Italy’s most emblematic culinary creation, the genuine pizza Napoletana is made with just a few simple ingredients and prepared in only two variations – marinara, the basic Neapolitan pizza topped with a tomato-based sauce flavored with garlic and oregano, and margherita, which is topped with tomatoes, mozzarella, and fresh basil leaves, a delicious combination whose colors are said to represent the Italian flag.
The crust is very thin at the base, and the dough puffs up on the sides, which results in airy crust that should have typical charred 'leopard spots' if baked properly. The origins of this iconic Neapolitan dish can be traced to the early 1700s, when what we know today as pizza marinara was first described by Italian chef, writer, and philosopher Vincenzo Corrado in his treatise on the eating habits of the people of Naples.
OTHER VARIATIONS OF Pizza
MOST ICONIC Pizza Napoletana
View moreKahvaltı refers to breakfast in Turkish, and it's an essential and often lavish meal in Turkish culture. The word "kahvaltı" is derived from two words: "kahve" (coffee) and "altı" (under/before), which translates to "before coffee." It's a meal that traditionally happens before coffee is consumed, as in the Ottoman times, coffee was considered a beverage to be enjoyed after meals rather than during or before them.
Traditional Turkish kahvaltı showcases an expansive array of dishes, typically blending a multitude of flavors, textures, and food categories. The table is adorned with both sweet and savory items, spanning cheeses, olives, vegetables, local breads, eggs, börek, baklava or other sweet pastries, and more, accompanied by hot beverages such as Turkish tea (çay).
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Picanha is a fresh cut of beef that's especially popular and highly prized in Brazil. In the US, it's called sirloin cap, and in the UK, it's known as the rump cap. Picanha is situated on the back side of the animal, above the butt, where it sits on a fat cap.
It's mostly used for churrasco – the meat is first grilled, then sliced off of a skewer. This cut holds very little fat in the meat, so it must be cooked perfectly in order not to make it tough. In Brazil, every churrasco has picanha, and all of the best churrascarias feature picanha on their menus.
OTHER VARIATIONS OF Churrasco
MOST ICONIC Picanha
View moreThe pan-fried variety of the Chinese jiaozi dumpling, known as guotie, is a Northern Chinese dumpling typically filled with minced pork, Chinese cabbage, scallions, ginger, rice wine, and sesame seed oil. Crunchy and soft textures are achieved by a special method of preparing; while the bottom of the dumpling is frying, a small amount of liquid is added to the pan which is then covered, thus allowing the rest of the dumpling and the filling to steam.
When it comes to the shape, guotie should always be long and straight as it can stand more easily and it does not fall over during cooking. Goutie can be literally translated as pot sticks, so these dumplings are often nicknamed potstickers, especially in North America.
OTHER VARIATIONS OF Dim sum
MOST ICONIC Guotie
View moreMAIN INGREDIENTS
Phanaeng curry is a variety of Thai curry that is characterized by a thick texture and salty-sweet peanut flavor. It consists of meat that is stewed with coconut milk, panang curry paste, makrut lime leaves, fish sauce, and palm sugar. The meat used in phanaeng curry is usually beef, chicken, duck, or pork, and the dish traditionally does not include any vegetables.
The name of the dish is derived from the word panang, meaning cross, which refers to the ancient way of preparing chicken with its legs crossed and set in an upright position. Though the origins of phanaeng curry are somewhat murky, it is often associated with the Malaysian state of Penang, but there is little evidence to support this claim.
OTHER VARIATIONS OF Curry
MOST ICONIC Phanaeng Curry
View moreMAIN INGREDIENTS
Toum is an authentic Lebanese and Syrian garlic paste. It is made with whole garlic cloves, which are slowly crushed using a mortar and pestle, or nowadays simply ground in a food processor. During this process, oil (preferably neutral oil such as canola, or the flavorful olive oil) is gently added to create a homogeneous garlic paste with an unusual, fluffy texture.
Finally, salt and lemon juice are added to the mix, giving the paste a salty flavor and ivory color. Toum is used for marinades, sauces, and dips, and can enrich any meal. It is usually combined with chicken in traditional dishes such as roast chicken, chicken skewers or chicken shawarma, but is also commonly combined with beef, lamb, or goat meat.
Serve with
Pastel de Belém is a traditional Portuguese egg custard tart and a predecessor to the famous pastel de nata. The tarts are made with a pastry shell that's filled with a combination of milk, eggs, sugar, lemon, and cinnamon. The first recipe for pastel de Belém dates back to 1837 when it was produced by the monks of the Jerónimos monastery.
Only the custard tarts produced at the Fábrica Pastéis de Belém can be called pastel de Belém, while all the others, produced by other patisseries in Lisbon are called pastel de nata. Regardless of the name, these tarts can be served hot or cold and in 2009, The Guardian listed pastel de Belém as one of the 50 'best things to eat' in the world.
OTHER VARIATIONS OF Pastel de nata
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Lechona is a traditional Colombian dish consisting of a roasted pig stuffed with onions, peas, fresh herbs, and various spices. The pig is roasted for a long time until the meat is tender and succulent. The dish is usually prepared for celebrations and festivities since one lechona can produce as many as 100 servings.
This unique Colombian delicacy can be found in numerous restaurants throughout the country's largest cities.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Turkish ice cream is believed to originate from the city of Maraş—hence the name—and what really sets it apart from other varieties is its resistance to melting and a particularly dense, chewy texture. These qualities are brought by adding two thickening agents to the basic milk and sugar mixture: Arab gum, also known as mastic resin, and salep—a type of flour made from the root of the early purple orchid.
In fact, in the Kahramanmaraş region, ice cream typically contains distinctly more salep than usual, which is why it is sometimes called kesme dondurma—from the Turkish kesmek, meaning to cut—which is the reason why this ice cream variety is usually eaten with a knife and fork.
MOST ICONIC Dondurma
View moreParrilla is an Argentine word with two meanings – it can be used to describe a typical Argentine steakhouse restaurant, or it can denote a metal grill used for preparing the meat and fish. The metal grill is a part of traditional asado barbecues.
It comes in many shapes and sizes, but it typically consists of a main grill with a firebox (called brasero) on the side. Firewood or charcoal are loaded into the firebox, and once the embers drop to the bottom, the coals are placed under the main grill.
VARIATIONS OF Parrilla
MOST ICONIC Parrilla
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 Dishes in the World” list until December 17, 2024, 592,535 ratings were recorded, of which 381,935 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.