It is fascinating to see how two countries can take a few basic ingredients like chicken, rice and vegetables and create national dishes that are totally different to each other. Often the trick lies in simple techniques and local combinations.

Italian foods use herbs such as basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme, lots of garlic, anchovies, olives and sheep's cheese, and hard cheeses such as romano and parmesan, and tomatoes, eggplant, onions - and of course olive oil.

• French cuisine relies more heavily on butter and cream, goat's cheese, garlic, mustard and milder herbs such as chervil, marjoram, parsley, chives, tarragon and pepper.
• Scandinavian and northern European cuisines use dill, fish, potatoes, onions and pickled vegetables, and rye bread and buckwheat.
• Spanish and Portuguese meals are rich with fish and seafood, olive oil, olives, tomatoes and onions.
• Greek and Middle Eastern dishes make use of salty sheep's cheeses like fetta, mint, lemon, walnuts, pine nuts, sesame seeds, olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, rosemary, capsicums, chickpeas.
• North African food is rich with dried fruit, almonds and spices, couscous and capsicum, tomatoes and onions, cloves and mint. Further south millet and peanuts are added.
• Indian foods are rich with spices such as cardamom, coriander, cumin, garam marsala, chilli, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and turmeric. Yoghurt and sheep's milk cheeses add interest, and eggplant, potatoes and many vegetables augment meat and grain.
• Chinese food swaps dairy foods for tofu, and spice dishes with chilli, soya sauce, garlic, fresh ginger and sesame oil.
• South-east Asian food uses chillies, garlic, fresh ginger, coriander, mint and onions with cabbage-like vegetables, fish sauce, rice wines and sesame oil. Thai features lime and lemongrass as well, while Indonesian adds peanuts.
• Japan relies on all things oceanic – fish, raw, dried and cooked, seafood, many types of seaweed, soya sauce, tofu, wasabi (horseradish) ginger and garlic.
• Mexican food mixes chilli, cumin, oregano, coriander, garlic, onions  and even chocolate, with tomatoes, onions, corn, sour cream, and avocado.
• South American food echoes the Spanish cuisine with fish, olives, onions, tomatoes and potatoes.