The Canon

• AbloCoastal West Africa — Togo, Benin, and adjacent areas of Ghana
  Ablo are small, individually steamed cakes made from naturally fermented corn (maize) flour, defined by a spongy, porous crumb and a mild sourdough-like tang.
• Aish BaladiEgypt / North Africa
  A round, puffed whole-wheat sourdough flatbread from Egypt, baked at extreme deck-oven heat to form a hollow steam pocket, and consumed daily as the foundational bread of Egyptian cuisine.
• Al Jabab BreadArabian Gulf — United Arab Emirates
  A thin, lacy Emirati flatbread made from a yeast-leavened batter poured and cooked on a flat griddle (tawa) until golden, served warm with date syrup.
• ArepaThe Andes & Northern South America
  A round, thick cake of pre-cooked ground white or yellow corn (masarepa), griddled or grilled until a firm golden crust forms around a soft, moist interior, eaten plain, split and filled, or topped.
• ArnautkaThe Balkans & Southeastern Europe
  Arnautka is a rustic Moldovan cornmeal flatbread, a dense poor-table staple of the rural countryside baked from coarse maize meal.
• BacalaítosThe Caribbean
  Puerto Rican fritters of shredded rehydrated salt cod folded into a thin seasoned batter and fried into large, lacy, crisp-edged disks.
• BaguetteFrance / Western Europe
  A long, thin yeasted French wheat loaf distinguished by its crackling, blistered crust, open and irregular crumb, and flavor developed through a slow, cool fermentation.
• BakesEastern Caribbean
  A simple wheat flour dough round from the Eastern Caribbean, deep-fried until puffed and golden or oven-baked until cooked through, served hot as bread alongside savory or sweet accompaniments.
• BammyJamaica, Caribbean
  A thick, round Jamaican flatbread made from grated bitter cassava that has been pressed dry, formed into cakes, dry-toasted on a griddle, soaked in coconut milk, and then pan-fried or steamed until tender.
• BannockCanada / Northern North America
  A dense, minimally-leavened Indigenous quick bread of wheat flour, fat, and water, cooked by pan-frying, baking, or over an open fire, and adopted as a staple across Indigenous communities of Canada and the northern United States.
• BaraThe Andes & Northern South America
  A soft, deep-fried flatbread leavened and seasoned with ground split peas, eaten as a street snack and as the bread of doubles.
• BarbariIran / Persian Plateau
  Barbari is a thick, oval-shaped Iranian leavened flatbread defined by its roomal — a cooked starch-and-oil glaze brushed on before baking — deep longitudinal finger-pressed scoring, sesame and nigella seed topping, and a chewy, glossy crust produced by high-heat deck baking.
• BaursakKazakhstan / Central Asian Steppe
  Baursak is a Kazakh deep-fried leavened dough puff — golden-crusted, hollow inside, and served at celebrations, memorial feasts, and daily tea as an emblem of Kazakh hospitality.
• BazinLibya — historically strong in Jabal al-Gharbi, Fezzan, and coastal Tripolitania
  A dense, unleavened barley-dough dome boiled in salted water and served communally on a wide platter surrounded by spiced lamb stew, with hard-boiled eggs set into the dome.
• Beigel (Lye Ring Bread)Central Europe & the Alps
  A soft yeasted ring of dough dipped in food-grade lye solution and baked glossy and mahogany with coarse salt — the Alpine Laugengebäck pastry in ring form.
• Belikin BreadMesoamerica & Central America
  A dense, tender baked coconut-milk round from Belize, eaten for breakfast split open and filled with butter or sharp cheese.
• Belokranjska pogačaBela krajina, Slovenia
  A soft, enriched leavened wheat flatbread from Slovenia's Bela krajina region, distinguished by its deep diamond-grid scoring and egg-washed amber crust, traditionally baked as a feast and celebration bread.
• Bint al-SahnYemen
  A Yemeni festive bread built from stacked, butter-and-egg-coated paper-thin dough rounds baked together in a circular pan, then flooded with honey the moment they leave the oven.
• Black BreadThe Nordics & Baltics
  A dense, sourdough-leavened loaf made predominantly from rye flour, slow-baked to a near-black crust with a moist, compact crumb and characteristic mild sourness, regarded as the edible soul of Estonian cuisine.
• BlinyEastern Europe & the Slavic World
  Thin, lacy, yeast-leavened pancakes made from buckwheat or wheat flour — or a blend — cooked on a cast-iron skillet and characterised by a slightly spongy, bubble-pocked surface and mild tang from fermentation.
• BoxemännercherWestern Europe
  A Luxembourgish sweet enriched-dough roll shaped like a little man, baked for the Saint Nicholas (Kleeschen) feast in early December.
• Bread DumplingsCentral Europe & the Alps
  A steamed or simmered cylindrical loaf of egg-and-milk dough studded with cubed stale white bread rolls, sliced into thick rounds after cooking and served as a sauce-absorbing accompaniment to braised and roasted meats.
• Brown BreadIreland
  A dense, yeast-free Irish wholemeal loaf leavened solely by the reaction of baking soda with acidic buttermilk, producing a moist, nutty, slightly treacly crumb beneath a thick, firm crust.
• Buckwheat PancakesHighland Bhutan; Korean Peninsula
  A thick, pan-fried pancake made primarily or exclusively from buckwheat flour — a highland staple of Bhutan (where it is called khule) and a traditional preparation of the Korean Peninsula — valued for its earthy, slightly bitter grain character and its status as an everyday bread substitute in buckwheat-growing highland communities.

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• AcarajéBahia, Brazil (Northeastern Brazil)
  A deep-fried fritter of skinned, aerated black-eyed pea paste cooked in dendê palm oil, split open while hot and filled with vatapá (a shrimp-peanut-coconut paste) and caruru (an okra-and-dried-shrimp stew), then topped with whole dried shrimp and hot pepper sauce.
• AlcapurriasPuerto Rico
  A Puerto Rican street fritter of finely grated yautía and green banana masa, colored with achiote oil, stuffed with sofrito-seasoned ground beef or crab, hand-shaped into cylinders, and deep-fried to a mahogany crust.
• AshakAfghanistan (Kabul, Herat, wider Persian-influenced Central Asia)
  Ashak is a boiled Afghan pasta dumpling filled with gandana (Afghan garlic chives or wild leeks), served beneath a layer of spiced ground-meat qorma sauce and a cool garlic-yogurt dressing finished with dried mint — the three-layer assembly being as constitutive as the dumpling itself.
• AushakAfghanistan
  Boiled thin-dough parcels filled with raw gandana (Afghan chives) or scallions, served layered beneath a spiced ground-meat sauce, cold garlic-spiked strained yoghurt, and dry crumbled dried mint.
• Banh BaoSoutheast Asia
  A Vietnamese steamed wheat-flour bun enclosing a savoury filling of seasoned pork, Chinese sausage, hard-boiled egg, mushroom, and glass noodles.
• Banh ChungNorthern Vietnam
  A dense, square parcel of soaked glutinous rice layered around seasoned mung bean paste and fatty pork belly, wrapped tightly in dong leaves and boiled for eight to twelve hours until the rice fully gelatinizes and compresses into a cohesive, sliceable cake.
• Banh CuonSoutheast Asia
  Delicate steamed sheets of fermented rice-flour batter rolled around minced pork and wood-ear mushroom, served with fish-sauce dip.
• BanitsaThe Balkans & Southeastern Europe
  A Bulgarian baked pastry of tissue-thin unleavened phyllo sheets layered with a filling of whisked eggs and crumbled sirene (white brine cheese), producing a shatteringly crisp, golden exterior over a soft, custardy, savory interior.
• BanshMongolia / Central Asia & the Steppe
  Small Mongolian hand-folded dumplings of unleavened wheat dough encasing a seasoned minced-mutton filling, cooked by boiling in water or broth and served in that broth, or secondarily pan-fried.
• BarbagiuanMonaco / French Riviera (Côte d'Azur border zone)
  A Monegasque deep-fried pastry pocket made from a thin olive-oil-and-wine dough, encasing a seasoned filling of wilted Swiss chard, fresh ricotta, and leeks, served hot as a savory snack or aperitivo bite.
• BarbajuanMonaco / Ligurian Riviera
  Barbajuan is the national snack of Monaco — a thin pasta-dough pocket deep-fried until golden and crisp, stuffed with a filling of blanched Swiss chard, ricotta, Parmesan, and herbs.
• BastillaMorocco / The Maghreb & North Africa
  A Moroccan celebration pie of tissue-thin, shatteringly crisp warqa pastry encasing distinct layers of spiced braised pigeon or chicken, eggs scrambled into the reduced braising liquid, and cinnamon-sugar fried almonds, finished with a decorative dusting of powdered sugar and cinnamon on the top crust.
• Bis KeemiyaMaldives
  A Maldivian deep-fried triangular pastry with a thin wheat dough shell encasing a filling of hard-boiled egg, shredded cabbage, and spring onion, eaten as an everyday short-eat.
• BolaniAfghanistan; Persia & the Iranian Plateau
  Bolani is a thin Afghan unleavened flatbread filled with a spiced mixture of leek (gandana) or mashed potato, pan-fried in oil until golden and crisp, and served hot alongside chaka (strained yogurt) or a fresh herb chutney.
• BolloPanama, Central America
  A Panamanian steamed cake of wet-ground fresh corn dough wrapped and cooked in its own husk, eaten plain or enclosing seasoned pork.
• Bolón de VerdeEcuador — coastal lowlands (Costa region: Guayaquil, Manabí, Los Ríos)
  A fist-sized ball of hand-mashed green plantain stuffed with cheese, chicharrón, or both, then griddled or shallow-fried until a taut, golden crust forms on the outside.
• BörekAnatolia, Balkans, Levant, Central Asia
  A family of baked or fried savory pastries built from paper-thin yufka or filo sheets layered with fat and enclosing a filling of cheese, spinach, minced meat, or potato.
• BourekThe Maghreb & North Africa
  An Algerian fried pastry of thin dough wrapped cigar- or roll-style around a spiced minced-meat and egg filling, fried until crisp.
• BrikTunisia, Maghreb
  Brik is a Tunisian deep-fried pastry in which a single paper-thin sheet of malsouka (warqa) is folded around a whole cracked egg, canned tuna, and flat-leaf parsley, then fried at high heat until the wrapper shatters and the yolk stays just runny.
• Brik / BourekThe Maghreb & North Africa
  A Maghrebi street food and starter of ultra-thin malsouqa (or warka) pastry folded around a filling — classically a whole raw egg with tuna and capers, or spiced minced meat — and deep-fried until the shell shatters while the interior remains molten.
• BriouatsMorocco, The Maghreb & North Africa
  Briouats are Moroccan parcels of ultra-thin warqa pastry — folded into triangles or rolled into cylinders — filled with spiced kefta, seafood, cheese, or sweet almond paste, then fried or baked until shatteringly crisp.
• Bryndzové pirohySlovakia, Central Europe
  A Slovak national dish of boiled half-moon dumplings made from unleavened wheat dough and filled with a mixture of mashed potato and bryndza (Slovak sheep's milk cheese), served topped with sour cream and traditionally garnished with fried bacon and onion.
• BurekThe Balkans & Southeastern Europe
  A coiled hand-pulled filo pastry filled with seasoned minced beef and onion, baked in a round metal pan until the outer layers crackle and char and the inner layers absorb the filling's steam, served immediately as a breakfast or street-food staple across the Balkans.
• BurekasLevant / Eastern Mediterranean (Israel)
  Individual flaky puff-pastry or filo parcels baked with a savory filling of cheese, potato, or spinach and topped with sesame seeds — the defining hand-held street food of Israeli Sephardic cuisine.

