A Taste of Culinary Arts From Around the World

Do you love food? Do you love experimenting with flavors? Do you love cooking? Does the phrase "mouth feel" have meaning for you?

A career in culinary arts may be just the right choice for you. With opportunities ranging from head chef to baker, personal chef, dessert, or catering specialist, the options are endless.

Into healthy living? Consider becoming a vegetarian chef. Want to contribute to the health and wellness of others? Become a personal chef--or work in a school, hospital, or nursing care facility.

You're ripe for a career in the culinary arts if you want a career in food--and one that gives you lots of options down the road.

Let's take a closer look at some fantastic places to study culinary arts around the world:

1. UK

English food isn't as boring as you might think. While the typical fish and chips and bangers and mash make justifiable appearances in the UK, there's so much more. The UK has a tremendous multicultural influence in its cuisine--Japanese, Mexican, Indian, and even American restaurants and culinary styles are quite popular.

What's really in though? Baked goods. Sticky puddings, scones with jam, every kind of meat pie you can imagine. Then there's the cheese: Stichelton, Cheddar, Stilton, and nothing quite like a good Yarg.

If you want to study the culinary arts in the UK, check out Westminster Kingsway College. The college offers premier programs in culinary arts, patisserie, hospitality, and fine cuisine, and boasts a modular approach to learning with science, gastronomy, innovation, and entrepreneurship models.

2. Argentina

You can literally taste the flavors of history in Argentina, famously known for its "asados," wines, fish, and milk jam, not to mention spectacular desserts.

Argentina's asados--or barbecues--are legendary because they are cooked with the best meats available. Expect to learn about multiple grilled meats, like beef, pork, ribs, sausages, ribs, pork ribs, sausages, blood sausages, and sweetbreads.

Another can't-miss? Argentina's signature condiment: chimichurri. A tangy, garlicky green salsa made from parsley, oregano, onion, garlic, chili pepper flakes, olive oil and a splash of lemon or lime does the trick.

We'd be remiss if we didn't mention at least one dessert, too: alfajores. Essentially Argentina's national cookie eaten any time of day including breakfast, these cylindrical biscuits are stuffed with jams, dulce de leche, and various mousses.

Check out the professional chef program at Mente Argentina and learn not just about this country's rich culinary history, but how to be a part of it.

3. Hawaii

In a country known for its fast food and burger joints, the US's Hawaii is something of a culinary anomaly, and a delicious one at that. Traditional Hawaiian food has its roots in Polynesia.

Poi, a thickened starch made from taro root, has a distinctive flavor and texture. With taro root leaves comes another Hawaiian delicacy: laulau. Traditionally made with pork wrapped in taro leaves and in an underground oven of hot rocks, the meat is tender and juicy, while the leaves become spinach-like from the cooking.

We wouldn't be doing our job if we didn't mention Hawaiian pineapple: it's everywhere and it's delicious. It's in most Hawaiian meals, even seafood.

Hawaii Community College offers a culinary arts program where you can learn the intricacies and delicacies of Hawaiian cooking--and infuse them at your job as a chef at a top Hawaiian resort!

4. New Zealand

Known for its fine wines, European, Asian, and Polynesian influences, food in New Zealand has a distinctive farm-to-table gourmet flair.

Try the traditional Maori hangi of meat an vegetables, similar to Hawaiian laulau in the that it's cooked in an underground oven. New Zealanders are also known for a unique dessert known as the Pavlova, made with meringue, whipped cream, and fruit--kiwis, of course! Honey, fritters, and sweet potatoes also make their mark in kiwi cuisine, as do burgers with beetroots and eggs, and sea urchins.

Want to learn more? Check out NSIA - The Professional Hospitality Academy to get a clear taste of kiwi cuisine--and what it means to work in the culinary arts in this fascinating country.

5. Malaysia

In Malaysia, experience the richness of a multicultural culinary melting pot. Basic ingredients? Coconut, chili, lemongrass, lime leaves, saffron, and spices. The possibilities? Endless. Satay, a famous Malaysian dish, has skewered beef or chicken served with an aromatic peanut sauce. The curries are rich with flavors, too, drawing from Indian influences and tastes.

Durian, the king of fruit, offers a true gastronomic journey, and shouldn't be missed either. Creamy yellow flesh, sweet and delicious comes from the thorny, spiky fruit.

Intrigued? Sign up for Sunway University's Diploma in Culinary Arts to capture the true flavor of the country--and the restaurant industry in this dynamic country.

6. Dubai

Inspired by Middle Eastern and Asian cuisine, the food in Dubai offers options you won't find anywhere else.

Camel is a popular dish, especially stuffed and roasted. The street food is also famously delicious with options from around the world. Don't like spicy? You might not find much to suit your palate.

Shawarma is one of Dubai's signature dishes--add a bit of mint to soften the spice if you need. You'll find lamb, beef, chicken, and camel--but you won't find any pork as it violates Muslim dietary rules.

Scafa, Dubai's School of Culinary and Finishing Arts offers a Professional Pastry Program where students interested in the cuisine of the region can become local and regional experts on not just the pastry, but the culinary style and landscape.

7. Bulgaria

Known for its honey, wines, and yogurt, Bulgaria offers a culinary crossroads. Bulgarian cuisine is tasteful and rustic, with lots of fenugreek, dill, paprika, savory, and oregano. Soups are popular, including a cold cucumber soup called Tarator and Shkembe Chorba, made from a lamb's stomach.

Meat dishes are also popular, including Kapama, made with three types of meat, fermented cabbage, spices, and rice simmered slowly in a clay pot, and Sarmi, rolls of rice and meat in cabbage or vine leaves.

With influences from the Balkans, Turkey, and Greece, Bulgarian cuisine offers an interesting twist on the Mediterranean diet.

The HRC Academy in Sofia offers a two-year culinary arts degree that leaves graduates with a firm grasp of Bulgarian cuisine--and the culinary skills to work internationally.