565 traditional recipes

Traditional British shepherd's pie made from leftover roast lamb or beef, bound in gravy and topped with mashed potatoes. Old-school comfort food done properly.

Traditional New Mexican bizcochos made with lard, sweet sherry, and orange juice, rolled and cut into shapes, then dredged in cinnamon-clove sugar while warm.

Traditional German sauerbraten marinated 4 to 6 days in vinegar with peppercorns, cloves, and bay leaf, then braised until fork-tender with a gingersnap gravy. Authentic Old World pot roast at its finest.

Eggless bread pudding with crushed pineapple, raisins, and a rum-brown sugar glaze topped with sliced almonds. Lighter than traditional custard-based versions.

Pfefferkuchen, a German honey spice cake with whole wheat flour, coffee, cinnamon, cloves, and rum, glazed while hot. A traditional Christmas cookie bar that stays soft for weeks.

Pasteli me Fistikia, a traditional Greek candy with roasted pistachios set in a honey-sugar brittle. Four ingredients and a candy thermometer for an authentic Mediterranean sweet.

Orjaleves is a traditional Hungarian wedding soup made with beef bones, pork, saffron broth, root vegetables, and handmade spiral egg noodles. A rich, celebratory first course.

Old-fashioned lemon chess pie with cornmeal as the traditional thickener and fresh lemon juice for tang. The simplest Southern dessert: 5 ingredients, one bowl, no fuss.

Kutia, a traditional Polish Christmas pudding made with wheat berries, ground poppy seeds, honey, walnuts, almonds, figs, dates, and rum-soaked currants. A treasured holiday dessert.

Biscotti Napoletani: traditional eggless Italian almond biscotti with whole and ground almonds, sweetened with corn syrup. Twice-baked Neapolitan cookies built for dunking in espresso or vin santo.

Traditional Tahitian ma'oa and pahua tairo combines fresh snails or clams with taioro (fermented coconut-shrimp sauce), onions, and garlic. An authentic South Pacific delicacy.

Turkish eggplant pilaf cooked in olive oil with pine nuts, currants, cinnamon, allspice, tomatoes, and a full cup of fresh dill. A traditional zeytinyagli dish served cold as a vegetarian main or mezze.

Georgia-style quail browned in butter and simmered in bouillon gravy until fall-off-the-bone tender. A traditional Southern game bird supper done simply.

Authentic biscotti di Prato (cantucci): the traditional Tuscan twice-baked almond cookies, made with no butter for a hard, crunchy bite built for dunking in coffee or vin santo.

Ribbe is Norway's traditional Christmas Eve pork roast: a slab of belly ribs scored, salted overnight, then roasted slowly to crackling crisp skin and tender meat.

Greek spanakopita Peloponnisos style: spinach, leeks, and spring onions rolled in olive oil-brushed phyllo pastry and baked golden. A dairy-free version without the traditional feta cheese.