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• ÄlplermagronenSwiss Alps — German-speaking central and eastern cantons (Uri, Glarus, Graubünden, Appenzell)
  A Swiss Alpine baked pasta dish in which short macaroni and diced waxy potato are combined in heavy cream and melted Gruyère, then crowned with crispy fried onion rings and served alongside applesauce.
• AmatricianaLazio (Amatrice), Central Italy
  A Central Italian pasta dish of bucatini tossed with a sauce of rendered guanciale, crushed San Marzano tomatoes, and Pecorino Romano, sharpened with peperoncino and white wine.
• AushAfghanistan; Persia & the Iranian Plateau
  A thick, hearty Afghan-Persian noodle soup built on hand-made thick noodles, spinach, and legumes, finished with tangy kashk (dried whey), deeply caramelized onions, and dried mint bloomed in hot fat.
• Baasto iyo SuqaarEast Africa & the Horn
  A Somali main of spaghetti served with suqaar — small cubes of meat sautéed with vegetables and the spice blend xawaash — a vernacular fusion born of Italian colonial influence.
• Bajan Macaroni PieBarbados, Caribbean
  A Barbadian baked pasta dish of elbow macaroni set in a firm egg-and-evaporated-milk custard, seasoned with sharp cheddar, prepared mustard, and Bajan aromatics, sliced into squares and served as a staple side or main.
• Bak Chor MeeSingapore
  A Singaporean hawker noodle dish of egg noodles tossed—not souped—in a sauce of black vinegar, dark soy, and lard, topped with minced pork, sliced pork, braised shiitake mushrooms, and pork meatballs.
• Beef Brisket NoodlesHong Kong
  A Hong Kong noodle dish of long-braised beef brisket and tendon in a spiced master-sauce broth, served over springy egg noodles or lai fun in a portion of the cooking liquid.
• Beef Noodle SoupTaiwan
  A Taiwanese noodle soup of thick, chewy wheat noodles submerged in a long-simmered 紅燒 (red-braised) beef broth built on dark soy sauce, doubanjiang, and aromatic spices, topped with tender braised beef shank slices and pickled mustard greens.
• Boat Noodles (dry version / nam tok)Southeast Asia
  A small intense Thai bowl of rice noodles dressed without much broth in a dark pork- or beef-blood (nam tok) sauce, tossed with meat, herbs, fried garlic, and pork crackling.
• Braised Beef Noodle SoupEast Asia
  A Chinese noodle soup in which bone-in beef is red-braised in a soy-and-doubanjiang liquor with whole spices until the cooking liquid becomes the broth and the meat becomes fall-tender, served over thick chewy wheat noodles.
• Brunei LaksaBrunei Darussalam, Southeast Asia
  A Bruneian noodle dish of rice vermicelli served in a rich, golden coconut-prawn broth seasoned with a fried rempah spice paste, topped with shredded chicken, whole prawns, and accompanied by sambal belacan.
• Bryndzové haluškySlovakia, Central European Carpathians
  Soft, irregularly shaped potato-flour dumplings tossed while hot with pungent Slovak sheep's-milk bryndza cheese and finished with rendered smoked pork and its drippings.
• Bucatini all'AmatricianaLazio, Central Italy
  A central-Italian pasta dish of bucatini sauced with slowly rendered guanciale, crushed San Marzano tomatoes, dried peperoncino, and a generous finish of aged pecorino romano.
• Bun Bo Nam BoSoutheast Asia
  A Vietnamese dry vermicelli bowl of cold rice noodles topped with stir-fried beef, fresh herbs, crushed peanuts and crisp shallots, dressed with nuoc cham.
• Cacio e PepeLazio, Rome, Italy
  A Roman pasta dish of exactly three ingredients — pasta (traditionally tonnarelli or spaghetti), very finely grated Pecorino Romano, and coarsely cracked black pepper — bound into a seamless, creamy sauce through emulsification with hot, starchy pasta cooking water and no added fat.
• Cao LauSoutheast Asia
  A specialty noodle dish of Hoi An, Vietnam, with thick chewy yellow noodles, sliced char siu-style pork, fresh greens, and crisp rice-cracker croutons in a small amount of savory broth.
• CarbonaraLazio, Italy (Rome)
  A Roman pasta dish in which dried spaghetti (or rigatoni) is coated in a sauce of off-heat-emulsified egg yolks, Pecorino Romano, and rendered guanciale fat, finished with an aggressive amount of coarsely cracked black pepper — no cream, no onion, no garlic.
• Char Kway TeowSoutheast Asia — Penang, Malaysia; Singapore
  A Hokkien-Chinese street dish of flat rice noodles flash-fried over ferocious wok heat with prawns, blood cockles, Chinese sausage, egg, bean sprouts, and chives, unified by dark soy and the mandatory smoky wok-char of lard-cooked rice noodles.
• Chicken Long RiceHawaii, USA
  A Hawaiian-Chinese dish of mung bean glass noodles simmered in a ginger-seasoned chicken broth until the noodles have absorbed the liquid and become silky, tender, and deeply flavored.
• Chicken Pho (Australian-Vietnamese)Oceania & the Pacific
  Vietnamese chicken pho — flat rice noodles in a clear, aromatic chicken broth with poached chicken and herbs — now a mainstream everyday dish embedded in Australian food culture.
• Chow MeinThe Andes & Northern South America
  A creolized Guyanese stir-fried noodle dish flavored with Chinese five-spice, soy, and cassareep-influenced seasonings, tossed with mixed vegetables and meat.
• Cottage Cheese PastaHungary, Central Europe
  A Hungarian comfort dish of boiled flat egg-pasta sheets tossed with túró (dry curd cheese) and tejföl (sour cream), finished with rendered smoked-bacon crackling.
• Curry LaksaMalaysia — Klang Valley and peninsular west coast
  A Malaysian hawker noodle soup of thick rice noodles and/or yellow wheat noodles submerged in a rich, fragrant coconut curry broth built on fried rempah, topped with prawns, blood cockles, fried tofu puffs, bean sprouts, and Vietnamese mint.
• Dan Dan NoodlesSichuan, China
  Dan Dan Noodles are a Sichuan noodle dish of wheat noodles dressed in a spicy, numbing sauce of chilli oil, sesame paste, and soy sauce, topped with minced pork and preserved Sichuan greens.

