11 Picnics Around The World Slideshow

Spanish Picnic

Tapas all around! Fill a Tupperware with cold gazpacho and serve it to friends in shot glasses. Afterward, pass around a charcuterie board filled with jamón, dried fruits, and tangy cheeses. A cold paella or Spanish omelette would make for a great shared dish, and a light glass of cava and turrón, a Spanish almond candy, are perfect add-ons.

Italian Picnic

Antipasti! Gather up all the buoni piatti to share with pals. Think cheeses, salume, grilled and marinated vegetables, and caponata — all paired with a crusty loaf of semolina bread or a slab of ciabatta. For a heartier course, make a pasta salad filled with mozzarella, chicken, and eggplant. Also, a caprese salad is forever a staple. For dessert, we're thinking assorted biscotti.

Irish Picnic

For Irish fare, there's no better place to start than a smoked salmon plate. If you're not a fan, try a ham platter. A loaf of brown bread, Irish butter, Dubliner cheeses, and chutney will make perfect fillers to round out the menu.

French Picnic

A salade niçoise sounds perfect for an afternoon delight. However, if you're looking for something a bit heavier go for a pan bagnat, a classic French tuna sandwich that's usually sold at street markets and by beachside vendors.

Korean

Kimbap is the classic Korean picnic fare. Made with steamed rice and veggies, it's rolled up with seaweed. It's usually served with kimchee, a Korean staple, and danmuji, a popular pickled radish. You could also make japchae, a clear noodle dish that's best when cold.

British Picnic

Scotch eggs, pork pies, and cucumber and cress sandwiches are essential for the Brit basket. Also, coronation chicken, an English picnic stable, is a great sandwich stacker or a base for a chicken salad.

Greek Picnic

Create a Mediterranean feast with a menu that consists of all things Greek. Begin with a spiced, marinated chicken, a green salad with feta, tomatoes, cucumbers, and kalamata olives, and top it off with green beans tossed in vinaigrette.

Israeli Picnic

Hummus, couscous, baba ghanoush — all the dips perfect for spreading. Pack crackers, pita, a crusty loaf of bread, and greens and make a meal so rich you'll never want to head back inside.

Japanese Picnic

Fill a bento box with sesame noodles, egg salad sandwiches, onigiri, and chirashizushi (a rice bowl topped with sashimi), all essentials for a classic Japanese picnic. And don't forget the sake!

Russian Picnic

Bierocks are meat-filled pocket pastries that grace the picnic basket. They are usually packed with cabbage, ground beef, and onions, but can be filled with a number of other ingredients that suit your palate. Kebabs are another picnic staple as well as pirojkis, a fried dough stuffed with a number of different fillings.

Latin American Picnic

Jam-packed flavor is bursting at the seams on this menu. Guava con queso, black bean enchiladas, and a sofrito-style pasta salad will create a balance in tastes. For a nice starter, make mango-tomato salsa and pair it with crispy tortillas — perfect for large groups.