Top Pick Recipes

Whole-animal slow-grill over wood/charcoal — Argentina's sacred ritual.

The ritual of slow-grilling various beef cuts over wood embers, Argentina's defining culinary tradition.

French-Vietnamese baguette sandwich with pâté, pork, pickled vegetables, and cilantro.

Burgundy beef stew — the French braise that defines the technique.

Burgundy beef stew braised in red wine with lardons, pearl onions, mushrooms, and aromatics.

Slow-braised beef in a deeply complex dried chile consomme, served with tortillas for dipping.

Stewed beef in rich chili consommé, dipped and griddled.

Layered rice and spiced chicken sealed and slow-cooked (dum) with saffron, fried onions, and whole spices — India's greatest rice dish.

Massive T-bone from Chianina cattle, grilled rare over coals.

Slow-simmered meat sauce with a soffritto base, wine, milk, and tomato, served over tagliatelle.

Marinated thin-sliced beef grilled over flame — Korea's most beloved dish.

Tender chicken in creamy tomato-butter sauce — India's most famous export.

Roman classic: egg, guanciale, pecorino, black pepper — no cream.

Roman pasta with guanciale, egg yolks, Pecorino, and black pepper, tossed off-heat into a silky custard sauce.

Slow-braised pulled pork fried crispy in its own fat.

Pristine raw fish cured in tiger's milk leche de tigre with red onion, aji limo, and cilantro, served immediately.

Fresh fish cured in lime with aji amarillo, red onion, and cilantro — Peru's national treasure.

Sticky, caramelized BBQ pork — the soul of Cantonese cuisine.

Honey-lacquered roast pork with caramelized edges, sweet-savory glaze, and a deep red hue from fermented red bean curd.

Chicken braised with saffron, ginger, preserved lemons, and Moroccan olives in a conical tagine pot.

Ethiopia's celebratory chicken stew in a deeply spiced berbere and caramelized onion sauce with hard-boiled eggs.

Brazil's national dish: a rich black bean stew loaded with smoked and cured pork cuts, served with rice, farofa, and orange slices.

Buttermilk-brined, seasoned-flour-coated, deep-fried chicken — America's icon.

Buttermilk-brined chicken dredged in seasoned flour and fried to a shattering golden crust.

Coconut-based curry with green chilies, basil, and eggplant.

A fragrant, creamy coconut curry with green chili paste, Thai eggplant, bamboo shoots, and Thai basil.

Louisiana's signature stew built on a dark roux with okra or file powder, loaded with sausage, chicken, and/or shellfish.

Layered rice and spiced lamb, sealed and slow-cooked — India's rice masterpiece.

Spicy, smoky marinated chicken grilled over pimento wood.

Chicken marinated in fiery scotch bonnet and allspice paste, slow-smoked over pimento wood.

The crown jewel of West African cuisine: rice cooked in a smoky tomato-pepper sauce until each grain is deeply red and flavorful.

Boat-shaped bread filled with molten cheese and butter, topped with a raw egg stirred in at the table.

Fermented napa cabbage with gochugaru, garlic, ginger, and fish sauce.

Silken tofu in fiery, numbing pork sauce — the dish that defines Sichuan.

Silky tofu in a fiery, numbing sauce of doubanjiang, fermented black beans, and Sichuan peppercorns with ground pork.

Complex sauce of chilies, chocolate, nuts, spices over chicken — Mexico's greatest sauce.

Complex sauce of dried chiles, chocolate, nuts, and spices that represents the pinnacle of Mexican culinary art.

Slow-cooked beef shank stew with bone marrow, thickened with wheat flour and spiced with a complex nihari masala — Lahore's pride.

Saffron rice with chicken, rabbit, green beans, and snails — the original paella.

Saffron rice cooked in a wide pan with chicken, rabbit, snails, green beans, and lima beans, prized for its crispy socarrat.

Lacquered roast duck with pancakes, scallions, and hoisin — Beijing's masterpiece.

Aromatic beef broth with rice noodles, herbs, and rare beef — Vietnam's soul.

A deeply aromatic beef and rice noodle soup with star anise, cinnamon, and charred ginger, served with fresh herbs and bean sprouts.

San Marzano tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil — the perfect pizza.

Meltingly tender pork belly in caramelized soy-sugar sauce — Mao's favorite dish.

Beef slow-cooked for hours in coconut milk, lemongrass, galangal, and chilies until the sauce is completely absorbed and the meat is dark and intensely flavored.

Whole packer brisket rubbed with salt and pepper, smoked low and slow over post oak for 12-16 hours.

Spit-roasted pork with pineapple, onion, cilantro on corn tortillas.

Chile-marinated pork carved from a vertical spit, topped with pineapple, onion, and cilantro on small corn tortillas.