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• AishThe Maghreb & North Africa — Mauritania and the Mauritanian Sahel
  A very stiff, smooth porridge of cooked pearl millet or sorghum flour that forms the daily caloric foundation of Mauritanian cuisine, always eaten communally and always paired with a liquid counterpart of soured milk or a slow-cooked meat sauce.
• AkaloEast Africa & the Horn
  A stiff porridge of sorghum and/or millet flour, the staple starch of northern Uganda.
• AmiwoBenin, West Africa
  A dense, tomato-red maize flour porridge cooked with red palm oil, ground dried crayfish, and smoked fish into a cohesive, sliceable mass that is both the starch and the flavored dish in one.
• Arroz con CocoThe Andes & Northern South America
  Arroz con Coco is a Colombian Caribbean-coast rice cooked in coconut milk that is first reduced to caramelised curds (titoté) before the rice goes in.
• Arroz con GandulesPuerto Rico, Caribbean
  A Puerto Rican one-pot feast rice in which long-grain white rice and green pigeon peas are cooked together in a sofrito-and-achiote-seasoned broth with pork, forming a unified, deeply flavored dish with a prized crispy bottom crust called pegao.
• Arroz con GuandúPanama, Caribbean coast of Central America
  A Panamanian one-pot rice cooked in coconut milk with pigeon peas and culantro, producing grains that are fragrant, subtly sweet, and stained pale gold from the coconut fat.
• Arroz con PolloMesoamerica & Central America, The Caribbean
  A pan-Caribbean and Central American one-pot dish in which bone-in chicken pieces and long-grain rice cook together in a sofrito- and sazón-seasoned broth, the rice absorbing all cooking liquid to yield moist chicken and orange-hued, flavor-saturated grains studded with briny olives.
• Arroz de CabidelaCentral Africa
  Arroz de Cabidela is a rice dish cooked with chicken and its blood, soured with vinegar and enriched with the giblets and palm oil.
• Arroz de CocoSouthern Africa
  Arroz de Coco is long-grain rice cooked in coconut milk until fragrant, fluffy, and faintly sweet.
• Arroz de DjagatuGuinea-Bissau / West Africa
  A Guinea-Bissau one-pot rice dish in which pumpkin is cooked down into the cooking liquid alongside palm oil and dried shrimp or smoked fish, so the rice absorbs a thick, orange-tinted, umami-rich broth.
• Arroz de MariscoPortugal (Atlantic coast); Lusophone diaspora in Guinea-Bissau, Macau
  A Portuguese wet one-pot rice cooked in a tomato-sofrito and white-wine shellfish broth with prawns, clams, and crab, finished with fresh coriander and served immediately while still soupy (caldoso).
• Arroz de PatoPortugal (Alentejo and Minho traditions)
  A Portuguese baked rice dish in which duck is braised with aromatics, wine, and chouriço, its rendered fat and broth used to cook the rice, which is then layered with shredded duck and sausage and oven-baked until the surface forms a crisp golden crust.
• AseedThe Arabian Gulf & Peninsula
  A dense, glossy porridge of sorghum or wheat flour stirred and worked over intense heat until it forms a smooth, cohesive, elastic mass, served with spiced meat broth, clarified butter, or honey ladled into a well pressed at its centre.
• AseedaSudan, Arabian Gulf & Peninsula, North Africa
  A thick, smooth, gelatinous mound of cooked sorghum or wheat flour dough eaten communally alongside a poured savoury stew or, in Gulf and Yemeni tradition, with honey and clarified butter.
• AsidaNorth Africa, Sahel, Horn of Africa, Arabian Peninsula
  A thick, stiff, dough-like paste made by cooking sorghum, maize, or wheat flour in boiling water while stirring continuously until the mixture pulls away from the pot and holds its shape.
• AttiékéWest Africa — Côte d'Ivoire, lagoon region (Adjoukrou homeland: Jacqueville, Dabou)
  An Ivorian staple made from cassava that has been fermented with a live-culture starter, pressed, hand-granulated, and steamed into light, separate, couscous-like beads with a clean, mild sourness.
• Baghali PoloPersia & the Iranian Plateau
  A Persian festive rice dish (polo) in which long-grain basmati is parboiled then sealed-steamed in layers with fresh dill and double-peeled fava beans, finished with bloomed saffron, and canonically presented alongside a separately braised lamb shank.
• Bai Sach ChroukCambodia
  A Cambodian breakfast of thin-sliced pork marinated in coconut milk and garlic then charcoal-grilled over broken rice, served with pickled daikon, fresh cucumber, and a clear pork broth on the side.
• BaiyMaldives
  Plain boiled or steamed short-grain white rice, unseasoned, that serves as the obligatory neutral starchy base of every traditional Maldivian main meal.
• Banana-Leaf RiceSão Tomé and Príncipe
  A festive São Tomean dish in which seasoned rice — aromatics, palm oil, and sometimes coconut milk folded in — is parcelled tightly in fresh banana leaves and slow-steamed until the leaf perfumes the grain with a grassy, faintly smoky vegetal fragrance.
• BanushCarpathian Ukraine (Hutsul highlands)
  A Hutsul cornmeal porridge from the Ukrainian Carpathians cooked entirely in sour cream rather than water, stirred continuously until fat visibly separates, then served topped with bryndza sheep's cheese, fried wild mushrooms, and optionally pork cracklings.
• Bariis IskukarisEast Africa & the Horn (Somalia, Djibouti)
  A Somali and Djiboutian fragrant basmati rice dish cooked in meat broth and seasoned with xawaash, the defining East African Horn spice blend, with caramelised onion and raisins providing its characteristic sweet-savory counterpoint.
• Barley PorridgeThe Nordics & Baltics
  A thick Estonian porridge of pearl barley (odrakruubid) slow-cooked in water until fully swollen and cohesive, finished with a knob of cold butter or a pour of milk or cream.
• Beef TehariBangladesh (Dhaka)
  A Bangladeshi one-pot dish of short-grain aromatic rice cooked directly in a bhuna'd beef and whole-spice gravy enriched with ghee, yielding grains that are fully saturated with savory, warming spice.

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• AbenkwanAkan regions of Ghana, West Africa
  A rich, velvety Akan soup made by boiling and pounding fresh palm nuts to extract their oil-laden pulp, then simmering the liquid with bone-in goat or chicken, garden eggs, tomatoes, and peppers until deeply emulsified and flavored.
• Abgoosht (Dizi)Iran (Persia and the Iranian Plateau)
  A slow-cooked Iranian stew of bone-in lamb, chickpeas, white beans, and potato, served as two courses: the strained broth poured over torn bread, and the drained solids pounded in the pot into a dense paste called gusht koobideh.
• Achu SoupNorthwest and Southwest Cameroon (Grassfields and adjacent forest zones)
  A Cameroonian ceremonial dish of smooth-pounded yellow cocoyam served alongside a palm-oil broth saponified with an alkaline agent — limestone, kanwa, or wood-ash water — and seasoned with calabash nutmeg, ashanti pepper, and ground crayfish.
• Açorda AlentejanaAlentejo, Portugal
  A rustic Alentejan bread porridge in which day-old pão alentejano is steeped in boiling water or broth poured over a pounded paste of raw garlic, fresh cilantro, coarse salt, and abundant olive oil, then finished with a barely-set poached or in-situ egg.
• Acqua PazzaSouthern Italy — Campania, Tyrrhenian islands (Ponza, Ischia, Procida)
  A whole mild white fish gently poached in a Neapolitan fisherman's broth of seasoned water, extra-virgin olive oil, cherry tomatoes, and garlic — the 'acqua pazza' remaining deliberately thin and translucent, never reduced to a sauce.
• Adas (Red Lentil Soup)Anatolia, the Levant & Mesopotamia
  A smooth red lentil soup seasoned with cumin and lemon and finished with fried onion, a staple light meal across Iraq and the wider Levant.
• AdémèTogo, West Africa (Ewe cultural zone)
  A mucilaginous Togolese sauce-soup built on stewed jute leaves (Corchorus olitorius) enriched with smoked fish, crab, and red palm oil, served over a dense starchy swallow.
• Afang SoupSoutheastern Nigeria (Cross River and Akwa Ibom states)
  A dark, richly flavoured Nigerian leafy soup built on finely shredded wild afang leaves (Gnetum africanum) and waterleaf, fortified with red palm oil, ground dried crayfish, assorted meats, dried fish, and periwinkle.
• AgatogoGreat Lakes / East Africa
  A savory East African stew of unripe green plantains simmered in a tomato-and-onion sauce with oil until the plantains are fully tender and saturated with the broth.
• Ají de GallinaPeru — Lima and the Andes
  A Peruvian main course of poached and hand-shredded hen or chicken blanketed in a thick, golden sauce built from ají amarillo paste, milk-soaked white bread, ground walnuts, and grated Parmesan, served over white rice and boiled potatoes.
• Ajiaco BogotanoBogotá, Cundinamarca, Colombian Andes
  A thick, starchy highland soup from Bogotá built on three distinct Andean potato varieties — papa criolla, papa pastusa, and papa rublo — simmered with bone-in chicken and dried guascas herb until the criolla dissolves into the broth, served with fresh cream, capers, and avocado alongside.
• Ajiaco CubanoCuba, The Caribbean
  A long-simmered Cuban Creole stew built on a sofrito base with multiple starchy root vegetables (viandas), scored corn rounds, and layered mixed meats — tasajo, chorizo, and fresh pork — that meld into a thick, self-thickening broth.
• Akumé with Gboma DessiSouthern Togo; Ewe-speaking belt spanning coastal Togo, Volta Region of Ghana, and coastal Benin
  A Togolese main course pairing akumé — a stiff, hand-worked cooked corn-flour dough — with gboma dessi, a thick sauce of African nightshade leaves (Solanum macrocarpon), smoked fish, and red palm oil.
• AlichaEast Africa & the Horn
  A mild, turmeric-yellow Ethiopian and Eritrean stew built on a slow-cooked onion base and spiced clarified butter, categorically defined by the complete absence of berbere and a deliberately gentle heat profile.
• AljottaMalta, Southern Europe & the Mediterranean
  A Maltese everyday fish broth built on an extravagant quantity of garlic, ripe tomatoes, and fresh marjoram, with local rock fish simmered whole and rice cooked directly in the strained liquor.
• Aloo GoshtSouth Asia & the Subcontinent
  A South Asian everyday stew of bone-in mutton or goat and whole potato chunks simmered in a thin, turmeric-forward shorba broth built on deeply fried onions, ginger-garlic, and whole spices.
• Aloo TamaNepal
  A tangy Nepali curry of potatoes and fermented bamboo shoots (tama) cooked with black-eyed peas, onion, tomato, and warm spices in a piquant, intentionally soupy broth.
• Anjero / Canjeero with MaraqEast Africa & the Horn
  Anjero with maraq is a Somali breakfast of thin, spongy fermented sorghum-and-flour pancakes torn and dunked into a spiced bone-broth soup.
• Arroz CaldoPhilippines, Southeast Asia
  A Filipino ginger-forward rice congee simmered with bone-in chicken until the rice fully dissolves into a thick, porridge-like broth, finished with crispy fried garlic, hard-boiled egg, scallions, and calamansi.
• Arroz Caldo TimorenseSoutheast Asia
  Arroz Caldo Timorense is a Timorese chicken-and-rice porridge simmered until thick and spiced with ginger and turmeric.
• Ärtsoppa och pannkakorSweden
  A Swedish Thursday institution of thick yellow-pea soup simmered with salted pork, followed as a mandatory second course by thin pancakes served with whipped cream and lingonberry jam.
• Asam PedasSoutheast Asia
  A Malay-Indonesian sour-hot fish or seafood stew built on a tamarind-acidulated chilli gravy, distinguished by the floral perfume of torch ginger blossom and the vegetal weight of okra.
• Ash-e DooghPersia & the Iranian Plateau
  Ash-e Doogh is an Iranian yogurt-based herb soup with chickpeas, rice, and dried mint, a regional specialty of the northwest.
• Ash-e ReshtehPersia & the Iranian Plateau
  A thick Iranian soup of multiple legumes, abundant fresh herbs, and flat wheat noodles (reshteh), finished at the table with kashk (fermented whey), deeply caramelized fried onion, and dried mint bloomed in oil.

