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(c) Top Takeaways 2001



Over the years, restaurant users have become more discerning and more concerned with the ‘authenticity’ of their restaurant experience, a number of restaurant trends have emerged that offer a more realistic reflection of the food from its country of origin.

For the last couple of decades, far eastern food from various countries has increased in popularity, with many towns now having a Thai restaurant and perhaps even a Japanese restaurant. There has even been a trend for seeing authentic Thai food served on pub menus as Thai families take over pub tenancies or simply run the kitchen.

Japanese food has been a huge foodie trend in the UK, with most supermarkets selling packs of sushi alongside their sandwiches – although if that’s the only sushi you’ve tried (especially as the packs from a certain high end supermarket do not contain fish!) then you’ll be amazed at the difference in quality and taste when you first try ‘proper’ sushi. After all, sushi chefs train for seven years just to master making rice, let alone cutting fish!



The latest restaurant trends are towards South American food. Not just the big, juicy steaks from Argentina – that is SO 2007 – but more the smoked chipotle chile flavours of Peru. Mexico has also been a source of inspiration for a lot of newly opened places, with authentic burritos and salsas showing the wealth of difference between regional cuisine and the ‘Tex-Mex’ style that was popular in the 1999.



WHAT IS ROTI?

Roti in general, is defined as an unleavened flatbread made from atta flour in the Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Assamese, Indonesian, Malay, Bengali, Thai, Marathi and Somali languages. It is also known as rotli in Gujarati, "Maani" in Sindhi and phulka in Punjabi and Saraiki. Its defining characteristic is that it is unleavened. The ubiquitous Indian bread naan, in contrast, is a yeast-leavened bread.

Roti and its thinner variant, known as chapati, are an integral part of Indian cuisine. It is particularly popular in northern India, Central India and Western India. In the Indian state of Maharashtra and some parts of Gujarat, poli and bhakri denote unleavened Indian breads.
Chinese
Indian Curry

FAJITAS FOR TASTE

A fajita is now a commonly used generic term found in Tex-Mex cuisine,[1] incorrectly referring to any grilled meat served on a flour or corn tortilla. The term actually refers to the cut of beef used in the dish which is known as skirt steak.

Popular meats today also include chicken, pork, shrimp and all cuts of beef although to use the term "chicken fajita" would be nonsensical. In restaurants, the meat is often cooked with onions and bell peppers.

Popular condiments are shredded lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, pico de gallo, cheese, and tomato.

Mint Sauce

Mint sauce is a sauce made from finely chopped mint leaves, soaked in vinegar, and a small amount of sugar. Occasionally, the juice from a squeezed lime is added. The sauce should have the consistency of double cream. In UK and Irish cuisine it is traditionally used as a complement to roast lamb (but usually not other roast meats) or, in some areas, mushy peas.

Mint sauce can sometimes be used in recipes in place of fresh mint. Also you could try it on toast or bread. Mint sauce can be added to yoghurt to make a mint raita. "Sweet and sour" sauces such as Mint sauce were common throughout Medieval Europe, (with the use of mint being more common in French and Italian cuisine of the period than that of the English), however they became less common and mostly died out as Europe entered the Modern Era.
Pizza


Indian Curry


BASIL

Basil (ocimum sanctum) is the only member of the mint family which is native to India, where it was called arjaka in the ancient language, Sanskrit. Its Latin botanical names are derived from the Greek okimon, ‘fragrant lipped’ and basilikan, ‘Royal’.

Feelings about Basil have mixed throughout history, the herb having been variously associated with death, religious ritual, medicine, fertility, erotica and even as being responsible for the breeding of scorpions. It is probably for this reason, following a homeopathic logic that it was recommended at one time for the treatment of scorpion stings and snakebites. The ancients, although holding mixed feelings about the herbs, even swore oaths on it in courts of law.

In association with Just Eat. The online takeaway ordering service at www.just-eat.co.uk