How very interesting, I've been saying the same thing, though extending it to the world, for some 35 years now. Pity I didn't think of writing a book about it!!
More seriously, one can sometimes find similarities between cuisines of widely different cultural backgrounds, depending upon the fat they habitually cook with. That also give a clue as to what substitutions work best, I find.
Like all generalisations there are many exceptions, but it is a good rule of thumb.
-- All the best Fatty from Forges