Recipes › Desserts

Desserts recipes

515 recipes from 20 countries, none of it adapted from anybody else.

By country

• China (5)
• Cyprus (5)
• Egypt (7)
• Ethiopia (1)
• France (19)
• Germany (21)
• Greece (17)
• India (90)
• Iran (20)
• Italy (91)
• Japan (15)
• Lebanon (8)
• Mexico (16)
• Morocco (5)
• Peru (2)
• Philippines (106)
• South Korea (9)
• Thailand (34)
• Tunisia (4)
• Turkey (40)

Every desserts recipe

• 'Nzuddi, sourced from Italy. Hard almond biscuits with orange zest, baked until the outside cracks and the middle stays chewy. Egg, vegetarian.
• Aachener Printen, sourced from Germany. A blockade took the honey away, so the sweetener is sugar-beet syrup and it stayed that way. vegetarian.
• Aboukir Almonds, sourced from Egypt. A whole roasted almond is wrapped in marzipan, shaped back into an almond, and dipped in hot syrup. Egg, vegetarian.
• Ada, sourced from India. A rice-flour parcel steamed inside a banana leaf, which is the mould. vegan.
• Ada pradhaman, sourced from India. Rice flakes in a sauce of coconut milk cooked with jaggery. vegetarian.
• Adhirasam, sourced from India. The dough ferments for three to five days in the sun before anything is fried. vegetarian.
• Affogato, sourced from Italy. A shot of espresso poured over cold ice cream, eaten in the minute it survives. vegetarian.
• Aish as-Saraya, sourced from Lebanon. There is no egg and no butter in it at all — the body is breadcrumbs soaked in caramel syrup. vegetarian.
• Alegrías, sourced from Mexico. The amaranth popped a spoonful at a time on a bone-dry pan, because a handful steams itself and nothing pops. vegetarian.
• Allerheiligenstriezel, sourced from Germany. It is the plaited one, and the article's own comparison is an unplaited cake with a similar recipe. Egg, vegetarian.
• Amaretti di Saronno, sourced from Italy. Crisp almond macaroons with a bitter note, dried before baking so the tops craze. Egg, vegetarian.
• Ampaw, sourced from the Philippines. Leftover rice dried hard, puffed in hot oil, and bound into bars with caramel. vegan.
• Amygdalopita, sourced from Greece. An almond and semolina syrup cake soaked in two goes rather than one, because semolina takes syrup more slowly than breadcrumb does. Egg, vegetarian.
• Amygdalota, sourced from Greece. Almond sweets shaped and dried rather than baked, where the only cooking is a brief set in a low oven. Egg, vegetarian.
• Anarsa, sourced from India. It is rolled in white poppy seeds and fried poppy-side down first. vegetarian.
• Angel Wings, sourced from Italy. Pastry rolled until you can see through it, knotted and fried for seconds. Egg, vegetarian.
• Anpan, sourced from Japan. A soft enriched bun round bean paste, with a cooked flour paste in the dough for softness. Egg, vegetarian.
• Apas, sourced from the Philippines. Rolled thin enough to see light through, and sugared before it goes in, not after. Egg, vegetarian.
• Apfelküchle, sourced from Germany. The batter is closer to a pancake than a fritter, and the article has it as a whole meal. Egg, vegetarian.
• Ashoka Halwa, sourced from India. A Thanjavur halwa in which moong dal stands in for the wheat that was scarce. vegetarian.
• Assidat Zgougou, sourced from Tunisia. The pine seed is ground and then strained through muslin, because the husk will never soften. vegetarian.
• Aşure, sourced from Turkey. Every grain and pulse is cooked separately before they meet, because none of them cooks at the same rate. vegan.
• Ayva Tatlısı, sourced from Turkey. The seeds and cores go into the pan with the fruit, because that is where the pectin is that sets the syrup. vegetarian.
• Babà al Rum, sourced from Italy. A very wet yeasted sponge, soaked cool in warm syrup until it stops taking any more. Egg, vegetarian.
• Baba au Rhum, sourced from France. A dry yeast cake soaked in warm syrup while it is completely cold, because that temperature difference is what makes it drink. Egg, vegetarian.
