The market · Alliums

Onions

The first thing in the pan in half the world's recipes.

sweet · pungent
Onions

What to do with it

Classics built on it
ThaiMassaman curryA rich, mild coconut curry fragrant with cardamom, cinnamon and clove, with beef or chicken, potatoes and peanuts, sweet and sour with palm sugar and tamarind.No one here has made it yetVietnamesePhởFlat rice noodles in a clear, spiced beef broth, with thin slices of beef and a handful of herbs.No one here has made it yetFilipinoSinigangA sour soup of pork, prawns or fish with vegetables, soured most often with tamarind.No one here has made it yetFilipinoKare-kareOxtail and tripe stewed in a thick peanut sauce, coloured with annatto, eaten with sharp shrimp paste.No one here has made it yetFilipinoPancit cantonThick egg noodles stir-fried with pork, chicken, prawns and vegetables in soy and stock, with calamansi to squeeze over.No one here has made it yetFilipinoLumpiaSpring rolls — most often thin, tight cigars of seasoned pork, fried crisp and dipped in sweet chilli sauce.No one here has made it yetFilipinoBicol expressPork simmered in coconut milk with shrimp paste and a great many chillies, until the sauce is thick and oily.No one here has made it yetUyghur and XinjiangUyghur poloRice steamed over lamb, onion and a heap of carrots in one deep pan, so it comes out glossy with the fat — the dish for guests and celebrations.No one here has made it yetUyghur and XinjiangLaghmanThick hand-pulled noodles under a stir-fry of lamb, peppers, tomato, celery and onion — the everyday lunch of the region.No one here has made it yetUyghur and XinjiangBig-plate chickenChicken and potatoes braised with chilli, Sichuan pepper and green peppers, served on one huge platter, with wide flat noodles tossed through the sauce at the end.No one here has made it yetUyghur and XinjiangKawapChunks of lamb and fat on skewers, grilled over charcoal and dusted with cumin, chilli and salt.No one here has made it yetUyghur and XinjiangSamsaSquare parcels of thin dough filled with lamb, fat and onion, baked against the wall of the tonur until blistered and crisp.No one here has made it yetUyghur and XinjiangUyghur nanRound flatbreads baked on the wall of the tonur, thin and stamped with patterns in the middle, often scattered with onion and sesame.No one here has made it yetUyghur and XinjiangGosh nanTwo thin rounds of dough sealed around minced lamb and onion, then baked or pan-fried until crisp — a flat, meat-filled nan cut into wedges.No one here has made it yetJapaneseOyakodonChicken and onion simmered in sweet dashi and soy, bound with barely set egg and slid over a bowl of rice.No one here has made it yetKoreanBulgogiThin slices of beef marinated in soy, sugar, pear, garlic and sesame, then grilled or seared fast.No one here has made it yetKoreanJapchaeGlass noodles of sweet potato starch, tossed with beef, mushrooms and vegetables — each cooked separately — in soy, sugar and sesame oil.No one here has made it yetKoreanDwaeji gukbapRice in a milky pork-bone broth with slices of boiled pork, seasoned at the table with salted shrimp, garlic chives and a red chilli paste.No one here has made it yetKoreanDakgalbiChicken in a gochujang marinade, stir-fried at the table on a wide iron pan with cabbage, sweet potato, rice cakes and perilla — and rice fried in what's left.No one here has made it yetPunjabiChole bhatureChickpeas cooked dark, sharp and spicy, with bhature — big, puffed breads of soured dough, deep-fried.No one here has made it yetPunjabiAmritsari kulchaA leavened flatbread stuffed with spiced potato, pressed with coriander seed, slapped onto the wall of a tandoor and served dripping with butter beside chole.No one here has made it yetBengaliKosha mangshoGoat meat fried slowly with onion, ginger, garlic and yoghurt until the masala turns dark and clings — Bengal's Sunday mutton, eaten with luchi or rice.No one here has made it yetBengaliChingri malai curryLarge river prawns simmered in coconut milk with ginger, a little ghee and warm whole spices — mild, sweet and rich, and a dish for guests and weddings.No one here has made it yetBengaliKolkata kathi rollA flaky paratha fried with a beaten egg on one side, then rolled around skewered kebab, raw onion, green chilli and lime — Kolkata's