Only A Well-Traveled Foodie Can Identify These Dishes From Around The World
- by Mandy Anthony
- – on
- in Lifestyle
Traditional foods are interesting, telling stories about the places they come from and spreading comfort, excitement, and happiness to those who enjoy them. From the creamy spiced khao soi curry in Northern Thailand to the hearty rich cawl soup of Wales, flavors change and evolve from one country to the next. Something as simple as the plants and spices available in a region completely changes the flavor profile of traditional dishes from those two cities over. While some countries like the United States, Canada, and India, have become melting pots for multiple cultures with traditional foods and ingredients to share, others must travel the globe to experience these flavors.
One advantage to globe trotting is access to spices and combinations one might never try at home. This leads to an abundance of food-related knowledge, such as which cheesy pasta and potato dish is a favorite in Switzerland and which steamed meat bun is a street food staple in China? Take this quiz to identify dishes from around the globe and gain the title of “Well-Traveled Foodie with Flare”. Only a true connoisseur could possibly distinguish a lingonberry from a cranberry, or a dashi from a bouillabaisse; test your knowledge and see how sharp those cuisine-naming skills really are.
Which Red Spread Is A Staple In Serbia?
In Serbia, a common breakfast dish comes in the form of a bright red spread smeared on crispy toast. The spread is also used in several other dishes, such as with crackers and cheese, as a potato garnish, or tossed with fresh pasta. Which sauce makes its appearance regularly in Serbian households? Is it chunky seasoned tomato sauce, ajvar made from roasted red pepper and eggplant, meaty Manteca colorá prepared with pork lard and paprika, or tangy sweet lingonberry jam?
What's The Name Of The Side Dish Commonly Served With A British Roast Dinner?
In England dinner was traditionally served in multiple courses. Originally, this dish was served as a starter to fill up guests so they didn’t gorge themselves on expensive cuts of meat in the next course. Now, it’s commonly served as a side dish with roast meat, veg, and gravy. If you visited England, which fluffy bread-like dish would you find on the side of a traditional roast dinner? Would you bite into a golden flaky biscuit, sweet and spongy cornbread, a buttery bread roll, or a light and airy Yorkshire pudding?
Identify This Cheesy Swiss Pasta
This Swiss dish contains a mix of perfectly cooked pasta, hot melted cheese, steamy potatoes, and caramelized onions. A comfort dish served in Switzerland during cold weather, you’ll often find it served hot with a side of sweet and tart applesauce. Who can name this delicious coming together of sticky starches, creamy cheese, and tender onion? Is it the layered casserole dish Älplermagronen, the frugal but delicious pasta e patate, light potato dumpling-like gnocchi, or a bowl of buttery smooth colcannon?
What's The Name of This Canadian Meat Pie?
It hails from the land of red maple, moose and hockey, but this dish isn't your average everyday Canadian meal. Served as a buttery golden pie crust filled with a mix of ground pork, veal, game meat and potato, this is a French dish originating in the province of Quebec. The pie is traditionally served during the winter holidays and to ring in the new year. Is it a crispy Cornish pasty, a yeasty but tender piroshki, a spicy and flavorful empanada, or a rich and hearty tourtière?
Which Cambodian Dish Is Cooked To Perfection In A Banana Leaf?
Spicy fragrant fish curry sizzled inside a banana leaf with an assortment of spices and herbs offers a taste of traditional southeast Asian country cooking. This soupy dish is cooked until it forms a custard consistency and paired with rice and other accompaniments. Depending on the region of Cambodia it hails from, it may include fish, meat, coconut milk, vegetables, fruit, and a variety of spices. What’s the name of this steamed curry treat? Is it rich and umami amok, the light and creamy tom kha gai, the sweet and sour dhansak, or thick and mild massaman?
