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Pejerrey arrebozadoBattered fish fillets with onion salsa

Pejerrey arrebozado is a Lima classic from the cevicherías and home kitchens of the coast, eaten at lunch on a plate with white rice, a heap of sharp salsa criolla and sometimes boiled potato. The pejerrey, a small silverside, is opened into butterflied fillets, dipped in a light egg-and-flour batter and fried golden. Outside Peru, use small fillets of whiting, sole, haddock or tilapia. The batter here uses sparkling water, not beer, so it is alcohol free. The common mistake is frying in oil that isn't hot enough: the batter drinks the oil and turns greasy, so test with a drop of batter first. Chef's tip: make the salsa criolla first and let the onion sit in lime for ten minutes; it softens its bite and turns a pretty pink.

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Moroccan bachkoutouOrange and sesame dunking biscuits

Moroccan grandmothers bake bachkoutou by the trayful and keep them in big tins for the afternoon glass of sweet mint tea, and neighbourhood ovens in Fes and Casablanca bake them for families who bring their dough. These are dry, crunchy little biscuits, not rich at all, made with eggs, sugar and oil rather than butter, with orange zest and a coating of toasted sesame; they are meant to be dunked until they soften slightly. Shapes vary from town to town: fingers, rings and rope twists are all common, and some cooks add aniseed. Too much flour is the easy mistake: the dough should stay soft and slightly sticky, or the biscuits bake heavy and hard rather than crisp and light. Chef's tip: once they are cold, put them back in a warm, switched-off oven for 20 minutes; that extra drying is what makes them keep their snap for weeks.

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Tallarines rojosSpaghetti in red sauce with chicken

Tallarines rojos is the Sunday-lunch and weeknight pasta of homes all over Peru, from Lima to Arequipa: spaghetti in a sweet, deep-red sauce of blended tomato, onion and garlic with a little ají panca and oregano, often with pieces of chicken cooked right in it. Children love it, and it is served with a sprinkle of grated cheese and sometimes a spoon of huancaína on the side. The usual mistake is cooking the sauce too briefly, so it tastes of raw onion; let the blended tomato fry until it darkens and the oil shows at the edges. Chef's tip: a bay leaf and a spoon of ají panca paste give the sauce its Peruvian character; paprika will do if you can't find the paste.

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Chicharrón de pescadoCrisp fried fish chunks

Up and down the Peruvian coast, from Chorrillos in Lima to the beaches of Piura, chicharrón de pescado is the crunchy plate ordered alongside ceviche at a long seafood lunch: bite-size chunks of firm white fish marinated briefly in garlic and lime, dusted in flour and fried, then served with fried cassava, salsa criolla and tartar or rocoto sauce. Using frozen peeled cassava keeps it to half an hour. The common mistake is leaving the fish in the lime too long: after about ten minutes the acid starts to 'cook' the outside and the coating slips off. Chef's tip: toss the floured pieces in a sieve to shake off every bit of loose flour; a thin coat fries crisp, a thick one turns pasty.

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GurundiCrunchy coconut biscuit bars

Walk past a school gate or a motor park in Kano, Kaduna or Jos and you will hear hawkers calling out gurundi, the hard coconut biscuit bars sold in little plastic bags. They are toasty, sweet and very crunchy, packed with coconut and a hint of nutmeg, and children buy them with pocket money to eat on the walk home. At home they go into lunch boxes or out with a cup of tea or a cold bottle of zobo. Fresh grated coconut is traditional; desiccated coconut makes it simple anywhere. Chef's tip: once the bars are golden, turn off the oven and leave them inside with the door ajar for 15 minutes to dry right through; taking them out too soon is the usual mistake, and they go soft by the next day.

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Algerian mkhabezIced almond and lemon diamonds

No Algerian wedding tray, and few Eid tables in Algiers or Constantine, is complete without mkhabez: soft, chewy diamonds of ground almond and lemon zest under a smooth white icing, each topped with a sugar flower or a silver ball and set in its own paper case. Making them is a social affair, with sisters and aunts icing and decorating hundreds the week before a celebration. The almond base is flourless and dairy free, sweet and lemony, and the icing sets to a thin shell; serve them with mint tea or strong coffee. Overbaking is the mistake to avoid: the diamonds should come out pale and soft, or they go dry and crumbly under the icing. Chef's tip: ice them when completely cold, and get the icing so thick it only just flows; runny icing slides off the sides and never sets glossy.