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• Abbacchio ScottaditoLazio, Italy
  Milk-fed Roman lamb rib chops (abbacchio) butterflied flat and grilled over fierce direct heat — charcoal preferred — until the exterior is char-blackened and the interior pale and pink, then served searing-hot and eaten with bare fingers.
• AccraThe Caribbean
  Deep-fried Caribbean fritters made from a loose batter of desalted salt cod, flour, scotch bonnet, and fresh herbs, producing a crisp golden exterior with a moist, flaky, intensely savory interior.
• Accra (Salt Fish Fritters)The Caribbean
  Caribbean street fritters of shredded salt cod folded into a spiced batter and deep-fried until crisp.
• Accra (Saltfish Fritters)Eastern Caribbean
  A Caribbean deep-fried fritter made from a seasoned wheat-flour batter studded throughout with finely shredded desalted salt cod, producing a crisp golden shell and a soft, savory interior.
• Ackee and SaltfishJamaica, Caribbean
  Jamaica's national dish of fully ripe ackee fruit poached and dry-sautéed with desalted salt cod, onion, Scotch bonnet pepper, tomato, and thyme — a West African–Caribbean synthesis that functions as a savory, scrambled-egg-textured breakfast centerpiece.
• AdoboPhilippines
  A Filipino braise of pork, chicken, or both, simmered in a vinegar-soy-garlic-bay-leaf-peppercorn liquor until the sauce glazes the meat, rooted in a pre-colonial vinegar-preservation technique later shaped by Chinese soy influence.
• ÆbleflæskDenmark
  A traditional Danish dish of sliced salted pork belly fried crisp in its own rendered fat, then combined with caramelized tart apples and softened onions.
• AfeliaCyprus
  A Cypriot dish of pork pieces marinated overnight in red wine with whole coriander seeds, seared, then braised in the same marinade until the liquid reduces to a thick, fragrant, near-dry glaze coating the meat.
• AfraThe Gambia, West Africa & the Sahel
  A Gambian street-food of charcoal-grilled beef and offal — commonly liver, kidney, and heart — seasoned with raw onion and fresh chilli, cooked to order over open coals and served hot.
• African ChickenMacau
  A Macanese roasted or grilled chicken dish coated in a thick spiced paste of coconut, ground peanuts, and piri-piri chilli, invented in colonial Macau as a synthesis of Portuguese, Mozambican, Goan, and Cantonese culinary currents.
• AkabenzRwanda, East Africa
  A Rwandan street food of pork spare ribs marinated in a simple aromatic paste and grilled slowly over live charcoal until the exterior is charred and the fat rendered.
• AkabenziEast Africa & the Horn
  A Burundian street snack of seasoned offal — intestines and liver — fried or roasted and sold by the piece.
• AkaraWest Africa
  A West African deep-fried fritter made from peeled black-eyed peas ground into a smooth, aerated paste, seasoned with onion and chili, and fried until puffed and golden.
• Akoho sy voanioMadagascar
  A Malagasy feast dish of bone-in chicken pieces braised entirely in full-fat coconut milk with fresh ginger, garlic, and onion until the liquid reduces to a rich, fragrant, glossy sauce.
• AlheiraTrás-os-Montes, northeastern Portugal
  A smoked Portuguese sausage from Trás-os-Montes made by blending poultry with soaked stale bread, garlic, smoked paprika, and olive oil, then encased in natural hog casing, cold-smoked, and pan-fried to order.
• AllocoWest Africa — Côte d'Ivoire; widely eaten across francophone West Africa
  Deep-fried ripe plantain slices, caramelized on the outside and tender within, served with a spicy chili-onion sauce and fried fish.
• Amêijoas à Bulhão PatoPortugal
  A Portuguese dish of live clams steamed open in a sauce of olive oil, white wine, and abundant sliced garlic, finished with fresh coriander and lemon juice — named after the 19th-century Lisbon poet Raimundo António de Bulhão Pato.
• AnticuchoThe Andes & Northern South America
  Anticucho is an Andean street-food skewer of marinated beef heart grilled over charcoal until charred at the edges.
• AnticuchosPeru, Andean South America
  Peruvian street-food skewers of thinly sliced beef heart marinated overnight in ají panka, cumin, garlic, and vinegar, then grilled directly over live charcoal.
• Arctic CharGreenland & Iceland (Arctic and Sub-Arctic)
  A simply prepared cold-water fish dish central to Greenlandic and Icelandic cuisine in which fresh Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) is pan-fried or boiled with minimal seasoning to foreground the fish's clean, mild, salmon-like flavor.
• Arista di MaialeTuscany, Italy
  A Tuscan roast of pork loin — bone-in or boneless — studded throughout with garlic, rosemary, and cracked black pepper, then slow-roasted until the exterior is golden and fragrant and the interior remains juicy.
• Arrollado de HuasoThe Southern Cone & Brazil
  A rustic Chilean pork roll of seasoned, chili-rubbed pork wrapped in pork skin and slow-boiled, served sliced.
• AsadoSouthern Cone — Argentina, Uruguay (Río de la Plata basin)
  A communal Argentine and Uruguayan tradition of large unportioned beef cuts — alongside offal and fresh sausages — grilled low-and-slow over hardwood live coals on a parrilla iron grate, governed as much by ritual, social sequence, and the parrillero's fire craft as by any single ingredient.
• Asado NegroVenezuela (Caracas and central highlands)
  A Venezuelan feast-day beef roast — traditionally eye-round — slowly braised in a sauce built on caramelized papelón (raw cane sugar) and red wine until the meat is mahogany-black and the sauce is a glossy, bittersweet reduction.