Name The Japanese Street Food Which Is Enjoyed In Ball Form
It’s doughy, crispy, fishy, and served with a drizzle of Japanese mayo, aonori seaweed, and bonito flakes. This Japanese street food originated in the Kansai region, but is served in major cities across the country, and has even become a popular snack in Taiwan. It looks a bit like a savory doughnut hole, but what’s the name of this octopus stuffed treat? Is it rice flour coated dango, deliciously dippable onigiri, tasty golden takoyaki, or sweet and sticky mochi balls?
Which Vienna Dessert Comes As A Pastry Wrapped Apple Treat?
It’s closely related to an apple turnover, but this flakey fruity dessert finds its origins in Vienna, Austria. The one-time home of psychologist Freud, great pianist Mozart, and even the musician Beethoven is also home to some seriously delicious eats, including this tender, sweet morsel. Filled with apple, cinnamon, sugar, raisins, and buttery breadcrumbs, it’s too good to forget. So, what’s the name of this Viennese delicacy? Is it sweet layered apfelstreusel, spicy crisp apfelstrudel, pastry enrobed prekmurska gibanica, or apple stuffed struklji?
Identify This Delicious Levantine Side Dish
In Lebanon it’s popular to eat this salad as part of a multi-course meal or mezze. It includes a variety of savory and aromatic ingredients, such as olive oil, bulgar, tomato, parsley, pepper and lemon, although it can be customized to suit the chef’s flavor profile. It’s fragrant, tasty, and completely vegetarian, but what’s the name of this unique salad? Is it tangy minty tabbouleh salad, crisp and creamy Greek salad, fried halloumi and couscous salad, or harissa and carrot salad?
What Do You Get When You Deep Fry Rice, Cheese, and Peas in Italy?
Italy is known as a food capital of the world, with all their rich egg yolk infused pasta, hot doughy bread, and fine sliced meat. One of the delicious morsels found in this country is thought to have originated in Sicily and is now commonly eaten as a street food. It consists of cooked rice, melted cheese, meaty tomato sauce, and peas, which are coated in seasoned bread crumbs and deep fried to crispy perfection. Is this fried snack identified as golden-brown hushpuppies, sweet yeasty frittelle, savory bite-sized kachori, or rich crispy arancini?
Name This Swedish Holiday Dessert
In Sweden, the winter holidays include more than mince pies and turkey dinner. Their festivities begin earlier and span most of December, including December 13th, which marks the celebration of Lucia and in it’s honor a special saffron bun is made. The buns are twisted to look like curled up cats and decorated with tender raisins. What’s the name of this delicious yellow feline-shaped treat. Is it soft and fluffy lussekatter, sweet and doughy æbleskiver, moist buttery butterkaka, or tender steamed pai bao?
Name The Jamaican Flatbread Made With Cassava Flour
Flatbread is a staple around the world, with varying flavor profiles and cooking methods to explore. In Jamaica the most popular flatbread is made using flour from the cassava or yuka plant. Traditionally baked on an open fire or flat iron, the flatbread is dipped in coconut milk and fried before serving. It’s then enjoyed with dips, meat, fish, and other pairings as part of a meal or a snack time food. Which of these famous flatbreads calls Jamaica home? Is it dense and comforting bannock, soft pocket-like pita, thick savory barbari bread, or rich golden bammy?
Which Maldives Pudding Uses A Seed As Its Main Ingredient?
Flavored with aromatic notes of rosewater, cardamom and sweet coconut milk, this Maldivian pudding is a both exciting and comforting at the same time. It looks a bit like rice pudding but uses palm stem cores called sago as a spongy textured component. Often served with fruit, this pudding makes for a great snack or dessert, but what’s it called? Is it soft springy ras malai pudding, thick and creamy saagu bondibai, sweet and sour caakiri pudding, or fruity nutty ashure pudding?
Identify The Traditional South Korean Rice Dish Topped With An Egg
In South Korea, this favored mixed rice dish originated based on a need to use up ingredients from leftover sides following the celebration of the annual lunar new year eve. Now, the dish is eaten year-round and can be found in most restaurants, as a staple in many South Korean homes, and even across North America in Korean inspired eateries. Which rice dish is it? Could it be sour and spicy albaloo polo, sticky sweet biko, spicy aromatic biryani, or savory sumptuous bibimbap?
