One type of fish, in particular, has become almost synonymous with Scandinavian cuisine: omega-3-rich herring. Specifically, pickled herring. In this Nordic-inspired lunch, the strong flavour of fatty herring is tamed when added to a tangy and sweet salad that is served on crispy crackers―Scandinavian cultures are also crazy for their rye. The salad can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can find jars of pickled herring in the seafood section of most supermarkets.

A descendant of the doner kebab, a Turkish dish made with sliced meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie, shawarma is a popular street food with Middle Eastern provenance. This shortcut version of chicken shawarma skips the long marinating and roasting time and relies, instead, on seasoned roasted poultry that is stuffed into greens, instead of pita, to keep it tasting extra fresh. Served topped with a herby yogurt sauce, it makes a satisfying meal any day of the week. Both ras el hanout and za’atar are available in many Middle Eastern markets.

Satisfying and nourishing dals and curries are synonymous with Indian and Sri Lankan cuisine. This is a heavenly spiced, dal-like soup you may get with a meal in southern India or northern Sri Lanka. Pol roti (Sri Lankan coconut flatbread) is an unleavened flatbread made of wheat flour (atta), salt, freshly grated coconut, and water that is rolled out into a circle and cooked on a hot cast iron skillet. It’s a wonderful accompaniment to this saucy lentil dish. You can find packages of frozen grated coconut and fresh curry leaves at Indian markets.

This is a refreshing kale salad highlighted by juicy red grapefruit. Thinly sliced kale and a slightly spicy dressing of garlic, grapefruit juice, paprika, and crushed red pepper flakes give this spring salad a zingy flavour. The whole thing gets topped with a crunchy buckwheat and pumpkin seed granola for an interesting texture.