What are the most popular foods in the world? Let’s begin our culinary journey with a list of the 25 most popular foods in the world.
Popular foods in the world.
1. Massaman curry (Thailand).
Even if the name of the recipe itself indicates that it is actually a dish of Islamic origin (Massaman or Matsaman is a distortion of Musulman), the dish, which is the most important thing, contains duck, chicken, beef, and pork for non-believers, or even sometimes tofu.
On the other hand, the dressing contains curry sauce, coconut milk, roasted peanuts, potatoes, onion, cardamom, bay leaf, star anise, palm sugar, fish sauce, tamarind, cumin, nutmeg, cloves, and, guess what? Bravi! A very hot pepper. A splendid dish for those who suffer from gastritis and want to leave this valley of tears.
2. Neapolitan pizza (Italy).
Emblem of Italy, Neapolitan pizza is perhaps the best-known dish in the world. The Neapolitan version has a few genuine ingredients and can be marinara or Margherita.
The first involves the use of garlic, tomato, and oregano. The second contains tomato, mozzarella, and basil to represent the colors of the Italian flag.
The marinara pizza exists since the early 1700s, while the Margherita was invented by a Neapolitan pizza chef in 1889 and dedicated to Queen Margherita on a visit to Naples.
In 2010 the European Union recognized Neapolitan pizza as a guaranteed traditional specialty.
3. Sushi (Japan).
Sushi is a Japanese cuisine dish that contains many different ingredients. Its preparation includes rice combined with fish, eggs, avocado, and nori seaweed, but now many ingredients compose it.
Originally sushi was a method for preserving fish. Only with the passing of the centuries has it become a symbol of Japanese cuisine.
In addition to rice, which can be white or whole meal, we can also accompany sushi with wasabi and soy sauce. Usually, the filling is raw, although there are variations that include cooked rice wrapped in a strip of seaweed or even prepared rice rolls.
4. Tacos (Mexico).
Tacos are the national dish of Mexico. Consumed as early as the 18th century, tortillas are folded on themselves and made with corn or wheat flour. Today they are found in many parts of the world, but the real taco is full of cooked meat, fish, cheese, raw onion, spicy green chili sauce, salad, and even green lemon. Often a cream based on guacamole and sour cream is also added.
They are available in all Mexican restaurants but are often served as street food so that one can also consume them outdoors.
5. Churrasco (Brazil).
Churrasco is a mixed grill of different types of meat, first marinated and then cooked in large pieces or whole on the grill. You can prepare pork, chicken, beef, or sheep, which take on a slightly smoky flavor given by the high cooking compared to the embers.
The invention of this typical dish in Brazil is due to the Gauchos, who experimented with this cuisine at the beginning of the nineteenth century.
Also called Rodizio, the Churrasco requires the meat to be served with large skewers directly on the plates and then cut with a knife. This barbecue is very popular in all Latin American countries where the chefs cook the meat according to their customers and with different accompaniments.
6. Paella (Spain).
Famous throughout the world, paella is a Spanish rice-base dish containing fish, meat, and vegetables. Born in Valencia with the use of seasonal products and also rabbit and chicken, the original paella is cooked in a large, low pan. There are many discussions about the ingredients to include in the dish, but the right saffron flavor must never be missing.
7. Cheeseburger (USA).
The cheeseburger was an evolution of the hamburger. The difference is the presence of the cheese that covers the meat. American, cheddar, or Swiss cheese, as well as blue cheeses, are the main ingredients of this dish.
You can prepare them with several layers and cover everything with chili, mushrooms, onions, guacamole, eggs, bacon, or ham. The imagination has given birth to numerous creations that make the cheeseburger an extremely versatile and popular dish.
8. Mochi (Japan).
Mochi is a popular dessert in Japan, made with glutinous rice that is boiled or steamed. Then you get a round-shaped pasta that also works as a base for many other desserts.
In reality, it also lends itself to savory dishes, such as soups and snacks, but the beauty of this pasta is its color with other ingredients, giving life to a very inviting dish.
