Food defined nations

Italy = pasta. France = foie gras. Germany = sausages. Spain = paella. My mind must be wandering as I sit glued to the telly watching the European championships because I'm increasingly indentifying participating nations with the dishes for which they are known.

This is a natural process because food is one of those factors which define cultures. Could roast beef, Yorkshire pudding etc etc have become the national dish of any other nation than ours, with its northern European chill and dampness, stay-at-home attitude and verdant fields? I doubt it.

We might not be what we eat, but what we eat doesn't half give a clue to the sort of people we are.