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 1537–1548 of 2311 dinner recipes

A slice of bee sting cake with a glossy caramelised almond top and a thick vanilla cream filling on a white plate

Germany 2h

Snack & Tea •Rhineland Classic

Bee Sting Cake

This bee sting cake recipe starts with a soft, enriched yeast dough baked under a crackling topping of butter, honey and sliced almonds, then splits the cooled cake and fills it with a light vanilla pastry cream folded with whipped cream. It is Germany's beloved Bienenstich: buttery, nutty, creamy and not too sweet. One slice is about 145 g.

Sweet & Comforting

Soft yeast cake under a caramelised honey-almond crust, filled with vanilla cream — a classic German bakery treat for coffee time.

Pairs Well With
Hot coffee, black tea & fresh berries

Golden-brown tigelada rounds with bubbly caramelised tops in a bakery display in Porto, Portugal

Portugal 1h

Snack & Tea •Beira Baixa Classic

Tigelada

This tigelada recipe whisks eggs, sugar and milk with lemon zest and cinnamon, then bakes the custard in a buttered clay bowl until the top turns deep gold and the middle is just set. It is the baked custard of Beira Baixa, in central Portugal — eggs, milk and sugar at heart, sliced straight from the bowl at the table. One serving is about 183 g.

Sweet & Comforting

A simple baked egg custard with milk, sugar, cinnamon and lemon — gently sweet, silky inside, deeply golden on top.

Pairs Well With
Strong coffee, port wine & fresh berries

A golden maakouda potato patty on a white plate with green olives and onion-tomato relish

Morocco 50m

Snack & Tea •Moroccan Street Food

Maakouda

This maakouda recipe turns fluffy mashed potatoes into crisp, golden patties seasoned with cumin, garlic, turmeric and fresh herbs, fried until the outside shatters and the middle stays soft. It is Morocco's beloved street-food snack: cheap, filling and eaten hot, plain or tucked into bread with harissa. One serving is two patties, about 137 g.

Crisp & Savoury Snack

Golden potato patties spiced with cumin and garlic — Morocco's favourite street-food snack.

Pairs Well With
Harissa, mint tea & olives

Quick Prep (<30m)

Shredded poached chicken in a thick walnut sauce with paprika oil, served over white rice with a herb garnish

Egypt 1h 40m

Dinner •Circassian-Egyptian Classic

Egyptian Sharkaseya

This Egyptian sharkaseya recipe poaches a whole chicken in a spiced broth, blends walnuts with bread soaked in the stock into a thick garlic sauce, and serves the chicken hot over buttered rice. It is Egypt's Circassian chicken — Ottoman in origin, Egyptian at heart — and the sauce, not the chicken, is the star. One serving is about 500 g.

Rich & Satisfying

Poached chicken over rice with a thick walnut-garlic sauce — rich, savoury and deeply comforting.

Pairs Well With
Pickled cucumbers, green salad & mint tea

A pile of golden sesame-coated kaak rings, crisp and freshly baked.

Lebanon 1h 55m

Snack & Tea •Beirut Street Bread

Lebanese Kaak

Lebanese kaak is Beirut's street-corner sesame bread: hand-shaped rings rolled in toasted sesame, baked until the crust crackles and the inside stays soft and chewy. Vendors sell them warm from bicycle carts, usually with cheese or za'atar tucked inside. One serving is one ring, about 111 g.

Warm & Satisfying

Crisp sesame rings with a soft, chewy crumb — a filling snack that travels well.

Pairs Well With
Serve warm, split open and filled with white cheese, or with a bowl of labneh and olives.

A pile of golden fried Argentine pastelitos, crisp and glossy with syrup.

Argentina 1h 15m

Snack & Tea •May 25 Festival Sweet

Argentine Pastelitos

Argentine pastelitos are crisp fried pastries filled with quince paste (or sweet potato paste), their corners pinched into little points and brushed with syrup. They are the sweet of Argentina's May 25 patriotic holidays, sold at school fairs and family gatherings. One serving is two pastelitos, about 136 g.

Sweet & Festive

Crisp fried pastry around a soft quince filling — a small, celebratory sweet.

Pairs Well With
Serve warm with mate or coffee, while the syrup is still glossy.

