NATIONAL DISH QUEST

We fly for food so we’ve made it our mission to try every country’s national dish(es). The articles in this category will describe the many national dishes we’ve tried around the world like Vietnam’s banh mi, Greece’s souvlaki, and Hong Kong’s dim sum, just to name a few.

SPAIN: A Grotesquely Delicious Paella con Chorizo y Pulpo (Recipe)

NATIONAL DISH QUEST Last Updated: Nov 7, 2020 JB & Renée Macatulad

Paella is one of the most well-known dishes in Spanish cuisine. It's available throughout Spain where many consider it a national dish, but it's originally from Valencia.

CUBA: Exquisite Ropa Vieja (Recipe)

NATIONAL DISH QUEST Last Updated: Jul 21, 2020 Daniel Stauffer

Ropa Vieja is a classic comfort food for every Cuban, and an experience every traveler must try on their trip to this vibrant island.

GREECE: Magiritsa, a Traditional Greek Easter Soup (Recipe)

NATIONAL DISH QUEST Last Updated: Oct 1, 2020 Christos Sourligas

Magiritsa is the opening meal that breaks the Greek Orthodox fast (Lent). Dense and filling, the soup is traditionally prepared on Holy Saturday evening and served right after Easter midnight church service.

INDONESIA: Tumpeng, More Than Just a Pretty Cone You Might Want to Prance Around with on Your Head

NATIONAL DISH QUEST Last Updated: Jun 16, 2020 Hannah Belger

Tumpeng is kind of a sacred meal for Indonesians. Its cone shape (usually, but not exclusively, made from rice and urab) is golden yellow and represents the island.

UNITED KINGDOM: What is the True Origin of Chicken Tikka Masala? (Recipe)

NATIONAL DISH QUEST Last Updated: Mar 25, 2020 JB & Renée Macatulad

Chicken tikka masala is a heavenly dish made with boneless chunks of roasted marinated chicken swimming in a delicious creamy curry. Though it's clearly an Indian-influenced dish, its exact origins are unknown.

HONG KONG: Dim Sum, Evolve or Die?

NATIONAL DISH QUEST Last Updated: Nov 15, 2020 JB & Renée Macatulad

Dim sum is a style of Chinese cuisine. It can be found in different forms throughout the country, though it's most closely associated with Hong Kong and Guangdong Province – ie Cantonese cuisine.

CHINA: Fried Rice – Rice on Steroids (Recipe)

NATIONAL DISH QUEST Last Updated: Mar 25, 2020 Joseph Simborio

Fried rice is believed to have started as a means to deal with leftovers, specifically meat and vegetables from yesterday that have passed their prime but are still good to consume. The standard ingredients are generally shrimp, pork, and egg, which are stir-fried in chopped garlic and vegetables, and seasoned with soy sauce.

HONG KONG: The Best Char Siu in the Universe

NATIONAL DISH QUEST Last Updated: Nov 9, 2020 JB & Renée Macatulad

Char siu refers to barbecued pork and is the most popular type of siu mei in Cantonese cuisine. The term char siu literally means "fork roasted" and refers to the traditional method of skewering seasoned boneless pork with long forks and cooking it over an open fire.

THAILAND: The Magical Concoction Known as Tom Yum Goong

NATIONAL DISH QUEST Aug 3, 2019 Joseph Simborio

Tom yum goong is a hot and sour shrimp soup generally touted as the dish that defines Thai cuisine. It’s derived from the Thai words “tom,” which refers to the boiling process, “yam,” a Thai spicy and sour salad, and “goong” for shrimp.

INDONESIA: Soto and National Identity. Don’t Call Me Sop!

NATIONAL DISH QUEST Last Updated: Mar 25, 2020 JB & Renée Macatulad

Soto is a traditional Indonesian soup made with different types of meat and vegetables. It's consumed throughout Indonesia in many forms, its myriad variations named after the region where it's from or the primary ingredient used.

GREECE: Souvlaki vs. Gyros, so What’s the Difference?

NATIONAL DISH QUEST Last Updated: Oct 1, 2020 JB & Renée Macatulad

A souvlaki is a popular Greek food consisting of grilled pieces of meat served with vegetables, tzatziki, and pita. A gyros is a popular Greek food consisting of grilled pieces of meat served with vegetables, tzatziki, and pita. So what's the difference??

LITHUANIA: Cepelinai, Delicious Dumplings Shaped like the Zeppelin (Recipe)

NATIONAL DISH QUEST Last Updated: Jun 16, 2020 Kamilė

The main reason cepelinai is so fatty is that it was meant to feed hungry workers or to help survive cold winters. The crazy thing is that cepelinai was named after Graff von Zeppelin because those dumplings look just like the airship he invented.

GERMANY: The Currywurst Phenomenon & the 7 Best Places to Try It in Hamburg

NATIONAL DISH QUEST Last Updated: Oct 1, 2020 Mateja Brescak

Currywurst is said to originally come from Berlin. Miss Herta Heuwer from Berlin was the first to invent the curry sauce after the Second World War and from there on the Currywurst phenomenon has evolved and spread all over Germany.

BRUNEI: What You Need to Know About the Ambuyat Dish of Brunei (Recipe)

NATIONAL DISH QUEST Last Updated: Mar 15, 2020 Ryan Smith

Ambuyat is a dish made from the interior trunk of the sago palm. Do you know what sago is? It is white solids being derived from the trunk of a Rumbia tree. And Ambulung is the local term for sago.

SLOVAKIA: Bryndzové Halušky, a Staple of Slovak Cuisine

NATIONAL DISH QUEST Last Updated: Mar 15, 2020 Peter Korchnak

The national dish of Slovakia, bryndzové halušky, is potato-dough gnocchi smothered in salty sheep bryndza cheese, and topped with fried bits of smoked, fatty bacon along with some of the fat. The ingredients are staples of the Slovak cuisine, and the dish itself exemplifies its nature.