What makes an entree a country’s national dish? That’s not an easy question to answer. While many countries officially adopt official symbols like birds and flags, national dishes tend to be a more casual assignation. And it can be hard to pick a single food that can represent the vast diversity of a country. Countries with massive populations like India, China and Mexico generally can’t agree on a single “national dish” because cuisines vary so much internally. But whether it’s fully accurate or not, specific cuisines have become emblematic of entire countries. Think you know your way around the culinary planet? Then try our country food quiz to see if you know which national dish goes to which country.
Admittedly, there is room for debate among some of these national dishes. There are arguments over which foods really deserve the title, as well as disputes over where specific dishes come from. Putting all that aside, though, we found 10 dishes that pretty much everyone agrees are emblematic of a certain country. But we leave it to you to figure out which one’s which.