• Baci di Dama, sourced from Italy. Two hazelnut domes joined with chocolate, baked flat-side down so they stay round. vegetarian.
• Bağaça, sourced from Turkey. Leavened with a chickpea ferment started half a day ahead, not with yeast. vegetarian.
• Baicoli, sourced from Italy. Venetian biscuits baked as a loaf, chilled a day, then sliced thin and dried out. Egg, vegetarian.
• Baklava, sourced from Greece. Layered filo and nuts where cold syrup meets hot pastry, which is the only combination that does not go soggy. vegetarian.
• Bal mithai, sourced from India. Roasted khoya cut into fudge and rolled in sugar-coated poppy seeds. vegetarian.
• Balikucha, sourced from the Philippines. Dark sugar boiled to a hard ball and then pulled by hand until it turns pale and opaque. vegan.
• Bambalouni, sourced from Tunisia. A hole is pushed through with the thumb and widened by spinning it on the finger, so the ring is thin and uneven. vegetarian.
• Banana chip, sourced from the Philippines. Sliced thin across and fried twice, so they stay crisp under the glaze. vegan.
• Bananacue, sourced from the Philippines. Saba bananas fried in sugar that caramelises around them in the pan. vegan.
• Barazek, sourced from Lebanon. Sesame on one face and pistachios on the other, put on by pressing each side into its own tray before baking. Egg, vegetarian.
• Barfi, sourced from India. Khoa and sugar cooked to a fudge and cut cold, with nothing set in syrup. vegetarian.
• Barquillos, sourced from the Philippines. Paper-thin wafers rolled round a dowel in the seconds before they set. Egg, vegetarian.
• Barquiron, sourced from the Philippines. A wafer roll packed with polvoron crumb, which has to go in while the roll is still warm. Egg, vegetarian.
• Basbousa, sourced from Egypt. Desiccated coconut goes into the batter, and it is cut only after all the syrup has gone in. vegetarian.
• Bastani, sourced from Iran. Flakes of frozen clotted cream are stirred in at the end and stay solid in the finished ice cream. Egg, vegetarian.
• Basundi, sourced from India. It is stirred constantly so that no skin forms at all, which is the opposite of what rabri wants. vegetarian.
• Baumkuchen, sourced from Germany. Every layer is browned before the next is poured, and the lift comes from eggs because there is no baking powder in it. Egg, vegetarian.
• Baye baye, sourced from the Philippines. Pressed rather than cooked, and it has to be eaten the day it is made.
• Bebinca, sourced from India. Between seven and sixteen layers, each one baked before the next is poured on. Egg, vegetarian.
• Bensone, sourced from Italy. A dense S-shaped ring cake made deliberately dry, because it exists to be dipped in wine. Egg, vegetarian.
• Berliner, sourced from Germany. The topping tells you the filling, and the pale band round the middle is the proof it floated. Egg.
• Berlingozzo, sourced from Italy. A light ring cake raised on whipped eggs and scented with anise, soft enough to tear. Egg, vegetarian.
• Bethmännchen, sourced from Germany. Three almonds, because the fourth was taken off when a son died. Egg, vegetarian.
• Bibingka, sourced from the Philippines. A rice cake baked in a banana leaf with heat above and below. Duck, Egg.
• Bibingkoy, sourced from the Philippines. Filled rice balls boiled in a ginger coconut syrup, so the filling is the surprise. vegan.
• Bici Bici, sourced from Turkey. A plain starch block is cut into cubes and served over ice shaved fine enough to melt on the tongue. vegan.
• Bienenstich, sourced from Germany. The almond topping goes on before it bakes, and the cake is split only once it is cold. Egg, vegetarian.
• Biga Peynir Tatlısı, sourced from Turkey. The balls are baked rather than fried, and they must not break apart once the syrup goes on. Egg.
• Biko, sourced from the Philippines. A sticky rice slab with whole grains and a caramel top, cut in squares. vegan.
• Binagol, sourced from the Philippines. Grated taro cooked to a stiff paste and baked back inside half a coconut shell. Egg, vegetarian.
• Binaki, sourced from the Philippines. Grated fresh corn steamed in its own husks, with cornmeal added only to hold it together. vegetarian.