Which Icelandic Bread Doesn’t Need Its Crusts Cut Off?
In Iceland there’s a bread which is steamed rather than baked. It was traditionally made by burying the formed dough in a special cask near a hot spring. The heat in the ground cooked the bread and left it crustless; perfect for serving with mutton pâté, which is traditionally paired with it, although it goes great with a simple smear of butter as well. The bread is dark, dense, and made of rye, but what’s it called? Is it moist and yeasty pain de ménage, sweet thick rúgbrauð, fruity rich bara brith, or buttery golden vánočka?
Name The Brazilian Dessert Served In Ball Form
Everything tastes better shaped like a ball, maybe that’s why this Brazilian treat is so delicious. Due to a lack of ingredients in post-war Brazil, people learned to cook and bake with fewer fresh foods. This Brazilian dessert was traditionally made using condensed milk, cocoa and butter. Formed into a ball and rolled in sprinkles, it’s a treat served chilled at parties and special occasions. Identify the name of this beloved chocolate sphere. Is it a rich and creamy brigadeiro, a light and fluffy timbit, a sweet and textured chokladbollar, or a sticky bite-sized dango?
What's The Name Of The Creamy Green Dish Served Hot In Fiji?
Fiji is warm, beautiful, picturesque, and home to some of the most interesting foods in the world. One of these unique dishes is made by cooking dalo or taro leaves until soft and serving it with coconut cream and spices. When mixed, the dish strongly resembles buttery steamed spinach, which is a common dish served in North America. Depending on how much coconut cream is added the dish can appear bright green or mottled with pale green, yellow, and cream. What’s the name of this healthy side dish? Is it savory fishy kokoda, steamy and creamy baigan valo, spicy palusami, or comforting creamy rourou?
Which Tangy Drink Is A Classic In India?
Sometimes this traditional Indian drink is sweetened with honey, other times it’s served salted with a hint of mint. It’s usually made by mixing water, yogurt and a variety of spices for flavoring, making it easy to personalize the flavor. No matter how it’s made, this yogurt-based drink is best served cold to beat the heat, but what’s it called? Is it fragrant and peppery thandai, spicy green hued jal jeera, comforting almond flavored badam milk, or creamy tangy lassi?
Which Dish In Laos Includes Duck Blood As An Ingredient?
Many countries around the world have a dish with blood as an ingredient, and Laos is no exception. The country is known for their duck blood salad, which is a combination of fresh herbs, garlic, grilled duck meat, and raw duck blood. It may sound unusual but is described as being flavorful and aromatic. What's the name of this blood flavored soup? Is it thick and textured blood pudding, gelatinous pig blood curd, light and flavorful laap leud ped, or whipped and creamy blodplättar?
Name The Mouth Numbing Tofu Dish From China
In the Szechuan region of China, food is made spicy and given a unique description known as mala. Mala is a numbing hot sensation caused by the Szechuan peppercorn, and it’s a signature ingredient in this tofu dish. Combined with green onion, garlic, fermented beans, ground meat, and thick cubes of tofu, this isn’t your average plate of Chinese food. What do they call this tingling hot tofu? Is it sizzling hot mapo doofu ,crispy sauced agedashi tofu, sweet pocketed Inarizushi, or tangy noodled pad thai?
Which French Chicken Dish Is Cooked With Wine And Mushrooms?
In France, a traditional chicken stew is slow cooked in a burgundy wine with crispy lardons and earthy mushrooms. The resulting taste is one that rivals all others and has been featured in classic cookbooks, such as “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”. Over the years there have been many variations, but they always include the key ingredients from the original recipe. What’s the name of this savory soupy chicken dish? Is it the terra cotta cooked tagine, wine braised coq au vin, rich and creamy chicken marsala, or hearty spiced chicken gumbo?
