Poland: pierogi
These fried, filled dumplings have held on to their top spot at dinner tables in Poland for centuries. Portable, savory and filling, pierogi can be stuffed with anything, but it commonly is with potatoes.
Chef Basia Piechoczek serves craveable pierogi at her pop-up Beksa Lala. After moving here in 2020, she was “astonished that a city like Atlanta was sorely lacking in any Eastern European cuisine,” she said. Her house pierogi — stuffed with potato and smoked cheese — “represent a deliberate demonstration of love for someone,” she said — in this case, her customers.
The exterior is braided with golden fried dough. When you slice into the twisted pleat, pillowy creamed potatoes waft the aroma of smoked cheese and the cracked black pepper that Piechoczek’s grandmother taught her to cook with. Be sure to fork some charred onion and a dollop of sour cream into every warm bite.
Beksa Lala. instagram.com/beksa_atl.
— Danielle Meinert
Russia: beef stroganoff
Beef stroganoff is one of those dishes that fell victim to its own past popularity in the U.S.
One of the national dishes of Russia, it became a common entree on American dining tables in the 1950s with its hearty, approachable combination of beef and egg noodles. Once considered a luxury, it became mass-produced cafeteria food.
But a high-quality version made with top-notch ingredients still is an incredibly satisfying dish, and one of the few places to find a good version regularly is at New York Butcher Shoppe. The store has a variety of frozen, family-style casseroles ready for pickup, and the beef stroganoff is an excellent option.
The slices of beef are tender, not cooked to death, and the creamy sauce is rich and savory. A pan of beef stroganoff that generously serves four costs only $30, but if feels like a luxury when you pull it steaming out of the oven.
New York Butcher Shoppe. 4969 Roswell Road, Sandy Springs. 404-303-0704, local.nybutcher.com/sandysprings-roswell.
— Henri Hollis
Scotland: haggis
Haggis, the national dish of Scotland, frequently functions as a punchline, but chef Kevin Gillespie of Nàdair is serious about it.
The real thing, an old-school amalgam of offal cooked in a sheep stomach, is nearly impossible to find in Atlanta, but Nàdair keeps a vegetarian version on its menu.
As Gillespie explained, true haggis actually is a seasonal dish. When sheep are grazing on fresh grass in the spring and summer, their offal can become pungent, gaining an overly intense flavor. The vegetarian interpretation served at Nàdair not only provides an unusual option for nonmeat eaters but also allows the restaurant to serve it year-round.
The dish is imbued with some of the minerality of organ meats thanks to the addition of marmite and brewer’s malt, Gillespie said. The result is a whimsical, deeply delicious and savory vegetable pie. Nàdair might have found the rare instance of a vegetarian simulacrum tasting as good as the meat-based original.
Nàdair. 1123 Zonolite Road NE, Atlanta. 404-941-7254, nadairatl.com.
— Henri Hollis
Senegal: thieboudienne
Senegal’s national dish, thieboudienne (pronounced chee-boo-jen), is comfort food with zesty flair. While preparation methods vary, it generally features a combination of white fish, tomatoes, garlic and onion simmered together for hours and served over broken rice.
The dish likely originated in Saint-Louis, a fishing town on the northwest coast of Senegal that served as a commerce hub during the 17th century. Thieboudienne is so ubiquitous in Senegal that UNESCO added it to its cultural heritage list in 2021.
Bamba Cuisine in southwest Atlanta takes pride in its version of thieboudienne, with fish stewed in a rich stock along with cabbage, eggplant, carrots, yucca and other assorted vegetables. Served atop a bed of fragrant jollof rice, it’s a hearty plate that warms you up.
For the perfect pairing, enjoy it alongside a bouye smoothie made with sweet-tart baobab juice.
Bamba Cuisine. 3700 Campbellton Road SW, Atlanta. 678-705-9683, bambacuisine.com.
— Lia Picard
Singapore: Hainanese chicken rice
There’s much about the food of Singapore — and sibling cuisines in Malaysia and Indonesia — that screams spice, flavor and seasoning. But Hainanese chicken rice is one of the region’s milder dishes.
Immigrants from the South China island of Hainan brought a simple dish of mildly seasoned poached chicken served with aromatic rice cooked in chicken fat, garlic and pandan leaves, which Singapore adopted as its own.
At Malaysian restaurant Mamak, the dish is available with either a quarter- or half-chicken. Refreshing cucumbers, fragrant rice, chile sauce and ginger paste accompany the meat and provide a little oomph. It’s also available as a loh mee dish, where a portion of the chicken is served atop a bed of springy noodles and drizzled with kecap manis, a spiced Southeast Asian soy sauce.
