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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Breakfast to Snack

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What’s for Dinner TonightFeatured Dinner Recipes from 193 Countries

Showing 2173–2184 of 2290 dinner recipes

A bowl of seco de carne with dark beef chunks in cilantro sauce, white rice, creamy white beans and red onion salsa criolla topped with a red chilli slice

Ecuador 2h 5m

Dinner •Ecuadorian Family Stew

Seco de Carne Ecuatoriano

This seco de carne ecuatoriano recipe browns beef chuck, then braises it low and slow in beer, naranjilla juice and a cilantro sauce with cumin and achiote until the meat falls apart, and serves it with white rice, creamy white beans and salsa criolla. One serving is about 605 g (beef and sauce with rice, beans and salsa). It is the everyday beef seco of Ecuadorian home kitchens — herby, gently sour and built for a full plate.

Hearty & High-Protein

Beef chuck slow-braised in beer, naranjilla juice and cilantro until tender, served with white rice, beans and salsa criolla.

Pairs Well With
White rice, white beans and salsa criolla

High Protein

A heaped pile of golden fried tawa tawas glistening with cane honey

Bolivia 40m

Snack & Tea •Potosí Heritage

Tawa-Tawas

This tawa tawas recipe turns a simple baking-powder dough into crisp golden diamonds, fried until they puff and blister, then drizzled with warm cane honey. They come from Potosí, where the name comes from the Quechua word tawa, meaning four — the four equal sides of each piece. One serving is 4 pieces with honey, about 105 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Crisp golden fried dough diamonds drizzled with cane honey — a warm, sweet Potosí snack for tea time.

Pairs Well With
Warm tawa tawas with cane honey and a glass of api morado or hot tea

A glass of orange-amber white-wine fruit punch with lemon and strawberry pieces, on a tiled table by the water

Uruguay 20m

Snack & Tea •Uruguayan Heritage

Clerico

Clerico is Uruguay's white-wine answer to sangria: dry white wine poured over chopped orange, apple, peach, strawberries and lemon, sweetened lightly and finished with sparkling water. This clerico recipe makes 8 glasses in about 20 minutes of hands-on work, plus 2 hours of chilling. One serving is about 222 g, a small glass with fruit, at about 129 calories.

Cool & Refreshing

A chilled white-wine punch with fresh fruit, made for hot afternoons and long lunches.

Pairs Well With
Serve ice-cold in wine glasses with a little of the soaked fruit in each glass, next to grilled food.

A glossy deep-red triangular slice of firm guava paste on a white plate

Paraguay 2h

Snack & Tea •Paraguayan Heritage

Dulce de Guayaba

This dulce de guayaba recipe turns ripe guavas into a firm, glossy paste the Paraguayan way: the fruit is simmered soft, blended and sieved, then cooked low and slow with sugar, lemon and vanilla until it holds its shape and slices cleanly. One serving is about 100 g, a thick slice of paste, and carries 306 calories. Serve it with cheese, spread it on toast, or cut it into cubes to eat on its own.

Sweet Treats

A firm, sliceable guava paste made from ripe guavas, sugar and lemon, with no added pectin.

Pairs Well With
Sliced cheese, especially a mild white cheese, and crackers.

A glass mug of creamy spiced hot chocolate topped with ground cinnamon and a cinnamon stick

Haiti 20m

Snack & Tea •Haitian Breakfast Classic

Chokola Ayisyen

This chokola ayisyen recipe grates Haitian cacao balls into spiced water, then simmers the strained chocolate with evaporated milk, cinnamon, star anise and lime zest until thick and fragrant. One mug is about 265 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Thick, spiced hot chocolate made from grated Haitian cacao balls, served steaming hot.

Pairs Well With
Haitian bread (pain) or a slice of pain patate for dunking

Golden fried cheese cubes in a glass cup with green leaves, beside a small white bowl of red tomato sauce on a wooden board

El Salvador 20m

Snack & Tea •Salvadoran Heritage

Queso Frito Salvadoreno

This queso frito salvadoreno recipe fries thick cubes of queso de freir in a little hot oil until golden and crisp outside and soft inside. It is the Salvadoran market snack eaten hot with lime wedges, tomato sauce and warm tortillas. One serving (about 100 g of cheese) is about 109 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Golden pan-fried cheese cubes with a crisp outside and a soft, squeaky centre, served hot with lime and tomato sauce — a Salvadoran market snack.

Pairs Well With
Warm corn tortillas, simple tomato sauce and curtido (pickled cabbage slaw), with a cold horchata de morro or tamarind drink on the side.

A tray of golden-brown alcapurrias, crisp oval fritters of green banana and yautia, piled in a metal tray at a street-food stall

Dominican Republic 1h 15m

Snack & Tea •Dominican Street-Food Fritter

Alcapurrias Dominicanas

This alcapurrias recipe makes the Dominican street-food fritter: a masa of grated green banana and yautía, coloured golden with achiote, wrapped around a beef picadillo with olives and raisins, then fried until crisp. The outside shatters, the inside stays soft, and the filling is deeply savoury with a faint sweetness from the raisins. One serving is about 245 g (2 alcapurrias).

