Most Popular Food Rivalries in the World: Top 10

The most popular food rivalries in the world, as of October 2026, pit neighbours against each other over hummus, jollof rice, borscht, kimchi and baklava.

Few things stir national feeling as quickly as a plate of food. A dip, a rice dish or a beetroot soup can carry memories of home, family recipes and centuries of shared history, so when a neighbour claims the same dish, the argument rarely stays in the kitchen. Some of these disputes have reached the European Court of Justice, UNESCO committees, India's Geographical Indications Registry and Guinness World Records adjudicators.

This Finepedia guide ranks ten of the best documented food rivalries on the planet, from Middle Eastern record-breaking contests to a cheesesteak face-off on a single street corner in Philadelphia. For each one you will find the claims made by every side, the official decisions that exist so far, and practical tips for tasting both versions. Wherever history is uncertain, the article says so and stays neutral between the rivals.

How We Ranked the Food Rivalries

There is no official league table of culinary quarrels, so Finepedia built a transparent scoring approach based on public evidence rather than personal taste. Each rivalry was judged on four points.

• Global fame: how widely the dish is known outside its home region, and how often the dispute appears in international media such as the BBC, Reuters, The Guardian and NPR.
• Intensity: whether the quarrel has produced public campaigns, record attempts, official statements or heated social media debates.
• Formal involvement: rulings or listings by bodies such as UNESCO, the Court of Justice of the European Union, the International Organization for Standardization or a national geographical indication registry.
• Documentation: how much reliable, verifiable material exists about the dispute. Rivalries that rest mostly on rumour were left out.

Rank one is the rivalry that scored highest overall, not the one with the "winning" side. A ruling or listing never means that one country invented a dish; in several cases the official bodies themselves have said their decisions do not settle ownership.

A Note on Neutrality

Several rivalries on this list involve countries with serious political tensions. This article covers only the food dispute and the recorded facts around it. Origins are described as "claimed" or "disputed" where historians disagree, and no side is presented as right or wrong.

Food Rivalries at a Glance

Food pride often shows up at festive tables too; Finepedia's guide to the most popular Christmas foods in different countries shows how strongly families hold on to their own recipes.

1. Hummus: Lebanon vs Israel

Origins of the Dispute

Hummus simply means chickpea in Arabic, and the creamy dip has been eaten across the Levant for centuries. Nobody can name a single inventor. The oldest recipe that closely resembles modern hummus appears in a 13th-century Syrian cookbook and combines chickpeas, tahini, lemon and olive oil, though without garlic.

The modern quarrel began in October 2008, when Fadi Abboud, then president of the Association of Lebanese Industrialists, announced plans to take legal action against Israel for marketing hummus, falafel and tabbouleh as Israeli products. His campaign, known as "Hands Off Our Dishes", argued that Lebanon was losing money because it had never registered its traditional food names.

What Each Side Claims

• Lebanese producers say hummus is a Lebanese national dish and that Israel has presented a regional Arab food to the world as its own invention.
• Many Israelis see hummus as an everyday national favourite shared by Jewish and Arab citizens alike, and argue that no single country can own a dish eaten across the region.
• Palestinian, Syrian and Jordanian cooks point out that the dip belongs to their kitchens as much as anyone's.
• Food historians generally agree that hummus is a Levantine dish whose exact birthplace cannot be proven.

How It Plays Out Today

Instead of a courtroom, the fight moved to Guinness World Records. In October 2009 Lebanese chefs made a plate weighing about two tonnes. On 8 January 2010, fifty chefs in the Arab-Israeli village of Abu Ghosh answered with 4,087.5 kg, served in a six-metre satellite dish. Lebanon struck back on 8 May 2010, when around 300 student chefs led by Ramzi Choueiri produced 10,452 kg, a record that Guinness still lists as of October 2026.

