Originating from Leskovac, Serbia, leskovački voz is a popular barbecued meat dish that can also be considered a feast. Here's why – it consists of a variety of meat dishes and sides, and each meat dish is followed by another one. Typical dishes of leskovački voz include čevapčići, pljeskavica, stuffed pork loin, leskovački uštipci, mućkalica, and sausages.
The name of the dish means Leskovac train, which only stops once you tell the staff that you can't eat any more. On the side, there is usually lepinja flatbread, gravče na tavče, and various fresh salads.
What was once a Native American tradition of cooking clams and lobsters in sand pits dating back 2000 years is nowadays a popular New England dish consisting of lobsters, mussels, crabs, and clams steamed in sand pits over several layers of seaweed.
The tradition of digging up sand pits stems from the Natives, who did not own any cooking pots, so earth was used as a cooking vessel instead. As the dish evolved over the years, people have started to add vegetables such as corn, onions, and carrots into it.
MOST ICONIC Clam Bake
View moreOyster roast is a traditional event originating from the Low Country, an area along the South Carolina coast. Similar to a clambake in the Northeast, the oysters are placed into a roasting kettle, covered with a burlap sack, then placed over hot coals until fully cooked.
Once done, they are traditionally served on picnic tables lined with newspapers and pried open with special knives. The oyster roast has some standard accompaniments such as crackers, cocktail sauce, hot sauce, and sometimes horseradish. When hosting an oyster roast, it's recommended to have a few bottles of cold beer on hand, or gin and whiskey-based cocktails.
Rijsttafel is an elaborate Dutch meal that was developed during the colonial era. The Dutch were most likely inspired by an Indonesian dish called nasi padang, as rijsttafel consists of rice and a variety of foods such as fish, chicken, curried meats, vegetables, pickles, sauces, relishes, condiments, fruits, eggs, nuts, and so on.
The diners are served a plate of rice, and then they choose from a variety of side dishes, which can range up to 40! It's no wonder that sometimes the meal takes a few hours to consume. The name rijsttafel means rice table, referring to this flamboyant feast of small plates filled with spicy, sweet, sour, and salty flavors, all of them paired with rice.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
For most Americans, the Thanksgiving dinner usually includes seasonal dishes such as stuffed roasted turkey and side dishes such as mashed potatoes, a rich cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie, among others. This celebratory meal dates back to November 1621, when the Pilgrims and the Native Wampanoag Indians got together at Plymouth for an autumn harvest celebration, now considered America's first Thanksgiving.
The first feast contained turkey (debatable), venison, fish, clams, berries, lobster, pumpkin, waterfowl, and squash, and many of the foods remained a staple of modern Thanksgiving dinners. Turkey is so synonymous with the holiday that the day is sometimes colloquially called Turkey Day.
MOST ICONIC Thanksgiving Dinner
View moreMAIN INGREDIENTS
Traditionally associated with the island of Java, this complex Indonesian dish consists of a heap of cone-shaped rice that is surrounded by numerous other traditional Indonesian dishes. Due to its complexity, tumpeng is usually prepared for special occasions, and like many other dishes in Indonesia, it has a strong symbolic meaning.
The shape of rice is a reminder that everything leads to higher power, and the height of the cone symbolizes the importance of deities in Indonesian culture. The dishes served around the rice represent abundance and prosperity, and everything is usually presented on a round plate to symbolize continuity.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Virado, also known as virado à Paulista, is a traditional and hearty dish from the state of São Paulo, Brazil.
It dates back to the early Portuguese settlers in the region. The dish consists of a rich platter that includes several components: beans cooked with sautéed onions, garlic, and fat; dried, toasted manioc flour; pork; fried sausage; breaded and fried plantain; eggs (usually with a soft yolk); braised kale; rice; and crispy pork rind.
Sadhya is a traditional feast originating from the state of Kerala. All of the small dishes are vegetarian, and one sadhya feast can contain up to 28 dishes at a time, all of them traditionally served on banana leaves and meant to be eaten with hands.
This feast is typically served for Onam, the state festival of Kerala. Rice is usually served on the lower side of the leaf as the main dish, and the first dish after the rice is parippu – a curry made from ghee and small gram. It's followed by sambar, a stew of vegetables cooked in gravy of onions, chilis, coriander, lentils, and turmeric.
Plato Alpujarreño is a traditional meal originating from Andalusia. The recipe has many variations, but it usually consists of a mix of fried eggs, morcilla blood sausages, chorizo, pork loin, sweet peppers, Serrano ham, potatoes, and migas.
The dish is quite simple and inexpensive to prepare, but the combination is one of the most requested dishes in restaurants and bars in the region. Plato Alpujarreño is traditionally served hot.
A family-style chicken dinner refers to a meal where a large quantity of food, with chicken dishes being the central part, is served on platters, and everyone at the table serves themselves.
The chicken can be fried, roasted, or grilled and is served alongside a variety of side dishes. These sides could include vegetables, salads, potatoes, bread, and often other dishes like pasta or rice. The specific dishes can vary widely based on regional cuisine and personal preference.
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. 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.