Mamak. 5150 Buford Highway NE, Doraville. 678-395-3192, mamakrestaurant.shop.
— Christopher Hassiotis
South Africa: bobotie
Countries at the intersection of trade routes between continents tend to develop cuisines that draw on various culinary traditions, and that’s certainly the case for South Africa.
Its national dish is bobotie, a sweet and savory casserole layering spiced ground meat that is topped with an egg-based custard, baked and then paired with yellow rice and spicy fruit chutneys. Not dissimilar to a shepherd’s pie, bobotie originated in South Africa’s Muslim Cape Malay community and draws on Malagasy, Indian and Southeast Asian tastes.
At Buckhead’s Yebo Beach Haus, an elevated version of the dish finds curried beef rolled in thin crepes and garnished with dark raisins, herbs and crisp apples, while a pool of Hollandaise sauce nods to the eggy mixture commonly atop bobotie.
Yebo Beach Haus. 56 E. Andrews Drive NW, Atlanta. 404-228-8024, yebobeachhaus.com.
— Christopher Hassiotis
South Korea: kimchi
It is nearly impossible to have a Korean meal without kimchi.
The fermented condiment originated thousands of years ago, likely as a way to preserve and eat vegetables during the cold winter months. Over time, it became a staple of Korean cuisine, served alongside other banchan (side dishes) at nearly every meal. Usually prepared with Napa cabbage, salt, garlic, ginger, sugar, fish sauce or shrimp paste, gochugaru (red pepper flakes) and scallions, kimchi ferments into an umami-rich delight. Its crispy texture contrasts nicely with rice.
At Tofu Kitchen in Johns Creek, house-made kimchi appears in banchan and stars in such dishes as kimchi seafood pancake and kimchi stew with pork and tofu.
If you try just one dish, however, make it the kimchi fried rice with Spam prepared with a sizzling hot stone. Topped with a fried egg, it’s a delightful medley of textures — crunchy fried rice, chewy Spam and crisp, punchy kimchi — delivering deep flavor in every bite.
Tofu Kitchen. 10900 Medlock Bridge Road, Johns Creek. 770-814-7747, order.online/store/tofu-kitchen-johns-creek-johns-creek-1300210/?delivery=true&hideModal=true&redirected=true.
— Lia Picard
Spain: tortilla de patatas
One of the most popular dishes in Spanish cuisine, tortilla de patatas, also known as a tortilla Española, is a basic but hearty omelet of eggs and thinly sliced potatoes cooked in olive oil.
Historians have found documentation of the dish dating back to 1604, but suspect it was invented not long after explorers who had encountered them in South America brought potatoes to Spain in the late 1530s.
There is debate over whether the dish should contain onions — “No way, José!” cry purists. Still, plenty of recipes use onion and some regional versions include chorizo and other vegetables, such as bell peppers and mushrooms. What everyone can agree on is that it takes technique to pull off a good Spanish omelet, especially the tricky flip to cook the underside.
At Spanish tapas restaurant Silla del Toro, a wedge of the golden frittata-like dish showcases lovely layers of gently fried potatoes. Each forkful offers a dense yet moist bite of egg, tater and onion, deftly seasoned with salt and a smidge of cheffed-up pimento aioli.
Silla del Toro. 30 S. Park Square NE, Marietta, 770-485-3759; and 2893 N. Druid Hills Road, Atlanta. 678-310-2065, silladeltoro.com.
— Ligaya Figueras
Sweden: gravlax
The best place to eat Swedish gravlax in Atlanta is at the General Muir, a Jewish deli.
Gravlax is cold salmon cured with salt, sugar and dill. It has a lighter taste than lox, but a firmer texture.
The dish originated as early as the 1300s with Swedish fishermen who fermented it underground, and Jewish immigrants to the U.S. began using it in the early 1900s as a more affordable swap for herring. Today, it’s a brunch staple, and no metro Atlanta restaurant takes gravlax as seriously as the General Muir.
The deli’s cured salmon is buttery, perfectly salted and tastes just enough of the sea without being fishy. The General Muir’s kitchen knows exactly which ingredients best complement the fish. You can enjoy gravlax on any of its open-faced bagels, including the Avenue D, which has salmon roe, cucumber, chives, a schmear of your choice and the option to add tomatoes, red onions and capers.
The General Muir. 1540 Avenue Place, Atlanta. 678-927-9131, thegeneralmuir.com.
― Danielle Meinert
