Sacred food and offerings
Food offered in worship, shared at a temple, church, mosque or shrine, or eaten as a rite.
Halvaحَلَاوَة
🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreDense sweet made from seeds, grains, or vegetables, found across Asia, Africa, and Europe
Sweet or dessert, Snacks, Tea time
Samosa
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreFried or baked pastry with a spiced filling, shaped into triangles or cones
Pie or savoury pastry, Snacks, Lunch
BaklavaVegetarianباقلوا
🇹🇷 Turkey and 5 moreThin pastry filled with nuts and soaked in sweet syrup
Sweet or dessert, Tea time, Snacks
Easter egg
🇷🇺 Russia and 5 moreEggs dyed or decorated for Easter, symbolizing resurrection and new life
Sweet or dessert, Breakfast, Snacks
PretzelVegetarian
🇩🇪 Germany and 4 moreA baked knot-shaped bread, often topped with salt or seeds
Bread, Snacks
Pancake
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreFlat cakes made from batter, cooked on a griddle or pan and served sweet or savoury
Main dish, Breakfast, Snacks
JalebiVegetarian
🇮🇳 India and 6 moreDeep-fried spirals of batter soaked in syrup, enjoyed across Asia and Africa
Pie or savoury pastry, Breakfast, Snacks
Turkish delightVegan
🇹🇷 Turkey and 5 moreSoft, chewy cubes of starch and sugar, often flavored or filled with nuts or fruit
Sweet or dessert, Snacks, Tea time
BorhaniVegetarianবোরহানী
🇧🇩 BangladeshA spiced yoghurt drink from Bangladesh, often served at weddings and festivals
Drink, Dinner, Snacks
Dabo koloVegetarianዳቦ ቆሎ
🇪🇹 Ethiopia and 2 moreSmall spiced fried dough pieces served as a snack in Ethiopia and Eritrea
Street food, Snacks
Qamar al-DinVeganقمر الدين
🇸🇾 Syria and 3 moreThick apricot fruit leather and drink, especially served during Ramadan
Drink, Snacks
BhangVeganभांग
🇮🇳 IndiaCannabis leaf paste used in drinks and sweets, central to Indian spring festivals
Drink, Snacks
Sheer khurmaVegetarianشير خرما
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreA sweet vermicelli pudding with milk, dates and nuts for Eid celebrations
Sweet or dessert, Breakfast, Snacks
Börek
🇹🇷 Turkey and 5 moreFlaky pastry filled with cheese, meat or vegetables, baked or fried
Pie or savoury pastry, Breakfast, Lunch
Potato pancakeVegetarian
🇧🇾 Belarus and 5 moreShallow-fried pancakes made from grated or mashed potato, common across Europe
Main dish, Lunch, Dinner
Pierogi
🇵🇱 Poland and 6 moreDumplings of unleavened dough filled with savory or sweet mixtures
Dumpling, Lunch, Dinner
AspicMeat
🇫🇷 France and 5 moreMeat or fish set in savoury gelatin, served cold as an appetizer or festive dish
Main dish, Lunch, Dinner
SharbatVeganشربت
🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreSweet fruit or flower drink, served chilled or as a syrup
Drink, Snacks
PuriVegan
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreUnleavened wheat flatbread, deep-fried until puffed and golden
Bread, Breakfast, Snacks
LadduVegetarianलड्डू
🇮🇳 IndiaRound Indian sweet made with flour, sugar, ghee and often nuts or dried fruit
Sweet or dessert, Snacks
KnafehVegetarianكنافة
🇵🇸 Palestine and 5 moreShredded pastry layered with cheese and soaked in sweet syrup
Sweet or dessert, Breakfast, Snacks
Hariraالحريرة
🇲🇦 Morocco and 3 moreNorth African soup of tomato, legumes, herbs and spices, often served during Ramadan
Soup, Dinner, Supper
Butter teaབོད་ཇ་
🇨🇳 China and 4 moreA hot Himalayan drink of tea, yak butter and salt, churned to a creamy texture
Drink, Breakfast, Snacks
Tulumba
🇪🇬 Egypt and 5 moreDeep-fried batter sticks soaked in sweet syrup
Sweet or dessert, Snacks
SimitVegan
🇹🇷 Turkey and 5 moreRing-shaped bread with a sesame seed crust, sold by street vendors
Bread, Breakfast, Snacks
Kissel
🇷🇺 Russia and 5 moreA sweet, thickened fruit or grain dessert from Eastern and Central Europe
