Due to the recent news relating to COVID-19, you are probably not in the mood to travel anytime soon! I don't blame you. From travel bans to countries being entirely shut down, it has undoubtedly been a rough time for the travel industry.

So, assuming many of you aren't comfortable hopping on a plane in the near future, I'm hoping to post more content that will allow you to *broaden your cultural horizons* from the comfort of your own home.

I thought I'd write about one of my favorite vehicles for learning about other cultures: FOOD! And because I personally do not feel qualified to give you the best recipes on Italian or Thai dishes, I've done some digging online to round up some of the yummiest meals available on the Interwebs!

Follow the hyperlinks throughout the article to take you directly to the recipes, so you can start cooking!

Without further ado, let's get started.

Feeling snackish? Try making Vietnamese Spring Rolls.

These spring rolls are healthy and easy to make! You can also mix up the type of meat to use depending on what you prefer, or even opt for a vegetarian version. For this dish, I'd recommend using this recipe I found on Hungry Huy, a food blog that specializes in Vietnamese cuisine.

Ready for a filling meal that you can eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner? Shakshuka is an incredibly popular dish right now.

Shakshuka is an eggy, savory and relatively quick dish to put together. The dish originated in North Africa and is a popular breakfast meal in places such as Israel. Another perk of this dish is that you probably already have a lot of the ingredients at home! The recipe I've seen cited the most online is from The New York Times.

Feeling even more adventurous? Try making your own pasta from scratch.

Okay, so if you are ready to kick things up a notch, try making your own fresh pasta from scratch. Pasta is the ultimate comfort meal, and it's a staple recipe that you can use for years to come. I found this straight-forward fresh pasta recipe online by Food Network star Giada de Laurentiis, although there are hundreds of variations online. When it comes to sauce, you can either save yourself some time and use a jar of pasta sauce that might be sitting in your pantry or try your hand at a handmade pesto recipe.

Are you a fan of Indian food? If so, this Indian dish has your name written all over it.

When I lived in London, I thrived off of Indian food. Now, I crave it all the time. Since I am stuck at home for the foreseeable future, maybe I'll have the time to try to make some myself! This slow-cooker Indian Butter Chicken recipe on Food Network looks absolutely delicious and certainly beginner friendly.

Ready for a twist? Look no further than this sushi recipe.

Photo Credit: Trip Advisor

For this recipe, I pulled in an expert. My friend Grace Venes-Escaffi is Peruvian and runs a food blog account called @grubfestglobal. Grace said that she particularly enjoys dishes that represent the relationship between Japanese and Peruvian cultures. Grace said that at Peruvian sushi houses, you can order items such as lomo saltado rolls and ceviche rolls, in addition to tiradito and ceviche; this culinary combination of cultures in Peru's food scene has a fascinating history behind it, one which dates back to the settlement of the Japanese in Peru during the end of the nineteenth century (you can read about this particular food scene in more detail here). So, if you are really looking to try something different, perhaps try making this adventurous ceviche sushi recipe.

And don't worry! I didn't forget about dessert; this one is for all of my chocolate lovers out there.

Photo credit: Mon Petit Four

Is there anything better than a warm and gooey chocolate soufflé recipe? That was a rhetorical question. Chocolate soufflé is my ultimate favorite dessert and I will always order it a restaurant if it's on the menu, even if I am stuffed. You don't say no to chocolate soufflé, it's a rule. I decided to include this recipe on the list because it takes a bit more culinary prowess than your standard brownies from a box. I can confirm that I have made them before, and they didn't turn out that bad! And if I can make them, you certainly can, too. My goal in life is to master this recipe, so I replicate them on a whim at a fancy dinner party to impress my friends. This recipe from Mon Petit Four looks divine.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post. If you replicate any of these recipes at home, I'd love to see how your dishes turn out!