21 Diverse And Delicious Recipes From Cultures Around The World

Get a taste for another culture through its cuisine.

We eat to sustain ourselves, but in reality, food is so much more than mere nourishment. Recipes are closely intertwined with culture, identity, and traditions from all around the world.

So I asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell me about the recipes that speak to their identity — the dishes that connect them to the past and remind them of home. Here are 21 of their responses:

1. Sinigang

Foxy Folksy / Via foxyfolksy.com

"My family is Filipino, and Sinigang is the recipe that always reminds me of my roots. Sinigang is a savory and sour soup. My favorite version of it is made with tamarind and pork. We eat it over rice, and it just always tastes like home." —lizardb1

Recipe: Sinigang na baboy (Pork Sinigang)

2. Momos

The Curious Chickpea / Via thecuriouschickpea.com

"Momos are dumplings from Nepal or Tibet, and eating them instantly reminds me of childhood. Growing up, my family usually made momos on Fridays once or twice a month. We would sit together and prepare them just before dinner. I remember when I couldn't even fold them properly. We don't eat momos as often anymore, but they still bring me right back to those childhood days." —Can You Speak More sLuSh

Recipe: Tibetan Vegetable Momos With Sesame Tomato Chutney

3. Nanaimo Bars

Cooking Classy / Via cookingclassy.com

"My family is from Western Canada, and I grew up in Vancouver. Nanaimo bars are a Canadian dessert and a staple at most family gatherings. These three-layer bars don't require any baking. They always remind me of summers spent at our family cabin, and whenever I get homesick, I make them." —Melody

Recipe: Nanaimo Bars

4. Khao Poon

196 Flavors / Via 196flavors.com

"I am Hmong, and this is a true Thai-Laotian dish I've adored since childhood. It's a noodle soup that can be made with lots of different ingredients like chicken, fish, or pork. Typically, we don't use a single recipe. Rather, we eyeball the ingredients. I've introduced many non-Asian friends to this dish, and they all absolutely love it." —bmay-lyy

Recipe: Khao Poon

5. Pork and Nopales

In Mama Maggie's Kitchen / Via inmamamaggieskitchen.com

"This dish combines my Mexican heritage and my mother's Texas/Arkansas roots that make me who I am. We make pork with nopales, which is cactus. It tastes similar to green beans, and the spicier you prepare it, the better it tastes." —Allierawrkins

Recipe: Pork Chile With Nopales

6. Arroz con Gandules and Pernil

The Woks Of Life / Via thewoksoflife.com, Kitchen de Lujo / Via kitchendelujo.com

"My family is from Puerto Rico, and we eat a lot of Caribbean/Latinx food. For me, Arroz con gandules (rice with peas) and slow-roasted pork are the epitome of Puerto Rican cuisine. My grandma used to always make arroz con ganudles. She was an amazing cook and shared her food with the whole neighborhood. This one dish always makes me think of my mother, my grandmother, and my Puerto Rican heritage." —horsekream

Recipe: Pernil-Style Roast Pork

Recipe: Arroz con Gandules (Puerto Rican Rice with Pigeon Peas)

7. Pani Puri

Kriangkrai Thitimakorn / Getty Images

"This Indian snack and popular street food is a puffed shell filled with seasoned potatoes or chickpeas." —cheesyshark87

Recipe: Pani Puri

8. Chicken Soup With Matzo Balls

Tori Avey / Via toriavey.com

"My family is Ashkenazi Jewish, and matzah ball soup is the recipe that connects me to my identity. We eat this as part of Shabbat dinner on Friday nights with a piece of challah on the side. It always makes me feel at home." —tglazer

Recipe: Chicken Soup With Matzo Balls

9. Lok Lak

Marion's Kitchen / Via marionskitchen.com

"This Cambodian dish consists of mainly beef (or any meat you want) with onions, tomatoes, lettuce, and a fried egg. The beef is cooked in a delicious sauce, and the onions are caramelized. We typically eat it with a fried egg and rice." —pheakthras

Recipe: Lok Lak

10. Arepas

Healthier Steps / Via healthiersteps.com

"Arepas are made from the dough of ground maize cooked flour. They're popular in Venezuelan cooking and other South American cuisines. They are the most amazing comfort food and can be filled with beef, chicken, cheese, black beans, avocado, or whatever you like." —cindyc4e5ed0ee2

