Kateh is one of the easiest and simplest techniques for preparing and serving rice, preferably long-grained because it absorbs water better than most other types of rice. The rice is washed, drained, and cooked in lightly salted and oiled water.
It is cooked slowly, over low heat, allowing the rice to absorb all of the liquid. The result is not your typical fluffy rice, but a dish with a dense texture and a clean, undisguised flavor of rice. Kateh is rarely eaten on its own and is mostly served as a side dish.
Since the preparation is not complicated, it is one of the most common side dishes in Iran.
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Pommes Anna is a minimalist, yet challenging French potato dish consisting of peeled, thinly sliced potatoes and butter. The dish is typically seasoned only with salt and pepper. The potato slices are arranged in overlapping layers, drizzled with butter, cooked on top of the stove, then baked in the oven.
When served, the baking dish is inverted, so the bottom of the casserole ends up on top. The dish was invented by a chef named Adolf Dugléré in the 19th century, who named it after one of these two actresses – either Anna Deslions or Anna Judic.
These rustic, crispy potato pancakes belong to the traditional Slovak cuisine. They consist of a thick batter made with grated potatoes, eggs, flour, and a variety of spices. Pan-fried for a short period of time until golden-brown in color, these filling snacks are usually enjoyed as the main course accompanied by various milk products, or as a side dish that is typically served alongside hearty Slovak stews.
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Llapingachos are typical Ecuadorian potato patties that are often served with a spicy peanut sauce on the side. They consist of cheese and mashed potatoes. The combination of those ingredients is flattened and cooked on a griddle until it develops a golden-brown color.
Llapingachos are traditionally served as a side dish along with avocadoes, salads, fried eggs, pork, and chorizo.
Serve with
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Käseknödel is a traditional dumpling enriched with cheese originating from Tyrol and South Tyrol. These cheese dumplings are typically served as a side dish that shows an inventive way of using leftover stale bread. The stale bread is mixed with cheese, eggs, butter, milk, onions, parsley, salt, and pepper.
Käseknödeln are usually boiled in water or fried in butter on both sides until golden brown and then served in a broth or with various salads and stews.
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Diri ak pwa, also called diri kole ak pwa, is the national dish of Haiti, consisting of rice and beans. The dish became a common, everyday staple during the period of slavery, when rice and beans were two of the few ingredients that were fed to the slaves by their owners.
It can be made with a variety of beans, but pinto, red kidney beans, and black beans are the most common options. Diri ak pwa is exceptionally nutritious as rice is rich in starch and contains iron, vitamin B, and protein, while the beans also contain iron and a greater amount of protein than rice.
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Levengi is a traditional stuffing made with walnuts, onions, and dried fruits such as raisins. The stuffing is typically additionally flavored with albukhara and alcha seasonings. It is often used in a variety of fish and poultry dishes, which are then traditionally paired with rice pilafs.
Although the stuffing is usually associated with the region of Lenkeran, it is also commonly prepared and consumed in the Shrivan and Sheki-Zagatala regions as well.
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This internationally popular, beige-colored spread is traditionally made with mashed chickpeas, tahini sesame paste, lemon juice, and garlic. People across the world love hummus for its tangy flavor and the fact that it is filled with nutrients.
When served, it is typically dressed with a drizzle of olive oil, and is then used as a dip for vegetables or a flavorful filling for flatbreads such as pita. Even today, not much is known about its origins, although the earliest mention of hummus dates back to 13th-century Egypt.
VARIATIONS OF Hummus
MOST ICONIC Hummus
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Jeon, also known as Korean pancakes, represents a number of pancake-like dishes in Korean cuisine that are often served as appetizers, side dishes, or consumed as snacks. Although jeon are typically prepared in savory versions, there are also some sweet varieties of these flavorful pancakes.
At their simplest, it is food that is first coated in flour and eggs, then pan-fried in oil. Jeon incorporates ingredients such as thinly sliced meat, poultry, seafood, and various vegetables. The pancakes are traditionally prepared every year during the Korean Lunar New Year and Korean Harvest Festival, although they are eaten daily throughout the year.
VARIATIONS OF Jeon
MOST ICONIC Jeon
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The thin pancake known as dosa is one of the most famous Indian dishes. It is made with soaked rice and black gram beans, which are ground into a paste and mixed to create a thick batter, usually left to ferment overnight. The mixture is enriched with a handful of fenugreek seeds, which give dosa its distinctive golden brown color and a delicious, crispy texture.
It is then baked on a hot oiled griddle, pertaining a delicate, thin texture and round shape. Indian dosa is a staple dish in the entire country, but some believe that dosa had originated in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is an ancient dish, whose origins are traced back to the 1st century AD, when it was first mentioned in Tamil literature.
VARIATIONS OF Dosa
MOST ICONIC Dosa
View moreTasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 100 Side Dishes in the World” list until February 13, 2025, 31,310 ratings were recorded, of which 20,081 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.