+576 more — search to find a specific dish

• AchichukCentral Asia & the Steppe
  A Central Asian raw salad of ripe summer tomatoes and thinly sliced white onion dressed with nothing but salt, traditionally served alongside grilled meats or plov.
• Antigua Black PineappleAntigua and Barbuda, Caribbean
  A heritage pineapple cultivar (Ananas comosus) grown exclusively in Antigua, prized for its exceptionally high sugar content, near-zero acidity, deep-golden flesh, and thin skin that turns near-black at full ripeness — eaten fresh, out of hand.
• Baba GhanoushThe Levant & Egypt
  A Levantine/Egyptian mezze of aubergine charred over open flame until smoky, then mashed with tahini, lemon juice and garlic into a creamy dip.
• Banana Blossom Salad with ShrimpSoutheast Asia
  A Cambodian salad of finely shredded raw banana flower tossed with poached shrimp, herbs, and a lime-and-fish-sauce dressing.
• Burmese Tea Leaf SaladMyanmar
  A Burmese tossed salad built around wet-fermented tea leaves (lahpet) combined at table with an array of fried garlic, roasted nuts, seeds, dried shrimp, fresh tomato, and lime — eaten as snack, palate cleanser, or social offering.
• Caesar SaladNorth America
  A composed salad of whole or torn romaine leaves dressed tableside in an emulsified dressing built from coddled egg, garlic, lemon juice, Worcestershire, and olive oil, finished with shaved Parmesan and garlic croutons.
• CevichePacific Coast of South America
  Raw saltwater fish cured entirely by the acid in fresh lime juice — not heat — then dressed with ají amarillo, thinly sliced red onion, cilantro, and salt, and served immediately swimming in its own curing liquid.
• Ceviche ChilenoThe Southern Cone & Brazil
  A Chilean-style ceviche of fresh white fish cured in citrus juice with onion and coriander, in the restrained coastal style of central Chile.
• Ceviche de CorvinaCentral America
  Fresh corvina (sea bass) cubed and submerged in abundant fresh lime juice with thinly sliced red onion, cilantro, and sweet pepper, then chilled until acid-set and served immediately as a bright, raw-cured seafood dish.
• Cobb SaladNorth America
  An American composed main-course salad of chopped lettuce topped with parallel rows of diced chicken, bacon, hard-boiled egg, avocado, tomato, and blue cheese, dressed with a tangy vinaigrette.
• Conch SaladThe Bahamas, Caribbean
  A Bahamian street food of finely diced raw queen conch cured in fresh citrus juice with onion, tomato, and hot pepper — served immediately, cold, in its own acidic brine.
• Cured SalmonThe Nordics & Baltics
  Raw salmon fillet dry-cured under a mixture of coarse salt, sugar, and fresh dill until the flesh is silky and semi-translucent, then sliced paper-thin and served cold.
• EetchArmenia (Caucasus)
  A cold bulgur wheat salad dressed with tomato, fresh herbs, lemon juice, and olive oil, characteristic of Armenian cuisine.
• ErdäpfelsalatAustria (Central Europe & the Alps)
  Erdäpfelsalat is a warm Austrian potato salad made with waxy potatoes dressed in a vinegar‑broth‑mustard mixture, typically served as a side dish and distinct from mayonnaise‑based salads.
• EzmeTurkey
  A raw, finely chopped tomato‑pepper relish seasoned with herbs, sumac, chili, and olive oil, served cold as a Turkish meze.
• FattoushLevant (Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan)
  A Levantine chopped salad of raw seasonal vegetables and crisped pita bread, unified by a sumac-forward lemon-and-olive-oil dressing that delivers bright, tangy acidity.
• Feroce d'AvocatFrench Antilles / Saint Lucia (The Caribbean)
  An Antillean snack of mashed avocado blended with shredded salt cod, cassava flour, and fiery hot pepper.
• FiambreGuatemala
  A monumental Guatemalan cold composed salad of 50–100 ingredients — cured and cooked meats, pickled and cooked vegetables, cheeses, hard-boiled eggs, olives, capers, and pacaya flower buds — dressed in a family-specific vinegar-mustard vinaigrette and served exclusively on November 1–2 for Día de Todos Santos.
• Goi Du DuSoutheast Asia
  A Vietnamese salad of shredded unripe green papaya tossed with a fish-sauce, lime and chilli dressing and finished with herbs, peanuts and dried or fresh proteins.
• GravlaksThe Nordics & Baltics
  Raw Atlantic salmon dry-cured in a salt-sugar-dill mixture for 48–72 hours, then sliced paper-thin and served cold with a sweet mustard-dill sauce.
• GravlaxThe Nordics & Baltics
  Raw salmon dry-cured under a balanced salt-sugar-dill pack, then thinly sliced and served cold without any application of heat.
• Green Papaya SaladSoutheast Asia
  A pounded or shredded unripe green papaya salad dressed with lime juice, chili, fermented fish or shrimp paste, dried shrimp, and often sugar, served as a spicy, sour, salty side or snack in Southeast Asian cuisines.
• Grilled or Raw Fish with CoconutPalau, Oceania
  Fresh reef fish, raw or lightly grilled, dressed in freshly squeezed coconut cream with citrus and aromatics, served as a main dish in Palauan cuisine.
• Gyin ThokeSoutheast Asia
  A Burmese salad of finely shredded pickled or fresh ginger tossed with fried garlic, peanuts, toasted sesame, dried shrimp and lime for a bright, crunchy, pungent mix.

+62 more — search to find a specific dish

• 'Ufi (Yam)Oceania & the Pacific
  Whole pit-roasted or boiled Dioscorea alata tuber that functions as the paramount prestige starch of Tonga and the wider Polynesian Pacific, presented intact at communal feasts and first-fruits ceremonies as both food and cultural currency.
• Abobora (Yam Porridge)West Africa & the Sahel
  A Beninese everyday staple of yam mashed with red palm oil and hot pepper into a savory porridge.
• AccaraWest Africa & the Sahel
  Deep-fried West African fritters made from soaked, skin-removed black-eyed peas ground to a paste and whipped with onion to create a crisp golden exterior and light, pillowy interior.
• Aibika GreensOceania & the Pacific
  A cooked leafy-green dish of Abelmoschus manihot leaves — a mucilaginous hibiscus-family plant — typically simmered or stir-fried with coconut milk or pork drippings until the leaves release their characteristic slippery texture.
• AjapsandaliGeorgia, South Caucasus
  A Georgian braised summer vegetable stew of aubergine, tomato, bell pepper, and potato, unified by a generous off-heat finish of fresh cilantro and garlic.
• Aloo GobiNorth India (Punjab heartland; ubiquitous across the Subcontinent)
  A dry-cooked Indian vegetable dish (sabzi) in which potatoes and cauliflower are bhunna'd — sautéed and tossed — in tempered oil with cumin, turmeric, and ginger until tender and lightly caramelised, with no added liquid and no gravy.
• Atanga StewCentral Africa
  A Central African braise of ripe safou (Dacryodes edulis, African bush pear) simmered in a spiced palm oil broth with smoked fish until the fruit yields a rich, unctuous, deeply savory stew.
• Baba GhanoujLevant
  A Levantine mezze dip of whole aubergines charred directly over open flame until the skin blackens and the flesh collapses, then hand-worked with tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil — the defining character being a deep, irreducible smokiness from the burnt skin.
• BabkaBelarus, Eastern Europe
  A Belarusian baked casserole of coarsely grated raw potato enriched with rendered pork fat and onion, forming a thick, crackling crust over a dense, moist, custard-like interior.
• Badimjan DolmasıThe Caucasus
  Whole aubergines hollowed and stuffed with spiced minced lamb and herbs, then braised — one of the trio in Azerbaijan's classic üç bacı (three-sisters) dolma.
• Badrijani NigvzitGeorgia (Caucasus)
  A Georgian cold appetizer of thin-sliced aubergine that is salted, pan-fried until pliable, then rolled around a dense paste of ground walnuts seasoned with garlic, blue fenugreek (utskho suneli), coriander, and wine vinegar, finished with pomegranate seeds.
• Bagilla bil-DihinIraq (Mesopotamia)
  A traditional Iraqi breakfast of dried broad beans slow-cooked until tender and anointed with rendered lamb tail fat (alya) and cumin, eaten by scooping with flatbread.
• Baked BeansNew England, United States
  Dried navy beans slow-baked for six to eight hours with salt pork, molasses, dry mustard, and onion in a covered pot until the beans are creamy-tender and coated in a thick, dark, sweet-savory sauce.
• Baked Giant TaroKiribati, Micronesia / Oceania & the Pacific
  Whole giant swamp taro (Cyrtosperma merkusii) slow-cooked in a traditional earth oven until its dense, starchy flesh is fully tender and the exterior is deeply caramelised.
• Bambukeylu HitiMaldives
  A Maldivian everyday household curry of starchy, underripe breadfruit simmered in spiced coconut milk with curry leaves, green chili, onion, and turmeric until the breadfruit is tender and the sauce is fragrant and lightly thickened.
• Banana FritaCentral Africa
  Ripe plantain or banana sliced and pan-fried in oil until golden and caramelised, served as a savoury-sweet side.
• BeansEast Africa — Uganda
  A Ugandan everyday staple of kidney or red beans slow-boiled until fully tender in a simple sauce of onion and tomato finished with palm oil.
• Beans and PlantainRwanda, East Africa & the Horn
  A Rwandan everyday staple of slow-stewed kidney beans paired with separately boiled unripe green plantain, together delivering the foundational protein-and-starch balance of the national diet.
• Beans on ToastUnited Kingdom
  Tinned haricot beans in a seasoned tomato sauce, heated and ladled over buttered slices of freshly toasted bread — Britain's defining convenience comfort dish.
• Beignets de HaricotsWest Africa & the Sahel
  Deep-fried fritters made from soaked, peeled and blended black-eyed peas whipped with onion.
• Belgian FritesBelgium
  Thick-cut, twice-fried potato batons cooked in beef tallow and served hot from a frituur in a paper cone — the defining street food of Belgium.
• BhortaBangladesh / Bengal
  A Bangladeshi hand-mashed preparation of charred or cooked vegetables, dried fish, or lentils finished raw with mustard oil, green chili, and alliums — served as a pungent, intensely flavored side with rice.
• BigillaSouthern Europe & the Mediterranean
  A thick Maltese dip of mashed dried broad beans (ġirba) seasoned with garlic, herbs, chilli, and olive oil.
• Black Bean PasteMesoamerica & Central America
  A Guatemalan everyday staple of dried black beans slow-simmered until completely tender, mashed to a smooth paste, then fried in fat until dense enough to pull cleanly from the pan and be flipped — yielding a thick, cohesive cake with a caramelized bottom.

