Your guide to food from around the world

Have you ever found yourself hungrily browsing a food delivery app, unable to decide between Turkish, Thai or Tapas? If variety is the spice of life, then we are truly spoiled with the breadth of world food options available to us these days.

With the rise of convenience culture, food delivery apps have made world foods and speciality ingredients far more familiar and readily available to the masses, with international foods and cuisines able to be dropped at our doorsteps at a moment’s notice.

But with great choice can come great confusion. Even seasoned foodies might find themselves pondering the difference between crudo and carpaccio, which cooking sauces originate in France, or if crepe is just a fancy pancake. So, whether you’re hungry for food facts, looking to spice up your restaurant’s menu with interesting ingredients or just curious about the origins of different staple foods from around the world, keep reading.

Meat and fish

• Carpaccio - Carpaccio is a dish made with top quality, thin slices of meat, usually beef, that is served raw and dressed with olive oil or citrus juice.

• Cassoulet - The perfect comfort food for when winter is on the way. Cassoulet is a slow-cooked French stew made with white beans, sausage, duck, and pork.

• Ceviche - Tangy and tender, ceviche is a dish of raw seafood that’s cured in lime or lemon juice. It’s often served with onions, coriander and chilli peppers.

• Charcuterie - Thin cuts of cold, cured meat, such as ham, salami or prosciutto. Charcuterie is often presented ornately on a serving board or platter.

• Cobia - Cobia is a white fish that can be found in the warm ocean waters of places like the Caribbean and Australia. It has a delicate taste that lends itself well to grilling, as well as sushi.

• Confit - This is a technique of slow-cooking and preserving meat in its own fat that originates in Gascony, France. You’ll likely see duck confit on high-end menus, as it's famed for its tenderness and rich flavour.

• Crudo - The word crudo translates to ‘raw’ in Italian and is a method of food preparation. It usually involves meat or fish, which has been dressed with olive oil or citrus juice.

• Foie gras  - Made of duck or goose liver, foie gras hails from France and is uniquely rich and creamy.

• Hamachi  - Hamachi is a type of fish that originates in Japan. It has a delicate, fresh taste and is often served raw and thinly sliced or as sushi.

• Kobe beef  - Costing between $150-$300 per pound, Kobe beef, which is raised in the Japanese city of Kobe, is known for its intense marbling, tenderness and rich flavour.

• Lardon  - Succulent, and salty, these small cuts of fatty pork are used to add richness to vegetable dishes and sauces. Brussels sprouts will never be the same!

• Maki - Small seaweed rolls that are filled with ingredients like salmon, avocado or cucumber. They’re made by wrapping sushi rice in seaweed sheets. 

• Nigiri - A type of sushi which is made up of a ball of sushi rice, with top quality, freshly sliced fish, such as tuna or salmon placed on top.

• Osso buco - A classic and traditional Italian dish, osso buco, which translates to English as ‘bone with a hole', is slow-cooked veal shin in a white wine and tomato sauce.

• Pork belly - With origins in China, pork belly is a cheap, fatty cut of meat, taken from a pig’s underside. When cooked, the outside skin on the pork belly turns crispy and the meat inside turns tender and juicy, making it perfect for everything from BBQs to roast dinners.

• Ragout - The French word ragout translates to English as ‘stew’. It’s a dish of slow-cooked meat, fish, vegetables or lentils, that’s often served over mashed potatoes.

• Sashimi - Thinly sliced raw fish or seafood, served without rice, usually with soy sauce, wasabi, and pickled ginger.

• Soppressata - A dry-cured Italian salami, typically made from pork and seasoned with spices like black pepper or chilli flakes.

• Sweetbreads - As the thymus gland or pancreas gland of lamb or calf, sweetbreads are regarded as offal. Their delicate but meaty taste lends itself to pan frying. 

• Tartare - Steak tartare would be at home on the menu of any French fine dining restaurant. Made with top quality fillet of beef, it’s often mixed with capers and onions and topped with a raw egg yolk. Tuna tartare follows the same concept and can be dressed with aromatic ingredients like citrus juice, sesame, garlic or chilli.

Vegetables, nuts, cereals and legumes

• Basmati rice - If you’ve ever had biriyani, then you’ve had basmati rice. This delicate and aromatic grain originated in India and Pakistan and expands up to three times its original size once cooked. 

• Chickpeas - Chickpeas, also known as garbanzos, are legumes that grow on bushes. They’re often dried or canned in water and go well in salads. They’re also used to make the popular Middle Eastern snack, falafels.

• Couscous - Made from semolina, couscous looks like rice, but is closer to pasta, meaning that it contains gluten. It has origins in North Africa and can be served cold or hot alongside vegetables and meat.

• Daikon - This long, white Japanese radish packs a peppery crunch. You might see it called white mooli or white radish and it’s great in everything from salads to stews.  

• Giardiniera - An Italian pickled vegetable mix made from peppers, carrots, cauliflower and celery.

• Kimchi - Great for the gut, this Korean dish of fermented cabbage and radish is flavoured with ingredients like chilli, garlic, onion and fish sauce.

• Lentils - A staple in Middle Eastern cuisine, lentils come from the pulses family and often appear in everything from curries to salads. Interestingly, Canada is the world-leading producer and exporter of lentils.

• Mizuna - A Japanese leafy green with a mild, peppery taste, often used in salads and stir-fries.

• Pistachios - These striking, gem-like green nuts are actually classed as seeds. High in fat, they are often roasted or salted and used to flavour Middle-Eastern desserts.

• Pomodoro  - Pizza shops couldn’t function without them - a pomodoro is, of course, the Italian word for tomato.

