We Love Food: Meal Traditions From Around The World
Today is World Food Day, and we are letting you take a peek into our multinational Runtastic team’s kitchens and cultures. Learn more about international meal traditions!
France
“A typical, healthy tradition in France is called Pot au Feu. It’s an emblematic dish of French gastronomy: beef with vegetables and mixed herbs, cooked in a flavored bouillon on low heat and for a long time.”
Evrika, Translator
Croatia
“Plum schnapps 🙂 I’ve seen the magic happen myself, as my great uncle makes his own schnapps. Croatians believe that a shot of liquor after a meal can’t do any harm.”
Ana, Head of UI Design Mobile
Japan
“We usually eat a really big breakfast with rice, miso soup, fish, salad,… And we design the food in our lunch box which is called lunch box art.”
Tomoe, Marketing Manager
USA
“The great and unique thing about America is that we have so many different cultures and the opportunity to try so many amazing dishes from different countries worldwide. Especially when you go to bigger cities you can really find some awesome and authentic Italian, Mexican, Thai, Persian & Japanese cuisine. Because of this, I have learned to make my own homemade sushi as well as perfected a yummy and spicy Mexican salsa recipe.”
Lunden, Health & Fitness Coach
UK
“Drinking a lot of tea is healthy, right?”
Jonathan, Intern
Turkey
“I believe food for us always means sharing. No matter how small a family may be these days, it is hard to see someone eat alone. We like being with friends and family while we eat. Together with the food, we share our feelings. After all, good news become better when shared; no heart could take any break-up if there were no friends to drink with; no loss would be bearable if there weren’t people to pray with together…”
Merve, Translator
Poland
“In late summer, many families prepare jars of pickled cucumbers. The mix of salt, herbs and garlic they use is of traditional Polish origin (no sugar, by the way!). It’s a wonderful source of vitamins during winter.”
Andrzej, 3D Artist
Philippines
“Being from a country gifted with abundant spices and exotic ingredients, I personally believe that the culture of preferring home-cooked meals over ready-made/easy-to-cook meals from the supermarket is one of the healthiest traditions I grew up with. Having the advantage of easily accessing cheap and nutritious ingredients makes it is quite motivating to just cook your own healthy meal than to spend the same money on unhealthy fast food.”
Christinne, Customer Support
China
“We actually have ‘Eight Distinct Regional Cuisines’ in the different regions of the whole country.”
Sophie, Marketing Manager
Italy
“Coffee. Coffee break is a very special moment among Italians who not only drink it to increase attention but as an occasion to socialize with colleagues and friends. Coffee in Italy means espresso, and you won’t see anybody with a long Americano. Of course, cappuccino is very popular too, but remember to drink it in between and never with meals or after lunch!”
Bea, Marketing Manager
Belgium
“We have waffles, fries, chocolate, stoofvlees (similar to hotpots, but ours is better ;)), and we also eat a lot of mussels.”
Pol, UI Designer
Iran
“A cook for a true dinner feast essentially takes the expected number of people and multiplies it by 2. So if you expect five people to be eating, you cook for 10. No Persian admits to that, but it is essentially an unspoken rule. As a guest, you are expected to bring an appetite and to have a second portion at the dinner table. On top of that, as the dinner party leaves, you as a guest, are expected to take leftovers with you. Declining in either situation is frowned upon by the cooking host. We also love to put out a blanket on the ground, sit down in a circle and eat like that. This way everyone is at the same level, there is no furniture in the way and you can lean in to take whatever food you like – it is an incredibly social experience and can go on for hours with tea, sweets and fruits following the main course. For my family this was the norm as in the 80s, as many Persian families had just fled the regime of Iran in 1979 (as did my parents), but over time, we became accustomed to using traditional tables and chairs.”
Vahid, QA Engineer
Ukraine
“We use French names (like ‘Vinaigrette’ or ‘Olivier’) to refer to salads :)”
Xenia, Head of Human Resources
Austria
“Austrians typically use lots of seasonal and also regional ingredients. Plus, we make anything from savory to sweet, from side dishes for meat to pies, from one single ingredient (e.g. apples, zucchinis, pumpkins,…). Oh and, did you know that we’re not only known for Schnitzel (escalopes), Schweinsbraten (roast pork) and all sorts of Knödel (dumplings), but that we actually have all-sweet main dishes? Yummy!”
Barbara, Head of QA
World Food Day is about raising awareness for hunger around the globe. However, we wanted to link it to something positive, too. As this year’s motto is “Feeding the World, caring for the Earth”, we seized the chance to ask our international team members to share meal traditions from their home countries with you.
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