• Binangkal, sourced from the Philippines. Dense flour balls coated in sesame and fried low and slow so the middle cooks through. Egg, vegetarian.
• Binatog, sourced from the Philippines. Dried white corn soaked overnight and boiled until the kernels burst open, with fresh coconut. vegan.
• Bingsu, sourced from South Korea. Shaved frozen milk rather than crushed ice, which is a texture you cannot get from a blender. vegetarian.
• Binignit, sourced from the Philippines. Root crops and sago in coconut milk, added in order of hardness. vegan.
• Bionico, sourced from Mexico. The cream thinned with condensed milk and poured on at the table, so the fruit never sits in it. vegetarian.
• Bisciola, sourced from Italy. A dark rye loaf packed with nuts and dried fruit, nearer bread than cake. Egg, vegetarian.
• Biscocho, sourced from the Philippines. Bread baked once, sliced, buttered and baked again until it is dry all the way through. vegetarian.
• Biscotti, sourced from Italy. Tuscan almond biscuits with no fat at all, baked as a log and cut on the diagonal. Egg, vegetarian.
• Biscotti Regina, sourced from Italy. Plain little logs rolled wet and then in sesame, which toasts in the oven and is the whole point. Egg.
• Black Forest gateau, sourced from Germany. The kirsch is one of the six main ingredients, not a flavouring you can leave out and keep the dish. Egg, vegetarian.
• Black Sesame Soup, sourced from China. A hot sweet soup ground from toasted sesame and soaked rice, thickened by the rice alone and by nothing else. vegan.
• Bocconotto, sourced from Italy. Small shortcrust cases filled with jam and ground almond, sealed and baked in moulds. Egg.
• Bombolone, sourced from Italy. An enriched yeast doughnut with no hole, filled after frying so the crumb stays dry. Egg, vegetarian.
• Boondi, sourced from India. Batter dropped through a slotted spoon, so it fries as separate pearls. vegan.
• Bougatsa, sourced from Greece. A semolina custard in filo with no syrup anywhere, cut into squares with a blade and dusted at the moment it is served. Egg, vegetarian.
• Brazo de Mercedes, sourced from the Philippines. A meringue sheet rolled around a yolk custard, using both halves of the same eggs. Egg, vegetarian.
• Bremer Klaben, sourced from Germany. It is the one that is not dusted with sugar afterwards, and that is the stated difference. vegetarian.
• Broas, sourced from the Philippines. Dry sponge fingers baked twice, so they snap instead of bending. Egg, vegetarian.
• Brutti ma Buoni, sourced from Italy. A nut meringue cooked in the pan before it is baked, which is what makes it chewy rather than crisp. Egg, vegetarian.
• Bua loi, sourced from Thailand. Small rice-flour balls coloured with real vegetables, boiled apart from the coconut milk. vegan.
• Buccellato, sourced from Italy. A yeasted sweet ring with anise and raisins, proved twice and barely sweet. Egg, vegetarian.
• Bûche de Noël, sourced from France. A fatless sponge rolled while it is still hot inside a cloth, then unrolled to fill, which is what stops it cracking. Egg, vegetarian.
• Buchteln, sourced from Germany. They are baked touching in one pan so they stick together and are pulled apart. Egg, vegetarian.
• Buckwheat gateau, sourced from Germany. The layer between the cakes is yoghurt and cranberries rather than cream. Egg, vegetarian.
• Budino, sourced from Italy. A stirred custard set with egg alone, cooked just to the point where it coats a spoon. Egg, vegetarian.
• Bukayo, sourced from the Philippines. Coconut strips cooked in muscovado until the syrup will hold them in a heap. vegan.
• Buko pandan, sourced from the Philippines. Green pandan jelly cubes and coconut strips in sweetened cream, with the pandan actually infused. vegetarian.
• Buko pandan cake, sourced from the Philippines. A green pandan sponge rolled warm in a cloth round coconut cream, so it never cracks. Egg, vegetarian.
• Buko salad, sourced from the Philippines. Young coconut and tinned fruit in sweetened cream, with no gelatine and no pandan in it. vegetarian.
