume Tirel, a Court (royal), court chef known as "Taillevent", wrote ''Le Viandier'', one of the earliest recipe collections of medieval France. In ...

** Corsican cuisine ** Cuisine of Gascony **

Haute cuisine ''Haute cuisine'' (; ) or ''grande cuisine'' is a style of cooking characterised by meticulous preparation, elaborate presentation, and the use of high quality ingredients. Typically prepared by highly skilled gourmet chefs, haute cuisine dish ...

*** Cuisine classique *** Nouvelle cuisine **** Cuisine minceur ** Cuisine and specialties of Nord-Pas-de-Calais ** Lyonnaise cuisine ** Picardy cuisine * Frisian cuisine * Limburgian cuisine * Luxembourgian cuisine * Mennonite cuisine * Monégasque cuisine * Occitan cuisine