Sweet or dessert, Snacks
Boiled egg
🇯🇵 JapanEggs cooked in their shells, with soft or firm yolks
Main dish, Breakfast, Snacks
Chicha
🇵🇪 Peru and 6 moreA traditional Latin American drink made by fermenting maize or other plants
Drink, Snacks
King cake
🇫🇷 France and 5 moreA festive sweet bread or pastry with a hidden token, eaten for Epiphany and Carnival
Pie or savoury pastry, Snacks, Tea time
RasgullaVegetarian
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreSoft chhena balls simmered in light sugar syrup
Sweet or dessert, Snacks, Tea time
Rojakrujak (ꦫꦸꦗꦏ꧀)
🇮🇩 Indonesia and 2 moreA spicy-sweet fruit and vegetable salad with peanut and palm sugar dressing
Salad or side, Snacks
TsampaVegetarianརྩམ་པ་
🇳🇵 Nepal and 1 moreRoasted barley flour mixed with tea or water, a staple in Tibet and the Himalayas
Main dish, Breakfast, Lunch
Qatayefقطايف
🇪🇬 Egypt and 5 moreSweet stuffed pancakes, folded and filled with nuts or cream, served for Ramadan
Sweet or dessert, Snacks, Tea time
PaskaVegetarianпаска
🇺🇦 Ukraine and 4 moreSweet, enriched bread made for Easter in Ukraine, Romania and nearby countries
Bread, Breakfast, Snacks
TaramasalataFish or seafoodταραμοσαλάτα
🇬🇷 Greece and 5 moreFish roe blended with oil, lemon and bread or potato, served as a meze spread
Sauce, pickle or ferment, Snacks
MacaroonVegetarian
🇫🇷 France and 5 moreSweet biscuit or small cake made from nuts or coconut and egg whites
Sweet or dessert, Snacks, Tea time
CendolVeganꦕꦺꦤ꧀ꦝꦺꦴꦭ꧀
🇮🇩 Indonesia and 5 moreGreen rice flour jelly with coconut milk, palm sugar syrup and ice
Drink, Snacks
LokmaVegan
🇮🇶 Iraq and 4 moreSmall fried dough pieces sweetened with syrup or honey
Sweet or dessert, Snacks, Tea time
Ma'amoulVegetarianمعمول
🇸🇾 Syria and 4 moreSemolina cookies filled with dates or nuts, shaped in moulds for festive occasions
Sweet or dessert, Snacks, Tea time
HaleemMeat
🇮🇳 India and 7 moreA slow-cooked stew of wheat, lentils, meat and spices
Stew or curry, Breakfast, Lunch
ModakVegetarian
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreA sweet dumpling with coconut and jaggery, offered in Hindu and Buddhist rituals
Sweet or dessert, Snacks
Buñuelo
🇪🇸 Spain and 5 moreCrisp or fluffy fried dough, sweet or savory, enjoyed across Spain and Latin America
Sweet or dessert, Snacks, Breakfast
Flattened riceVegan
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreRice grains flattened into flakes, used in sweet and savoury dishes across Asia
Rice dish, Breakfast, Snacks
BaghrirVegetarianالبغرير
🇩🇿 Algeria and 2 moreSpongy semolina pancakes from the Maghreb, full of tiny holes for soaking up sauces
Bread, Breakfast, Snacks
Rooh AfzaVegan
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreA sweet herbal syrup mixed with water or milk, popular in South Asia
Drink, Snacks
BotamochiVeganぼたもち or 牡丹餅
🇯🇵 JapanSweet rice balls covered with red bean paste, eaten during spring and autumn in Japan
Sweet or dessert, Snacks, Tea time
Pickled herringFish or seafood
🇳🇱 Netherlands and 5 moreHerring preserved in salt and vinegar, eaten across Northern and Eastern Europe
Sausage or cured food, Snacks, Lunch
Hot cross bunVegetarian
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreA sweet, spiced bun with a cross on top, eaten at Easter
Bread, Breakfast, Snacks
Samosa
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreFried or baked pastry with a spiced filling, shaped into triangles or cones
Pie or savoury pastry, Snacks, Lunch
BaklavaVegetarianباقلوا
🇹🇷 Turkey and 5 moreThin pastry filled with nuts and soaked in sweet syrup
Sweet or dessert, Tea time, Snacks
Easter egg
🇷🇺 Russia and 5 moreEggs dyed or decorated for Easter, symbolizing resurrection and new life
Sweet or dessert, Breakfast, Snacks
KnafehVegetarianكنافة