Crispy golden rice crust — the most fought-over part of any Persian meal.

Coffee-soaked ladyfingers layered with mascarpone cream and cocoa.

Hot and sour shrimp soup with lemongrass, galangal, and lime — Thailand's signature.

A hot and sour shrimp soup with lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, and mushrooms — intensely aromatic.

Creamy pork bone broth with thin noodles, chashu, and soft egg.

Rich, creamy pork bone broth simmered for 12+ hours with thin noodles, chashu pork, ajitama egg, and nori.

Thin-skinned dumplings filled with pork and hot soup.

Delicate steamed dumplings filled with pork and rich, hot soup sealed inside — Shanghai's greatest contribution to dumpling-kind.

Double-fried chicken glazed with sweet-spicy sauce — crunchier than any other fried chicken.

Spicy hand-minced lamb on flat skewers, grilled over charcoal.

Hand-minced spicy lamb kebab with tail fat, red pepper flakes, and sumac, grilled on wide flat skewers.

Chicken and pork braised in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay leaves, and black peppercorns — the Philippines' national dish.

Raw shrimp in blazing lime-chili water — Sinaloa's answer to ceviche.

Shredded chicken in a creamy, mildly spicy aji amarillo and walnut sauce over rice.

Bogota's signature chicken soup with three types of potatoes, corn on the cob, and the herb guascas.

Roman pasta with guanciale, tomato, pecorino, and black pepper.

Puerto Rico's signature rice with pigeon peas, sofrito, and pork, cooked in a caldero for a crispy pegao bottom.

Layers of phyllo, nuts, and syrup — the queen of Middle Eastern sweets.

Layers of paper-thin phyllo brushed with butter, filled with pistachios, baked crisp and soaked in sugar syrup.

Antioquia's lavish platter of red beans, rice, ground beef, chicharron, fried egg, plantain, arepa, and avocado.

A crusty baguette filled with pate, cold cuts, pickled daikon and carrot, cilantro, jalapeño, and Maggi sauce.

Flaky warqa pastry filled with spiced shredded chicken, almond cream, eggs, and dusted with cinnamon and powdered sugar.

Complex Ethiopian spice blend of dried chiles, fenugreek, cardamom, coriander, and over a dozen aromatics.

Rice bowl with seasoned vegetables, meat, egg, and gochujang — mix before eating.

Rice topped with seasoned vegetables, beef, a fried egg, and gochujang, mixed together before eating — optionally in a sizzling stone pot.

Cape Malay curried mince baked with a savory egg custard topping, South Africa's national dish.

Deep crimson beet soup with beef, cabbage, potatoes, and dill, served with a generous dollop of sour cream.

Marseille's legendary saffron-scented seafood stew.

The South African ritual of grilling boerewors, steaks, and sosaties over wood coals, with pap and chakalaka.

Paper-thin slices of beef marinated in soy, sesame, pear, and garlic, grilled or pan-seared until caramelized.

Spicy, funky beef noodle soup from Hue — Vietnam's other great noodle soup.

A spicy, lemongrass-scented beef and pork noodle soup from Central Vietnam with thick round rice noodles.

Grilled pork patties and belly served with noodles and herbs in dipping broth — Hanoi's lunch.

Charcoal-grilled pork patties and belly served with rice vermicelli, fresh herbs, and a tangy dipping broth.

Hollowed-out bread loaf filled with Durban lamb or bean curry, a uniquely South African Indian creation.

Tandoori-marinated chicken in a velvety tomato-cream sauce with butter, fenugreek, and warm spices.

Just pasta, pecorino, pepper, and starchy water — deceptively simple.

Roman pasta with just Pecorino Romano cheese and black pepper, emulsified into a creamy sauce using starchy pasta water.

Silky wide rice noodles wok-seared with beef, bean sprouts, and chives in dark soy sauce with intense wok hei.

Pork shoulder confited in its own lard until fall-apart tender, then crisped for contrasting textures.

Slow-baked white bean casserole with sausage, duck confit, and pork — Languedoc treasure.

Slow-baked casserole of white beans with duck confit, Toulouse sausage, and pork, topped with a breadcrumb crust.

Fresh fish 'cooked' in lime juice with tomato, onion, and cilantro.

Spiced chickpea curry — tangy, warming, deeply satisfying.

Spiced chickpea curry — naturally vegan when made without ghee.

Smoky stir-fried flat rice noodles with prawns, cockles, Chinese sausage, bean sprouts, and dark soy in intense wok hei.

An intensely spiced Tamil Nadu chicken curry with freshly ground black pepper, star anise, fennel, and kalpasi.

Chicken version of the layered rice classic.

Chicken cooked in a karahi (wok) with tomatoes, green chilies, ginger, and minimal spices for a fresh, bright curry.

