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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What’s for Dinner TonightFeatured Dinner Recipes from 193 Countries

Showing 541–552 of 2290 dinner recipes

A golden fried bake split open and filled with fried shark, shredded cabbage and tomato at Maracas Bay, Trinidad

Trinidad and Tobago 1h

Lunch •Maracas Beach Street Food

Bake and Shark

Bake and shark is Trinidad and Tobago's most famous beach sandwich: a puffy fried bake split open and filled with crisp, green-seasoned fried shark, shredded cabbage, lettuce, tomato, cucumber and pineapple, finished with garlic sauce, tamarind sauce and pepper sauce. One serving is about 400 g.

Comfort & Satisfaction

Golden fried bake stuffed with seasoned fried shark, fresh salad and tangy sauces.

Pairs Well With
Coleslaw, pineapple chunks and an ice-cold Carib beer or fresh coconut water

A white plate of browned cumin-coated geera pork pieces with a toothpick, with red and yellow Scotch bonnet peppers beside the plate on a wooden table

Trinidad and Tobago 2h 25m

Dinner •Trinidad Heritage

Trinidad Geera Pork

This trinidad geera pork recipe turns boneless pork shoulder into Trinidad's favourite bar snack and weeknight main: small cubes washed in lime juice, rubbed with green seasoning, garlic and hot pepper, then simmered in their own juices and finished with a heavy dusting of roasted ground cumin. Geera is the Trinidadian name for cumin, from the Hindi jeera, and it is the whole point of the dish — warm, earthy and slightly smoky, it clings to every piece of pork. Unlike a wet curry, there is no sauce to spoon; the pork comes out dark, dry-ish and intensely spiced, made to be picked up with a toothpick or piled beside rice. One serving is about 255 g.

Bold & Spicy Comfort

Tender pork cubes coated in roasted cumin and green seasoning, simmered until the juices turn into a dark, fragrant glaze.

Pairs Well With
Steamed rice, dhal & a cold sorrel drink

High Protein

A pot and a bowl of creamy tuna curry with sliced green vegetables, cashews and fresh coriander on a wooden table

Tuvalu 40m

Dinner •Tuvalu Island Classic

Tuvaluan Tuna Curry

Tuvaluan tuna curry is the small Pacific nation's everyday fish curry: chunks of fresh tuna simmered in coconut milk with curry powder, onion, garlic, ginger and red chilli, seasoned with soy sauce and finished with cucumber and spring onion cooked in the sauce. What sets it apart from the Maldives' mas riha is its build — a single spoonful of imported curry powder and a splash of soy sauce instead of a ground spice paste with curry leaves and pandan — and the cucumber simmered right in the curry. One serving is about 350 g.

Rich & Comforting

Fresh tuna simmered in a creamy coconut curry with curry powder, soy sauce and cucumber — a simple, warming island dinner.

Pairs Well With
Steamed rice or coconut rice, with boiled taro on the side.

High Protein

Two golden breadcrumb-coated fried croquettes with shredded cabbage salad on a white plate

Tuvalu 45m

Snack & Tea •Tuvalu Island Snack

Tuvaluan Tuna Taro Patties

This tuna taro patties recipe comes from Tuvalu, where mashed cooked taro is mixed with drained tuna, grated ginger, green onion and lemon juice, bound with egg, coated in breadcrumbs and pan-fried until crisp and golden. The patties are soft and savoury inside with a crunchy crust, and the Pacific Community's cookbook serves them with a salad. One serving is about 212 g — three patties.

Crisp & Satisfying

Mashed taro and tuna, seasoned with ginger and lemon, breadcrumb-coated and pan-fried golden — a crisp Tuvaluan snack.

Pairs Well With
A crisp cabbage and tomato salad with lemon wedges, or sauteed greens.

