If you are keen to expand your cooking repertoire and improve your cooking skills generally, one of the best ways to do that is to learn to cook a new cuisine. There are so many world cuisines out there that you can try, and it’s something that you should undoubtedly be aware of if you want to try and enjoy cooking so much more, too. With that in mind, it’s good to have a general approach towards learning a new cuisine that you can hopefully enjoy. Let’s look at how you can hope to pick up a new cuisine and really make the most of it.
Develop Your Palate
Before you do anything else really, you first need to develop your palate in the areas that you currently cook in. The more fully you can do this, the better it is ultimately going to be for your cooking abilities, so it’s something you should be careful not to overlook. Your palate is simply your ability to know what goes with what and how to make a dish work, and it’s amazing how much it can help. So be sure to go deep into whatever you already cook first, before trying to expand your repertoire at all.
Start Simple
When you do land on a new cuisine that you would like to try out, you might want to try and start simple and small with that cuisine. This is the best way to ensure that you will really fully enjoy it, and it’s something that is going to help you to avoid getting frustrated with the process as a whole. If you are cooking in the Middle Eastern tradition, you might start with knowing what to serve with chicken shawarma. If you are thinking Italian, learn to make a good tomato sauce. These are the staples that help you to progress much better.
Befriend A Native
Of course, one of the best ways to learn a cuisine is to do so from someone who is from that part of the world. So if you are able to, you might want to speak with and befriend someone who is native to where your new cuisine comes from, and who is likely to know at least a little that might help you along. You might be surprised at some of the tips they can give you that you won’t find in any books or online, so that can really help.
Go Traveling
Finally, you might want to consider traveling to the region that you are trying to replicate in your dishes. Generally this is the best way to immerse yourself in that culture, and doing that is going to mean you are much more likely to appreciate and deeply understand the food you are trying to cook. Check out the full guide to being a food tourist. Of course, you may or may not have the opportunity to do this, but if you do then it’s definitely something to consider at least.
Those are some of the best ways to cook a new cuisine.