• Bülbül Yuvası, sourced from Turkey. The sheet is wrapped round a thin rod and pushed together to pleat before it is coiled, with the centre left hollow. vegetarian.
• Bungeoppang, sourced from South Korea. A thin batter in a fish-shaped mould filled halfway, the paste laid in, and more batter poured over before it is closed. Egg, vegetarian.
• Buñuelos, sourced from Mexico. Stretched over the back of the hand until it is translucent, because a rolling pin cannot take it that thin. Egg, vegetarian.
• Bustrengo, sourced from Italy. A dense wet cake of leftover bread, cornmeal and fruit, with nothing to raise it. Egg, vegetarian.
• Butterkuchen, sourced from Germany. The holes are flakes of butter that melted out, and the trade minimum is 30 parts butter to 100 of flour. Egg, vegetarian.
• Calissons, sourced from France. Almond and candied melon paste on rice paper, where the melon is dried until it is barely tacky before it is ground. Egg, vegetarian.
• Camachile cookie, sourced from the Philippines. A firm biscuit rolled and curled into a ridged crescent, cut from a rope rather than stamped. Egg, vegetarian.
• Camote cue, sourced from the Philippines. Sweet potato slices fried through first, then sugar thrown into the oil to glaze them. vegan.
• Camote halaya, sourced from the Philippines. Sweet potato cooked down much further than a yam halaya needs, then dried out in the oven. vegetarian.
• Camporelli, sourced from Italy. Ring biscuits bound with wine and oil instead of egg and butter, so they stay crisp for weeks. vegan.
• Canestrelli, sourced from Italy. Flower-shaped shortbread made short with potato starch and yolks only. Egg, vegetarian.
• Cannoli, sourced from Italy. Shells fried round metal tubes and filled only at the moment of serving. Egg.
• Capirotada, sourced from Mexico. The bread dried hard and fried before any syrup touches it, which is why it holds its shape instead of dissolving.
• Cascaron, sourced from the Philippines. Fried first, then turned in a caramel that sets hard and crackles. vegan.
• Cassata, sourced from Italy. A ricotta-filled sponge lined with green marzipan and set in a sloped mould. Egg.
• Cassatella di Sant'Agata, sourced from Italy. Small domed cakes covered in white icing with a cherry on top. Egg.
• Cassava cake, sourced from the Philippines. Grated raw cassava baked with coconut milk under a custard topping grilled at the end. Egg.
• Castagnaccio, sourced from Italy. Chestnut flour and water with rosemary on top, and no sugar, egg or raising agent. vegan.
• Castella, sourced from Japan. A honey sponge with no butter and no raising agent, lowered in temperature as it bakes. Egg, vegetarian.
• Cavallucci, sourced from Italy. Sienese spiced biscuits built on a sugar syrup, baked once and left soft inside. vegetarian.
• Cevizli İrmik Tatlısı, sourced from Turkey. The walnuts go into the batter rather than on top, and the syrup is spiced with cloves and orange zest. Egg, vegetarian.
• Cezerye, sourced from Turkey. Grated carrot is boiled and then roasted dry with sugar until the paste comes away from the pan in one mass. vegan.
• Champorado, sourced from the Philippines. A chocolate rice porridge eaten with salted dried fish, which is the point. Fish.
• Chandrakanti, sourced from India. The flour is split green gram as well as rice, and the shape is a choice the source does not make. vegetarian.
• Chapssaltteok, sourced from South Korea. Rice dough steamed before it is shaped and then beaten glossy, wrapped round red bean paste and dusted to stop it sticking. vegan.
• Chausson aux Pommes, sourced from France. Puff turnovers filled with a thick cold apple compote, scored in curves and sealed with water rather than egg. Egg, vegetarian.
• Chebakia, sourced from Morocco. Dough cut and threaded into a rose, fried, and dropped straight from the oil into warm honey where it hisses. Egg, vegetarian.
• Chhena Gaja, sourced from India. The water is squeezed out and the dough dried before it is cut into rectangles and boiled in a thick syrup. vegetarian.
• Chhena Jalebi, sourced from India. The curds are rolled into pretzel shapes and deep-fried, not piped as a batter. vegetarian.
