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 2065–2076 of 2290 dinner recipes

A Bogotá breakfast plate with a cup of hot chocolate, a block of white cheese, a ring-shaped almojábana and a round pan de yuca roll

Colombia 40m

Breakfast •Boyacá Bakery Classic

Almojabanas

This almojabanas recipe makes Colombia's warm cheese rolls: precooked white cornmeal (masarepa) and grated queso fresco kneaded with a little milk and butter, shaped into rings and rounds, and baked until puffed and golden. They are the rolls of the Bogotá bakery breakfast, torn open while still warm beside hot chocolate. One serving is about 137 g (two rolls).

Comfort & Warmth

Warm cornmeal and cheese rolls from the bakeries of Boyacá and Cundinamarca, baked golden and eaten with hot chocolate.

Pairs Well With
Colombian hot chocolate, black coffee & aguapanela

A tall plastic cup of creamy Venezuelan rice chicha dusted with cinnamon, with a straw, on a café table

Venezuela 1h 10m

Snack & Tea •Venezuelan Street Drink

Chicha Venezolana

This chicha venezolana recipe makes Venezuela's creamy rice drink, chicha de arroz: white rice soaked, then simmered with a cinnamon stick until it falls apart, cooled and blended with oat milk, coconut milk, sugar and vanilla until thick and smooth. It is served ice-cold, dusted with cinnamon, the way street vendors sell it across Venezuela. One serving is about 330 g (one tall glass, before ice).

Sweet Treat

A thick, ice-cold rice drink blended with oat milk, coconut milk and cinnamon — the creamy street drink of Venezuela, made plant-based.

Pairs Well With
Crushed ice, cinnamon dust & tequeños on the side

Three golden grilled sonso de yuca cassava and cheese cakes on bamboo skewers on a white plate

Bolivia 55m

Snack & Tea •Santa Cruz Street Snack

Sonso de Yuca

Sonso de yuca is eastern Bolivia's beloved street snack: boiled cassava mashed with two cheeses, a little butter and one egg, moulded around bamboo skewers and grilled over charcoal until golden and crisp at the edges. Pull one off the skewer while it is still warm and the cheese stretches. One serving is about 220 g (one skewer).

Cheesy & Comforting

Golden grilled cassava and cheese cakes on skewers, crisp outside and soft and stretchy inside, eaten warm off the stick.

Pairs Well With
Hot black coffee or a cold glass of fresh juice, with a spoonful of spicy llajwa sauce for dipping

Sliced savoury pionono rolls filled with ham, mayonnaise, tomato and olives on a plate

Uruguay 42m

Lunch •Río de la Plata Classic

Uruguayan Pionono

Uruguayan pionono is a savoury rolled sponge cake: a thin, golden sponge baked in minutes, spread with mayonnaise and cream cheese, layered with cooked ham, sliced hard-boiled eggs, Gouda, tomato, lettuce and olives, then rolled up tight and sliced into spirals. It is served cold, straight from the fridge, and it is the slice every Uruguayan holiday table has. One serving is about 132 g (one thick slice).

Crowd-Pleasing & Classic

A soft sponge roll filled with ham, hard-boiled egg and mayonnaise, sliced to show its spiral — the classic Río de la Plata party slice.

Pairs Well With
A crisp green salad and a glass of cold white wine or sparkling water with lemon

Three golden green-plantain empanadas on a rustic clay plate, one cut open to show the dark seasoned ground-beef filling, topped with crunchy curtido slaw

Ecuador 1h 10m

Snack & Tea •Coastal Ecuador

Empanada de Verde con Carne

This empanada de verde recipe wraps seasoned ground beef in a dough made from boiled green plantains, then fries the half-moons until the outside is golden and crisp and the meat inside is juicy. The cut-open empanada in the photo shows the dark, savory beef filling, served the coastal Ecuadorian way with a spoonful of curtido, the crunchy cabbage and carrot slaw, on top. One serving is about 380 g.

Crisp & Hearty

Golden green-plantain empanadas filled with seasoned ground beef, fried crisp and served with crunchy curtido.

Pairs Well With
Curtido slaw with aji criollo hot sauce and an ice-cold beer

A glossy dark-brown chocolate dulce de batata round on a patterned plate, one wedge cut and set apart, showing the firm, smooth set paste

Paraguay 1h 15m

Snack & Tea •Río de la Plata Classic

Dulce de Batata

This dulce de batata recipe cooks sweet potatoes down with sugar and cocoa, then sets the paste with agar-agar into a firm, glossy chocolate-brown block that slices cleanly with a knife. The photo shows the chocolate version: a dark, shiny round with one wedge cut, ready to be served in slabs with queso Paraguay as postre vigilante. One serving is about 110 g.

