What Are the 10 Most Loved Foods in the World?
What Are the 10 Most Loved Foods in the World?
A new list reveals the world’s most loved dishes, based on the opinions of hundreds of thousands of food lovers. The TasteAtlas Awards 2024/25 has ranked the top 100 foods from across the globe. The results come from 367,847 ratings of over 11,000 traditional meals.
This ranking gives a clear look at what people enjoy eating the most, from street snacks to family favorites. Here is a closer look at the top 10 ones.
10. Tibs
Tibs is a well-known Ethiopian dish made by sautéing meat—often beef or lamb—with spices and sometimes vegetables. The preparation can vary widely: it may include lots of vegetables, just a few, or none at all. Spice levels also range from mild to fiery.
Tibs is more than just food—it’s a gesture of respect. Ethiopians often prepare it for special guests or serve it during celebrations and holidays, making it a meaningful part of the country’s culinary culture.
9. Cağ Kebabı
Originating from Erzurum in eastern Turkey, cağ kebabı is a slow-roasted lamb dish cooked on a horizontal skewer over a wood fire. Before grilling, the meat is marinated in a simple mix of onions, salt, and pepper for around 12 hours.
Once cooked, skilled chefs slice the tender meat directly onto a long skewer. It’s commonly eaten straight from the skewer or wrapped in thin, warm lavash bread. Rich in flavor and rooted in tradition, this kebab remains a beloved specialty of Turkish cuisine.
8. Rawon
Rawon is a deeply flavorful Indonesian beef soup known for its rich, black broth. Originating in East Java, especially around Surabaya, rawon is made with slow-cooked beef and a mix of spices including lime leaves, lemongrass, and chili. The signature ingredient is kluwek, a fermented black nut that gives the dish its dark color and earthy flavor.
Once a humble, everyday meal, rawon gained popularity over time and is now a staple in traditional Indonesian restaurants. It’s typically served with rice, salted egg, bean sprouts, and sambal, a local chili paste.
7. Çökertme Kebabı
This regional dish from Bodrum, Turkey combines thinly sliced veal, crispy potato matchsticks, garlicky yogurt, and a tangy tomato sauce. The veal is marinated in a blend of milk, olive oil, and spices before being cooked and layered over fried potatoes.
A spoonful of tomato sauce tops the dish, and some prefer to garnish it with herbs or sautéed vegetables. Çökertme kebabı offers a well-balanced combination of textures and flavors, making it a favorite in southwestern Turkey.
6. Asado
Asado is both a cherished dish and a social tradition across Argentina and much of South America. It involves grilling various cuts of meat—especially beef—on a brick barbecue known as parrilla.
The cooking starts with sausages and offal, followed by thinner steaks such as matambre and entraña, cooked quickly to retain moisture. Often held outdoors, asado brings friends and families together, making it a central feature of cultural gatherings across the region.
5. Phanaeng Curry
Phanaeng curry is a rich Thai dish known for its creamy texture and sweet-savory peanut flavor. It’s made with coconut milk, panang curry paste, lime leaves, fish sauce, and palm sugar. Popular meat choices include beef, chicken, pork, or duck.
Despite its name’s similarity to Malaysia’s Penang, the dish’s origins remain unclear. Unlike many other curries, phanaeng is thick and typically includes no vegetables. It’s a staple in Thai households and restaurants alike.
4. Rechta
Rechta is a festive Algerian meal featuring delicate handmade noodles served with a slow-cooked chicken stew. The sauce includes a mix of vegetables like zucchini and turnips, along with chickpeas and spices such as cinnamon and ras el hanout.
Rechta is often reserved for special occasions, including weddings and religious holidays like Eid. It’s a dish that reflects both the warmth of family traditions and the skill of home cooking.
3. Picanha
Picanha is one of Brazil’s most prized cuts of beef, known elsewhere as sirloin cap or rump cap. It features a thick fat cap that keeps the meat juicy when grilled. Picanha is a staple in churrasco, Brazil’s style of barbecue, where the meat is cooked on skewers and sliced in thin pieces.
Proper cooking is key—because the meat is lean, it’s easy to overcook. At Brazilian steakhouses, or churrascarias, picanha is often the star of the show.
2. Pizza Napoletana
Pizza Napoletana is the heart of Italian street food and tradition. Made with simple ingredients like flour, tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil, it comes in two classic forms: marinara (with tomato, garlic, and oregano) and margherita (with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil).
Its signature thin base and puffed, slightly charred crust are key to its texture and flavor. Recognized by UNESCO as cultural heritage, this pizza style dates back to 18th-century Naples and remains one of the world’s most iconic foods.
1. Lechona
Lechona is Colombia’s celebratory centerpiece—a whole pig stuffed with a flavorful mix of rice, peas, herbs, and spices, then slow-roasted until golden and tender. A single lechona can serve up to 100 people, making it a popular choice for large gatherings.
Though once a rural tradition, lechona is now widely available in cities across Colombia. Its crispy skin and savory filling make it both a feast for the senses and a proud symbol of national cuisine.