Aperitivo

Saganaki is a highly popular Greek appetizer where various vegetables, meats, or seafood such as shrimp or mussels are wrapped in cheese, then pan-fried or seared. The cheese can also be prepared on its own, without any accompaniments. It is then pan-seared until it develops its distinctive golden crust, and served in the so-called sagani, a small, two-handled pan in which it was fried. In the past, the word saganaki referred to a method of spicing up the local cheese by Greek peasants, who would pan-fry different varieties of cheese such as feta, kashkaval or manori. While regional variations of the dish include the use of formaela cheese in Arachova and halloumi in Cyprus, the cheese used in a typical Greek saganaki is usually graviera, kefalograviera, kasseri, kefalotyri, sheep's milk feta or any other firm cheese that melts well without losing its shape. Saganaki is sometimes enlivened by a splash of traditional Greek spirits like Metaxa brandy or Ouzo, an anise-flavored aperitif. Outside of Greece, particularly in the US, saganaki is typically flamb&eacute;ed at the table, and this flaming culinary showmanship is a tradition which reportedly first started in Chicago's Greektown. When the lighter comes out to ignite the pan, one can often hear "Opa!", the Greek expression for joy. After cheering, the diners usually cut off chunks of cheese that are crispy on the outside and soft and runny on the inside, and then sprinkle their saganaki with lemon juice, savoring it with some freshly baked pita bread.

Saganaki

Şakşuka is a Turkish meze dish made with eggplants and zucchinis which are fried in olive oil, then combined with tomato sauce, garlic, and green peppers. When prepared right and served fresh, şakşuka is typically used as a side dish with a variety of grilled meat dishes. Before serving, it is topped with yogurt that has been seasoned with garlic. The dish is usually served chilled, and it is recommended to pair it with freshly baked lavash bread.

Şakşuka

Salade c&ocirc;te cap verte is a simple Senegalese salad that combines hard-boiled eggs with salad greens and a flavorful salad dressing. The hard-boiled eggs are finely chopped and placed on a large serving platter over coarsely chopped greens, usually leaf lettuce, watercress, or spinach. Often served on the side, the salad dressing is made with oil, dried herbs, garlic, ground pepper, and salt. In Senegal, this dish, which reflects the influence of French cuisine, is served both as a salad and as an appetizer.

Ensalada de Côte Cap Verte

France

Salade Lyonnaise consists of endive, bacon, croutons, and a poached egg that is placed on top of it. It originates from the French city of Lyon, and it is one of the most popular salads found on the menus of numerous small French bistros and restaurants. The salad is a representative of the typical Lyonnaise cuisine, which started in the 1500s when Catherine de Medici told her chefs to make new dishes from various ingredients found throughout France. Today, the salad is typically found in tiny eateries called bouchons, specializing in comfort food.

Ensalada lionesa

Salată de boeuf is a traditional salad consisting of meat, boiled potatoes, boiled root vegetables, and pickled vegetables, all finely diced and dressed with a combination of mayonnaise and mustard. The salad is usually placed in a bowl, topped with a layer of mayonnaise, and garnished with slices of hard-boiled eggs, parsley, olives, or bits of vegetables. Although the original salad used beef, today it is commonly prepared with chicken, turkey, or even ham. In Romania, salată de boeuf is a holiday dish prepared for Christmas, New Year&rsquo;s Eve, and Easter. It is usually served as an appetizer, a side dish, or even as a main dish accompanied by bread.

Ensalada de carne

Salată de icre is a Romanian fish roe salad that combines carp or pike roe with oil, lemon juice, and sparkling water. Finely diced shallots or red onions can be added to the salad for extra flavor. This light and fluffy dish is typically prepared as an appetizer for holidays and on special occasions, or smeared on a slice of bread and topped with chopped red onions and olives.

Ensalada de hielo

Salată de vinete is a traditional summer dish that involves roasting or grilling eggplants until charred, chopping them until they form a smooth pur&eacute;e, and finally mixing the eggplants with sunflower oil, salt, and lemon juice. Although its name means eggplant salad, this specialty is actually a type of eggplant spread. There are numerous variations on this dish, and some of the most common additions to the eggplant combination include raw onions, egg yolks, or mayonnaise. It can be used as an appetizer or as a garnish for meat dishes, and it is usually served chilled, typically with mayonnaise and bread. Other typical accompaniments include slices of tomatoes or cucumbers, roasted pepper salad, and Romanian cheese such as telemea cheese. It is recommended to pair this delicious eggplant spread with a glass of dry wine.

