81 cities
The dish in every city
Every great food city has one dish you shouldn’t leave without eating. Here it is for each of ours: the dish, the three best places for it, and a recipe to make it when you get home.
Europe
A Coruña
Pulpo á feiraTender boiled octopus cut with scissors onto a wooden plate, with olive oil, coarse salt, paprika and boiled potatoes
Aarhus
Stegt flæsk med persillesovsCrisp fried slices of pork belly with boiled potatoes and a creamy parsley sauce
Algarve
Cataplana de mariscoClams, prawns and fish steamed with chorizo, tomato, peppers and white wine in a sealed copper pan
Amsterdam
AppeltaartDutch apple pie: a deep, crumbly butter crust packed with cinnamon apples and raisins, with a lattice top and whipped cream
Athens
SouvlakiCharcoal-grilled pork skewers, eaten on the stick or wrapped in warm pita with tomato, onion and yogurt
Barcelona
La bombaA fried ball of mashed potato around spiced beef, topped with garlic aioli and hot red sauce
Berlin
CurrywurstSliced fried sausage drowned in curry-spiced ketchup, dusted with curry powder and served with fries
Bilbao
Bacalao al pil-pilSalt cod cooked gently in olive oil with garlic and chili, the oil swirled until the fish's gelatin turns it into a pale golden sauce
Bologna
Tagliatelle al ragùFresh egg pasta ribbons with a slow meat sauce of beef and pork, a little tomato, milk and wine
Copenhagen
SmørrebrødDanish open sandwiches on dense rye bread, piled with pickled herring, roast beef, egg and shrimp, or fried plaice
Florence
Bistecca alla fiorentinaA huge T-bone of Tuscan beef, grilled over hot coals, served rare with salt, olive oil and lemon
Gijón
Fabada asturianaBig white fabe beans slow-cooked with chorizo, morcilla blood sausage, pork belly and saffron
Gothenburg
RäksmörgåsA shrimp sandwich: a mountain of hand-peeled cold-water shrimp on bread with egg, mayonnaise, lettuce and dill
Lisbon
Pastel de nataA small custard tart in crackly puff pastry, scorched on top and eaten warm with cinnamon and powdered sugar
Logroño
ChampisGriddled mushroom caps stacked on bread with a garlic, parsley and oil sauce, topped with a tiny shrimp
London
Fish and chipsHaddock or cod in crisp beer batter, thick-cut chips, mushy peas, salt and malt vinegar
Lyon
Quenelle de brochetA light, soufflé-like dumpling of pike, baked in a rich crayfish (Nantua) sauce
Madrid
Cocido madrileñoA slow pot of chickpeas, beef, chicken, pork and chorizo, served in turns: the broth with noodles first, then the chickpeas, vegetables and meats
Malmö
FalafelCrisp chickpea fritters in pita with salad, pickles, tahini and chili sauce
Milan
Risotto alla milaneseSaffron risotto, golden yellow and creamy, finished with butter and Parmigiano; often served with osso buco
Naples
Pizza margheritaSoft, blistered wood-fired pizza with San Marzano tomato, fior di latte, basil and olive oil
Odense
BrunsvigerA soft, yeasted coffee cake from Funen, with pools of brown sugar and butter melted into the top
Oviedo
CachopoTwo big veal fillets sandwiching ham and melting cheese, breaded and fried, served with chips and peppers
Pamplona
Pimientos del piquillo rellenosSweet, wood-roasted Navarra peppers stuffed with salt cod and bathed in a creamy pepper sauce
Paris
Croissant au beurreA flaky, buttery, crescent-shaped pastry made by folding butter into yeasted dough dozens of times
Porto
FrancesinhaA huge sandwich of steak, ham and sausage under melted cheese, drowned in a hot, spicy beer-and-tomato sauce, usually with a fried egg and fries
Rome
Cacio e pepePasta tossed with pecorino Romano, black pepper and starchy pasta water into a creamy sauce
Rotterdam
Surinamese rotiA soft, flaky flatbread with chicken curry, potatoes, long beans and a boiled egg, eaten by tearing the roti and scooping
San Sebastián
GildaThe original pintxo: a skewer of anchovy, green olive and pickled guindilla pepper
Santander
RabasStrips of squid in a light, crisp flour coating, fried and eaten with lemon
Santiago de Compostela
Tarta de SantiagoA moist, flourless almond cake with lemon and cinnamon, dusted with sugar around the cross of Saint James
Stockholm
KöttbullarSwedish meatballs in cream gravy, with mashed potatoes, lingonberries and quick-pickled cucumber
The Hague
RijsttafelAn Indonesian 'rice table': rice surrounded by a dozen or more small dishes, from beef rendang and satay to sambals and pickles
Vienna
Wiener SchnitzelA thin veal cutlet in a puffy golden breadcrumb crust, fried in butter, with lemon, potato salad and lingonberries
Vigo
OystersRaw Galician oysters, opened to order and eaten standing up with a squeeze of lemon and a glass of Albariño
Vitoria-Gasteiz
GoxuaA layered dessert in a small dish: whipped cream, rum-soaked sponge and pastry cream, crowned with burnt caramelAsia
Bangkok
Tom yum goongHot and sour prawn soup with lemongrass, galangal, lime leaf, chili and lime
Chengdu
Mapo tofuSoft tofu in a fiery, numbing sauce of chili bean paste, ground beef and Sichuan pepper
Chiang Mai
Khao soiCurry noodle soup with coconut milk and chicken, topped with crisp fried noodles, eaten with pickled mustard greens, shallots and lime
Delhi
Butter chickenTandoori chicken simmered in a silky tomato, butter and cream sauce scented with fenugreek
George Town
