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A Neapolitan pasta dish of spaghetti tossed with garlic-infused olive oil, often with red pepper flakes or mushrooms and garnished with parsley.

A traditional Japanese dish of vinegared rice combined with seafood, vegetables, or meat—most commonly raw seafood.

Tsukemen is a Japanese ramen dish of cold noodles served separately from a hot, intensely flavored dipping broth.

A Chinese-origin dumpling with a thin square wrapper, filled with pork, chicken, or shrimp, and typically served in soup.

A stir-fried mud crab dish in a semi-thick, sweet-and-savory tomato-and-chilli sauce, originating in Malaysia and Singapore in the 1950s.

A Japanese rice-bowl dish of simmered ingredients served over rice in a large bowl.

A bean-and-meat stew served across the Portuguese-speaking world, with regional variations in beans, meats, and accompaniments.

A Korean rolled dish of cooked rice and fillings wrapped in dried seaweed, sliced for serving.

A strong black tea drink from mid-20th-century Hong Kong, made with Ceylon tea leaves and evaporated or condensed milk.

A savory Louisiana rice dish with African, Spanish, and French roots, built around meat or seafood, vegetables, rice, and spices.

A Northern Thai coconut-curry noodle soup with fried and boiled egg noodles, pickled greens, lime, and meat.

A Levantine dish of spiced lean ground meat and bulgur wheat, formed into ovoid shapes and often garnished with toasted pine nuts.

A clear beef consommé soup with hand-pulled lamian noodles, originating in Lanzhou, China.

A rich, mildly spicy Thai curry with Persian, Indian, and Malay influences, built on coconut milk, meat, potatoes, onions, and peanuts.

A Mumbai-born vegetable curry with buttered bread rolls, rooted in Maharashtra’s textile mill culture.

Pierogi are filled dumplings of unleavened dough, boiled and sometimes pan-fried, with traditional roots in Poland and widespread presence in North America.

Sake is a Japanese alcoholic beverage made by fermenting polished rice.

Grilled pork belly with visible layers of lean meat and fat, served tableside on a griddle or gridiron.

A Japanese rice cracker, often savory, sometimes sweet, made from glutinous rice dough and cooked by baking or grilling.

A cold Balkan salad of diced tomatoes, cucumbers, onions or scallions, raw or roasted peppers, and sirene cheese, dressed lightly with sunflower or olive oil, sometimes vinegar.

A Japanese street food of octopus-filled batter balls, brushed with sauce and garnished with seaweed and bonito flakes.

A traditional Indonesian cake of fermented whole soybeans bound by fungus.

A deep-fried potato dumpling in a soft bread bun, native to Maharashtra.

A Japanese stir-fried noodle dish using wheat-based Chinese-style noodles, pork, cabbage, and Worcestershire-style sauce.

A layered pastry dessert of filo, chopped nuts, and syrup or honey.

A Korean shaved ice dessert made from frozen milk, topped with sweet ingredients like red beans, fruit, or condensed milk.

A hamburger topped with melted cheese, added near the end of cooking.

A Korean stir-fried dish now centered on sweet potato starch noodles, mixed with vegetables, meat, mushrooms, soy sauce, and sesame oil.

A Japanese dish of ketchup-seasoned chicken rice wrapped or topped with a thin omelet.

Ravioli are stuffed pasta parcels with thin dough enclosing a filling.

A thin, flaky unleavened flatbread from South India, now widespread across Southeast Asia.

A Japanese deep-fried pork cutlet coated in panko breadcrumbs.

A pungent green paste made from grated wasabi rhizomes, used primarily with sushi.

Skewered, roasted beef heart cubes seasoned with salt and vinegar, often basted with a garlic-onion-aji panca-beer sauce.

A moist, sweet Japanese sponge cake with Portuguese roots, adapted in Nagasaki and sold in long rectangular boxes.

An Egyptian and Middle Eastern condiment of pounded herbs, nuts—usually hazelnut—and spices, served with bread or vegetables.

A Sri Lankan street dish of chopped roti pounded with meat curry, egg, onions, and chilies.

A baked Greek pasta dish with tubular pasta, spiced meat sauce, and a creamy top layer.

Rajma is a vegetarian dish of red kidney beans in thick spiced gravy, served with rice as Rajma Chawal.

A Filipino dish from Pampanga made from grilled and chopped pork jowl and ears, seasoned with calamansi, onions, chili peppers, and chicken liver.

A Ghanaian dish of rice and beans cooked together with sorghum leaves and powdered limestone, yielding a red hue and distinct flavor.

A Peruvian chicken stew with a chili-sofrito base, thickened with milk-soaked bread, cheese, and nuts, served with potatoes, rice, olives, and hard-boiled egg.

A roasted-pepper-and-eggplant condiment from the Balkans, traditionally preserved for winter use.

A green salad of romaine lettuce and croutons dressed with lemon juice, olive oil, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, anchovies, garlic, mustard, Parmesan, and black pepper.

A Roman pasta dish of cured pork, hard cheese, eggs, salt, and black pepper.

A soft, steamed cake made from fermented rice and black lentil batter, native to South India and Sri Lanka.

A folded Chinese street crepe made from wheat-and-grain batter, eggs, and sauces, cooked on a flat hotplate.

Japanese karaage is small pieces of marinated meat or fish, coated in starch and deep-fried.