street food.No one here has made it yetGujaratiDabeliA soft bread roll split and stuffed with a sweet, hot potato filling, tamarind-date chutney, masala peanuts, pomegranate and sev, then toasted in butter.No one here has made it yetGujaratiSev tameta nu shaakTomatoes cooked down with garlic, chilli and a little jaggery into a sweet-sour gravy, with crisp gram-flour sev scattered over just before eating.No one here has made it yetGoanVindalooPork marinated in a paste of dried red chillies, garlic and spice ground in vinegar, then cooked slowly until sharp, rich and deep red.No one here has made it yetGoanXacutiChicken or mutton in a dark, complex sauce of grated coconut and a long list of whole spices, all roasted until brown and ground together.No one here has made it yetGoanPrawn balchãoPrawns cooked in a fiery, sweet-sour red paste of chilli, garlic and vinegar until thick — half curry, half pickle, and keeps for weeks.No one here has made it yetGoanSorpotelPork and pork liver boiled, diced small and cooked in a hot, sharp sauce of chilli, spice and vinegar — a Christmas and wedding dish, made days ahead.No one here has made it yetGoanGoan fish curryFish simmered in a coconut sauce ground with red chillies and coriander seed, soured with kokum or tamarind — eaten with red rice every day in Goa.No one here has made it yetRajasthaniLaal maasMutton cooked in ghee and yoghurt with a great many dried red chillies, garlic and whole spice — fiery, deep red and often smoky.No one here has made it yetRajasthaniPyaaz kachoriA flaky, deep-fried pastry filled with onion cooked down with fennel, coriander seed and chilli, eaten with tamarind and mint chutneys.No one here has made it yetRajasthaniMohan maasMutton cooked slowly in milk and cream with cardamom and ground cashews — the mild, rich dish of Rajasthan's royal kitchens.No one here has made it yetSouth IndianMasala dosaA thin, crisp pancake of fermented rice and lentil batter, folded around spiced potato and served with sambar and coconut chutney.No one here has made it yetSouth IndianAppam and stewBowl-shaped rice pancakes, lacy at the edge and soft in the middle, with a mild stew of coconut milk, whole spices and potato.No one here has made it yetSouth IndianChettinad chickenChicken in a dark, fiery masala of freshly roasted spices — pepper, dried chilli, fennel, star anise — with coconut and curry leaves.No one here has made it yetSouth IndianHyderabadi biryaniMarinated goat or chicken layered raw under half-cooked basmati, with saffron, fried onion and mint, then sealed and cooked slowly on dum.No one here has made it yetSouth IndianKori rottiA chicken curry of coconut milk and roasted red chilli, poured over crisp, paper-thin wafers of dried rice that soften as you eat.No one here has made it yetSri LankanKottu rotiFlatbread chopped on a hot griddle with two metal blades, tossed with vegetables, egg, meat and curry gravy.No one here has made it yetSri LankanLampraisRice cooked in stock, with a mixed-meat curry, frikkadels, prawn blachan, aubergine pickle and egg, wrapped in banana leaf and baked.No one here has made it yetSri LankanParippuRed lentils cooked soft in coconut milk with turmeric and green chilli, then tempered with onion, mustard seed, curry leaves and rampe.No one here has made it yetSri LankanJaffna crab curryLagoon crabs cooked in the shell in a fiery sauce of roasted Jaffna curry powder, tamarind and coconut milk, with moringa leaves.No one here has made it yetLevantineFalafelBalls of soaked, raw chickpeas ground with herbs, onion and spice and deep-fried — crisp outside, green and soft within.No one here has made it yetLevantineKibbehFine bulgur pounded with lean lamb and onion into a paste, shaped around a filling of spiced mince and pine nuts and fried — or baked in a tray, or eaten raw.No one here has made it yetLevantineMansafLamb cooked in a sauce of jameed — dried, fermented yoghurt — piled on rice over thin bread, with toasted almonds and pine nuts.No one here has made it yetLevantineMusakhanRoast chicken on taboon bread soaked in olive oil and heaped with onions cooked soft with sumac, scattered with pine nuts.No one here has made it yetPersianGhormeh sabziA deep green stew of herbs fried slowly in oil, with lamb, kidney beans and whole dried limes.No one