Crisp & Satisfying

Golden fritters of grated green banana and yautía wrapped around a savoury beef picadillo — crisp outside, soft and meaty inside.

Pairs Well With
Mayoketchup for dipping and an ice-cold Presidente-style lager or fresh lime soda

A Cuban frita on a wooden plate, a soft bun filled with a beef and chorizo patty and a pile of crisp shoestring potatoes, with a glass of sugarcane juice behind it

Cuba 50m

Lunch •Havana Street Burger

Frita Cubana

This frita cubana recipe makes Havana's street burger: a patty of ground beef and Spanish chorizo, seasoned with cumin, smoked paprika and garlic, griddled until charred at the edges, then piled with crisp shoestring potatoes, raw onion and a spiced ketchup sauce on a soft Cuban roll. It is messy, smoky and deeply savoury — the sandwich Cuba invented a century ago. One serving is about 357 g (1 frita).

Hearty & Satisfying

A juicy beef-and-chorizo patty, spiced with cumin and smoked paprika, piled with crisp shoestring potatoes on a soft Cuban roll.

Pairs Well With
Ice-cold guarapo (sugarcane juice) or a light lager, with extra shoestring potatoes

A white bowl of pantrucas, pale flour dumplings and chunks of beef with carrot and potato in a light golden broth, with a fork and spoon on a grey striped tablecloth

Chile 1h 20m

Lunch •Central Chile Winter Heritage

Pantrucas

This pantrucas recipe is Chile's winter dumpling soup: beef chuck simmered in water until the broth turns golden, then potato, carrot and onion, and finally soft squares of handmade flour dough torn straight into the pot. The dumplings cook in the broth and thicken it slightly, and a beaten egg stirred through at the end is the old home-cook finish. One serving is about 570 g.

Comfort & Warmth

A hearty beef and dumpling soup that warms a cold day, with handmade pasta and tender beef.

Pairs Well With
Serve hot with pebre and a Chilean tomato salad, and a glass of red wine or sparkling water.

Soups & Broths

A tall glass of golden passion fruit juice with ice, black seeds and a fresh mint sprig, with a halved passion fruit and lime wedges in the background.

Venezuela 15m

Snack & Tea •Venezuelan Everyday Juice

Jugo de Parchita

This jugo de parchita recipe blends the pulp of fresh passion fruit with cold water and a little sugar into 4 tall, icy glasses. One serving is about 290 g, a full glass of thick, pulpy, seed-flecked juice with a mint sprig. It is the drink Venezuela reaches for on a hot afternoon — tart, fragrant and deeply golden.

Fresh & Hydrating

Fresh passion fruit pulp blended with cold water and sugar, served over ice.

Pairs Well With
Arepas, empanadas or anything fried and salty.

Quick Prep (<30m)

Two halves of a golden fried Bolivian cheese empanada on a white plate, melted cheese spilling from the crisp crust, dusted with sugar

Bolivia 55m

Snack & Tea •Bolivian Heritage

Bolivian Cheese Empanadas

This bolivian cheese empanadas recipe folds grated cheese bound with egg white into a tender wheat pastry, then fries the parcels until the crust blisters golden and the cheese turns molten inside. A light dusting of sugar on the hot crust is the traditional Bolivian finish. One serving is 1 empanada, about 75 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Crisp fried pastry wrapped around molten cheese, dusted with sugar — the Bolivian snack that disappears fastest from the plate.

Pairs Well With
Warm cheese empanadas with llajua sauce and a glass of api morado or mocochinchi

A glossy wedge of candied pumpkin in syrup on a white plate

Uruguay 1h 10m

Snack & Tea •Uruguayan Heritage

Dulce de Zapallo

Dulce de zapallo is Uruguay's candied pumpkin: big chunks of pumpkin simmered in a cinnamon and clove syrup until they turn translucent, amber and meltingly tender. This dulce de zapallo recipe makes 8 servings in about 70 minutes, and it is just as good warm as it is cold from the fridge. One serving is about 175 g, two or three chunks with syrup, at about 278 calories.

Sweet & Comforting

Pumpkin simmered slowly in a spiced syrup until it turns glossy, amber and tender.

Pairs Well With
Serve warm or cold with a spoonful of syrup, and a slice of mild cheese if you like the classic sweet-salty pairing.

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

Benin

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Bolivia

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Botswana

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Burkina Faso

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Cabo Verde

Cambodia

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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Cyprus

Czechia

Côte d'Ivoire

Denmark

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Dominican Republic

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El Salvador

Equatorial Guinea

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Fiji

Finland

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Gabon

Gambia

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Guinea-Bissau

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Iceland

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Iran

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Ireland

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Italy

Jamaica

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Niger

Nigeria

North Korea

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Norway

Oman

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Panama

Papua New Guinea

Paraguay

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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

Serbia

Seychelles

Sierra Leone

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Slovakia

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Spain

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Suriname

Sweden

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Syria

Tajikistan

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Thailand

Timor-Leste

Togo

Tonga

Trinidad and Tobago

Tunisia

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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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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