Seven dishes around the world to put on your must-eat list for 2025

I get it: it’s hard enough figuring out what you’re having for lunch today, let alone deciding what you want to eat next year.

Still, there’s enjoyment to be had in the planning and the dreaming, and those who really love food will most definitely set up an entire holiday around the opportunity to eat just one dish.

In 2025, these are your wish dishes.

Paneer tikka masala, India

Cheese replaces meat in paneer tikka masala.Credit: iStock

If you care about the planet, you need to eat less meat. That is a given. And so where do you indulge this desire for meat-free cuisine? India, of course. The country is home to a huge diversity of vegetarian and vegan creations, and we’re going to highlight one of the trendier examples: paneer tikka masala, with cheese replacing the meat in an absolute classic.

Txuleta, Spain

You read it right: in 2025 we all need to cut down on the amount of meat we eat. So that means that if you do eat meat, you want it to be the absolute best it can be. And in northern Spain, particularly the Basque Country, they take their steak very seriously. Indulge in a fire-roasted rib-eye, known as a txuleta, at Asador Nicolas, Casa Julian, or Bar Nestor.

Sauerkraut/Kimchi, Germany/Korea

Fermented foods are in: kimchi.Credit: iStock

Here’s another trend that will hit big in 2025, though it’s one that has long been embraced in certain cultures: fermented foods. These items are not only good for your health (boosting immunity, aiding weight loss and more), they’re also great for sustainability because they cut down on waste, plus they’re delicious. Try sauerkraut in Germany, and kimchi in Korea.

Natural wine

Natural wine is the hipster trend in Australia that just won’t go away, despite – to begin with at least – the poor quality of local examples. In some parts of the world, however, they’ve been doing this for thousands of years, and there’s some great stuff out there. In 2025, head to the Jura region of France, anywhere in Georgia, or Friuli-Venezia Giulia in Italy to sample organic, wild-fermented, low-sulphur and low-filtration wines done right.

Crudo, Italy

If you have never seen kingfish crudo offered on an Australian restaurant menu, there’s a good chance you’ve never been to an Australian restaurant. This dish is so insanely ubiquitous that it’s getting kind of embarrassing. It’s also undeniably popular, so there’s a fair chance people will want to travel to Italy next year and sample this raw-fish dish from the source.

Bibimbap, Korea

Korean bibimbap could well be the new fried rice.Credit: Wolter Peeters

I’m calling it: this is the new nasi goreng. It’s the new fried rice. Korean food has been having a real moment in Australia for a few years now, but bibimbap – the dish of rice in a clay pot, with vegetables, meat and egg stirred through – remains oddly underappreciated. But no more.

Corn and potatoes, Peru

In Peru, there’s an entire world of ingredients you have probably never even heard of: Amazonian fruits, Andean vegetables, coastal peppers and even seafood you would never have imagined. And then, there’s corn and potatoes. There are 55 varieties of corn in Peru and an astonishing 4000 varieties of potato. Sample them at their finest at Mil Centro, a restaurant outside Cusco.

What dishes are you planning to eat in 2025? Post a comment below.