Braised chicken with olives and preserved lemons — Morocco's signature.

Grilled chicken pieces in spiced creamy tomato gravy.

Tandoori-marinated chicken pieces in a creamy, spiced tomato-fenugreek sauce, Britain's adopted national dish.

Fried tortilla chips simmered in red salsa with eggs and crema.

Poblano chiles stuffed with picadillo and draped in walnut cream sauce with pomegranate seeds, echoing the Mexican flag.

All-meat, no-bean Texas chili made with chunks of beef and a pure dried chile paste.

Herby, garlicky, vinegary green sauce — Argentina's essential condiment.

Punchy raw sauce of parsley, garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes in olive oil and vinegar.

Duck legs salt-cured then slowly poached in their own fat until meltingly tender, finished with a crisp sear.

Chicken braised in red wine with bacon, mushrooms, and pearl onions.

Chicken braised in red wine with lardons, mushrooms, pearl onions, and a bouquet garni.

Steamed couscous served with a rich lamb and vegetable broth, merguez sausage, and seven seasonal vegetables.

Live crawfish boiled in a peppery, crab-boil-seasoned broth with corn, potatoes, and sausage.

Vanilla custard with a caramelized sugar top — crack the glass to get to the silk.

Pressed sandwich of roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard on Cuban bread.

Bone-in goat braised in Jamaican curry powder with potatoes and scotch bonnet until fork-tender.

Slow-curried goat with Jamaican curry powder and scotch bonnet.

Black lentils slow-cooked overnight with butter and cream — Punjabi soul food.

Black lentils and kidney beans slow-simmered overnight with butter, cream, and tomatoes — the queen of dals.

Spicy sesame-peanut noodles with seasoned pork mince.

Thin wheat noodles in a rich sesame paste and chili oil sauce topped with savory pork mince and preserved vegetables.

Fluffy steamed buns filled with sweet BBQ pork.

Translucent shrimp dumplings — the benchmark of dim sum quality.

Spicy Ethiopian chicken stew with berbere and hard-boiled eggs on injera.

Crispy fermented rice-and-lentil crêpe — South India's breakfast icon.

Duck legs slow-cooked in their own fat until meltingly tender.

Layers of fried eggplant, tomato sauce, mozzarella, and Parmigiano.

Thick, rich soup of ground melon seeds with leafy greens, meat, and dried fish, eaten with fufu or pounded yam.

Grilled corn slathered with mayo, chili powder, lime, and cotija.

Baked pastry pockets with spiced beef, olives, and hard-boiled egg.

Hand-crimped pastry turnovers filled with spiced beef, olives, hard-boiled egg, and cumin, baked or fried.

Crawfish or shrimp smothered in a buttery, blond-roux-based sauce with the holy trinity, served over rice.

Deep-fried chickpea fritters — crispy outside, herby-green inside.

Crispy deep-fried fritters of soaked raw chickpeas, herbs, and spices, served in pita with tahini and pickles.

Black bean stew with multiple pork cuts — Brazil's national dish.

Beer-battered fried fish with cabbage slaw and crema in flour tortillas.

Spatchcocked chicken marinated in piri-piri chili, garlic, and lemon, then grilled or roasted until charred and juicy.

Deeply caramelized onion broth topped with bread and molten Gruyère.

Deeply caramelized onion soup topped with a crouton and broiled Gruyere cheese.

Marinated flanken-cut short ribs grilled until caramelized.

Sizzling garlic shrimp in olive oil with chili — Spain's greatest tapa.

Sizzling shrimp cooked in olive oil with garlic and guindilla chili, served bubbling in a clay dish with bread.

Herb stew with lamb, kidney beans, and dried limes — Iran's national dish.

Rich, velvety soup of ground peanuts with chicken, tomatoes, and chiles, served with fufu.

Mashed avocado with lime, onion, cilantro, and jalapeño.

Chunky mashed avocado with lime, cilantro, jalapeño, and onion, the world's most popular dip.

Fried milk-solid balls soaked in rose-cardamom syrup — India's favorite sweet.

Dark-roux-based stew with okra, shrimp, sausage, and the holy trinity.

Pan-fried pork dumplings — crispy bottom, steamed top.

Silky poached chicken served over fragrant chicken-fat rice with chili sauce, ginger paste, and dark soy — deceptive simplicity.

Braised-then-fried pork shoulder with a citrus and scotch bonnet marinade, Haiti's most beloved dish.

Translucent pleated dumplings filled with whole shrimp, bamboo shoots, and sesame oil.

Fried eggs on tortillas with ranchero sauce — Mexican breakfast icon.

Creamy chickpea dip with tahini, lemon, and garlic — the universal mezze.