Ensalada de uva

Croatia

Salata od hobotnice is a traditional octopus salad originating from Dalmatia, but it's very popular throughout the country, especially on Christmas Eve and during the summer. Although there are many versions, it's usually made with a combination of octopus, onions, garlic, bay leaves, olive oil, parsley, potatoes, salt, vinegar, and tomatoes. The cleaned octopus is cooked, then cut into smaller pieces and mixed with the other ingredients. It's recommended to cook it with a few wine corks as they will soak up the bitter flavors during cooking. The salad is sometimes enriched with capers, olives, or lemon juice, and it's recommended to serve it well chilled, ideally with fresh bread on the side for mopping up the juices.

Salata de hobotnice

Salata od koko&scaron;jeg mesa na slavonski način is a traditional salad originating from Slavonija. This meat salad is served as an appetizer and it's usually made with a combination of hen meat, celery, carrots, potatoes, cauliflower, peas, parsley, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper. The hen is cooked with celery, parsley, and carrots. Once tender, the meat, carrots, celery, and parsley are chopped into pieces and mixed with boiled peas, potatoes, and cauliflower. The salad is seasoned with salt and pepper, mixed with mayonnaise, and sprinkled with chopped parsley. Salata od koko&scaron;jeg mesa na slavonski način is always served well-chilled.

Salata od kokošjeg mesa na slavonski način

Italy

Salsiccia di Bra is a traditional sausage hailing from Bra in Cuneo, Italy. Although the exact recipe is a secret, certified producers say that the secret of this cylindrical sausage lies in the right amount of lean veal meat, pig's fat, sea salt, white pepper, cinnamon, mace, and nutmeg. Many producers enrich it further with fennel, garlic, cheese, leeks, white wine, and even prosecco or sparkling wine for Christmas. The combination is stuffed in a small ram's gut, and the sausage is traditionally eaten fresh and raw with a splash of lemon juice as part of antipasti or as a snack during aperitivo (pre-dinner drink). And for true fans of salsiccia di Bra, every spring there is a festival in Bra dedicated to this local sausage.

Salchicha de Bra

Salvia fritta is a traditional dish that's enjoyed throughout the country. The dish is made with a combination of sage leaves, oil, and a batter (pastella) that usually consists of flour, olive oil, egg whites, and salt. The sage leaves should be not too big and too small, with a long enough stem that can act as a handle when the leaves are swooped through the batter. Once battered, the sage leaves are fried in hot oil until crisp and golden. Before serving, salvia fritta is sprinkled with salt. It's recommended to pair this unique appetizer or snack with a glass of prosecco on the side.

Salvia frita

Salviata is a traditional dish originating from Florence. It's neither a frittata nor a pie, but it can best be described as an oven-baked omelet. It consists of eggs, sage leaves, milk, flour, butter, salt, and grated Parmiggiano cheese. The combination is placed in a buttered oven pan, then baked so that it remains creamy on the exterior and inside. Once done, this oven-baked omelet is traditionally served as an appetizer, but if you don't want to keep it traditional, it makes for a great breakfast, brunch, or dinner as well. It's believed that the recipe dates back to medieval times due to the fact that there are no tomatoes, potatoes, or any ingredients that became popular in Italy after the discovery of the New World.

Salviata

Sama&scaron;trani jezik is an old Croatian dish originating from Split. It's prepared with fresh beef tongue which is combined with a mixture of salt, coriander, and garlic, and it's then left pressed under a weight for a few days up to a week. After that, it's cooked with root vegetables in a broth until it softens. The tongue is thinly sliced and served cold, usually accompanied by a sauce made with horseradish, apples, and capers. This dish is especially popular on Christmas and New Year's Eve, but it's rarely offered in local resturants. During winter, it's occasionally served at a place called O&scaron;tarija kod Viđakovih.

