Best Staple

The baguette is a long, thin loaf of French bread that is a staple of French cuisine. Its crispy crust and soft, airy interior make it a versatile and delicious accompaniment to meals. While simple in ingredients, the traditional method of making a baguette requires skill and time. It's a quintessen...

Polenta is a traditional Italian dish made from boiled ground maize, which can be cooked into a thick porridge or allowed to cool and solidify before being baked or fried. Originating as a peasant food in Northern Italy, it became a dietary staple in regions like Lombardy and Veneto following the in...

Kasha is an Eastern European dish that broadly refers to a porridge made from boiled groats, most commonly roasted buckwheat. The term is deeply rooted in Slavic cuisines, particularly in Russia, where it has been a fundamental dietary staple for centuries. The roasted buckwheat version is tradition...

Grits are a staple dish of the Southern United States made from coarsely ground dried corn or hominy that has been treated with an alkali solution. The grains are boiled in water or milk into a thick, soft porridge that is traditionally served hot as a breakfast item or as a side dish. Historically...

Heinz Baked Beans are a popular canned dish featuring navy beans simmered in tomato sauce. Initially developed in the United States, they gained widespread recognition and became a staple food within Britain starting in 1928. The product remains a convenient and familiar option for individuals seeki...

Mamaliga is a traditional cornmeal porridge that serves as a staple food in the cuisines of Romania and Moldova, similar to Italian polenta. It is prepared by boiling cornmeal in water or milk with salt until it reaches a thick, dough-like consistency. Historically, it functioned as a bread substitu...

Frijoles de olla is a classic Mexican bean dish featuring pinto beans simmered slowly in a clay pot. The traditional preparation uses water, garlic, and epazote to create a deeply flavorful, staple food. It’s commonly served as a foundational element of meals throughout Mexico and remains a popular...

Toor dal, also known as split pigeon pea, is a fundamental pulse in Indian cuisine made from the seeds of the Cajanus cajan plant. After being skinned and split, the yellow lentils are cooked into a thick stew or soup, forming a primary source of protein for vegetarian diets across the country. It s...

Mieliepap is a foundational staple food in South African cuisine, made from ground maize meal cooked with water and salt until it forms a thick porridge. It can be prepared in various consistencies, ranging from a soft, smooth texture to a very stiff dough known as stywe pap or a dry, crumbly form c...

Tsampa is a staple food of the Himalayan region, particularly central to the diet and culture of Tibet. It consists of flour made from roasted barley, which is traditionally mixed with yak butter tea to form a dense, dough-like consistency. The mixture is typically kneaded by hand in a bowl or direc...

Frijoles de la olla are Mexican beans simmered in water until tender, traditionally in an earthenware pot called an olla. Preparations commonly use pinto, black, or other regional beans with restrained seasoning such as onion, garlic, salt, or epazote, although recipes vary by household and region....

Ugali is a firm, dense porridge made from finely ground white maize flour, serving as the primary dietary staple across much of East Africa. The preparation involves whisking the maize meal into boiling water until it forms a solid, dough-like mass that can be easily molded. It is widely consumed in...

Kenkey is a traditional Ghanaian fermented food made from white corn, serving as a dietary staple for the Ga and Fante peoples. The preparation involves soaking and wet-milling corn kernels into a dough, which is left to ferment for several days to develop a characteristic sour flavor. The dough is...

Chana dal is a staple legume in South Asian cuisine consisting of hulled and split black chickpeas, known as Bengal gram. Unlike many other pulses, chana dal retains a firm, meaty texture and a distinctly nutty flavor even after prolonged cooking. It is highly versatile and utilized across India in...

Sadza is a stiff, dough-like maize meal porridge that serves as the primary carbohydrate and national dish of Zimbabwe. It is cooked by continuously stirring refined white cornmeal into boiling water until it forms a smooth, thick consistency that holds its shape. Eaten daily across many households...

Samp consists of dried maize kernels that have been coarsely crushed or broken down, rather than ground into a fine meal. It serves as a fundamental staple food in South Africa, where it holds significant cultural importance in Xhosa and Zulu culinary traditions. The grain is frequently simmered slo...

Nshima is a thick porridge made from finely ground maize meal, known locally as mealie meal, which serves as the foundational staple food of Zambia. The preparation involves continuously stirring the maize flour into boiling water until it reaches a stiff, moldable consistency. It is traditionally e...

Banku is a Ghanaian staple food made from a fermented mixture of corn dough and cassava dough, cooked by stirring in boiling water until it forms a smooth, firm consistency. It is a traditional dish of the Ga and Ewe peoples of southern Ghana and is also consumed in parts of neighboring Togo. Banku...

Nsima is a dense porridge prepared from maize flour and water, serving as the primary staple carbohydrate in Malawi and neighboring regions of southern Africa. The maize meal is meticulously cooked and beaten until it forms a thick paste that holds its shape. It is traditionally eaten by hand and se...

Gari is a staple food in West Africa produced from fermented, grated, and dried cassava tubers. The processing involves peeling, grating, fermenting the mash for several days, and then sieving and roasting it to yield a dry, granular product. It is commonly consumed by soaking it in cold water with...

Kuru fasulye is a Turkish stew based on dried white beans, onions, and a tomato or pepper paste sauce. Meatless versions are common, while others include beef, lamb, or pastırma. It is a familiar offering in Turkish homes and lokanta restaurants and is frequently served with rice, pickles, and bread...

Ibiharage is a traditional Rwandan dish consisting of red kidney beans sautéed with onions and palm oil. Often cooked until thick, the beans are seasoned with salt and sometimes combined with tomatoes, bell peppers, or garlic depending on regional preferences. Beans are a foundational staple crop in...

Oshifima is a traditional stiff porridge from Namibia, primarily made from pearl millet flour and water. It is the staple food of the Owambo people in the northern regions of the country. The thick consistency makes it ideal for scooping up accompanying meat or vegetable stews.

Bogobe is a traditional Botswanan porridge made from sorghum or maize meal. It is prepared by stirring the grain into boiling water until it reaches a thick consistency. As the national staple food, it is typically served alongside meat or vegetable stews and can be prepared in either a plain or fer...

Tuwo masara is a thick, stiff porridge made from maize flour, serving as a foundational staple food in northern Nigerian Hausa cuisine. The maize meal is boiled in water and stirred continuously until it forms a dense, moldable dough. It functions primarily as a swallow, meant to be pinched off and...

Posho is a thick, stiff porridge made from white maize flour that serves as a primary staple carbohydrate in Uganda. The dish is prepared by gradually adding cornmeal to boiling water and stirring vigorously until it reaches a dense, dough-like consistency. It is similar to other East and Southern A...

Ting is a fermented sorghum porridge consumed in southern African countries including Botswana, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. It is produced through lactic acid fermentation, which gives it a sour taste. The dish is commonly eaten as a staple food and may be prepared in thinner or thicker consistencie...

Arroz con Habichuelas is a foundational daily meal in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic consisting of white rice paired with a savory stew of red or pink beans. The beans are simmered with a base of sofrito, garlic, and tomato sauce, often enriched with ham, pork, or plantain. It serves as a pr...

Refried beans are a Mexican and Tex-Mex dish made by cooking beans until tender, then mashing and cooking them further with fat or seasonings. Pinto beans are widely used, although black beans and other varieties are also prepared this way. Despite the English name, the Spanish term frijoles refrito...