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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193

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Breakfast to Snack

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What’s for Dinner TonightFeatured Dinner Recipes from 193 Countries

Showing 1441–1452 of 2321 dinner recipes

Pan-fried maultaschen topped with crispy onions, served with potato salad and a tomato wedge

Germany 1h 20m

Dinner •Swabian Kitchen Classic

Maultaschen with Pork, Beef and Spinach

This maultaschen recipe makes 12 Swabian pasta pockets stuffed with pork, beef, spinach and breadcrumbs, simmered gently in beef broth, then pan-fried in butter with crisp onions. One serving is about 340 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Handmade pasta pockets filled with seasoned pork, beef and spinach, simmered in broth and pan-fried with onions.

Pairs Well With
Potato salad, a green salad and a glass of dry white wine

Pasta & Noodles

A bowl of acorda alentejana with torn bread, a poached egg and fresh herbs in golden olive oil

Portugal 30m

Lunch •Alentejo Farmhouse Soup

Acorda Alentejana with Poached Egg

This acorda alentejana recipe soaks day-old bread in a hot garlic and coriander broth, then tops each bowl with a poached egg and a thread of olive oil. One serving is about 410 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Day-old bread soaked in a hot garlic and coriander broth, finished with olive oil and a poached egg.

Pairs Well With
Grilled sardines, a tomato salad and a glass of white wine

Soups & Broths

Golden triangular briouates piled on a white plate, one split open to show the kefta filling

Morocco 50m

Snack & Tea •Moroccan Festive Snack

Briouates with Spiced Kefta Beef

This briouates recipe folds spiced kefta beef into crisp triangles of brick pastry and fries them golden. One serving is 4 pieces, about 210 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Crisp triangles of brick pastry filled with spiced ground beef, fried golden and served hot.

Pairs Well With
Mint tea, harissa and a lemon wedge

A small plate of coarse Egyptian dukkah, a brown crumbly mix of nuts, seeds and spices

Egypt 20m

Snack & Tea •Cairo Street Snack

Egyptian Dukkah with Hazelnuts and Sesame

This egyptian dukkah recipe toasts hazelnuts, almonds and sesame with coriander and cumin, then grinds them coarse for dipping bread in olive oil. One serving is about 30 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Toasted hazelnuts, almonds and sesame with coriander and cumin, ground coarse for dipping bread in olive oil.

Pairs Well With
Crusty bread, olive oil and a cup of tea

A clay bowl of Lebanese bamia bil zeit — whole okra pods in a rich tomato sauce

Lebanon 50m

Dinner •Lebanese Mezze Table

Lebanese Bamia Bil Zeit

This Lebanese bamia bil zeit recipe is okra the Lebanese way: whole pods braised slowly in olive oil and tomato until tender, with onion, garlic and coriander, then finished with lemon. There is no meat in the pot — bil zeit means 'in oil' — so the olive oil does all the rich work, and the dish is as good at room temperature the next day as it is warm from the pan. One serving is about 275 g.

Light & Plant-Based

Okra braised in olive oil and tomato, bright with lemon and coriander — a vegan Lebanese classic.

Pairs Well With
Serve warm or at room temperature with warm pita and a bowl of rice, or as part of a mezze spread with hummus and salad.

A whole pasta frola — a golden lattice tart with glossy quince filling

Argentina 1h 5m

Snack & Tea •Argentine Tea Table

Pasta Frola

This pasta frola recipe is the Argentine tea-time classic: a buttery shortcrust pressed into a tart tin, spread thick with dulce de membrillo (quince paste), and finished with the lattice strips that let the ruby filling show through. The dough is enriched with egg and citrus zest, so it bakes tender rather than crumbly, and the tart slices cleanly once it cools. One serving is about 120 g, one slice of eight.

Sweet & Comforting

Buttery shortcrust, a thick layer of quince paste and a lattice top — the tart Argentine bakeries sell by the slice.

Pairs Well With
Serve at room temperature with mate or coffee, and a slice of soft cheese if you like it the Argentine way.

A plate of salchipapa — fries and sliced sausage with drizzled sauces and two sauce bowls

Peru 35m

Snack & Tea •Lima Street Food

Salchipapa

This salchipapa recipe is Peru's most famous street snack: golden fries piled with sliced pork frankfurters, pan-fried until their edges curl, then finished with mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard and a spoon of hot sauce. The name says it all — salchicha plus papa, sausage and potato — and the whole plate comes together in one pan and one pot. One serving is about 325 g. Unlike tacu tacu, a pressed cake of rice and beans, and papa rellena, a stuffed potato croquette, salchipapa is loose fries and sausage, made to be eaten hot with a fork.

