Stew

Mexico

Chileajo is a traditional stew popular in Oaxaca, Guerrero, Hidalgo, and Veracruz. It is typically made with vegetables and various chili peppers, garlic, and spices and can include meat as well. But recipes vary by region: in the Oaxaca Valley, guajillo and ancho chilies are used with potatoes and carrots; in Mixteca, pork ribs and legs are cooked with sesame seeds and coste&ntilde;o chili; in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, it includes egg yolk bread. Chileajo is commonly served during Christmas and festive occasions, usually on top of bread or tostada, sprinkled with shredded lettuce, salsas, and cheese.

Chileajo

India

Chitt is a traditional curry originating from the Punjab region. It&rsquo;s usually made with a combination of tomatoes, garlic, coriander, garam masala, sugar, ghee, and salt. The garlic is mashed and cooked in ghee, and it&rsquo;s then mixed with the tomatoes. The mixture is simmered until the ingredients turn into a thick gravy. The remaining ingredients are added to the pot, and the curry is simmered for about ten minutes. It is then garnished with coriander and served hot with naan flatbread or rice on the side.

Chitt

Churipo is a spicy Mexican stew prepared with chunks of beef, vegetables, and spicy chilis. The stew is a staple of the indigenous Purepecha peoples from the Mexican region of Michoac&aacute;n. Churipo is traditionally served with corundas, which are local tamales that are shaped like pyramids and prepared without any fillings.

Churipo

Italy

Ciambotta or cianfotta is a traditional dish originating from Naples. The French say that the dish is a simplified ratatouille, while the Italians claim that ratatouille is a complicated ciambotta. This vegetable stew is usually prepared with a combination of onions, garlic, potatoes, bell peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, zucchini, olive oil, basil, and salt. The vegetables are cooked until they become tender and fully cooked, and the dish is then served warm or chilled. It's said that ciambotta tastes even better if reheated the next day. The dish is especially popular during the summer.

Ciambotta

Croatia

Čičvarda is a traditional dish originating from Dalmatia. This stew is usually made with a combination of chickpeas, bacon, onions, carrots, potatoes, garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves, olive oil, salt, and pepper. If desired, a chili pepper can also be added to the dish for a bit of spiciness. The ingredients are saut&eacute;ed, mixed with tomatoes, water or stock, and simmered over low heat until everything is tender. If too thin, this nourishing stew is usually thickened by taking a few spoonfuls of chickpeas and potatoes out of the pot, mashing them, and adding them back to the pot.

Čičvarda

Spain

Cocido lebaniego is a traditional dish originating from the Li&eacute;bana area in Cantabria. The stew consists of local chickpeas, potatoes, and cabbage with meat from the pig slaughter such as chorizo, bacon, and morcilla. Breadcrumbs, parsley, and cecina dried meat is often added to the stew as well. Due to the fact that the stew is very hearty and nutritious, it's traditionally eaten as the main course. The consomm&eacute; is enjoyed first, followed by the chickpeas and vegetables, while the meat is usually saved for last, although some like to eat the meat and the chickpeas together.

Cocido lebaniego

The essential ingredients in this hearty Cantabrian stew include white beans and collard greens (berza), but the dish is commonly enriched with chorizo (pork sausage) and morcilla (blood sausage), pork ribs, and bacon. It is believed that the stew was invented in the 17th century, but it was given its current name in the 1960s. Unlike many other types of Spanish stews where the broth is served separately, cocido monta&ntilde;&eacute;s is typically enjoyed as a one-course meal.

Cocido montañés

In order to make zucchini and squash stew, cubed zucchini and onions are fried with spices, then combined with water to make a broth. When the zucchini becomes tender, salt, sugar, and coarsely chopped peanuts are added for extra flavor. This hearty, simple, energy-packed stew is full of big, bold flavors, and is typically served piping hot. The vast majority of Chad&rsquo;s population depends on agriculture, so Chadian cuisine is commonly quite filling, combining grains such as millet and rice, and vegetables such as cassava. When meat does make an appearance, it is usually in the form of chicken, goat, fish, or beef.

