Taste Atlas, a popular guide to the best establishments and traditional dishes from different countries, has published a list of the best national cuisines in 2022. Find out which dishes made it into the TOP 15 best

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TasteAtlas is a guide to the world's national dishes, featuring authentic recipes, critic reviews, and research articles on popular ingredients and foods. In 2022, TasteAtlas compiled a rating of the best national dishes/ The selection included food from the world's most popular cuisines: Japanese, Brazilian, Portuguese, Chinese and others.

Check whether you have tasted these dishes. If not, don't forget to try them on your next trip.

Japanese curry (Karē), Japan

Japanese curry, known as karē, is one of the most popular dishes in the country and was ranked #1 in the world in 2022. Karē began to gain popularity in Japan during the Meiji period (1868-1912). In the early years, curry with rice was considered an expensive dish for rich gourmets.

Compared to Indian curry, curry is less spicy, sweeter, darker and usually thicker due to the addition of flour or rice. In Japan, there are three main versions of curry - curry over rice, noodles and curry pastries. The most popular variety is kare with rice, which is usually served with pickled fukujinzuke cucumbers or Japanese onions.

Picanha, Brazil

Picanha is a fresh cut of beef that is particularly popular and highly valued in Brazil. The picanya is located on the back of the animal above the butt, or rather on its fat cap. The name "picanha" comes from the word "picana", which means a rancher's pole used for grazing cattle in Portugal and Spain. This technique was brought to Brazil, where the word "picaña" was used to refer to the part of the cow that was poked with a pole.

Picaña is mostly used for churrasco - the meat is first grilled and then skewered.

Clams de Boullao Pato, Portugal

This simple Portuguese dish is named after the 19th century poet Raimundo Antonio de Bugliao Pato. Combines shellfish and an aromatic sauce based on olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, white wine and fresh cilantro. Bulhão Pato clams are usually eaten as an appetizer and served with bread.

Tanbao, China

Tangbao is a broad group of Chinese steamed dumplings. Depending on the origin, varenyky can be made from yeast or ordinary dough. The filling is usually made from minced pork or crab. One of the most common varieties of the dish is tanbao dumplings, originating from Jiangsu province. Xiaolongbao is a true Shanghai version, famous for its small size and slightly thinner dough. All varieties of tanbao can be tried in China and in Chinese restaurants around the world.

Cağ kebabı, Turkey

Cağ kebabı is a type of kebab that originates from the Turkish city of Erzurum. It is prepared from lamb, which is marinated with onions, salt and pepper for about 12 hours. Then the meat is placed on a large horizontal skewer and grilled over wood. The dish is traditionally eaten directly from the skewer or the meat is wrapped in warm, freshly baked pita bread.

Pizza Margherita, Italy

Margherita pizza is one of the most popular types of pizza in the world. In 2009, it was awarded the European STG protection mark, which confirms its unsurpassed taste and traditional cooking technique. In 1889, Queen Margaret of Savoy visited Naples, where she was served a pizza that resembled the colors of the Italian flag: red tomatoes, white mozzarella cheese, and green basil. The pizza was prepared by Chef Raffaele Esposito from Brandi Pizzeria. He is credited with the authorship of the Margherita pizza recipe.

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Khinkali, Georgia

Delicious Georgian dumplings are considered one of the country's national dishes. Khinkali is filled with meat and spices, and then traditionally twisted on top with a knot. Regional differences affect the filling of khinkali. Each part of Georgia has its own distinctive variety: in the mountainous regions, the most traditional filling is lamb, and the most popular filling in the rest of Georgia is a mixture of pork and beef. Vegetarian options with cheese or mushrooms are also quite popular.

Meat for khinkali is never pre-cooked, so all the juice flows inside the khinkali. Eating khinkali is also part of traditional Georgian culture: the top, where the dough is twisted into a knot, should never be eaten as it serves as a handle to hold the khinkali and is usually left on the plate as a sign of how many pieces have been eaten.

Pleskavitsa, Serbia

Pleskavica is a Serbian national dish in the form of a round flat cutlet made of minced meat. It is prepared from minced beef or pork or a combination of them with the addition of seasonings such as paprika, salt and pepper, and in some cases finely chopped onion and garlic. The word pljeskavica comes from the word pljeskati, which means to clap. As this is the movement that is made during the formation of patties, which are then fried on both sides to a smoky brown color. The meat is placed in a thick cake called lepinja. An ideal flatbread should be juicy, seasoned with spices and covered with kaimak – a rich, thick, slightly salty local cream cheese.

Florentine style steak, Italy

Bistecca alla Fiorentina – Florentine-style beef steak, the highlight of Italian cuisine. It is prepared exclusively from beef of the Kyanina species, which is especially valued for its tenderness. The cut should be at least three fingers wide. The meat is fried on very high heat, a pleasant slightly charred crust forms on the outside of the steak, and it remains juicy inside. The rich taste of roast beef is emphasized with just a drop of extra virgin olive oil, rosemary and salt.