What to eat today?

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SayadiehFish and caramelised onion rice

In the port towns of Saida, Tyre and Batroun, sayadieh is what fishermen's families cook with the day's white fish: rice simmered in a deep brown stock made from very dark caramelised onions and cumin, topped with flakes of fried fish, toasted almonds and pine nuts. The rice is savoury and faintly sweet from the onions, and it comes with a tahini-lemon sauce (tarator) on the side. Common mistake: stopping the onions too early — they need to be almost mahogany for the right colour and taste. Chef's tip: simmer the fish trimmings in the onion stock for 20 minutes before cooking the rice; it doubles the sea flavour.

80 min

Lebanese Fish

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SchäufeleCured smoked pork shoulder

In Baden, Schäufele ("little shovel") is the bone-in pork shoulder blade, cured and lightly smoked by the butcher, and it belongs on New Year's Eve and family get-togethers. It is gently simmered so the meat stays juicy and rosy from the cure, then sliced thick and served with a warm potato salad dressed with broth and vinegar. Ask a German butcher for a ready-cured Schäufele, or use a cured and smoked pork shoulder joint. Chef's tip: keep the water barely trembling; a rolling boil tightens the meat and squeezes out its juices.

145 min

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SchinkenfleckerlBaked pasta squares with ham

Schinkenfleckerl is the comfort bake of Viennese homes and school canteens, a simple dish that came to Vienna from Bohemian cooks in the days of the old empire. Small pasta squares are folded into a mix of butter, egg yolks, sour cream and diced cooked ham, lightened with whisked egg whites and baked until the top is golden and the edges crunchy. Swap the ham, which is pork, for 250 g fried mushrooms for a vegetarian version. Chef's tip: cook the pasta a minute short and rinse it cold, so it does not go soft in the oven.

55 min

Austrian Pasta & Noodles

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SchmalzkuchenFried dough pillows with icing sugar

Schmalzkuchen are the paper bag of tiny golden diamonds sold at fairs and Christmas markets across northern and eastern Germany, from Hamburg's Dom fair to the markets of Berlin and Leipzig. Despite the name they are now fried in vegetable oil, so this version is vegetarian. The quick quark-and-baking-powder dough puffs up into soft, slightly crisp cushions that you shake in icing sugar while warm. A common mistake is frying at too low a heat: the dough soaks up oil and turns heavy instead of puffing. Chef's tip: cut the dough into small 3 cm diamonds; bigger pieces brown outside before the middle has cooked through.

35 min

German Desserts

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SchokofrüchteChocolate-dipped fruit skewers

Schokofrüchte stalls glow under strings of lights at almost every German Christmas market, from Stuttgart to Hamburg, with rows of strawberries, grapes and banana chunks on wooden skewers dipped in dark, milk and white chocolate. Children choose with their noses pressed to the glass, and at home they are a fun job for small hands. The usual mistake is dipping wet fruit: even a drop of water makes chocolate seize into a grainy lump and stops it sticking. Chef's tip: melt the chocolate gently and let it cool to just warm before dipping; it then clings in a neat, thin shell and sets glossy. Many chocolates contain milk, so check the label if you need it dairy free.

20 min

German Desserts

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SchupfnudelnPotato noodles with sauerkraut

Schupfnudeln are thick little potato noodles, rolled between the palms into pointed fingers, that turn up at every Christmas market and village festival in Baden-Württemberg, fried in a huge pan with sauerkraut. At home they are a winter supper on their own or a side for roasts. The dough is the same family as gnocchi, but the noodles are boiled first and then fried until browned on the outside. A common mistake is using freshly boiled hot potatoes and too much flour: they need to be cold and dry, so plan to cook them the day before. Chef's tip: rinse the sauerkraut only if it is very sharp; otherwise its tang is what balances the butter.

60 min

German Sides

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Schwäbische SeelenSpelt caraway rolls

Seelen, meaning 'souls', are the long, pale spelt rolls of Upper Swabia, around Biberach and Ravensburg, said to have first been baked for All Souls' Day. Today they are an everyday bakery item, eaten split with butter or alongside a bowl of soup, and they turn up at every Swabian beer garden. The dough is very wet, so the rolls are pulled into shape rather than rolled, giving an open, chewy crumb under a thin crust crusted with salt and caraway. A common mistake is adding extra flour to make the dough easier to handle, which turns them into ordinary bread rolls. Chef's tip: keep a bowl of cold water beside you and wet your hands before every piece; the dough won't stick and you can stretch each soul straight onto the tray.

180 min

German Breads & Parathas

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SchweinebratenRoast pork with crackling

Schweinebraten is the Sunday roast of Bavaria, the dish a Munich family sits down to after church and the one every village inn chalks up on its board. This is pork shoulder with its rind still on, roasted on a bed of onion, carrot and celeriac while the rind blisters into crackling, and the gravy is built from the roasting juices and a bottle of dark beer. The beer contains alcohol; most cooks off but not all, so use alcohol-free dark beer, or the same amount of beef stock with 1 tsp dark molasses, for a gravy without it. Serve with bread or potato dumplings and warm cabbage salad. Chef's tip: score the rind through to the fat but not into the meat, or juices leak up and the crackling turns leathery.

