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Top 10 the most recognizable dishes in the world

Added: 17.05.2021, Updated: 15.01.2024,

Each country has its flag dish we must eat & taste while travelling. Below you can find our subjective list of typical dishes in selected countries.

1. Italian Pizza

 

It has to be our number one! Who does not know the taste of thin crispy dough with tomato sauce and chewy mozzarella topped with whatever you want (even pineapple)? It was created probably in 10th century but it got popular in late 19th century in Naples when Raffaelo Esposito made most known Margherita after queen of Italy Margherita di Savoia. Food of poor italians became most recognizable food on Earth.

Italian pizza

2. Polish Pierogi

 

Most popular slavic dish. Eastern Europe origin. Semicircular dumplings with wide variety of filling - you can fill them with meat, cabbage with mushrooms, sweet cheese, fruits or quark with potatoes and onion (these are called “ruskie” which means “ruthenian”). Savoury ones are mostly topped with melted butter, fried onion, fried bacon or combination of those, sweet are topped with cream and sugar but it differs from region to region. It’s most popular polish dish around the world, especially in the USA.

Polish Pierogi

3. American Burger

 

Known as the most recognizable fast food in the world. Originally consists sliced bun or roll with one or more patties of ground beef, vegetables (lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles) and sauces (mustard, mayonnaise, ketchup, BBQ). It can also contain cheese or/and bacon and other ingredients that you love. Burger can be also made with chicken fillet or veggie cutlet instead of beef. The history of hamburger is not clear, some say it came with immigrants from Hamburg (they’ve eaten "Rundstück warm" ("bread roll warm") in 1869 on their way to USA), others claim Louis Lassen - Danish immigrant - was the inventor. We’ll never know the truth of the origin but we’re glad we can enjoy the remarkable taste of burgers nowadays!

American Burger

4. Japanese Ramen

 

This tasteful japanese soup was probably invented by… Chinese. Even the name is a Chinese borrowing. There is wide variety of types of ramen in Japan with geographical differences, but it can be categorized by its two most important ingredients - broth and noodles. Ramen can be seasoned and flavoured with number of toppings such as pork, boiled eggs, wakame, shiitake, spring onions, beans, tofu, nori, corn and many, many more ingredients of your choice.


5. Thai Tom Kha Gai

 

Another Asian warming soup. It can be also called Thai coconut soup. It contains coconut milk, chicken, red curry paste, galangal (or ginger), kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass, shiitake mushrooms, coriander, fish sauce, lime juice and chillies. In good Tom Kha Gai you should taste four flavours - spicy, sour, sweet and salty. All flavours must be balanced. Kha means galangal - seasoning typical for Thailand, gai (or kai) means chicken. It can be also served with seafood or vegetarian substitutes such as tofu. Thailand is known for its street food traditions and Tom Kha is most popular there.
Thai Tom Kha Gai

6. German Pork Knuckle with sauerkraut

 

Germany is rather known for its beer fest - Oktoberfest but one must eat while drinking that amount of beer. German cuisine is packed with greasy meats and sausages, sauerkraut and cream on top of everything. And don’t forget about potatoes! They are part of every dish. So if you want to taste something typical that suits amazingly to your pint of Paulaner choose pork knuckle on a cabbage with mashed potatoes. Brace yourself, dear liver.

German Pork Knuckle

7. French Boeuf Bourguignon

 

Traditional French recipe. Boeuf Bourguignon is slow-cooked stew with beef, red wine (originally from Burgundy), vegetables (carrots, onions, garlic) and mushrooms. As many European dishes most popular nowadays Beef Burgundy was firstly a peasant dish - made by the poorest. It was popularized by Julia Child in her cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking. She claimed that’s the most amazing French recipe existing.

French Boeuf Bourguignon

8. Spanish Paella

 

Consider the most known national Spanish dish is rather Valencian. It has ancient roots but it gained popularity in 19th century on the east coast of Spain. Paella simply means pan (whole dish is cooked in pan). Valencian paella - which is believed to be the original recipe - contains white rice, beans, meat, snails, artichokes and seasoning - rosemary and saffron. There are few other types of this dish - paella de verduras (vegetarian), paella de marisco with seafood and paella mixta - all types mixed.

Spanish Paella


9. Greek Moussaka

 

Greek casserole. It’s three or four layered. At the very bottom of the pan there are sauteed with greek olive oil sliced aubergines, then ground meat (usually veal) fried with tomatoes seasoned with cinnamon, oregano and black pepper and bechamel sauce on top. It’s all cooked in the oven to brown colour. If you want you can add the fourth layer - fried potatoes. What’s funny Greeks believe the dish was invented by Arabs and vice versa… But it seems to be Arab origin because of the name Musakhkhan - Palestinian dish with slow cooked chicken with onions.

Greek Moussaka

10. English/Indian Chicken Tikka Masala

 

Though most of us thinks it’s an Indian or Pakistani dish - it’s really not. There are few versions of where and when the dish was created but it’s probably Scottish origin. It was likely invented by Pakistani chef in Glasgow in early 70s. It was just typical indian dish tikka masala with masala sauce just to prevent meat from being too dry. It got popular and loved by British people and know is consider as a national dish of Great Britain.

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