Dinner Ideas • Recipes from 193 Countries

Dinner Ideas from 193 Countries — What to Cook Tonight

Stuck on what to cook for dinner? Dinner Ideas brings easy dinner recipes from 193 countries — signature dishes with ingredients, steps, nutrition and pairings.

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Breakfast to Snack

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What’s for Dinner TonightFeatured Dinner Recipes from 193 Countries

Showing 1321–1332 of 2321 dinner recipes

Freshly baked glossy German soft pretzels with coarse salt in a basket, with flour and a cup of salt beside them

Germany 1h 45m

Snack & Tea •Bavarian Bakery Classic

German Soft Pretzel

This german pretzel recipe makes eight soft, glossy Brezel with the classic lye-bath shine, a chewy crumb and a salty snap. The dough is mixed, risen, shaped into the familiar knot and dipped in a hot baking-soda bath before baking, which is what gives the crust its deep colour and faint tang. One serving is about 95 g.

Bakery Snack

Soft, chewy pretzels with a glossy mahogany crust, a pale soft belly and a scattering of coarse salt.

Pairs Well With
Sweet mustard, butter & a cold drink

Four charcoal-grilled sardines on a metal platter with boiled potatoes, beside a lettuce and tomato salad

Portugal 55m

Lunch •Lisbon Santos Classic

Sardinhas Assadas

This sardinhas assadas recipe grills whole sardines over charcoal with nothing but coarse salt, the way Lisbon does it in June. The skin blisters and crisps, the flesh stays moist, and the fish are laid on corn bread or served with boiled potatoes, grilled peppers and a simple salad. One serving is about 450 g.

Summer Grill

Whole sardines, salted and grilled over charcoal until the skin blisters, served with boiled potatoes and salad.

Pairs Well With
Boiled potatoes, grilled peppers & vinho verde

High Protein

A mould of red-orange zaalouk eggplant dip with fresh cilantro on a patterned plate

Morocco 1h

Lunch •Moroccan Mezze Classic

Zaalouk

This zaalouk recipe roasts eggplants until smoky and collapsing, then mashes them with slow-cooked tomatoes, garlic, cumin and paprika. The result is a silky Moroccan dip that is served warm or cold with bread, as part of a mezze or beside grilled meat. One serving is about 180 g.

Mezze & Sharing

Smoky roasted eggplant mashed with tomatoes, garlic, cumin and paprika into a silky dip.

Pairs Well With
Warm khobz bread, olives & mint tea

A white bowl of golden chicken orzo soup with shredded chicken, carrots and parsley on a wooden table

Egypt 50m

Lunch •Cairo Home Soup

Egyptian Orzo Soup

This egyptian orzo soup recipe toasts the little orzo pasta in butter until golden and nutty, then simmers it in hot chicken broth with cardamom, bay leaves and shredded chicken. It is shorbat lisan asfour — bird's tongue soup, named for the shape of the pasta — the soup Egyptian families reach for when someone is tired, cold or unwell. One serving is about 425 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Golden toasted orzo simmered in chicken broth with cardamom and bay, finished with lemon.

Pairs Well With
Warm baladi bread, lemon wedges & salad

Soups & Broths • Pasta & Noodles

A plate of Lebanese shanklish salad — crumbled aged cheese with chopped tomato, red onion and olive oil, with a whole shanklish ball beside the plate.

Lebanon 15m

Snack & Tea •Levantine Aged Cheese

Lebanese Shanklish

This lebanese shanklish recipe is the Levant's aged-cheese salad: a ball of shanklish, the sharp, herb-coated cheese of Lebanon, crumbled over chopped tomato, red onion and parsley, then dressed with olive oil and lemon. No cooking at all. One serving is about 150 g.

Levantine Mezze

Aged shanklish cheese crumbled over tomato, onion and parsley with olive oil — sharp, salty and fresh.

Pairs Well With
Warm pita bread and mint tea.

Quick Prep (<30m)

An opened Argentine humita in its corn husk on a white plate, with a wrapped parcel behind

Argentina 1h 30m

Lunch •Northwest Argentine Classic

Argentine Humita

This Argentine humita recipe makes soft, golden corn cakes from fresh grated corn — not nixtamalised masa, as in a tamale — mixed with sautéed onion, pumpkin, butter and cheese, then wrapped in corn husks and steamed until set. The result is sweet, creamy and fragrant with basil, the way humitas have been made in Argentina's northwest for centuries. One serving (two humitas) is about 410 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Soft steamed fresh-corn cakes with pumpkin and cheese, wrapped in corn husks — a gentle, naturally sweet Andean lunch.