190 min

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SchweinshaxeRoast pork knuckle

In Munich beer halls and Upper Bavarian village inns, a Schweinshaxe arrives as a whole roast pork knuckle, crackling glassy on the outside and the meat falling off the bone, usually with a potato dumpling and a spoon of sauerkraut. At home it is a weekend dish for cold months: the fresh (not cured) pork hocks are simmered first, then roasted hard so the skin puffs. Ask the butcher for hind knuckles, which carry more meat than front ones. Chef's tip: dry the simmered skin with kitchen paper and leave it uncovered for 20 minutes before roasting; dry skin is the secret to crackling that shatters.

190 min

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Scottish tabletButter fudge

Tablet is harder and grainier than fudge, a sugary square sold at every church fête, Highland games and corner shop in Scotland and taken home in paper bags by visitors. Sugar, butter, milk and condensed milk are boiled to the soft-ball stage and beaten until they crystallise, giving that crumbly, melting snap. Chef's tip: beat it hard off the heat until it loses its gloss and drags on the spoon; stop too early and you have soft fudge.

35 min

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Seco de chabeloPlantain mash with dried beef

Piura's picanterías, near the dry northern border, serve this rough, savoury mash at lunch: green plantains, roasted or boiled and pounded, mixed with fried strips of carne seca (salted dried beef) and a quick sofrito of onion, tomato and ají amarillo. It is dense, salty and smoky, with the plantain's starchy sweetness, and is eaten with salsa criolla and fried ripe plantain or chifles (plantain crisps). The legend says it was invented for a soldier called Chabelo in the War of the Pacific. Use carne seca or cecina from Latin shops, or unseasoned beef jerky. Pounding the plantains smooth is the classic mistake: chabelo should be lumpy and rustic. Chef's tip: soak the dried beef in warm water for 30 minutes and taste a piece; if it's still very salty, change the water and soak again.

60 min

Peruvian Meat

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Secretos de porco pretoGrilled black pork

The secreto is a thin, marbled cut hidden between the shoulder fat and the loin of the Alentejo black pig, the free-ranging breed that fattens on acorns under the cork oaks. Butchers once kept it for themselves; now it is on every Alentejo grill menu, served with fried potatoes, migas or a salad of orange and onion. This contains pork. It needs only salt, garlic and a hot grill, since the fat inside bastes it as it cooks. A common mistake is moving the meat around: leave it on the grill so it builds a crisp, browned crust. Chef's tip: let the meat come to room temperature for 20 minutes before cooking, so it browns evenly and stays juicy.

20 min

Portuguese Meat

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ŞekerpareSemolina almond cookies in syrup

Şekerpare is the cookie that every Turkish household bakes for bayram visits, when trays are passed to relatives and neighbours along with coffee and cologne for the hands. Soft, buttery rounds of semolina dough are each topped with an almond, baked until golden and then soaked in syrup until they are tender all the way through but still hold their shape. They keep for days and taste better on the second. Common mistake: cold syrup on cold cookies, which never soaks in; one of them must be hot. Chef's tip: bake until the bases are properly golden; pale cookies turn mushy when they meet the syrup.

50 min

Turkish Baking

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SembusekSpiced mince flatbread pies

Mardin's stone bakeries fill their ovens with sembusek on weekend mornings: thin rounds of dough folded over a filling of minced meat, onion, parsley and pepper paste, sealed into half-moons and baked until crisp and freckled. Families make big batches for picnics and Ramadan, and eat them warm with ayran or a glass of tea. The meat goes in raw and cooks inside the pastry, so roll the dough thin enough to cook through. Common mistake: a wet filling that makes the base soggy; squeeze the grated onion hard. Chef's tip: brush the tops with a little water and butter as they come out of the oven so they soften just enough to fold over a bite of salad.

65 min

Lebanese Snacks & Starters

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SenfeierEggs in mustard sauce

Senfeier is a dish many people who grew up in Berlin, Saxony or anywhere in the old East remember from school canteens and Friday suppers: halved hard-boiled eggs in a smooth, pale mustard sauce, with boiled or mashed potatoes to soak it up. It is cheap, fast and comforting, and the sauce is a simple butter-and-flour roux loosened with stock and milk, then sharpened with two kinds of mustard. A common mistake is boiling the sauce hard after the mustard goes in, which makes it taste flat and grainy; add it off the heat. Chef's tip: a spoon of the gherkin pickling liquid at the end lifts the whole sauce.

30 min

German Vegetarian

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SenfgurkenMustard pickled cucumber

Senfgurken are the big, pale golden chunks of peeled cucumber that German families put up in late summer, when the fat yellow-skinned 'Schmorgurken' are cheap at markets from Brandenburg to the Rhineland. Pickled in sweet vinegar with mustard seeds, dill and onion, they are served through the winter with cold cuts, cheese boards, potato salad or a plate of fried eggs and potatoes. Unlike gherkins they are soft-crunchy and mellow. The mistake is skipping the overnight salting, which leaves the cucumbers watery so they dilute the vinegar and spoil sooner. Chef's tip: scrape out every bit of the seedy core with a teaspoon; it is what turns soft and slimy in the jar.

