So, back to ratings. I wrote a lot about fast food, but I wrote mostly about specific street dishes. And today, for some reason, I wanted to paint the best fast food chains in the world. And here is my highly subjective ranking of 11 cute food corporations and fast food companies.
They have one thing in common – you can have a quick bite to eat in them, and different – they offer a variety of food. And it’s interesting – in this rating you won’t be able to find well-known global brands like KFC, Burger King or Macdonalds that has set your teeth on edge. I was only interested in unique fast food chains with relatively unique diets.
First place. Din Tai Fung, Taiwan
Stanislav Govorukhin’s book “The Black Cat. Director’s Notes” is an entertaining discussion about the origin of the “primordially” Russian dish of dumplings. Govorukhin conducts a small historical educational program and leads the reader to the fact that the dumpling came from the East. And today, in the East, dumplings (their modifications) are no less popular, and maybe even more than in Central Russia and Ukraine.
Din Tai Fung is a very popular fast food chain in Taiwan where you can try traditional national Chinese dumplings with a wide variety of fillings.The brand itself is already three and a half decades old. In the restaurants of the chain, the main feature is Chinese dumplings, but besides this, other quick-to-cook Chinese dishes can be found on the menu.
Of course, I call this dish dumplings conditionally. In China, it is called baozi – steamed dough with meat or other stuffing inside. A variant of Din Tai Fung is called Xiaolongbao, which is a traditional baozi from the Jiangnan region of China.
Second place. Teremok, Russia
If we talk about our latitudes, then after all, the main fast food on our streets (fast food with a national flavor) is pancakes. Maybe this is not so relevant for Belarus, but for Russian culinary culture this is definitely the main dish, adapted back in 1988 for fast food. It was then in the late 80s that the first fast food restaurant “Teremok” appeared.
Teremka serves a variety of food (cereals, soups, salads), but the most popular dish of this restaurant is pancakes with a wide variety of fillings and, of course, caviar.So at least the owners of this fast food chain say, and the network is not small and has more than 110 restaurants and many kiosks in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Despite the geographical proximity, this fast food chain has not yet settled in Minsk. It’s a pity… It would be interesting to try homemade cutlets with buckwheat, cabbage and egg or with potatoes.
Third place. Germany
The paradox of the post-Soviet space is that the market is flooded with sea fish that are not their own. They bring it from different countries. Sometimes, for example, Norwegian herring is banned and herring is already imported from other remote fishing states.
And what is the paradox? The thing is that the USSR had a huge fishing fleet of its own, and there are no such rich fish resources as in the territorial waters of the former USSR anywhere in the world. At one time there was even a problem of how to sell all these tons and tons of sea fish, how to make people eat more fish, not fat.” And in all canteens and restaurants 1/6 sushi on Thursdays was mainly a fish diet. Where is that fleet? And why has fish become so much more expensive than meat?
Germany also has experience in popularizing fish dishes. And this experience materialized in the network of fish eateries Nordsee. The name is translated from German as the North Sea, which is understandable – Germany has access to this reservoir.
So, an unusual chain of fast food establishments specializes in fish and seafood. Cod, salmon, pollock, etc., steamed or baked, served with various sauces, french fries, various salads. Moreover, this restaurant never uses frozen fish, only freshly caught fish will end up on the table of visitors.
The first fish shop with a Nordsee sign appeared in Bremen in 1896, and in 1964, fish shops of this brand began to offer ready-made fish dishes. And it was a godsend, the idea quickly took root and gained immense popularity among the Germans. Today there are more than 400 such restaurants, mainly in Germany and Austria, but there are also in other countries. For example, in 2011 the first Nordsee restaurant opened in St. Petersburg.
Fourth place. Mr. Lee, China
In our cold latitudes, soups are preferred to be cooked on hearty bone-in broth. The stomach is not yet ready, and it is already being offered nutritious, quickly digestible food. Therefore, do not forget the recommendations of nutritionists and start lunch with a salad.
In China, they also love nutritious soups, but unlike our tradition, they cook them differently. So fast food restaurants Mr. Lee specialize in a wide variety of soups, based mainly on beef and noodles. But the visitor adds the remaining components to the soup on his own to his liking. It can be various spices, vinegar, herbs, soy sauce. The result is absolute uniqueness. Each serving is different in taste, in addition, very satisfying and healthy.
Restaurants Lee are very popular in China, the network includes more than 400 fast food establishments. Although what is 400 for a 2 billionth China …
Fifth place. Jensen’s Bøfhus, Denmark
Many peoples love meat. More than, for example, fish or poultry, or …, or … The Danes probably love meat very much. At least one of the most popular fast food chains in Denmark is Jensen’s Bøfhus.Nepotism” is probably due to the fact that the menu has a whole section dedicated to children, and this allows you to hold children’s holidays in the restaurant.
