We Americans do an interesting, but not unpredictable thing, when we prepare some of the great European dishes based on carbohydrates: we smother them with proteins.
Take paella, for example. In Valencia, Spain, home of paella, it is the rice they worship. The mark of a good paella there is the texture of the rice, its browned flavor, how it picks up intensity from the liquid in which it is cooked. On this side of the pond, many restaurants serve paellas that are protein bombs… as if they’re asking you to judge the dish by how many types of crustacean get piled on top! Never mind that the lobster (along with the other critters) is usually overcooked and inferior. But in focusing on the “topping,” American chefs have by and large failed to grapple with the proper rice-making techniques.
Pasta is the same story, essentially, in Italy, it is the noodle they worship… and everything is done to get the pasta just right. Travel across America (let ‘s leave out the best Italian restaurants)… and you’ll find big chunks of protein on pasta (like meatballs), or way too much sauce. But the pasta itself, in America, is generally not done with care.
One more example, slightly more esoteric, comes from la cuisine Française: cassoulet. This great bean casserole of southwest France is, of course… about the beans! French chefs in France spend a great deal of time discussing the proper bean (with many Tarbais advocates), and scheming to get all the oozy goodness of the casserole into those beans, without having the beans explode. Our typical American strategy? Load that sucker up with sausages, duck, pork, etc… and don’t worry so much about those lowly beans.
In all cases, this is not just a cooking thing. This is an eating thing! An attitude thing! When you eat these dishes, are you still on a protein hunt? Or are you prepared to savor the subtler, higher pleasures of the perfect cab?
Please tell me what you think!
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Comments ( 1 Comment )
This is a great point David, and Indian Biryanis, and Asian Fried Rice are also good examples. These dishes concentrate on the 'Carb' and go light on the protein. The rices are heavily spiced and either fried or baked. Protein is added at the end of the process but does not overpower the essential ingredients which are the rice and spices. It is also amazing just how different you can make a dish taste and feel by using a different rice…….have a go using Thai Jasmine rice for a change from Basmati and tell us what you think.
john barton added these pithy words on Jul 30 10 at 2:07 pm 
