Traditional food

See also: National dish

Bryndzové halušky (potato dumplings with sheep's-milk cheese) is a traditional food of shepherds in Slovakia.

Traditional food refers to foods and dishes that are passed through generations and also refers to foods consumed over the long-term duration of civilization that have been passed through generations. Traditional foods and dishes are traditional in nature, and may have a historic precedent in a national dish, regional cuisine or local cuisine. Traditional foods and beverages may be produced as homemade, by restaurants and small manufacturers, and by large food processing plant facilities.

Some traditional foods have geographical indications and traditional specialities in the European Union designations per European Union schemes of geographical indications and traditional specialties: Protected designation of origin (PDO), Protected geographical indication (PDI) and Traditional specialities guaranteed (TSG). These standards serve to promote and protect names of quality agricultural products and foodstuffs.

This article also includes information about traditional beverages.

By continent

Africa

File:Bambara nut unearthed..JPG

Freshly harvested Bambara groundnuts

• Bambara groundnut – a traditional food crop in Africa

Europe

Traditional food products have been described as playing "an important part of European culture, identity, and heritage".

South America

• Humita – a traditional food in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru

• 

  Wrapped humitas being cooked

By country

Canada

• Country food refers to the traditional diets of Aboriginal people (known in Canada as First Nations, Metis, and Inuit), especially in remote northern regions where Western food is an expensive import, and traditional foods are still relied upon.
• Thanksgiving dinner
• Tourtière

Acadia

• Sugar pie

China

Eating spring pancakes on the day of Lichun in a restaurant

• Ciba cake
• Fuling jiabing – a traditional snack food of Beijing and is an integral part of the city's culture. It is a pancake-like snack made from flour, sugar, and fuling (Poria), rolled around nuts, honey, and other ingredients.
• Spring pancake – a traditional Chinese food unique to the northern regions. People eat spring pancakes on the day called lichun to celebrate the beginning of spring.

Costa Rica

• Rice and beans

Croatia

• Lecsó

Cyprus

• Tsamarella – a traditional food and one of Cyprus' main lunch meats

Czech Republic

• Lecsó

England

• Faggot
• Fish and chips
• Full breakfast
• Sunday roast

Faroe Islands

Faroese puffins prepared for the kitchen in Dímun

• Faroese puffin
• Garnatálg
• Skerpikjøt
• Whale meat

France

• Appellation d'origine contrôlée – the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products
  • Bresse chicken – a French chicken product with appellation d'origine contrôlée status
  • List of Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée liqueurs and spirits
  • List of Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée wines

Germany

• Black Forest ham – produced in the Black Forest region of Germany, it is a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) food in the European Union.

Guatemala

Fiambre

• Fiambre is a traditional Guatemalan dish that is prepared and eaten yearly to celebrate the Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) and the All Saints Day (Día de Todos los Santos).

Iceland

• Hákarl – a traditional food and national dish of Iceland
• Hangikjöt
• Þorramatur – a selection of traditional Icelandic food, consisting mainly of meat and fish products cured in a traditional manner, cut into slices or pieces and served with rúgbrauð (dense and dark rye bread), butter and brennivín (an Icelandic akvavit)

India

• Tripuri cuisine § Traditional food

Indonesia

Tumpeng is an Indonesian national dish

• Brem – a fermented snack and beverage from Java and Bali
• Docang – a traditional food from Cirebon
• Ketupat – a traditional rice dumpling commonly served during Lebaran, Indonesian Eid ul Fitr
• Pallubasa – a traditional food from Makassar, South Sulawesi made from offal of cattle or buffalo
• Pekalongan Regency § Traditional foods
• Rendang – traditional Minangkabau dish from West Sumatra
• Swikee – sometimes identified as a traditional food of Purwodadi, a city in Central Java
• Tumpeng – An Indonesian national dish

Iran

• Tahdig

Ireland

• Full breakfast
• Sunday roast

Italy

See also: List of Italian products with protected designation of origin

• Prosciutto (PDO)
• Ravioli
• Salami

By designation of origin

• Denominazione di origine controllata – a quality assurance label for Italian food products, especially Italian wine and cheese
  • List of Italian DOC wines
  • List of Italian DOCG wines
• Indicazione geografica tipica
• Prodotto agroalimentare tradizionale is an official approval for traditional Italian regional food products similar to the Protected Geographical Status of the European Union.
  • Mascarpone
  • Piadina
• Strada dell'Olio – a kind of gastronomical route in Italy that crosses a territory rich of traditional products, PDOs and PGIs, DOCs and DOCGs in Italy.