Identify The Russian Dish Bread Lovers Long For
This Russian favorite was adopted from the Georgian culture. It's a bread dish which features a crusty exterior and a moist gooey interior loaded with cheese, butter, and egg. The idea is that the outer crust is peeled away, dipped in the yolky cheesy center and devoured with gusto. There are many variations of this dish, all including a golden bread and cheesy topping. What's the name of this Georgian gone Russian classic? Is it cheesy fluffy pão de queijo, dense braided challah, sweet rich Estonian kringle, or moist and golden khachapuri?
What's The Name Of This German Pasta Pocket?
Move over ravioli, there's a new pasta pocket in town, and it hails from Germany. This traditional German dumpling is usually filled with onion, spinach, bread crumbs, and ground meat. Seasoned liberally with pepper, salt, nutmeg and parsley; these large filled pastas often come served in a broth and are a standard fare in Germany. Name the light and flavorful noodle pouch from Germany. Is it soft and eggy spätzle, versatile rice-like orzo, porky broth soaked maultasche or fine flat fideos?
Which Dominican Side Dish Sounds Like The Name Of A Fruit?
Traditionally served in Dominican as part of breakfast along with salami, eggs, and avocado, this mashed plantain dish sounds a lot like a fruit from the region. With roots tracing back to Africa, this dish consists of boiled, mashed, seasoned plantains, served with vinegar enhanced red onion. It looks very similar to mashed potato, or any other dense root vegetable. Versatile in its nature, locals eat it as a side to many meals, although it is considered a breakfast staple. What’s the name of this Dominican specialty? Is it thick and hearty mangú, twice fried tostones, brothy garlic aguaji, or pork enhanced mofongo?
Name The Stuffed Vegetable Comfort Food From Iraq
Everything tastes better stuffed with something else, which is exactly what this dish consists of. Vegetables such as eggplant, tomato, and peppers, are stuffed with meat, rice, lemon juice, and spices. Different countries around the world choose a variety of different ingredients to stuff their vegetables with, but in Iraq, the favored flavors are meat, fava beans, rice, tomato, and spices such as lemon and sumac. Identify the name of this stuffed vegetable dish with is a favorite around the world. Is it aromatic biryani, meaty fried kuba, fragrant minced timman ou keema, or savory roasted dolma?
Which Ice Cream Flavor Is Native To New Zealand?
Every country has its own traditional dishes, but what about ice creams? In New Zealand, visitors can try a treat not found anywhere else. This ice cream is made using chunks of mixed in honeycomb toffee, which is a spongy sugary toffee made using brown sugar and corn syrup. While the ice cream itself is traditionally vanilla, the addition of this crispy sweet treat makes it completely unique. What’s the name of the New Zealand ice cream found in shops across the country? Is it swirly colorful moon mist, sweet surprising hokey pokey, creamy sesame flavored halva, or milky fruity gelato?
Name The Taiwan Drink That's Made Its Way Around The World
This drink is a favorite in Japan, China, South Korea, and now across North America, but it originated in Taiwan. Made with a milky mix of tea and chewy soaked tapioca balls, this drink is sweet and often flavored with a variety of ingredients, including mango, coconut, red bean, and even saffron. Depending on where this drink is consumed will dictate the types of flavors available. What’s the name of this tapioca ball beverage? Is it spicy fragrant chai tea, unique flavorful grass jelly drink, milky sweet bubble tea, or creamy tart lassi?
What's The Name of This Fish Pocket From Finland?
Countries around the globe love baking food into convenient to eat bread pockets. In Finland, their pocketed specialty is made by baking perch or vendace into a loaf of bread. Some bake the bread with pork and potato, or other variations on well-seasoned stuffing, but the result is always a golden crusty pocket with a delicious surprise inside. What’s the name of this Finnish dish? Is it a spicy wrapped burrito, a floury filled pita, a dense baked kalakukko, or an ooey gooey calzone?
Which Polish Soup Is Pink In Color?
It’s creamy pink in color and served cold, which is perfect for a refreshing meal on a hot day. In Poland, this classic soup gets its coloring from beets, which are mixed with a variety of vegetables and seasonings and topped with tart and creamy sour cream. Every household serves this recipe differently, with many choosing to serve the soup with hard boiled egg and chives. Originating first in the Ukraine as Borscht, what do they call this pink soup in Poland?