El mismo día

Sambusa baraki is a traditional Tajik pastry filled with meat. It consists of a large triangular pie typically made with a firm, flaky dough disc consisting of flour, eggs, salt, and water. The dough is greased with melted butter, and then topped with a meat mixture. Typical ingredients for the filling include ground beef or mutton with tail fat, onions, cumin seeds, spices, and seasonings. Sambusa baraki is usually brushed with beaten egg yolks, topped with sesame seeds, then baked in a tandyr, a type of Tajik clay oven. Flaky and with a crispy crust, the flat triangular cake is commonly eaten as a savory snack or an appetizer.

Sambusa baraki

Sangrecita is a Peruvian dish consisting of chicken blood saut&eacute;ed with garlic, onions, and spicy chili peppers. It is traditionally served with rice, corn, or potatoes on the side. The dish is praised because it is high in iron and low on cost. Although it can be consumed on its own, sangrecita can also be used in numerous dishes &ndash; from appetizers to desserts.

Sangrecita

This classic Sicilian dish employs butterflied sardines that are stuffed with a mixture of toasted breadcrumbs, parsley, anchovies, pine nuts, and raisins, with the occasional addition of grated parmesan. Stuffed sardines can be formed into individual rolls that are skewered, occasionally alongside bay leaves, then drizzled with lemon juice and shortly baked or grilled. Another technique employs two fillets that are sandwiched with the filling, and the whole combination is usually deep-fried. These flavorful sardines can be enjoyed as a main meal, but they also make for an excellent and filling appetizer. Sarde a beccafico are found throughout Sicily and are best enjoyed freshly prepared at the colorful Sicilian open markets.

Sarde a beccafico

One of Venice's most traditional dishes, this delicious appetizer of marinated sardines originated among the fishermen and seafarers of La Serenissima as a way to preserve fish during their long voyages. Sarde in saor are made by frying fresh sardines and then marinating them either in white wine or vinegar with softly cooked onions, pine nuts, and raisins. The dish is preferably prepared the day before serving, and it can keep well over the course of a week. In Venice, this ultimate antipasto agrodolce is found on every corner and is typically served alongside grilled polenta.

Sarde en sarga

Australia

This type of Chamorro kelaguen is made with chopped sardines, either fresh or canned. They are seasoned with lime or lemon juice, salt, lots of onions, and hot peppers. Optionally, grated coconut can also be added to the dish. Once the dish has been prepared, it can be served on its own, as a filling for tacos, or as a delicious dip with tortilla chips.

Kelaguen de sardinas

India

Sarson da saag (also sarson ka saag or mustard greens) is a popular Punjabi vegetarian dish consisting of leaves of the mustard plant, spinach, green chilli, fenugreek, ginger and salt. The dish is slowly simmered in its own juices over low heat until it develops the typical, buttery creaminess. In Punjab, it is topped with fried onions and fresh homemade butter. In Uttar Pradesh, however, the dish is topped with yogurt and tomatoes to slightly reduce its bitter and peppery taste. Due to the pungency of mustard leaves, broccoli, radish and turnip are sometimes added to enhance the flavors. Originally, sarson da saag was a staple of rural, hardworking people of Punjab. It is also often fed to children by their mothers due to its nutritious qualities. Attractive and vibrant, mustard greens provide an ideal accompaniment to makkai ki roti, a type of Indian corn-flour flatbread with a uniquely sturdy texture.

Sarson de la saag

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Sate tempe is a variant of the popular Southeast Asian dish sate which traditionally consists of skewered and grilled meat, but in this case it is made with tempe (a traditional Indonesian soy product). Tempe is made from fermented soybeans that are pressed into a compact cake, known for its nutty flavor and substantial texture. Sate tempe involves cutting the tempe into cubes or slices, marinating it in a blend of spices and seasonings, skewering it on bamboo sticks, and then grilling it. The marinade typically includes ingredients such as garlic, coriander, turmeric, sweet soy sauce (kecap manis), and sometimes tamarind paste or lime juice, which infuse the tempe with a rich, savory, and slightly sweet flavor. Once grilled, sate tempe is often served with a sauce. The type of sauce can vary, but peanut sauce is one of the most common and popular accompaniments, offering a sweet and spicy flavor that complements the smokiness of the grilled tempeh. Sate tempe can be enjoyed as a snack, appetizer, or a main dish, often accompanied by rice or a simple salad.
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