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 1849–1860 of 2290 dinner recipes

A slice of turron de dona pepa with layers of anise sticks, dark syrup and colourful sprinkles on a wooden plate

Peru 1h 25m

Snack & Tea •Lima October Classic

Turrón de Doña Pepa

This turron de dona pepa recipe bakes anise sticks from a butter dough bound with egg yolks, then layers them with a dark, spiced chancaca syrup and a shower of colourful sprinkles. It is nothing like Spanish almond turron: this one is soft, crumbly and syrupy, with anise in every bite. One serving is about 88 g, one square.

Festive & Spiced

Anise-scented baked sticks layered with dark chancaca syrup and colourful sprinkles — Peru's October sweet.

Pairs Well With
Coffee, hot chocolate or a glass of cold milk.

A bowl of bubur cha cha with orange sweet potato, pale yam, purple yam and sago pearls in coconut milk

Malaysia 55m

Snack & Tea •Nyonya Hawker Classic

Bubur Cha Cha

This bubur cha cha recipe simmers orange sweet potato, pale yam and sago pearls in pandan-scented coconut milk with palm sugar, then finishes with banana. The soup is creamy and lightly salty-sweet, the yam is soft, and the sago pearls are chewy. One serving is about 258 g, one bowl.

Comfort & Sweet

A warm coconut-milk dessert soup with sweet potato, yam, sago pearls and banana, scented with pandan — the Nyonya teatime classic.

Pairs Well With
Hot teh tarik and a plate of kuih for a Nyonya teatime.

Two whole squid coated in a glossy red chilli sauce on a white plate

Indonesia 35m

Dinner •Padang Seafood Classic

Cumi Saus Padang

This cumi saus padang recipe coats tender squid in a fiery red Padang sauce of chillies, shallots, garlic and tomato, finished with sweet soy and lime. The sauce is the star of the dish — hot, savoury and a little sweet, just as it is served in Padang restaurants across Indonesia. One serving is about 300 g. The recipe serves 4 and takes about 35 minutes.

Bold & Fiery

Tender squid rings folded through a hot, tangy Padang chilli-tomato sauce.

Pairs Well With
Steamed jasmine rice and a cool cucumber salad to tame the heat.

A sliced loaf of currant bread with a golden crust and dark dried fruit in the crumb on a wooden board

Netherlands 3h 20m

Breakfast •Dutch Bakery Classic

Krentenbrood

This krentenbrood recipe makes a soft, golden Dutch currant bread, packed with plump currants, candied peel and a whisper of cinnamon. It slices beautifully for breakfast, toasted with butter, and stays moist for days. One serving is about 88 g (two slices). The loaf makes 12 servings and takes about 3 hours 20 minutes, most of it rising time.

Warm & Comforting

A soft yeasted loaf studded with currants, mixed peel and cinnamon.

Pairs Well With
Thick slices toasted with salted butter, or with a slice of old Gouda cheese.

A roasted chicken leg quarter with golden roast potatoes on a blue plate

Belgium 1h 15m

Dinner •Flemish Home Classic

Kippenbout met Appelmoes

This kippenbout met appelmoes recipe roasts chicken legs until the skin is crisp and golden, and serves them with a warm applesauce made from scratch — tart apples, a little sugar, lemon and cinnamon. The sweet, soft applesauce against the salty, savoury chicken is a Flemish home classic. One serving is about 300 g (one leg with applesauce). The recipe serves 4 and takes about 1 hour 15 minutes.

Comfort & Warmth

Crisp-skinned roast chicken legs with warm, cinnamon-scented applesauce.

Pairs Well With
Roast potatoes and green beans, with the applesauce spooned over the chicken.

Pizokel buckwheat pasta with savoy cabbage in a creamy cheese sauce in a white bowl

Switzerland 45m

Dinner •Graubünden Pasta Classic

Pizokel

This pizokel recipe makes the buckwheat pasta of Graubünden, in eastern Switzerland — a soft, hand-cut dough of buckwheat and wheat flour, eggs and milk, tossed with buttery savoy cabbage, onion and a snowfall of grated mountain cheese. It is earthy, mild and deeply comforting. One serving is about 265 g. The recipe serves 4 and takes about 45 minutes.

