The food in Asia varies depending on the different regions. Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, and Southwest Asia have different types of Asia food that they eat. Asian recipes are full of flavor, fragrance, and spice. All of the Asian national cuisines are interconnected since each country's cuisine influenced another country's cuisine. For example, the wok, star anise, vegetable oil, and stir fry was introduced to Southeast Asian cuisine by the Chinese. The staple food in Asia is rice, but there are other very important foods such as bread and noodles. Northeast Asian traditional cuisine includes the cuisines of China, Japan, and Korea. Cooking comprises of sauces, fats, and oils. There are many oily foods and garlic and vinegar are often used during cooking. Sauteing, frying, and deep-frying are the most commonly used cooking techniques in Asia. Vegetable oil, hot pepper, and spices are necessities in Northeast Asian cuisine. Southeast Asian traditional cuisine includes the cuisines of Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Laos, and Singapore. Southeast Asian cuisine is based on rice and curries as well as yogurt. Stir frying is the most popular cooking technique. Ginger, cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and coriander are important spices in Southeast Asian spicy dishes. Southwest Asian traditional cuisine includes the cuisines of Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka. Wheat, rice, barley, unleavened bread, and beans are the main staples in Southwest Asian cuisine. The major Southwest Asian spices are cloves, hot peppers, and black pepper. Goat, lamb, and chicken are usually the only meats that Southwest Asians eat since Hinduism forbids the consumption of beef.