A Popular Dish in the East and the West

Several people love the famous chowmein noodle dish. Noodles recipes are all time favourite among the kids. Noodles are so versatile in nature that they can be used in numerous ways to spice up varied dishes. They are referred to as the Asian pasta in many countries. However, they are very different compared to the Italian pasta.

Noodles have been associated with Chinese cooking for a long time. Chinese have been making use of various kinds of noodles in their daily diet for over 2000 years. It is a staple diet in many Asian countries. They can be combined with almost any dish as soup, main course, curries, wontons etc.

Healthy and Tasty

Unlike the Italian pasta that is usually made from all-purpose flour, Asian pasta is made from different ingredients like eggs, wheat, and rice making them healthy to eat. Studies suggest average people in China and Japan live over 66 years of age. Varieties of noodles are available in different shapes, colours and sizes in the Asian market.

It is difficult to understand what types of noodles are packed inside a packet. Hence, it is best to know how they look. Famous rice noodles are small in size and dry in textures, vary in thickness and are popularly known as vermicelli or rice sticks. Rice noodle are frequently used in Thai and Vietnamese cuisine.

Popular Cellophane noodles are made from bean sprout. They are thin, long noodles. When cooked, Cellophane noodles become transparent and slide easily, thus they are called glass noodles and are widely used for main course and stir fired dishes.

Ramen noodles are curly long noodles usually used for appetisers like rolls. Japanese noodles like Soba and Somen are equally popular noodles. They are made from buckwheat and wheat flour and oil respectively. They can be served hot as well as cold with a dipping sauce and are typically used in Japanese style cooking.

It is Appetising and Scrumptious

Thinking of a party at home but do not want to spend hours cooking in the kitchen. Why not try something different from standard greasy and fattening entree dishes. Something that is quick, easy, fresh and delicious. Finger food literal means eating food with fingers. Technically, finger food that does not require utensils to cook, cooks faster, is filling, easy to make and delectable. In fact, lot of Mexican finger food is made from fresh and seasonal produce that are naturally flavoured hence do not require much spicing up or cooking.

The gooey texture and yummy taste of cheese is extremely tempting. Cheese though considered unhealthy is loved by everyone and is part of several dishes made around the world. If had in the right form and right quantity it has several health benefits. It helps in having good teeth, skin, healthy bones etc. In Mexican finger food, it is an integral part as well.

Tortilla chips with salsa dip is a popular sight in cinema halls in the west and is becoming increasingly popular in the Asian countries. These chips are made out of white or yellow corn, flour or wheat. They are usually fried but a healthy alternative is to bake them, they taste equally good and crispy.

Yummy and Healthy

Another well-known Mexican finger food is the Quesadillas. A variation of tortilla chips which is made interesting and healthy by adding various kinds of vegetables, sauces and cheese. To keep the calorie meter on the lower side, just add less amount of cheese. Vegetable fillings can be changed for meatballs and shrimps for meat lovers.

There is lot you can do with Mexican finger food. Apart from tortillas Mexican sandwiches, Mexican squares made of vegetable or meat filling, shrimp Gazpacho are mouth-watering appetisers. Charm your guest with Mexican finger food and enjoy all the compliments for the lip-smacking food and no hard work.

Variety in Sandwiches is Unmatched to Any Other Food It may not be the staple diet of any country but sandwiches and toast can be called staple by numerous people around the world. It has evolved from being single piece of meat placed between slices of two unleavened bread to different types of bread and multiple layers of bread used along with different toppings.

Today people love the simple bread and butter sandwich to heaped slices of breads filled with cheese, meat, vegetables and sauces. Plethora of breads is available in the market and they can be topped with infinite variety of toppings and sauces.

Unlike ancient times today, bread has a soft texture and come in neatly cut slices. During early age, the breads use to be hard and unleavened. Back then, they were called “Trenchers”. The word referred to stale, thick bread that was used as plates. Their purpose was to soak up extra liquid from the food. Once the meal was over the “trenchers” became food for the dog and beggars.