40 min

German Sides

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Sequência de camarãoPrawn feast in several styles

Around the Lagoa da Conceição and the old fishing village of Santo Antônio de Lisboa, Florianópolis restaurants serve sequência de camarão, a parade of prawn dishes that keeps arriving until you give up: prawns fried in garlic oil, crisp breaded prawns, a light prawn stew with tomato and coconut milk, and pirão made from the shells, with rice and salad. This home version brings the four together for a long lunch. Prawns must be very fresh and kept cold, and every batch is cooked only until pink and opaque right through. The usual mistake is cooking all the prawns at once and serving them lukewarm; the sequence works because each dish arrives hot. Make the stew and pirão first and keep them warm, then fry at the last minute. Chef's tip: buy shell-on prawns and simmer the heads and shells for the pirão; it gives the whole meal its sea flavour.

120 min

Brazilian Fish

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SericaiaCinnamon baked egg custard

Sericaia is the pride of Elvas, on the Spanish border, and of Alentejo convent baking: a light custard of eggs, milk and sugar lifted with beaten whites, spooned into a clay dish, dusted with cinnamon and baked until it puffs and splits into deep cracks. It is always served with Elvas plums in syrup, whose sharpness cuts the sweetness; any good plums poached in syrup will do. It is a Sunday and festive dessert across the region. A common mistake is spreading the mixture smooth: drop it in large spoonfuls so it bakes into the craggy, cracked top that defines it. Chef's tip: cook the yolk custard until really thick before folding in the whites; a thin custard collapses in the oven.

60 min

Portuguese Desserts

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Sfakiani pitaCheese pancakes with honey

Shepherds in the mountains of Sfakia, on Crete's wild south coast, made these with what they had on hand: flour, oil, a ball of fresh cheese and the thyme honey from their hives. A soft dough is wrapped around the cheese, rolled out as thin as a plate and cooked in a dry pan, then eaten hot with honey running over it, for breakfast or as a late sweet with Greek coffee. Village cooks often add a splash of raki to the dough; here lemon juice does the same job and keeps it alcohol-free. The cheese is fresh mizithra, or use ricotta, which is usually rennet-free. Common mistake: cooking over too high a heat, which scorches the outside before the thin layer of cheese inside warms through. Chef's tip: roll from the centre outwards and give the disc a quarter turn each time so the cheese spreads evenly to the edge.

65 min

Greek Breakfast & Brunch

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SfougatoCourgette and cheese oven omelette

Sfougato means 'sponge', which is just how this island oven omelette looks when it comes out puffed and golden; in the Cyclades and the Dodecanese it's the summer answer to too many courgettes. Grated courgette, spring onion and mint are softened in olive oil, mixed with eggs and cheese and baked, then cut into squares for lunch with bread and tomatoes or packed for a day at the beach. Kefalotyri and feta are usually made with animal rennet, so use vegetarian versions if you need to. Common mistake: leaving the courgettes wet, which gives a watery, rubbery omelette. Chef's tip: let the softened vegetables cool for a few minutes before adding the eggs so they don't scramble at the edges.

60 min

Greek Breakfast & Brunch

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ShaabiyatCream-filled filo triangles in syrup

Shaabiyat is one of the jewels of Aleppo's pastry shops, made in huge trays for weddings and for Eid visits: buttery filo folded into triangles around a cool, thick milk cream, baked until golden and shatteringly crisp, then splashed with syrup and topped with ground pistachio. The cream stays cool and soft inside the crackling layers. Serve within a few hours of baking. Common mistake: letting the filo dry out while you work — keep the sheets under a damp tea towel. Chef's tip: syrup must be cold and the pastry hot when they meet, so it soaks in without making the layers soggy.

65 min

Syrian Desserts

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Shai bil maramiyaSage tea

Offer a guest tea in a Palestinian home and it will most likely come in small glasses, sweet, strong and fragrant with maramiya, the soft-leaved sage that grows on every terrace and is said to settle the stomach after a heavy meal. In winter the leaves are dried; in spring they are picked fresh. Common mistake: boiling the sage with the tea, which brings out a medicinal bitterness; it goes in after the heat is off. Chef's tip: bruise the sage leaves between your fingers before dropping them in, and let them steep only 2–3 minutes.

8 min

Palestinian Drinks

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ShakriyehLamb shanks in yoghurt sauce

In Damascus, shakriyeh is festive food, cooked for Eid and for welcoming guests because its creamy white sauce is considered a sign of good luck. Lamb on the bone is simmered until tender, then finished in yoghurt that has been stabilised and cooked down into a smooth, tangy sauce with garlic and dried mint. It is spooned over vermicelli rice and eaten piping hot. Common mistake: adding yoghurt straight from the fridge into boiling stock — it splits; cook the yoghurt separately first and stir in one direction. Chef's tip: keep half a cup of the meat broth to thin the sauce at the end — it should flow like single cream.

