NO CANADA: Canuck dishes shut out of top 100 as Italy dominates

Italy scores 13 of top 100 dishes worldwide as Colombian roasted pork dish ends up No. 1 overall, TasteAtlas says

Published Dec 29, 2024  •  2 minute read

Lechona, a Colombian dish, is a pig packed with onions, peas, fresh herbs and spices and is slow-roasted until the meat is “tender and succulent." Photo by @SteveLardner /X

There is far from a commonwealth of flavour in Canada and the U.K.

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The long-connected nations were recently shut out of the updated TasteAtlas list of the 100 best dishes in the world, which was dominated by Italian cuisine (13 dishes), followed by Chinese (eight), Turkish, Japanese (seven each), Thai, Indonesian (six each) and American cuisine (five).

Proving that quality is better than quantity, Colombia’s only meal in the top 100 — lechona — ended up taking the title as the best dish in the world with a rating of 4.78 stars out of five.

Reserved for feasts for up to 100 people, lechona consists of a roast pig packed with onions, peas, fresh herbs and spices and is slow-roasted until the meat is “tender and succulent,” TasteAtlas said.

“This unique Colombian delicacy can be found in numerous restaurants throughout the country’s largest cities,” the website added.

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Pizza Napoletana, which includes the margherita variety, is one of 13 Italian dishes in the TasteAtlas top 100 from around the world. Photo by John Kenney /Postmedia Network

Leading the way for Italy is pizza Napoletana with a rating of 4.75 stars.

Tabbed as “Italy’s most emblematic culinary creation” it is as simple as it is delicious with only two varieties accepted: Marinara, a Neapolitan pizza topped with a garlic-oregano infused tomato sauce; and margherita, which represents the colours of the Italian flag with its only toppings being tomatoes, mozzarella and fresh basil leaves.

“In 2010, as one of Italy’s most popular foods worldwide, pizza Napoletana was officially recognized by the European Union and granted the designation of traditional specialty guaranteed,” TasteAtlas said. “And remember, a good pizza Napoletana doesn’t need any additions other than the designated toppings.”

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Picanha, from Brazil, is ranked as the third best dish in the world, according to TasteAtlas. The beef cut sits on the butt above a fat cap, so it must be cooked to perfection for it to be tender. Photo by Postmedia Network files

Slicing its way into the top three is the Brazilian beef cut picanha (4.69 stars), better known as a sirloin cap in North America. Proper technique is key to its success, as the beef cut sits on the butt above a fat cap, so it must be cooked to perfection for it to be tender.

“In Brazil, every churrasco (skewered grilled beef) has picanha and all of the best churrascarias (steakhouses) feature picanha on their menus,” TasteAtlas said.

Rounding out the top five are the festive Algerian noodle dish rechta (4.68 stars), consisting of chicken, onions, garlic, oil, chickpeas, cinnamon, turnips, potatoes and zucchini; and Thailand’s phanaeng curry (4.65 stars), a thick, peanuty, sweet-and-salty stew that also includes coconut milk, panang curry paste, makrut lime leaves and fish sauce.

Other dishes in the top 10 include the Argentine barbecue dish, asado (4.65 stars), the Turkish veal dish, cokertme kebabi (4.64), the Indonesian meat soup, rawon (4.62), the Turkish lamb dish, cag kebabi (4.6) and the Ethiopian stir-fry, tibs (4.6).

The list is based on more than 477,000 valid ratings of the 15,478 foods in TasteAtlas’ database.

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