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Dowina (Kurdish yogurt soup)

Dowina, called ash-e doogh in Persian, is warming spring food in Kurdish homes around Newroz, when yogurt is plentiful and the first herbs are cut from the garden. Rice and chickpeas simmer in a tangy, lightly thickened yogurt broth, finished with fresh dill, coriander and a sizzle of dried mint in oil. It is eaten warm, never boiling hot, with flatbread. The common mistake is to heat the yogurt too fast without stirring, which makes it split into grainy curds. Chef's tip: whisk an egg yolk and a spoonful of rice flour into the yogurt before it goes on the heat; it holds the soup smooth all the way to the simmer.

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RužiceWalnut pastry roses in syrup

Ružice, meaning 'little roses', are baked for Bajram in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Eid holidays when trays of syrup-soaked sweets are set out for every guest. Thin sheets of pastry are brushed with butter, scattered with walnuts and rolled up, then sliced so each piece opens like a rose in the oven. The baked roses drink up a cold lemon syrup and turn sticky, crisp on top and soft underneath. Chef's tip: pour cold syrup over hot pastry (or hot over cold), never both the same temperature, or the roses go soggy.

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KaguyjyWhite corn pudding

On the night of 23–24 June, Paraguayans celebrate San Juan with bonfires, games like walking over hot coals and the 'paso de fuego', and a table of traditional foods, and kaguyjy (also mazamorra) is one of them. It is a soft, creamy pudding of cracked white corn (locro) simmered slowly in water and then milk with sugar or honey, sometimes with orange peel. It is eaten warm or cold. It is gluten free. Chef's tip: soak the corn overnight and cook it until each kernel is tender before adding the milk, or it never turns creamy.

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Pajagua mascadaBeef and cassava patties

Pajagua mascada is a Paraguayan street-food classic that appears on every table for the San Juan festival on 24 June, when bonfires burn and the night is full of games and traditional food. Minced beef is mixed with mashed cassava, onion, garlic and a little egg and flour, shaped into flat patties and fried until crisp. The name comes from Guaraní and refers to the 'chewing' of old Paraguayan cooks, who made it from leftover meat. Chef's tip: dry the boiled cassava well and remove its woody core, which keeps the patties light and crunchy.

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Paches de papaPotato tamales with chicken

Paches are the tamales of Quetzaltenango (Xela) in the Guatemalan highlands, made with mashed potato instead of corn and eaten on Christmas Eve and, by long custom, on Thursdays. The potato masa is coloured red with a recado of tomato, chillies and spices, filled with chicken, and wrapped in banana leaves to steam. They are soft and spoonable, served with bread and a squeeze of lime. Chef's tip: mash the potatoes while hot and mix in the recado straight away, so the masa stays smooth and doesn't turn gluey.

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PincaEaster sweet bread

Pinca (or sirnica in Dubrovnik) is the Easter bread of Dalmatia and Istria in Croatia. It is a tall, golden round of rich yeast dough with egg yolks, butter, lemon and orange zest and vanilla, cut with three slashes on top before baking so it opens into a three-pointed cross. It is blessed at church on Holy Saturday with the Easter eggs and ham, and eaten at Easter breakfast. Old recipes add a spoon of rum or prošek wine; this one doesn't. Chef's tip: let the dough rise slowly, even overnight in the fridge, as pinca gets its tender, fragrant crumb from a long rise.

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Tamales coloradosRed tamales

On Christmas Eve in Guatemala, families gather before midnight to eat tamales colorados, made in big batches the day before. Soft corn masa enriched with lard is filled with pork (or chicken) in a red recado sauce of tomato, dried chillies and toasted sesame and pumpkin seeds, topped with an olive, a strip of red pepper and a caper, then wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. They are eaten with bread and hot ponche. Chef's tip: beat the lard into the masa until a spoonful floats in water; that is how you know the tamales will be light.

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Leche de burraMilk, corn and sugar sweet

On 7 December, Nicaraguans celebrate La Purísima and La Gritería, when people go from house to house singing 'Who causes so much joy? Mary's Conception!' to altars set up for the Virgin, and the hosts hand out gifts: oranges, sugar cane, gofio and leche de burra. It is a firm, fudgy sweet of milk, sugar and a little cornmeal cooked until thick, then set in a tray, sometimes swirled with pink or brown, and cut into squares. Despite the name ('donkey's milk') it is made with cow's milk. It is gluten free. Chef's tip: stir constantly in the last 15 minutes, as milk sweets catch quickly.