Lebanon's legal campaign never produced a protected name. According to NPR, the European Union did not allow Lebanon to register hummus as its own, because it is the food of an entire region. Today the rivalry lives on mostly in restaurant menus, supermarket shelves and friendly arguments among travellers.

Interesting Facts

• According to AFP, the winning 10,452 kg serving matched Lebanon's area in square kilometres.
• The Lebanese hummus was served on a ceramic plate 7.17 metres wide, which itself claimed a record as the largest earthenware dish.
• The same Lebanese campaign also set records for tabbouleh and attempted one for falafel.
• At the January 2010 attempt, a local restaurant owner told a crowd of several hundred that Abu Ghosh was the hummus capital of the world.

2. Jollof Rice: Ghana vs Nigeria

Origins of the Dispute

Jollof rice is generally traced to the Wolof Empire, which rose in what is now Senegal and The Gambia. Historians date the Jolof state to around the 14th century, and the dish takes its name from it. Rice was a staple crop there, and an early rice-and-fish dish called thiéboudienne, or ceebu jën in Wolof, is widely seen as the ancestor of the jollof eaten across West Africa today.

As Wolof traders and families spread through the region, cooks adapted the recipe with local ingredients. Over time, distinct national styles developed, and those differences are exactly what fuels the modern rivalry.

What Each Side Claims

• Ghanaians say their jollof is more fragrant, often using aromatic rice such as basmati and a well-spiced tomato base.
• Nigerians argue that long-grain rice absorbs flavour better and that their party jollof, cooked in large pots for celebrations, is unbeatable.
• Sierra Leoneans, Liberians and Cameroonians insist their versions deserve a place in the debate.
• Senegalese and Gambian cooks mostly stay out of the argument, since the dish began in their region.

How It Plays Out Today

The "Jollof Wars" are a mostly good-humoured contest, carried on through memes, music, cook-offs and radio debates. The quarrel briefly united rivals in 2014, when British chef Jamie Oliver published a jollof recipe with coriander, parsley, lemon and whole cherry tomatoes. West Africans across the diaspora objected that it was not jollof at all, and the backlash became known online as #JollofGate.

In December 2021 UNESCO added ceebu jën, described as a culinary art of Senegal, to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Some headlines claimed this settled the jollof war, but the listing recognises a living tradition and does not judge any contest between countries.

Interesting Facts

• World Jollof Rice Day is celebrated every year on 22 August, an idea that grew out of social media.
• UNESCO's file on ceebu jën notes customs such as holding the bowl with the left hand and never sitting with a raised knee while sharing the meal.
• Britannica notes that the Jollof Wars have been credited with bringing diaspora communities together around a shared cuisine.
• Senegalese tradition credits a 19th-century Saint-Louis cook, Penda Mbaye, with creating ceebu jën, though historians say little is known about her.

3. Borscht: Ukraine vs Russia

Origins of the Dispute

Borscht is a family of soups rather than one fixed recipe, and its deep red beetroot version is the best known. One of the earliest written references often cited by historians comes from a 1584 travel diary by Martin Gruneweg, a merchant who recorded hearing about a borscht market near Kyiv. At that time Kyiv lay within the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, so the note does not settle modern national arguments.

The debate sharpened in 2019, when Ukrainian chef Ievgen Klopotenko launched a campaign to have Ukrainian borscht recognised as part of the country's cultural heritage. In 2020 Ukraine added the culture of borscht cooking to its national list of intangible heritage, with a UNESCO nomination planned for the 2023 cycle.

What Each Side Claims

• Ukrainians regard borscht as a national dish woven into family life, festivals and regional identity, with recipes that vary from village to village.
• Many Russians consider borscht part of their own culinary tradition and object to the idea that it belongs to one nation.
• UNESCO itself describes Ukrainian borscht as the national version of a soup consumed in several countries of the region.

How It Plays Out Today

After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ukraine asked UNESCO to fast-track its nomination as a case of extreme urgency. On 1 July 2022 the committee inscribed "Culture of Ukrainian borscht cooking" on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, noting that displacement made it hard for people to grow vegetables, cook and gather around the dish.