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Tcharek el arianeAlmond crescents with orange blossom

On the last nights of Ramadan, kitchens across Algiers and Constantine fill up with trays of tcharek el ariane, the 'naked' tcharek: crescents of thin, buttery dough wrapped around almond paste with cinnamon and orange-blossom water. Unlike their sugar-coated cousins they are left bare, so the fine dough with its pinched, lace-like pattern shows. Families give them to neighbours on Eid morning and set them out at weddings with mint tea and coffee. The dough is traditionally made with smen (aged butter); plain melted butter works well. Overbaking is the common slip, because they turn hard and dry; they should stay pale with only golden tips. Chef's tip: keep the dough under a damp cloth while you shape, as it dries in minutes and then cracks along the curve.

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Nigerian fruit cake

No Lagos wedding or Christmas table feels complete without a dark, heavy fruit cake, often stacked in tiers and covered in icing, with slices wrapped in napkins for guests to take home. The crumb is dense and moist, coloured almost black with browning (burnt-sugar caramel), and packed with raisins, currants and cherries warmed by nutmeg and mixed spice. Many families soak the fruit for weeks in brandy, stout or red wine; this version plumps it in orange juice instead, with a spirit given only as an option. Serve thin slices with tea, or ice it for a celebration. Bake it hot and fast and you get the classic failure: a cracked, burnt crust over a raw, sunken middle, so keep the oven low. Chef's tip: wrap a double band of brown paper around the outside of the tin and tie it with string; it slows the edges so the middle catches up.

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RohlíkSalt and caraway breakfast roll

Ask a Czech or Slovak what they ate for breakfast as a child and the answer is usually a rohlík: a long, slim roll rolled up from a triangle of dough, sold for a few crowns at every bakery and supermarket from Prague to Bratislava. It has a thin, crisp golden crust scattered with coarse salt and caraway, and a soft, tight spiral inside. People eat it with butter and jam, with a spread such as egg or bean pomazánka, with a cup of white coffee, or simply dunked in a mug of cocoa. This version uses sunflower oil, so it is vegan. Rolling the triangles loosely is the usual mistake; the spiral opens in the oven and the roll splits. Chef's tip: stretch each triangle gently by its point as you roll it up, which keeps the coil tight and gives the long, even shape.

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Buchtičky se šodó (tiny buns in vanilla custard)

Ask anyone who went to school in Czechia or Slovakia about the canteen, and buchtičky se šodó comes up with a smile: a bowl of tiny, soft, buttery yeast buns baked close together and pulled apart, sitting in warm vanilla custard. Families make it at home as a sweet main course or afternoon treat, especially in winter. The custard here is lightly sweetened. It contains gluten, milk and egg. Chef's tip: brush the buns with melted butter before they go into the tin, so they pull apart cleanly after baking.

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Pan chutaAniseed round bread

The small town of Oropesa, half an hour from Cusco, calls itself Peru's bread capital, and its wood-fired bakeries are famous for chuta: big, flat, round loaves as wide as a dinner plate, glossy on top, with a faint sweetness and the warmth of aniseed. Travellers on the road to Puno and Bolivia stop to buy them by the bagful, and families bring them home for All Saints' Day and for sharing with hot coca tea or coffee, fresh cheese and butter. The bakeries traditionally use lard; this version uses vegetable shortening and butter, so it is vegetarian. The make-or-break moment is the proof: chuta is large and flat, and if it goes in under-risen it bakes dense and splits at the rim. Chef's tip: toast the aniseed for a minute in a dry pan and crush it lightly before adding, for a rounder, sweeter perfume.

