thumb|A type of [[pizza (pizza margherita). ]]

A national dish is a culinary dish that is strongly associated with a particular country. A dish can be considered a national dish for a variety of reasons:

  • It is a staple food, made from a selection of locally available foodstuffs that can be prepared in a distinctive way, such as fruits de mer, served along the west coast of France.

Some countries such as Mexico, China or India, because of their diverse ethnic populations, cultures, and cuisines, do not have a single national dish, even unofficially.

  • Albania: tavë kosi, flia
  • Algeria: couscous,
  • Angola: moamba de galinha
  • Antigua and Barbuda: fungee and pepperpot
  • Argentina: asado, matambre, locro
  • Armenia: khorovats, harisa (not to be confused with the North African pepper paste harissa)
  • Aruba: Keshi yena
  • Australia: roast lamb, meat pie, Vegemite on toast
  • Austria: Wiener schnitzel
  • Bahrain: kabsa
  • Bangladesh: rice and fish (particularly ilish)
  • Barbados: cou-cou and flying fish
  • Belarus: draniki
  • Belgium: frites (particularly served with mussels), carbonade flamande, waterzooi, Belgian waffle
  • Belize: rice and beans
  • Benin: kuli-kuli
  • Bhutan: ema datshi
  • Bolivia: salteñas
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina: Bosnian pot, ćevapi, burek
  • Botswana: seswaa
  • Brazil: feijoada
  • Bulgaria: Shopska salad, banitsa
  • Burkina Faso: riz gras
  • Burundi: boko boko

C

thumb|[[Peking duck, China]]

  • Cambodia: fish amok, num banhchok, samlar kako
  • Cameroon: ndolé
  • Canada: poutine, donair, butter tarts, Nanaimo bar, tourtière
  • Cape Verde: cachupa
  • Central African Republic: cassava
  • Chad: boule
  • Chile: empanada, pastel de choclo, marraqueta
  • China: Peking duck, crayfish, hot pot, dumpling, malaxiangguo, dim sum, kaolengmian, tanghulu
  • Colombia: ajiaco, bandeja paisa
  • Comoros: Langouste a la vanille (vanilla lobster)
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo: poulet à la moambé
  • Republic of the Congo: poulet moambé jota, pašticada (Dalmatia)
  • Cuba: ropa vieja
  • Cyprus: souvla, kleftiko, trachanás
  • Czech Republic: vepřo knedlo zelo (roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut), svíčková, paštika

D

thumb|right|Danish smørrebrød

  • Denmark: stegt flæsk,, flæskesteg
  • Faroe Islands: Skerpikjøt
  • Greenland: suaasat
  • Djibouti: skoudehkaris
  • Dominica: mountain chicken (historical), callaloo
  • Dominican Republic: La bandera (rice, beans and meat)

E

  • Ecuador: encebollado, guatitas, fanesca
  • Egypt: ful medames, taʿamiya
  • El Salvador: pupusa
  • Equatorial Guinea: Succotash
  • Eritrea: zigini with injera
  • Estonia: kama
  • Eswatini: Shisa Nyama
  • Ethiopia: doro wat with injera

F

thumb|right|Finnish [[Karjalanpaisti (Karelian hot pot)]]

thumb|right|[[Pot-au-feu, national dish of France]]

  • Fiji: kokoda (Fijian ceviche)
  • Finland: rye bread, Karelian pie, karjalanpaisti, lohikeitto, joulutorttu
  • France: escargot, pot-au-feu, beef bourguignon, blanquette de veau, cassoulet, cheese, crêpe, crème caramel, croissant, poule au pot (historical), chou à la crème

G

  • Gabon: poulet nyembwe
  • The Gambia: domoda
  • Georgia: khachapuri, khinkali
  • Germany: schweinshaxe, bratwurst, sauerbraten, döner kebab, currywurst, eisbein with sauerkraut
  • Ghana: fufu, jollof rice
  • Greece: horiatiki, moussaka, fasolada
  • Guatemala: pepián
  • Guinea: poulet yassa
  • Guinea-Bissau: caldo de mancarra
  • Guyana: pepperpot and chicken curry

H

thumb|right|Hungarian [[goulash]]

  • Haiti: griot, soup joumou
  • Honduras: baleada
  • Hong Kong: pineapple bun, dim sum
  • Hungary: goulash
  • India: Khichdi, Chaat, butter chicken, biryani, Dal, dosa, idli
  • Indonesia: nasi goreng,, tumpeng, satay, soto, rendang, ghormeh sabzi Fesenjan
  • Iraq: masgouf, dolma, Iraqi kebab, quzi
  • Ireland: soda bread, butter, Irish stew
  • Israel: falafel (served in pita), Israeli salad, meorav Yerushalmi, sabich, Ptitim
  • Italy: pasta, risotto, mozzarella, Parmigiano Reggiano, Italian wine
  • Ivory Coast: atcheke

