What is Ethnic?

Question

I would like to know what ethnic means. I ask this because i have never heard English food, or food from France or America referred to as 'ethnic food'. Could a hotdog or hamburger be considered ethnic food? Why aren't traditional American and certain European cuisines referred to as ethnic food?

Answer 1

I am an American who lives in the South and my food is considered 'ethnic'. The term 'ethnic food' must have been coined by mainstream America and Europe.

Funny that I'm a white American descended from the French and Irish and am considered ethnic.

Answer 2

Ethnic foods are foods pertaining to a certain ethnicity. American food isn't called ethnic because american is a nationality not an ethnicity and because mcdonalds has made it popular all over the world. I have heard german food refered to as ethnic food though. And the french thing is probably because a lot of the food has been absorbed into american cuisine as fancy food or something. It could be called ethnic though

Answer 3

OK, Here's the definition.***

Ethnic:
From Wiktionary

English
Adjective

ethnic (ethnical)

Of or related to a group of people having common racial, national, religious, or cultural origins

Incompletely assimiliated
There are many ethnic Indonesians in the Netherlands

Belonging to a foreign culture
I like to eat ethnic food

As to why say french french cooking isnt considered ethnic cooking I think it is because it is a dominate cuisine. I have heard of Italian Fare refered to as ethnic especially when refering to Italian -American food because so many dishes have been created by them ( do to unadvailablity of produce or a switch do to poverty in eating habits) that are not served in the old country.

As for american foods, what most consider american fare is fast food, like the hamburg which is really doublely german for both the sandwich and the hamburg named after the city. The true american foods we owe to the native american for maize (corn),maple syrup, tomatoes, turkey, cranberries.....

The last reason is also stated in the definition (ETHNIC) refers to a group of people with a single identity or culture. America is the great melting pot of people, their cultures and the foods they love!!!!!!

Answer 4

Hey, that's a great question. I had to think about that. I think that Americans tend to deem food from other countries as "ethnic" if they are cultures that don't have a big presence here necessarily. I mean I don't hear anyone referring to Mexican food as ethnic, yet if it's Peruvian it's "ethnic." And, it seems to be only 3rd world countries' foods that we consider to be "ethnic."

We don't consider our own food "ethnic" but I wonder if a hamburger or hot dog would be called "ethnic" in other countries? I doubt it...

Answer 5

Ethnic according to definition is...."of or relating to people grouped according to a common racial, national, tribal, religious, linguistic, or cultural origin." It seems Americans coined the term to refer to certain foods mainly consumed by a paticular group of people of a region, area, or country. Lately the word is over used, I think. Basically it describes a paticular dish or food mainly consumed by one culture(the word is becomming a moot point in describing food since we are losing our individuality in tasts and tend to eat a large selection of ethnic foods...a good thing)
...jj

Answer 6

the largest consumed ethinic food in the US is italian. French would be ethnic as well because I'm not from france.

Answer 7

Even some police go around refering to "ethnics" and daft they sound.
It can refer to any group of people who share a culture, especially if they have shared it together for a long time.

EVERYBODY IS ETHNIC!!! EEEEVEN WHITE ONES>

Answer 8

ethnic food pretty much is any food not prepared by and for white europeans or americans.

Answer 9

they could be ethic food can be Islamic and Jewish Halal foods permissible foods to consume by a typical group!

Answer 10

Anything different than you would eat normally.