Food World

Kitcha

Kitcha is a thin Ethiopian flatbread of wheat flour and water baked on a griddle, often crumbled into a spiced butter dish called kitcha fitfit.

Ethiopia · Nationwide

Mahamri

Mahamri are East African coconut doughnuts, spiced with cardamom, served with pigeon peas or tea for breakfast.

Kenya · Coast

Suriname · Nationwide Suriname, with strongest roots in Paramaribo and the Javanese, Hindustani, and Maroon communities

Rice Dishes

Moksi-alesi

Suriname's everyday mixed-rice one-pot - seasoned meat, vegetables and rice steamed together in a single heavy pan and served with a sharp cucumber-onion salad.

Italy · Italy (Marche - Ascoli Piceno, Fermo, San Benedetto del Tronto, Offida, Ascoli Piceno province)

Olive Ascolane

A celebrated Italian appetizer of large green Ascolano olives, pit removed in a spiral curl and stuffed with a sautéed blend of veal, beef, pork, Parmigiano and soffritto, breaded and deep-fried until crisp.

Estonia · Nationwide in Estonia, with strong traditions in Tallinn, Tartu, Pärnu, Haapsalu, Viljandi, and the eastern Seto region (where a rye-flour version is also made)

Pirukas

A small hand-shaped Estonian yeast bun filled with pork, kohupiim curd, cabbage, or potato, and sold at every bakery and market in the country.

Rupjmaize

Rupjmaize is Latvia's national rye bread: dark, dense and sourdough-leavened with a chewy crust, served at almost every meal and baked all over the country.

Latvia · Nationwide

Japan · Shizuoka (Pacific coast)

Rice Dishes

Shirasu Don

Shirasu don is a Japanese rice bowl topped with tiny boiled whitebait, prized for its delicate briny flavour and best eaten fresh near fishing ports like Shizuoka.

Skordalia

Skordalia is a Greek garlic dip made with potato or stale bread, olive oil, vinegar and plenty of garlic.

Greece · Nationwide

Dominican Republic · Caribbean

Tostones

Tostones are twice-fried slices of green plantain, crisp outside and tender inside, a common side across the Caribbean and parts of Latin America.

Cheese & Dairy

Twaróg

Twaróg is Poland's everyday fresh curd cheese, mild and tangy, spread on bread, folded into pierogi ruskie and baked into sernik.

Poland · Nationwide

Israel · Levant (Acre, Nablus, Galilee, West Bank)

Cheese & Dairy

Akkawi

Mild brined white cheese from Acre on the Mediterranean coast, central to Levantine breakfasts and the shredded filling of knafeh.

South Korea · Nationwide street snack, with classic concentrations in Seoul (Jongno, Jung-gu, Mapo), Daegu, Busan, and Gwangju

Bamya

Bamya is an Egyptian okra stew cooked with tomato, onion and garlic, often with lamb or beef.

Egypt · Nationwide

Meat & Grills

Beondegi

A chewy, savory Korean street snack of boiled and seasoned silkworm pupae, sold warm in small paper cups from market carts across the country.

Spain · Nationwide Spain (Andalusia, Extremadura, Castilla y León)

Street Food

Bocadillo de Lomo

Spanish crusty-roll sandwich of paprika- and garlic-marinated pork loin, often with tomato, olive oil and manchego.

New Caledonia · Melanesia

Bougna

Bougna is a traditional Kanak dish of New Caledonia: meat or fish with taro, yam and sweet potato, wrapped in banana leaves and cooked in an earth oven.

Italy · Versilia, Tuscany (Viareggio, Camaiore, Pietrasanta, Forte dei Marmi, Massa, Carrara)

Cacciucco Alla Viareggina

Versilia fish stew from Viareggio on the Tuscan coast, layering snapper, scorpionfish, mussels, and prawns in tomato-wine broth.

Century Egg

Preserved egg with amber jelly and a dark green yolk.

China · Nationwide

United States · Western North Carolina / Blue Ridge Mountains

Street Food

Dixie Dog

Western North Carolina red-dyed all-beef hot dog in a soft bun, topped with beanless chili, mustard and chopped onion.

Taiwan · Nantou County (Lugu, Shanlinxi, Dong Ding Mountain, Alishan) + Taipei and Taichung tea markets

Drinks & Beverages

Dong Ding

Dong Ding is the classic Taiwanese high-mountain oolong from Nantou, with floral, creamy, stone-fruit notes and a tight rolled pellet shape.

Isombe

Isombe is a Rwandan stew of pounded cassava leaves cooked with palm oil, fish or meat and vegetables.

Rwanda · Nationwide

Street Food

Kafteji

Kafteji is a Tunisian dish of chopped fried vegetables and eggs, served in a sandwich or on a plate with harissa.

Tunisia · Nationwide