Ukraine's culture minister, Oleksandr Tkachenko, declared that "victory in the borshch war is ours". Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, dismissed the decision on Telegram and described the move as xenophobia. As of October 2026 the listing stands, and it allows Ukraine to seek support for safeguarding projects.

Interesting Facts

• The 2022 inscription was decided through an emergency procedure, a year ahead of the original schedule.
• An urgent safeguarding listing does not declare ownership; it aims to protect a practice whose survival is at risk.
• Gruneweg's 1584 note links the name of the Borshchahivka area near Kyiv to a borscht market.
• Klopotenko's team collected regional recipes across Ukraine to support the national heritage listing.

4. Kimchi: South Korea vs China

Origins of the Dispute

Kimchi is central to Korean cooking, and the autumn tradition of kimjang, when families and neighbours prepare large batches for winter, is recognised by UNESCO. China has its own pickled vegetables, and in Sichuan province a fermented pickle called pao cai is a regional staple. For years the Chinese name pao cai was also used for Korean kimchi in China, which created confusion.

In November 2020 the International Organization for Standardization approved ISO 24220, a standard for Sichuan pao cai. China's state-run Global Times described it as an international standard for the kimchi industry led by China, and the claim set off a storm on Korean and Chinese social media.

What Each Side Claims

• South Korea says kimchi is a distinct Korean dish, already covered by an international Codex food standard agreed in 2001.
• South Korea's agriculture ministry stated that pao cai and kimchi should not be confused, pointing out that the ISO document itself says it does not apply to kimchi.
• Some Chinese social media users argued that kimchi is simply a form of Chinese pickle, partly because much of the kimchi eaten in South Korea is imported from China.
• ISO confirmed that its pao cai standard does not cover kimchi.

How It Plays Out Today

In 2021 South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism revised its official guidelines to use the Chinese characters xinqi for kimchi in government materials, replacing pao cai. The aim was to separate Korean kimchi clearly from Chinese pickles in Chinese-language publicity.

The quarrel flares up periodically online, but trade continues. According to the BBC, South Korea imports large amounts of kimchi from Chinese producers, while strict Chinese rules on pickled goods limit Korean kimchi exports to China.

Interesting Facts

• Kimchi's 2001 Codex standard followed an earlier dispute with Japan, another neighbour with a strong pickling tradition.
• UNESCO has inscribed kimchi traditions twice: once for South Korea in 2013 and once for North Korea in 2015.
• The ISO 24220 document is only four pages long, yet it sparked one of the biggest food rows of 2020.
• Kimjang is a communal event in which families and neighbours make and share kimchi together before winter.

5. Baklava: Turkey vs Greece

Origins of the Dispute

Baklava's early history is genuinely unclear. Greek writers point to layered pastries with honey and nuts eaten in the Byzantine world, while Turkish historians emphasise the role of Ottoman palace kitchens in refining the dessert and spreading it across a vast empire. Both stories contain truth, and many food historians see baklava as a shared product of the eastern Mediterranean.

The Ottoman court even built a ritual around it. During Ramadan, trays of baklava were prepared in the palace and carried from Topkapı Palace to the Janissary soldiers in a ceremony known as the baklava procession.

What Each Side Claims

• Turkey presents baklava as a signature Ottoman and Turkish sweet, and Gaziantep is famous for its pistachio-filled version.
• Greeks see baklava as part of their own heritage, linked to Byzantine pastry traditions and baked in homes across the country.
• Lebanese, Syrian, Armenian and Balkan cooks also regard baklava as part of their national dessert tables.

How It Plays Out Today

In December 2013 the European Commission entered "Antep Baklavası / Gaziantep Baklavası" in its register of protected geographical indications. It was the first Turkish product to receive EU protection. No objection was filed within the formal window, so the registration went through.

