In the weekend edition of the London Times, a reporter interviewed visitors from Hong Kong who were touring Blackpool. The tourists commented on the difference between the local Chinese take-away food in Blackpool and the food they knew in China. One of the most influential cultural exports from any country may be its cuisine, but the food may change considerably when adapted to a foreign market. While some of these differences be due to availability of ingredients, other differences may reflect local tastes and preferences.

Aside from the example of Chinese-style food, we can make similar observations about other popular cuisines, including Mexican-style food and French-style food, which is often based on high-end restaurant cuisine and does not represent any of the regional French cuisines. As well, American fast food restaurants are popular around the world, but their menus are not representative of any regional cuisine from North America.

Are there any cuisines that are faithfully replicated in other countries? Perhaps Thai or Ethiopian? What do you think?