West Europe Countries which have similar consumption habits are interested in the same products by means of traditional cultures even though they show difference in the consumption amounts.  These countries which are affected from their kitchen cultures, reflect this also in their product variety.              In most European countries where the bread consumption is decreased, even though in a small amounts, the interest for traditional bread and dough products and also boutique bakery products still continue. In brand consumption, the preferences lean towards noodle which is rather easy to prepare.  Biscuit, candy and chocolate products have a very strong position in West Europe kitchen culture. The more the interest of the consumers lean towards the healthy, whole grain, gluten free products product diversification is preferred in biscuit, chocolate and candies.  Aside from this, demand for special products always protect their place. West Europe Countries which have similar consumption habits are interested in the same products by means of traditional cultures even though they show difference in the consumption amounts.  These countries which are affected from their kitchen cultures, reflect this also in their product variety. BREAD, PASTA AND BISCUIT IN UNITED KINGDOM AND IRELAND According to the information received from National Association of Britain and Ireland Millers (NABIM), 60 per cent of the flour produced in England is used for making bread. Average bread consumption is 90 gr according to National Diet and Nutrition Survey.  It is also stated that 80 per cent of the consumed bread consists of packaged or sliced bread. Cobs and muffins are among the bread types which are commonly consumed.  Bakery products consumed at the breakfast are also very common.  Especially the bakery products such as freshly baked pastries,  cobs and savory buns are commonly consumed in the morning. Wide, soft British bread called bap, small oiled muffins, tea muffins which are consumed popularly together with five o'clock tea are some of these. Even though the consumption of whole grain bread and bakery products are increased, white bread is still consumed largely in Britain and İreland. Consumption of tea and biscuits is a tradition in Ireland and Britain which essential and even more extended with the product diversification. It has been known that biscuit industry is extending steadily and the sugar biscuits are dominant in the market. Cream and fruit-flavored biscuits and cakes can be shown as the examples of the types of biscuits which are consumed approvingly. When we have a look at the matter by means of pasta types, types of pasta prepared with various sauces, starting with lasagna can be counted among the favorite foods of British. The fact that British serve lasagna and pasta sauces by preparing them with various vegetables, lentils, corn or even fish and then serve them shows that they diversified these foods according to their own tastes.  In the surveys made among the people, pasta with Bolognese sauce was chosen to be the most loved food.  At the same time, turning towards convenient, nutrient and cheap goods in especially young people and working people brought an increase in noodle consumption.  While the interest in the in the plain noodle consumption has decreased, interest for instant, meat or vegetable flavored noodle packages have increased. Still pasta have a more established and traditional place in especially Western European countries when compared to noodle. BREAD, PASTA AND BISCUIT IN FRANCE French people who have a rich cuisine and turned bread consumption into a tradition just like British. Even so, while the inclination towards light and low  calorie foods have increased, a decrease in the bread consumption is seen. Changing lifestyle has revealed itself in the meals of French usually consisting of starters, main dish and dessert and preferences have turned to instant, practical and light foods. This has caused French baguette which was a classic one to become less preferred than before. French people used to consume one baguette bread in a day and today it is estimated that they consume half a baguette bread a day. Similarly, especially young and working people have turned towards practical foods such as sandwich and toast. Still, world famous bakery culture of French continue and they continue to provide offer delicious and authentic breakfast products such as various bread, pastries and muffins. Even though the bread consumption became stagnant various cakes, sweets with candy and snacks being sold in bakeries which became essential for the streets still protect their popularity. Croissant, ecclaire, “kouign amann”, macaron, flaked pastry, puff pastry are some of these products. These bakery products which are prepared with cream filling, chocolate sauce or fruit-flavor are the leading snacks of French people. French prefer salty biscuits and crackers as packaged snacks consumed before meals and for sugared products they prefer special biscuits. According to Union of Organizations of Manufactures of Pasta Products of the European Union (UN.A.F.P.A.) French has 12th place with 8.1 kg in pasta consumption per capita in 2013. According to the report prepared by Canadian Ministry of Agriculture, retail sale value of pasta in France is 1.247 million dollars in 2013.  This value carries France to the third place after Italy and Germany in the list of European Countries. French people who like trying new tastes from different kitchen cultures and blend them with their own, showed interest in Asian kitchen and this caused gradually increasing numbers in the noodle  consumption. They especially prefer noodle types which are quickly prepared and consumed in cups and bowls.  