The Balloon and the Stew
Photo by Hermes Rivera on Unsplash

Five clues. One dish.
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Interactive culinary puzzles from around the world. Guess the dish, then get the full recipe and backstory.

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How it works
1
Read the clues
Five sensory hints about a mystery dish from somewhere in the world
2
Guess the dish
Type your answer and see if your food knowledge holds up
3
Reveal the recipe
Get the backstory, key ingredients, and step-by-step method
Past mysteries
The Pub Classic
Photo by Dmitry Dreyer on Unsplash
#043 Easy
The Pub Classic
In a pub where the wood is dark and the pints are amber, a plate arrives with the unpretentious confidence of…
The Translucent Parcel
Photo by Huyen Bui on Unsplash
#042 Hard
The Translucent Parcel
In a dim sum parlor where bamboo steamers are stacked like a skyline, a cart rolls past and a lid is lifted. S…
The Midnight Wok
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
#041 Easy
The Midnight Wok
At a street cart that only appears after dark, a cook cracks an egg onto a mound of day-old rice in a screamin…
The Teardrop
#040 Hard
The Teardrop
In a bakery display case that glows like a jeweler’s window, golden teardrops stand upright in rows. Each one…
The Golden Crunch
Photo by Xavier Chng on Unsplash
#039 Easy
The Golden Crunch
In a Tokyo lunch spot where salarymen eat in focused silence, a golden-crusted cutlet arrives on a bed of whit…
The Crimson Bowl
#038 Medium
The Crimson Bowl
In a farmhouse kitchen where the cold outside could crack stone, a pot of something impossibly red simmers on…
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