Piedmont

• Panna cotta – The northern Italian Region of Piedmont includes panna cotta in its 2001 list of traditional food products of the region. Panna cotta is not mentioned in Italian cookbooks before the 1960s, yet it is often cited as a traditional dessert in Piedmont.

Japan

• Mochi – eaten year-round in Japan, mochi is a traditional food for the Japanese New Year and is commonly sold and eaten during that time

Jordan

Traditional beverages in Jordan include sous (also referred to as 'irqsus), a drink prepared using the dried root of Glycyrrhiza glabra (liquorice), tamr hindi, a drink prepared from an infusion of the dried pulp of Tamarindus indica (tamarind), and laban (labneh), a drink prepared with yogurt and water. A significant amount of labneh in Jordan and nearby countries continues to be prepared using the traditional method of "straining set yogurt in cloth bags".

Korea

• Nurungji
• Sungnyung

Maldives

Two pieces (ari) of industrially-produced Maldive fish

• Garudiya
• Maldive fish – cured tuna fish traditionally produced in the Maldives. It is a staple food in Maldivian cuisine

Malta

• Lent in Malta § Traditional food eaten throughout the period
  • Kwareżimal – Lent cake

Mexico

A tamale

• Atole
• Capirotada – usually eaten during the Lenten period (comida de cuaresma). It is one of the dishes served on Good Friday.
• Chiles
• Enchilada
• Iguana meat
• Legumes, beans and refried beans
• Maize
  • Tortilla
• Mole sauce
• Pork
  • Chorizo
• Rice – traditionally pan fried to a golden color before cooking
• Rice and beans
• Sope
• Tamale

Nepal

• Dhindo

Portugal

• Denominação de Origem Controlada is the system of protected designation of origin for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products from Portugal.

Saudi Arabia

• Hininy
• Kabsa

Scotland

• Lorne sausage

Singapore

• Hainanese chicken rice – considered as a national dish of Singapore
• Teochew porridge

• Hainanese Chicken Rice.jpg

  Hainanese chicken rice

Slovakia

• Bryndzové halušky – a national dish of Slovakia consisting of halušky and bryndza.
• Lecsó

Spain

• Boroña – a cornbread that is a traditional food in the regions of Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, the Basque Country and northern Castilla-Leon (areas of León, Palencia and Burgos)
• Denominación de Origen – part of a regulatory classification system primarily for Spanish wines (similar to the French appellations) but also for other foodstuffs like cheeses, condiments, honey and meats, among others

Swaziland

• Cuisine of Swaziland § Traditional foods

Switzerland

• Appellation d'origine protégée – A Swiss geographical indication protecting the origin and the quality of traditional food products other than wines
• Capuns – a traditional food from the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland

Tanzania

• Pare people § Traditional food

Thailand

• Mango sticky rice
• Pad Thai

Uganda

• Malewa – smoked bamboo shoot which is dried for preservation. The food originated from Eastern Uganda in the Bugisu sub-region

United Kingdom

• Bangers and mash
• Cottage pie
• Faggot
• Full breakfast

United States

Main article: List of regional dishes of the United States

• Cardamom bread – considered as a traditional food among Swedish Americans
• Thanksgiving dinner

Southern United States

See also: Cuisine of the Southern United States

• Biscuit
• Cheese straw
• Cornbread
• Collard greens
• Hoppin' John
• Sweet potato

Vanatu

See also: Cuisine of Vanuatu § Traditional foods

• Lap lap – a national dish

Yemen

• Kabsa

By region

Arab states of the Persian Gulf

• Khabees – traditional sweet dish in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf

Commonwealth Caribbean

• Rice and peas – a traditional dish in the Anglo-Caribbean

Eastern Mediterranean

Traditional foods of the Eastern Mediterranean region include falafel, fuul, halawa, hummus, kanafeh, labaneh, medammis and tahini. among others. The most popular traditional foods in the region are those prepared from legumes, specifically, falafel, fuul, hummus and medammis.

• Popular traditional foods in the Eastern Mediterranean region
• 

  Falafel

• PistHalva.jpg

  Halawa prepared with tahini and pistachio nuts

• 

  Hummus

• 

  Kanafeh in Palestine

• 

  Labaneh

European Union

• Geographical indications and traditional specialities in the European Union
• Quality Wines Produced in Specified Regions – a quality indicator used within European Union wine regulations that identifies wines with protected geographical indications
• List of geographical designations for spirit drinks in the European Union

Scandinavia

• European crayfish
  • Crayfish party

Southern Africa

• Soured milk – a traditional food of the Bantu peoples of Southern Africa

See also

• Christmas dinner
• Appellation
• Shrove Tuesday – known in some countries as Pancake Tuesday or Pancake day
• Whole food