• Chhena Jhili, sourced from India. Wheat flour is worked into the curds before they are fried, which is what makes it hold its shape. vegetarian.
• Chhena Kheeri, sourced from India. The fried cubes go into the milk and the milk is then boiled down around them to a rabri. vegetarian.
• Chhena Poda, sourced from India. It is baked for hours and its flavour comes from the sugar caramelising, with no syrup anywhere in it. vegetarian.
• Chhenabara, sourced from India. It is fried to a burnt brown crust over a centre that stays soft. vegetarian.
• Chikki, sourced from India. A jaggery syrup made with as little water as possible, rolled to six or eight millimetres. vegetarian.
• Chocolate Mousse, sourced from France. Chocolate and eggs with no cream in it at all, where the chocolate must be warm when the whites go in or it seizes into grains. Egg, vegetarian.
• Chongos Zamoranos, sourced from Mexico. The curd cut once into squares and then never stirred again, because a broken curd will not come back.
• Churma, sourced from India. Baked bread crushed back into ghee and sugar. vegetarian.
• Churros, sourced from Mexico. The flour cooked into boiling water before anything else, which is the only reason the dough can be piped. vegetarian.
• Ciambella, sourced from Italy. A plain ring cake raised with baking powder, mixed in one bowl in five minutes. Egg, vegetarian.
• Ciarduna, sourced from Italy. A fried pastry shell piped full of ricotta only when it is about to be eaten.
• Cocadas, sourced from Mexico. Cooked until a spoon drawn across the pan leaves a dry trail that does not close, or they will not hold their shape. Egg, vegetarian.
• Cochinitos de Piloncillo, sourced from Mexico. The piloncillo dissolved into a syrup and cooled before it meets the flour, because grated it never fully melts in the dough. Egg.
• Colomba Pasquale, sourced from Italy. A two-day enriched dough baked in a dove mould under a raw almond crust. Egg, vegetarian.
• Cornetto, sourced from Italy. A laminated breakfast pastry, softer and sweeter than a croissant, folded three times. Egg, vegetarian.
• Coyotas, sourced from Mexico. Two thin discs sealed round piloncillo and pricked, so the filling melts and leaks and caramelises on the tray.
• Crema de fruta, sourced from the Philippines. Four layers built in a dish and set with a clear gelatine top poured cool, never warm. Egg.
• Crème Brûlée, sourced from France. A baked yolk custard chilled hard and burnt under sugar at the last minute, where the contrast only exists for about twenty minutes. Egg, vegetarian.
• Croquembouche, sourced from France. Filled choux buns built into a cone with caramel as the only glue, which gives you about ninety seconds a batch. Egg, vegetarian.
• Crostata, sourced from Italy. Pasta frolla handled cold and as little as possible, under a lattice of jam. Egg, vegetarian.
• Cuccìa, sourced from Italy. Whole wheat grains boiled soft and folded through sweetened ricotta.
• Cuccidati, sourced from Italy. Sicilian biscuits enclosing a dark fig and nut paste, left to mature before baking. Egg, vegetarian.
• Cupeta, sourced from Italy. A hard almond brittle poured between wafers or onto lemon leaves while still molten. vegetarian.
• Daifuku, sourced from Japan. A soft rice dough made in a microwave in three bursts, wrapped round bean paste while hot. vegan.
• Daktyla, sourced from Cyprus. The ends pinched shut before frying, because the filling boils and will push its way out of an open one. vegetarian.
• Dal badam chakki, sourced from India. Dal flour and ground almond set as a fudge and cut in slices, which is what chakki means. vegetarian.
• Dango, sourced from Japan. Two rice flours together, boiled then grilled, with a glaze thickened by starch. vegan.
• Daral, sourced from the Philippines. Thin green rice-flour crepes rolled round a sweet coconut filling cooked dry first. Egg, vegetarian.
• Dibile, sourced from Turkey. The strips are folded in the hot oil itself and then dipped in syrup, where the dry version is only dusted. Egg, vegetarian.
• Diples, sourced from Greece. Unleavened dough rolled until it is translucent and folded in the hot oil with two forks, then dipped in honey. Egg, vegetarian.
• Dominostein, sourced from Germany. Four layers built down from a gingerbread base, made as a cheap stand-in for a praline. vegetarian.
