Appetizer

Nokul is a flavorful Turkish pastry that is visually reminiscent of a cinnamon roll. However, nokul consists of flour, salt, sugar, yeast, vegetable oil, and a flavorful poppy seed filling that is dispersed throughout the swirls. The pastry is baked until golden-brown in color, and it is then served hot, sometimes even as an appetizer instead of bread.

Nokul

Nopales con huevo is a traditional dish originating from Central Mexico and consisting of nopal cactus with eggs. The dish is usually made with a combination of diced nopales, lard or oil, eggs, tomatoes, garlic, onions, chili peppers, and salt. The lard is heated in a pan and all of the ingredients except the eggs are added to the pan, seasoned with salt, and cooked over medium heat. The mixture should be dry and nicely seasoned before the eggs are added to the combination and stirred rapidly until set. Nopales con huevo can be served for breakfast, as an appetizer, or as a taco filling.

Nopales con huevo

Nyponsoppa is a simple dessert soup that employs rose hips as its star ingredient. The dish is best prepared with fresh rose hip fruits that are cooked and pur&eacute;ed along sugar and (optionally) spices such as cinnamon and cloves. It can be enjoyed warm or chilled, as a lightly sweetened starter or a creamy dessert, when it usually comes with a dollop of whipped cream or almond macaroons (mandelbiskvier).

Nyponsoppa

Odori ebi is a traditional sashimi dish prepared with live baby shrimps. A live shrimp is first shelled, its head removed, and it's then served to diners while it's still twitching. The dish is very expensive because it requires skillful and quick preparation. The shell and head of the shrimp are often deep-fried, then served on the side. The shrimp is typically dipped into sake, then into a dipping sauce before consumption (chewing). Funnily enough, the name of the dish, odori ebi, means dancing shrimp.

Odori ebi

Oeufs en gel&eacute;e is a traditional, yet rarely seen Canadian dish consisting of eggs in aspic. The dish is made with consomm&eacute;, leaf gelatin, eggs, sherry or madeira, and a bit of vinegar for poaching the eggs. The combination is placed into small ramekins or bowls, then chilled to set. The eggs are poached and placed into the jelly, then chilled again to set. The eggs in aspic are turned out on serving plates, and the appetizer is usually served with a green salad on the side.

Oeufs en gelée

France

Oeufs en meurette is a traditional dish originating from the French region of Burgundy. The dish consists of eggs that are poached in red wine, as the wine's acid keeps the eggs nice and tidy and prevents the spillage that can happen during poaching. The eggs are accompanied by either a meurette or bourguignon sauce, consisting of red wine, onions, bacon, and shallots. This elegant dish is traditionally served with toasted garlic bread on the side.

Oeufs en meurette

Oignons Mon&eacute;gasque is a dish from Monaco that can be served as a snack, side dish, or an appetizer. It is prepared by saut&eacute;eing small pickling onions and combining them with wine vinegar, tomato paste, and raisins. When done, the sauce should be thick, the onions tender, and the flavors both sweet and sour. Before serving, it is recommended to garnish the dish with finely chopped parsley.

Oignons Monégasque

Oiseon is a traditional dish originating from South Korea. The dish is made with a combination of cucumbers, thinly sliced beef, salt, shiitake (brown oak) mushrooms, eggs, and a sauce consisting of soy sauce, water, sugar, scallions, garlic, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. The cucumbers are slit and stuffed with a mixture of fried beef, mushrooms, egg yolks, and egg whites. They are then drizzled with the sweet and sour sauce. The dish is praised for its complex flavors and colors, and it's said that it stimulates the appetite, which is the reason why oiseon is traditionally served as an appetizer. It's recommended to accompany it with rice on the side.

