cuisine

A cuisine is a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, techniques, and dishes, and usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region. Regional food preparation techniques, customs and ingredients combine to enable dishes unique to a region. Every cuisine evolves from the resources available in a region, and the climate, agriculture, trade routes, and cultural exchanges result in the distinctive flavors and practices that distinguish one culinary tradition from another. Because of this, cuisine serves as both a practical system for nourishment and a symbolic language through which societies communicate values and heritage. Cuisine is thus also a broad cultural expression that reflects the history, geography, and identity of the people who create it. Read more on Wikipedia