here has made it yetPersianFesenjanChicken or duck stewed slowly in ground walnuts and pomegranate molasses until dark, thick and glossy — sweet and sour at once.No one here has made it yetPersianAsh reshtehA thick soup of beans, chickpeas, lentils, herbs and flat noodles, topped with kashk, fried onions and dried mint.No one here has made it yetPersianJoojeh kababPieces of chicken marinated in saffron, lemon and onion, grilled over charcoal and eaten with rice and a charred tomato.No one here has made it yetPersianKabab koobidehMinced lamb and grated onion pressed by hand onto wide, flat skewers and grilled over coals — served on saffron rice with butter and sumac.No one here has made it yetPersianZereshk poloSaffron rice scattered with barberries fried in butter and a little sugar — jewel-red and sharp — usually served with chicken.No one here has made it yetTurkishDolmaVegetables hollowed and filled, or vine leaves rolled, round rice with herbs and spices and sometimes meat.No one here has made it yetTurkishLahmacunA round of dough rolled very thin, spread with raw minced lamb, onion, pepper and tomato, and baked for a minute or two in a very hot oven.No one here has made it yetTurkishMantıTiny meat-filled dumplings, boiled and served under garlicky yoghurt, with butter sizzled with red pepper poured over.No one here has made it yetTurkishİmam bayıldıWhole aubergines, split and fried, filled with onion, garlic and tomato and baked in olive oil until they collapse — eaten cool.No one here has made it yetTurkishPideBoat-shaped flatbread baked in a wood oven with cheese, minced meat or egg in the middle, brushed with butter as it comes out.No one here has made it yetTurkishMercimek çorbasıRed lentils cooked with onion, carrot and a little potato, blended smooth, with red pepper butter and a wedge of lemon.No one here has made it yetGeorgianKhinkaliLarge pleated dumplings of spiced minced meat that fill with broth as they boil, eaten by hand.No one here has made it yetGeorgianSatsiviPoached poultry in a thick sauce of ground walnuts, garlic and spices, served cold.No one here has made it yetGeorgianPkhaliCooked vegetables — spinach, beetroot, leek or cabbage — chopped fine with walnut paste and herbs, shaped into balls.No one here has made it yetGeorgianLobioRed beans cooked soft, partly mashed, with coriander, garlic, spices and sometimes walnuts, often in a clay pot.No one here has made it yetGeorgianKharchoBeef simmered in a thick sauce of ground walnuts, garlic and spice, soured with sour plum — a stew in the west of Georgia, a soup elsewhere.No one here has made it yetGeorgianKubdariA round, closed bread from Svaneti filled with hand-chopped beef or pork, onion and Svan salt, baked until the juices soak into the crust.No one here has made it yetGeorgianMtsvadiChunks of pork or lamb skewered and grilled over the embers of vine cuttings, served with raw onion, pomegranate and tkemali.No one here has made it yetMoroccanChicken with preserved lemon and olivesChicken braised with onion, ginger, saffron and turmeric until the sauce is thick, finished with preserved lemon and green olives.No one here has made it yetMoroccanCouscous with seven vegetablesSteamed couscous heaped round meat and a broth of seven vegetables — carrot, turnip, squash, courgette, cabbage, tomato, chickpeas — with broth to pour over.No one here has made it yetMoroccanPastillaA round pie of paper-thin warqa pastry filled with spiced pigeon or chicken, eggs and sugared almonds, dusted with icing sugar and cinnamon.No one here has made it yetMoroccanHariraA soup of tomato, lentils, chickpeas and a little lamb, thick with herbs and thickened at the end with flour, served with lemon and dates.No one here has made it yetNigerianJollof riceRice cooked in a fried-down base of tomato, pepper and scotch bonnet, until each grain is red and separate.1 version hereNigerianSuyaThin beef skewers coated in yaji — ground groundnut cake, chilli and spice — and grilled over open coals.1 version hereNigerianAkaraFritters of peeled black-eyed beans, ground with onion and pepper, whipped light and deep-fried until golden.No one here has made it yetNigerianMoi moiA steamed pudding of peeled black-eyed beans blended with red pepper, onion and oil, set soft in leaves or tins.No one here