135 min

Syrian Meat

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ShámbarWheat, bean and smoked pork soup

Mondays in Trujillo mean shámbar: market stalls and huariques across the city put out pots of this thick, smoky soup of cracked wheat, chickpeas, broad beans, peas and canary beans, cooked with smoked ham hock, pork ribs and pork skin, then stirred through with a fried paste of ají panca and garlic and a handful of mint. It is earthy, porky and rib-sticking, and each bowl gets a scoop of crunchy cancha just before eating. Soak the beans and the wheat overnight. People often cook everything together from the start, and the peas turn to mush before the chickpeas soften; cook the hardest pulses first. Chef's tip: toast the wheat in a dry pan before soaking it; it gives the soup a nutty depth the locals look for.

180 min

Peruvian Soups

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ShanklishAged yoghurt cheese balls

Up in the mountain villages of northern Lebanon and around Tartus on the Syrian coast, families once made shanklish at the end of summer to keep milk through the winter. This home version starts from strained yoghurt (labneh), seasoned and dried into firm balls, then coated in za'atar and Aleppo pepper for a tangy, crumbly cheese with a herby crust. Crumble it over chopped tomato and onion, drown it in olive oil and eat it with bread for breakfast or as mezze. Because it is made from labneh rather than rennet cheese, it is fully vegetarian. Common mistake: rolling the balls while the labneh is still soft; it must be firm enough to hold a thumbprint. Chef's tip: dry the balls uncovered in the fridge for two extra days if you like a sharper, more crumbly cheese.

30 min

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Sharbat-e albalooSour cherry syrup drink

In early summer, when sour cherries arrive from the orchards around Karaj and Mashhad, families make a big batch of sharbat-e albaloo, the deep ruby syrup that is mixed with iced water for guests through the hot months. It is sweet, sharp and very refreshing, and the cooked cherries left over are not wasted: they go into albaloo polo, the cherry rice. A splash of the syrup also goes over shaved ice or yogurt. Chef's tip: stop cooking as soon as the syrup coats a spoon thinly; overcooked syrup loses its fresh cherry flavour and tastes of jam.

45 min

Persian Drinks

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Sharbat-e beh limooQuince and lime syrup drink

Quince and lime syrup is an old-fashioned Persian cooler, the drink grandmothers in Isfahan and Tehran bring out on hot afternoons, said to settle the stomach and cool the body. Grated quince simmered in syrup turns from cream to a soft rosy amber and gives a floral, almost honeyed scent; fresh lime juice cuts through the sweetness. Diluted with iced water, it is lovely after a heavy meal of rice and stew. Chef's tip: cook the grated quince gently for the full time; the colour only turns pink after long, slow simmering.

55 min

Persian Drinks

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Sharbat-e khakshirIced rosewater drink with seeds

Khakshir are the tiny reddish seeds of flixweed, and in Yazd, Kashan and across the hot centre of Iran a glass of khakshir sharbat is what people drink on scorching summer afternoons and to break the fast on long Ramadan days. The seeds swell slightly and float through sweet iced water perfumed with rosewater, giving a gentle crunch; some add a squeeze of lime or a little sour cherry syrup. Find khakshir at Iranian grocers. Chef's tip: rinse the seeds in several changes of water and pour off anything that floats; dust and grit come away with it.

10 min

Persian Drinks

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Shirini-ye zabanCaramelised puff pastry tongues

Shirini-ye zaban, tongue pastries, are the long, glossy puff-pastry ovals in every Iranian confectioner's window, from Tabriz to Kerman, and a fixture on the tray of sweets served to Nowruz visitors. The pastry is rolled out on sugar so it caramelises into a crisp, shiny, flaky finger. This version uses good bought all-butter puff pastry, as many home bakers do; check the label for butter rather than lard to keep it vegetarian. Chef's tip: chill the shaped tongues for 15 minutes before baking so the layers rise high instead of melting flat.

50 min

Persian Baking

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Shish barakLamb dumplings in garlic yoghurt

Shish barak is a labour of love that Lebanese grandmothers turn into a family afternoon: everyone sits round the table pinching hundreds of tiny dumplings filled with spiced lamb and onion. The dumplings are baked until lightly golden, then dropped into hot yoghurt sauce, and the bowl is finished with garlic and coriander fried in butter. It is rich, tangy and deeply comforting, served on its own or with plain rice. Common mistake: rolling the dough thick — it should be thin enough to see the board through, or the dumplings turn stodgy. Chef's tip: baking the dumplings before they go into the sauce sets their shape and adds a toasty flavour; you can freeze them at this stage.

115 min

Lebanese Meat

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Sholeh MashhadiWheat, bean and lamb porridge

Sholeh Mashhadi is cooked in huge pots in Mashhad, the shrine city of Khorasan, and handed out to pilgrims and neighbours as nazri (a votive offering), especially during the month of Muharram. Wheat, rice, lentils, mung beans, chickpeas and lamb are cooked for hours with onion and spices, then beaten with a wooden paddle until everything melts into one thick, stretchy porridge, topped with fried onion, mint oil and a dusting of cinnamon. A home pot is smaller but follows the same rhythm. A common mistake is leaving it unstirred towards the end; the grains catch and burn, so stir and scrape the base every 10 minutes once it thickens. Chef's tip: cook the lamb on the bone first and shred it; the broth from the bones gives the porridge its body.

