An A-Z of national dishes, from poutine and pho to pad thai – how many have you tried?
A country’s favourite dish is often imported, debatable or unhealthy – but it is almost always delicious
Food plays an important and often emotional role as an expression of cultural identity, which makes compiling a list of national dishes something of a challenge. Some countries have one much-loved meal whereas it would be impossible to represent the cuisine of others with a single delicacy. Where do you begin with China, Italy, India or the United States, for example?
But there are some stand-out cuisines around the world – here is our run-down of some of the planet’s most delicious dishes, country by country.
Roast lamb romped to victory in a poll to discover Australia’s national dish a few years ago. Meat pies, barbecued prawns and even kangaroo made the list but, surprisingly, there was no place for iconic toast-topper Vegemite.
Brazilians go nuts for feijoada, a hearty black-bean stew flavoured with pork, smoked sausage or bacon. Disagreements about its origins rumble on – did slaves originally cook up the belly warmer using leftovers or did the beanfeast arrive with European settlers?
Canadian comfort food par excellence, poutine originated in Quebec in the 1950s and gradually caught on nationwide. The cholesterol-laden calorie bomb of fries, gravy and cheese curd is now a fixture on McDonald’s menus across the country.
