With many families all over the world celebrating various holidays, we thought we’d feature some of the most popular holiday side dishes. These holiday dishes can serve as an inspiration to try something new at your family gathering this year.

Whether you’re hosting a holiday meal or hosting a big family gathering, these popular side dishes from around the world will surely help you craft up a delightful meal plan in no time!

Fava – Greece, Europe

Fava uses only a few ingredients but has been proven to be among the most popular side dishes in Greece. This delightful dip is created by cooking yellow split peas with onions and spices until the ingredients are turned into a puree for serving.

Jeera Rice – Northern India, India

This simple dish is made with rice and cumin seeds. You’ll fry the cumin seeds in ghee, and then serve with basmati rice. Sometimes jeera rice has onions, ginger, garlic, and mint added for more flavor. You’ll find this popular holiday side dish in Northern India.

Boston Baked Beans – Boston, United States of America

This delicious holiday side is popular in Boston. You’ll enjoy the flavor of dry beans mixed with syrup that’s similar to molasses, and enriched with diced onions sometimes. The sweet flavor is best when the dry beans are left overnight to soak in the molasses-like syrup for amazing tender baked beans.

Gim gui – South Korea, Asia

This dish is a simple dish that features roasted seaweed. The dry and salty flavor of gim gui is predominantly served in South Korea. This side dish is enjoyed with beer but has been served with white rice when beer isn’t an option.

Bulz – Romania, Europe

This popular holiday side dish can be found in Romania. Bulz is made with cooked polenta shaped into balls. There are many different fillings that one can put into this pastry, but most commonly you’ll see a mix of sheep’s cheese and bacon inside your Bulz.

Asinan – Indonesia, Asia

If you love pickled fruit and vegetables then you’re going to love asinan. You can make asinan with almost any fruits and vegetables but it’s most commonly made with cucumbers and cabbage. Many cultures have gone into crafting this side dish over the years, so it’s fine to make asinan in your own way!

Gallo Pinto – Costa Rica, Central America

This side dish from Costa Rica is sometimes just called pinto. The dish features a blend of fried and cooked rice and beans with herbs and vegetables. Most of the common herbs and vegetables found in gallo pinto include cilantro, celery, peppers, and onions.

This is just some of the most popular side dishes from around the world you can include with your holiday meal planning this year. Having a variety of new side dishes to enjoy with family is a fabulous way to enhance your palette while experiencing another culture.