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Djenkoumé is a Togolese cornmeal dish cooked with a seasoned tomato base. The mixture is stirred until firm enough to hold its shape and served with sauces, fish, or meat.

Matooke and red beans simmered in an onion, tomato, garlic, and curry base until thick and spoonable.

Octopus gently simmered until tender, then finished with onion, garlic, and coconut cream. The slow cooking keeps the seafood tender and gives the sauce a rich finish.

A coastal Tunisian-style couscous with fish, chickpeas, vegetables, tomato, and harissa broth. The fish is added late so it stays intact.

Minced chicken is tossed warm with lime juice, fish sauce, shallot, herbs, and toasted rice powder for a salad that is sharp, savory, and deeply aromatic. Mint and coriander keep it fresh while dried chili adds extra heat.

A Ugandan street-food wrap of vegetable omelet rolled in a warm chapati.

Fine bulgur softened with hot water and mixed with tomato paste, pomegranate molasses, lemon, olive oil, herbs, and chopped vegetables.

Madrouba is a thick chicken and rice porridge cooked with onion, garlic, ghee, and warm spices until the rice breaks down.

5 regional versions

Batar Da'an is a Timorese stew of corn, mung beans, and pumpkin. This version adds coconut milk for a creamy regional variation while keeping the staple grain-and-legume combination central.

A sweet Ukrainian ceremonial grain dish made here with barley, poppy seeds, honey, raisins, walnuts, and vanilla.

Cabbage, corned beef, and onion baked in coconut cream until the cabbage is tender and the sauce is lightly reduced. This is a straightforward Tongan-style family dish.

Akoumé is a firm Togolese staple made by cooking fermented corn dough until smooth and elastic. It is commonly served with leafy, tomato, or palm-nut sauces.

Breadfruit simmered until tender and coated in coconut cream sweetened with brown sugar. The sauce should be glossy and thick enough to cling to the pieces.

Poached eggs served over garlicky strained yogurt and finished with paprika butter and dill. Pasteurized eggs are appropriate when the yolks are left soft.

Chicken steamed in banana-leaf parcels with a groundnut, tomato, onion, and garlic sauce. The parcels keep the chicken moist while the sauce cooks around it.

Pudim de coco is a coconut variation of Portuguese-style caramel custard found in Timorese cooking. This version is gently steamed and thoroughly chilled before unmolding.

Dograma combines tender lamb, torn bread, sliced onion, and hot broth, assembled just before serving so the bread softens without disintegrating.

A dark Trinidadian fruit cake made with rum-soaked dried fruit, browning, warm spices, and bitters. The fruit needs a long soak before the batter is mixed.

Feijoada Timorense reflects the Portuguese influence on Timorese cooking. This version simmers pork, chorizo, and red beans into a substantial stew and serves it with plain rice.

Emirati luqaimat are airy fried dumplings flavored with saffron and cardamom and finished with date syrup and sesame.

4 regional versions

Breaded chicken cutlets wrapped around chilled garlic-herb butter, fried until golden, and finished in the oven.

A Ukrainian-style beet and cabbage soup with beef, potato, carrot, tomato, vinegar, garlic, dill, and sour cream.

Fried potato, eggplant, pepper, and tomato chopped together and seasoned with onion, garlic, harissa, cumin, egg, and parsley.

Semolina pastries filled with spiced date paste, fried until golden, and coated with warm honey and lemon syrup.