Argentina: empanada
Delivery drivers zip around the streets of Buenos Aires, boxes of empanadas affixed to the back of motorcycles. An Argentinean staple, these savory pastries are filled with a variety of ingredients, such as ground beef, spiced chicken, cheese and more. Encased in a flaky dough and then baked, these pockets are common as an afternoon snack or paired with side dishes as a meal.
The dish’s origins trace back to Spanish settlers, but Argentina’s different regions offer their own varieties, and the prominent Italian heritage of many Argentineans shines through in the fillings.
Fast-growing local empanaderia Belen de la Cruz, which recently expanded to Savannah and Dallas, Texas, serves the standard versions as well as gluten-free varieties. Top them with herbaceous chimichurri and a few sweet alfajor cookies for the full experience.
Belen de la Cruz. Multiple locations. belendelacruz.com
— Christopher Hassiotis
Australia: roast lamb
Sundays were reserved for roast lamb in Matthew Basford’s family. Basford, executive chef at Canoe and a native of Australia, said the preparation of roast lamb varies Down Under, depending on one’s upbringing and ethnicity, but usually Aussies just let the lamb “be the shining star.”
Roast lamb was voted Australia’s national dish in a nationwide survey in 2013. Australian lambs, particularly spring lambs, are smaller and have a sweeter flavor than the U.S. varieties, Basford said. At Canoe, he prefers serving lamb sirloin, or the rump cut, which is more flavorful but doesn’t get overworked and tough. To bring out more of its sweetness, he marinates it with shio koji (a fermented Japanese seasoning made of steamed rice treated with koji mold spores, water and salt, which tenderizes meat and enhances flavor). Then, it’s served in a shallow pool of star anise broth with a bouquet of silky hedgehog mushrooms as well as English pea and fennel tortellini for a starch.
Since Canoe’s menu is seasonal, the Australian spring lamb sirloin will stick around into June, so try it while it’s available.
Canoe. 4199 Paces Ferry Road SE, Atlanta. 770-432-2663, canoeatl.com
— Olivia Wakim
Austria: wiener schnitzel
Yes, a French restaurant is the best place to find this classic Austrian dish in Atlanta. Chef and co-owner Anthony Gropp’s German roots shine in Petite Violette’s rendition of this fried veal cutlet, which dates back to 19th-century Austria and is the country’s take on a similar Italian dish, cotoletta alla Milanese.
Traditional Wiener schnitzel has been a menu staple at this family-owned spot since the mid-1980s, when Gropp’s father, Wolfgang, ran one of its predecessors, Petite Auberge. The dish features high-quality veal (often from Buckhead Beef) dipped in egg white and then coated with breadcrumbs and pan-fried.
The result is an extra-satisfying crunchy exterior and tender, juicy interior, brightened by a lemon wedge and the restaurant’s lemon butter sauce. It’s best enjoyed with another German standard, sauerkraut, which packs a salty, acidic punch with bacon, onion, apple and caraway added to the cabbage.
Petite Violette. 2948 Clairmont Road NE, Atlanta. 404-634-6228, petitevioletterestaurant.com
— Laura Scholz
Bangladesh: hilsa fish curry
The hilsa fish, also called “hilsha” and “ilish,” gets very little attention outside its native Bay of Bengal. But Atlanta has a penchant for seafood, and more diners should swing by this BuHi institution to sample this aromatic curry.
The silky texture and buttery flavor hold their own against a tangy yellow sauce; shorshe ilish incorporates mustard seeds, turmeric and mustard oil into its gravy. The fish’s oily texture and fine bones (think mackerel or herring, but milder) make it stand out from a blander catch. Often enjoyed during festive occasions, this aromatic curry is matched with white rice.
Peruse the neighboring market of the same name on Buford Highway to take home other Bengali and South Asian goods.
Bismillah Cafe. 4010 Buford Highway NE, Atlanta. 404-634-5955, bismillahcafeatlantaonline.com
— Christopher Hassiotis
Belgium: moules frites
With mussels plentiful along the Flemish coast and potatoes as a staple, moules frites evolved from easy sustenance into a Belgian culinary staple. Basically, it’s plump, briny mussels and golden, crisp fries. Yet the true magic is in the herby broth, which transforms a humble meal into an extraordinary one.
Fresh mussels are soaked in the steaming, aromatic liquid, which becomes a dipping sauce. White wine imparts a pleasant acidity, along with the velvety richness of shallots, herbs and garlic cooked in butter and enriched cream. The sauce is the soul of the dish, a fragrant elixir that begs to have crusty bread soaked in it and is the perfect complement to the starchy fries, which have a brittle exterior and fluffy insides.
Note: the Bistro Niko dish mussels Le Coze comes with bread, so order fries for the full moules frites experience.