has made it yetNigerianMiyan kukaA dark green, gently slippery soup of powdered dried baobab leaves, with meat or dried fish and daddawa, eaten with tuwo.No one here has made it yetNigerianEdikang ikongA rich soup of fluted pumpkin leaves and waterleaf cooked almost in their own juices, with meat, stockfish, periwinkles and palm oil.No one here has made it yetNigerianBoleRipe plantain, and often yam, roasted over coals until charred, served with grilled fish and a hot palm-oil pepper sauce.No one here has made it yetCape MalayBobotieSpiced minced meat with dried fruit and soaked bread, baked under a thin savoury egg custard, with bay leaves on top.No one here has made it yetCape MalayTomato bredieLamb or mutton braised slowly with tomatoes, onions and potato, warm with cinnamon, cardamom and a little chilli.No one here has made it yetCape MalaySosatiesSkewers of lamb marinated overnight in a sweet-sour curry sauce with onions and dried apricots, grilled over coals.No one here has made it yetCape MalayDenningvleisLamb braised slowly with onions, bay leaves and allspice, soured with tamarind and sweetened a little.No one here has made it yetCape MalayCape Malay pickled fishFried fish layered with onions cooked in curry-spiced vinegar, left for days to pickle, and eaten cold at Easter.No one here has made it yetCape MalayCape Malay chicken curryA mild, fragrant curry of chicken and potatoes with tomato and whole spices — sweeter and gentler than Durban's.No one here has made it yetCape MalaySmoorsnoekFlaked salted or smoked snoek braised with onion, potato, tomato and chilli, eaten with rice and apricot jam.No one here has made it yetBasquePiperradaPeppers, onion, tomato and garlic stewed slowly in olive oil until soft and sweet — eaten alone, with eggs, or beside meat and fish.No one here has made it yetBasqueTortilla de bacalaoA soft omelette of salt cod, onion and green pepper — the first course at the Basque cider houses.No one here has made it yetBasqueBacalao a la vizcaínaSalt cod in a deep red sauce of dried choricero peppers and onions cooked slowly until sweet.No one here has made it yetCatalanEscalivadaAubergines, red peppers and onions roasted whole in the embers until blackened and soft, then peeled, torn into strips and dressed with olive oil.No one here has made it yetCatalanSuquet de peixA fishermen's stew of white fish and potatoes in a saffron-tinted broth, thickened at the end with a picada of garlic, almonds and fried bread.No one here has made it yetValencianArròs negreRice cooked in a wide pan with cuttlefish or squid and their ink, which turns it glossy black — served with allioli.No one here has made it yetAndalusianRabo de toroOxtail browned and stewed slowly in red wine with onions, peppers and carrots until the meat falls from the bone and the sauce turns thick and glossy.No one here has made it yetGalicianEmpanada gallegaA large, flat pie of bread-like dough filled with onions and peppers stewed in olive oil and tuna, pork or shellfish, baked and cut into squares.No one here has made it yetCastilian and MadridTortilla de patatasA thick omelette of potatoes and, usually, onion, slowly poached in olive oil, then set with eggs and turned in the pan.No one here has made it yetCastilian and MadridCallos a la madrileñaBeef tripe stewed slowly with chorizo, morcilla and jamón in a thick, sticky, pimentón-red sauce.No one here has made it yetCastilian and MadridPisto manchegoOnions, peppers, courgettes and tomatoes cooked down slowly in olive oil into a soft, sweet stew, often with a fried egg on top.No one here has made it yetAsturianFabada asturianaLarge, buttery white beans stewed slowly with smoked chorizo, morcilla and pork belly until the broth thickens.No one here has made it yetAsturianFabes con almejasLarge white Asturian beans cooked slowly and finished with clams, which open in the pot and season it with the sea.No one here has made it yetProvençalBouillabaisseMarseille's fish stew: bony rockfish boiled hard with olive oil, tomato, fennel and saffron, served with rouille and bread.No one here has made it yetProvençalRatatouilleAubergine, courgette, peppers, onion and tomato stewed slowly in olive oil with garlic and herbs.No one here has made it yetProvençalPissaladièreA thick bread dough spread with onions