The protection covers only baklava made in Gaziantep to a set specification, not baklava in general. As social anthropologist Ilay Romain Ors told Kathimerini in 2025, other versions with walnuts, almonds or different amounts of syrup remain as popular as ever. The rivalry continues mostly in tourist marketing and friendly debate.

Interesting Facts

• The EU-protected Gaziantep baklava is the pistachio-filled, tray-baked version from that city.
• The Ottoman baklava procession traditionally took place on the 15th day of Ramadan, and Turkish media reported its revival as a cultural event in 2017.
• Scholars note that communities from across former Ottoman lands, from the Balkans to the Middle East, all treat baklava as their own.
• The EU registration of Gaziantep baklava was published in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1399/2013 of 18 December 2013.

For more sweet favourites from around the globe, see Finepedia's list of the most popular desserts in the world.

6. Feta: Greece vs Denmark

Origins of the Dispute

Greece applied on 21 January 1994 to protect the name feta as a designation of origin. The EU registered it in 1996, but the Court of Justice annulled that decision on 16 March 1999, ruling that the Commission had not properly considered long-standing production of white brined cheese in other member states.

The Commission re-registered feta on 14 October 2002. Germany and Denmark challenged the decision, and on 25 October 2005 the Court of Justice upheld it, finding that feta was not a generic name. From then on, only cheese from defined regions of Greece made to the official specification could be sold as feta in the EU.

What Each Side Claims

• Greece argues that feta is tied to its landscapes, local sheep and goat breeds and centuries of tradition.
• Danish dairies argued that white cheese in brine had been made and sold as feta in Denmark for decades.
• Denmark also maintained that EU protection applied only to products sold inside the EU, not to cheese exported to other countries.

How It Plays Out Today

The last chapter came on 14 July 2022. In Commission v Denmark (C-159/20), the Court of Justice ruled that Denmark had failed to meet its obligations by not stopping Danish producers from using the name feta on cheese exported outside the EU. Greece and Cyprus supported the Commission in the case.

As of October 2026, genuine feta must be made in Macedonia, Thrace, Epirus, Thessaly, Central Greece, the Peloponnese or Lesvos. It must use sheep's milk, or sheep's milk mixed with no more than 30 percent goat's milk. Producers elsewhere sell similar cheeses under other names, such as white cheese.

Interesting Facts

• Cow's milk, milk powder and preservatives are not allowed in protected feta.
• The feta name was fought over in European courts from the 1990s until 2022.
• The 2022 ruling confirmed that EU-protected food names cover goods made in the EU even when they are sold abroad.
• The Court rejected a second complaint that Denmark had broken its duty of sincere cooperation with the EU.

7. Pavlova: Australia vs New Zealand

Origins of the Dispute

The dessert is named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, who toured Australia and New Zealand in 1926. Both countries claim to have honoured her with the airy meringue cake, and the debate has run for decades across the Tasman Sea.

New Zealand food anthropologist Helen Leach found three different sweets called pavlova in New Zealand cookbooks before 1930. The first, in 1927, was a layered jelly published by a gelatine company in a booklet called Davis Dainty Dishes. In Australia, chef Herbert "Bert" Sachse is said to have created his version at the Esplanade Hotel in Perth in 1935.

What Each Side Claims

• New Zealanders point to earlier printed recipes, including a 1929 meringue cake named after the ballerina.
• Australians argue that Sachse's 1935 recipe, with a crunchy top and marshmallow-like centre, is the true modern pavlova.
• According to the long-told Perth story, the hotel's manager, Harry Nairn, remarked that the cake was "as light as Pavlova".
• Researchers Andrew Paul Wood, a New Zealander, and Annabelle Utrecht, an Australian, traced meringue cakes with cream and fruit back to 18th-century Austrian kitchens, especially the Spanische Windtorte.