Comfort & Warmth

Hand-cut buckwheat pasta with savoy cabbage, butter and mountain cheese.

Pairs Well With
A green salad with a sharp vinaigrette and a glass of dry white wine.

Pasta & Noodles

A bowl of Pichelsteiner Eintopf: chunks of beef and pork, carrots, leeks and potatoes in a clear golden broth, sprinkled with chopped parsley.

Germany 2h 10m

Dinner •Bavarian Forest Heritage

Pichelsteiner Eintopf

This pichelsteiner eintopf recipe layers seared beef and pork with potatoes, carrots, celeriac, cabbage and leeks, then simmers everything together in beef broth until the meat is tender and the vegetables have soaked up the flavour. One serving is about 517 g, served in a deep bowl with rye bread.

Comfort & Warmth

A slow-simmered Bavarian one-pot stew of beef and pork with root vegetables in beef broth.

Pairs Well With
Dark rye bread and a cold German lager or sparkling water.

High Protein

Broa de milho — a round Portuguese cornbread loaf with a flour-dusted cracked crust on a red patterned plate

Portugal 3h 5m

Snack & Tea •Northern Portugal Country Loaf

Broa de Milho

This broa de milho recipe mixes yellow cornmeal with wheat flour and yeast, then bakes it into a dense Portuguese country loaf with a flour-dusted, cracked crust. One serving is about 110 g.

Hearty & Filling

A dense, slow-baked cornmeal loaf with a thick cracked crust and a tight, moist crumb that keeps for days.

Pairs Well With
Serve thick slices with caldo verde, grilled sardines, cheese, or simply butter and a glass of red wine.

Moroccan kefta sandwich — a flatbread wrap filled with grilled spiced minced beef, tomato, pickled onion and herbs

Morocco 32m

Lunch •Marrakech Street-Food Classic

Moroccan Kefta Sandwich

This moroccan kefta sandwich recipe mixes ground beef with parsley, cumin and paprika, grills it into juicy patties, and serves it in warm pita with tomato, red onion and harissa. One serving is about 250 g.

Quick & Filling

Spiced beef kefta grilled over high heat and tucked into warm pita with tomato, onion and harissa.

Pairs Well With
Serve with fries and a small salad, or with mint tea to cool the harissa heat.

Quick Prep (<30m)

Egyptian grilled corn — charred corn on the cob with herbs and coarse salt on a wooden board

Egypt 20m

Snack & Tea •Cairo Street-Food Snack

Egyptian Grilled Corn

This egyptian grilled corn recipe chars sweetcorn over a hot grill until the kernels blister, then brushes it with oil and seasons it with salt, cumin and lemon. One serving is about 160 g.

Light & Fresh

Sweetcorn charred over hot coals, brushed with oil and finished with salt, cumin and lemon.

Pairs Well With
Serve hot from the grill with a cold drink, or alongside grilled fish and salad at a barbecue.

Quick Prep (<30m)

Sauteed Lebanese chicken livers with sliced onions, sumac and parsley on a white plate, with a lemon wedge

Lebanon 27m

Lunch •Lebanese Mezze Classic

Lebanese Sauteed Liver

This lebanese sauteed liver recipe (sawda) fries chicken livers with garlic and onion, then glazes them with lemon juice and pomegranate molasses. One serving is about 165 g.

Iron-Rich Mezze Plate

Chicken livers quickly sauteed with garlic, lemon and pomegranate molasses — a fast, iron-rich Lebanese mezze.

Pairs Well With
Warm pita, pickles and a tomato-cucumber salad

High Protein

Baked hake fillet with flaky white flesh on a bed of diced tomato, with potato slices on a white plate

Argentina 1h 5m

Dinner •Argentine Heritage

Argentine Baked Hake

This argentine baked hake recipe (merluza al horno) bakes hake fillets on a bed of potatoes, tomato, onion and red pepper with white wine and paprika. One serving is about 440 g.

Light & Flaky Fish Dinner

Hake fillets baked over potatoes, tomato, onion and peppers with white wine — Argentina's everyday fish dinner.

Pairs Well With
Crusty bread and a simple green salad

High Protein

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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Antigua and Barbuda

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North Korea

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Portugal

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Saint Kitts and Nevis

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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