cooked slowly to a sweet mass, criss-crossed with anchovies and dotted with black olives.No one here has made it yetProvençalDaube provençaleBeef marinated in red wine with garlic, herbs and orange peel, then braised for hours in a pot-bellied daubière until it gives to a spoon.No one here has made it yetProvençalGardiane de taureauBull's meat from the Camargue stewed slowly in red wine with onions, garlic and black olives, served with the delta's own rice.No one here has made it yetLyonnaisPoulet de Bresse à la crèmeA Bresse chicken browned gently in butter, then simmered and finished in thick cream, often with mushrooms.No one here has made it yetAlsatianChoucroute garnieSauerkraut braised in white wine with juniper, then heaped with smoked and salted pork, sausages and boiled potatoes.No one here has made it yetAlsatianTarte flambéeBread dough rolled paper-thin, spread with fromage blanc and cream, scattered with onion and bacon, and baked in seconds in a blazing oven.No one here has made it yetAlsatianBaeckeoffePork, lamb and beef marinated overnight in white wine, layered with potatoes and onions in an earthenware dish sealed with dough, and baked for hours.No one here has made it yetAlsatianFleischschnackaFresh pasta spread with minced cooked beef, onion and herbs, rolled up, sliced into spirals like snails, and browned before simmering in stock.No one here has made it yetNormanTripes à la mode de CaenBeef tripe and ox foot cooked for many hours in cider and Calvados with onions, carrots and leeks, in a sealed earthenware pot.No one here has made it yetBurgundianBœuf bourguignonBeef braised slowly in red Burgundy with bacon, small onions and mushrooms until it falls apart.No one here has made it yetBurgundianŒufs en meuretteEggs poached in red wine and served in its sauce, reduced with shallots and bacon, on fried bread.No one here has made it yetGascon and the South-WestCassouletWhite beans baked slowly in a deep clay dish with duck confit, pork and garlicky sausage, under a crust that's broken and formed again.No one here has made it yetGascon and the South-WestGarbureA thick farmhouse soup of cabbage, beans and root vegetables, cooked with ham and confit until a spoon nearly stands in it.No one here has made it yetBretonCotriadeThe Breton fishermen's stew: several kinds of fish simmered with potatoes and onions, the broth poured over bread and the fish eaten after with vinaigrette.No one here has made it yetItalianRagù alla bologneseA slow sauce of minced beef and pork with soffritto, a little tomato, wine and milk — served with tagliatelle.No one here has made it yetItalianAranciniBalls or cones of cooked rice around a filling of ragù or ham and cheese, breadcrumbed and fried until crisp.No one here has made it yetItalianCaponataFried aubergine with celery, onion, tomato, capers and olives, in a sweet-and-sour sauce of vinegar and sugar.No one here has made it yetGreekMoussakaLayers of fried aubergine and minced lamb or beef in a cinnamon-scented tomato sauce, under a thick crust of béchamel, baked.No one here has made it yetGreekGemistaTomatoes and peppers hollowed out, filled with rice, herbs and their own pulp, and baked in olive oil with potatoes.No one here has made it yetGreekPastitsioLong tubes of pasta layered with a spiced meat sauce under thick béchamel, baked and cut in tall squares.No one here has made it yetPolishPierogi ruskieBoiled dumplings filled with potato, twaróg cheese and fried onion, finished with more onion in butter.1 version herePolishGołąbkiSoftened cabbage leaves rolled around minced pork and rice, then baked or simmered in tomato sauce.No one here has made it yetPolishPlacki ziemniaczaneGrated raw potato and onion bound with egg and a little flour, fried in thin cakes until lacy and crisp.No one here has made it yetPolishKwaśnicaThe highlanders' sauerkraut soup, sour and smoky, cooked on pork ribs with potatoes, allspice and bay.No one here has made it yetNordic and Baltic ryeKöttbullarSmall meatballs of beef and pork with onion and milk-soaked breadcrumbs, browned in butter and served with cream sauce, lingonberries and potatoes.No one here has made it yetMexicanTacos al pastorPork in a red chilli adobo, stacked on a vertical spit, shaved onto small corn tortillas with pineapple, onion and