It is the basis of Daifuku, a dessert made with mochi filled with jam, ice cream, or bean cream.
Born to be consumed by the aristocracy, the mochi has become in common use over the centuries. People mostly serve it on the occasion of religious holidays. People of Japan consider this dish auspicious for luck and health.
9. Borek (Turkey).
Borek is one of the typical dishes of Turkish cuisine. The basic ingredient is yufka, a very thin sheet of puff pastry prepared with water, flour, and salt.
Traditionally, the Borek is filled with cheese, spinach, minced meat, and other vegetables as desired. Before baking, it is necessary to brush the Borek with beaten egg yolk.
In Turkey, there are different variations of Borek depending on the region, and you can find it flat like a tortilla or in the form of a cigarette role. The interior varies a lot according to the place: it can be stuffed with feta, potatoes, parsley, butter, green pepper, and other sauces.
This dish probably has origins in the provinces of Anatolia in the period of the Ottoman Empire.
10. Biryani (India).
Biryani represents a set of classic Indian cuisine whose origins date back to the Mughal Empire. Its literal meaning is fried or roasted, and the dish is assumed to have arrived in India from Persia via migrants and travelers.
The main ingredient is rice, usually basmati, with a lot of spices, meat, eggs, or vegetables. One can prepare this dish in many ways with dried fruit, yogurt, and hazelnuts.
Today its popularity is such that millions of people cook it in many parts of the world, proposing such wide varieties as per the regional taste.
You can eat Bombay biryani, rich in spices, Lucknowi biryani, in which you have to cook meat and rice separately, and Sindhi biryani, with the addition of yogurt.
A dish once reserved for the richest castes, today, biryani is available in all Asian restaurants, different according to the seasonality of the products.
11. Fondue (Switzerland).
Fondue is one of the symbols of Switzerland and is a delicacy made from melted cheese, flour, and wine. There are many ways to cook it, but it is always good to cook it in the traditional saucepan called caquelon.
It is a real delicacy that warms the body and spirit, especially in the high mountains where people eat it, especially in winter and colder days, along with tasty slices of bread.
The dish changes from region to region, depending on the cheese used, which can be Gruyere, Emmental, or others.
12. Dim sum (China).
From a simple snack, dim sum has become an integral part of Chinese culture. It is a type of cuisine that includes a series of dishes to be served with tea.
Its main ingredients include fish, meat, and vegetables but also sweets and fruit. The word dim sum literally means “to touch the heart” and indicates precisely the goodness of this food that people often prepare or purchase for special occasions.
The beauty of this food is that it consists of small portions. You can share it in moments of relaxation with loved ones. It can also include stuffed crab claws, spring rolls, rice porridge, pork, and shrimp ravioli.
13. Hamburger (USA).
The hamburger is a cult dish of American cuisine famous all over the world. It consists of a sandwich made with meat to which you can add many other ingredients such as lettuce, onion, tomatoes, and many condiments such as sauces, mayonnaise, or ketchup.
The hamburger, with the addition of cheese, becomes a cheeseburger. Still, today there are hundreds of variations of this delicious food available in fast-food restaurants and many restaurants all over the globe.
14. Feta (Greece).
Feta is the best-known Greek cheese, also known as the princess of cheese. It’s main production ingredient is sheep’s milk in various regions or a mixture of sheep’s and goat’s milk, but the latter must not exceed 30%.
Feta is produced with unpasteurized milk and stays in brine to mature for two to three months. It is a semi-hard cheese, bright white, and quite salty.
We all know it because it is often part of many salads, such as the Greek salad, which embellishes fresh and intense taste.
15. Fish and chips (England).
There is perhaps nothing more English after tea than fish and chips. It is one of the best dishes of all, based on fish and potatoes. Plaice, haddock, and cod are some of the most common fish for frying that one can choose on the spot when ordering in an English place.
The fish fillets go through eggs, milk, and flour and then in oil or lard for frying together with the potatoes. It is also an exceptional dish for takeaway, prepared in special shops in England.