300 min

Persian Curries

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Shorbat freekehSmoked green wheat soup

When the sunset call to prayer ends the Ramadan fast in Amman, the first spoonfuls are very often shorbat freekeh, a nourishing broth thickened with cracked green wheat that was roasted in the field while still young. The smoke from that roasting gives the soup its distinctive, almost barbecue-like depth, while chicken, cinnamon and cardamom keep it gentle on an empty stomach. It is followed by dates, salad and the main dish. The usual mistake is not picking over and rinsing the freekeh, which can hold tiny stones and chaff. Chef's tip: toast the rinsed freekeh in butter for a couple of minutes before adding the broth; it brings out the smokiness.

85 min

Jordanian Soups

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ShrakPaper-thin saj flatbread

In Bedouin camps around Wadi Rum and Ma'an, shrak is baked fresh for every meal: dough stretched thinner than a handkerchief, flung over a domed iron saj above the fire and lifted off seconds later, soft and blistered. It is the bread that lines the mansaf platter and wraps grilled meat, and it is torn for galayet and labneh at breakfast. At home an upturned wok over a gas flame stands in for the saj. The common mistake is rolling the dough on a dry surface; it tears, so oil your hands and worktop instead and stretch the dough over the backs of your hands like a pizza maker. Chef's tip: rest the dough balls a full 30 minutes, well oiled and covered; relaxed gluten stretches to near see-through without fighting back.

65 min

Jordanian Breads & Parathas

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ShulbatoBulgur with aubergine and courgette

Shulbato is a summer pot from the villages of the West Bank and Galilee, made when the garden overflows: coarse bulgur cooked with aubergine, courgette, peppers, tomato and plenty of onion until the wheat is fluffy and stained red. It is eaten warm or cool on hot days with a bowl of yoghurt or a cucumber salad, and it is also a fasting dish for Christian families. Common mistake: using fine bulgur, which turns mushy; it needs the coarse grade. Chef's tip: let the vegetables catch and brown a little before adding the wheat; that slight char is the flavour of the dish.

60 min

Palestinian Rice & Grains

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BüryanSlow-roasted lamb

In Siirt, büryan is eaten for breakfast: whole sides of young lamb hang for hours in a deep clay pit oven sealed with mud, and by early morning the meat is falling apart with crackling skin, served on thin bread with nothing but salt. This home version uses a bone-in shoulder roasted low and slow, sealed under foil to trap the steam as the pit does, then blasted at the end for the crisp outside. It needs no marinade beyond salt; the flavour is all lamb. Common mistake: lifting the foil to check; every peek lets the steam out and dries the meat. Chef's tip: pull it apart with two forks at the table and pile it straight onto warm lavaş to catch the juices.

280 min

Turkish Breads & Parathas

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SıkmaCheese and herb rolled flatbread

At village markets in the hills behind the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts, women sit at a convex sac griddle rolling out paper-thin dough, cooking it in seconds and 'squeezing' (sıkmak) it around a filling of white cheese and herbs. You eat it rolled up and still hot, with ayran. It is the simplest snack there is and easily done in a large frying pan. Beyaz peynir is often made with animal rennet; choose a vegetarian one if needed. Chef's tip: roll the dough as thin as you can and cook it fast on a very hot, dry pan; slow cooking makes it brittle instead of soft and foldable.

45 min

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Silesian StreuselkuchenCrumble-topped yeast cake

Streuselkuchen came west with families from Silesia, where a tray of it was baked for every wedding and church fair, and it is now sold in every German bakery. The point is the crumble: big, buttery, vanilla-scented lumps sitting almost as thick as the soft yeast base underneath. It is served plain with coffee in the afternoon, often a day old, when the streusel has gone crisp and the base slightly chewy. A common mistake is rubbing the streusel to fine sand; it should be squeezed into clumps the size of hazelnuts. Chef's tip: use cold, cubed butter and chill the finished streusel for 20 minutes before scattering it, so the lumps keep their shape in the oven.

120 min

German Baking

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ŞıllıkWalnut crepes in lemon syrup

Şıllık is a home sweet of Şanlıurfa, made for guests and special Fridays: lacy crepes cooked on a hot sac or flat pan, filled with sugared walnuts, rolled up and doused in syrup until soft and sticky. Rich with butter and cut into short logs, it is eaten warm with a tiny cup of bitter mırra coffee to balance the sweetness. The batter should be as thin as single cream; thick batter gives rubbery pancakes. Chef's tip: syrup and crepes should be at different temperatures, so pour cooled syrup over the warm rolls, which drink it up without falling apart.

55 min

Turkish Desserts

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Simit kebabıBulgur and lamb mince skewers

In Gaziantep 'simit' means fine bulgur, not the sesame ring, and the city's kebab grills knead it into spicy lamb mince before shaping long flat skewers over charcoal. The bulgur soaks up the juices, so the kebab is tender inside with a crisp, charred crust. Serve on lavaş or thin flatbread with grilled tomatoes, peppers and a heap of sumac onions. Knead the mixture for a full ten minutes; under-kneaded meat falls off the skewer. Chef's tip: chill the shaped skewers for 30 minutes before grilling so they keep their shape over the heat.