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Lengua a la vinagretaBeef tongue with vinaigrette

Argentina's Nochebuena is a hot summer night, so the table is full of cold dishes, and lengua a la vinagreta is one of the classics: beef tongue simmered until tender, peeled, sliced and covered with a sharp vinaigrette of parsley, garlic, red pepper, onion and chopped hard-boiled egg. It is made a day ahead and served chilled with vitel toné and Russian salad. Chef's tip: peel the tongue while it is still hot, as the skin comes away easily then and clings once it cools.

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Bakalar na bijeloSalt cod with potatoes and garlic

On Badnjak, Christmas Eve, Croatian families in Dalmatia keep the meal meatless, and bakalar na bijelo ('white salt cod') is the dish that says Christmas. Salt cod is soaked for days, then cooked with potatoes, a lot of garlic, parsley and good olive oil and shaken in the pot until it turns into a creamy, almost spreadable mix. It is served warm with bread and a glass of wine for the adults. Chef's tip: shake the pot rather than stirring it, so the fish breaks into flakes and emulsifies with the oil and potato.

90 minBalkanFishGluten free
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Gallo en chichaRooster in sweet-sour corn sauce

Gallo en chicha is a festive dish of Granada and Masaya in Nicaragua, cooked for Christmas Eve and the purísima season. A rooster (today usually a large chicken) is stewed in chicha, a fermented corn drink, with raisins, prunes, olives, capers and spices until the sauce is thick, dark and sweet-sour. Traditional chicha can be slightly alcoholic; this recipe gives a quick unfermented version made from masa and pineapple, so it is alcohol-free. Serve with rice and plantains. Chef's tip: brown the chicken well first, as the dark sauce relies on that caramelised flavour.

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Chipa so'oCheese bread with spiced beef

In Paraguay, families bake chipa in the clay tatakua ovens on Holy Wednesday so there is food for Thursday and Good Friday, when cooking stops. Chipa so'o ('chipa with meat') is a cassava-starch and cheese bread wrapped around a little filling of minced beef cooked with onion and egg, then baked until crisp outside and chewy within. It is naturally gluten free. Chef's tip: knead the dough until it no longer cracks at the edges when pressed; dry dough splits around the filling.

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Boudin blanc aux pommesWhite sausage with apple compote

In Liège and across Wallonia, Christmas Eve supper often begins with boudin blanc: pale, delicate sausages of finely minced pork and milk, sometimes with a little chicken, gently fried in butter until golden and served with warm, chunky apple compote and bread. Butchers make piles of them in December. Buy them fresh from a good butcher, or poached and ready to fry. Chef's tip: prick nothing and cook gently; boudin blanc is fragile, and a hot pan splits the skins.

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Sopa de rosquillasBroth with corn and cheese rings

In Honduras, Semana Santa is a time for meatless soups, and sopa de rosquillas is the most loved: a light tomato, onion and sweet pepper broth with milk, in which crisp, crumbly rosquillas (baked rings of cornmeal and hard cheese) are dropped at the last minute so they soften on the outside and stay crunchy within. Many families also add a few eggs. Bought rosquillas work; this recipe makes them. Hard 'queso seco' is usually made with rennet, so use a vegetarian hard cheese if needed. Chef's tip: add the rosquillas right before serving, as they dissolve if left to soak.

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Slavski kolačDecorated ceremonial bread

The slava is a uniquely Serbian Orthodox custom: each family honours its own patron saint on that saint's feast day, passed from father to son, with a lit candle, boiled wheat (žito) and the slavski kolač, a round, decorated bread. The priest blesses it; the family turns it, cuts a cross into its base, pours a little wine into the cuts, and breaks it together. It is decorated with dough crosses, the seal 'IC XC NI KA', doves, wheat ears and grapes. It is a plain, vegan bread. Chef's tip: keep the decorations' dough a little stiffer than the loaf, so they hold their shape.

110 minBalkanBakingVegan
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Miel de chiverreSquash strand preserve

Chiverre is a large, pale squash with stringy flesh that Costa Rican families save for Semana Santa. The strands are cooked for hours with tapa de dulce (cane sugar), cinnamon and cloves until they turn into a golden, chewy, sweet preserve called miel de chiverre, eaten on its own or used to fill the Holy Week empanadas and tortas. Spaghetti squash, though milder, is the closest substitute. It is vegan. Chef's tip: soak the squash strands in cold water for a few hours and drain well, which removes the bitterness.

