National Cuisine/ Beer and Tuna Pasta

The topic of National Cuisine is a fascinating, controversial issue. What is national a cuisine? A national cuisine is a certain food or dish that is associated with a nation or country. For example the national cuisine of Japan is/has become white rice. A national cuisine could be created through various means such as tourism, ancient history, or government.

When I went to Japan I tried an array of “typical” Japanese foods from the city of Toyokawa, and I did notice that white rice is eaten with almost every meal in some shape or form. I was an exchange student staying with a host family and I thought it would be nice and fun for them if I cooked them a “typical” dish I ate at home. I went through the foods I considered typical American cuisine ( Hamburgers, Hot dogs, baked potatoes, mac and cheese etc. ), but then I realized that I don’t normally eat any of these foods at home. The foods I eat at home (the foods my mom cooks) are actually not American based, rather Italian based. My mom is from Northern Italy so practically all of her recipes come from her Italian heritage. Since I couldn’t place my finger on any one “American food/meal,” I decided focus on a smaller scale and cook a typical Lowenthal house dish.

I made Beer and Tuna pasta, one of my favorites. I brought some of the non-perishable ingredients from home, however I had to make an additional trip to a Japanese market to purchase the rest. This was an interesting experience in it’s own trying to find familiar ingredients. Even the onions looked, smelled and tasted slightly different. I made due though and returned to my host families house loaded with ingredients and ready to cook.

The whole operation went very smoothly. I served each member of the family a big bowl of saucy pasta with French bread (or as close to French bread as I could find in the Japanese market). All four of them finished every bite! They loved it. They were so open to trying new foods and had so much fun with this completely unfamiliar food. My host mother liked it so much she asked me for the recipe, which I was honored to give.

Beer and Tuna Pasta

1 large brown onion finely chopped
1 Tbsp butter
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp sugar
1 can of sliced mushrooms
1 red pepper thinly sliced
2 6 oz cans of tuna (drained)
3 8 oz cans of tomato sauce
3/4 can of beer
1 package of pasta (any kind)
Salt and Pepper

Put butter and olive oil in a sauce pan. Add onions and sauté on medium heat until onions are translucent. Add sugar, mushrooms and pepper. Sauté for about 10 to 15 minutes on low heat. Add tuna and sauté for 5 more minutes on medium heat. Add tomato sauce and sauté for 10 more minutes on low heat. Turn up the heat to high and add beer. Stir for about 15 seconds on high heat and then turn down heat to low and sauté another 10 to 15 minutes. Stir every now and then.

In the mean time, cook the pasta as directed on the package. Drain pasta and add the above mixture. Serve with shaved parmesan cheese on the top.