Most Popular Food

The name sandwich was first used by John Montagu, during the 18th century. He was an Aristocrat, the 4th Earl of Sandwich. He was supposedly a big gambler and played for hours together. One day he ordered a slice of cold meat to be placed in between two slice of bread and served to him instead of regular meal. He called it sandwich. He and other people around him liked the idea, as it would allow them to eat without spoiling their hands and the cards.

Sandwiches can be eaten in various forms plain, toasted, grilled etc. Toasted and grilled sandwiches are healthier and taste better than raw slice of bread. Certain sandwiches made with particular filings like club sandwich, cheese steak etc are famous across the globe otherwise this dish has infinite variants as people prepare them as per their penchant.

Its Success Story

With over 34,000 restaurants in over 100 countries and doling out over 2 million pizzas a day, Pizza Hut is among the most successful fast food chains in the world until date. They have built a large customer base of approximately 4 million people from across the globe.

Their success story is a case study in several schools and colleges. What makes them so successful? It is the regional approach. Pizza Hut customises their orders as per local demands. Pizza toppings will never be the same in America and Australia. Matching the local taste buds has made them pioneer in food industry.

Most Sinful Men yet the Most Loved Restaurant World Wide

Pizza Hut also introduces new recipes and variety of other dishes like pasta, side dishes like wings, dessert etc. It employees a large number of workforce to operate its wide spread family style restaurants, carryout locations, kiosks and front delivery stores. Certain facts about Pizza Hut are jaw dropping. Example, Pizza Hut uses about 700 million pounds of flour annually.

Pepperoni being amongst the best and most selling topping worldwide, the company uses approximately 700 million pounds of pepperoni every year to cater to this demand. Pizza Hut alone in a year uses over 525 million pounds of tomatoes and 300 million pounds of cheese.

So how did this huge food chain start? Today, part of Yum group since 1997, it was under the PepsiCo banner from 1977-1997. Although an Italian dish, it did not start in Italy, it is very much American. Before 1977, they had about 314 stores in America and listed themselves on New York Stock Exchange only in 1972.

However it all started 14 years before this in 1958, when 2 brothers Dan and Frank Carney borrowed mere $600 to open a pizza restaurant in college campus in Wichita Kansas along with partner John Bender, that is when Pizza Hut was born, the concept became increasingly popular and company kept soaring to zenith until today.

From Small Shop to Hundreds and Thousands of Restaurants Worldwide

King & Co. Word usually used to refer to companies like Burger King, McDonalds, White Castle and Wendy’s. They are pioneers in making burgers and have been extremely successful in their business. Each of them offers more or less similar menu of burger, fries and beverages. However, each of them in their own unique have had carved a niche for themselves in the market.

Among these four Burger King and McDonald’s are the biggest fast food chain around the world. White Castle is the oldest among them. Walter A Anderson and Edgar Waldo Ingram started it in 1921 in Wichita, Kansas. Unlike other hamburger shape, which is round White Castle, hamburgers are square in shape. The burgers are small in size compared to Burger King, McDonalds and Wendy’s.

From Home Style Cooking to Innovative Cooking

After White Castle, it is Wendy’s, established in 1969 by Dave Thomas in Columbus, Ohio. Today it has 6,650 outlets. It is the third largest burger chain of restaurants. Though they serve their hamburgers in round shaped buns their signature dish is square shaped burger patties that are not frozen but made from freshly ground beef meat.

Leaving both Wendy’s and White Castle behind is McDonalds and Burger King. The earlier are no match to the latter. Burger King founded in 1953 by Keith Karmer and Matthew Burns in Jacksonville, Florida, today have over 12,200 restaurants in over 73 countries. Burger King distinguishes itself by serving flamed broiler burger patty unlike McDonalds where the burger patty is fried.

McDonald's was started by Mac and Dick McDonald in San Bernardino, California, but was actually expanded and succeeded in business because of their business partner Ray Kroc who bought and marketed the business for them. Today McDonalds has over 31,000 restaurants in about 119 countries. Both McDonald’s and Burger King Restaurants is pioneer in burger industry and laid the foundation of fast food industry with their assembly line concept of cooking for quick service and delivery.