Is Gazpacho Italian Or Mexican

Is there competition between the Spanish, French & Italians over whose culture is best? What are their reasons for saying their culture is the best?

I don’t think there is competition in terms on culture. From the Spanish side, I think Spain recognizes French and Italian have their own cultures although they also share many similarities with Spain (being Italian closer) and also recognizes that French (specially) and Italian cultures have been historically more influential.However, I also think that recently Spanish culture has become more influential than it used to be and it is possible that culturally speaking nowadays it is being more influential than the other two. Spain has become the second tourist destination in the world, almost everybody I’ve met in Europe has travelled to Spain, it has become the most demanded destiny for Erasmus students, the language has also gained importance and popularity and a lot of Spanish traditions like Bull running, Fallas, Tomatina or food (Tortilla española, Gazpacho…) are becoming more popular outside of Spain.Latin America has also helped to this, since Latin America and Spanish cultures are closely connected, Spain is regarded as part of this group which has been gaining lot of popularity lately. People tend to think that all Hispanic culture is the same for all its countries… which is not true. So from time to time I hear, “-so you are Spanish, you probably dance salsa quite well!”, “-..mm well, I guess the Dominicans will do it better…”The real competition is in food, in my experience every country tends to say its food is better. In my opinion this award goes to Italy, they are the kings here, Italian restaurants and products are literally everywhere and no pizza with pineapple can beat a real heavenly Italian pizza :)

What is your favorite ethnic food category: Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Indian, etc.?

Mexican, Italian and Chinese ethnic food are, no doubt, very good, but I like Indian and only Indian ethnic food. Indian ethnic foods are best due to their richness, which is a plus-point.Some of my favorite Indian ethnic food items are as follows:Aloo MattarTandoori Naan with ChholayBhatooray ChholayDaal MakhniGajar Ka HalwaKarrahi ChickenMakki Ki Roti And Sarson Ka SaagPalak PaneerSambar VadaI hope, you too will appreciate when you eat these Indian Ethnic food Items.Picture courtesy: Google.

What is the difference between Italian spaghetti sauce and the stuff made in the US?

I'm Italian and I've been in the US just once. I didn't get the chance to taste what tomato sauce is like there, but here in Italy we have many different ways to see tomato sauce and to cook it.The best tomato sauce you can get is made fresh, and it has a completely different taste in comparison to the canned one. It has to be made from sweet, red and mature tomatoes in the right season.Then you can cook it to your preferences, but you can't miss using a very good olive oil.You don't want to add basil as it cooks because it covers all the flavor. We usually add it fresh after it is cooked.Some people stir fry finely chopped (I mean almost purée) garlic in olive oil, some other like onion which is a little bit sweeter. That's the basics, some others let anchovies melt in the oil to give a salty kick and add hot pepper too, but it depends on the recipe.Some others add a pinch of butter too in the end.It really depends on what you want, but the original one, I would say it's the oil-garlic-tomato one.This is the classic spaghetti sauce. Don't skip adding a lot of Parmesan cheese on top.

Is the Mexican or most Latin American culture a mixture of Spaniard and Native American culture?

I somewhat agree with Orlando Barrios, but Mexico and the rest of the Latin American countries all have their own distinct cultures. Mexico is a really huge country with a long history, so, in fact, it has many distinct cultures just like the US. None of these countries "began" when conquistadors came into their country by force. One of my friend's mom's was born and raised in Mexico. She also has a lot of family who were born there and now live in the area. She has also visited Mexico many times. We went to dinner the other night at a Mexican restaurant and I remarked that the salsa was good enough to drink and that they should call it "gazpacho" instead of salsa. She asked, "what is gazpacho?" I told her that it's a very popular tomato based cold soup that is sometimes drunk in Spain and is made with a tomato base and veggies. I know this is just anecdotal, but it's one difference between Spain and Mexico. Also, the vocabulary from Spain and Mexico are not identical. Obviously, someone from Spain could talk to someone from Mexico and they would understand each other, but certain words and phrases are completely different (this is true among all the Latin American countries too). I also have a friend from Chile who gets so aggravated when people assume she likes spicy food. Spicy foods are not as much of a staple in Chile as in Mexico.

Why is Mexican food more sophisticated than Spanish food? Is it mainly a modern development, or is it based on indigenous cuisines?

Could you please name me 10 Spanish dishes?I bet money you cannot. Your term sophisticated is based on the fact that you know more Mexican dishes.I’ll start by saying my favourite cuisine is Mexican cuisine (the second is Spanish and the third Italian). I actually like Mexican food more. But your idea of sophistication is based on what?What does sophisticated mean? Spain is the country with the most restaurants ranked in the top 50 by critics on the planet, followed by France. Northern Spain is the region with the most culinary awards in the world, in particular Basques have the highest number of awarded chefs per capita on the planet.So what does “sophisticated” mean? Critics disagree with you.Mexican food is more exotic, it is more unique because it contains features from lots of local native cuisines that no other has, which also makes it very diverse. It has very strong flavours from the native cuisines, mixed with the spice/herbs balance typical of Mediterranean cuisines such as Spain. That mix gives it a strong delicious contrast.Mediterranean cuisines tend to use a balance between spices and herbs for cooking, sometimes wine and citrics (orange, lemon…) too, they have a lot more seafood and also legumes, mostly low-fat meats and always with olive oil. Almost always accompanied with a salad of all kinds. This food tends to have milder flavours but more diverse ones than Mexican food. It contains a lot more seafood and vegetables than Mexican cuisine which also makes it a scientifically proven more healthy diet by the way.I had these pics from a recent post, so here you go, some Spanish dishes for you:ChurrosRoscónPaellaTortillaCroquetasGazpachoSalmorejoCalamaresChopitosLentilsFabadaCocidoCatalan CreamEnsaimadasEmpanadillasEmpanadaPatatas AlioliPatatas BravasPulpoMorcillaBacalao al Pil PilEnsaladillaMigas