Oiseon

Russia

Olivier salad is a Russian salad with variable ingredients, but it is typically made with chopped vegetables, meat, and mayonnaise. The key ingredients include diced potatoes, vegetables, eggs, chicken, or ham. This salad is one of the most important appetizers at the New Year's salad buffets in Russia, as well as in some of the other countries of the former USSR. The original was invented in the 1860s by Lucien Olivier, a chef in the popular Moscow restaurant called L'Hermitage. Olivier guarded the recipe until he died, but it is believed that the recipe was stolen by an employee who watched the chef at work, so the salad is still made today. Another theory says that the recipe for the new Olivier salad was developed by one of the restaurant's customers who wanted to keep the salad alive after the chef passed away. Olivier salad as we know it today is nothing like the original version, because it was called game bird mayonnaise, made with gourmet ingredients such as black caviar, capers, hen, and crayfish tails. Over time, the salad evolved and most of the gourmet ingredients have been replaced with more common ones such as peas, chicken, ham, and pickles. Today, the variations are endless, but most Russian chefs agree on one thing: adding carrots to the Olivier is a heresy. Interestingly, Olivier salad is also sometimes called Russian salad, while the meatless version is called French salad or francuska salata, probably due to the French name of its creator. The Spanish version is known as ensaladilla rusa. It is so popular in Spain that it's an important part of the Spanish gastronomy as well as being a staple in schools and summer camps all over the country. Ensaladilla rusa is also one of Spain's most popular tapas &ndash; in some cases, it's even served free of charge if you order a beer. There's also the Piedmontese insalata russa, typically consumed as an appetizer, and with many variations, so the salad might also include ingredients such as pickled cauliflower, anchovies, and tuna. Interestingly, in the Italian municipality of Carr&ugrave;, tuna is an obligatory element of the salad.

Olivier Salad

Onion rings are a popular American side dish item that is usually served alongside burgers or other fast food varieties, and they are usually accompanied by ketchup, mayonnaise, or some other dipping sauce. These crispy rings are commonly found in the United States, Canada, Ireland, Asia, Australia, and the United Kingdom. This popular side dish is made by dipping onion rings in batter, then deep-frying them until golden and crispy. It is still unknown who made the first onion ring, but the earliest recipe for this caloric side dish is found in John Molland's 1802 cookbook titled The Art of Cookery Made Easy and Refined, where the recipe suggested that the rings should be fried with parmesan cheese. Today, numerous restaurants claim that they invented the onion rings, one of them being Pig Stand from Oak Cliff, Texas. Regardless of the inventor, there is a large variety of onion rings today, such as beer batter onion rings, blooming onion rings (using whole onions), and kanda bhajiya, a fritter with gram flour batter. Onion rings are so popular that there is even a National Onion Ring Day, celebrated every year on June 22.

Onion Rings

Croatia

Orzo kažerma is a Croatian dish originating from the Rogoznica and Split area of Dalmatia. The dish is made with a combination of barley, scampi, dried tomatoes, zucchini, garlic, white wine, fish stock, olive oil, salt, and pepper. The garlic, prawns, and zucchini are saut&eacute;ed in olive oil and drizzled with white wine and fish stock. Cooked barley is added to the pan and the mixture is stirred. Near the end of cooking, dried tomatoes are added to the dish and it is seasoned with salt and pepper. Once done, this barley and prawn dish is served warm as an appetizer.

Orzo kažerma

Osh pyozee, meaning stuffed onions, is an Afghan specialty made with onions filled with rice, ground meat, feta cheese, and prunes. Layers of boiled yellow onions are topped with a mixture of cooked rice, ground lamb, feta, prunes, and saut&eacute;ed garlic with cumin seeds. The onion layers are tightly folded around the filling, drizzled with oil, and then baked until nicely browned and fragrant. This savory treat is usually consumed as an appetizer, but it can also be served as a main dish or an accompaniment to various Afghan dishes.

Osh pyozee

Mexico

Ostiones a la veracruzana is a traditional appetizer originating from Veracruz and the Gulf region. The dish is made with a combination of oysters, butter, oil, onions, garlic, tomatoes, jalape&ntilde;os, flour, white wine, parsley, and seasonings. The onions and garlic are saut&eacute;ed in oil, then mixed with the jalape&ntilde;os, tomatoes, oysters, and water in order to create a thin sauce. Another saucepan is used to heat the flour in oil until golden, and it's then mixed with white wine so that the flour dissolves. The oysters with the sauce are mixed with the roux, and the combination is boiled and seasoned with salt and pepper. The dish is garnished with chopped parsley just before serving.