Bistro Niko. 3350 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta. 404-261-6456, bistroniko.com
— Angela Hansberger
Bosnia and Herzegovina: ćevapi
Krupana, a pop-up named after chef-owner Adi Komic’s small Bosnian hometown, offers a rotating menu of cuisine from the Balkans. However, Bosnia-Herzegovina’s national dish, ćevapi, always is on the menu.
Ćevapi, or ćevapčići, is believed to date back to the Ottoman Empire. Komic said it often is sold as a street food and is something people look forward to eating as a sign of “good times.”
“When American kids’ dads are outside grilling burgers, Bosnian kids’ dads are grilling ćevapi,” he said. Komic’s ćevapi comes with five thick beef sausages served alongside lepinja, or Balkan flatbread; raw onions; kajmak, or Bosnian soft cheese; and ajvar, a roasted red pepper and eggplant sauce.
Komic said it’s best to consider it a finger food. He suggests tearing off a piece of lepinja, wrapping it around a sausage, dipping it in the sauces, then popping raw onions into your mouth before taking a bite. The sauces are optional, but the bread, meat and raw onions are a must. You can keep up with Krupana’s pop-up schedule on Instagram.
Krupana. Instagram: krupana_atl
— Olivia Wakim
Brazil: feijoada
A black bean stew studded with pork is the foundation for this stick-to-your ribs dish, although the feijoada we know today has gone through a few changes over time. It was brought to Brazil by Portuguese colonizers, but enslaved Africans modified things out of necessity, replacing white beans with more accessible black ones. The stew historically was prepared using lesser cuts of various meats, while modern stockpots may include sausage disks and choicer cuts of pork and beef.
The plate comes together with a ladle of rice (sometimes laced with garlic); the dark-as-night stew; farofa (a crispy breadcrumb-like side dish made from cassava flour — also known as manioc flour or yuca flour — that’s toasted in bacon, garlic and other seasonings) either sprinkled on top of the feijoada or spooned alongside it to soak up all the liquidy goodness; and couve (finely shredded and sauteed collard greens). In the homeland, it’s often customary to finish with orange slices, to aid in the digestion of such carb-heavy bites.
You can get your fill of feijoada at Rio Steakhouse and Bakery, where you can assemble it from items at the Saturday buffet station. The couve and orange slices will be absent, but the set price ($27 for adults, $12 for children ages 5 to 10, and free for kids under 5) does include all the churrasco (grilled meats) a tummy can take.
Rio Steakhouse and Bakery. 1275 Powers Ferry Road, Marietta. 770-952-9556, Instagram: @riosteakhouseandbakery
— Ligaya Figueras
Bulgaria: banitsa
Similar variations of this phyllo pastry can be found across the Balkans and into the Middle East. Banitsa is one of Bulgaria’s best-known dishes, and it often is enjoyed as a breakfast food during Christmas and on other special occasions.
Malincho Fresh Market & Kitchen offers a Bulgarian banitsa that’s made with layers of flaky phyllo dough and filled with a tangy mixture of yogurt and Bulgarian white, brined sheep’s milk cheese. It’s best enjoyed warm, when the phyllo is crisp and melts in your mouth.
Every Bulgarian is familiar with some variation of banitsa, said Malicho store manager Petya Valiseva, who added that most women she knows learned how to make it while growing up. Vasileva’s grandmother used to say that when you’re making the dish, if you name it after someone and it turns out to be good, that means the person is good. “If it turns out to be bad, the person is not so good.”
Malincho Fresh Market & Kitchen. 1453 Terrell Mill Road, Marietta. 678-439-6220, Facebook: Malincho Atlanta
— Olivia Wakim
Canada: poutine
Poutine, which consists of french fries, cheese curds and savory gravy, is Canadian comfort food. And while the exact origins of the dish are unknown, it started popping up in rural Quebecois snack bars in the mid-20th century.
While you can find the dish at some breweries and fine-dining spots, head to Pat’s Poutine food truck — parked at the Shell station on Chattahoochee Avenue — for a no-frills, flavor-packed version that matches the spirit and taste of the original.
Pat’s choose-your-adventure poutine starts with a small or large base of fries drowning in a warming beef or mushroom gravy. (You can get a vegetarian tomato and onion option for a small upcharge.) Keep it customary with creamy cheddar cheese curds, or mix it up with other flavors, such as garlic and dill. The classic combination delivers an unbeatable salty-meaty-tangy combo — and the same gloriously delicious heap that gave the dish its name, which means “a mess” in Quebecois slang.
Pat’s Poutine. 1535 Chattahoochee Ave. NW, Atlanta. 770-286-4827, patspoutine.com
— Laura Scholz
