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But there are many more eth- nic cuisines vying for a place on our plates today, according to the sur- vey, including subsets of those top three ethnic cuisines, such as Tex- Mex and Hunan, Mandarin and Sichuan Chinese (as opposed to the standard Cantonese), as well as French, Scandinavian, German, Greek, Japanese and Cajun/Cre- ole. Emerging ethnic cuisines in- clude Caribbean, Korean, Middle Eastern, Thai and Vietnamese, "al- though as many as 40 percent of consumers are still reported to be unfamiliar with these cuisines," C Priscilla Lister is a writer with Copley News Service. says Gail Bellamy in Restaurant Hospitality, a trade publication. Consumers seek ethnic cuisines for three reasons, according to The Food Channel, a trend publication for the food industry. "Culture-oriented consumers en- joy ethnic foods as a way to learn about and participate in other cul- tures," it says. "They also see new foods as a challenge." Restaurant-oriented consumers view ethnic restaurants as alter- native choices for dining out, while preparation-oriented consumers focus on the actual cooking of, and ingredients in, ethnic foods. You can probably explore all three reasons in your own city through growing numbers of eth- nic eateries as well as markets. Here's a short primer on educat- ing your palate. CHINESE "Chinese food is probably the world's most well-traveled cuisine," says Burt Wolf, host of the popu- lar public television show and book of the same name, Burt Wolf's Table (Doubleday). Chinese restau- rants are virtually all over Amer- ica, in big and small towns, and "to- day there is a constant and ever- increasing curiosity about Chinese cooking in the home kitchens of the West." You can find most Chinese in- gredients in your supermarket. "There is an influx of Asian in- gredients in stores across the coun- try not only because of a large Asian population, but because the American palate has changed and expanded," Martin Yan, master chef and host of the PBS cooking show, "Yan Can Cook," and author of 10 cookbooks, told Showcase, the publication of the National Asso- ciation for the Specialty Food Trade. Wolf suggests seeking just sev- en different ingredients "that should be able to give most home- cooked dishes their Chinese fla- vor": oyster sauce, sesame oil, soy sauce, chili sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame paste and star anise. Cantonese Chinese is the most familiar to Americans among Chi- nese cuisines, and includes such favorites as spring rolls, fried rice, stir-fry dishes of meats and veg- etables or barbecued pork. "Beijing (Chinese) cooking uses garlic, sesame and miso," says Bel- lamy. "Sichuan flavors feature chilies, sweet-and-sour combina- tions and hot flavorings. Shanghai cooking has a sweeter taste that draws on soy and sugar flavorings." JAPANESE "Most Japanese meals are made up of many dishes, which are served in small portions," say Hal and Marilyn Weiner, authors of The World of Cooking (Macmillan), which also accompanied their PBS series of the same name. "Of all the zensai (hors d'oeuvres) the Japan- ese eat, none is so popular or so much savored as the fish dishes, sashimi and sushi." Sashimi and sushi are primar- ily centered on slices of raw fish. Sashimi is nothing more, while sushi frequently features the fish with tiny bits of cucumber or avo- cado surrounded by white, sticky rice and gathered in a piece of cured seaweed. Sushi bars have proliferated throughout the country and are theatrical dining destinations as you watch chefs masterfully pre- pare these delicacies. Japanese noodle restaurants are also gaining ground nationwide as patrons line up to try various forms of noodle soup (udon), Japanese style. Tempura, batter-fried food, is delicious, and don't overlook that old Japanese standby, sukiyaki, a one-pot dish of meats and vegeta- bles served with rice. APPETIZING BEGINNINGS One of the best ways to sample a new cuisine is through its hors d'oeuvres or appetizers. In Italian cuisine, they're called antipasto. In Spanish cuisine, they're called tapas. In Greek and Turkish cui- sine, me.ze; in Russian, zakuski. "These delicious small plates are, from my point of view, the best way to eat," says Sheila Lukins in her All Around the World Cook- book (Workman). While they may be intended as a first course, Lukins said she rarely makes it to the entree; you can fill up on several small plates and sample a great variety if you share them among your table- mates. In Spain, a typical tapa is called a tortilla, but it's not what the tor- tilla is to Mexican cuisine. The Spanish tortilla tapa is a rather omeletlike baked potato and egg di sh. Other tapas might include shrimp sauteed in olive oil and gar- lic, or grilled eggplant, red peppers, onions and tomatoes. "Tapas are delicious morsels of hot or cold, spicy or salty, crisp or sauced foods," say the Weiners. ❑