45 min

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Sinop mantısıOpen beef dumplings with yoghurt

Sinop's mantı are not the tiny sealed parcels of Kayseri but larger squares pinched at the corners, filled with spiced beef mince and served in a deep plate with garlic yoghurt, crushed walnuts and a sizzling spoon of chilli butter. In the port town they are a cold-weather lunch, and the walnuts are what make them Sinop's own. Common mistake: boiling them too hard so they burst; keep the water at a lively simmer and cook until the filling is firm and reaches 71 °C. Chef's tip: let the dough rest a full 30 minutes; a relaxed dough rolls thin without springing back and the dumplings cook evenly.

85 min

Spanish Snacks & Starters

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Sir ghelyehFried green garlic with eggs

In early spring, when the rice fields of Gilan are still wet and the markets of Rasht fill with bundles of green garlic, families make sir ghelyeh: young garlic stems and leaves fried slowly with herbs and turmeric, then set with eggs. It is a quick lunch with kateh rice, eaten with a pickle on the side, and it smells of the whole season. The common mistake is frying the green garlic on a high heat, which burns the edges and leaves it bitter instead of sweet. Out of season, use the swap in the ingredients. Chef's tip: a small splash of verjuice or lemon juice just before the eggs go in lifts the whole pan.

30 min

Persian Vegetarian

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Sir torshiGarlic pickled in vinegar

Along the Caspian coast in Gilan and Mazandaran, almost every larder has a jar of sir torshi tucked at the back, and the older it is the prouder the cook. Whole heads of garlic sit in vinegar for months, sometimes seven years, until the cloves turn amber, then nearly black, and lose all their harshness; they become soft, sweet-sour and almost jammy. A clove or two goes on the side of a plate of rice and khoresh, mirza ghasemi or a bowl of ash. Chef's tip: use firm, dry, mature garlic with tight skins; fresh green garlic goes slimy instead of mellow.

30 min

Persian Chutneys & Dips

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Sobrassada amb melToasted bread with sausage and honey

Sweet and salty sobrassada toast is the snack Mallorcan bars put out with a cold drink, and it often closes a winter meal at home. Sobrassada is the island's soft, spreadable cured sausage of pork and paprika. This contains pork. Spread on country bread, warmed until it melts and sizzles, and finished with a thread of honey, it takes five minutes. Sobrassada is a raw cured meat, so eaten unheated it is not for pregnant women, young children or anyone with a weakened immune system; this recipe grills it until piping hot. Chef's tip: spread it thinly right to the edges, so it crisps instead of pooling in the middle.

10 min

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Soda farlsGriddled soda bread

Soda farls are the griddle bread of Northern Ireland, cooked on a flat pan rather than baked, and split and fried in the Ulster fry or eaten warm with butter and jam. Plain flour, bicarbonate of soda and buttermilk make a quick, light dough that is shaped into a round and cut into four farls. Chef's tip: get the griddle hot before the dough is mixed; the soda starts working as soon as the buttermilk goes in.

30 min

British Breads & Parathas

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SofritoVeal in garlic and vinegar sauce

Not to be confused with the Spanish base sauce, Corfu's sofrito is a dish of thinly sliced veal or young beef, floured and browned, then gently simmered in a sharp, pale sauce of garlic, vinegar and parsley until tender. Corfiot tavernas serve it with creamy mashed potato or rice to soak up the garlicky juices, especially on Sundays and name days. Some cooks add white wine; this version uses only vinegar and stock, so it's alcohol-free. Common mistake: letting the garlic brown, which makes the sauce bitter — it should stay pale. Chef's tip: flatten the slices with a rolling pin so they cook evenly and soak up the sauce.

75 min

Greek Meat

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SohanSaffron pistachio brittle

Pilgrims leaving the shrine city of Qom carry home round tins of sohan, and boxes of it are passed around at Nowruz visits all over Iran. It is a buttery, snapping brittle flavoured with saffron, cardamom and rosewater, built on sprouted wheat flour, which gives a gentle malty sweetness, and studded with slivered pistachios and almonds. Each disc shatters and then melts. Chef's tip: have every nut and flavouring measured beside the stove before you start; the last stage moves fast and the sugar won't wait.

50 min

Persian Desserts

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Soldaditos de PavíaBattered salt cod fingers

Madrid's old taverns near Puerta del Sol have fried these golden fingers of salt cod for well over a century, and they are still eaten standing at the bar with a small glass of something cold. Legend says the orange-red strip of pepper recalls the uniforms of soldiers in a Pavía regiment. The cod is soaked for two days to remove the salt, then fried until hot through, so it is fully cooked. Chef's tip: use cold sparkling water in the batter for a lighter, crunchier coat.