coriander.No one here has made it yetMexicanSalsa verdeTomatillos, green chilli, onion and coriander, boiled or charred and blended — sharp, green, on everything.No one here has made it yetMexicanMole negroOaxaca's black mole: chilhuacle and other dried chillies toasted almost to char, ground with nuts, seeds, fruit, spice and chocolate into a near-black sauce.No one here has made it yetMexicanChiles en nogadaRoasted poblano chillies stuffed with a picadillo of meat and fruit, under a cold walnut cream and scattered with pomegranate and parsley.No one here has made it yetMexicanBirriaGoat or beef marinated in a paste of dried chillies, vinegar and spice, cooked slowly until it falls apart, and served in its own rich broth.No one here has made it yetMexicanPescado a la veracruzanaRed snapper baked or simmered in a sauce of tomato, onion and garlic with green olives, capers and pickled chillies.No one here has made it yetCreole and CajunGumboA thick, dark stew-soup built on a roux and the holy trinity, with meat or seafood, served over rice.No one here has made it yetCreole and CajunJambalayaRice cooked in one pot with the holy trinity, smoked sausage and chicken or seafood, until it has soaked up everything.No one here has made it yetCreole and CajunCrawfish étoufféeCrawfish tails smothered in butter, the holy trinity and a little stock, into a thick, rich sauce over rice.No one here has made it yetCreole and CajunRed beans and riceRed kidney beans cooked for hours with a ham bone, smoked sausage and the trinity until creamy, over rice.No one here has made it yetCreole and CajunBoudinA soft sausage of pork, liver, rice, onion and spring onion, spiced with cayenne — squeezed from its casing and eaten on the go.No one here has made it yetJamaicanJerk chickenChicken steeped in a hot, fragrant paste of scotch bonnet, allspice, spring onion and thyme, then smoked slowly over pimento wood.No one here has made it yetJamaicanAckee and saltfishSoft, buttery ackee fruit sautéed with flaked salt cod, onion, tomato, peppers and scotch bonnet — Jamaica's national dish.No one here has made it yetJamaicanCurry goatGoat on the bone, seasoned overnight and stewed slowly with Jamaican curry powder, allspice, thyme and scotch bonnet.No one here has made it yetJamaicanEscovitch fishWhole fried fish drenched in hot, peppery vinegar with onion, carrot, sweet pepper and scotch bonnet.No one here has made it yetJamaicanJamaican beef pattyA half-moon of flaky, turmeric-yellow pastry filled with spiced, peppery minced beef.No one here has made it yetJamaicanRundownSalted or fresh mackerel simmered in coconut milk cooked down until it thickens, with tomato, onion, thyme and scotch bonnet.No one here has made it yetPeruvianAjí de gallinaShredded hen in a thick yellow sauce of ají amarillo, bread soaked in milk, nuts and cheese, over rice.No one here has made it yetPeruvianRocoto rellenoRocoto chillies, blanched to tame them, stuffed with spiced beef, peanuts and raisins, topped with cheese and baked.No one here has made it yetPeruvianJuaneRice seasoned with turmeric and cumin, packed round chicken, egg and olive in bijao leaves, tied and boiled.No one here has made it yetBrazilianFeijoadaBlack beans stewed slowly with salted, smoked and fresh pork and dried beef, served with rice, greens, farofa and orange.No one here has made it yetBrazilianMoqueca baianaFish, or prawns, stewed in coconut milk and dendê palm oil with tomato, peppers, onion, lime and coriander.No one here has made it yetBrazilianAcarajéBlack-eyed pea fritters fried in dendê, split open and filled with vatapá, dried shrimp, salad and hot pepper sauce.No one here has made it yetBrazilianVatapáA thick, creamy paste of bread, dried shrimp, peanuts and cashews cooked with coconut milk, dendê and ginger.No one here has made it yetBrazilianCoxinhaA teardrop-shaped croquette of shredded chicken wrapped in a dough made with its own stock, breaded and fried.No one here has made it yetBrazilianChurrascoBeef and sausages on long skewers, roasted over embers with nothing but coarse salt and sliced straight onto the plate.No one here has made it yetBrazilianFarofaCassava flour toasted in butter or bacon fat with onion and garlic until golden and sandy, for scattering over beans and meat.No one here has made it yet