Name This Classic Irish Potato and Cabbage Dish
In Ireland meat and potatoes are a classic, but one potato dish is especially revered and most commonly eaten with boiled ham. Mashed with a liberal seasoning of salt and pepper, cream and cabbage, it became popular because of its low cost and easily accessed ingredients. Although it’s served year-round, on all hallows eve, this classic mash becomes a treasure trove of hidden coins, rings, or thimbles. Name this humble potato dish. Is it hearty colcannon, meaty mixed hash, light crispy croquettes, or gravy laden poutine?
What's The Name Of This Classic Mexican Stew?
Ground corn, seasoned meat, shredded cabbage, and a mix of garlic, onion, lime and chillies makes this Mexican stew well worth trying. Hearty, rich and satisfying, the name of this dish means, “hominy”, which is the same ground corn which flavors it. The stew is garnished with a variety of spices and flavors including avocado and salsa and is frequently a comfort food served during celebrations such as Christmas and Mexico Independence Day. Which corn rich soup is a holiday star? Is it fishy moqueca, meaty puchero, shrimp enriched vatapa, or hot comforting pozole
Name This Sweet And Salty Cuban Turkey Sandwich
It’s a sandwich like no other, combining unusual but satisfying flavors. In Cuba a turkey sandwich isn’t a sandwich without a liberal slathering of jam and cream cheese. Yes, that’s right, jam, cream cheese, and savory turkey makes this sandwich completely unique. For the lovers of pineapple on pizza and Chicago mix popcorn, this is a whole new way to eat sweet and savory in one bite. Identify this rare but ideal treat. Is it called an Elena Cruz sandwich, a Cuban sandwich, a Reuben sandwich, or a panini sandwich?
Which Flaky Filled Dessert Calls Greece Its Home?
Its origin may hail from the bustling streets of Egypt, but this flaky dessert is a favorite in Greece. It includes a mix of diced walnuts, almonds, honey, clove, and thin strands of pastry, which strongly resemble hair. Baked until toasty and golden, it’s a sticky sweet treat, that has eaters looking for seconds every time. Who can name this beautiful and sumptuous dessert? Is it rich syrup coated baklava, savory creamy baba ganoush, flaky wrapped kataifi, or cakey basbousa?
Name This Refreshing Vietnamese Roll
Also known as a summer roll, this Vietnamese style wrap uses dampened rice paper to tightly combine fresh ingredients into one delicious bite. Served cool or at room temperature, the rolls are made by hand and include fillings such as shrimp, herbs, nuts, and a variety of seasonings. Traditionally they are served with a mixed sauce including hoisin, chili, coconut water and peanuts. What’s the name for these Vietnamese rolls? Is it a crispy fried egg roll, bright herby gỏi cuốn, a soft shelled taco, or a California roll?
Who Can Identify This Egyptian Fava Bean Dish?
In Northern Egypt this fava-based dish is a staple around the table. It’s made with fava beans and a mix of herbs and spices such as cumin, parsley, and chili pepper. Some variations include additional vegetables, oils, and lemon for tartness. Often served as a breakfast dish, it’s sometimes accompanied by hard boiled eggs and other small side dishes to nibble away at. What’s the name of this Egyptian favorite? Is it crispy fried falafel, dense floury baladi bread, meaty kebab, or texture-rich ful mudammas?
Which Chicken Dish Was Born in Senegal?
Senegal, a country located on the west coast of the African continent, serves a chicken dish with French influence. Spicy and pungent, the chicken is first marinated then served with onion, and rice as accompanying ingredients. A squeeze of lemon makes this poultry entrée savory and slightly tart, with bay leaf, garlic, and chili increasing its aromatic quality. What’s the name of this bright chicken meal? Is it savory poulet yassa, creamy butter chicken, spicy chicken jambalaya, or chicken yakitori?