Of course, flavoring with various sauces is a part of French cuisine. ıt is thought that the noodle consumption will be increased in France and noodle will appear more in market shelves. BREAD, PASTA AND BISCUIT IN SPAIN AND PORTUGUESE Spain is one of the countries turning towards boutique bread production. As a result of this café and bakeries which offer breads flavored by various tastes from both local and different cultures are very popular. According to HGCA which is a part of Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), bread consumption of Spain in 2012 per capita was 35.88 kg.  20,34 kg of these breads were packaged and 2,67 of them were full grain breads. White bread is the most common type of bread consumed by a typical Spanish family. Bread which takes any of da day’s meals is also commonly consumed as sandwiches or small snacks.  “Pan rustico” which is a baguette type bread is a very popular bread type. These breads which we call village bread can be found virtually in all the retail sale markets and pick the interest of Spanish consumers with their floured crust, quality and durability. In Portugal where in some areas it is seen that one meal consists of only bread, almost every meal is served with bread. In breakfast, they consume “fatias douradas” i.e. bread prepared by soaked in egg and milk and then fired with some sugar or cinnamon added sometimes.  Similarly, Portuguese people who like to consume content heavy corn bread, prefer to add meat, anise, lemon and pine nuts to their bread. Especially in the latest years there is a growth of Portuguese biscuit market with the new varieties of biscuits such as full grain, digestion system friendly, with decreased fat and sugar, with oats taking their place in the market. Among the types of biscuit popularly consumed by Spanish and Portuguese people are biscuits for breakfast take prominence. When we have a look at the biscuits preferred for snack or for special consumption majority  of them seems to be (just like British) snacks with  tea, plain cookies and biscuits flavored with vanilla.  “Nevados” among these with its soft form which disintegrates in the mouth and with low sugar content is a classic Noel biscuit. The cookies which are easily made at home, are among the classical tastes in  this region. According to the 2013 research of UN. A.F.P.A, yearly pasta consumption in Spain per capita is 5,3 kg while it is 6.7 kg in Portugal. With this consumption rate Spain can be said to have fallen behind lots of European countries. Both being Mediterranean Countries, Spain and Portugal flavor the pasta with indigenous products and shape it according to their own cuisine. Spaghetti with shrimps and spaghetti with anchovy sauce and pasta sauces flavored with olives and green vegetables are the distinctive examples of this. World famous “mac and cheese” i.e. pasta with cheese is dressed with various herbs indigenous to Mediterranean by Spanish and Portuguese and they prefer to use sea products and Mediterranean tastes in their sauces mainly. BREAD, PASTA AND BISCUIT IN ITALY Bread is one of the essential foods in Italy as it is in most other countries. According to the 2012 report of International Association of Plant Bakers (AIBI), bread consumption per capita is 52 kg.  Total bread production has decreased 2 per cent when compared to previous year. Italians' preference of light and instant products just like many other European countries, affected this. In today's Italy it is known that nearly 300 types of bread are produced. "Michetta" which is known by its puffy form is one of the classic Italian white breads.  “Ciabatta” which is made with olive oil and "Focaccia Classica" which is a flat, porous bread again made with olive oil are examples of Italian cuisine breads. Italian dough pastries have a large  variety such as breads. “Cannoli", a Sicily pastry is counted one of the traditional sweets of Italy. Cannoli which is prepared in a roll with cake dough and filled with cream, usually is not larger than a finger. Italians prefer different tastes in biscuit consumption and they consume products which are mainly chocolate and cream  filled and products with ginger, cinnamon and oats. “Biscotti” the traditional biscuit of Italy is a hard boiled delicious biscuit.  Biscotti is a product which is largely preferred in both industrial production and boutique bakery today.  Biscotti, which is flavored with various aromas, consumed not only in Italy but in a lot of areas of the world. Italy is among the leading countries in Europe in biscuit market. According to the data of Association of Chocolate, Biscuit and Confectionery Industries of Europe (CAOBISCO), the 2011 chocolate, candy and light bakery production of Italy in 2011 was 1,414,005 tons.   Yearly candy amount of biscuit and candy per capita is 21,15 kg. As it is known by everybody, when someone mentions pasta, Italy first came to our minds. According to the data of International Pasta Organization, 2014 pasta production of Italy is 3,326,750 tons. Italy sold 3,295 million dollars’ worth of pasta in retail and has a leading position the world in pasta production per capita with 26kg.  Lots of different variety of pasta have been created over the years and again Italian pasta with lots of different sauce recipe have been offered to the consumers. Italians take great care to flavor each pasta type with a sauce which is appropriate for its structure.  All kinds of foods which are offered by the geography is used in sauce making in Italy and it has been known that there are very different types of sauces with indigenous spices, vegetables, meat and milk products.  