Discada is northern Mexico’s glorious answer to the question “what if we cooked six meats in one giant disc?” Traditionally made on a plow disc (the disco that names the dish) over an open...

I met pollo al limone — chicken limone — in a tiny side-street restaurant in Rome, one of those places you find by following your nose. Tender pieces of chicken in a glossy, tangy-sweet...

I met kolokithakia gemista — Greek stuffed zucchini — at a little taverna on Crete: sunset, wine, grilled-herb air, and then these beautiful zucchini arrived, filled with beef, rice and herbs and draped in...

Kolokithakia tiganita are the taverna snack that vanishes fastest in a Greek summer: paper-thin zucchini rounds in a light sparkling-water batter, fried golden and served with lemon and cold tzatziki. The Greek insight is...

Ekmek kataifi is the Greek celebration dessert that refuses to choose: a crisp base of buttered kataifi (shredded phyllo) soaked in cinnamon-lemon syrup, a thick vanilla custard, clouds of whipped cream, and a crown...

Hohlioi boubouristoi — Cretan fried snails — are one of the Mediterranean’s great humble delicacies: snails floured and fried face-down in olive oil, splashed with rosemary and red wine vinegar until the kitchen smells...

Eliopitakia are Cyprus’ charming olive hand pies: crumbly olive-oil pastry folded around a filling of chopped olives, onion and fresh mint. They belong on a mezze platter, beside a strong Cypriot coffee, or in...

Fried cuttlefish, Portuguese style, is beach-restaurant food at its purest: pieces of tender cuttlefish shaken in fine cornmeal, fried until golden, and finished with nothing but lemon. Five ingredients, most of which are already...

Choco frito is Setúbal on a plate. If you have ever been to that sunny port city south of Lisbon, you know: every seafood restaurant serves platters of golden fried cuttlefish, and choosing where...

Banku is one of Ghana’s great staples: a smooth, slightly tangy dough of cassava and corn, cooked and shaped into dumplings that partner grilled fish, okra soup or a rich meat stew. A dear...