Ultra-smooth chickpea and tahini dip with lemon, garlic, and olive oil, the cornerstone of Levantine cuisine.

Hungarian paprika-spiced beef soup with potatoes, carrots, and csipetke (pinched pasta), not to be confused with stew versions.

Spongy, tangy sourdough flatbread made from teff flour, serving as both plate and utensil.

Sliced döner over pita with tomato sauce, yogurt, and browned butter.

Thinly sliced doner lamb served over pide bread with tomato sauce, brown butter, and yogurt.

Cajun rice dish with sausage, chicken, and shrimp — Louisiana's one-pot masterpiece.

One-pot rice dish with andouille, chicken, and shrimp in a seasoned tomato broth, Louisiana's answer to paella.

Boiled or pan-fried pork and cabbage dumplings — China's most beloved food.

Crescent-shaped boiled or pan-fried dumplings with a juicy pork and Chinese chive filling.

Marinated and fried chicken thigh pieces — juicy, crispy, gingery.

Bite-sized chicken thigh marinated in soy, ginger, and garlic, coated in potato starch and fried to a shatteringly crisp finish.

Tonkatsu cutlet simmered with egg over rice — the comfort food of comfort foods.

Tangy coconut-based fish curry with kodampuli (Malabar tamarind).

Fish simmered in a light coconut milk sauce with green chilies, curry leaves, and turmeric — a delicate Kerala classic.

Northern Thai coconut curry noodle soup with tender chicken legs, topped with crispy fried noodles, shallots, and pickled mustard greens.

Pleated soup dumplings filled with spiced beef and pork, holding a pocket of savory broth inside.

Fermented kimchi stew with pork — the older the kimchi, the better.

A bubbling, fiery stew of well-fermented kimchi, pork belly, and tofu in an intensely savory broth.

Ethiopian beef tartare of finely minced raw beef warmed in niter kibbeh spiced butter and mitmita chile.

Lamb shoulder slow-roasted in a sealed parchment parcel with garlic, lemon, and potatoes until fall-apart tender.

Double-fried chicken coated in a sticky, sweet-spicy gochujang glaze with garlic and ginger.

Diced chicken with peanuts, dried chilies, and Sichuan peppercorn.

Wok-fried diced chicken with peanuts, dried chilies, and Sichuan peppercorns in a sweet-sour-savory sauce.

A rich coconut curry soup with rice noodles, shrimp, tofu puffs, and bean sprouts in a spice-paste base.

Awadhi-style lamb biryani with par-cooked rice layered over braised lamb, sealed and slow-steamed.

Slow-braised lamb with apricots, almonds, and warm spices in a conical clay pot.

Slow-braised lamb shoulder with prunes, toasted almonds, cinnamon, and honey in a sweet-savory Moroccan tagine.

Layers of pasta, meat ragù, béchamel, and Parmigiano baked until golden.

Layered fresh pasta sheets with ragu bolognese, bechamel, and Parmigiano, baked until golden and set.

Pork shoulder marinated in garlic mojo criollo and slow-roasted until falling apart with crispy skin.

Beef stir-fried with onions, tomatoes, and fries — Chinese-Peruvian fusion.

Peruvian-Chinese stir-fry of beef, tomatoes, and onions with soy sauce, served over fries and rice simultaneously.

Custard-based baked macaroni with multiple cheeses and eggs, a soul food cornerstone fundamentally different from bechamel-based versions.

Coconut sticky rice with ripe mango — the perfect Thai dessert.

Tiny dumplings filled with spiced lamb, boiled and served with garlic yogurt and red pepper butter.

Dosa filled with spiced potato filling — the most famous variant.

A thin, crispy fermented rice-and-lentil crepe filled with spiced mashed potatoes, served with sambar and coconut chutney.

Mild, rich curry with potatoes, peanuts, and warm spices — Persian-influenced.

A mild, rich curry with warm spices, potatoes, peanuts, and slow-braised beef in thick coconut sauce.

Spiced red lentil stew in berbere, a staple of Ethiopian fasting cuisine and a vegetarian powerhouse.

Mashed fried green plantains with garlic and chicharrón — Puerto Rico's beloved side.

Fried green plantains mashed with garlic, olive oil, and chicharron, formed into a dome and served with broth.

A rich, savory catfish and rice-flour noodle soup thickened with chickpea flour, lemongrass, and banana stem — Myanmar's national dish.

The blackest, most complex mole — charred chilies and chocolate from Oaxaca.

Bahian fish stew with coconut milk, dendê oil, and peppers.

Bahian fish stew simmered in coconut milk, dendê palm oil, tomatoes, and peppers in a clay pot.

Lentils and rice with caramelized onions — one of the world's great comfort foods.

Creamy risotto with porcini and cremini mushrooms.