A thin flatbread topped with spiced minced meat and vegetables, baked and often wrapped with fresh produce.

Manti are small dumplings with spiced meat filling, wrapped in thin dough and boiled or steamed, found across Central Asia, West Asia, the South Caucasus, and the Balkans.

Matoke is a steamed, mashed dish made from green East African Highland bananas, central to Ugandan and Rwandan cuisine.

Osechi is a traditional Japanese New Year meal served in stacked lacquered boxes, composed of symbolic dishes meant to convey wishes for health and prosperity.

A Korean scallion pancake made from batter and pan-fried, with regional variations and a sweet-savory dipping sauce.

A French slow-boiled dish of meat and vegetables, traditionally served in two courses: broth first, then meat and vegetables.

Tofu is a soy-based food made by coagulating soy milk and pressing the curds into blocks of varying softness.

A coarse-grained French sausage made from pork intestine, pepper, wine, onions, and seasonings.

Unbreaded chicken wing sections, deep-fried then coated in vinegar-based cayenne hot sauce and melted butter.

A fried dough stick from Spanish and Portuguese cuisine, piped with ridges and often dusted with sugar.

Dolma is a category of stuffed vegetables and leaves, traditionally filled with rice, minced meat, herbs, and spices.

A Japanese shaved ice dessert made from pure, often spring-sourced ice, served with sweet syrup and sometimes condensed milk.

A fermented vegetable dish from Korea, traditionally made with cabbage or daikon, salted and aged in earthenware vessels.

A pasta dish of macaroni covered in cheese sauce, most commonly cheddar.

A Southeast Asian stir-fried rice dish made with pre-cooked rice and seasoned with sweet soy sauce, shrimp paste, shallots, garlic, tamarind, and chilli.

A dense chocolate sponge cake layered with apricot jam and coated in a fudge-like chocolate glaze.

A strong, sweet, chilled coffee drink made with dark-roast robusta, sweetened condensed milk, and ice.

A French dish from the Aubrac plateau: mashed potatoes blended with cheese, butter, cream, and often garlic, cooked until smooth and elastic.

A Meiji-era Japanese dessert of agar jelly cubes served with sweet azuki bean paste, boiled peas, fruits, and black syrup.

Sicilian rice balls stuffed with ragù or butter-based fillings, coated in breadcrumbs and deep-fried.

A fertilized duck egg incubated 14–21 days, then steamed or boiled and eaten from the shell.

A Mumbai-born street snack of layered puffed rice, puris, sev, potato, onion, and two chutneys.

A Vietnamese rice noodle soup from Huế with beef, chả lụa, and a lemongrass–shrimp paste broth.

A family of Indian fried-dough snacks, typically served as hors d'oeuvres or street food across South Asia.

A rectangular pan pizza with thick, crisp-chewy crust, caramelized cheese edges, and cooked tomato sauce.

A Turkish dish of seasoned meat roasted on a vertical rotisserie and sliced thin.

A deep-fried or baked fritter made from soaked, uncooked chickpeas and herbs, shaped into balls or patties.

A whole lamb or sheep spit-roasted over embers in Maghrebi cuisine, seasoned with ras el hanout and cooked with kidneys left in.

A flat, leavened wheat dough topped with tomato, cheese, and other ingredients, baked at high heat.

A ring-shaped sesame-encrusted bread with Byzantine roots, now widespread across former Ottoman regions.

A frothy black tea drink made by pulling hot tea and condensed milk between containers.

A large platter from Colombia’s Paisa region featuring red beans with pork, rice, ground meat, chicharrón, fried egg, ripe plantain, chorizo, arepa, hogao sauce, black pudding, avocado, and lemon.

A tall-crust Chicago pizza with cheese layered beneath chunky tomato sauce, baked in a pan.

Couscous is small steamed granules of rolled semolina, traditionally served with stew, and native to North Africa.

A thick, golden-brown confection made by slowly heating milk and sugar.

A layered Arab dish of crumbled or toasted flatbread topped with other foods.

Foie gras is the enlarged liver of a duck or goose fattened by force-feeding.

Deep-fried skewered ingredients—meat, seafood, or vegetables—served with shared dipping sauce in Osaka’s Shinsekai district.

A thin-wrapped roll with savory or sweet fillings, served fried or fresh, rooted in Indonesian and Filipino adaptations of Fujianese and Teochew spring rolls.

A spiced black tea beverage from India, made by simmering spices, brewing tea, and adding milk.

A Provençal flatbread from Nice topped with slow-cooked onions, black olives, and anchovies.

A Filipino sour soup or stew, typically made with meat or seafood and tamarind.

A Japanese omelette made by rolling layers of fried beaten eggs, traditionally seasoned with soy sauce and sugar, and served in sushi or bento.

A small, unfiltered coffee made by boiling very finely ground beans in a cezve, served with grounds suspended in the liquid.

A stiff, dough-like staple made from maize flour and water or milk, eaten across much of Africa with stews or sauces.

A Cantonese stir-fry of wide rice noodles, sliced beef, and bean sprouts, prized for its wok hei.

A tea-based drink from Taiwan, typically with chewy tapioca balls, milk, and flavoring.

A small French almond cake with disputed origins in Lorraine and 17th-century nunneries, later associated with Paris financiers.