Tomato, garlic, olive oil, fresh herbs, milk, meat and parmesan cheese are the most frequently used materials in sauce making. BREAD, PASTA AND BISCUIT IN NETHERLANDS AND BELGIUM According to the International Association of Plant Bakers (AIBI) data, bread consumption per capita in Netherlands is 6,4 kg.  People of Netherlands are above European average with this rate of consumption.  Bread consumption per capita is 58 kg in Belgium. People of Netherlands who have a habit of nutrition which is consisted of carbohydrates and fats, also give importance to the bread consumption. People of Netherland decreased the use of white bread consumption and  inclined to full grain bread over time and developed the habit of  flavoring the bread with sunflower seeds and pumpkin seed. Rye bread which is consumed popularly is the bread of Netherlands which has the most heavy contents.  White bread is considered a luxury consumption and it is mostly made by adding milk and sugar to dough. The bread called “Kerststol” is the classical Noel bread of Netherlands and prepared by flavoring with materials such as sugar, raisins, almond paste, currants.   “Ontbijkoek” which is a type of cake consumed in breakfast usually and prepared with cloves, cinnamon, ginger and coconuts and it is one of the local tastes. It is consumed as bread typically. It is one of the basic foods in Belgium which carries similar properties with French, German and Netherlands kitchens. The round, puffy breads called “boterpistolets” of Belgium is very popular and just like the people of Netherland, Belgians mix foods such as grapes, almond and produce sweet breads. Bread named “Rogge verdomme” is an example of this. People of Netherlands and Belgium who like to flavor their bread with grapes, almond, sugar and milk are also the leading countries in Europe in consumption of sweets. The biscuit named “Speculoos” which is made with salty tart dough is one of the classical biscuits in Netherlands. That biscuit is also consumed with various tastes by using cinnamon, ginger and coconut. Belgians produce various biscuits which are flavored with cream, fruit, cinnamon, ginger, coconut and icing sugar just like Netherlands.  The most famous sweets brought to world cuisine by Belgians is waffle. Waffle is made by adding all kinds of fruits or chocolate between pastry with deep square pockets. Netherlands and Belgium has a place below the average of Europe in pasta production. Yearly pasta consumption per capita in Netherlands is 4.4 kg. Pasta consumption per capita is 5.4 kg in Belgium. People of Netherland and Belgians who like to flavor pasta with sauces with lots of vegetables, also prefer to combine various meat products with cream and use it as sauce. With the popularization of Asian cuisine, people of Netherlands and Belgium started to be prefer noodle consumption more and more and they are interested in the sauces with spice and vegetables which are used in Asian cuisine. BREAD, PASTA AND BISCUIT IN GERMANY AND SWITZERLAND Bread is mostly consumed in breakfast in German culture. Along with this bread is preferred as sandwich in the evening. Bread has more variation in Germany than the other countries of Europe. It is possible to find all kinds of bread from white bread to whole wheat bread to rye bread to bread flavoured by various seeds. “Vollkornbrot” or “Swhwarzbrot” which are breads made with rye flour mainly are the classics of German cuisine. Germans which are not dependent to one type, also consume small round bread called "Brötchen".  Swiss which are alleged to have more bread types than other countries, use different kinds of breads for almost all kinds of organizations.  Germans and Swiss prefer to consume their bread as more salty and brown when compared to other European countries. Biscuit, candy and chocolate consumption of Germans per capita is 25,53 kg. Yearly consumption of bread of Swiss per capita is 27,2 kg. Germans and Swiss which are known with their pastry and sweets with a world famous variety and taste, prefer sweets which are flavored with fruits and nuts the most. “Donauwelle”, “Kranz”, “Bienenstich” are some of these products. Consumption of cookies and biscuits have an important place in Swiss and German cultures.  Hard cookies with cinnamon and cream are produced as ornamented for special days and are serviced. Along with these, salty and spiced cookies are cut in special formations while they are dough and then cooked. These cookies are served with tea or coffee and also preferred most by Germans and Swiss in all kinds of celebrations. On accordance with the data of International Pasta Organizations (IPO) pasta consumption of Germans in a year per capita is 8.1 kg. This number is 9,3 for Swiss. While bread and pastry products have a strong place among the foods with carbohydrates in German and Swiss cuisine, increase towards the noodle consumption continues.  A type of needle with egg content called “Spätzle” has a place in traditional Swiss kitchen. Spätzle which is called with different names in some other European Countries is a food which is commonly consumed in German and Swiss cuisine. Spätzle which is consumed as small balls of dough or pasta sticks is served by flavoring with fruits, together with meat by being prepared with red pepper and onion as a main dish.

 Sources: 1.       National Association of British and Irısh Flour Millers (NABIM) 2.       Union of Organizations of Manufacturers of Pasta Products in Europe (UN.A.F.P.A) 3.       Agriculture and Agri-food Canada www.agr.gc.ca 4.       HGCA - Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board 5.       Chocolate, Biscuits & Confectionery of Europe (CAOBISCO) 6.       International Pasta Organization (IPO) 7.       AIBI – International Association of Plant Bakers