How It Plays Out Today

In 2010 the Oxford English Dictionary recorded the 1927 New Zealand source as the earliest use of the word pavlova for a dish, a decision widely reported as a win for New Zealand. Historians note, however, that the 1927 recipe was a jelly, not a meringue, so the dictionary entry does not prove who invented the modern cake.

Most researchers now argue that recipes evolve rather than being invented in one place. The pavlova remains a Christmas centrepiece in both countries, and the rivalry is mostly playful, rather like the trans-Tasman sports contests it resembles.

Interesting Facts

• Australian pavlovas are often topped with passionfruit, while New Zealanders usually prefer kiwifruit.
• The 1929 New Zealand pavlova was closer to a meringue sandwich than a single tall cake.
• Helen Leach recorded her findings in the 2008 book The Pavlova Story: A Slice of New Zealand's Culinary History.
• Anna Pavlova was famous for her role in The Dying Swan and died in 1931.
• Australia and New Zealand also tease each other over the lamington, a sponge cake rolled in chocolate and coconut.

8. Dolma: Armenia vs Azerbaijan

Origins of the Dispute

Stuffed vine leaves and vegetables are eaten from the Balkans to Iran, and many communities have their own names and recipes. According to UNESCO's file, the word dolma comes from the shortened Turkic word doldurma, meaning stuffed. Armenians call the dish tolma and regard it as part of their national cuisine.

The dispute grew in the 2010s as both countries promoted the dish at festivals. Armenia began an annual tolma festival in 2011, partly to counter what organisers saw as Azerbaijani claims to the dish. Azerbaijan, in turn, hosted dolma festivals and prepared a UNESCO nomination.

What Each Side Claims

• Azerbaijan says dolma making is a central culinary practice in all regions of the country, shared across ethnic and religious communities.
• Armenia argues that tolma is an Armenian dish and objected to Azerbaijan's UNESCO application, saying it lacked scientific support.
• Turks, Greeks, Iranians and Arabs all have their own long traditions of stuffed vine leaves and vegetables.

How It Plays Out Today

In December 2017 UNESCO's committee inscribed "Dolma making and sharing tradition, a marker of cultural identity" on the Representative List for Azerbaijan. Armenia's state news agency Armenpress reported that the decision did not assume ownership of the dish, and UNESCO's listings in general recognise living practices within a country rather than exclusive rights.

Because Armenia and Azerbaijan have a long and painful political conflict, the dolma dispute is more sensitive than most food rivalries. In both countries the dish remains a symbol of hospitality and family gatherings.

Interesting Facts

• UNESCO's file describes dolma as a dish that transcends ethnic and religious boundaries within Azerbaijan.
• Armenia's tolma festival has featured many regional variations and has been used to promote Armenian cuisine.
• In Greece, stuffed vine leaves are known as dolmades, a name with the same root.
• According to UNESCO, the filling can be wrapped in fresh or pre-cooked leaves or stuffed into fruits and vegetables.

9. Rasgulla: West Bengal vs Odisha

Origins of the Dispute

Few sweets inspire as much passion in eastern India as the rasgulla. West Bengal credits confectioner Nobin Chandra Das with perfecting the soft, spongy, syrup-soaked sweet in Bagbazar, Kolkata, in 1868. Odisha links its rasagola to the Jagannath Temple in Puri, where, according to tradition, Lord Jagannath offers rasagola to Goddess Lakshmi during the Niladri Bije ritual at the end of the Rath Yatra.

Odisha's GI application cited a reference in the Dandi Ramayana, written by poet Balaram Das in the late 15th century. Historians continue to debate how far back the modern sweet can be traced.

What Each Side Claims

• West Bengal says the soft, white rasogolla that became famous across India was created in Kolkata in the 19th century.
• Odisha says its rasagola has been offered in temple rituals for centuries and has a distinctive colour and texture achieved without added colouring.
• Both states celebrate the sweet: Odisha has marked Rasagola Dibasa on the day of Niladri Bije since 2015.