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ChaplasHollow puffed Andean bread

Walk through Ayacucho's central market at seven in the morning and you will see women selling stacks of chaplas from cloth-lined baskets, still warm from the wood-fired ovens of the Andes. These round wheat breads puff up like pita in the fierce heat, leaving a hollow pocket inside a thin, soft, lightly floury crust. In Ayacucho and Huancavelica they are eaten with sweet coffee or hot emoliente for breakfast, or split and filled with queso fresco, avocado or a spoonful of rocoto sauce. Highland bakers traditionally work in a little lard; vegetable shortening gives the same tenderness and keeps the bread vegan. A cool baking tray is the reason chaplas stay flat, so preheat it thoroughly. Chef's tip: let the rolled rounds rest before baking and flip them upside down onto the tray, so the smooth, dry side meets the heat first and the pocket opens evenly.

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Berber corn couscous with vegetables

In the Souss valley and the villages of the Middle Atlas, couscous is often made not from wheat but from cracked dried maize, which gives a sunny yellow, slightly nutty grain. It's steamed three times over a pot of turnips, carrots, courgettes and pumpkin, buttered with smen or plain butter, and eaten on Fridays with a glass of cold lben (buttermilk). Corn grits absorb more water than wheat and won't swell in one go, so the usual mistake is skipping the third steaming and serving it gritty. Chef's tip: oil your palms before rubbing the grains between steamings; the maize stays separate and never clumps. Naturally gluten free if you check your maize grits are made in a gluten-free mill.

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Nigerian coconut rice

On Sundays in Lagos and at parties along the coast, coconut rice is the gentler cousin of jollof: long-grain rice cooked in fresh coconut milk with a blended pepper base, thyme, curry and a spoonful of ground crayfish, so it comes out creamy-orange, fragrant and lightly smoky-savoury. Serve it with fried plantain, peppered chicken or a fish stew. Crayfish is dried shellfish, so avoid it with a shellfish allergy. The mistake to avoid is adding all the coconut milk and water at the start and stirring often: the starch breaks and the rice turns porridgey. Wash the rice well, measure the liquid, cover tightly and leave it alone. Chef's tip: if you can, grate one fresh coconut and squeeze it with warm water twice; the first thick milk goes in at the end for a richer finish.

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Moroccan fish couscous (seksu bel hout)

Along the Atlantic coast in Safi and Essaouira, the Friday couscous is often made with the morning's catch rather than lamb. Firm white fish steaks are marinated in chermoula, then gently poached on top of a tomato and vegetable broth while the couscous steams above it, so everything takes on the scent of cumin, paprika and coriander. Serve the fish and vegetables over the grain with plenty of broth. The usual mistake is adding the fish at the start; it falls apart and goes dry. It needs only the last 10–12 minutes. Chef's tip: lay a few lemon slices under the fish in the pot; they keep it from sticking and lift the broth.

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Potato briouats (briwat batata)

During Ramadan, the iftar tables of Casablanca and Marrakech are crowded with little fried pastries, and potato briouats are the budget-friendly favourite. A mash of potato, parsley, coriander, cumin and a little grated cheese is folded into warqa or filo triangles and fried until crackling. Serve them hot with harira or mint tea. The common mistake is a wet, warm filling, which makes the pastry soggy and tear; let the mash cool completely. Chef's tip: seal each triangle with a dab of egg yolk or flour paste; they won't open in the oil. Check cheese labels: some is made with animal rennet. Contains wheat, egg and milk.

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Nigerian salad

At owambe parties in Lagos and Ibadan, and on Christmas and Sallah tables right across the country, a big glass bowl of Nigerian salad sits next to the jollof and fried rice, piled in neat stripes of shredded lettuce, cabbage, carrot, sweetcorn, baked beans and sliced egg, then smothered in creamy salad cream. It is cool, crunchy and slightly sweet, the thing everyone reaches for between spoonfuls of peppery rice and chicken. Salad cream contains egg and mustard, so mention it to anyone with allergies. The common mistake is dressing it hours ahead: the cabbage and lettuce weep and the bowl turns watery, so layer it ahead but pour the dressing on just before serving. Many party versions add ham or corned beef; this one keeps it vegetarian. Chef's tip: soak the shredded lettuce and cabbage in iced water for ten minutes and spin them completely dry; they stay squeaky-crisp all evening.

