Understanding a Cuisine – National and Regional Differences

Having collected a rich and extraordinary assortment of recipes from a great number of people, many of whom did not know the origins of their favourite dishes, and had picked them up at some point in their wanderings – from a place they had visited, from a relative or a chance acquaintance, I tried to give them a national identity. It was impossible to class them by countries because of the overlap and similarities; there would be too much repetition. Instead, a picture emerged of one culinary tradition; very poor in parts, extremely varied and rich in others and with more regional than national variations. There were often more differences between town and country than across a border, and neighbouring towns in the same country sometimes had different specialities while the main towns of different countries had the same foods.