High Protein

Emirati luqaimat — golden fried dough balls on a crescent plate with a cup of tea and a coffee pot

United Arab Emirates 2h 5m

Snack & Tea •Dubai Heritage

Emirati Luqaimat

This emirati luqaimat recipe is the UAE's beloved sweet: small balls of yeast dough enriched with milk powder and scented with cardamom, saffron and a pinch of turmeric, fried until crisp and golden, then finished with a drizzle of chilled date syrup and a scatter of sesame seeds. Unlike the Kuwaiti luqaimat on this site, which are soaked in warm date syrup mixed with honey and rosewater, the Emirati version is never soaked — the cold date syrup is drizzled over the hot dumplings so the shell stays crisp, and there is no honey and no rosewater. Luqaimat means little morsels, and that is exactly how they are eaten — one warm mouthful at a time, with karak tea, at Ramadan or any family gathering. One serving is about 120 g, roughly 5 dumplings.

Sweet Treat & Sharing

Crisp milk-powder dumplings fried golden, then drizzled with chilled date syrup, cardamom, saffron and sesame — never soaked, so they stay crisp.

Pairs Well With
Karak tea, Arabic coffee & fresh dates

Two folded golden saffron khameer flatbreads filled with white cheese, black olives and herbs, sprinkled with nigella seeds, on a white plate

United Arab Emirates 1h 40m

Breakfast •Emirati Heritage

Emirati Khameer

This emirati khameer recipe makes 8 golden, saffron-scented flatbreads, soft and pillowy inside with a gently sweet, spiced crumb from dates, cardamom and a pinch of saffron. The dough is mixed and kneaded by hand, left to rise until doubled, then rolled thin, brushed with milk, scattered with sesame and nigella seeds and baked until puffed and golden. Tear it open while it is still warm and fill it with cream cheese, drizzle it with honey, or scoop up labneh and olives. One serving is about 102 g, one warm flatbread.

Comfort & Warmth

A soft, warm, lightly sweet yeasted flatbread, scented with saffron and cardamom and served fresh from the oven.

Pairs Well With
Cream cheese and honey, with karak tea

Grilled hammour fillet topped with diced tomato on a plate with a green salad, a lemon half and two herb-dressed boiled potatoes

United Arab Emirates 55m

Dinner •Abu Dhabi Heritage

Emirati Grilled Hammour

This emirati grilled hammour recipe coats thick grouper fillets in an Emirati spice rub — cumin, coriander, turmeric, dried black lime, garlic and lemon — grills them over high heat until the edges char, and serves them with herb potatoes and a tomato and leaf salad, just as the plate in the photo is dressed. One serving is about 475 g. This emirati grilled hammour recipe serves 4, takes 55 minutes, and tastes of the Gulf coast: warm spices, bright lemon and clean, flaky fish.

Light & Smoky

Lean hammour fillets rubbed with cumin, coriander, turmeric and dried black lime, grilled until smoky, with herb potatoes and a crisp salad.

Pairs Well With
Serve with the herb potatoes and tomato-leaf salad from the recipe, lemon wedges for squeezing, and a cold mint or lime drink.

High Protein

Laplap sosor being assembled on banana leaves — grated root vegetable paste topped with raw pork pieces, onion and greens, with coconut milk poured over

Vanuatu 2h 10m

Dinner •Vanuatu Heritage

Vanuatu Laplap

Laplap is Vanuatu's national dish: yam and taro are grated into a thick paste, mixed with coconut milk, spread over banana leaves, layered with pork, onion and island cabbage, then folded into a parcel and baked until the roots set into a dense, moist cake. One serving is about 400 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Grated yam and taro mixed with coconut milk, layered with pork and island cabbage, then wrapped in banana leaves and baked until firm and fragrant.