Pairs Well With
A tomato and red onion salad, aji sauce on the side, and hot mate or a light white wine

Marinated anticuchos de corazon skewers grilling over glowing charcoal

Peru 55m

Dinner •Lima Street-Food Classic

Anticuchos de Corazón

This anticuchos de corazon recipe turns beef heart into Peru's most famous street food: flat pieces marinated in aji panca, red wine vinegar, garlic and cumin, threaded onto skewers and grilled over hot charcoal until charred at the edges and juicy inside. They are served the Lima way, with boiled potatoes, choclo corn and a sharp salsa criolla. One serving (three skewers with potatoes, corn and salsa) is about 475 g.

High-Protein Grilling

Lean, iron-rich beef heart marinated in aji panca and vinegar, grilled over charcoal and served with potatoes and corn.

Pairs Well With
Boiled potatoes, choclo corn, salsa criolla and an ice-cold beer or chicha morada

High Protein

Nasi dagang — white coconut rice with tuna curry on a banana leaf, with a green chilli

Malaysia 1h 35m

Breakfast •Terengganu Breakfast Classic

Nasi Dagang

This nasi dagang recipe is the Terengganu version of Malaysia's east-coast breakfast: jasmine and glutinous rice steamed with coconut milk, fenugreek and shallots, served with a rich gulai of tuna (ikan tongkol) in a spiced coconut curry, plus crunchy pickled cucumber and carrot and a boiled egg. The name means 'trader's rice', and it is still the breakfast that starts the day in Terengganu and Kelantan. One serving is about 532 g.

Hearty & Filling

Coconut-steamed rice with a rich tuna curry, pickled vegetables and egg — the east coast's sustaining breakfast.

Pairs Well With
Gulai ikan tongkol (tuna curry), acar pickles, boiled egg and hot teh tarik

A blue bowl of creamy soto betawi beef soup with tomato, potato and emping crackers, with a plate of crackers, tomatoes and herbs beside it

Indonesia 2h

Lunch •Jakarta Street-Food Classic

Soto Betawi

This soto betawi recipe makes Jakarta's famous beef soup: chunks of beef simmered until tender in a milky broth of coconut milk and whole milk, seasoned with a fragrant spice paste and served with potatoes, tomato, fried shallots and crisp emping crackers. It is richer and creamier than the clear chicken soto ayam, and the lime and sambal on the side cut through the richness. One serving is about 690 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Tender beef simmered in a creamy coconut-and-milk broth with potatoes, tomato and fried shallots, served hot with rice and emping crackers.

Pairs Well With
Steamed rice, emping crackers, acar & sambal

Soups & Broths

Golden kibbeling fried fish bites in a black tray with white garlic sauce and a small white fork

Netherlands 35m

Lunch •Dutch Market Snack

Kibbeling

This kibbeling recipe makes the Netherlands' favourite market snack: chunks of white fish dipped in a light beer batter and fried until golden and crisp, served hot with a garlicky mayonnaise sauce and lemon. Kibbeling is not fish and chips — there is no big fillet and no chips, just bite-sized pieces made for eating with a small fork while you walk. One serving is about 322 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Golden battered bites of white fish, fried crisp and served hot with garlic sauce and lemon — the snack Dutch fish stalls are famous for.

Pairs Well With
Garlic sauce, lemon wedges & crusty bread

Golden shrimp croquettes on a white plate, one broken open to show the creamy shrimp filling, with salad, bread and mayonnaise

Belgium 2h 50m

Lunch •Belgian Coastal Classic

Garnaalkroketten

This garnaalkroketten recipe makes Belgium's beloved shrimp croquettes: a thick shrimp béchamel, chilled firm, rolled in breadcrumbs and fried until golden and shatteringly crisp, with a creamy centre packed with grey shrimp. A good croquette should be at least one-third shrimp, and the filling should flow when you break it open. One serving is about 252 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Crisp golden croquettes with a creamy béchamel heart full of tiny North Sea grey shrimp, served hot with lemon and fried parsley.

Pairs Well With
Lemon, fried parsley & crusty bread

A plate of glazed rectangular Basler Läckerli honey biscuits on a yellow tablecloth

Switzerland 1h 50m

Snack & Tea •Basel Christmas Classic

Basler Läckerli

This basler lackerli recipe makes Basel's famous spiced honey biscuits: a sticky dough of honey, sugar, almonds, hazelnuts and candied citrus peel, baked in a slab, cut into rectangles while still hot and brushed with a sugar glaze. They are firm and chewy, warmly spiced with cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, and they keep for weeks in a tin — which is why Basel has baked them for centuries. One serving is two biscuits, about 92 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Firm, chewy spiced honey biscuits with almonds, hazelnuts and candied citrus, cut into rectangles and finished with a sugar glaze.