Char kway teowFlat rice noodles stir-fried over fierce heat with prawns, cockles, Chinese sausage, egg, chives and bean sprouts
Hanoi
Phở bòBeef noodle soup: a clear broth simmered from bones with charred onion, ginger and star anise, over rice noodles and thin slices of beef
Ho Chi Minh City
Bánh mìA light, crackly baguette filled with pâté, cold cuts, pickled carrot and daikon, cucumber, cilantro and chili
Hong Kong
Wonton noodlesSpringy egg noodles and shrimp wontons in a clear broth of dried flounder and shrimp roe
Kuala Lumpur
Nasi lemakCoconut rice with fiery sambal, crisp anchovies, peanuts, cucumber and egg, often with fried chicken
Kyoto
YudofuSilky tofu warmed in kombu broth at the table, dipped in soy with scallion, ginger and yuzu
Mumbai
Vada pavA spiced potato fritter in a soft bun with garlic chutney, green chutney and a fried green chili
Osaka
OkonomiyakiA savory griddle pancake of cabbage and batter with pork belly, brushed with sauce and mayo and topped with bonito and seaweed
Seoul
Pyeongyang naengmyeonBuckwheat noodles in an ice-cold, clear beef broth with radish kimchi, pear, beef slices and a boiled egg
Shanghai
XiaolongbaoDelicate steamed dumplings filled with pork and hot soup, eaten with black vinegar and ginger
Singapore
Hainanese chicken riceSilky poached chicken with rice cooked in chicken fat and broth, chili-garlic sauce, ginger and dark soy
Taipei
Beef noodle soupThick wheat noodles in a deep red-braised beef broth with chunks of tender shank, pickled mustard greens and scallion
Tokyo
TonkatsuA thick pork cutlet in light panko, deep-fried until crisp and juicy, with shredded cabbage, rice, miso soup and tonkatsu sauceNorth America
Boston
Lobster rollSweet chunks of fresh lobster in a buttered, toasted split-top roll, either cold with a little mayo or warm with melted butter
Chicago
Italian beefThin-sliced roast beef soaked in garlicky, herby jus, piled in a long roll with sweet peppers or spicy giardiniera
Los Angeles
Korean barbecue (galbi)Beef short ribs marinated in soy, pear and garlic, grilled at the table and eaten in lettuce with banchan
Mexico City
Tacos al pastorPork marinated in chilies and achiote, cooked on a vertical spit, shaved onto small corn tortillas with pineapple, onion and cilantro
Miami
Cuban sandwichRoast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard pressed hot and flat in Cuban bread
Montreal
Smoked meatBrisket cured with spices, smoked and steamed, sliced hand-thick onto rye with yellow mustard
New Orleans
GumboA dark roux stew with the 'holy trinity' (onion, celery, pepper), andouille and chicken or seafood, over rice
New York City
Bagel with loxA boiled-then-baked bagel with cream cheese, silky cured salmon, capers, red onion and tomato
Oaxaca
Mole negroA dark, glossy sauce of burnt chilies, spices, nuts, seeds, plantain and chocolate, over turkey or chicken
Philadelphia
CheesesteakThin-shaved ribeye griddled with onions, folded with melted cheese (Whiz, provolone or American) into a long roll
San Francisco
Mission burritoA huge steamed flour tortilla wrapped around grilled meat, rice, beans, salsa, cheese, crema and guacamole, then foiled
Toronto
Peameal bacon sandwichThick slices of cornmeal-crusted, brined pork loin, griddled and piled on a soft bun with mustard
Vancouver
Dim sumSmall plates of Cantonese dumplings and buns with tea: shrimp har gow, pork siu mai, char siu bao, rice rollsSouth America
Bogotá
Ajiaco santafereñoChicken and three-potato soup flavored with guascas, served with corn, cream, capers and avocado
Buenos Aires
Bife de chorizoA thick strip steak grilled slowly over wood embers, with chimichurri and salt
Lima
CevicheRaw white fish cured in lime juice with chili, red onion and cilantro, with sweet potato and corn
Santiago
Pastel de chocloA clay dish of spiced beef, chicken, olives and egg under a sweet, golden crust of ground fresh corn
São Paulo
FeijoadaBlack beans stewed with smoked and salted pork, served with rice, collard greens, farofa and orangeAfrica & Middle East
Beirut
Man'oushe with za'atarBreakfast flatbread from the oven, brushed with thyme, sumac, sesame and olive oil
Cairo
KoshariEgypt's street dish: rice, lentils and macaroni topped with spiced tomato sauce, garlic vinegar, chickpeas and crisp fried onions
Cape Town
BobotieSpiced curried mince with dried fruit, baked under a golden egg custard
Dubai
MachboosSpiced rice cooked in the broth of chicken, lamb or prawns with loomi (dried black lime)
Istanbul
LahmacunPaper-thin flatbread spread with spiced minced lamb, tomato and pepper, baked in a wood oven and rolled up with herbs and lemon
Johannesburg
KotaA quarter loaf of white bread hollowed out and stuffed with fries, polony, Russian sausage, cheese, egg and atchar
Marrakech
TanjiaBeef or lamb slow-cooked in a clay urn with preserved lemon, saffron, cumin and smen, buried overnight in the ashes of a hammam furnaceOceania
Auckland
Mince and cheese pieA hand-sized pastry pie of rich beef mince in gravy topped with melted cheese, New Zealand's favorite snack
Melbourne
Chicken parmaA crumbed chicken schnitzel topped with tomato sauce, ham and melted cheese, served with chips and salad
Sydney
Meat pieA hand-sized pie of flaky pastry around beef in rich gravy, eaten with tomato sauceNo city or dish matches that yet.
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