Festival food
Made for a festival or a public holiday.
Sushi寿司
🇯🇵 JapanVinegared rice paired with seafood, vegetables or other toppings
Main dish, Lunch, Dinner
Borscht
🇺🇦 Ukraine and 5 moreA sour soup of beetroot and vegetables, served hot or cold across Eastern Europe
Soup, Lunch, Dinner
Pilaf
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan and 5 moreRice cooked in stock with spices, meat or vegetables, with each grain kept separate
Main dish, Lunch, Dinner
KimchiVegan김치
🇰🇷 South Korea and 1 moreFermented and seasoned vegetables central to Korean meals
Sauce, pickle or ferment, Lunch, Dinner
Couscousseksu
🇩🇿 Algeria and 4 moreSteamed semolina granules served with stew or vegetables across North Africa
Main dish, Lunch, Dinner
Biryani
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreRice and spiced meat or vegetables layered and cooked together
Main dish, Lunch, Dinner
Lasagnalasagne
🇮🇹 ItalyBaked layers of pasta sheets, sauce, cheese and fillings from Italy
Main dish, Lunch, Dinner
SauerkrautVegan
🇩🇪 Germany and 5 moreFinely shredded cabbage preserved by natural fermentation in salt
Sauce, pickle or ferment, Lunch, Dinner
GuacamoleVegan
🇲🇽 Mexico and 1 moreAvocado mashed with lime, salt, and herbs, served as a dip or spread
Sauce, pickle or ferment, Snacks, Lunch
Pancake
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreFlat cakes made from batter, cooked on a griddle or pan and served sweet or savoury
Main dish, Breakfast, Snacks
Blood sausageMeat
🇫🇷 France and 5 moreA sausage made with animal blood, fillers and spices, cooked or dried until firm
Main dish, Lunch, Dinner
Olivier saladсалат Оливье
🇷🇺 Russia and 5 moreA Russian salad of diced vegetables, meat and mayonnaise, served at festive meals
Salad or side, Dinner, Lunch
Pie
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreA baked dish with a pastry crust and sweet or savoury filling
Main dish, Lunch, Dinner
Crêpe
🇫🇷 FranceThin French pancakes, served sweet or savoury with a range of fillings
Main dish, Breakfast, Lunch
Rice pudding
🇮🇳 India and 4 moreSweetened rice cooked in milk, found in many forms worldwide
Sweet or dessert, Breakfast, Lunch
Zereshk poloMeatزرشکپلو
🇮🇷 Iran and 1 morePersian rice with tart barberries, often served with saffron chicken
Main dish, Lunch, Dinner
BarbacoaMeat
🇲🇽 Mexico and 3 moreMeat slow-cooked in a pit lined with agave or banana leaves
Main dish, Lunch, Dinner
PachamancaMeat
🇵🇪 Peru and 1 moreAndean meats and vegetables slow-cooked with hot stones in an earthen oven
Main dish, Lunch, Dinner
Barbecue in the United StatesMeat
🇺🇸 United StatesMeat slow-cooked over wood smoke, a tradition rooted in the American South
Main dish, Lunch, Dinner
Thanksgiving dinnerMeat
🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreA holiday meal centered on roast turkey with a variety of side dishes and desserts
Main dish, Dinner
AkvavitVegan
🇳🇴 Norway and 4 moreA Scandinavian spirit flavoured with caraway or dill, often enjoyed at festive meals
Drink, Dinner, Lunch
Peanut stew
🇸🇳 Senegal and 5 moreA rich West African stew of meat and vegetables in a spiced peanut sauce
Stew or curry, Lunch, Dinner
Riz grasMeat
🇧🇫 Burkina Faso and 4 moreWest African rice cooked with meat and vegetables, served hot
Main dish, Lunch, Dinner
KāluaMeat
🇺🇸 United StatesMeat slow-cooked in an underground oven with hot stones and leaves
Main dish, Lunch, Dinner
RechtaMeatرشتة
🇩🇿 Algeria and 1 moreAlgerian handmade noodles served with chicken and vegetables in a spiced sauce
Main dish, Lunch, Dinner
Christmas hamMeat
🇸🇪 Sweden and 3 moreCured ham served at Christmas, with local glazes and traditions
Main dish, Dinner
BreadfruitVegan
🇵🇭 Philippines and 4 moreLarge tropical fruit cooked as a starchy staple in many island cuisines
Main dish, Lunch, Dinner
BorhaniVegetarianবোরহানী
🇧🇩 BangladeshA spiced yoghurt drink from Bangladesh, often served at weddings and festivals
Drink, Dinner, Snacks
TihloMeatጥሕሎ
🇪🇹 EthiopiaBarley dough balls served with spicy meat stew from Tigray, Ethiopia
Main dish, Snacks, Lunch
Smörgåsbord
🇸🇪 Sweden and 2 moreA Swedish buffet meal with a spread of cold and hot dishes
Main dish, Lunch, Dinner
Seafood boil
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreShellfish and sides cooked together for a communal feast
Main dish, Lunch, Dinner
SaleegMeatسليق
🇸🇦 Saudi ArabiaRice cooked with broth and milk, topped with roasted meat from western Saudi Arabia
Main dish, Lunch, Dinner
Hāngī
🇳🇿 New ZealandFood slow-cooked in an earth oven with hot stones, a Māori tradition
Main dish, Lunch, Dinner
MahaprasadVegetarianମହାପ୍ରସାଦ
🇮🇳 IndiaSanctified vegetarian food served at the Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha
Main dish, Lunch, Dinner
Kala bhunaMeat
🇧🇩 BangladeshA dark, richly spiced beef curry from Chittagong, Bangladesh
Main dish, Lunch, Dinner
Thingyan riceFish or seafoodသင်္ကြန်ထမင်း
