Meat Dish

Cağ kebabı is the horizontal döner of Erzurum in eastern Turkey: lamb layered with its own fat on a long spit, turned on its side in front of a wood fire, and carved not in shavings but in thick slices that are threaded onto small skewers, the cağ, and handed to the table one skewer at a time. It is older than the upright döner and most Turkish food historians treat it as the form from which the vertical version was adapted in the nineteenth century. In Erzurum, and in the town of Oltu which claims it just as firmly, the kebab is a lunch dish eaten in restaurants that cook nothing else, with the master standing at the fire all day; the dish has had a protected geographical indication since 2009, and the register fixes the meat as lamb, the marinade as onion, salt and black pepper, and the fire as oak or beech wood.

The meat is boned lamb from the leg and shoulder, cut into wide thin sheets, salted and layered overnight with sliced onion and pepper so the onion juice softens it; no yoghurt, no tomato paste, no spice beyond pepper. In the morning the sheets are stacked on the horizontal spit with slabs of tail fat between them and pressed into a tight cylinder, and the spit is set beside, not above, a bed of burning wood so the meat cooks by radiant heat and the dripping fat does not fall into the fire. As the outer layer browns, the usta slices it off in a long knife stroke and the hot pieces go straight onto a cağ skewer, four or five pieces each, fat and lean together. Only the browned outer layer is ever carved; the inside keeps cooking for the next round.

Judge it by the skewer in front of you. The pieces should be dark and crisp at the edges, pink and juicy within, with rendered fat visible but not pooling, and they should taste of lamb, wood smoke and onion in that order. It is eaten by pulling the meat off the cağ with a piece of thin lavaş, with raw onion, tomato and sometimes a spoon of yoghurt alongside; sauces are not part of it. Mark down meat that is grey throughout, slices that are dry because the spit sat too far from the fire, a kebab cooked over gas or charcoal, beef sold as cağ, and pieces served on a plate rather than on the skewer, which usually means they were carved earlier and kept warm. The ratio of fat to lean should be visible on every skewer and about one to four.

Cağ kebabı

France

Cailles aux raisins is a traditional dish originating from Provence. The dish is usually made with a combination of quails, shallots, butter, olive oil, vine leaves, chicken liver, cognac, white grapes, sage, bacon, chicken stock, salt, and pepper. The shallots are fried in butter with the liver, cognac, sage, and grapes. The mixture is coarsely chopped and stuffed into the quails' cavities. A blanched vine leaf and a slice of bacon are wrapped around each quail, and they're tied with a string and roasted in the oven until cooked. Cognac, grapes, and stock are mixed with the pan juices in order to make a sauce that's poured over the birds before serving.

Cailles aux raisins

Vietnam

Cải m&egrave;o x&agrave;o thịt lợn g&aacute;c bếp is a traditional dish originating from the mountainous Sapa region. It's made with a combination of preserved mustard greens, smoked pork belly, garlic, soy sauce, salt, white pepper, and oil. The pork belly is cooked, dried, brushed with soy sauce and (optionally) sugar, and it's then deep-fried and sliced thinly. The slices are arranged on a plate, then topped with garlic and stir-fried pickled mustard greens. The dish is finished by mixing it with a combination of soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, wine, and white pepper, then steaming the combination before it's served. It's recommended to serve this dish with steamed white rice on the side.

Cải mèo xào thịt lợn gác bếp

Spain

Caldereta de chivo is a traditional dish originating from Yunquera, located high in the mountains near Ronda. It&rsquo;s made with a combination of lamb, lemon juice and zest, white wine, cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, olive oil, and bay leaves. The meat is rubbed with the ground spices, salt, lemon zest and juice. The remaining oil and wine are poured into the casserole with the meat, and the dish is baked until the meat is tender and browned. The meat is served sliced with its own gravy, and it&rsquo;s usually accompanied by rice or mashed potatoes on the side. In the past, this dish used to be made with wild goat. It&rsquo;s recommended to follow up the dish with sweet white grapes and a few pieces of turr&oacute;n.