+263 more — search to find a specific dish

• AaruulMongolia / Central Asia & the Steppe
  A hard, sun-dried curd made by boiling and straining the skimmed, fermented residual milk left after separating cream or butter, then pressing and drying the solids until they achieve a stone-like density.
• AyibEthiopia / East Africa & the Horn
  A fresh, unaged, crumbly Ethiopian cheese made by acid-curdling whole cow's milk, drained lightly through muslin, and served as a mild, cooling counterpoint to spiced stews on the beyaynetu platter and in cooked vegetable dishes.
• BalaleetArabian Gulf & Peninsula
  A Gulf Arab breakfast dish of sweet, saffron-and-cardamom-scented vermicelli noodles perfumed with rose water and finished with a thin fried egg omelette laid on top.
• Banh CanSoutheast Asia
  Small round rice-batter cakes cooked in dedicated terracotta moulds, often topped with quail egg, from south-central Vietnam.
• Banh XeoVietnam (Southern and Central); Southeast Asia
  A large, thin rice-flour crêpe vivid yellow from turmeric, crisped in a generously oiled pan until lacy at the edges, folded over a filling of shrimp, pork belly, and bean sprouts, then eaten wrapped in fresh herbs and lettuce leaves dipped in nước chấm.
• Beid bil TomatoThe Arabian Gulf & Peninsula
  A ubiquitous Gulf breakfast of eggs scrambled into a spiced tomato sauce.
• BliniEastern Europe, Slavic World
  A thin, round Slavic pancake made from buckwheat or wheat flour batter, traditionally yeast-leavened for a light, slightly tangy crumb, cooked in a greased hot pan and served open-faced with sour cream, caviar, smoked fish, or sweet toppings.
• Bulviniai blynaiThe Nordics & Baltics
  A Lithuanian griddle cake of raw grated potato bound with egg and onion, fried in fat until deeply golden and crisp, served with cold sour cream.
• CacıkAnatolia; also Levant, Balkans
  A cold Turkish meze of strained yogurt deliberately thinned to a pourable consistency with cold water, stirred with grated cucumber, crushed garlic, and dried mint, finished with a drizzle of olive oil.
• Carrot CakeSoutheast Asia
  A Singaporean hawker dish of cubed steamed radish-and-rice-flour cake pan-fried in a hot wok with egg and preserved radish, served in either a plain savory white version or a sweet-dark-soy black version.
• Century Egg with TofuEast Asia
  A cold Chinese appetizer of silken tofu topped with diced alkaline-cured century egg, dressed with soy, sesame oil, chilli oil and scallion.
• ChakchoukaThe Maghreb & North Africa
  A North African one-pan dish of whole eggs gently poached directly in a stewed sauce of tomatoes and sweet peppers seasoned with cumin and paprika.
• ChakkaCentral Asia & the Steppe
  Chakka is a thick, tangy strained yogurt made by draining katyk (fermented whole-milk yogurt) through cloth until most whey is expelled, yielding a dense, spreadable soured dairy product eaten plain or as an accompaniment to bread.
• ChawanmushiJapan
  A Japanese savory steamed egg custard made by setting a precisely proportioned dashi-and-egg mixture at low, controlled heat to achieve a silky, barely-trembling texture, served hot in a lidded ceramic cup with traditional garnishes of shrimp, ginkgo nut, and mitsuba.
• Cheese FondueCentral Europe & the Alps
  A Swiss communal dish of hard alpine cheeses melted with dry white wine and kirsch in a ceramic caquelon, kept molten over a flame and eaten by dipping bread cubes on long forks.
• Chips MayaiEast Africa — Tanzania (Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Arusha)
  A Tanzanian street-food omelette in which deep-fried potato chips are folded into seasoned beaten egg and cooked as a thick, cohesive cake on a flat pan — the chips are structural, not a side.
• CicvaraMontenegro; western Serbia; Dinaric highlands of the former Yugoslavia
  A Montenegrin highland dish of fine cornmeal cooked directly with kajmak until the fat separates out and pools on the surface, producing an intensely rich, cohesive porridge that is as much cured cream as it is grain.
• Dates with camel milkThe Maghreb & North Africa
  A two-element Saharan staple of fresh or dried dates served alongside poured raw camel milk, consumed as daily sustenance and as a foundational hospitality offering across Mauritania and the broader Saharan-Arabian nomadic world.
• Deviled EggsNorth America
  Hard-boiled egg halves with yolks removed and whipped with mayonnaise, mustard, and seasoning, then piped or spooned back into the whites and finished with paprika.
• DöngCentral Asia & the Steppe
  Rendered and stored fat from the tail of fat-tailed sheep, the essential cooking fat and energy store of Kyrgyz nomadic kitchens.
• Double-Skin Milk PuddingEast Asia
  A delicate steamed milk custard, traditionally water-buffalo milk, set with egg white beneath two thin milk skins for a silky, lightly sweet pudding.
• Egg ButterFinland
  A condiment spread made by mashing hard-boiled eggs with butter, traditionally served as an accompaniment to Karelian pasties in Finland.
• Egg HoppersSri Lanka (South Asia & the Subcontinent)
  A bowl‑shaped fermented rice‑flour crêpe cooked on a hot griddle, with a whole egg cracked into the centre and steamed until set, served as a classic Sri Lankan breakfast.
• Eggs BenedictNorth America
  A brunch dish of poached eggs and Canadian bacon set on toasted English muffin halves and napped with hollandaise sauce.

+88 more — search to find a specific dish

• Ai-manas MolokTimor-Leste, Southeast Asia
  A raw, uncooked pounded condiment of fresh green chillies with shallots, garlic, and lime, served as the universal table accompaniment to virtually every Timorese meal.
• Ají CriolloEcuador / Andean South America
  A raw, freshly blended Ecuadorian table condiment of fresh ají peppers, tomato, white onion, and cilantro, thinned with water to a pourable consistency and served alongside virtually every Ecuadorian meal.
• AjvarThe Balkans & Southeastern Europe
  Ajvar is a thick, slow-cooked Balkan relish made primarily from charred and peeled red peppers, sometimes combined with roasted eggplant, traditionally prepared in autumn and preserved in jars for winter use.
• Aleppo MuhammaraAleppo, Syria
  A Syrian roasted red pepper and walnut paste from Aleppo, bound with breadcrumbs and balanced by Aleppo pepper's fruity heat and pomegranate molasses's sweet-sour depth, served as a meze dip or condiment.
• AlioliSouthern Europe & the Mediterranean
  Alioli is a thick Mediterranean emulsion of raw garlic and olive oil, traditionally pounded together (sometimes with egg yolk) into a glossy, pungent sauce.
• Aloo AchaarNepal
  A Nepali spiced potato salad of boiled, cubed potatoes dressed in mustard oil tempered with fenugreek and tossed with toasted sesame, timur pepper, turmeric, green chili, and lemon juice.
• Aseeda DukkuSudan & Northeast Africa
  Aseeda Dukku is a Sudanese dry-to-coarse condiment of pounded roasted peanuts, sesame seeds, and dried chili.
• AwarmaAnatolia, the Levant & Mesopotamia
  A Levantine preserve of salted minced or diced lamb slow-cooked and packed in its own rendered tail fat, kept as a year-round pantry staple.
• Bagna CaudaPiedmont, Italy
  A communal Piedmontese hot dipping sauce of slowly dissolved salted anchovies and garlic in abundant olive oil, kept warm at table throughout the meal and eaten with raw, roasted, or boiled seasonal vegetables and bread.
• BagoongSoutheast Asia
  A Filipino condiment of tiny shrimp (or fish) salted and fermented into a pungent, savoury paste, used raw or sautéed to season and accompany dishes.
• Bajan Pepper SauceBarbados, Caribbean
  A fiery, smooth Barbadian condiment made by blending habanero or scotch bonnet peppers with English mustard, turmeric, vinegar, and aromatics into a bright yellow-orange sauce.
• BastermaThe Caucasus
  Air-cured, pressed beef coated in a thick fenugreek-paprika-garlic spice paste (chaman) and sliced paper-thin.
• BelacanMalaysia / Maritime Southeast Asia
  Belacan is a Malaysian fermented condiment made exclusively from tiny krill (udang geragau) salted, repeatedly sun-dried, and compressed into dense dark-brown blocks that serve as the foundational umami base of Malaysian cooking.
• BuduSoutheast Asia
  A fermented salted-anchovy sauce of the Malay world, used as a pungent brown table condiment.
• ChimichurriThe Southern Cone & Brazil
  A sharp, oil-and-vinegar herb sauce built on finely hand-chopped flat-leaf parsley, garlic, and dried oregano, emulsified with red wine vinegar and olive oil, rested until the flavors meld, and classically served alongside grilled meats at the Argentine and Uruguayan asado.
• ChimolHonduras, Central America
  A raw Honduran table salsa of hand-diced ripe tomato, white onion, fresh cilantro, and lime juice, served uncooked as an all-purpose condiment alongside virtually every savory dish.
• Creole Chilli PasteSeychelles / East Africa & the Horn
  A coarse, raw Seychellois Creole table condiment of pounded fresh chillies, garlic, and ginger, delivering sharp heat and pungency to virtually every meal on the island.
• CurtidoEl Salvador
  A lightly fermented Salvadoran cabbage-and-carrot slaw seasoned with dried oregano and vinegar or brine, served as the canonical table condiment alongside pupusas.
• Daqqa GhazzawiyyaAnatolia, the Levant & Mesopotamia
  A fiery Gazan relish of tomatoes and hot green peppers pounded in a clay mortar with dill seed, garlic, and olive oil.
• Dibis wa RashiMesopotamia / Iraq
  A traditional Iraqi breakfast and mezze of thick date molasses (dibis) poured over or alongside plain tahini (rashi), served communally for dipping and scooping with flatbread.
• DoenjangKorea
  Aged fermented soybean paste used as a fundamental Korean condiment and cooking base.
• DoubanjiangSichuan, China
  A fermented broad‑bean and chili paste that serves as a foundational seasoning in Sichuan cuisine, delivering umami, heat, and salty depth.
• Dulce de LecheSouthern Cone, South America
  A slowly reduced, caramelized sweetened milk confection that achieves its characteristic deep amber color, milky-caramel flavor, and thick spreadable body through prolonged Maillard browning of lactose and milk proteins.
• EpisHaiti, The Caribbean
  A blended aromatic paste of scallions, fresh thyme, Scotch bonnet pepper, garlic, and bell pepper that functions as the all-purpose seasoning base, marinade, and flavor foundation of virtually every savory dish in Haitian cuisine.

