Ten signature dishes from around the world

Each time you visit this special interactive feature you will see a new selection of 10 dishes from our delectable database. We analyse the ingredients and their significance. Each time you return to the page we will share new dishes and information for you to feast upon

Where do these dishes come from?

Test your gastronomical knowledge by clicking on the triangle and selecting where you think each meal originates. Clues about the dishes are available by clicking on the information icon i

The data comes from a number of sources. Wherever possible we have used national dishes but where no official dish is cited we use popular dishes commonly associated with a particular place. Our database is freely downloadable here for more details

Top ingredients

Although the ingredients found in national or popular dishes are incredibly diverse, there are some items that are almost universal, with rice the most common, then beef. Below is a cross reference of the most common ingredients from our full database

Common or unique dishes

Here we look at how often the recipes from the current selection of dishes match the 10 most popular ingredients in our database. Preparation and cooking makes each dish unique, but by focusing on the ingredients we can form an idea of how singular each meal is: the more irregular the shape, the more common the dish

• Vegetables
• Animal products

SWEET, SALTY OR SPICY
Our categories are based on popular descriptions of the dishes flavours

Submit a dish

This special feature is just a snapshot of gastronomic culture around the world. We are aware that we have missed plenty of popular and interesting dishes from various regions so we implore readers to send ideas for more dishes by completing the form below. We will regularly analyse the contributions and update our page with new delights

Rice to feed the world

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, rice is one of the world’s most important crops. China is the top producer, harvesting over 211 million metric tons in 2017 and consuming about 146 million metric tons domestically

China, US, India, Thailand, Bangladesh and Vietnam are the world’s biggest rice producers, but the grain is common to dining tables everywhere. We looked at dishes using rice as an ingredient and found it appearing in locations hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of kilometres from the nearest paddy field