Starters

In the beginning there was fire. And in the beginning there was grilling. The primal urge to gather around the fire led to the equally primal impulse to nibble something grilled while waiting for dinner. Now the world’s grill masters are only too happy to oblige, bringing us to the opening chapter of Planet Barbecue, grilled appetizers: Here you’ll find such fire-charred vegetable dips as htipiti, a Greek bell pepper and feta dip and a Kurdish dip made with grilled pumpkin. There are tongue-blistering kebabs, like the Peruvian anticuchos. Of course, where there’s fire, there’s smoke. Israeli smoked eggs make an unexpected pâté, and Mexican grilled quesadillas sandwich smoked chicken and cheese between flour tortillas. You’ll also find Kenyan grilled ostrich meatballs and the Japanese grilled chicken dumplings that are known as tsukune, all in the pursuit of bold flavors to get your gastric juices flowing.