A bowl of sudado de pescado: white fish in a tomato and onion broth, scattered with fresh herbs.

Peru 45m

Dinner •Peruvian Coastal Classic

Sudado de Pescado

Sudado de pescado is Peru's coastal comfort dish: white fish steamed in its own juices with tomato, red onion, garlic and aji amarillo, finished with lime and cilantro. The fish stays moist, the broth turns savoury-sweet, and the whole pot takes less than half an hour. One serving is about 381 g, fish and broth together.

Light & Comforting

Lean fish gently steamed in a tomato and onion broth — light, warm and filling.

Pairs Well With
Serve with steamed white rice and boiled yuca to soak up the broth.

A plate of tauhu goreng: golden fried tofu topped with fresh bean sprouts and shredded carrot on a banana leaf.

Malaysia 40m

Lunch •Mamak Stall Favourite

Tauhu Goreng

Tauhu goreng is the Malaysian mamak-stall classic: cubes of firm tofu fried until crisp, then served with bean sprouts, cucumber and carrot under a thick, sweet-savoury peanut sauce. The contrast is the point — hot and crisp against cool and fresh, rich sauce against bright lime. One serving is about 285 g.

Crisp & Satisfying

Golden fried tofu in a rich peanut sauce with fresh crunch — a complete meat-free lunch.

Pairs Well With
Serve at once with iced tea, while the tofu is still crisp.

A bowl of es campur with a pink mound of shaved ice over coconut milk and fruit

Indonesia 45m

Snack & Tea •Jakarta Street-Stall Classic

Es Campur

This es campur recipe piles fine shaved ice over ripe avocado, jackfruit and black sticky rice, then pours over sweet coconut milk, palm-sugar syrup and condensed milk. It is the Indonesian street-stall answer to a hot afternoon — cold, creamy, fruity and crunchy in every spoonful. One serving is about 360 g.

Cooling & Refreshing

Shaved ice piled over avocado, jackfruit and black sticky rice in sweet coconut milk.

Pairs Well With
A tall glass of iced tea or fresh coconut water

A foil tray of Dutch kapsalon topped with tomato, cucumber and lettuce salad, garlic sauce and sambal, with chicken shawarma at the edges

Netherlands 50m

Dinner •Rotterdam Street-Food Heritage

Dutch Kapsalon

This Dutch kapsalon recipe starts with a tray of crisp oven-baked fries, piles on juicy chicken shawarma, covers it with shredded Gouda and bakes it until the cheese melts and bubbles, then finishes with crunchy lettuce, tomato, cucumber and red onion, garlic sauce and a streak of sambal. It is Rotterdam street food at its most generous — hot, salty, creamy and fresh all at once. One serving is about 586 g.

Comfort & Late-Night

Crispy fries, spiced chicken shawarma and melted Gouda in a foil tray, finished with fresh salad, garlic sauce and sambal.

Pairs Well With
Garlic sauce, sambal & a cold drink

A mitraillette sandwich in a baguette filled with fries, sauce and meat

Belgium 45m

Lunch •Brussels Friterie Classic

Mitraillette

This mitraillette recipe stuffs a crusty baguette with a fried pork patty, a pile of golden fries, salad and a creamy Andalouse-style sauce. It is the sandwich Belgium’s friteries are famous for — messy, generous and best eaten with both hands. One serving is about 505 g.

Hearty & Satisfying

A crusty baguette stuffed with fried pork, golden fries and a creamy sauce.

Pairs Well With
An ice-cold lager or a glass of sparkling water

A whole golden Swiss cheese tart, sliced, with a crisp pastry edge

Switzerland 1h 25m

Lunch •Swiss Alpine Bakery Classic

Swiss Cheese Tart

This swiss cheese tart recipe bakes Gruyère and Emmental into a silky egg-and-cream custard inside a crisp shortcrust shell, until the top is golden and just set. It is the Swiss Käsewähe — a bakery lunch, warm from the oven with a green salad. One serving is about 131 g.

Comfort & Warmth

A golden shortcrust tart filled with Gruyère, Emmental and a silky egg custard.

Pairs Well With
A green salad with a sharp vinaigrette

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

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Angola

Antigua and Barbuda

Argentina

Armenia

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Niger

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North Korea

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Zimbabwe Browse all 193 countries →

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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.