• Donauwelle, sourced from Germany. The cherries sink as it bakes and drag the chocolate layer down with them, which is the wave. Egg, vegetarian.
• Dondurma, sourced from Turkey. Salep and mastic make it chewy enough to pull, and it is beaten rather than churned. vegetarian.
• Doodhpak, sourced from India. The milk is slow-boiled down before serving and it is eaten with puris rather than on its own. vegetarian.
• Dorayaki, sourced from Japan. Two pancakes browned evenly on one side only, rested so the batter goes glossy. Egg, vegetarian.
• Double Ka Meetha, sourced from India. It is leavened double roti, and it soaks in sugar syrup rather than milk. vegetarian.
• Éclairs, sourced from France. Choux fingers pierced the instant they leave the oven, filled cold and dipped rather than spooned. Egg, vegetarian.
• Egg pie, sourced from the Philippines. A deep custard tart with a browned top, baked hot then cool so it sets without splitting. Egg, vegetarian.
• Eierschecke, sourced from Germany. Three layers, because the name is a garment that had three parts. Egg, vegetarian.
• Ekmek Kadayıfı, sourced from Turkey. Made from a dried bread round and no threads at all, soaked until it swells to twice its thickness. vegetarian.
• Enduri Pitha, sourced from India. It is wrapped in a turmeric leaf and steamed, and the leaf is the flavour. vegetarian.
• Ensaymada, sourced from the Philippines. A rich yolk dough rolled with butter and coiled, then buttered and cheesed hot. Egg.
• Espasol, sourced from the Philippines. A soft rice-flour log rolled in more rice flour, toasted, so it never feels wet. vegan.
• Fakthong kaeng buat, sourced from Thailand. Pumpkin poached uncovered in salted coconut milk, cut large so the pieces survive the cooking. vegan.
• Falooda, sourced from India. Nothing in it is cooked at the point of serving: it is layered cold in a glass. vegetarian.
• Faloodeh, sourced from Iran. The cooked starch batter is pressed through a sieve straight into iced water. vegan.
• Fanouropita, sourced from Greece. A spiced cake with no egg, butter or milk in it, where orange juice and bicarbonate do the lifting. vegan.
• Fanta cake, sourced from Germany. Part of the rise is the fizz in the drink, which the article says outright. Egg, vegetarian.
• Far Breton, sourced from France. A batter rather than a custard, poured cold over soaked prunes, which sets dense and slightly chewy instead of wobbling. Egg, vegetarian.
• Flan cake, sourced from the Philippines. Sponge batter poured onto raw custard and baked in one tin, which separates as it cooks. Egg, vegetarian.
• Florentine Biscuits, sourced from Italy. Lace biscuits of caramel and nuts with a chocolate base combed into waves. vegetarian.
• Food for the gods, sourced from the Philippines. A dense date and walnut bar underbaked on purpose, so it stays chewy rather than cakey. Egg, vegetarian.
• Frankfurter Kranz, sourced from Germany. The name is protected and it requires buttercream, so a margarine one must be called something else. Egg, vegetarian.
• Franzbrötchen, sourced from Germany. Each slice is pressed in the middle with a spoon handle so the filling squeezes out at the sides. vegetarian.
• French Toast, sourced from France. Stale bread soaked right through rather than dipped, fried in butter and oil together so the butter cannot burn. Egg, vegetarian.
• Frittelle, sourced from Italy. Fritters built on rice cooked soft in milk, with no yeast and no rolling. Egg, vegetarian.
• Frutta Martorana, sourced from Italy. Almond paste modelled and painted as fruit, cooked on the hob rather than mixed cold.
• Gajar Ka Halwa, sourced from India. The carrots are grated and cooked down in milk, and the nuts are fried in ghee before they go on. vegetarian.
• Galaktoboureko, sourced from Greece. A hot semolina custard poured into filo and baked, so the pastry sets around a filling that is already thick. Egg, vegetarian.
• Gavvalu, sourced from India. Dough rolled on a ridged tool so each piece curls into a cowrie shell. vegetarian.