40 min

Spanish Fish

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Sole normandeSole with mussels in cider cream

Sole normande was born in the fish restaurants of the Normandy coast, from Dieppe to Honfleur, where the catch, the local cream and cider met on one plate; Paris chefs later made it a grand-restaurant classic. Folded sole fillets are gently poached in cider and fish stock, then served under a silky, ivory cream sauce made from the poaching liquid and mussel juices, with mussels, pink prawns and button mushrooms around them. It is delicate and rich, best with plain boiled potatoes or rice to soak up the sauce. It uses dry cider or white wine; the notes give an alcohol-free option. Chef's tip: plaice or lemon sole fillets work perfectly well and cost far less than Dover sole.

55 min

French Fish

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Sopa de beldroegasPurslane and potato soup

Purslane grows wild between the rows of Alentejo vegetable gardens in summer, and country cooks pick it for this lemony, slightly peppery soup: potatoes and purslane simmered with garlic and olive oil, then finished with eggs poached in the broth and slices of fresh goat's cheese that soften in the heat. It is served over bread, as so many Alentejo soups are. The fresh cheese is usually made with animal rennet; choose a soft goat's cheese or ricotta made with vegetarian rennet if you need to. If you can't find purslane, watercress or spinach make a fair stand-in. Chef's tip: add the cheese only in the last minute, so it warms and softens but doesn't melt away.

50 min

Portuguese Soups

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Sopa de caçãoDogfish soup with bread

Far from the sea, the Alentejo still has a fish soup it calls its own: firm dogfish simmered in a broth heavy with garlic and fresh coriander, thickened slightly with flour and sharpened with vinegar, then poured over bread. Families make it on Fridays and in Lent, and some village restaurants serve it every week. Dogfish and other small sharks are overfished in many waters; buy it only from a certified source, or use monkfish, a firm and sustainable white fish. A common mistake is boiling the fish hard, which makes it stringy; let it poach gently. Chef's tip: add the vinegar only at the very end, off the heat, so its sharpness stays fresh.

45 min

Portuguese Fish

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Sopa de capelettiMeat pasta in chicken broth

Winter nights in Bento Gonçalves, Caxias do Sul and the wine valleys of the Serra Gaúcha call for sopa de capeletti, the Italian immigrants' soup that is still served at the start of every big Sunday lunch at galeterias and family tables. Small hats of fresh egg pasta, filled with chicken, Parmesan and nutmeg, are cooked in a clear, golden, deeply savoury chicken broth and finished with more grated cheese. It is light but nourishing, and the broth should taste concentrated enough to stand on its own. The trap people fall into is boiling the broth hard, which turns it cloudy and greasy; keep it at a lazy simmer. You can freeze the shaped capeletti on a floured tray and cook them from frozen. Chef's tip: roll the dough until you can just see the shadow of your hand through it; thick capeletti turn stodgy in the soup.

160 min

Brazilian Soups

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ZwiebelkuchenOnion tart

When the grape harvest starts in Baden and the Württemberg vineyards in September, bakeries pull out trays of Zwiebelkuchen: a thin yeast base piled with slowly softened onions under a sour-cream and egg custard, sprinkled with caraway. It is traditionally eaten warm with Neuer Wein or Federweißer, the young, still-fermenting wine; that is alcoholic, so pour cloudy fresh grape juice or apple juice instead, which tastes just as right. Many bakers add bacon; this version is vegetarian. A common mistake is rushing the onions on a high heat: they need 25 minutes on low until soft and sweet but still pale. Chef's tip: cool the onions before adding the custard, or the eggs start setting in the bowl.

70 min

German Baking

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Chocolate egg cream

The egg cream contains neither egg nor cream: it is the old soda-fountain drink of Brooklyn and the Lower East Side, made of cold milk, chocolate syrup and a hard jet of seltzer that whips up a tall white foam. It was sold for pennies at candy stores and corner luncheonettes, and New Yorkers still argue about the right order to pour. Chef's tip: everything, glass included, must be ice-cold, or the foam collapses.

10 min

American Drinks

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New York potato knishes

Knishes came from Eastern Europe with Jewish immigrants and became Lower East Side street food, sold from carts and the old knishery on Houston Street with a dab of brown mustard. A thin, stretchy oil dough is wrapped around a peppery filling of mashed potato and deeply browned onions, then baked golden. Chef's tip: cook the onions slowly until truly brown and sweet; pale onions make a bland filling.

85 min

American Snacks & Starters

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Idaho fry sauce

In Idaho and neighbouring Utah you don't get your fries without fry sauce, the pale pink dip that drive-ins and burger stands across the potato state put out in paper cups. It is mayonnaise and ketchup at heart, sharpened with a little pickle brine, garlic and smoked paprika, and it goes on chips, burgers and onion rings. Chef's tip: make it an hour ahead and chill it, so the garlic and paprika have time to bloom.

5 min

American Chutneys & Dips

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Lancaster chicken corn soup

Every summer fire company picnic and church fair in Lancaster County sells this golden soup by the quart: chicken broth tinted with saffron, packed with sweetcorn and shredded chicken, and thickened with rivels, little rubbly dumplings rubbed between the fingers. Some cooks add chopped hard-boiled egg on top. Chef's tip: rub the rivel dough over the simmering soup through your fingers so the pieces fall in small, like grains of rice.