+82 more — search to find a specific dish

• AcaçaCentral Africa
  A steamed paste of fermented corn (or rice) cooked to a firm gel and wrapped in banana leaves, eaten as a staple snack or breakfast.
• ÆbleskiverDenmark
  A spherical Danish pancake puff cooked in a cast-iron æbleskivepande — a pan with hemispherical molds — leavened with buttermilk and baking soda, scented with cardamom, and served warm with powdered sugar and jam.
• Afghan BiscuitsNew Zealand
  A New Zealand butter biscuit made with cocoa and whole cornflakes folded into a short dough, baked until crisp, then topped with chocolate icing and a walnut half.
• Akondro Misy SiramamyMadagascar & the Indian Ocean
  A Malagasy street dessert of ripe bananas fried and dusted or caramelized in sugar.
• AkpanWest Africa & the Sahel
  An Ivorian chilled, lightly sweet pudding-drink of fermented corn flour with a yogurt-like tang.
• AkutaqThe Arctic (Alaska & Greenland)
  Akutaq is a traditional Arctic whip of rendered animal fat beaten until light and folded with wild berries, sometimes with added dried meat or fish.
• Aletria DoceCentral Africa
  Aletria doce is a São Toméan sweet pudding of fine vermicelli simmered in sweetened coconut milk, fragrant with cinnamon and thickened with egg.
• Alexander CakeThe Nordics & Baltics
  A Latvian celebration cake of two or three baked shortcrust pastry layers sandwiched with a thick cranberry or raspberry jam and finished with a smooth white glacé icing on top.
• AlfajorSouthern Cone, South America
  A South American confection of two tender cornstarch shortbread rounds sandwiched with dulce de leche and finished with a coating of dark or milk chocolate, desiccated coconut, or a dusting of powdered sugar.
• AlkakiWest Africa & the Sahel
  Alkaki is a Nigerien fried snack of millet or wheat dough shaped into rings, deep-fried, and dusted with ground peanut and sugar.
• Almond CookiesMacau, East Asia
  A Macanese pressed shortbread-style cookie built on a mung bean flour base — not wheat — bound with lard and ground almonds, baked to a pale, sandy, crumble-in-the-mouth texture; the city's most iconic souvenir sweet.
• AnoushabourThe Caucasus
  Anoushabour is an Armenian Christmas pudding of softened whole wheat berries sweetened and studded with dried apricots, raisins, and nuts, perfumed with rose water.
• Anzac BiscuitOceania & the Pacific
  A sturdy, golden syrup-and-oat biscuit from Australia and New Zealand, bound without eggs using a bicarb-activated butter-and-syrup mixture, baked to either a crisp crunch or a chewy bite.
• Anzac BiscuitsOceania & the Pacific
  A golden-syrup-bound, egg-free biscuit made from rolled oats, desiccated coconut, flour, and sugar, baked to either a chewy or crisp texture and historically associated with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.
• Anzac SliceOceania & the Pacific
  A tray-baked slice version of the Anzac biscuit, made from oats, coconut and golden syrup pressed into a chewy bar.
• ApfelküchleCentral Europe & the Alps
  Apfelküchle are Alpine apple fritters made by dipping cored apple rings in batter and deep-frying them, then dusting with cinnamon sugar.
• ApfelstrudelCentral Europe — Austria, Hungary, Bavaria
  A Central European pastry of hand-pulled paper-thin dough encasing a filling of thinly sliced tart apples, butter-toasted breadcrumbs, raisins, sugar, and cinnamon, rolled and baked until golden.
• ApigigiChuuk, Federated States of Micronesia, Oceania
  A sweet Chuukese snack of freshly grated cassava mixed with coconut and sugar, tightly wrapped in banana leaf, and cooked by grilling over coals or steaming until firm and fragrant.
• AppeltaartNetherlands
  A deep-dish Dutch apple tart built in a springform pan with a thick, crumbly sweet shortcrust shell, a cinnamon-spiced apple-and-raisin filling, and a woven lattice or solid pastry lid.
• Apple PieNorth America
  A baked pastry dessert consisting of a spiced, sweetened cooked-apple filling encased in a double shortcrust or flaky pastry shell.
• Arrowroot PuddingOceania & the Pacific
  Arrowroot pudding is a Marshallese starch pudding set from Polynesian arrowroot (Tacca leontopetaloides) and sweetened with coconut.
• Arroz con LecheThe Caribbean
  Arroz con Leche is the Hispanic rice pudding of rice slow-cooked in sweetened milk perfumed with cinnamon and vanilla.
• Arroz DocePortugal
  A Portuguese creamy rice pudding made by cooking short-grain rice first in water then in whole milk with sugar, lemon zest, and egg yolks, finished with a decorative cinnamon pattern drawn on the set surface.
• Asabi bi-TamrThe Maghreb & North Africa
  Asabi bi-Tamr are Libyan finger-shaped fried pastries filled with spiced date paste and dusted with icing sugar.