Sweet & Sliceable

Firm chocolate sweet-potato paste, set with agar-agar, sliced in slabs with fresh Paraguayan cheese.

Pairs Well With
Queso Paraguay with hot black coffee

Golden fried fish cakes on wilted spinach with a dollop of white sauce in a palm-leaf bowl, with a wooden fork

El Salvador 1h

Dinner •Salvadoran Lenten Classic

Tortas de Pescado

This tortas de pescado recipe turns flaked red snapper into golden, egg-bound fish cakes, fried crisp and served in a simple tomato sauce with white rice. It is the dinner Salvadoran families make through Lent, when fish replaces meat at the table, and the cakes are just as good on any meat-free night. One serving is about 450 g.

Hearty & High-Protein

Golden egg-bound fish cakes fried crisp and served in tomato sauce with rice — El Salvador's traditional Lenten dinner, rich in lean fish protein.

Pairs Well With
Tomato sauce, white rice and curtido

High Protein

A pisco sour in a stemmed glass with a thick white egg-white foam topped with drops of bitters

Chile 10m

Snack & Tea •Chilean Bar Classic

Pisco Sour Chileno

This pisco sour chileno recipe shakes Chilean pisco with fresh lime juice, sugar and egg white until it turns pale, cold and thickly foamy, then finishes it with three drops of bitters. One serving is one cocktail, about 170 g. It is the drink Chileans order to open an evening - sharp, sweet and silky at once.

Classic Chilean Cocktail

Chilean pisco shaken with lime, sugar and egg white into a cold, frothy sour with a few drops of bitters on top.

Pairs Well With
Empanadas de pino, olives and roasted peanuts, with a glass of water

Four golden aborrajados fritters with crisp battered crusts resting on white paper towel

Colombia 35m

Snack & Tea •Valle del Cauca Heritage

Aborrajados

This aborrajados recipe takes very ripe plantains, fries them until soft, flattens them around melted cheese and guava paste, then dips each parcel in a light batter and fries it again until crisp and golden. One serving is two fritters, about 185 g. They are the sweet-savoury snack of Colombia's Valle del Cauca - soft inside, crunchy outside, and best eaten hot.

Sweet-Savoury Fried Snack

Ripe plantains flattened around melting cheese and guava paste, dipped in batter and fried until golden.

Pairs Well With
Hot chocolate or aguapanela, with a fresh fruit salad on the side

A tall clear cup of amber papelon con limon over ice with fresh lime slices and a straw

Venezuela 25m

Snack & Tea •Venezuelan Street Classic

Papelon con Limon

This papelon con limon recipe melts dark panela sugar into hot water, cools it, then stirs in fresh lime juice and pours it over ice. One serving is one tall glass, about 361 g. It is Venezuela's everyday cooler - sold by street vendors and made at home in big jugs - caramel-sweet, sharply sour and deeply refreshing.

Cooling Panela Lime Drink

Unrefined panela sugar melted into water with fresh lime juice, served ice-cold.

Pairs Well With
Arepas, empanadas and tequenos, with lime wedges on the side

A plate of golden Ecuadorian arroz marinero with shrimp, squid and shellfish, peas and fried plantain, with lime wedges

Ecuador 1h

Lunch •Ecuadorian Coast Heritage

Arroz Marinero

This arroz marinero recipe cooks long-grain rice in a golden achiote sofrito with shrimp, squid, mussels and white fish, folding the seafood in last so it stays tender. One serving is a generous plate, about 400 g. It is the rice of Ecuador's Pacific coast - served with fried plantain and lime wedges, and eaten with a spoon.

Hearty Coastal Seafood Rice

Long-grain rice cooked golden in achiote oil and seafood stock with shrimp, squid, mussels and white fish.

Pairs Well With
Fried plantain (patacones), lime wedges and a cold beer or papelon con limon

A clay bowl of queso humacha: boiled potatoes and green fava beans in a golden cheese sauce with herbs

Bolivia 45m

Lunch •La Paz Holy Week Classic

Queso Humacha

This queso humacha recipe makes the La Paz cheese sauce of Bolivia: fresh cheese melted into milk with aji amarillo, spooned over boiled potatoes and green fava beans. One serving is about 463 g and carries 618 calories. It is a meatless Holy Week classic, rich, gently spiced and deeply comforting.

Comfort & Warmth

A golden Bolivian cheese sauce with aji amarillo, ladled over boiled potatoes and fava beans.

Pairs Well With
Warm bread to mop up the sauce, with a simple tomato and onion salad.

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.

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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.