Courgettes with peanuts

Chickpea stew is a Portuguese classic that comes in numerous regional varieties. Apart from chickpeas, the dish typically consists of different vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, green beans, or pumpkin, while the regional varieties may also include different types of sausages such as chouri&ccedil;o, morcela (blood sausage), or farinheira. In Alentejo, typical additions include lamb or pork, while the local Portim&atilde;o version also includes beef. Cozido de gr&atilde;o can be enjoyed as a two-course meal, in which the broth is served separately. The dish is typically garnished with fresh mint.

Cozido de grão

Cs&aacute;ng&oacute; guly&aacute;s is a traditional goulash prepared in the style of the Cs&aacute;ng&oacute; people, a Hungarian ethnic group that lives in Romanian Moldova. The goulash combines beef or pork, onions, paprika, caraway, sauerkraut, and rice. All the ingredients are cooked together and spiced with grated garlic and some salt. This hearty stew is typically served with a dollop of sour cream, but it can also be accompanied by homemade dumplings or crusty bread.

Csángó gulyás

Malaysia

Curry debal or Devil's curry is a very spicy traditional stew originating from Malacca (Melaka) in Malaysia. This specialty of the Kristang people is usually made with a combination of chicken, potatoes, white vinegar, salt, sugar, mustard seeds, and oil. The mustard seeds are tempered in oil, then mixed with a spice paste consisting of garlic, ginger, galangal, turmeric, lemongrass, shallots, oil, and red chili peppers. The chicken is added to the pot and it's coated with the spice paste. The potatoes, sugar, and salt are added to the pot and the stew is covered with water and white vinegar. The curry is simmered until everything is fully cooked, and it's then served hot with steamed rice on the side. This fiery dish is a staple during festivities such as Christmas.

Curry debal

Curry Jacques is a traditional curry originating from Mauritius. It's made with jackfruit as the main ingredient, hence the name. Other ingredients for the curry often include potatoes, onions, coriander, garam masala, cumin, turmeric, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, curry leaves, and salt. The jackfruit pieces are blanched in boiling water until they become soft. The onions, ginger, garlic, and spices are cooked in oil until fragrant, and they are mixed with tomatoes, potatoes, a bit of water, and jackfruit. The dish is simmered over medium heat until everything is fully cooked and tender. Before serving, curry Jacques is often sprinkled with coriander.

Curry Jacques

This flavorful and highly nutritious national dish of India is especially popular in southern parts of the country, but it can also be found in Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Dal is a stew with the main ingredient of black or yellow lentils&mdash;the most consumed ingredients in India&mdash;but it can also be prepared with peas, chickpeas, or mung beans. Inexpensive and easy to make, dal was an ideal food for the working class as it provided lots of energy for a full day of labor. While yellow lentils are most commonly used, black lentils are the most prized variety when making dal. Hulled and split, the slightly nutty lentils are slowly simmered with a variety of spices such as caraway, coriander, onions, garlic, chiles, and ginger until they break apart, and are then mashed into a smooth pur&eacute;e. In the northern Punjab region, black mung beans are among the most popular choices for dal and they are typically cooked with ghee (clarified butter), yogurt, onions, tomatoes, and a variety of spices until the dish develops its distinctive aroma and reaches the desired thickness. There are numerous types of dal, each with a different spice combination and flavors. The dish can be served either as a main meal or as a side, and it is traditionally served over rice, accompanied by naan or other Indian breads.

This South Indian dish is a lentil stew made by simmering split lentils with a variety of spices, which are then mashed and cooked either with vegetables (such as bottle gourd) or with chunks of meat (most commonly lamb, mutton or chicken) in an aromatic broth. Typical ingredients used in the preparation of this dish include onions, garlic and ginger paste, tomatoes, green chilis, and spices such as coriander, cumin, turmeric, cardamom, red chili powder, curry leaves, and cloves. Dalcha is typically enhanced with tangy tamarind and spices such as cumin seeds, mustard seeds, garam masala powder, garlic, and red chilis, and it is usually eaten piping hot either as a main course or a side, accompanied by Indian bread. This soupy stew is a common accompaniment to South Indian biryani (rice dish), baghara chawal (flavored rice), phalli gosht (green beans with mutton), or kebabs.

