Italian cuisine has reclaimed its place as the world’s top culinary tradition in the new 2025/2026 TasteAtlas rankings, pushing Greece into second place after the country’s remarkable win last year. The updated list once again highlights the global appeal of Mediterranean food, while also showing the growing influence of cuisines from Latin America and Asia.
TasteAtlas builds its rankings from a massive pool of data, combining hundreds of thousands of user reviews with expert insights and careful research on traditional dishes and ingredients. In the last edition alone, it processed 590,228 ratings covering 16,357 foods. This approach ensures the list is based on solid statistics, not just personal opinions or hearsay.
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In 2024, Greece narrowly topped the chart, earning a score of 4.60 out of 5 and edging out Italy by a fraction. It was an impressive rise from the previous year, when Greece held third place behind Italy and Japan. For 2025/2026, however, Italy returns to number one, followed by Greece, Peru, Portugal, Spain and Japan. Turkey, China, France and Indonesia complete the top ten, creating one of the most geographically diverse rankings to date.
The TasteAtlas evaluation is based on an enormous dataset that combines expert input with hundreds of thousands of user reviews. Last year alone, the platform processed nearly half a million valid ratings covering more than fifteen thousand dishes—making the list a large-scale, data-driven assessment rather than a collection of personal opinions.
Even though Greece dropped to second place, its cuisine continues to punch far above its weight globally. It remains widely loved in countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, the United States and Spain. TasteAtlas has repeatedly highlighted signature Greek products that showcase the country’s culinary depth—Aegina pistachios, premium olive oils from Lakonia and Kalamata, and the famed Santorini fava among them. These ingredients, central to the Mediterranean diet, are backed by long-term studies linking them to heart health and overall well-being.
TasteAtlas also unveiled its 2025/2026 ranking of the world’s best dishes. Paraguay’s vori-vori, a rich soup-stew made with cornmeal and cheese dumplings, took first place, followed by classic Neapolitan pizza. Greek kontosouvli secured sixth place, continuing a streak of strong showings for Greek cuisine after paidakia—grilled lamb chops—was previously named one of the world’s top dishes.
In the category of food regions, Italy’s Campania ranked first, with Emilia-Romagna in second and Crete taking an impressive third. Several other Greek regions—including Macedonia, the Cyclades, the Peloponnese and the North Aegean—also placed within the world’s top ten, reinforcing Greece’s status as one of the most influential culinary nations.
Beyond the top rankings, the list also revealed some striking contrasts. Cypriot cuisine placed 100th out of 100, marking the last position in the global evaluation. Ukrainian cuisine ranked 43rd, while Russian cuisine secured 28th place. Belarusian cuisine appeared in 79th position, and Polish cuisine performed strongly, taking 14th place—one of the highest showings among Central and Eastern European countries.
