If yesterday’s countdown of the first five of our ten favourite national dishes got your mouth watering, prepare to feel even more hungry today. Continuing on from yesterday, here are our top five international dishes. 5) Tortilla (Spain) Not to be confused with the Mexican tortilla flatbread, the Spanish tortilla is a delicious omelette. Also referred to as Spanish omelette, it makes a perfect accompaniment to tapas or can be enjoyed as a main meal with bread and salad. A traditional Spanish omelette is thicker than the UK version, mainly because it is bulked up with potatoes. It is also always fried in plenty of olive oil to pump the potatoes full of flavour and prevent them from browning. Unlike the UK-version of the omelette, meat is rarely added to a tortilla. Onions are a common ingredient, while peppers or seafood are also sometimes added. The great thing about this dish is that you can eat it hot or cold, and even slice it up so you can enjoy a bit at a time as a snack. 4) Crêpe (France) In our opinion, a crêpe is the best type of pancake. Unlike the American or Scotch pancake, it doesn’t feature raising agent, which means it is incredibly thin, packed with flavour and surprisingly light. The French crêpe comes from Brittany in the north of France, which might explain why it is so similar to a British pancake. Of course, in the UK we love pancakes so much we celebrate Pancake Day and we have also created our own savoury dish using the batter – the Yorkshire pudding. Savoury crêpes in France often contain cheese and ham, or ratatouille, but sweet crêpes remain the most popular option. While sugar, lemon juice, syrup, jam or whipped cream are all great toppings, the hazelnut spread Nutella is rapidly overtaking them as the number one choice. 3) Sushi (Japan) Sushi is the perfect dish for anyone who can’t make up their mind and choose one thing from the menu. That’s because, like dim sum in China and tapas in Spain, it consists of numerous bite-sized dishes – and it’s become one of Japan’s most popular exports to the west. That’s probably because it can be enjoyed as a healthy dinner or just a quick snack, depending on how much you buy. These tasty morsels always consist of vinegared rice wrapped around meat or vegetables, with raw seafood the most popular filling. It is one of the most beautiful dishes to look at, thanks to the care that has gone into making it. If you have ever tried to make sushi yourself, you’ll know what a challenge this is as it involves layering nori (seaweed strips) on top of a bamboo sheet, rolling out the rice over this and then adding the filling, before carefully rolling it and cutting it into identical-sized pieces. 2) Curry (India) Curry is not only the most popular type of dish in India, but also in the UK. Indeed, Chicken Tikka Masala has even been listed as Britain’s national dish on occasion. If we’re honest, we’re being a bit cheeky including curry here, as it doesn’t describe one dish so much as a whole selection of Indian, Pakistani, Thai, Chinese, Japanese and Indonesian cooking – but all of them are so delicious there was no way we couldn’t mention it. No one curry is the same as the next, but most of them include a fusion of herbs and spices and at least a pinch of chilli. You can choose meat or vegetable versions and eat them with rice, noodles or flatbreads. Chicken Tikka Masala is far from an authentic curry, given it is believed to have originated in the UK. However, if you want to make it more traditional, eat it using your right hand rather than a knife and fork, using your naan or roti to scoop up the food, as this is how it is done in India. 1) Pizza (Italy) There’s no way we couldn’t make pizza number one in the countdown of our favourite national dishes. In fact, we wonder if there’s anyone who doesn’t love it! It’s hard to believe that until the 60s and 70s, few people in the UK had ever eaten pizza; particularly at home. However, as more people started holidaying abroad, they got to experience the Mediterranean culture and, most importantly, the cuisine. As well as pizza Italy has given us pasta, and there are many UK households that will eat one or both of these several times a week. Perhaps the best thing about both is you can add any sauce or topping to them – just choose your favourites! However, despite the wealth of toppings, you could have, sometimes less is more. The true staple of Italian cuisine is the Neapolitan pizza, which has to be made according to certain guidelines to be classed as authentic. So, if you want to feel as though you are dining in Italy, top your pizza with fresh tomato sauce, sliced mozzarella, fresh basil leaves and extra virgin olive oil. Delicious! Pizza is our favourite national dish, but what’s yours? Share it below.
