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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What’s for Dinner TonightFeatured Dinner Recipes from 193 Countries

Showing 1357–1368 of 2321 dinner recipes

A whole Black Forest cake topped with whipped cream rosettes, red cherries and chocolate shavings on a wooden table

Germany 1h 20m

Snack & Tea •Black Forest Heritage

Black Forest Cake

This black forest cake recipe layers dark chocolate sponge with tart sour cherries, kirsch and clouds of whipped cream, finished with chocolate shavings. One serving is about 225 g.

Celebration & Indulgence

Dark chocolate sponge, sour cherries and whipped cream layered into Germany's most famous cake.

Pairs Well With
Strong coffee, black tea and a small glass of kirsch

A platter of Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá with potatoes, flaked cod, boiled egg, black olives and parsley

Portugal 1h 20m

Dinner •Porto Tavern Classic

Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá

This bacalhau a gomes de sa recipe layers flaked salt cod with sliced potatoes, sweet onion and olive oil, finished with boiled egg and black olives. One serving is about 390 g.

Comfort & Protein

Flaked salt cod baked with potatoes, onion, egg and olive oil — Porto's classic cod casserole.

Pairs Well With
Green salad, crusty bread and a glass of Vinho Verde

A bowl of loubia — white beans in a rich tomato sauce with a spoon

Morocco 1h 25m

Lunch •Moroccan Home Table

Loubia

This loubia recipe simmers white beans in a tomato sauce with cumin, paprika and garlic until creamy and richly spiced. One serving is about 325 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Creamy white beans simmered in a spiced tomato sauce — a Moroccan home classic, made here without any meat.

Pairs Well With
Crusty bread, green olives and sweet mint tea

Soups & Broths

Alexandrian liver sandwiches filled with spiced fried liver, with green chillies and lemon on the side

Egypt 55m

Lunch •Alexandria Street Food

Alexandrian Liver

This alexandrian liver recipe flash-fries beef liver with garlic, cumin and green chillies, finished with lemon and served in baladi bread. One serving is about 200 g.

Comfort & Protein

Thin strips of beef liver flash-fried with garlic, cumin and hot green chillies — Alexandria's famous street-food sandwich filling.

Pairs Well With
Baladi bread, pickles and tahini

High Protein

Sliced beef shawarma wraps filled with spiced beef strips, salad and white and yellow sauces, arranged on a white plate

Lebanon 50m

Dinner •Beirut Street-Food Heritage

This lebanese beef shawarma recipe marinates thin strips of sirloin in olive oil, lemon, garlic and warm spices — cumin, paprika, turmeric and cinnamon — then grills them until charred at the edges and rolls them in soft Lebanese pita with toum, the whipped garlic sauce that defines the Lebanese version. Pickled turnips, dill pickles, tomato and parsley give every bite its sharp, fresh contrast. One serving is about 349 g.

High-Protein & Satisfying

Spice-marinated beef strips grilled and rolled in warm pita with toum, pickles and tomato — the Beirut street-food classic, made at home.

Pairs Well With
Toum, pickled turnips & fries

High Protein

A close-up plate of vitel tonne — thin slices of cold veal covered in a creamy pale tuna sauce, dotted with dark capers and a drizzle of olive oil, over fresh arugula

Argentina 1h 40m

Dinner •Argentine Christmas Classic

Vitel Tonne

Vitel tonne is cold, thinly sliced poached veal layered with a silky sauce of tuna, mayonnaise, anchovies, capers and lemon, finished with extra capers and peppery arugula. It is the dish Argentine families bring out for Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, cooked a day ahead so the flavours can settle. One serving is about 180 g.

Festive & Rich

Cold sliced veal under a creamy tuna, caper and anchovy sauce — a rich, high-protein centrepiece served at Argentine festive dinners.

Pairs Well With
Serve with crusty bread, a simple green salad and a glass of chilled Torrontés or sparkling wine.

High Protein

A plate of arroz chaufa especial — glossy Peruvian-Chinese fried rice with egg, bean sprouts, scallions and pieces of meat

Peru 35m

Dinner •Lima Chifa Heritage

Arroz Chaufa

Arroz chaufa is Peru's answer to fried rice: day-old rice tossed in a screaming-hot wok with chicken, ribbons of egg, red pepper, ginger and scallions, seasoned with soy sauce and a pinch of cumin. It was born in Lima's chifa restaurants, where Cantonese cooks made Chinese technique with Peruvian ingredients. Unlike Chinese yangzhou fried rice or Thai fried rice, chaufa's signature is its chifa seasoning — soy, fresh ginger, scallion and egg, with cumin in the background. One serving is about 384 g.

Quick & Comforting

Day-old rice wok-tossed with chicken, egg, ginger, scallion and soy — the smoky, savoury heart of Lima's chifa kitchens.

Pairs Well With
Serve with salsa criolla (red onion, lime and chilli) on the side and a cold glass of Inca Kola or chicha morada.

A plate of KL hokkien mee — glossy dark-brown thick yellow noodles with prawns, pork and greens on a banana leaf

Malaysia 45m

Dinner •Petaling Street Hawker Heritage

KL Hokkien Mee

KL hokkien mee is Kuala Lumpur's dark, smoky noodle plate: thick yellow noodles stewed and stir-fried in dark soy sauce over fierce heat until they turn glossy and nearly black, tossed with pork slices, prawns, squid and cabbage, and finished with crunchy pork lard, sambal and a squeeze of calamansi. It is not Singapore hokkien mee — there is no prawn broth here, and the dark caramel soy is the whole point. One serving is about 388 g.

