International inspiration: Exploring world food 

From Argentinian empanadas to Vietnamese pho – you can find dishes from practically every corner of the world in the UK. But, while the UK’s culinary landscape has improved dramatically over the years, there are still cuisines and dishes we’re yet to discover. We spin the globe and take a look at some of the emerging regions. 

Eating out in the UK has come a long way since the 1970s when prawn cocktail, steak and Black Forest gateau were the highlights on restaurant menus. Today, diners can eat their way around the globe, accessing chicken satay from Thailand; pizza from Naples and katsu curry from Japan without stepping further than their local high street. 

But while culinary choice has broadened in the last five decades, there are still many of the world’s epicurean delights yet to be discovered by British palates and which could form a large part of our culinary landscape in the near future. 

Where in the world are they? 

Some will already be on our radars, while others are yet to be popularised outside their communities, says Charles Banks, co-founder and director at trend analyst thefoodpeople, citing Korean as an example of a cuisine which has catapulted into the mainstream in recent years. 

Before 2010, if you wanted to try bulgogi or bibimbap, you ‘d have to head to the south west London suburb of New Malden. It’s only within the last decade or so that these dishes can be found further afield with cooking styles – like fermenting (kimchi) and flavours – like red pepper spice (gochujang) prevalent in its cuisine inspiring menus of non-Korean restaurants. 

There has also been much ‘hype’ around West African cuisine, says Charles, and while there a steady stream of well-regarded restaurants showcasing food from this region – Akoko, Chishuru and Ikoyi for example - opening in London, it  is arguably yet to breakthrough elsewhere. 

“There’s loads of noise around it in the food world, but it’s really quite undiscovered still,” he adds, noting West Africa comprises 16 countries and is part of a continent housing three times as many more and each with their respective cuisines, so ‘there’s loads there to explore.’  

This notion can also be applied to countries whose food we’re already familiar with, like India and China, where food and cooking styles vary from region to region and offer more than korma and chow mein. We still have plenty to learn about these nuances. 

“Regional sub-divisions have certainly become more prominent,” agrees Charles. “What most Brits class as Chinese food is Hong Kong Cantonese-style dishes, but we’ve seen more restaurants zero in on specific regions and their cooking styles in recent times.” 

Another of the world’s regions that has largely gone unnoticed in terms of its food offerings is Central Asia – an area housing countries colloquially known as ‘the stans’ – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. 

Street food operation Samarkand Palav (see profile below) is already educating its customers on Uzbek and Tajik food. Founders Akbar and Sanobar Majidova gained the chance to bring their concept, based around Uzbek rice dish palav, to market after completing the McCain Streets Ahead Campaign powered by KERB+ in 2022. 

They are now one of four operators who have completed the programme with regular slots at KERB lunch markets in London, although the scheme, which provides budding entrepreneurs from marginalised backgrounds with the skills, knowledge, and financial support to establish themselves in street food, has supported 26 traders in total. 

While Streets Ahead powered by KERB+ isn’t about platforming undiscovered cuisines from around the globe (participants must be from four areas of need – homeless, youth unemployment, refugees or people with convictions – to take part) it has introduced the UK to food from different areas of the world. Head to KERB’s markets at Cowcross Yards, The Gherkin and Fleet Place and you’ll be able to sample Turkmenistan’s steamed manti dumplings from trader Ayal; Syrian Sujuk wraps from trader UTOPIA and Palestinian inspired dishes from Bisan Bites. 

The programme has showcased ‘incredible cultural richness’ says a spokesperson for McCain, unearthing original concepts, from Jamaican/Korean fusion dishes to Lebanese lahm bi ajine and Chinese clay pot rice. 

“The diversity of cuisines we’ve seen through Streets Ahead has been nothing short of extraordinary. Participants have brought authentic dishes rooted in family traditions from regions across the globe. From Syrian chicken liver toasties to Bengali pani puri, Angolan-Portuguese fusions, and Turkish chee borek.” 

There is much more to come. McCain holds panel days each year to select traders to support and its fourth will take place as this feature goes to press. 