• Gaz, sourced from Iran. An egg-white nougat whose original sweetener is an insect honeydew, now usually replaced with glucose syrup. Egg, vegetarian.
• Gazelle Ankles, sourced from Morocco. Almond paste in pastry rolled thin enough to see through, baked pale and pricked so the crescents do not split. Egg, vegetarian.
• Gelato, sourced from Italy. A churned custard with more milk than cream and less air than ice cream. Egg, vegetarian.
• Gelo di Melone, sourced from Italy. Watermelon juice thickened with starch and set in the fridge, never frozen. vegan.
• Ghari, sourced from India. A puri dough closed round a mawa filling and coated in ghee. vegetarian.
• Ghevar, sourced from India. The batter is poured into hot ghee and sets as a honeycomb disc. vegetarian.
• Gianduiotto, sourced from Italy. A hazelnut and chocolate paste set in an ingot shape, with no added cocoa butter. vegan.
• Ginanggang, sourced from the Philippines. Saba grilled dry on a skewer, then brushed with margarine and rolled in sugar off the heat.
• Ginataang Mais, sourced from the Philippines. A warm sweet corn and glutinous rice porridge in coconut milk. vegan.
• Ginataang saba, sourced from the Philippines. Saba and sago in sweet coconut milk, with the sago cooked apart so it does not cloud the pot. vegan.
• Giurgiulena, sourced from Italy. Toasted sesame set in cooked honey and cut into strips while still warm. vegetarian.
• Gosh-e Fil, sourced from Iran. The dough is rolled thin, pinched into an elephant's ear and deep-fried with no filling in it. Egg, vegetarian.
• Graffe, sourced from Italy. Yeasted potato dough in rings, fried and rolled in sugar. Egg, vegetarian.
• Granita, sourced from Italy. A syrup frozen without a machine and raked with a fork into coarse crystals. vegan.
• Grattachecca, sourced from Italy. A solid block of ice scraped by hand, with syrup poured over the shavings. vegan.
• Green tea ice cream, sourced from Japan. A custard base with the matcha sifted and pasted, never spooned straight into liquid. Egg, vegetarian.
• Gulab Jamun, sourced from India. The dough is milk solids, and it fries at a low temperature. vegetarian.
• Güllaç, sourced from Turkey. Nothing is cooked — the starch sheets soften in warm sweetened milk in the dish they are served from. vegetarian.
• Gyeongdan, sourced from South Korea. Small filled balls that are boiled rather than steamed and rolled in powder the moment they come out of the water. vegan.
• Gyeranppang, sourced from South Korea. A sweet batter with a whole egg cracked straight onto it in the tin, baked until the yolk is just set. Egg, vegetarian.
• Halo-halo, sourced from the Philippines. Layers built in a specific order under shaved ice, to be mixed by whoever eats it. Egg, vegetarian.
• Halva, sourced from Greece. Semolina toasted in oil until it smells of biscuits, then flooded with hot syrup in one go and turned out of a mould. vegan.
• Hoşmerim, sourced from Turkey. Fresh unsalted cheese is cooked until it stops behaving like cheese and turns to a stringy paste.
• Hotteok, sourced from South Korea. A yeasted dough filled with sugar and nuts and pressed flat in the pan with an oiled lid, so the filling melts to a syrup. vegetarian.
• Ice buko, sourced from the Philippines. A coconut ice block frozen solid without churning, in a cup with a stick in it. vegetarian.
• Ice scramble, sourced from the Philippines. Shaved ice beaten with milk to a pink slush, not layered like a halo-halo. vegetarian.
• Imagawayaki, sourced from Japan. Two batter discs cooked in rings and pressed together round the filling while still wet. Egg, vegetarian.
• Imarti, sourced from India. The batter is black gram with saffron in it, piped as a flower with a ring in the middle. vegetarian.
• Inipit, sourced from the Philippines. Two thin sponge sheets pressed onto a thick custard and cut into bars. Egg, vegetarian.
• İzmir Bombası, sourced from Turkey. The filling goes in frozen, which is the only way the outside bakes crisp while the centre stays liquid. Egg, vegetarian.
• Jalebi, sourced from India. A plain-flour batter piped in a spiral, and it is eaten with curd or rabri. vegetarian.