Ostiones a la veracruzana

Italy

Ovi e sparasi is a traditional dish originating from Veneto. It's made with only a few ingredients &ndash; white asparagus, hard-boiled eggs, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. The white asparagus are dipped in a sauce of hard-boiled eggs that are mashed with vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. In the region, the best asparagus come from Bassano del Grappa &ndash; tender, shiny, thick, and distinctively bittersweet. The white asparagus are cooked in special high and narrow pots in which they are placed to stand upright so that the tips are not submerged in water, but remain out of the water in order to steam. This dish is especially popular in spring, and it's often served as an appetizer.

Ovi e sparasi

As the name suggests, this traditional North Korean specialty is a type of aspic made with a combination of ox parts (alternatively cow parts) such as trotters, tail, tendons, and shank. The animal parts are first simmered in water until tender, and then the meat is removed from the bones and cut into pieces. Shredded eggs and stone mushrooms, finely chopped leeks, minced garlic, ground pine nuts, red pepper, salt, and black pepper are added to the chilled strips of meat and mixed with a strained broth that's rich in natural gelatin coming from the animal parts. Once chilled, the mixture gets a jelly-like consistency and it's then usually enjoyed sliced as an appetizer. In North Korea, slices of ox trotter aspic are typically accompanied by a side of vinegar mustard sauce, made by combining vinegar, mustard, and soy sauce.

Ox Trotter Aspic

United States

Originally invented in New Orleans' French Quarter, these oysters are baked in their shells with bread crumbs, grated cheese, onions, mushrooms, shrimp, wine, and a buttery roux. The oysters are baked until lightly browned, then served immediately, preferably garnished with chopped green onions and lemon wedges. This elegant appetizer is served in many fine dining restaurants in New Orleans, including the famous Antoine's and Arnaud's.

Oysters Bienville

Oysters en brochette is a traditional American-Creole dish originating from New Orleans. It's made by skewering raw oysters and pieces of bacon. Once done, the dish is breaded or broiled, then deep-fried or saut&eacute;ed. During the frying process, the bacon juices seep into the oysters, giving them a smoky and sweet flavor. The skewers are served on a plate, then topped with a sauce consisting of butter, lemon juice, and vinegar. Traditionally, oysters en brochette are served as appetizers, garnished with triangles of toasted bread and lemon wedges on the side.

Oysters en brochette

Oysters Mosca is a famous oyster dish that's named after a New Orleans restaurant that made it popular. It's made with a combination of butter, breadcrumbs, olive oil, garlic, freshly shucked oysters, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, and grated parmesan cheese. The oysters are arranged in a baking dish, then topped with the seasoned breadcrumbs and grated cheese. The combination is baked in an oven until the sauce starts bubbling and the breadcrumbs on top begin to brown. The dish is typically served as an appetizer or a main dish with crusty bread, fresh salads, or spaghetti Bordelaise on the side.

Oysters Mosca

Oysters Rockefeller is a popular American appetizer consisting of oysters served on half-shells that are topped with ingredients such as butter sauce, bread crumbs, and various green herbs such as parsley. They are then either broiled or baked. The appetizer was invented in 1899 in America's oldest family-run restaurant called Antoine's in New Orleans, when Jules Alciatore, the original owner's son adapted his father's signature dish known as escargot Bourguignon, but he replaced the snails with oysters, a local food source that was abundant in the area. Oyster Rockefeller was born, and the original recipe is still a closely-guarded secret of Antoine's.

Oysters Rockefeller

Spain

Pa amb oli is a traditional appetizer or snack originating from Mallorca and the Balearic islands. The dish is made with a combination of peasant bread or dark rye bread, tomatoes, olive oil, and salt. The bread is cut into slices and rubbed with tomatoes, giving the surface a nice rosy color. Olive oil is drizzled on top, and sea salt flakes are then sprinkled over the bread. The native Mallorcan ramellet tomato variety is preferred, while the bread should ideally be of the pan pay&eacute;s (peasant) variety. The olive oil and sea salt should also be local for the best experience. Although this is the classic pa amb oli, there are also variations with added garlic, local cheese, sausages, and cold cuts.