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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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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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Karp w galarecieCarp in aspic

Carp in aspic is one of the cold dishes of the Polish Wigilia. Carp steaks are poached gently in a stock of root vegetables and the fish's own bones, then laid in a dish with carrot slices, lemon and parsley and covered in the clarified stock, which sets into a clear, shimmering jelly overnight. Serve it chilled with lemon and horseradish. A little powdered gelatine helps the aspic set reliably at home. Chef's tip: simmer the fish bones and vegetables slowly and never boil the stock hard; boiling makes it cloudy.

120 minPolishFishGluten free
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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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OponkiQuark ring doughnuts

On Tłusty Czwartek, Fat Thursday, Poles queue at bakeries for pączki, but at home many families make oponki instead: little ring doughnuts from a quick twaróg (curd cheese) dough with no yeast and no waiting. They fry in minutes into light, tender 'tyres' that are rolled in sugar or glazed and eaten warm by the plateful. The common mistake is kneading the dough too much, which makes them tough; mix only until it holds together. Chef's tip: press the twaróg through a sieve first, or blend it, so the dough is smooth and the rings puff evenly.

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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.

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Śledzie w śmietanieHerring in soured cream

Herring is a must at the Polish Wigilia, the meatless Christmas Eve supper, and śledzie w śmietanie, salted herring fillets in soured cream with crisp apple, onion and dill, is the favourite way to serve it, with boiled potatoes or rye bread. The herring is cured, not cooked: use good-quality salted or matjes fillets from a shop, which have been frozen to kill parasites, and keep the dish chilled. Cured fish is not for pregnant women, young children or anyone with a weakened immune system; for them, make the safer version in the last step with hot-smoked mackerel or herring fillets baked until opaque. Chef's tip: dress the herring a few hours ahead so the cream picks up the flavour.

20 minPolishFishGluten free
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Biała kiełbasa z cebuląWhite sausage baked with onions

Biała kiełbasa is a fresh, unsmoked white sausage of pork seasoned with garlic and marjoram, and on Easter Sunday morning in Poland it is the star of the breakfast after the blessed basket (święconka) is shared. It is also the sausage that goes into żurek, the sour rye soup. Buy it raw from a Polish butcher, then poach it gently and bake it with onions until golden. Serve with horseradish, mustard, rye bread and Easter eggs. Chef's tip: never boil it, as the casing bursts; keep the water just below a simmer.

60 minPolishMeatGluten free
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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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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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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.

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MoczkaGingerbread in dried fruit compote

Moczka is the Christmas Eve dessert of Upper Silesia in southern Poland, a thick, dark, spiced mixture of honey gingerbread dissolved in dried-fruit compote, then loaded with almonds, walnuts, raisins, figs and prunes. Each family has its own version; many add dark beer to the base, which this one leaves out, but adults may stir 100 ml dark beer into the compote while it simmers. It is eaten cold from small bowls and keeps for several days. Chef's tip: use dry, slightly stale gingerbread, which dissolves into a smooth sauce, while fresh cake turns to lumps.

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Uszka z grzybamiMushroom dumplings

Wigilia, the Polish Christmas Eve supper, starts when the first star appears and is traditionally meatless, and its first course is clear red barszcz with uszka floating in it. These are tiny dumplings folded into 'little ears' and filled with dried forest mushrooms (usually ceps) and fried onion. They are fiddly, so families make them together in the days before and freeze them. Serve 6–8 in each bowl of hot beetroot broth. Chef's tip: save the mushroom soaking water and add it to the barszcz, as it carries much of the forest flavour.

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Kuwai no nimono (simmered arrowhead)

Kuwai, the arrowhead tuber with its proud little sprout, appears in osechi boxes in Kansai and across Japan because it says 'me ga deru': a bud comes out, a wish for success and for children to grow and thrive. It tastes like a cross between chestnut and potato, with a faint pleasant bitterness, and simmering it slowly in sweet dashi gives it a smooth, dense texture. This version is vegan, using kombu dashi, and the seasoning includes mirin, a sweet rice wine (for no alcohol, swap the mirin for 2 tbsp water plus 2 tsp sugar). Serve it at room temperature among the other osechi dishes, or with grilled fish and rice. Chef's tip: leave the tubers to cool completely in their liquid; that is when they soak up the flavour.

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Kinukatsugi (steamed baby taro)

In Kyoto and the Kansai region the harvest moon is also called imo meigetsu, the "potato moon", and steamed baby taro are set out beside the moon-viewing dumplings as thanks for the new crop. The name kinukatsugi recalls the silk veils that court ladies once wore over their heads, because the brown skin is peeled halfway so the white taro peeps out beneath it. Squeeze the base and the soft, slippery, nutty flesh pops out, ready to dip in sesame salt. Serve as a snack with green tea or as a side to grilled fish. Taro must always be cooked through, and its raw skin can make hands itch, so wear gloves while you trim it. Chef's tip: cut a shallow ring round the middle of each taro before steaming, so the top half of the skin lifts off neatly.

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Matsumae-zuke (squid and kelp pickle)

Matsumae-zuke is Hokkaido's gift to the New Year table, named after the old Matsumae domain whose ports traded in dried squid and kombu; families make a big jar at the end of December to eat through Shōgatsu, with kombu ('yorokobu', joy) and herring roe for many children. As it sits, the kelp releases its natural stickiness, so the chewy squid and crisp carrot are bound in a glossy, savoury-sweet, deeply umami dressing. The marinade uses sake and mirin, both rice wines, boiled to drive off most of the alcohol; for none at all, use water instead of the sake and 3 tbsp water plus 1 tbsp sugar instead of the mirin. Serve a spoonful over hot rice or as a nibble with drinks. Chef's tip: cut the squid and kombu with dry kitchen scissors; wet ones stick and tear.

