food comparison

Gozleme belongs to a worldwide family of stuffed flatbreads, and nearly every cuisine has one: the quesadilla of Mexico, the paratha of India, the piadina of Italy, the crepe of France.

Fish sandwiches exist all over the world, from the battered fish and chips of Britain to the fish tacos of Mexico, and each version tells its own story.

Mussels are eaten everywhere, and stuffed or filled shellfish appear in cuisines from the Mediterranean to Southeast Asia.

Cig kofte does not exist in isolation. Around the world, cuisines have created raw or hand-worked meat dishes that look surprisingly similar: Lebanese kibbeh nayyeh, Ethiopian kitfo, European steak tartare.

Every culture with a clay tradition has a slow-cooked pot dish, and the family is enormous: the French have pot-au-feu, the Moroccans have tagine, the Spanish have cocido, and across the Americas and Asia, clay…

Breakfast is the most personal meal of the day, and every culture defends its own version fiercely.

Kunefe is not the only cheese-and-pastry dessert in the world, and it is not even the only one called kunafa.

The idea of small shared plates has conquered the world, and nearly every food culture claims one. Spain has tapas, Greece has mezedes, Italy has antipasti, and the Middle East has mezze.

Yogurt drinks exist across the world, from Indian lassi to Iranian doogh, and at first glance they all look alike: a cold, creamy beverage made from fermented milk.

Turkish coffee stands apart from every other way of making coffee, and the differences go far beyond taste.

Every tea culture believes its own way is the right way, and the Turkish way is one of the most distinctive on earth.

Rice cooked with care exists in every cuisine, and the international family of pilav and pilaf is enormous: Persian polo, Indian biryani, Central Asian plov, Spanish paella, Italian risotto.