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The various peoples of Asia each developed their own ethnic cuisine through the historical interaction of environment and culture. We can divide the Asian cuisine in three main areas: the South West ( India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Burma), the North East ( China, Korea, Japan), the South East ( Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei).
Curries are very important to the cuisines of the South East and South West, less so in the cuisine of the North East. South Western curries are generally based on yogurt, whereas the curries of the South East and North East are generally based on coconut milk. Rice is a staple starch in all three cuisines areas. In addition to rice, South Western cuisines include a variety of leavened and unleavened breads and South East and North East cuisines include rice and egg noodles. In the South West, the major oil used in frying is ghee, or clarified butter. In the South East and North East, the major oils are vegetable oils. Garlic and ginger are used in all three cuisine areas, as are chili peppers, although chilies are much more common in the South West and South East. The North Eastern cuisines use soya sauce in nearly everything; the South East substitutes fish sauce; there is no equivalent in South Western cooking. In the South East, there are two additional flavourings that are not used in the other cuisines, galangal and lemon grass.
Our guide lists some of the Asian restaurants in Cuba. In those restaurants you could enjoy fine, well-crafted Asian cuisine.
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