Caldereta de chivo

Although it is officially called a casserole, caldereta de cordero is a rich and thick lamb stew originating from the region of Extremadura. This tasty rural dish is made with lamb and a combination of crushed garlic, red peppers, onions, paprika, and white wine. It is recommended to prepare this dish in cold weather, then serve it with mashed potatoes or red cabbage.

Caldereta de cordero

Calypso chicken is a traditional chicken stew originating from the Caribbean island of Dominica. The dish is usually made with a combination of chicken breast, onions, ginger, mushrooms, spices, red wine, and cashews. Although those are the most common ingredients, there are also variations on the dish, including ingredients such as pineapple, carrots, hot peppers, lime juice, and raisins. The chicken breasts are marinated in thyme, vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper. They're then browned in a pan, the juices are deglazed with the wine and a bit of water, and the meat is boiled in the mixture until tender. It is then mixed with roasted cashews and saut&eacute;ed vegetables. Once done, the dish is traditionally served over white rice.

Calypso chicken

Canard à la presse is a duck dish built around a piece of equipment: a roasted bird is carved at the table, and its carcass is crushed in a silver duck press to extract the blood and marrow, which are then whisked into a sauce of the duck's own liver, cognac and wine and poured over the sliced breast. It is the signature of La Tour d'Argent in Paris, which has served it under the name canard au sang since the 1890s and numbers every duck, past the million mark by the early 2000s, handing the diner a card with the number. The dish is one of the last survivors of tableside haute cuisine, performed by a maître d'hôtel in a dining room rather than a cook in a kitchen, and the press itself, a vertical screw in a cast and plated housing, has become a collector's object. A handful of restaurants in France, London and New York keep the service alive, and most of them have had to design their own press.

The duck is a specific one: a young Challans or Rouen duck, strangled rather than bled so the blood stays in the meat, and roasted hot for only about twenty minutes so the breast is rare. At the table the legs are removed and sent back to the kitchen to be grilled and served as a second course; the breast is sliced thin and kept warm on a plate over a flame. The carcass, with the trimmings and often the raw liver, is broken up and put into the press, and the screw is turned until the blood and juices run out of the spout into a pan. In that pan the liver has already been pounded with a reduction of red wine or port, cognac, lemon and a little consommé; the pressed juices go in, the sauce is whisked over the flame for several minutes until it thickens by the coagulation of the blood and takes on a glossy, dark red-brown colour, and it is spooned over the breast. The whole operation takes a quarter of an hour in front of the guest.

Judge the sauce, because it is the dish: it should be thick enough to coat the slices and the back of a spoon, smooth with no grainy curdled blood, deep mahogany in colour, and taste of liver, wine and the iron of the duck with a lift of lemon and cognac at the end, rich enough that a small quantity is enough. The breast should be rare to pink and sliced thin, warm but not re-cooked by the sauce. Mark down a sauce that has split or gone grainy from being heated too hard, a sauce that is thin because the press yielded little, a breast that is grey from over-roasting or has been held too long over the flame, a sauce that tastes mainly of wine, and a version made in the kitchen with no press and no blood, which is a duck with a liver sauce and should be named as such. The grilled legs that follow are judged on their own: skin crisp, meat fully cooked, with a mustard sauce or a salad.

Canard à la presse

Canard &agrave; l'orange is a traditional dish in which a duck is roasted, then served with a rich brown sauce that's flavored with sugar and orange juice. The dish is typically made with a duck breast known as Magret &ndash; which comes from a force-fed duck that was raised for the production of foie gras. This type of duck breast is a bit bigger, about twice the size of a normal duck breast. The duck should be cooked so that it still remains pink on the inside, and the accompanying sauce consists of red wine vinegar, orange juice, sugar, chicken stock, and sugar. The dish is usually garnished with orange pieces on the side. It is believed that canard &agrave; l'orange was exported to France by Catherine de Medici. However, some believe that the dish goes back to ancient Middle East, as typical meals from that area often pair meat with fruit.

