Signature dishes around the world: how to explore a cuisine through one of its best-known dishes

Order a tortilla in Spain and order one in Mexico, and your meal can start in two very different ways. In Spain you might get a slice of potatoes set in egg. In Mexico you might get a corn tortilla to fold around a filling. The shared name invites a closer look at the ingredients, the cooking and the role each preparation plays at the table.

Calling something a “typical dish” gives you a name to look up on a menu or in a cookbook and a specific dish to learn. The label also smooths over differences. A well-known version can overshadow what changes from one household to another, what people cook on an ordinary day and what they make to share on special occasions. Couscous and jollof raise another question: how do we talk about dishes that several communities call their own, each with its own way of making them?

Europe · Tortilla de patatas, Spain

Potatoes, eggs, olive oil and salt form the base. A version with onion lets you taste how it adds sweetness. Slice the potatoes thinly and cook them gently in oil until tender. Drain them, mix them with beaten eggs and cook the mixture in a frying pan until set on both sides. Try it freshly made and then cold, cut into cubes. The same omelette can be served as a main course or as a bite to share.

Maghreb · Vegetable couscous, a Moroccan version

Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia jointly submitted the skills associated with couscous to UNESCO. A Moroccan vegetable version shows how two preparations come together: the semolina grains are steamed while the vegetables simmer in broth. Try carrots, squash, courgettes and chickpeas. Spoon the stew over the fluffed grains and add broth to taste. If you use precooked couscous, rehydrate it as directed on the packet and make the stew separately.

Middle East · Hummus on a mezze table, Jordan

On a Jordanian mezze table, hummus can be served with bread and other dishes for sharing, such as aubergine mutabbal. To make it, blend cooked chickpeas with tahini, a sesame paste, plus lemon, garlic and salt. Add a little cooking liquid until the hummus is soft enough to scoop up with a piece of bread. Taste it alongside the aubergine to see how the two dishes complement each other.

Sub-Saharan Africa · Jollof rice, a Ghanaian version

Jollof is served at celebrations in several West African countries, including Ghana and Nigeria. In one Ghanaian version, the rice cooks with tomatoes, onion, garlic, chilli and stock, along with meat and vegetables. To try the technique, sauté the onion with the garlic and chilli, let the tomatoes cook down, then add the rice and stock. Notice how the rice takes on the flavour of the sauce as it cooks.

Asia · Bibimbap, Korea

A bowl of bibimbap brings together rice, separately prepared vegetables and a sauce made with gochujang, a Korean fermented chilli paste. Blanch spinach, sauté carrots and mushrooms separately, and arrange them over the rice. Add an egg if you like. Taste one of the toppings on its own, then mix the bowl before eating. Notice the tender spinach, the texture of the carrots and the flavour of the mushrooms.

Americas · Tacos al pastor, Mexico City

In Mexico City taquerías, marinated pork is roasted on a vertical spit called a trompo and shaved into thin slices. For a home version, marinate thin slices of pork in a chilli and achiote adobo, brown them in batches in a hot pan until cooked through, then chop them into small pieces. Serve on warm corn tortillas with seared pineapple, onion and coriander. A hot pan gives the meat browned edges with equipment you have at home.

The next time you make one of these dishes, change one thing and see what happens. Try the tortilla cold, adjust the broth in the couscous or add the bibimbap sauce a little at a time. If you swap an ingredient or change the method, make a note of what you did and what changed. Keep exploring with KitchenPause’s documented guide to understanding international cooking.