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• Agua de JamaicaMesoamerica & Central America
  A chilled agua fresca made by steeping dried hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa) calyces in hot water, sweetening with cane sugar, and serving cold over ice.
• Aguonų pienasThe Nordics & Baltics
  A Lithuanian poppy-seed 'milk' — ground sweetened poppy seeds steeped in water — drunk on Christmas Eve.
• Aiguardent de CireresSouthern Europe & the Mediterranean
  An Andorran clear cherry eau-de-vie distilled from fermented wild Pyrenean cherries.
• AiragCentral Asia & the Steppe
  Airag is a lightly effervescent, mildly alcoholic fermented mare's milk traditional to Mongolia and the Central Asian steppe, produced by sustained percussive churning of raw mare's milk inoculated with a live backslopped starter culture of lactic acid bacteria and wild yeasts.
• AloudaMauritius
  A chilled Mauritian layered milk drink built on hydrated basil seeds, cubed agar jelly, and rose syrup, poured over cold milk and typically crowned with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
• AmarulaSouthern Africa
  Amarula is a South African cream liqueur made from the fermented and distilled fruit of the wild marula tree, blended with cream and served chilled.
• ApiThe Andes & Northern South America
  Api is a thick, hot Bolivian breakfast drink made from purple maize, sweetened and spiced with cinnamon and clove.
• AraSouth Asia & the Subcontinent
  Ara is a traditional Bhutanese home-distilled (or fermented) spirit made from rice, wheat, millet, or maize.
• Arabic Coffee with DatesThe Arabian Gulf & Peninsula
  A ceremonial Gulf Arabian coffee brewed from lightly roasted beans steeped with cardamom and saffron, poured from a long-spouted dallah into small handleless cups and always served alongside sweet dates.
• ArakLevant
  An unaged, unsweetened anise-flavored grape spirit from the Levant, characteristically served diluted with cold water, which precipitates a milky-white louche from dissolved anethole.
• ArkhiMongolia, Central Asian Steppe
  A traditional Mongolian distilled spirit produced by heating fermented mare's milk (airag) in a pot still and collecting the condensate, yielding a mildly alcoholic, sour-milk spirit integral to nomadic feast culture.
• AtayaMauritania, Senegal, Mali, Western Sahel
  A three-round ritual tea ceremony of the Sahel in which a single charge of Chinese gunpowder green tea is brewed progressively, each round poured repeatedly at height between pot and glass to raise a dense foam, and sweetened to increasing intensity across the three servings.
• Atol de EloteMesoamerica & Central America
  A warm, thick Central American drink made by blending fresh tender corn kernels with water or milk, thickening with masa, and sweetening with sugar.
• AtoleMesoamerica & Central America
  A warm, masa-thickened Mexican corn drink sweetened with piloncillo and scented with cinnamon and vanilla or fruit, pre-Columbian in origin and served hot as a breakfast or ceremonial beverage.
• AyranAnatolia, the Levant & Mesopotamia
  A chilled, lightly salted drink made by whisking plain yogurt with cold water until uniformly thinned and topped with a characteristic foam.
• BanguiWest Africa & the Sahel
  A freshly tapped, naturally fermenting palm wine — cloudy, sweet, and mildly alcoholic — drunk soon after tapping.
• Belgian Abbey BeerBelgium
  A strong, bottle-conditioned Belgian ale brewed in the centuries-old tradition of monastery brewing, defined by its Belgian abbey yeast character — expressive fruity esters and spicy phenols — complex malt structure, and live refermentation sealed inside the bottle.
• Betel Nut (Buai)Oceania & the Pacific
  A chewed mild stimulant of fresh areca (betel) nut taken together with a mustard stick dipped in slaked lime, ubiquitous as a social and everyday habit in Papua New Guinea.
• Betel Nut PreparationOceania & the Pacific
  A chewed social-ritual quid of areca (betel) nut wrapped in a betel pepper leaf smeared with slaked lime, often with tobacco, central to Palauan and wider Micronesian social life.
• Bili-BiliCentral Africa
  A traditional fermented sorghum or millet beer brewed and drunk by communities of northern Cameroon, cloudy, lightly alcoholic, and consumed fresh.
• BissapWest Africa & the Sahel
  A vivid ruby-red iced infusion brewed from dried Hibiscus sabdariffa calyces, sweetened and typically scented with mint and sometimes orange flower water, served chilled as a daily refreshment and ceremonial drink across West Africa and the Sahel.
• Black Tea with JamThe Caucasus — Azerbaijan
  An Azerbaijani tea ritual in which intensely brewed black tea is served piping-hot in a waisted armudu glass and drunk alongside — not stirred with — a spoonful of fruit preserves held in the mouth as a natural sweetener.
• BorovičkaCentral Europe & the Alps
  A clear Slovak spirit distilled or flavored with juniper berries, drunk neat as a digestif.
• Bosanska kafaBosnia and Herzegovina
  A traditional Bosnian unfiltered coffee ritual in which finely ground dark-roast coffee is added to pre-boiled hot water in a copper or brass džezva, steeped without re-boiling, and served in a small handle-less fildžan alongside a sugar cube and rahat lokum on a small tray.

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• Abobi (Bean and Maize Pudding)West Africa & the Sahel
  A steamed Togolese pudding of ground beans and corn flour wrapped and cooked in banana leaves, eaten as Ewe celebration food.
• Açaí na TigelaBrazil
  A thick, spoonable bowl of frozen blended açaí palm berry pulp layered with granola, sliced banana, and honey, served cold as a Brazilian breakfast or energizing snack.
• Ahu (earth-oven feast)Federated States of Micronesia, Caroline Islands, Oceania
  A communal earth-oven feast in which meats, fish, taro, breadfruit, and other provisions are slow-cooked on superheated stones in a sealed pit or mound to produce a mixed spread for ceremonial or communal occasions.
• Aiysh (Sorghum Porridge)West Africa & the Sahel
  A dense, stiff ball of cooked sorghum or millet flour served as the edible scoop and caloric base for sauces, stews, and relishes across the northern Sahel.
• AkassaBenin; coastal West Africa
  Akassa is a fermented maize porridge from Benin, cooked by continuous stirring into a smooth, gelatinous mass, molded into leaf-wrapped individual portions, and served with palm nut sauce or spiced smoked-fish stew.
• AmalaYorubaland, Southwest Nigeria
  A dark-brown, smooth, elastic Yoruba swallow made by stirring dried yam flour (elubo) or unripe plantain flour into boiling water until a pliable, cohesive dough forms, served hot alongside soup.
• AmbuyatBrunei / Borneo (Southeast Asia)
  A thick, translucent, flavourless paste made by stirring dried sago-palm starch into boiling water, eaten communally by twirling portions onto a two-pronged bamboo fork (candas) and dipping into tangy, spicy cacah sauce alongside grilled fish, pickled vegetables, and other wet sides.
• ArayesAnatolia, the Levant & Mesopotamia
  Arayes is a Levantine snack of pita or flatbread stuffed with spiced minced meat and grilled or toasted until the bread is crisp and the filling cooked through.
• ArregladosCosta Rica / Central America
  A Costa Rican baked snack of rectangular puff-pastry envelopes crimped shut around a cooked, seasoned picadillo of ground beef, shredded chicken, or potato, sold at panaderías and cafeterías as an everyday merienda.
• Bake and SaltfishCaribbean / Northern South America
  A Caribbean breakfast and street food of hand-shaped, oil-fried dough rounds split open and filled with sautéed, desalted salt cod cooked down with onions, sweet peppers, tomatoes, and fresh herbs.
• Baked Macaroni and CheeseThe Bahamas, Caribbean
  A Bahamian feast staple of elbow macaroni bound in a spiced egg-and-cheese custard, baked until fully set and firm enough to cut into clean squares.
• Baked Pork Chop RiceMacau / Hong Kong
  A Macanese-Hong Kong café (cha chaan teng) dish of egg fried rice topped with a breaded pan-fried pork chop, blanketed in sweet-savory tomato sauce and melted cheese, then oven-baked until golden and bubbling.
• BaleadaHonduras (northern coast, La Ceiba; nationwide)
  A thick, fresh-made wheat-flour tortilla folded in half over a base of refried red beans, crema hondureña, and crumbled queso seco — the canonical street food of Honduras.
• Banana Leaf ParcelsOceania & the Pacific
  A Melanesian feast dish of finely grated raw root vegetable — taro, yam, breadfruit, or cassava — saturated with coconut cream, optionally layered with protein, tightly sealed in banana leaves, and slow-cooked by steaming or earth oven until the paste sets to a dense, cohesive pudding.
• Bandeja PaisaAntioquia, Colombia
  A large Colombian platter from the Antioquia (Paisa) region composed of slow-cooked red beans, white rice, chicharrón, fresh chorizo, a fried egg, a white corn arepa, and avocado — all arranged simultaneously on a single oversized tray with optional ground beef, blood sausage, and ripe fried plantain.
• Bánh MìVietnam / Southeast Asia
  A Vietnamese street sandwich built inside a light, shatteringly crisp baguette with a mandatory base of liver pâté and mayonnaise, layered with pork protein, quick-pickled daikon and carrot, fresh cucumber, cilantro, chilli, and a drizzle of Maggi seasoning.
• Banh Mi (Australian-Vietnamese)Oceania & the Pacific
  A crusty short baguette split and filled with pâté, cold cuts or grilled meat, pickled daikon and carrot, coriander, cucumber, and chilli — the Vietnamese sandwich as embedded in Australian food culture.
• BankuWest Africa & the Sahel
  Banku is a smooth, dense, slightly sour dumpling ball made from a blend of fermented maize dough and fermented cassava dough, cooked by continuous stirring and kneading in boiling water until fully uniform and elastic.
• Berner PlatteCentral Europe & the Alps
  A copious Bernese feast platter of sauerkraut and dried beans crowned with an assortment of smoked and cured pork meats, sausages, ribs, and boiled potatoes.
• BeshbarmakCentral Asia — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and adjacent steppe regions of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan
  A Central Asian nomadic feast dish of long-boiled horse or lamb served over wide flat hand-rolled pasta sheets, dressed with tuzdyk — an onion sauce made from the hot cooking broth — and accompanied by the same broth (shorpa) served separately in bowls.
• BeyaynetuEthiopia / East Africa & the Horn
  An Ethiopian Orthodox fasting platter of multiple plant-based wats and salads — each prepared separately — arranged in distinct mounds on a single large injera that serves simultaneously as plate and communal utensil.
• BibimbapKorea
  A Korean dish of steamed short-grain rice topped with individually seasoned vegetable namul, julienned beef, a fried or raw egg, and gochujang, assembled in a bowl and mixed together by the diner at the table.
• BifanasPortugal
  Thin pork steaks marinated and braised in white wine, garlic, and sweet paprika until saucy and tender, loaded hot into a crusty papo-seco roll with their cooking juices soaked into the bread.
• Biscuits and GravySouthern and Midwestern United States
  Soft, leavened flour biscuits split open and smothered in a thick white sausage cream gravy built from rendered pork drippings, flour, and milk.

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