Kinds

Brown / yellow
The all-rounder; sweetens as it browns.
Red
Milder — good raw.
White
Sharp and clean.

Goes with

Cooked with, here

Put with it only once, though they're used elsewhere here — where experiments start:

How much, here

10–15% of the dish by weight, typically 14% — a place to start.

What cooks here have learned

“Browned the onion much further”Mira Kowalski · Pierogi ruskie v4

Knowing it

Where to buy
Anywhere. Firm, with dry, papery skins.
Worth knowing
Properly browned takes 30 minutes or more on low heat, not ten.

Kitchens that keep it in

Xinjiang, north-western ChinaUyghur and XinjiangThe cooking of the desert oases in China's far north-west: lamb, cumin and chilli, hand-pulled noodles, pilaf, and breads baked on the walls of a clay oven.7 classicsPunjab — northern India and eastern PakistanPunjabiWheat, dairy and the tandoor: rich, generous cooking from the land of five rivers, and the source of much of what the world calls Indian food.10 classicsNigeria, West AfricaNigerianBig flavours from a big country: tomato and pepper bases, smoke, groundnut and the scotch bonnet — and party food at a scale all of its own.11 classics · 2 cooked hereCatalonia — north-eastern Spain, from the Pyrenees to the Ebro deltaCatalanA Mediterranean kitchen of sauces — a slow sofregit to begin, a pounded picada to finish — with bread rubbed with tomato, vegetables charred in the embers, and sea and mountain on the same plate.7 classicsAlsace — north-eastern France, between the Vosges and the RhineAlsatianFrench and German at once: sauerkraut and pork, yeasted cakes and bread, fresh cheese and cream, cooked with the dry white wines of the Vosges foothills.9 classicsBrittany — the peninsula of north-western France, between the Channel and the Bay of BiscayBretonBuckwheat and salted butter, the catch of a long, rocky coast, and pancakes cooked thin on a hot iron plate.7 classicsPolandPolishCold-climate cooking of grains, potatoes, dairy and ferments — sour things, soured things, and dumplings for every occasion.10 classics · 1 cooked hereSouth Louisiana — the Mississippi delta, the bayous and the prairies along the Gulf of MexicoCreole and CajunA dark roux, the holy trinity of onion, celery and green pepper, rice under nearly everything and shellfish from the bayou — city Creole and country Cajun, cooking side by side.10 classicsBrazil — the eastern half of South America, from the Amazon to the southern pampasBrazilianBlack beans and rice every day, cassava in a dozen forms, fish stewed in palm oil and coconut, and meat roasted over coals on long skewers.10 classics

More alliums, in season with it