Recipe: Venezuelan Arepas

11. Lefse

Not Quite Nigella / Via notquitenigella.com

"Lefse is a Norwegian dish, and the recipe has been passed down through my family. It's almost like a potato-based tortilla or flatbread. It's a versatile dish that requires some practice to master. I'm still getting better every time I attempt to cook it." —tinka287

Recipe: Norwegian Lefse

12. Okroshka

Natasha's Kitchen / Via natashaskitchen.com

"I'm half Russian, and food is a huge part of how I remember my grandparents. We would start meals with zakuski, which were little bites of caviar, brown bread, smoked salmon, and homemade pickles. The main course would usually be okroshka, which is a cold soup. There are many variations, but my Deda's version was made with buttermilk, sorrel, chopped cucumber, radish, scallion, dill, hard-boiled egg, boiled potato, and beef. It gets better as it sits in the fridge and is refreshing in the summertime. I remember slurping it up as a three-year-old." —lydiamargaretd

Recipe: Okroshka (Russian Summer Soup)

13. Egg Rolls and Sticky Rice

Foodie Baker / Via foodiebaker.com

"My family is Taiwanese. Each Christmas, we'd visit my grandmother in Minnesota, and she would teach me how to make recipes from her childhood. She showed me how to wrap egg rolls and stir sticky rice while teaching us different phrases in Mandarin and telling us stories of our family in Taiwan." —cubbies

Recipe: Taiwanese Egg Crêpe Roll

14. Bangers and Mash

Saving Dessert / Via savingdessert.com

"My family is Irish, and making traditional foods like brown bread, bangers and mash, and colcannon is how we keep our heritage alive. It was always very important to my great grandpa that my family remember where we come from, and this is how we do it." —Louis28

Recipe: Bangers and Mash

15. Ham Hocks and Beans

Simply Happy Foodie / Via simplyhappyfoodie.com

"My family always made this Southern staple: Pinto beans with ham hocks, roasted chiles and jalapeños, canned green chiles, onion, and garlic. Growing up, we always had this meal in our fridge, so it reminds me of home. These beans go with everything like rice, eggs, or potatoes." —Mommacat

Recipe: Slow Cooker Pinto Beans and Ham

16. Russian Potato Salad

Valentina's Corner / Via valentinascorner.com

"I am of Mongolian descent, and many of our traditional foods combine Asian and Soviet Russian-era cuisine. One meal that I always associate with my heritage is Russian potato salad (Olivier salad) and dumplings (called Buuz)." —Usregch

Recipe: Olivier Salad

17. Matzo Brei

Princess Pinky Girl / Via princesspinkygirl.com

"This breakfast dish is the Ashkenazi version of migas. It's made with Matzo, broken into small squares, and briefly soaked in water, then beaten with eggs and fried in oil like scrambled eggs. It's most often considered a Passover food, but it makes a delicious breakfast or brunch any time of the year." —tdf

Recipe: Matzo Brei

18. Hulli

Maunika Gowardhan / Via maunikagowardhan.co.uk

"Huli is a spicy vegetable and lentil soup served with rice. South Indian food is hard to find in America, so I've never seen it at any restaurant. I've only ever eaten it at home, so it always reminds me of my family." —melonette000

Recipe: Kannada Huli

19. Fideo and Arroz con Pollo

Dora's Table / Via dorastable.com, Pinch of Yum / Via pinchofyum.com

"My grandma's Fideo (a noodle soup) and Arroz con pollo (chicken and rice) always remind me of home. I'm a first-generation Mexican-American, and these two recipes immediately come to mind when I think of comfort food. —meagann4eb9b8d5b

Recipe: Sopa de Fideo

Recipe: Arroz con Pollo

20. Papanasi

Where Is My Spoon / Via whereismyspoon.co

"I am a Romanian Jew now living in the US. When my brother and I were kids, we always asked our grandma for papanasi. It's basically fried-cheese donuts tossed in toasted breadcrumbs, drizzled with melted butter, and dipped in sugar or jam. They are light, fluffy, and delicate when made properly." —maiat40d30191e

Recipe: Romanian Fried Cheese Doughnuts (Papanasi)

21. Trini Sunday Lunch

Sweet and Sorrel / Via sweetandsorrel.com

"My family is Trinidadian, and a Trini Sunday lunch always makes me feel at home. Many different cultures influence Trinidadian culture, and that's reflected in the food. Our typical Sunday lunch includes vegetable fried rice, baked chicken, salad, and a side like macaroni or pastelle pie. This meal is a staple in any Trinidadian household. We cook it on Christmas." —Anonymous

Recipe: Trini Chicken Pelau