How It Plays Out Today

On 14 November 2017 the GI Registry in Chennai registered "Banglar Rasogolla" for West Bengal. The registry stressed that the tag covered the Bengal variety, not the origin of rasgulla in general. On 29 July 2019 Odisha received its own GI tag for "Odisha Rasagola".

A challenge seeking to cancel Bengal's tag was dismissed by the GI Registry in October 2019, so both registrations stand as of October 2026. As a senior GI examining officer told The Indian Express, rasgulla is a generic name with distinct Bengal and Odisha variants, so the two tags can exist side by side.

Interesting Facts

• Odisha Rasagola was only the second GI tag for the state, after Kandhamal Haldi.
• The Odisha GI tag was registered in the name of the Odisha Small Industries Corporation and a sweetmakers' association.
• Bengal's case cited writers who placed the sweet's development in the state's Nadia district before it reached Kolkata.
• India's Geographical Indications of Goods Act was passed in 1999 and came into force in 2003.

10. Philly Cheesesteak: Pat's vs Geno's

Origins of the Dispute

The cheesesteak's birth story is unusually well recorded. In 1930 brothers Pat and Harry Olivieri, who ran a hot dog stand in South Philadelphia, grilled some beef for their own lunch. A passing cab driver asked for one, and the steak sandwich was born. The brothers later opened Pat's King of Steaks at the meeting of 9th Street and Passyunk Avenue.

In 1966 Joey Vento opened Geno's Steaks directly across the street. He acknowledged that the Olivieris invented the steak sandwich but insisted that he made it better, and he later claimed that he was the first to add cheese.

What Each Side Claims

• Pat's calls itself the originator of the cheesesteak and points to its 1930 roots.
• Geno's argues that its sandwich is the better one and has long claimed a role in adding cheese.
• Philadelphians generally agree on the ordering rules: name the cheese first (Whiz, provolone or American), then say "wit" or "widout" for onions.

How It Plays Out Today

Both shops stay open around the clock, and the corner has become a rite of passage for tourists, who often buy one sandwich from each and compare. Pat's appeared in the 1976 film Rocky, and politicians visit the corner to show they can order like locals. In August 2003, presidential candidate John Kerry was widely mocked for asking for Swiss cheese at Pat's.

Joey Vento died in 2011, and his son Geno Vento took over the business. Some local writers argue that the rivalry is partly showmanship, but it remains one of the most famous restaurant face-offs in the United States.

Interesting Facts

• Cheez Whiz arrived in 1952, and it is now the classic choice on a Philly cheesesteak.
• Early steak sandwiches came without cheese, partly because many customers in the neighbourhood kept kosher.
• Philadelphia has other across-the-street cheesesteak rivalries, including Chubby's and Dalessandro's in Roxborough.
• A cheesesteak "Whiz wit" means Cheez Whiz with fried onions.

Fast-food giants have rivalries of their own; see Finepedia's ranking of the biggest fast food chains in the world.

How the Food Rivalries Compare

Rivalries That Just Missed the List

The French fry story is told in Finepedia's guide to the best French fry styles in the world.

Why Food Sparks National Pride

Food is one of the most personal forms of culture. Recipes are passed from parent to child far more easily than language or ritual, so a dish can feel like a direct link to grandparents and hometowns. When outsiders claim it, many people feel that part of their own family history is being taken.

Several trends have made these rivalries louder in the 21st century.

• Social media: debates that once stayed at the dinner table now reach millions of people in hours, as the Jollof Wars and the kimchi row showed.
• Trade and tourism: protected food names can raise prices and attract visitors, so there is real money behind some disputes, as the feta and baklava cases illustrate.
• Official recognition: UNESCO listings, GI tags and EU registrations give governments a way to celebrate heritage, though these bodies usually avoid declaring ownership.
• Wider tensions: where political relations are already strained, food can become a symbol of larger disagreements, as in the borscht and dolma disputes.

Researchers call this blend of cooking and identity gastronationalism. Many of them argue that the most accurate answer to "who invented it?" is often "many people, in many places, over a long time".