Dalcha

Dal dum pukht is an Indian dish in which lentils are cooked using the dum pukht method. The term is derived from the Persian words dum, meaning to breathe, and pukht, meaning to cook. This dum pukht method dates back to the late 18th and early 19th century and involves the cooking vessels called deghs, which were sealed with dough and topped with hot coals. As a result, the food cooks evenly in its own juices, both on the top and the bottom. Dal dam pukht is prepared in the same way and consists of toor dal lentils (split pigeon peas) that are cooked in a combination of yogurt, yellow chili peppers, and caramelised garlic. The dish is cooked until the lentils become tender to the bite and the sauce becomes rich and creamy.

Dal dum pukht

Although it originated in Punjab, dal makhani has become one of the most popular Indian lentil dishes, both in the country and outside of its borders. It consists of red kidney beans and whole black lentils, which also go under the name urad. The dish is prepared with hefty amounts of ghee and various seasonings such as ginger-garlic paste and chili, and it is slowly cooked in a rich, tomato-based sauce. The name makhani, meaning butter, stems from the last addition, a drizzle of melted ghee or butter that provides the typical velvety flavor of this classic. The dish is occasionally topped with cream or yogurt and is often accompanied by naan or roti bread. Dal makhani is a restaurant staple and a mainstay on various festive occasion in India.

Dal makhani

Dama be potaatas is a traditional stew originating from Sudan. The stew is usually made with a combination of beef, potatoes, tomato paste, onions, garlic, tomatoes, oil, bell peppers, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt. The onions are saut&eacute;ed in oil until soft. Water is poured over the onions, and the mixture is cooked until the liquid evaporates. Chopped tomatoes are stirred in the pot alongside chopped beef, bell peppers, cinnamon, cardamom, tomato paste, and salt. The mixture is simmered until everything is well-blended. Potatoes are chopped, fried, and added to the stew with crushed garlic. The stew is then simmered for a few minutes, and it's ready to be enjoyed.

Dama be potaatas

Simple, healthy, and inexpensive, daraba is a Chadian stew made with chopped okra, mixed vegetables, tomatoes, stock cubes, and smooth peanut butter, giving the dish a unique flavor. It is usually served with rice, boiled cassava, or boiled plantains on the side.

Daraba

France

Daube is a hearty Proven&ccedil;al stew consisting of meat (mostly beef, but other meats like lamb can be used) that is simmered low and slow in wine with various vegetables and seasonings such as cinnamon, cloves, thyme, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Preparing daube is a time-consuming process in which the ingredients are added in layers, with the meat on the bottom and the spices and vegetables on top. Traditionally, the stew is prepared in a special earthenware vessel called a daubi&eacute;re, which is specially shaped to stop the evaporation of the flavorful cooking liquids. Some cooks even seal the lid with a paste made of flour and water. The popularity of daube has led to the creation of numerous regional varieties of the stew, and it is often served with la macaronade, flat macaroni cooked in a sauce made from the braising juices mixed with a bit of white wine and some mushrooms. Some claim that the dish tastes even better when reheated &ndash; in which case it is called nougat de boeuf in Proven&ccedil;al.

Daube

In Zambia, the term delele denotes okra, but also a simple dish that incorporates this traditional vegetable. The dish is predominately prepared with fresh okra that is cooked in water, alongside sliced tomatoes. Bicarbonate of soda is considered to be the essential addition that provides a distinctive thick, glutinous texture. Pair it with nshima, a traditional Zambian cornmeal porridge. The same dish is also enjoyed in Zimbabwe, where it typically goes under the name derere.