Pairs Well With
Hot coffee, black tea & mulled wine

Find Dinner Ideas by Country

Every one of the world's 193 countries has a signature dish — browse the full directory to find tonight's dinner, or jump straight to a cuisine with recipes.

Afghanistan

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Angola

Antigua and Barbuda

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Armenia

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Zambia

Zimbabwe Browse all 193 countries →

Dinner Ideas by Category

Soups & Broths Pasta & Noodles High Protein Fermented / Gut Health Quick Prep (<30m)

Dinner Ideas by Meal

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The Dinner GazetteFresh Dinner Ideas from the Journal

All news →

A bowl of tagliatelle with rich ragù sauce

Ingredient Guides

The Pantry Staples Every World Kitchen Shares

From a market in Bangkok to a farmhouse in Tuscany, cooks reach for the same handful of staples: rice, dried beans, good oil, salt, garlic, chillies and something sour. Stock these, and dinner in any cuisine is suddenly within reach.

November 5, 2026 • 725 words

A hearty autumn stew served in a rustic bowl

Seasonal Cooking

Autumn’s Best: Cooking with Squash and Root Vegetables

When the air turns cool, the garden answers with squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips and beets. Roasted low and slow, these autumn vegetables turn sweet, caramelised and deeply satisfying — here is how to cook them well.

November 5, 2026 • 597 words

Fresh herbs rolled into Vietnamese spring rolls

Kitchen Techniques

How to Store Fresh Herbs So They Last Two Weeks

Fresh herbs wilt in days when they are tossed loose into the fridge. The jar method — a little water, a loose bag, and the right shelf — keeps parsley, cilantro, mint and dill bright and fragrant for up to two weeks.

November 5, 2026 • 658 words

Food Pairing Guide

What to Eat With What

Some foods taste better — and do you more good — together. Here is what to serve with each dish, and what to skip, with the science in plain words.

Tested in the Dinner Ideas kitchen

Phở Bò (Vietnamese Beef Broth)

Iron & Collagen Dynamics

EAT TOGETHER: Fresh Lime & Sawtooth Coriander

The ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) in freshly squeezed lime converts the non-heme and heme iron from thinly shaved beef into its bioavailable ferrous form (Fe²⁺), escalating iron assimilation by up to 300%. Fresh culantro supplies carotenes that ignite digestive bile acids.

AVOID IMMEDIATELY AFTER: Condensed Milk Iced Coffee

Drinking condensed milk coffee (Cà Phê Sữa Đá) directly following Phở binds active polyphenolic chlorogenic acids and milk casein directly to the beef iron molecules, forming unabsorbable insoluble complexes that severely stunt nutrient uptake. Wait at least 90 minutes.

Metabolic window: Breakfast (07:00 – 09:30) • Optimal Gut Transition: 3.5 Hours

Tomatoes & Wild Summer Greens

Carotenoid Unlocking

EAT TOGETHER: Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Aged Feta

Lycopene is an intrinsically lipophilic (fat-soluble) antioxidant compound bound tight inside tomato skin cells. Pairing ripe heirloom tomatoes with the monounsaturated fats of raw cold-pressed olive oil boosts vascular lycopene absorption by nearly 4.4-fold.

AVOID TOGETHER: Fat-Free Industrial Dressings

Consuming vine tomatoes with zero-fat or high-sugar artificial vinaigrettes prevents the body from emulsifying fat-soluble Vitamins A, E, and K, passing essential restorative nutrients unabsorbed through the gastrointestinal tract.

Metabolic window: Lunch or Aperitivo • Lycopene Uptake: +440%

Turmeric + Black Pepper

Piperine in coarse crushed pepper amplifies active curcumin bioavailability by 2000%.

Green Tea + Lemon Twist

Citric acid preserves delicate EGCG catechins through acidic stomach transit intact.

Calcium Rich + Iron Stews

Heavy dairy cheese interferes with non-heme iron absorption channels if consumed simultaneously.

Dinner Ideas from 193 Countries — What to Cook Tonight

What’s for Dinner TonightFeatured Dinner Recipes from 193 Countries

Find Dinner Ideas by Country

Dinner Ideas by Category

Dinner Ideas by Meal

Dinner Ideas by Region

The Dinner GazetteFresh Dinner Ideas from the Journal

What to Eat With What

Iron & Collagen Dynamics

Carotenoid Unlocking

Never wonder what’s for dinner again