Shish is the most famous kebab variety consisting of pieces of meat on a skewer that is grilled over a fire. The dish originated with the nomadic tribes who used to marinate the meat in order to tenderize it and to get rid of the gamey flavors.
The marinades include any combination of lemon juice, olive oil, milk, yogurt, cinnamon, allspice, and various other spices. Authentic Turkish shish kebab is rarely prepared with vegetables on the same skewer, and it has been suggested by numerous food writers that grilling the vegetables and meat on a same skewer is a modern invention by Turkish restaurateurs to make the skewers look more visually appealing to customers.
MOST ICONIC Shish kebab
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Grilled lamb chops are a traditional Greek dish that is popular throughout the country and usually enjoyed as the main course. Lamb chops are usually marinated in various combinations of olive oil, lemon juice, and a variety of fresh herbs before they are grilled on traditional charcoal barbecues.
They are commonly paired with potatoes, salads, or the creamy and refreshing tzatziki sauce.
MOST ICONIC Païdakia
View moreCordero asado is a popular Castillan dish made by roasting a whole lamb over an open fire. The lamb is usually marinated with lemon, garlic, and various fresh herbs such as rosemary and thyme. Once it is properly cooked, cordero asado is typically accompanied by roasted potatoes and onions on the side.
The dish is especially popular during the Christmas season.
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Often referred to as Argentina's unofficial national dish, milanesa is a humble, yet delicious meal consisting of a breaded slice of prime beef that is fried in hot oil, curling up as it cooks, due to the fact that the chosen cuts of meat have less fat and sinew than other cuts.
The dish shares many similarities with the Austrian Wiener schnitzel and the American chicken fried steak. However, milanesa has its roots in Italy, and the original dish has been traced to the city of Milan and the famous cotoletta alla milanese.
VARIATIONS OF Milanesa
MOST ICONIC Milanesa
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One of the best-known dishes of Austrian cuisine, the Wiener schnitzel is a thinned, breaded, and pan-fried veal cutlet that is traditionally served with a dollop of lingonberry jam, lemon wedges, and either buttered parsley potatoes, a simple potato salad, or french fries.
The dish is protected under Austrian law, and—if it is to be called Wiener schnitzel—it must be made with veal. However, pork is often used instead of veal because it's more available and cheaper.
MOST ICONIC Wiener Schnitzel
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These soft, tender Czech doughnuts are prepared with yeasted dough that is occasionally flavored with lemon zest. They are typically round and have a small indentation on the top, which is used to hold all of the delicious filling. Even though they can be baked in the oven, vdolky are usually fried in oil until golden brown.
Traditionally, they are enjoyed warm, smothered in jams and topped with whipped cream or crumbled tvaroh cottage cheese.
Crocchè is a famous Sicilian deep-fried snack. Also known as crocchè di patatte, and panzarotti in Neapolitan, it is made with mashed potatoes, eggs, Parmigiano and mozzarella cheese, and parsley or mint leaves. Additional ingredients occasionally include provolone cheese, prosciutto, and salami.
This tasty snack with a crunchy exterior and silky soft interior was inspired by the famous French croquette, and it originated in the 17th century, when potatoes became a staple ingredient in Sicily. Crocchè is most commonly regarded as Italian street food, but it is occasionally also served in restaurants as a side dish or antipasto.
MOST ICONIC Crocchè
Yassa, also known as chicken yassa or poulet yassa, is Senegal's national dish, a stew consisting of chicken that is marinated in lemon, lots of onions, and vinegar. The chicken needs to marinate in the mixture for at least eight hours, making sure that the lemon juice and vinegar take the bite out of the onions and tenderize the tough poultry found in the Casamance region.
Chicken pieces are then cooked over medium-high heat until the marinade becomes a sauce in itself. This process results in an incredibly flavorful and tender meat that is traditionally served with fluffy rice in brightly decorated plates. Other examples of good accompaniments include fufu and couscous, with or without the chickpeas.
MOST ICONIC Yassa
Piccata al limone is a traditional meat dish originating from Italy. Although there are many recipes, the dish is usually made with a combination of veal scallops, butter, lemon juice, flour, parsley, and salt. The veal is pounded with a mallet, sprinkled with flour, cooked in butter over high heat on both sides, and then seasoned with salt.
A mixture of water and lemon juice is poured into the pan and cooked until reduced. It's then sprinkled with chopped parsley and dotted with butter. Once the butter has melted, the veal scallops are removed from the pan and served in lemon sauce. Baked potatoes are a perfect accompaniment to this dish.
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This classic Sicilian semi-frozen dessert is just the thing to cool you down during the dog days of summer. It is served all across the island, and traditionally enjoyed for breakfast alongside an espresso and brioche. Granita is made with water, sugar, and fruit juice or various other flavorings.
It is sometimes confused with sorbetto, though granita has a much grainier texture, hence the name, while its origins can be traced back to the sweet Arabic chilled drink sharbāt which was introduced to Sicily during Arab rule. However, traditional granita is not simply chilled but almost frozen - in fact, it was once called rattata (lit. grated) and made using snow and ice from Etna that was collected during winter, then stored in mountain caves.
VARIATIONS OF Granita
MOST ICONIC Granita
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TasteAtlas 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 “81 Best Rated Dishes With Lemon” list until March 27, 2025, 807,765 ratings were recorded, of which 526,117 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.