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Kazunoko (marinated herring roe)

Kazunoko, golden sacs of herring roe, is a jewel of the Shōgatsu osechi box all over Japan: its thousands of tiny eggs ask for many children and a family that keeps growing, and its name hints at 'number of children'. Its charm is texture: each bite pops and crunches, with a clean, mild sea taste carried by a dashi and soy marinade. The marinade includes mirin, a sweet rice wine, which is briefly boiled; for no alcohol, use 1 tbsp water plus 1 tsp sugar. Serve cold in small pieces, topped with katsuobushi flakes, with other osechi dishes or rice. The roe is salt-cured and not cooked, so it is not for pregnant women, young children or anyone with a weakened immune system. Chef's tip: desalt in lightly salted water, not plain water; it draws the salt out evenly without making the roe bitter.

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Nanohana karashi-ae (rapeseed blossoms with mustard)

Nanohana, the budding shoots of the rapeseed plant, arrive in Japanese shops at the end of winter, and their little yellow-green flower heads are a sign that spring has come. That makes them a natural side dish for Hinamatsuri on 3 March, next to chirashizushi and clam soup. The greens are blanched just until tender, then dressed with Japanese karashi mustard loosened with soy sauce and kombu dashi: pleasantly bitter, nose-tinglingly hot and very fresh. Outside Japan, tenderstem broccoli or cime di rapa works almost as well. Chef's tip: dress the greens at the last minute, because the soy starts to dull the green colour within half an hour.

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Hanami dango (three-colour dumplings)

When the cherry trees bloom in late March and April, families and colleagues spread blankets under the branches for hanami, and these skewers of pink, white and green dumplings are the sweet that goes with them. The colours tell the story of the season: pink buds on top, white for the fading snow, and green for the summer leaves still to come. They are lightly sweet and pleasantly chewy, with a faint grassiness from the matcha, and need no sauce; just bring a flask of green tea. Mochi is very sticky: cut the dumplings into small pieces for young children and older people, and make sure they chew well and eat sitting down. Chef's tip: add the water a spoonful at a time and stop when the dough feels like a soft earlobe, since rice flours vary a lot in how much they drink.

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Ehomaki (lucky direction sushi roll)

Ehomaki began as a merchants' custom in Osaka and has spread across Japan: on the night of Setsubun each person eats a whole, uncut thick sushi roll while facing the year's lucky direction (eho), in silence, making a wish. Leaving it uncut means not cutting your good fortune, and the seven fillings are linked to the Seven Lucky Gods. This version uses cooked fillings only: sweet rolled omelette, cucumber, soy-simmered shiitake and kanpyō gourd ribbon, cooked prawns, crab sticks and spinach, with grilled eel as an optional luxury. The result is soft, sweet-savoury and crunchy at once; serve with clear soup and pickled ginger. The shiitake are simmered in soy and sugar without mirin, so the roll has no alcohol. Chef's tip: lay the fillings slightly overlapping in one tight line on the lower third of the rice, which keeps every bite balanced and the roll round.

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Fukumame (roasted lucky soybeans)

On Setsubun, the eve of spring in early February, households all over Japan fling roasted soybeans out of the door shouting "Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" (demons out, luck in), then each person eats one bean for every year of their age, plus one for the year ahead. The beans are called fukumame, "fortune beans", and roasting them matters: a raw bean could sprout, and a demon's bean must not take root. Home-roasted ones are nutty, toasty and properly crunchy, far better than the packet kind, and they are good with green tea or scattered over a salad. Whole roasted beans are a choking hazard, so do not give them to children under five; grind theirs to a powder and sprinkle it on rice or yoghurt instead. Chef's tip: let a test bean cool for a minute before you judge it, because hot beans always feel softer than they will be.

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Tsukimi udon (moon-viewing udon)

Tsukimi means moon-viewing, and in noodle shops all over Japan the name is given to any bowl topped with an egg: the yolk is the full harvest moon, the white the clouds drifting round it, and it is a favourite around the September moon festival. Here the broth is a vegetarian kombu and shiitake dashi seasoned with soy, sweetened with a little sugar instead of mirin so it has no alcohol, giving a clean, savoury base for silky thick noodles and a rich yolk you break into the soup. Add spring onions and a pinch of shichimi, and eat at once. Egg safety: use pasteurised eggs or British Lion eggs if the yolk will stay runny, and for pregnant women, young children or anyone with a weakened immune system, poach the egg in the broth until it is firm. Chef's tip: heat the kombu slowly and lift it out before the water boils, which keeps the broth sweet and clear.

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Isobeyaki (grilled mochi with soy and nori)

In the first days of the year, Japanese kitchens are full of mochi, the rice cakes pounded or bought for Shōgatsu, and isobeyaki is the easiest, most loved way to eat them. The name means 'grilled on the rocky shore', after the sea flavour of nori, and mochi itself stands for strength and long life because it stretches without breaking. Each cake puffs and blisters in the pan, then gets a lacquer of sweet soy and a crisp sheet of seaweed; the outside crackles while the inside turns stretchy and molten. Serve as a snack with green tea, or alongside a bowl of miso soup. Chef's tip: brush the soy on only once the mochi has puffed, or it will burn before the middle is soft.

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