Culture & Religion, as a factor of FOOD Choices by EarthOrigins

Culture can be defined as the behaviors and beliefs of a certain social ethnics or a age group. Culture strongly influences the culture habits of its members. Each culture has norms about which food are edible which food has high or law status, how often foods are consumed, whats foods are eaten together when foods are eaten and what foods are served at special events and celebrations.

For example, some French people eat horse meat, but American do not consider horse meat acceptable to eat. Likewise, many American practices seems strange or illogical to persons from other cultures. For example, what could be more unusual than boiling water to make tea and adding ice to make it cold again, sugar to sweeten it and then lemon to make it tart? When immigrants come to live in the United States, they’re eating habits so gradually change but, they are among the last habits to adapt to the new culture.

In the Philippines, we have a diverse culture and religious practices which definitely affect our food choices. As a country with diverse religious belief, we usually follow the Western food choices and seek for its harvest and availability in a tropical-archipelago country. Funny isn’t it? However, that diversity born out of different colonial era has made Filipino’s exquisite taste. The social media being a general depot of information across the globe became so powerful in promoting food choices.

For many people, religion affect the day-to-day food choices. For example many Jewish people abide Jewish dietary laws, called the Kashrut. They do not eat pork, nor do they eat meat and dairy products together. Muslims has their own dietary laws. Like the Jews they will not eat pork. Their religion also prohibits drinking alcoholic beverages. For other people,religion people influences what they eat mostly during holidays and celebrations. Religious holidays such as Passover are observed with appropriate foods. Below are the list of infographics that best explains the food practices for different religion which will be helpful in preparing foods for an upcoming event, family gathering, or maybe a future food business plan.

Please share to us if you have any cultural or religious practices which you believe is relevant for the people to know about the greatness of FOOD