NATIONAL DISH QUEST

We’ve made it our mission to try every country’s national dish(es). And if possible, Ren will recreate it as well. Aside from sharing our own stories, we’d love to hear yours too. If you’d like to contribute to our National Dish Quest, then please visit THIS PAGE for more information.

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

Europe / NATIONAL DISH QUEST Oct 18, 2018 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

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)

Asia / NATIONAL DISH QUEST Aug 13, 2018 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

Europe / NATIONAL DISH QUEST Last Updated: Jan 27, 2019 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.

MALTA: What You Need To Know About Fenkata, The Traditional Maltese Dish (Recipe)

Europe / NATIONAL DISH QUEST Jun 27, 2018 Esther Bajada

In the Maltese way of life, partaking in Fenkata is a way of expressing joy and a welcoming ritual for friends and visiting relatives. Pans of simmering Fenkata fill the air with inviting aromas during festive celebrations, or a momentous life event.

THAILAND: The Global Street Food Dish that is Pad Thai (Recipe)

Asia / NATIONAL DISH QUEST Last Updated: Jan 27, 2019 Jakob Polaco

Pad Thai is a street food item that everyone has pretty much heard of at this point. It is a global dish, and one which can taste completely different depending on where it was served.

USA: Where to Find the Best Poke in Hawaii

NATIONAL DISH QUEST / North America Last Updated: Jan 27, 2019 Jayson Goetz

Poke, a dish that is very much the result of multicultural influences, came to existence in the 19th century when Japanese, Chinese, Korean and Filipino plantation workers arrived in Hawaii to work the sugar and pineapple fields.

USA: Julian, Your Ticket to World-Class Apple Pie

NATIONAL DISH QUEST / North America Last Updated: May 11, 2018 Shu Yi Ho

In California, some things are a given. There’s always traffic on Interstate-5. Sunsets along Route 101 are sensational. And like Disneyland, In N Out Burger, and the DMV, there’s always going to be a line outside of every Julian apple pie location.

SINGAPORE: 5 Best Places to Eat Hainanese Chicken Rice in Singapore

Asia / NATIONAL DISH QUEST Jan 7, 2018 Lionel Lee

Hainanese chicken rice is one of the most popular Singaporean dishes and often considered by locals and foreigners as one of our National Dishes. In this post, I will share with you the top 5 Chicken Rice places you should check out when you visit Singapore.

QATAR / BAHRAIN / KUWAIT: Machboos, A Delight That Will Make You Crave for More! (Recipe)

Asia / NATIONAL DISH QUEST Last Updated: May 28, 2018 Ayushi Bhatnagar

Machboos is the national delicacy of Qatar. Also popular in other countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and UAE, this dish is slow-cooked to give it the most sumptuous flavor that one could possibly think of.

PHILIPPINES: “Who Makes the Best Adobo?” (Recipe)

Asia / NATIONAL DISH QUEST Sep 24, 2017 JB & Renée Macatulad

Near and dear to every Filipino's heart, adobo is the one dish that transcends top 10 lists. Don't even think of writing a "Best Adobo in Manila" list because you'll have everyone's mother to contend with.

CHINA: Peking Duck, Four Classic Ways to Enjoy Beijing’s Bird

Asia / NATIONAL DISH QUEST Last Updated: Sep 24, 2017 Michael Evans

A Peking duck dinner is on the must-do list of every visitor to China’s capital, usually sandwiched between a long day getting lost in the labyrinth of the Forbidden City and sweating their way to the top of the Great Wall.

SLOVENIA: Obara, a Simple and Rich One Pot Slovenian Stew (Recipe)

Europe / NATIONAL DISH QUEST Last Updated: Sep 24, 2017 Mateja Brescak

"Obara" is a thick soup. It can be made only with vegetables or you can also add some meat. The favourites are the "Obara" with chicken or beef. It's a simple, rich one pot dish. One pot, that means only one pot to clean, but most important all the flavours will come together making a great combo.

ICELAND: Hakarl, An Acquired Rotten Taste

Europe / NATIONAL DISH QUEST Last Updated: Sep 24, 2017 Chanie Hyde

Hakarl is a national dish of Iceland, consisting of Greenland shark meat, that has been buried, rotten and fermented. The reason for the fermentation process? Well, the Greenland shark is poisonous to eat in it’s natural state due to extremely high levels of trimethylamine oxide and uric acid in the flesh.

VIETNAM: Phở, the Quintessential Vietnamese Food (Recipe)

Asia / NATIONAL DISH QUEST Last Updated: Sep 24, 2017 JB & Renée Macatulad

Even if you aren't familiar with Vietnamese food, chances are you've heard of phở. It's a popular Vietnamese street food and is considered a national dish of Vietnam. For me, it's the quintessential Vietnamese food and the first thing that comes to mind when I think of the cuisine.

VIETNAM: Gỏi Cuốn Vietnamese Spring Rolls are Fresh! (Recipe)

Asia / NATIONAL DISH QUEST Last Updated: Sep 24, 2017 JB & Renée Macatulad

There are many varieties of fresh spring rolls but my hands down favorite is the Vietnamese gỏi cuốn. Translucent with alternating hues of orange and green, not only are they some of the tastiest fresh spring rolls, they’re also among the prettiest.

NEW ZEALAND: On The Lamb in New Zealand

NATIONAL DISH QUEST / Oceania Last Updated: Sep 24, 2017 BJ Macatulad

The most oft-repeated statistic about New Zealand is that the country has 4 million people and 40 million sheep. No matter where you go in New Zealand, you will find lamb on the menu, cooked in every way imaginable, and it will be unfailingly delicious.

CHINA: A Dumpling by Any Other Name

Asia / NATIONAL DISH QUEST Last Updated: Sep 24, 2017 BJ Macatulad

Lumping this polymorphous staple of Chinese cuisine into one generic term is much like saying your favorite hue is “color” --- there are literally endless variations and it would be impossible for one single description to embody all the different types of dumplings that exist in the multiple regions of the Middle Kingdom.

NEW ZEALAND: Pavlova, Quintessentially Kiwi (Recipe)

NATIONAL DISH QUEST / Oceania Last Updated: Sep 24, 2017 BJ Macatulad

Pavlova is a meringue-like dessert made from egg whites beaten stiff with caster sugar and cornstarch, baked just enough to have a crisp outer shell but a soft, gooey inside. It is topped with whipped cream and fruit, especially kiwifruit and summer berries.