J

thumb|right|[[Sushi, Japan]]

  • Jamaica: Ackee and saltfish
  • Japan: sushi, Japanese curry, ramen, tempura, wagashi, sashimi, miso soup
  • Jordan: mansaf

K

thumb|right|Korean [[kimchi]]

  • Kazakhstan: beshbarmak
  • Kenya: ugali with sukuma wiki, githeri, nyama choma
  • Kiribati: Palusami
  • Korea, North: raengmyŏn, kimchi
  • Korea, South: kimchi, bulgogi, bibimbap, jajangmyeon, bingsu, tteokbokki
  • Kosovo: flia
  • Kuwait: Machboos Laham
  • Kyrgyzstan: beshbarmak

L

thumb|right|[[Tabbouleh, Lebanon]]

  • Laos: larb/laap, sticky rice, tam mak hoong
  • Latvia: layered rye bread, sklandrausis, Jāņi cheese, Grey peas
  • Lebanon: kibbeh,
  • Lesotho: Pap-pap
  • Liberia: dumboy
  • Libya: Couscous
  • Liechtenstein: käsknöpfle
  • Lithuania: bigos, cepelinai, šaltibarščiai
  • Luxembourg: Judd mat Gaardebounen

M

thumb|[[Nasi lemak, a national dish of Malaysia.]]

  • Madagascar: romazava
  • Malaysia: nasi lemak, satay
  • Maldives: mas huni
  • Mali: tiguadege na
  • Malta: stuffat tal-fenek
  • Marshall Islands: Barramundi cod, macadamia nut pie
  • Mauritius: dholl puri (flatbread stuffed with lentils)
  • Mexico: taco, chiles en nogada
  • Moldova: mămăligă, ghivetch
  • Monaco: barbagiuan
  • Mongolia: buuz
  • Montenegro: njeguški pršut
  • Morocco: couscous, lahpet thoke

N

thumb|[[Dal bhat|Dhido, Nepal]]

  • Nauru: coconut fish
  • Nepal: Gundruk and Dhido
  • Netherlands: stamppot, soused herring with onion and pickles
  • New Zealand: meat pie, bacon and egg pie, lamb, pavlova
  • Nicaragua: gallo pinto, nacatamal, vigorón
  • Niger: dambou
  • Nigeria: tuwon shinkafa, pounded yam and egusi soup
  • North Macedonia: tavče gravče
  • Norway: fårikål

O

  • Oman: shuwa

P

thumb|[[Philippine adobo, a national dish of the Philippines]]

  • Pakistan: biryani, nihari, chicken karahi, gulab jamun
  • Palestine: maqluba, musakhan, falafel
  • Panama: sancocho pollo a la brasa
  • Philippines: adobo, sinigang, pancit, halo-halo,
  • Poland: bigos, kotlet schabowy,
  • Portugal: bacalhau, caldo verde, cozido à portuguesa, Pastel de Belem, Sardinha Assada (Grilled Sardines)

Q

  • Qatar: machboos

R

  • Romania: mămăligă, sarmale, mici
  • Russia: beef stroganoff, chicken Kiev, pierogi, borscht, shchi, pelmeni, Olivier salad, blini
  • Rwanda: ibihaza

S

thumb|Swedish [[Crayfish party|crayfish called Kräftskiva]]

  • San Marino: torta tre monti
  • Saudi Arabia: saleeg, kabsa, jareesh, maqshus
  • Senegal: thieboudienne pljeskavica, gibanica (pastry), Karađorđeva steak, sarma, pasulj
  • Singapore: chilli crab, Hainanese chicken rice, Hokkien mee
  • Slovakia: pirohy, bryndzové halušky
  • Slovenia: cremeschnitte, buckwheat dumplings (particularly štruklji), Idrijski žlikrofi, Carniolan sausage
  • Somalia: bariis Iskukaris
  • South Africa: bobotie
  • Spain: tortilla de patatas
  • Asturias: cachopo
  • Catalonia: pa amb tomaquet
  • Galicia: polbo á feira
  • Madrid: churro
  • Valencia: paella
  • Sri Lanka: rice and curry, kottu
  • Sweden: köttbullar, surströmming (fermented Baltic herring), pickled herring with potatoes, ostkaka, smörgåstårta (savory sandwich cake) and kebab pizza.
  • Switzerland: fondue, muesli, raclette, rösti (core national dishes). Other dishes: cervelat (national sausage), cordon bleu
  • Syria: kibbeh qurutob
  • Taiwan: beef noodle soup, minced pork rice
  • Tanzania: chipsi mayai
  • Thailand: pad thai, pad gaprao, tom yum kung, som tam
  • Togo: fufu
  • Tonga: 'ota 'ika
  • Trinidad and Tobago: doubles, pelau, bake and shark, Roti
  • Tobago: curry crab and dumplings
  • Tunisia: couscous,
  • Turkey: doner kebab, dürüm, kuru fasulye with pilaf, kebap, baklava, simit, kapuska
  • Tuvalu: pulaka

U

thumb|A [[Sunday roast – in this example, roast beef with mashed potatoes, vegetables is a national dish of the United Kingdom – here with Yorkshire pudding marking this variation as English.]]