In this case, they serve it on wax paper, perfect for eating fish and chips while walking. People also consume it with ketchup, vinegar, salt, curry sauce, and peas.
16. Mousse (France).
Mousse is a typical dessert in France. It is a light and soft cream with a foamy consistency, usually prepared with beaten egg whites and then with the addition of vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate.
The most famous is undoubtedly the chocolate one which is also the oldest. It was invented around the second half of the 19th century. In the sixties, it spread to American and English restaurants, and today, it is found on all tables all over the world.
17. Hummus (Lebanon).
Hummus is a Lebanese recipe that has become famous all over the world. The main ingredients are chickpea puree, sesame seed paste, garlic, olive oil, lemon, paprika, cumin, and chopped parsley.
The appropriate way to eat it is by spreading it in pita bread or with unleavened bread buns. It is a delicious sauce that goes well with raw vegetables. You can also decorate it with fresh herbs, olives, tomatoes, pine nuts, and hard-boiled eggs.
18. Ceviche (Peru).
In Peru, ceviche is a cultural heritage dish of the nation. It dates back to the pre-Columbian era and is a recipe based on fish and shellfish, such as raw seafood marinated in lemon, with the addition of spices such as coriander and chili.
The sour marinade, also known as tiger milk, cooks the fish that must necessarily be very fresh and all the ingredients used.
The dish has an intense aroma of the sea. Restaurants serve it in a bed of lettuce with boiled yucca, popcorn, and sweet potatoes. Throughout Peru, there are special restaurants with name Cevicheria very popular as the dish is very popular.
19. Pho (Vietnam).
Pho is the Vietnamese national dish. It is a soup which chefs make with noodles and beef or chicken whose taste and flavor vary according to the preparations and other ingredients that compose it.
Herbs and spices such as bean sprouts, mint leaves, or lime augment their taste. In the north of the country, people cooks Pho Bac with a delicate flavor and without herbs, while in the south, there is Pho Nam, tastier and richer in spices but also with fish and sauces.
20. Thai soup (Thailand).
The Thai soup Tom Yum Goong is also part of Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam cuisine. From there, it seems to have conquered the world.
The important thing in this soup is the base. A broth that contains many smells, including lemongrass, kaffir, fresh lime, fish sauce, and, for a change, hot pepper.
The most appropriate thing for the inside ingredients, such as chicken, beef, shrimp, or pork, is to simmer them in soup for a long time. Certainly, Yum in the dish name indicates the tasty tuber.
21. Penang Assam Laksa (Malaysia).
The Penang Assam Laksa of Malaysia. Assam Laksa is the Malaysian term for tamarind, so the sour taste of the dish can surprise you, which for Western taste may perhaps be a little extreme.
It has shredded mackerel, mint, cucumbers, lettuce, lemon, onions and pineapple, and noodles. Hot pepper is the inevitable ingredient.
22. French fries.
According to legend, the inventors were the French, who then exported the recipe to the USA. They do not agree with this tradition in Belgium and claim the French fries’ paternity. Now there is no country in the world where you will not be able to find famous French fries.
23. Bacon.
Bacon was once a food for poor farmers who tried to exploit all the meat parts of their farms. Over time, pancetta has become the main food of the American and continental breakfast. As well as the fundamental ingredient of many local dishes such as pasta. Eight thousand tons of bacon production takes place every year in the United States.
24. Fried chicken.
Fried chicken is not only popular in the United States and Asia now, but in the last twenty years, it has also arrived in Europe. The spread of large fast-food chains in the Old Continent has added to the fried chicken culture already present in some countries such as Italy and Scotland.
In Kentucky, every year, there is a party for a few days in which people cook 7 thousand chickens in a pan with a diameter of three meters!
25. Gelato.
Tradition assigns the paternity of ice cream to Italy even though the Arabs were probably already preparing sorbets. In the nineteenth century, industrial production began thanks to the crank sorbet maker invented by the American Nancy Johnson in 1846. From that moment on, it was a riot of cups, cones, and tubs of ice cream.