Hearty & Satisfying

Thick yellow noodles braised in dark soy sauce with pork, prawns, squid and cabbage until glossy and almost black, crowned with crispy pork lard.

Pairs Well With
Serve with sambal belacan and a calamansi half on the side, and a cold glass of iced barley water or sugarcane juice.

Pasta & Noodles

Nasi liwet Solo served on a banana leaf with coconut rice, shredded chicken, chayote, a spiced egg and omelette

Indonesia 1h 20m

Lunch •Solo Heritage Rice

Nasi Liwet

This nasi liwet recipe is Solo's coconut rice: jasmine rice simmered in coconut milk and chicken broth with salam leaves and lemongrass, then served on a banana leaf with opor ayam, sayur labu siam, telur pindang and a spoonful of thick coconut cream. It is not nasi uduk — there is no pandan and no fried Jakarta-style sides — and it is not nasi kuning, because there is no turmeric here at all. One serving is about 520 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk with salam and lemongrass, served Solo-style with opor ayam, chayote in coconut milk, spiced eggs and sambal.

Pairs Well With
Opor ayam, sayur labu siam, telur pindang & sambal

A broodje frikandel speciaal — a frikandel in a soft roll topped with chopped raw onion

Netherlands 45m

Snack & Tea •Dutch Snack Classic

Frikandel

This frikandel recipe makes the Netherlands' defining snack: a long, skinless sausage of finely ground chicken and pork, seasoned with nutmeg, mace and white pepper, then deep-fried until dark and crisp outside and juicy inside. Serve it the classic way, as a frikandel speciaal in a soft roll with mayonnaise, curry ketchup and chopped raw onion. One serving is about 210 g, two frikandellen.

Comfort & Warmth

A skinless, deep-fried minced-meat sausage of chicken and pork, seasoned with nutmeg and mace, served hot — best as a frikandel speciaal.

Pairs Well With
Soft roll, mayonnaise, curry ketchup & chopped onion

A baking dish of chicons au gratin — ham-wrapped endives under a golden Gruyère cheese sauce

Belgium 1h

Dinner •Belgian Gratin Classic

Chicons au Gratin

This chicons au gratin recipe is Belgium's defining gratin: tender Belgian endives braised in butter, each one rolled in a slice of ham, then covered in a creamy Gruyère Mornay sauce and baked until golden and bubbling. The endive's gentle bitterness is exactly what the rich cheese sauce is for. One serving is about 390 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Belgian endives braised in butter, wrapped in ham and baked under a Gruyère Mornay sauce until golden and bubbling.

Pairs Well With
Mashed potatoes, green salad & a Belgian beer

A sliced Aargauer Rüeblitorte with a lemon glaze and orange marzipan carrots, showing the moist golden crumb

Switzerland 1h 20m

Snack & Tea •Aargau Carrot Cake Classic

Aargauer Rüeblitorte

This aargauer rueblitorte recipe is the Swiss carrot cake from the canton of Aargau: grated carrots and ground almonds folded into whipped eggs, baked light and moist, then finished with a lemon glaze and little marzipan carrots. It is lighter and less sweet than the British or American carrot cake — there is no cinnamon, no raisins and no cream-cheese frosting, just almonds, carrot and lemon. One serving is about 140 g.

Comfort & Warmth

A light, moist carrot cake built on ground almonds instead of flour, with lemon and Kirsch, finished with a lemon glaze and marzipan carrots.

Pairs Well With
Black coffee, whipped cream & marzipan carrots

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

Albania

Algeria

Andorra

Angola

Antigua and Barbuda

Argentina

Armenia

Australia

Austria

Azerbaijan

Bahamas

Bahrain

Bangladesh

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Belize

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Bolivia

Bosnia and Herzegovina

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Cameroon

Canada

Central African Republic

Chad

Chile

China

Colombia

Comoros

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Republic of the Congo

Costa Rica

Croatia

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Côte d'Ivoire

Denmark

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Dominica

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

Egypt

El Salvador

Equatorial Guinea

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Eswatini

Ethiopia

Fiji

Finland

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Gabon

Gambia

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Guinea-Bissau

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Iceland

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Ireland

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Mali

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Netherlands

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Niger

Nigeria

North Korea

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Norway

Oman

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Palau

Panama

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Paraguay

Peru

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Portugal

Qatar

Romania

Russia

Rwanda

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Lucia

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Samoa

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Saudi Arabia

Senegal

Serbia

Seychelles

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Spain

Sri Lanka

Sudan

Suriname

Sweden

Switzerland

Syria

Tajikistan

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Thailand

Timor-Leste

Togo

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Trinidad and Tobago

Tunisia

Turkey

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Uganda

Ukraine

United Arab Emirates

United Kingdom

United States

Uruguay

Uzbekistan

Vanuatu

Venezuela

Vietnam

Yemen

Zambia

Zimbabwe Browse all 193 countries →

Dinner Ideas by Category

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

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Breakfast Lunch Dinner Snack & Tea

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The Dinner GazetteFresh Dinner Ideas from the Journal

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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