110 min

American Soups

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Mission burrito

The Mission burrito comes from the taquerias of San Francisco's Mission District, where in the 1960s and 70s cooks began steaming huge flour tortillas and packing them with grilled meat, rice, beans, salsa, cheese and guacamole, then rolling the whole lot tight in foil. One is lunch and dinner for a student. Chef's tip: steam the tortilla until it is soft and stretchy; a cold tortilla splits as you roll it.

70 min

American Fast Food

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French dip sandwich

Two downtown Los Angeles delis founded in 1908 still argue about who first dunked a roll into the roasting pan juices, but either way the French dip is LA's own sandwich: thin slices of roast beef piled into a crusty French roll that is dipped in a rich, savoury beef jus, eaten with hot mustard at the counter. Chef's tip: make the jus from the roasting pan; the browned bits stuck to the tin are where the flavour lives.

110 min

American Meat

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Victoria sponge

Named after Queen Victoria, who took a slice with her afternoon tea, the Victoria sandwich is the cake of English village fetes, Women's Institute competitions and every birthday tea in the shires. It is two light butter sponges joined with raspberry jam and buttercream, finished with a dusting of caster sugar. Chef's tip: weigh the eggs in their shells and use the same weight of butter, sugar and flour; that is the classic way to get a perfect crumb.

45 min

British Baking

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Sonoran hot dog

The Sonoran hot dog came north from Hermosillo in Mexico and is now the late-night street food of Tucson, Arizona, sold from carts and small stands called dogueros. A frankfurter is wrapped in bacon (pork) and griddled until crisp, then tucked into a soft, split-top bolillo roll with pinto beans, onion, tomato, mayonnaise, mustard and jalapeño salsa. Chef's tip: wind the bacon tightly in a spiral and start it seam-side down, so it sticks and doesn't unravel.

35 min

American Fast Food

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Hawaiian sweet bread

Hawaiian sweet bread grew from the pão doce that Portuguese families baked in the islands at Easter, and bakeries in Hilo made it famous as a soft, golden, faintly tangy loaf. Pineapple juice gives a gentle fruity sweetness, and the crumb is pillowy and pulls apart in strands. Eat it toasted with butter, or use it for French toast. Chef's tip: the dough should be very soft; be patient during kneading instead of adding extra flour.

60 minPacific Islander Breads & Parathas

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Hawaiian Chantilly cake

In Hawaii, Chantilly cake means a chocolate layer cake covered in a rich, caramel-coloured frosting made from evaporated milk, egg yolks and butter, not the whipped cream the name suggests. Honolulu bakeries have sold it for birthdays and graduations for decades, and it is very different from mainland cakes. Chef's tip: cook the frosting base slowly and stir constantly until it is as thick as pudding; if it is runny, the frosting will slide off the cake.

85 minPacific Islander Baking

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Eton mess

Eton mess is served at Eton College's cricket match against Harrow each June, and it has become the English summer pudding for picnics and garden parties when strawberries are at their best. Crushed meringue, whipped cream and macerated strawberries are folded together at the last moment, so you get crunch, cream and juice in every spoonful. Chef's tip: fold it together just before serving; if it sits, the meringue dissolves into the cream.

20 min

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Summer pudding

Summer pudding is the high-summer pudding of English country gardens, made when redcurrants, raspberries and blackcurrants ripen together in July. Slices of day-old white bread line a basin and soak up the juices of lightly cooked berries overnight, turning a deep crimson and setting into a dome. Serve with cream (or a plant cream for a vegan pudding). Chef's tip: keep back a few spoonfuls of juice to paint over any white patches after turning it out.

30 min

Colombian Snacks & Starters

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AborrajadosFried cheese-stuffed plantain

Cali's bakeries and Sunday food stalls by the Pance river sell aborrajados all day: thick slices of very ripe plantain, fried soft, pressed around a slab of white cheese, sometimes with guava paste, then coated in a light batter and fried again until golden. The result is sweet, salty and gooey, a snack you eat with your hands alongside a glass of lulada or champús. Choose plantains with skins almost completely black; yellow ones are too starchy and never get sweet. Queso blanco or campesino is often set with animal rennet, so use a vegetarian mozzarella or similar. The usual mistake is batter that is too thick, giving a heavy, bready shell; it should coat like thin pancake batter. Chef's tip: chill the stuffed plantain parcels for 10 minutes before battering; they hold together much better in the oil.

40 min

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Bread and butter pudding

Bread and butter pudding was the thrifty English way of using up stale bread, and today it's a pub and Sunday-lunch pudding from the Cotswolds to London. Buttered slices of bread are layered with sultanas, soaked in a vanilla and nutmeg custard and baked until puffed with a crisp, sugary top and a soft, wobbly centre. Chef's tip: let the bread soak in the custard for 30 minutes before baking, so it's creamy all the way through.

55 min

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Spotted dick

Spotted dick is the steamed suet pudding of English school dinners and gentlemen's clubs in London, the 'spots' being the currants and 'dick' an old word for pudding. Suet makes it light and moist; this recipe uses vegetarian suet, so it is meat-free. It is rolled, wrapped and steamed, then served in thick slices with hot custard. Chef's tip: leave a pleat in the paper and foil so the pudding has room to swell.

105 min