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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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MazanecEaster raisin and almond bread

Mazanec is the round Easter bread of Bohemia, baked on Holy Saturday and eaten on Easter Sunday and Monday. The sweet yeast dough is rich with butter, egg yolks and lemon, studded with raisins and almonds, and scored with a deep cross before baking so it opens like a flower. Old recipes soak the raisins in rum; here they are soaked in warm tea, so the bread is alcohol-free. Slice it and spread with butter and honey. Chef's tip: give mazanec a long, slow bake at a moderate heat, because the rich dough browns quickly and the centre needs time.

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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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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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Kapr na černoCarp in dark sweet-sour sauce

Before fried breaded carp took over the Czech Christmas Eve table, families in Bohemia served kapr na černo, 'black carp': fish simmered in a dark, glossy, sweet-sour sauce of root vegetables, gingerbread, prunes, nuts and dark beer. It is rich and spiced, closer to a medieval feast dish than to the modern menu, and served with bread dumplings or potatoes. This version uses a non-alcoholic dark malt drink so the sauce is alcohol-free; adults may use dark beer. Chef's tip: grate the gingerbread finely, so it melts into a smooth sauce rather than leaving soggy crumbs.

105 minCzechFish
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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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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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KesraSemolina pan bread

Kesra is the flat semolina bread of Algerian homes, and in Ramadan a fresh round sits on almost every iftar table, cooked on a clay tajine and torn into pieces to dip into hot chorba frik. This unleavened version is a thin, crumbly-edged galette, golden in patches and slightly chewy in the middle, with a nutty taste from the olive oil. It is made in minutes before sunset so it reaches the table still warm. Chef's tip: work the dough only until it holds together; kneading it like a yeast bread makes kesra tough instead of tender.

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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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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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HrudkaEgg and milk cheese

Hrudka (also called sirok or egg cheese) is made in eastern Slovakia and among Rusyn and Slovak families abroad for Easter. Eggs and milk are stirred over a low heat until they separate into soft curds, then the curds are tied tightly in a cloth into a ball and hung to drain overnight. The pale-yellow, mild, slightly sweet 'cheese' is taken to church in the Easter basket on Holy Saturday and sliced at Easter breakfast with ham, bread and horseradish. It needs no rennet, so it is naturally vegetarian. Chef's tip: keep the heat low and stir constantly; high heat makes rubbery curds.

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Rybí polévkaCarp soup

In Czechia the Christmas Eve supper begins with rybí polévka, a soup made from the trimmings of the Christmas carp, which is often bought live at street stalls in the days before; here you simply ask the fishmonger for prepared carp trimmings and a fillet. The bones and trimmings make a clear stock that is simmered with carrot, celeriac and parsley root, then filled with flakes of carp and served with croutons fried in butter. Many families add the carp roe. Chef's tip: strain the stock carefully through muslin, as carp has many fine bones.

105 minCzechSoups
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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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DouaraLamb tripe and chickpea stew

Douara is the dish that fills Algerian kitchens on the second day of Eid al-Adha, when the tripe, intestines and lung from the family's sacrifice are cleaned, cut small and stewed slowly with chickpeas, plenty of garlic, cumin and paprika. The sauce is deep red and peppery and the offal turns tender and rich. At home, cleaned lamb or beef tripe and lamb heart from a halal butcher make an easy start; lung can be added if your butcher sells it. Chef's tip: blanch the tripe first in water with a squeeze of lemon to freshen the flavour before it goes into the stew.

180 minAlgerianMeatGluten freeSpicy
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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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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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Sopa teólogaTurkey broth with bread and cheese

Sopa teóloga ('the theologian's soup') goes back to colonial convents in Lima and Arequipa, where it was cooked for feast days, and it is still served at Holy Week and family celebrations. A rich turkey (or chicken) broth is thickened with soaked bread, milk and fresh cheese, with yellow potatoes and shreds of turkey, and finished with a little ají amarillo and chopped huacatay or parsley. It is thick, comforting and filling. Chef's tip: blend part of the soaked bread with broth before adding it, which gives the soup its creamy body without lumps.

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Velikonoční nádivkaBread, egg and smoked pork bake

Velikonoční nádivka ('Easter stuffing', also called hlavička) is a Czech and Moravian Easter dish, baked on Holy Saturday or Easter Sunday. Cubes of bread rolls are soaked in milk and eggs, then mixed with smoked pork and a big handful of young nettles, spinach or spring herbs, and baked until golden and puffy. It's eaten warm or cold, sliced, often beside roast lamb or chicken. For a vegetarian version, leave out the smoked pork and add 250 g fried mushrooms. Chef's tip: pick nettles wearing gloves and blanch them for 30 seconds, which takes away the sting.

75 minCzechMeat
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TihaneStuffed lamb spleen

Tihane, or tehal, is an old Eid al-Adha speciality from Moroccan towns such as Fez and Marrakech, made on the days after the sacrifice when the offal is shared out. The lamb's spleen is cut open into a pocket and stuffed with chopped liver and heart, a little fat, green olives, preserved lemon, garlic and cumin, then sewn shut, poached and roasted until browned. It is sliced thin and eaten warm or cold with bread. Ask a halal butcher for the spleen and offal. Chef's tip: prick the spleen with a fine needle before poaching so it doesn't burst in the pot.

130 minMoroccanMeatGluten 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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KourdassGrilled lamb liver bundles

After the sacrifice of Eid al-Adha, Moroccan families use every part of the lamb, and kourdass is one of the dishes made in the days that follow: pieces of tripe and liver rubbed with cumin and paprika, wrapped in caul fat and traditionally hung up to air-dry before grilling. This home version skips the drying, which is hard to do safely in a modern kitchen, and grills the bundles fresh over charcoal or under a grill until the fat crisps and the liver is cooked through. Buy cleaned, pre-cooked tripe and caul fat from a halal butcher. Chef's tip: wrap the bundles tightly so the caul fat bastes them as it melts.

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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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Tmar mehchi (Moroccan almond-stuffed dates)

Tmar mehchi is the stuffed date of Fez and Marrakech, piled high on silver trays at weddings, engagements and Eid, and offered to guests with mint tea. Soft dates are filled with a homemade almond paste perfumed with orange-blossom water, often tinted pale green or pink to match the celebration, then scored with a knife so the filling shows. They are soft, rich and caramel-sweet, with a floral, nutty middle. The paste here is mixed from ground almonds and icing sugar, so there is no shop marzipan, which can contain egg white. It is naturally egg-free: the dates' sticky flesh and a few spoonfuls of orange-blossom water bind the almond filling. Chef's tip: add the orange-blossom water a little at a time and stop when the paste is firm like play dough. The common mistake is a wet paste, which oozes out and makes the dates slippery.

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Včelí úlkyNo-bake beehive biscuits

Včelí úlky ('little beehives') are a classic of the Czech Christmas cookie plate (cukroví), which families build up through Advent with a dozen or more kinds. They need no oven: crushed biscuits, ground walnuts, cocoa and butter are pressed into beehive moulds, filled with a smooth egg-yolk cream and sealed with a disc of biscuit. Traditionally a little rum is added to the dough; this version uses milk, and adults may add 1 tbsp rum. The cream is cooked to 71 °C so the yolks are safe, though anyone pregnant or vulnerable may prefer pasteurised yolks. Chef's tip: chill the filled hives before unmoulding, or they collapse.

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