World Famous Desserts You Must Try!
“No matter how much you eat, there is always room for dessert, dessert doesn’t go to the stomach, dessert goes to the heart” – it’s true!
A good meal is incomplete without a delicious dessert. Traditionally, desserts are served at the end of a meal to signify its completion and to leave you feeling content after the meal. There are a number of health benefits to eating desserts as well. Desserts help aid digestion, boost immunity, balance hormones, reduce blood pressure, lower bad cholesterol, increase good cholesterol and also act as an anti depressant.
Desserts can be chocolaty, fruity, light or rich depending on the country you are in. We have put together a list of world famous desserts that will inspire you to travel and try them all. After all, food is one of the major deciding factors of any holiday.
1. Apple Pie and Cheesecake, United States –
A double crust fruit pie made with apples as the principle filling ingredient that is often served with whipped cream, ice cream or a slice of cheddar cheese.
The apple pie is America’s favorite dessert and is an important part of the national food heritage. It symbolizes American traditions, homes and culture and hence the famous phrase “As American as an apple pie!”
Although cheesecakes are available all over the world, the best cheesecake is from New York. Cheesecake is a sweet dessert that consists of many layers. The main layer is a mixture of fresh soft cheese, sugar and eggs and the base is usually crushed biscuits or cake.
Cheesecakes are often served with toppings of fruit, whipped cream, nuts, biscuits, fruit flavored syrups or chocolate sauce.
A typical New York cheesecake is rich, smooth and creamy.
2. Brigadeiro, Brazil –
Brigadeiro is a popular bite sized Brazilian delicacy made primarily of powdered chocolate, condensed milk and butter. Once cooked, it is eaten directly or molded into individual balls with chocolate sprinkles, coconut flakes, chopped nuts or powdered sugar covering the outer layer.
3. Picarones, Peru –
Picarones are a unique Peruvian dessert made of sweet potato, local squash, flour, yeast, sugar and anise. Deep fried Picarones are served with cane syrup called chancaca.
Picarones are often referred to as a kind of doughnut.
4. Banoffee Pie, UK –
Made from bananas, cream, toffee and condensed milk and spread over a pastry or crushed biscuits and butter base, the Banoffee pie is a famous English dessert that often also includes coffee and chocolate.
The word Banoffee comes from blending the words banana and toffee together.
5. Churros, Spain –
A fried dough thin or knotted pastry that is served with dips like hot chocolate, champurrado, dulce de leche or café con leche, Churros is a traditional Spanish dessert developed centuries ago.
Churros are often called Spanish doughnuts and were originally the size of bread sticks.
6. Crème Brulee, France –
A rich and creamy custard base topped with a caramelized crust, Crème Brulee is a delicious French dessert that dates back to 1691. Traditionally, the custard base is vanilla flavored.
Crème Brulee is also called Burnt Cream, Trinity Ice cream and Crema Catalana.
7. Belgian Waffles, Belgium –
Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, Belgium waffles are a treat to enjoy with dusted sugar, whipped cream, ice creams, fruits or sauces.
Waffles from Belgium are of two kinds, the famous Belgium waffles are called Brussels waffles. Liegh waffles, the second variety, are denser, sweeter and chewier as compared to Belgium waffles.
8. Apple Strudel, Germany –
A thin layered pastry with a filling of grated sweet apple, raisins, cinnamon, bread crumbs and sprinkled with powdered sugar, Apple Strudel is a popular dessert from Germany. It is often served with a range of toppings like ice cream, whipped cream or custard.
The word “strudel” means whirlpool in German.
9. Gelato and Tiramisu, Italy –
Made of milk, cream, and sugar and flavored with nuts and fruit purees, Gelato is an Italian style ice cream that is known for its smooth texture and intense flavors. It is said to be lower in fat content as compared to the traditional ice creams due to its milk base.
“Gelato” comes from the Italian word “congelato” which means frozen.
A rich coffee flavored Italian dessert made of sponge biscuits dipped in coffee and layered with a creamy mixture of mascarpone cheese, sugar and eggs that is flavored with cocoa, Tiramisu is the most famous dessert from Italy.
“Tiramisu” in Italian means “pick me up”.
10. Baklava, Turkey –
A sweet pastry made of a large number of thin layers of flour dough with a filling of nuts and held together with a sugary syrup or honey, Baklava is a world famous Turkish dessert.
Baklava is known as the ancestor of the strudel. National Baklava Day is celebrated on the 17th of November each year.
11. Basbousa, Egypt –
A sweet cake made of semolina and soaked in syrup, Basbousa is a delicious traditional Egyptian dessert. The syrup is often flavored with orange flower water or rose water. Coconut, pistachios and whipped cream are some of the different additions added while serving this rich and moist cake.
12. Gulab Jamun and Ras Malai, India –
A famous Indian mithai that is made of milk solids and garnished with dried nuts to enhance its flavor. The milk solids are deep fried and then dipped in sweet syrup made of cardamom mixed with rose water, saffron or kewra.
The term Gulab Jamun is a mix of Persian and Hindi. “Gulab” is Persian for “rose” and “Jamun” is a Hindi word for a South Asian fruit similar in size to the Gulab Jamun dessert.
Ras malai is a popular Indian dessert of cheese dumplings that are soaked in cardamom flavored creamy milk. The name “Ras malai” comes from the two Hindi words “Ras” meaning “juice” and “Malai” meaning “cream.”
Ras malai is often described as “a rich cheesecake without a crust.”
13. Dragon Beard Candy, China –
A traditional Chinese sweet, Dragon Beard Candy is very similar to spun sugar. Its main ingredients include white sugar, crushed peanuts, coconut, white sesame seeds, corn syrup and rice flour.
Dragon Beard Candy looks like a white cocoon and was invented for an emperor over 2000 years ago.
14. Mochi, Japan –
A rice cake made of mochigome, Mochi is a traditional Japanese dessert of the Japanese New Year. Mochigome is short grain japonica glutinous rice that is first pounded into a paste and then molded into different shapes.
It is now available throughout the year and also with different fillings like red bean paste, white bean paste, strawberries or different flavored ice creams.
15. Pavlova and Lamingtons, Australia and New Zealand –
A meringue based dessert shaped like a cake; Pavlova has a crispy crust and is light and soft on the inside. It is often served with various fruit toppings and whipped cream.
Pavlova is popular in both Australia and New Zealand and is eaten on special occasions.
This dessert is believed to have been created to honor the famous Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova during or after one of her tours to Australia and New Zealand, hence the name Pavlova.
A dessert made of square sponge cakes that are dipped in chocolate sauce and then covered with dissected coconut; Lamingtons are a popular dessert in Australia and New Zealand.
Lamingtons are available in different flavors like strawberry and lemon. They are also available with a layer of cream or strawberry jam in between the cake.
July 21st is celebrated as National Lamington Day in Australia each year.
Desserts are like soul food. They give you a glimpse of heaven and keep you coming back for more. Contact us to book your next holiday to a destination with delicious world famous desserts.