• Romanesco - Spiky, neon green and looking like something from a sci-fi flick, this strain of broccoli has a nutty flavour, and is also known as the ‘Roman cauliflower’.

• Sunchoke - Also known as Jerusalem artichoke, a sunchoke is a root vegetable with a nutty, slightly sweet flavour. Great on pizzas, in salads or roasted with olive oil as a snack. Eager to try them or add them to your menu? Here's a great recipe for parsnip, celeriac, and sunchoke purée with crispy sunchokes:

Condiments, marinades and seasonings 

• Aioli - This creamy Mediterranean sauce is commonly mistaken for mayonnaise. But here’s the distinction - mayo has to contain egg yolks and oil, whilst aioli must contain garlic and olive oil.

• Béarnaise - If you’re a steak fan, you’ll be no stranger to bearnaise sauce. Originating in France, this tangy, butter-yellow sauce is made from clarified butter, egg yolks, white wine vinegar, shallots and tarragon.

• Bisque - This French crustacean creation is smooth, creamy soup, usually made with shellfish like lobster or crab. 

• Coconut milk - Made from the flesh of ripened coconuts, cooling coconut milk is a popular and versatile ingredient that you’ll find in every commercial kitchen, from smoothie shops to curry houses.

• Chimichurri - Vibrant and tangy, chimichurri is a green sauce that’s made with parsley, garlic, vinegar, oil, and spices that originates in Argentina. It is traditionally served with grilled meats.

• Chutney - Chutneys are made from stewed fruit or vegetables. Popular spread on crackers, in curries or in sandwiches, there are many variations of this versatile condiment.

• Chilli sauce - If Sriracha is always on your kitchen checklist then you’ll be familiar with the taste of chilli sauce. It’s typically made with ingredients like hot chilli peppers, vinegar, garlic, paprika, sugar and salt.

• Consommé - Rich and filling, this slow-cooked stew has French origins and is commonly made with white beans, sausage, duck and pork.

• Demi-glace - A great one to have in your restaurant vocabulary, demi-glace is a shiny, brown sauce that has plenty of depth. It’s made by reducing veal or beef stock with wine and herbs like parsley, bay leaves and thyme. 

• Fine herbs - You’ll find this classic French herb blend in plenty of sauces, salads and soups. It’s made up of parsley, chives, tarragon, and chervil.

• Gastrique - The French version of sweet-and-sour sauce, the main ingredients are caramelized sugar and vinegar.

• Gremolata - Zesty and fresh, gremolata is an Italian garnish made with chopped parsley, garlic, and lemon zest. It’s often a topping used on osso buco and also works well on pasta.

• Hot sauce - Often made with chilli peppers that have high Scoville Heat Units (SHUs), such as scotch bonnets, Carolina reapers or red jalapeños, hot sauce is a delicacy around the world and can be eaten with anything from eggs to chicken wings.

• Masala - A blend of aromatic South Asian spices that forms the base of many curries. 

• Mole  - Perfect with chicken or beef, mole is a rich, deep brown sauce that is eaten in Mexican cuisine. It’s made with contrasting flavours and ingredients including chilli peppers, chocolate, nuts and spices.

• MSG  - MSG, or monosodium glutamate, is a popular seasoning in Asian cooking. It enhances the umami flavours of many dishes but has a historically negative and inaccurate reputation for causing illness when eaten.

• Pistou - Pistou is reminiscent of Italian pesto, but without the nuts or cheese. It’s a French sauce that’s made using basil, garlic, and olive oil.

• Saag  - A delicious spiced Indian dish made with leafy greens like spinach, kale or mustard greens and cooked with paneer.

• Tempura - A Japanese frying technique where seafood or vegetables are coated and fried in a batter that is light and has a bite.

• Vindaloo - Not for the faint-hearted, vindaloo is a spicy Indian curry with Portuguese origins, often made with vinegar and chilli peppers.

• Za’atar - A Middle Eastern spice blend made with thyme, sumac, sesame seeds, and sometimes oregano or marjoram. It pairs well with many foods - you could try it on a salad, as a dressing or with meat. To make your own za'atar blend from scratch, check out this recipe:

Cheeses

• Burrata  - Indulgent and creamy, burrata is a fresh Italian cheese with a creamy, soft centre. The outer layer is made of mozzarella, and the inside contains soft curd and cream.

• Chèvre  - Chèvre translates to English as ‘goat’, which is apt, given that the taste of this soft and tangy fromage is the greatest of all time. Made of goat milk, goat cheese pairs well with root vegetables like onion and beetroot.

• Cotija  - Often compared to feta or parmesan, cotija is a cheese that falls somewhere between the two. Originating in Mexico, its crumbly texture and salty taste make it the perfect accompaniment to tacos, tostadas or fried eggs:

Desserts

• Compote - Sharp, saccharine and similar to jam, compote is often served over yogourt or ice cream. It’s made by mixing fruit with sugar and simmering it over high heat to create a syrup.

• Crepe - Crepes are thin, delicate French pancakes that are cooked over a hot griddle and served with sweet or savory fillings - they’re flippin’ great!

• Granita  - Italian granita is a sweet shaved ice dessert that’s made from just three main ingredients - fruit, liquid and sugar. It’s the ultimate summertime refreshment.

• Wafers - A sweet, brittle and crumbly biscuit-type baking ingredient that can be used to form the base of cheesecakes or banana pudding.

Where can you buy world foods in Canada? 

Feeling hungry? Fill your shopping cart with food favourites from around the world with these retailers

1. HaiSue - If you want Asian groceries, HaiSue is your one-stop shop.

2. Singals  - Singals is a specialist Indian grocery store that delivers across Canada.

3. Elimento - From curry kits to trail mix, Elimento speicalize in organic and natural foods from around the world.