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PečenicaRoast pork

Pečenica is the Christmas Day roast of Serbia and Montenegro: traditionally a whole young pig turned on a spit in the yard from early morning, so that it is ready when the family returns from church and greets each other with 'Hristos se rodi'. This home recipe follows our site's approach of using carved portions rather than a whole animal: bone-in pork shoulder pieces with the skin on are rubbed with salt and slow-roasted until the meat is tender and the skin crackles like the spit-roast. Serve with česnica bread, pickled vegetables and roasted potatoes. Chef's tip: baste the skin with beer, or with cold water for an alcohol-free version, near the end; it helps the crackling blister.

290 minBalkanMeatGluten free
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Almíbar nicaragüenseFruit preserve in panela syrup

In Nicaragua, Semana Santa means almíbar: a big pot of mango, papaya, jocote (hog plum) and grosella (gooseberry) simmered for hours in a dark panela syrup with cinnamon, cloves and allspice. Families make it ahead and share it with neighbours, who return the bowl full of their own. It is served cool in small bowls, sometimes with a slice of cheese. Jocotes and grosellas are hard to find abroad; firm plums and cape gooseberries are good stand-ins. It is vegan and gluten free. Chef's tip: add the fruit in order of firmness so everything finishes tender but whole.

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Pescado envuelto en huevoEgg-battered fish in tomato sauce

In Guatemala, Cuaresma and Semana Santa mean the smell of pescado seco envuelto en huevo: pieces of dried salted fish (usually cod) soaked, dipped in whipped egg batter, fried until puffy and golden, then served in a light tomato sauce with rice. It fills the house during the processions of Holy Week, when carpets of sawdust and flowers line the streets of Antigua. Soaked salt cod is the easiest to find abroad. Chef's tip: whisk the whites very stiff and fold in the yolks gently, so the coating puffs into a soft cloud.

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AllerheiligenstriezelBraided sweet loaf

In Bavaria and Austria, godparents give their godchildren an Allerheiligenstriezel on All Saints' Day, 1 November: a large braided loaf of sweet yeast dough, brushed with egg and scattered with almonds or pearl sugar. The braid is said to recall the old custom of cutting a plait of hair in mourning, and the size of the loaf once showed how generous the godparent was. It is lightly sweet, with lemon and vanilla, and is eaten sliced with butter or jam. Some recipes add rum-soaked raisins; these are soaked in warm water instead. Chef's tip: braid four strands for an impressive, high loaf.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Tamal de ollaChicken tamal stew

Tamal de olla is Panama's easy answer to Christmas tamales: instead of wrapping dozens of parcels, the corn masa and a saucy chicken filling with raisins, olives and capers are layered in a pot or baking dish and cooked together, then scooped onto plates for the Christmas Eve dinner. It is moist, savoury and slightly sweet, coloured gold with achiote. Chef's tip: cook the masa with the chicken broth on the hob until it pulls from the pan before baking, so the tamal sets but stays soft.

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OsterpinzeEaster anise brioche

Osterpinze is the Easter bread of Styria, Carinthia and the area around Trieste, a soft, golden brioche dome with three deep cuts on top for the Holy Trinity, so that it opens into a crown as it bakes. The dough is rich with egg yolks and butter and flavoured with anise and lemon; old recipes add a splash of white wine, left out here. It is blessed in the Easter basket on Holy Saturday and eaten on Easter morning with ham, horseradish and eggs, or with butter and jam. Chef's tip: make the three cuts with scissors just before baking, deep enough to reach halfway down, so the crown opens wide.

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KalanehWild leek stuffed flatbread

In Kurdistan and Kermanshah, Newroz arrives with the first spring greens on the hillsides, and families gather wild leeks to fold into kalaneh, thin griddle breads cooked over a fire or a hot pan and soaked in melted butter. The dough is plain and soft, rolled very thin around a pile of chopped leek or chives with a little salt and pepper, so the greens steam inside as the bread blisters. Eat it hot, torn into strips, with yogurt and tea at a Newroz picnic. The common mistake is wet greens, which turn the dough soggy and make it tear; dry them well after washing. Chef's tip: brush the butter on the moment the bread leaves the pan so it soaks right in.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Turrón de maníPeanut nougat

On an Argentine Christmas Eve, after midnight toasts, the 'mesa dulce' appears with pan dulce, garrapiñadas and turrón de maní: a chewy white nougat of honey, sugar, whipped egg white and roasted peanuts, often set between two sheets of rice paper. Families make it in the days before Nochebuena. The egg white is cooked by the hot syrup. It is gluten free if you use gluten-free wafer paper or none. Chef's tip: work fast once the syrup is in, as the nougat stiffens as it cools and gets hard to spread.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

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