🇲🇲 Myanmar and 1 moreRice in scented water, served cold with fried dried fish for the Burmese New Year
Main dish, Lunch, Dinner
Foie grasMeat
🇫🇷 France and 5 moreFattened duck or goose liver, a French delicacy served whole or as a spread
Main dish, Lunch, Dinner
Mulled wineGlühwein
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreRed wine heated with spices and fruit, served hot at Christmas and winter gatherings
Drink, Tea time, Dinner
Nachos
🇲🇽 Mexico and 1 moreTortilla chips topped with melted cheese and a mix of savory garnishes
Main dish, Snacks, Lunch
Bibimbap비빔밥
🇰🇷 South Korea and 1 moreKorean rice bowl with mixed vegetables, meat, egg and chili paste
Main dish, Lunch, Dinner
KhachapuriVegetarianხაჭაპური
🇬🇪 Georgia and 4 moreLeavened bread filled with cheese, sometimes egg, from Georgia
Bread, Breakfast, Lunch
Börek
🇹🇷 Turkey and 5 moreFlaky pastry filled with cheese, meat or vegetables, baked or fried
Pie or savoury pastry, Breakfast, Lunch
Gnocchi
🇮🇹 Italy and 5 moreSoft dumplings of dough, often made with potato, flour and egg
Dumpling, Lunch, Dinner
BigosMeat
🇵🇱 Poland and 5 morePolish stew of mixed meats, sauerkraut and cabbage, simmered with spices
Stew or curry, Breakfast, Dinner
PanettoneVegetarian
🇮🇹 Italy and 2 moreTall, sweet Italian bread with candied fruit, eaten at Christmas and New Year
Sweet or dessert, Breakfast, Tea time
Potato pancakeVegetarian
🇧🇾 Belarus and 5 moreShallow-fried pancakes made from grated or mashed potato, common across Europe
Main dish, Lunch, Dinner
Potato saladVegetarianKartoffelsalat
🇦🇹 Austria and 5 moreBoiled potatoes mixed with dressing, herbs, and vegetables, served cold or warm
Salad or side, Lunch, Dinner
Pierogi
🇵🇱 Poland and 6 moreDumplings of unleavened dough filled with savory or sweet mixtures
Dumpling, Lunch, Dinner
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Kimchi: Nagyman , a flickr user, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Olivier salad: Jacek Halicki, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Bibimbap: abex (a flickr user), CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Gnocchi: Amy Aletheia Cahill, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Potato salad: Kobako, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Mulled wine: JJ Georges, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Guacamole: Popo le Chien, CC0, source
- Mahaprasad: Government of Odisha, CC BY 4.0, source
- Smörgåsbord: Jordan Klein, CC BY 2.0, source
- Rechta: Ms10vc, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tihlo: Rod Waddington, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Pie: Peggy Greb, Public domain, source
- Biryani: Shyamveer.singh1982, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Nachos: Navajcmer, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Pilaf: Mizu basyo at Japanese Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Panettone: N i c o l a, CC BY 2.0, source
- Peanut stew: Marshiayers, CC0, source
- Borscht: Juerg Vollmer, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Crêpe: David Monniaux, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Lasagna: Breville USA, CC BY 2.0, source
- Foie gras: Nikodem Nijaki, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Pancake: Brandon Martin-Anderson, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Sushi: Yumi Kimura, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Rice pudding: Eli123seo, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Couscous: Lmmima, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Sauerkraut: Annakareninerussie, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Saleeg: Sayom, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Barbacoa: Elton Rodriguez, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Christmas ham: Santeri Viinamäki, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Pachamanca: Javi270270, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bigos: Alberto Racatumba, CC BY 2.0, source
- Hāngī: einalem, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Kālua: Adam, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Breadfruit: Hans Hillewaert, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Seafood boil: Tulane Public Relations, CC BY 2.0, source
- Barbecue in the United States: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Thingyan rice: Paingpeace, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Borhani: DarkSpartan, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kala bhuna: Dolon Prova, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Thanksgiving dinner: Ms Jones, CC BY 2.0, source
- Riz gras: Aboukam, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Börek: Silar, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Potato pancake: Photo made by Daniel Spils and uploaded to flickr.com, CC BY-SA 2.0, source