🇵🇸 Palestine and 5 moreShredded pastry layered with cheese and soaked in sweet syrup
Sweet or dessert, Breakfast, Snacks
Hariraالحريرة
🇲🇦 Morocco and 3 moreNorth African soup of tomato, legumes, herbs and spices, often served during Ramadan
Soup, Dinner, Supper
TsampaVegetarianརྩམ་པ་
🇳🇵 Nepal and 1 moreRoasted barley flour mixed with tea or water, a staple in Tibet and the Himalayas
Main dish, Breakfast, Lunch
Ma'amoulVegetarianمعمول
🇸🇾 Syria and 4 moreSemolina cookies filled with dates or nuts, shaped in moulds for festive occasions
Sweet or dessert, Snacks, Tea time
Flattened riceVegan
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreRice grains flattened into flakes, used in sweet and savoury dishes across Asia
Rice dish, Breakfast, Snacks
BotamochiVeganぼたもち or 牡丹餅
🇯🇵 JapanSweet rice balls covered with red bean paste, eaten during spring and autumn in Japan
Sweet or dessert, Snacks, Tea time
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Macaroon: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Cendol: Supardisahabu, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Rojak: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Rasgulla: User:Utcursch , based on images, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Taramasalata: Robert Kindermann, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Jalebi: Gpkp, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Chicha: Tisquesusa, CC BY 4.0, source
- Dabo kolo: Jongenelen, R.G.L., CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Qamar al-Din: Galjundi7, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Bhang: Reuben Strayer, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Lokma: Benreis, CC BY 3.0, source
- Samosa: kspoddar, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Turkish delight: c.berlin, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Baklava: Sakaman, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Pretzel: LenaRaisch, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- King cake: Benh LIEU SONG ( Flickr ), CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tulumba: The original uploader was ChildofMidnight at English Wikipedia ., CC BY 2.0, source
- Laddu: Rajdeep Das, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Simit: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Harira: وهراني, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Pancake: Brandon Martin-Anderson, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Sharbat: fa:User:دانقولا, Public domain, source
- Baghrir: Tamorlan, CC BY 3.0, source
- Boiled egg: Ramesh NG, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Butter tea: Yosomono, CC BY 2.0, source
- Kissel: Ural-66, CC0, source
- Haleem: Miansari66, Public domain, source
- Modak: MAHESH MUTTA, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Paska: AMartiniouk, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Borhani: DarkSpartan, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Botamochi: Tomomarusan, CC BY 2.5, source
- Börek: Silar, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Potato pancake: Photo made by Daniel Spils and uploaded to flickr.com, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Aspic: Gmelfi, Public domain, source
- Hot cross bun: Cjorsch, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Knafeh: elif ayse, CC BY 2.0, source
- Tsampa: jqn, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Qatayef: Fjmustak, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ma'amoul: fugzu, CC BY 2.0, source
- Buñuelo: Klenje, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Flattened rice: Sanjay Acharya, aka Sanjay ach at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Rooh Afza: Divas Grover, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Pickled herring: MOs810, CC BY-SA 4.0, source