15+ Dishes and foods that are traditionally meant to be eaten using your hands

When traveling around the world, some table etiquette rules may even seem a bit unusual, after all, what is acceptable and commonplace in one culture may be completely unacceptable in another. For example, someone who lives in a country where it is customary to eat most food using your hands is unlikely to feel comfortable in a French restaurant with a whole set of forks, knives and spoons in front of you on the table. On the other hand, those who are used to cutlery are unlikely to accept eating a plate of rice without hesitation using only their hands.

We, from incredible.club, we believe that the act of eating should be, above all, pleasant and comfortable, but also respectful of local traditions. With that in mind, we decided to clarify some dishes that are specially prepared to be consumed without the help of cutlery — and in some cases, we were quite surprised. Follow!

This dish, one of the most famous in Central Asia, is usually served on a large plate or platter, from which people eat directly with their hand — in this case, using their right hand exclusively. According to the label, you should take a piece of meat with some rice, drip a few drops of lemon juice and then put the food in your mouth. It is believed that this method allows you to better control the temperature of the food and eat it without getting burned.

In Southeast Asian countries, if you ask for cutlery to eat an Indian curry, Indonesian Rendang or Malaysian laksa in a restaurant or cafe outside the more touristy areas, people will look at you blankly. Locals believe that food is much tastier when hands are used, with the help of a piece of roti or naan bread. Moreover, according to the traditions of Ayurvedic medicine, eating with your hands is good for your health.

The famous Moroccan tagines — which are cooked in special pans — are also traditionally consumed with the right hand, without the help of any cutlery. There are some rules, however, that must be followed. You should not use the same piece of bread twice, and to separate a piece of meat from a larger one, you should use the bread, not your fingers. It is not well seen to consume directly from the pot or platter, and therefore it should be served on an individual plate. And, of course, you need to wash your hands before eating.

This traditional dish of the nomadic peoples of Central Asia, made of boiled meat and a long and very thin dough, indicates in its name how it should be consumed. Translated from Kyrgyz, “besh barmak” means “five fingers”, which leaves no doubt that it is eaten with the hands, and the meat is separated with the help of a piece of bread.

All these dishes have a lot in common. After all, all of them are, basically, a dough stuffed with meat, steamed and eaten exclusively with your hands. The fact is that during the cooking process, a large amount of flavored broth is formed inside the dough, and when eating them with a knife and fork, it will simply spread over the dish. It’s much more practical (and tasty) to hold them in your hands, nibble on the edge and drink the broth.

These stuffed rice balls, very similar to a coxinha, are quite popular in Italy and Japan, respectively. However, in both places, it is customary to eat them with the hands, and not with the help of cutlery. The only difference is that the arancini must be held with a napkin, as it is fried, while the onigiri is served wrapped in nori, eliminating the need for paper. By the way, in Japan it is considered bad manners to show the bitten part of the onigiri to other people.

This street food, responsible for promoting British cuisine around the world, consists of fried fish and chips with a touch of vinegar. And the British themselves consider it quite wrong to eat this dish with cutlery. All the magic of fish and chips (“fish and chips”, in Portuguese) consists exactly of taking small pieces of hot fish with your fingers and eating them with the potatoes in the traditional cardboard container.

This Palestinian dish made with egg yolks, vegetables, spices, meat and cheese is also considered much tastier if eaten in the traditional way: picking up food with your hands with the help of a small piece of bread. Try to imagine this combination of flavors and textures, and the way the soft yolk mixes with the food and warm bread. It’s… best to leave the cutlery aside.

The delicate green shoots of asparagus are considered a real delicacy, while the artichoke is closely associated with expensive restaurants, where you usually find several forks, knives and spoons arranged on the table. But which one should be used for asparagus? None. It is perfectly acceptable to hold the vegetable in your hand, unless of course it is served with a sauce. As for the artichoke leaves, the only option is to eat them with your hands: you have to break the leaf, dip it in the sauce and only then take it to your mouth to separate the soft, edible part with your teeth, placing the stalk rest back on the plate.

Picking up the fried bacon with your hands might seem like a strange idea, as your fingers will be covered in grease. However, when it is fried until crispy and served whole, it is virtually impossible to eat with a fork, making it much more practical to do so using your hands. On the other hand, if the bacon is cut into pieces or cooked and maintains a soft consistency, it should be eaten with a knife and fork.

Technically, sturgeon caviar and pate are eaten with your hands. But that doesn’t mean you have to pick them up directly with your fingers and bring them to your mouth. These foods must be spread on toast or a biscuit with the help of a spoon or knife, and only then brought to the mouth with the hands. By the way, in the case of caviar, the best option is to use plastic or wooden cutlery, as metal variants can give the delicacy an unpleasant aftertaste.

One of the most famous dishes of Georgian cuisine – chicken stew with onions in tomato sauce – at first glance, it seems impossible to eat without cutlery. However, it is traditionally consumed with the hands. With the help of a piece of bread, you should separate a little meat from the bone, then take it together with a portion of onion, dip everything in the sauce and, finally, enjoy this delicacy.

It is considered that if the dessert is soft and moist, such as a pie, then it is better to eat it with the help of special cutlery — forks, knives and, depending on the occasion, dessert spoons. For traditional chocolate or dulce de leche bombs, the safest option is also cutlery, so that the cream does not end up falling and getting you dirty. But croissants, macarons, puff pastry sweets such as traditional Middle Eastern baclavas and strudels are usually eaten with the hands.

The foods served in cocktails or as a starter before the main courses, as a rule, are specially prepared to be practical and consumed without cutlery. Nuts, olives, canapés, pickled vegetables and even stuffed hard-boiled eggs are often eaten using the hands. And the same goes for Spanish tapas.

Mediterranean meze, which is a set of tasting dishes, is also commonly eaten with the hands, and in the case of Islamic countries, with the right hand. However, some of the components of meze, such as hummus, for example, should preferably be consumed with the help of a piece of flatbread or pita bread.

For you, is eating with your hands a hindrance when it comes to tasting a dish, or do you consider it worth leaving your habits aside in order to enjoy a new gastronomic experience? What other foods would you add to our list? Tell us in the comments section.