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Nigerian egg roll

Sold from glass cases in Lagos bus parks and school tuck shops, and packed for long road trips to the village at Christmas, the egg roll is a whole hard-boiled egg hidden inside a thick, slightly sweet fried dough, a cousin of the Scotch egg that needs no meat. Bite through the crisp, golden shell to a soft bready layer and then the egg. Contains egg, wheat and milk. The mistake most people make is frying too hot and too fast, which browns the dough before the inner layer cooks; fry gently at 160 °C so the heat reaches the middle. Chef's tip: roll each boiled egg in a little flour before wrapping it, or the dough slips off the smooth white and leaves a gap.

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Moroccan quince preserve (mrabba sfarjal)

When quinces fill the market stalls of Fes and Meknes in October, households cook them down into this deep red preserve for winter breakfasts with msemen, baghrir and fresh cheese. The pale fruit turns ruby only with long, gentle cooking, the slices staying whole in a thick, cinnamon-scented syrup. Spread it on bread or serve a spoon next to soft cheese. Impatient cooks boil it hard and get a pale, sticky jam; the colour needs slow simmering. Chef's tip: tie the quince cores and peel in muslin and cook them with the fruit — they hold the pectin that sets the syrup. Store in sterilised jars.

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Shlada khiar (grated cucumber salad with oregano)

In the heat of a Fes or Marrakech summer, this ice-cold grated cucumber salad is served in bowls with spoons, half salad, half drink, alongside rich tagines or a plate of fried fish. Cucumber is grated and loosened with water, vinegar and a little sugar, then perfumed with crushed dried oregano or zaatar. Grating ahead and leaving it to sit in salt is the usual slip; the cucumber goes limp and bitter. Chef's tip: rub the oregano between your palms over the bowl to wake its oils.

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Sweet rice briouats with honey

The old Fassi households and pastry shops of Fes and Rabat make rice briouats for Ramadan and weddings: short-grain rice cooked thick in milk with orange-blossom water, wrapped in warqa, fried and plunged into warm honey. They're crisp outside, creamy within, and served with mint tea. Runny rice pudding makes the pastry burst in the oil, so cook it until a spoon can stand in it, then chill it firm. Chef's tip: warm the honey with a splash of orange-blossom water, and dip the briouats while both are hot so the honey soaks in rather than sitting on top. Contains milk, wheat and almonds.

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Nigerian doughnuts

Long before chain doughnut shops reached Abuja, Nigerian bakeries and roadside hawkers in Onitsha, Enugu and Lagos sold these plump, unfilled rings and rounds, wrapped in paper and still warm, and mothers fried them by the trayful for birthday parties. The dough is enriched with milk, egg and butter and scented with nutmeg, so the crumb is soft and bready rather than cakey, and each one is rolled in sugar while hot. Contains wheat, milk and egg. A common mistake is frying in oil that is too hot: the outside goes dark brown while the centre stays doughy, so keep it at 170 °C and test the first one. Chef's tip: after cutting, let the rounds rise a second time on floured baking paper, then lift each one on its square of paper into the oil so it keeps its puffy shape.

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Gueddid (spiced dried lamb, safe oven method)

After Eid al-Adha, families across Morocco traditionally cut part of the sacrificed lamb into strips, rub it with salt, garlic, cumin and coriander and hang it on rooftop lines in the sun for days; the gueddid is then kept for Ashura couscous, lentil stews and eggs. Sun-drying meat at home is not safe without strict control, so this version cures the strips in the fridge, then dries them in a low oven until the meat is cooked through to at least 71 °C and leathery-dry, with the same deep, salty, cumin flavour. The common mistake is cutting thick strips: anything over 1 cm stays moist in the centre. Chef's tip: semi-freeze the meat for an hour first so you can slice it thinly and evenly. Not for anyone on a low-salt diet.

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Baba dudu

Yoruba children of the 70s and 80s remember baba dudu, "the black one", bought for a coin from sweet sellers outside school gates in Ibadan and Abeokuta: sugar and butter cooked until almost black, then pulled and cut into small chewy pieces that taste of toffee and burnt caramel. It is easy to make at home, but hot sugar burns badly, so keep children away from the stove. The candy is a choking risk for small children and isn't suitable for under-1s. The mistake is taking it off the heat too early: pale caramel stays soft and sticky, so wait until it is the colour of strong tea and a drop sets firm in cold water. Chef's tip: oil your scissors and cut the strip while it is warm and pliable; once cold it shatters.

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