Quick & Satisfying

Crisp fries, pan-fried sausage and sauces — the snack Lima eats standing up, ready in about 35 minutes.

Pairs Well With
Serve hot with a small lettuce and tomato salad and an ice-cold drink.

Quick Prep (<30m)

A close-up of Malaysian chicken curry — chicken pieces and potatoes in a rich red-orange coconut gravy

Malaysia 1h 5m

Dinner •Malay Home Cooking

Malaysian Chicken Curry

This Malaysian chicken curry recipe is the everyday Malay curry: a rempah of chillies, shallots, garlic, ginger and lemongrass fried in oil, then chicken and potatoes simmered in coconut milk until the gravy turns rich and the oil splits at the edges. It is gentler and more coconut-forward than many Indian curries, and it belongs with roti canai or steamed rice. One serving is about 295 g of curry, without the rice or bread. Unlike ayam betutu, the Balinese chicken steamed in banana leaf with a raw spice paste, this curry is fried, then simmered in a pot, with potatoes in the gravy.

Comfort & Warmth

Chicken and potatoes simmered in a spiced coconut-milk gravy — the everyday Malay curry served with roti and rice.

Pairs Well With
Serve with roti canai or steamed rice, cucumber salad and a squeeze of lime.

An opened banana-leaf parcel of pepes ikan, showing spiced mackerel with red chillies and herbs, on a bamboo mat

Indonesia 55m

Dinner •West Java Banana-Leaf Classic

Pepes Ikan

This pepes ikan recipe makes Indonesia's banana-leaf fish parcels: mackerel coated in a turmeric, chilli and lemongrass spice paste, wrapped with tomato and lemon basil, steamed until tender and finished over the grill. One serving is about 238 g (one parcel).

Fragrant Fish Dinner

Fish steamed in banana leaf with a turmeric-chilli spice paste, from West Java.

Pairs Well With
Steamed rice, cucumber & iced tea

A small pile of round, golden-brown kruidnoten spice cookies on a plain light surface

Netherlands 1h 5m

Snack & Tea •Sinterklaas Spice Cookie

Kruidnoten

This kruidnoten recipe makes the small, crisp Dutch spice cookies eaten at Sinterklaas: buttery speculaas dough rolled into coin-sized domes and baked until golden. One serving is about 50 g (about 5 cookies).

Festive Baking

Small, crisp Dutch spice cookies for Sinterklaas, warm with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

Pairs Well With
Hot chocolate, coffee & mandarin oranges

A café liégeois in a tall glass: scoops of coffee-flecked coffee ice cream with whipped cream and a crisp wafer roll, cold coffee visible in the glass.

Belgium 50m

Snack & Tea •Belgian Cafe Classic

Belgian Cafe Liegeois

Café liégeois is Belgium's iced-coffee answer to the sundae: scoops of coffee ice cream standing in cold, lightly sweetened coffee, crowned with softly whipped cream. One serving is about 259 g. This Belgian cafe liegeois recipe makes the coffee ice cream from scratch with an egg-yolk custard, the way Belgian cafés have done it for generations.

Sweet Indulgence

Coffee ice cream with cold coffee and whipped cream.

Pairs Well With
Speculoos, iced water & dark chocolate shavings

Capuns in a white bowl — Swiss chard rolls in a creamy sauce, topped with a crisp bacon rasher

Switzerland 1h 20m

Dinner •Graubünden Chard Roll Classic

Capuns

This capuns recipe makes the Graubünden classic: chard leaves wrapped around spätzle dough studded with Salsiz and bacon, simmered in bouillon and milk, then baked with cream and Gruyère. One serving is about 350 g (4 rolls).

Alpine Comfort Dinner

Chard leaves wrapped around spätzle dough and air-dried pork, simmered in bouillon and baked with Gruyère.

Pairs Well With
Dry white wine, green salad & crusty bread

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

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Botswana

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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

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Dominican Republic

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Ireland

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Luxembourg

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Mali

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Niger

Nigeria

North Korea

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Oman

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Palau

Panama

Papua New Guinea

Paraguay

Peru

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Poland

Portugal

Qatar

Romania

Russia

Rwanda

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Lucia

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Samoa

San Marino

São Tomé and Príncipe

Saudi Arabia

Senegal

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Sweden

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Togo

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Trinidad and Tobago

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Ukraine

United Arab Emirates

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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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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