Lisa Donohue, head of coaching at KERB+ and her team, coach panellists and give support to traders with emerging concepts. This year, 66 participants will be vying for McCain’s funding and Lisa is looking forward to seeing them sharing their concepts, which include a Ukrainian refugee’s take on Italian bombolone (filled doughnuts); traditional Somalian food and a former inmate at Wormwood Scrubs prison making a version of his Caribbean grandmother’s coco breads. 

She says she is blown away by the creative concepts that she sees year after year, particularly as everyone has overcome some adversity to bring them to the table. 

“I Love my job, hearing people's story through the medium food is extremely powerful,” she says. 

As the Streets Ahead initiative proves, street food is the ideal testing ground for new concepts and is a place to start for anyone looking to discover something new. Similarly, pop-ups by enterprising chefs can be another place to unearth something new, says Charles of thefoodpeople. He uses the example of Mamapen, Kanada Pen’s residency at The Sun and 13 Cantons pub in Soho where the chef is putting Cambodian food on the map. 

Finally, if you’re a chef thinking of adding new dishes to your menu or are thinking of exploring a new concept from an unknown corner of the world, now is the time to do it, urges Charles. Diners are ready to go on that journey with you.  

Research by thefoodpeople shows an uptick in the number of cuisines consumers are trying, or willing to try – it’s risen from 3.5 to 4.5 in the last 12 months. 

“It’s quite a big shift, he says. “Post pandemic diners were all about comfort, sanctuary and safety, but now we’re starting to find a bit of balance and there’s a greater appetite for cuisine exploration.” 

Samarkand Palav 

The rice dish palav – served in Uzbekistan and Tajikstan – earned UNESCO status in 2016, and has existed for thousands of years before that, yet it’s remained a mystery to many UK diners until street food operation Samarkand Palav brought it to our attention two years’ ago. 

Husband-and-wife team Akbar and Sanobar Majidova have been serving their version of palav – a savoury rice served with meat (lamb, beef or chicken) - from KERB lunch markets in London since they won funding through McCain’s Streets Ahead campaign in 2023. 

“It’s like pilaf from India, plov from Russia and in Spain, they have paella,” explains Sanobar. “We cook the rice in layers and very little oil. It is very simple, but very delicious,” says Sanobar. 

The rice (they use Iranian rice as it keeps its shape) is served with slow-cooked lamb or beef and vegetables, with yoghurt, salad and some legendary Samarkandi bread on the side. 

In Uzbek and Tajik cuisine, yellow carrots,  which are lower in sugar than their orange counterparts – are used and the bread is a kind of flatbread baked in a tandoor.

Sanobar says they already have many converts to their cuisine: “In the UK some people say they don’t like lamb, but then they try ours, which is slow cooked and soft they change their minds which makes me very happy.” 

In addition to running their street food stall, the couple also cater for events, drawing on Akbar’s extensive experience cooking in hotels and restaurants since he arrived in the UK in 2003. 

Tatar Bunar  - Ukraine 

Ukraine has been in the headlines ever since Russia invaded the eastern European nation in February 2022. Now, three years on, Ukrainian restaurateurs Alex Cooper and Anna Andriienko are keen to move the conversation on from war and instead focus our attention on their native country’s culinary heritage. 

Tatar Bunar, a 90-cover restaurant serving Ukrainian dishes, is slated to open in March on Curtain Road in East London and Anna (Alex remains in Ukraine) can’t wait to educate diners about her nation’s food through dishes like Borscht (beetroot soup) and cheburek  (deep fried turnover) that will be cooked by head chef Kate Tkachuk. 

“Ukrainian food is interesting and deserves attention. But more than that, we want to present Ukraine beyond the current narrative of war. We want to highlight its culture, its artists, and its identity as a young country that is fighting for its democracy while evolving in many other areas as well,” she says. 

Signature dishes at Tatar Bunar include Varenyky – a filled dumpling – of which there are three versions including one filled with two types of braised cabbage, smoked pear and Bessaribian paprika and served with vegetable demi-glace and crispy onions and one with minced meat and served with smoked sour cream and pickled tomato sauce. 

While the pair had initially planned to focus on food from the southern Ukraine region of  Bessarabia, they realised it would be ‘a much more interesting challenge’ to highlight food from the whole country so expect its famous chicken Kyiv to be on the menu. 

(Written by Emma Eversham)