Pairs Well With
Simboro parcels, fresh island salad and coconut water

High Protein

A plate of Vanuatu beef curry: brown-sauced beef chunks with pale boiled taro pieces and carrot and cabbage island vegetables

Vanuatu 1h 35m

Dinner •Vanuatu Heritage

Vanuatu Beef Curry with Boiled Taro

This Vanuatu beef curry recipe simmers grass-fed beef chunks in a warm, brown coconut-milk curry sauce until they turn spoon-tender, while taro boils gently in coconut milk in a second pot until soft and creamy. The two meet on the plate with carrots and island cabbage, so every bite has rich curry, mild starchy taro and fresh vegetables together. One serving is about 540 g.

Hearty & Comforting

Tender beef simmered in a brown coconut curry sauce, served with taro boiled in coconut milk and island vegetables.

Pairs Well With
Steamed rice, fresh island salad and cold coconut water

High Protein

Tropical fruit platter on a banana leaf — yellow and pink pomelo wedges, banana slices, papaya spears, passion fruit halves, pineapple chunks, red Vanuatu raspberries and lime wedges

Vanuatu 20m

Snack & Tea •Vanuatu Heritage

Vanuatu Tropical Fruit Platter

This Vanuatu fruit platter recipe is the simplest way to serve the islands' best fruit: slices of yellow and pink pomelo, banana, papaya, passion fruit, pineapple and Vanuatu raspberries, laid out unmixed on a fresh banana leaf with lime wedges to squeeze over. Nothing is cooked and nothing is dressed, so every fruit keeps its own colour, scent and bite. One serving is about 375 g.

Light & Refreshing

Raw tropical fruit, cut fresh and arranged on a banana leaf, with no cooking, no dressing and nothing added but a squeeze of lime.

Pairs Well With
Cold coconut water and lime wedges

Quick Prep (<30m)

A plate of Tunisian couscous: orange-red steamed semolina with lamb, chickpeas, fried green and red peppers and two boiled eggs

Tunisia 2h 5m

Dinner •Tunis Friday Table

Tunisian Couscous with Lamb and Harissa

This tunisian couscous recipe steams fine semolina over a bubbling pot of lamb in a deep-red harissa and tomato broth, with chickpeas, cabbage, pumpkin, potato, carrot and zucchini. The harissa goes into the broth itself — not just on the side — so the grain turns orange-red and carries real heat. One serving is about 625 g.

Comfort & Warmth

Fine steamed semolina coloured orange-red by a harissa lamb broth, with chickpeas, cabbage and slow-cooked vegetables.

Pairs Well With
Fried green peppers, boiled eggs and hot mint tea

Golden triangular Tunisian brik pastries with herbs visible through the crisp pastry, served on a terracotta plate in Kairouan

Tunisia 35m

Snack & Tea •Tunis Street Food

Tunisian Brik

Tunisian brik is a paper-thin sheet of malsouka pastry folded into a triangle around a whole raw egg, flaked tuna, mashed potato, capers, parsley and a dab of harissa, then fried in hot olive oil for just a couple of minutes until golden and blistered. The white sets while the yolk stays runny, so the first bite floods the crisp shell with warm yolk. This is the classic brik à l'œuf sold by street vendors in Tunis and served to open festive meals. One serving (two briks) is about 275 g.

Crisp & Satisfying

A shatteringly crisp fried pastry around a runny egg, tuna and capers — the snack Tunisia eats with its fingers, hot from the oil.

Pairs Well With
Lemon wedges & mint tea

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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Bosnia and Herzegovina

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Cameroon

Canada

Central African Republic

Chad

Chile

China

Colombia

Comoros

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Republic of the Congo

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Croatia

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Italy

Jamaica

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Mali

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Niger

Nigeria

North Korea

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Norway

Oman

Pakistan

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

Serbia

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Sierra Leone

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Slovakia

Slovenia

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South Africa

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Spain

Sri Lanka

Sudan

Suriname

Sweden

Switzerland

Syria

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Timor-Leste

Togo

Tonga

Trinidad and Tobago

Tunisia

Turkey

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Uganda

Ukraine

United Arab Emirates

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Vanuatu

Venezuela

Vietnam

Yemen

Zambia

Zimbabwe Browse all 193 countries →

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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

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