Let’s on a cultural trail and take a look at different countries, their flags and food. While much has been done to unravel the mysteries that surround flags, one innovative step was taken by an advertising agency, WHYBIN\TBWA, as part of a promotion for the Sydney International Food Festival. The agency designed 18 national flags with food the country is commonly associated with. And, what’s more...the food matched the colours of the flags.
Italy
Think Italy, and images of delectable, steaming tomato pasta, with a sprinkling of basil leaves come to mind. The Italian flag too matches its traditional food — a vision in red and green.
The flag of Italy ( bandiera d’Italia , often referred to in Italian as il Tricolore, features three equally-sized vertical strips of green, white, and red, with the green at the hoist side (upper left quarter). Its current form has been in use since June 18, 1946 and was formally adopted on January 1, 1948.
But why these colours? Some have attributed particular values to the colours, and a common interpretation is that the green represents the country’s plains and the hills; white, the snow-capped Alps; and red the blood spilt in the Wars of Italian Independence and Unification. A religious interpretation is that the green represents hope, white represents faith, and red represents charity.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, cities began to form their own traditions and food. Different types of bread and pasta were made, and there were variations in preparation. Regional cuisine is represented by some of the major cities in Italy. For example, while Milan is known for its risottos, Bologna, central Italy is known for its tortellini, while Naples, in the south, is renowned for its pizzas and spaghetti.
A stack of fresh meat pies on a rustic table.
Australia
The flag’s original design — with a six-pointed Commonwealth Star — was chosen in 1901 from entries in a competition held following Federation of Australia, and was first flown in Melbourne on September 3, 1901, Australian National Flag Day. A modified design was approved by King Edward VII in 1903. The seven-pointed commonwealth star version was introduced on February 23, 1908. In 1954, it was recognised by the Flags Act 1953, as the Australian National Flag.
One iconic Australian food is Vegemite, a vitamin-rich, savoury yeast spread which is thinly spread on buttered toast. Other foods include macadamia nuts, Violet Crumble, a honeycomb chocolate bar, Cherry Ripe, Jaffas — chocolate with an orange-flavoured confectionery shell, much like an M&M and the Chiko Roll — a deep-fried savoury roll similar to a spring roll, Tim Tams — a chocolate biscuit; musk sticks, lemon delicious pudding and fairy bread.
The meat pie is a well-known party food, often consumed by tradition on Australian Football League Grand Final Day. Other variants include steak, onion (diced fried onion), potato (mashed potato on top of a traditional pie instead of a pastry top), Indian curry and pepper.
Brazil
The Bandeira do Brasil , as the flag is known in Portuguese, was designed by Raimundo Teixeira Mendes, and was adopted in its original form as the national flag in 1889. Mendes was assisted by Miguel Lemos, Manuel Pereira Reis and Décio Villares. The bright green colour represents the lush forests and expansive fields of Brazil. The symbol in the middle, a yellow diamond and a blue globe, depicts Brazil’s wealth in gold. The words on the globe read Ordem e Progresso or, Order and Progress. It has 27 white five-pointed stars which represent the night sky over Rio de Janeiro. Each star represents a state, of which there are 27.
Brazilian Feijoada (Black Beans).
When it comes to food, the Brazilians can be a surprising lot. Apart from their traditional rice and beans cooked using lard or edible vegetable oils and fats, the people of Brazil love pastas including spaghetti, lamen, lasagna, and pasta salad. Then there’s Pão de queijo (cheese bread), a typical Brazilian snack which is a small, soft roll made of manioc flour, eggs, milk, and minas cheese. Quibe , a dish which corresponds to the Lebanese dish kibbeh, was brought to mainstream Brazilian culture by Syrian and Lebanese immigrants. It can be served baked, fried, or raw. Cachorro-quente , the Brazilian version of hot dogs, is a favourite, and is usually garnished with tomato sauce, corn, peas and potato chips.
China
Bright red with a smattering of yellow, China’s flag makes you sit up and take notice of it. The red of the flag represents revolution, and the small stars symbolise the four social classes — the two bourgeoisies (urban and national), working class, and peasantry. The larger star on the flag stands for the Communist party, the unifying thread.
Nepalese traditional dumpling momos served with tomato chatni and fresh salad.
Just like the symbolism of the four social classes on the flag, China’s food too is categorised as the “Four Major Cuisines” — Chuan, Lu, Yue and Huaiyang — which represent West, North, South and East China. Colour, smell and taste are the three traditional aspects used to describe Chinese food. Much importance is accorded to the meaning, appearance and nutrition of the food. For instance, Shou Mian, noodles of longevity and signifies long life and good health. Desserts include gāo diǎn (traditional Chinese pastry) with stuffing, including lotus seed, rose, and a mixture of pea and jack bean. Another cold dessert is baobing , which is shaved ice with sweet syrup. Chinese jellies are known as ices . Jelly desserts are flavoured with fruits, though gelatin-based jellies are also common in contemporary desserts.