Canard à l'orange

Canard aux cerises is a traditional dish made with duck and sour cherries as the main ingredients. Other ingredients include carrots, onions, duck fat (or lard), white wine, seasonings, and aromatic herbs such as bay leaves, parsley, celery, and thyme. The duck is browned in fat with the carrots and onions over very low heat. The wine, herbs, and seasonings are added to the pot, followed by water, until the duck is fully immersed. The dish is simmered until the meat becomes tender, and the duck is then removed, the fat and the juices are skimmed and strained, then returned to the pot with sour cherries. Before serving, the duck is carved, while the sauce and the cherries are ladled over the meat.

Canard aux cerises

Canard brais&eacute; aux Montmorency is a traditional dish originating from Val-d'Oise, just north of Paris. The dish is made with a combination of duck, leeks, carrots, onions, turnips, celery, cloves, juniper berries, cinnamon, red wine, chicken stock, butter, sour cherries, sugar, salt, pepper, and bouquet garni. The duck, vegetables, spices, bouquet garni, wine, stock, and seasonings are placed in a casserole, brought to a boil, and simmered for half an hour. The duck is removed, carved, and dotted with butter in an ovenproof dish before it's roasted for an hour while being basted with the pan juices every now and then. The sugar and cherries are saut&eacute;ed in butter and poured over the duck pieces before serving.

Canard braisé aux Montmorency

Peru

Cancacho is a traditional dish originating from the town of Ayaviri. It's prepared with a combination of Ayaviri lamb, red chili peppers, local potatoes, lemon juice, and sometimes malt beer. The lamb must be raised in Ayaviri because the animals are only fed with Peruvian feather grass, ichu, and they're raised at 13,000 feet above sea level. The meat is marinated in red chili, lemon juice, cumin, garlic, and sometimes malt beer. Before it's roasted, the lamb is seasoned with oregano, then roasted until fully cooked. The dish is served with boiled local potatoes (often moraya, a white freeze-dried potato) and aj&iacute; chili sauce.

Cancacho

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In Brazilian cuisine, capa de fil&eacute; refers to a specific cut of beef located on the top of the sirloin and is often recognized for its triangular shape and distinct fat cap on one side. Capa de fil&eacute; is a prized cut of meat in Brazil, known for its tenderness and rich flavor. The fat cap contributes to the flavor and juiciness of the meat during cooking. In Brazilian churrasco (barbecue), capa de fil&eacute; is a popular choice for skewers or can be grilled as steaks. It's often seasoned simply with salt to enhance its natural flavors. Because of its tenderness, capa de fil&eacute; can also be pan-seared or roasted. It's highly valued for its balance of texture and flavor, making it a favorite among those who enjoy Brazilian cuisine and churrasco culture.
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Capa de filé

Capocollo, also known as coppa or capicola, is a cut of pork taken from the upper part of the pig's neck and shoulder. Prized for its tender texture and rich flavor, it features a balance of lean meat and marbled fat that renders during cooking, ensuring the meat remains juicy and flavorful. Fresh capocollo is incredibly versatile in the kitchen. It is often roasted whole and seasoned with herbs, garlic, and olive oil, creating a moist and aromatic centerpiece. It can also be braised in wine, broth, or tomato-based sauces, allowing the marbled fat to melt and enrich the dish. Grilled capocollo steaks are another popular preparation, with the fat rendering beautifully to enhance the meat's flavor. Thin slices of capocollo are also used to wrap stuffing or roulades, combining its savory richness with other ingredients. This cut is celebrated for its hearty and comforting qualities, embodying the rustic elegance of Italian cuisine. Whether roasted, grilled, or braised, fresh capocollo highlights pork's natural flavors and textures, making it a favorite in traditional and modern dishes.