  • Uganda: matooke
  • Ukraine: borscht, varenyky
  • United Arab Emirates: harees, shuwa
  • United Kingdom: a "full" fry-up breakfast, Fried chicken, fish and chips Sunday roast (especially roast beef), chicken tikka masala,, potato crisps
  • England: Melton Mowbray pork pies, crumpets, custard, apple pie, rhubarb crumble, pudding: (black pudding, steak and kidney pudding, Yorkshire pudding, plum pudding, spotted dick), trifle
  • Cornwall: Cornish pasties
  • Devon: Devonshire cream tea, pasty
  • Northern Ireland: Barmbrack, boxty, champ, Ulster fry
  • Scotland: Burns supper of haggis with neeps and tatties, and scotch whisky, Arbroath smokies, kippers, kedgeree, Cullen skink, cock-a-leekie soup, porridge, rumbledethumps, Clootie dumpling, Cranachan, Dundee cake
  • Shetland Isles: Reestit mutton
  • Wales: bara brith, cawl, Glamorgan sausages, laverbread, Tatws Pum Munud, Welsh rarebit, Welsh cakes
  • United States: apple pie, cheeseburger, hamburger, hot dog, mashed potatoes and gravy (historical)
  • American Samoa: palusami
  • Guam: Kelaguen, Spam
  • Hawaii: Saimin
  • Northern Mariana Islands: Kelaguen
  • Puerto Rico: lechon, mofongo, arroz con gandules
  • United States Virgin Islands: funji
  • Uruguay: chivito

V

  • Vanuatu: laplap
  • Vatican City: Fettuccine alla Papalina (unofficial)
  • Venezuela: pabellón criollo, arepa
  • Vietnam: Pho, Bun cha, Bún bò Huế,

Y

  • Yemen: saltah

Z

  • Zambia: nshima
  • Zimbabwe: sadza

Latin American dishes

In Latin America, dishes may be claimed or designated as a plato nacional, although in many cases, recipes transcend national borders with only minor variations. Preparations of ceviche are endemic in Peru and Ecuador, while a thin cut of beef known as matambre is considered close to being a national dish in Paraguay. Stews of meat, plantains, and root vegetables are the platos nacionales of several countries in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean: Colombian ajiaco, as well as the sancocho of the Dominican Republic, Colombia, and Panama, are examples of platos nacionales. Janer (2008) observes that this sharing of the same plato nacional by different countries calls into question the idea that every country has a unique national dish that is special to that country; she states that cuisine does not respect national and geopolitical borders. is usually part of the cuisine of rural and peasant communities, and not necessarily part of the everyday cuisine of city dwellers. In expatriate communities, the dish is strongly reclaimed in order to retain the sense of national identity and ties to one's homeland, and is proudly served in homes and restaurants. By this show of national identity, the community can resist social pressures that push for homogenization of many ethnically and culturally diverse communities into a single all-encompassing group identity, such as Latino or Hispanic American. a national dish of Poland.

File:Senegalese Thieboudienne.JPG|Thieboudienne, Senegal national meal

File:Borscht served.jpg|Ukrainian borscht

</gallery>

Drink

National drinks

thumb|The [[espresso is a national drink of Italy. Its name comes from the Italian esprimere, which means "to express," and refers to the process by which hot water is forced under pressure through ground coffee.]]

A national drink is a distinct beverage that is strongly associated with a particular country, and can be part of their national identity and self-image. These drinks can be either alcoholic or non-alcoholic. Alcoholic national drinks might be spirits consumed straight (like vodka in Russia), but more often, they are mixed drinks (such as caipirinhas in Brazil and Singapore Slings in Singapore), beer, or wine. Non-alcoholic national drinks include Coca-Cola in the United States, boba tea in Taiwan, and Thai iced tea in Thailand.

Several factors can qualify a beverage as a national drink:

  • Regional ingredients and popularity: The drink is made from locally sourced ingredients and is commonly consumed, such as mango lassi in India, which uses dahi, a traditional yogurt.
  • Unique local ingredients: The beverage contains an exotic ingredient that is unique to the region.
  • Cultural tradition: The drink plays a significant role in festive traditions and cultural heritage.
  • Official promotion: The country actively promotes the drink as a national symbol.

Choosing a single national drink can be challenging for some countries due to their diverse cultures and populations, such as Mexico or India. Conversely, some beverages, like pisco sour, are claimed by more than one country—both Peru and Chile, in this case.

See also

  • Index of sociology of food articles
  • Gastronationalism
  • Traditional food

References