(Bloomberg) - Europeans and Americans, linked by shared cultures and centuries of history, are about to face off over some of the toughest issues that divide them: cheese, wine, foie gras and steak. Farm products will be a central part of negotiations aimed at creating a trade agreement between the U.S. and the 27-nation European Union, which was endorsed this week by President Barack Obama and his counterparts across the Atlantic. Both sides -- whose economies collectively represent almost half the world’s output -- say they’re ready to knock down barriers that for years have bedeviled their compatibility on trade. Few are greater than those dealing with food and agriculture, which raise thorny issues of national identity, ethnic pride and economic security.