Capocollo

Italy

Capra alla neretese is a traditional dish originating from Teramo in Abruzzo. The dish is usually made with a combination of goat meat, tomatoes, onions, white wine, red peppers, olive oil, cloves, salt, and black pepper. The chopped onion and cloves are fried in olive oil and mixed with the goat meat that&rsquo;s cut into cubes. Once browned, the meat is deglazed with white wine. Once the alcohol evaporates, the ingredients are covered with water and simmered for about an hour. Chopped and peeled tomatoes are added to the pot and cooked for another hour. The peppers are cut into strips, fried in olive oil, drained, seasoned with salt, and added to the pot. The dish is simmered for a few more minutes, and it&rsquo;s then served piping hot. Capra alla neretese is especially popular during the Easter festivities in the region.

Capra alla neretese

Capretto arrosto is a traditional meat dish. It's made with kid goat, garlic, oil or butter, white wine, meat stock, rosemary, and seasonings. The kid goat is cut into quarters, and the meat is then studded with garlic and rosemary. Lightly fried in oil and butter, the meat is lightly browned and tenderized with wine. The dish is finally completed by cooking in the stock. Capretto arrosto is especially popular during the festive Easter season and it's recommended to pair it with Barbaresco or Brunello di Montalcino.

Capretto arrosto

Capriolo alla valdostana is a rich venison stew from Aosta Valley. To prepare this hearty dish, venison must be marinated in vinegar and pepper for at least 12 hours, and it is then slowly simmered with lard, vegetables, grappa, red wine, and spices such as garlic, cloves, and cinnamon. Due to the long preparation process and the fact that venison wasn't easy to obtain, this winter dish used to be reserved only for festive occasions, but nowadays it is often prepared for Sunday lunch, paired with homemade polenta or pasta all&rsquo;uovo.

Capriolo alla Valdostana

Switzerland

Capuns is a traditional dish originating from the canton of Graub&uuml;nden. It is so popular that there is no fixed way of preparing it, and almost every family in the region has their own recipe, but it is usually made with a combination of dried meat and sp&auml;tzle dough wrapped in chard leaves. The combination is cooked in butter, then slowly simmered in stock and cream. Once prepared, the dish is typically topped with fried bacon pieces and grated cheese.

Capuns

Carapulcra or carapulca is a Peruvian stew made with dried potatoes (papa seca), pork, peanut sauce, pimento chilis, and lots of fresh herbs such as rocket and mint. The stew is often seasoned with onions, garlic, black pepper, and ground cumin. It is recommended to serve it with rice and duck on the side, but don't serve carapulcra with avocados, green salads, or bread as they will change the flavors completely.

Carapulcra

Carbonada chilena is a traditional brothy stew originating from Chile. The soup-like stew is usually prepared with a combination of beef (often chuck roast), potatoes, carrots, bell peppers, celery, onions, pumpkin, corn, peas, garlic, paprika, oregano, beef stock, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and olive oil. The ingredients are placed in a pot and simmered until the vegetables become tender and the meat is fully cooked. If desired, some cooked rice can be spooned over the dish before serving. This nourishing stew is ideal for colder days in autumn or winter, when it's eaten as comfort food.

Carbonada chilena

Carbonade valdostana is a rich Italian beef stew originating from the Aosta valley. It is prepared with a combination of beef (cut into cubes or strips), onions, flour, butter, red wine, and herbs and spices such as cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange peel, and bay leaves. Once the stew has been prepared, it is traditionally served piping hot over polenta, but it can also be served with garlic mashed potatoes or pappardelle pasta. Originally, the dish was prepared with beef that was preserved in salt, but nowadays regular beef is more often used in the preparation of carbonade. It is recommended to serve this stew with full-bodied red wines such as Barbaresco, Brunello di Montalcino, or Barolo.