How to Enjoy Both Sides

The best way to understand a food rivalry is to taste every version with an open mind. These neutral tips will help you do that.

• Taste side by side: order the Ghanaian and Nigerian jollof, or a Pat's and a Geno's cheesesteak, at the same sitting so the differences are clear.
• Learn the local words: rasogolla and rasagola, dolma and tolma, borscht and barszcz each point to a slightly different tradition.
• Look for protected labels: check for the EU PDO logo on feta or the PGI mark on Gaziantep baklava if you want the officially defined product.
• Ask home cooks: family recipes vary far more than restaurant menus, and many cooks happily explain what makes their version special.
• Respect sensitivities: in places with political tensions, enjoy the food and let local people lead the conversation about origins.

If you have food allergies, check ingredients carefully, since hummus contains sesame, baklava contains nuts and wheat, and feta is a dairy product. Finepedia's guide to the most common food allergies explains what to watch for.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most famous food rivalry in the world?

The hummus rivalry between Lebanon and Israel is among the best known. It led to a lawsuit threat in 2008 and a Guinness World Records battle between 2009 and 2010, ending with Lebanon's 10,452 kg serving. Jollof rice, borscht and kimchi disputes are similarly famous and have drawn international media coverage and official involvement.

Who really invented hummus?

Nobody can prove who invented hummus. Chickpeas and sesame have been eaten in the Middle East for thousands of years, and the oldest recipe resembling modern hummus comes from a 13th-century Syrian cookbook. Most food historians describe it as a shared Levantine dish enjoyed in Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Jordan, Israel and beyond.

Did UNESCO decide that borscht is Ukrainian?

In July 2022 UNESCO inscribed the culture of Ukrainian borscht cooking on its list of heritage in need of urgent safeguarding, citing the impact of the war. UNESCO describes Ukrainian borscht as a national version of a soup eaten in several countries, so the listing protects a practice rather than granting exclusive ownership of the dish.

Which country makes the best jollof rice?

There is no official answer, and that is what keeps the Jollof Wars alive. Ghanaians and Nigerians each insist their own style is best, while Sierra Leone, Liberia and Cameroon also compete. Jollof is traced to the Wolof Empire in today's Senegal and The Gambia, whose ceebu jën entered UNESCO's list in 2021.

Can feta cheese be made outside Greece?

Cheese made outside the defined Greek regions cannot be sold as feta in the European Union, because feta has been a protected designation of origin since 2002. In 2022 the EU Court of Justice ruled that Denmark must also stop Danish producers from using the name on exported cheese. Similar cheeses are sold as white cheese.

Is pavlova from Australia or New Zealand?

The question is still debated. New Zealand cookbooks used the name pavlova first, from 1927, and the Oxford English Dictionary cited that source in 2010. Australia's claim rests on chef Bert Sachse's 1935 Perth recipe, closer to today's cake. Researchers trace the idea back to 18th-century Austrian meringue cakes.

Why do Bengal and Odisha both have a rasgulla GI tag?

India's GI Registry granted "Banglar Rasogolla" to West Bengal in 2017 and "Odisha Rasagola" to Odisha in 2019. The tags protect two distinct regional varieties, not the generic name rasgulla, so they can coexist. A challenge against Bengal's tag was dismissed in 2019, and both remain valid as of October 2026.

Conclusion

As of October 2026, the most popular food rivalries in the world range from serious legal battles to good-natured jokes. Hummus, jollof rice, borscht, kimchi and baklava lead this ranking, followed by feta, pavlova, dolma, rasgulla and the Philly cheesesteak. Courts, UNESCO committees and GI registries have weighed in on several of them, yet none has truly settled who invented each dish. The most rewarding approach is to taste every side, learn the stories behind them and enjoy the shared heritage they reveal. Whichever side you favour, the next plate of hummus, jollof or pavlova will taste better with its story in mind.