• Japanese milk bread, sourced from Japan. A tall square loaf with a cooked flour paste in the dough, baked lidded for flat sides. Egg, vegetarian.
• Jolbhora sandesh, sourced from India. A chhena sweet with a liquid centre of date palm jaggery, which is what the name means. vegetarian.
• Kababayan, sourced from the Philippines. Small dense muffins with a sunken ring round the dome, baked in a hot oven that drops. Egg, vegetarian.
• Kabak Tatlısı, sourced from Turkey. Layered with sugar overnight, then cooked in nothing but the liquid that draws out of it. vegetarian.
• Kadın Göbeği, sourced from Turkey. A dimple is pressed into each ball with a wet finger before frying, and it survives the oil. Egg, vegetarian.
• Kahk, sourced from Egypt. The filling is agameya, a cooked paste of honey, ghee and nuts, made and set before the dough is touched. vegetarian.
• Kaju katli, sourced from India. A single-thread syrup poured onto ground cashews and cut into rhombuses. vegetarian.
• Kakara Pitha, sourced from India. Wheat flour rather than rice, and a pinch of edible camphor in the filling. vegetarian.
• Kakigōri, sourced from Japan. Ice shaved into ribbons from a slow-frozen block, piled high and syruped in layers. vegetarian.
• Kakinada Kaja, sourced from India. One form is a hollow cylinder holding the syrup inside it, the other a layered diamond holding it between the sheets. vegetarian.
• Kalakand, sourced from India. Two dairy preparations in one sweet: chhena kneaded soft and stirred into milk already reduced by half. vegetarian.
• Kalamay, sourced from the Philippines. Stirred without stopping until it leaves the pan clean, which takes about forty minutes. vegan.
• Kalburabastı, sourced from Turkey. The dough is pressed against a sieve to take the riddled pattern, then folded round the walnuts. Egg, vegetarian.
• Kandil Simidi, sourced from Turkey. A biscuit and not a bread despite the name — there is no yeast and it is meant to snap. Egg, vegetarian.
• Kansar, sourced from India. Coarse wheat flour and tepid water, with no milk and no fruit, and the sugar goes on at the table. vegetarian.
• Kar' Assaly, sourced from Egypt. A béchamel goes over the top, which is unexpected in a pumpkin dessert and is the whole point of this one. vegetarian.
• Karydopita, sourced from Greece. A syrup cake built on walnuts and dry breadcrumbs instead of flour, which is what lets it take up syrup without collapsing. Egg, vegetarian.
• Kazandibi, sourced from Turkey. The pudding is deliberately burnt against the base of the pan, and that burnt layer is turned out to become the top. vegetarian.
• Kemalpaşa Tatlısı, sourced from Turkey. The balls are fried and then simmered in the syrup itself, which is what makes them swell. Egg.
• Kesari Bat, sourced from India. Saffron is in the name and it is what colours it. vegetarian.
• Keşkül, sourced from Turkey. The almonds are ground and steeped in the milk, then strained out — so it tastes of almond without being gritty. Egg, vegetarian.
• Khaja, sourced from India. The dough is layered like pastry before it is fried, and the syrup is called paga. vegetarian.
• Khanom babin, sourced from Thailand. Small coconut cakes cooked on a griddle under a lid, browned on both faces and chewy inside. Duck, Egg.
• Khanom bueang, sourced from Thailand. A wafer-thin crisp shell spread with meringue cream and folded while it is still flexible. Egg.
• Khanom chan, sourced from Thailand. Nine thin steamed layers built one at a time, each set before the next is poured. vegan.
• Khanom khai nok kratha, sourced from Thailand. Sweet potato dough balls fried twice and pressed between fries so they puff hollow. vegan.
• Khanom krok, sourced from Thailand. Two batters in one hollow, a savoury rice base and a sweet coconut top, joined in the pan. vegan.
• Khanom met khanun, sourced from Thailand. Mung bean paste shaped like a seed, dipped in yolk and set in syrup. Duck, Egg.
• Khanom mo kaeng, sourced from Thailand. A dense baked custard thickened with mung bean, finished under fried shallots. Duck, Egg.
• Khanom sot sai, sourced from Thailand. A clear tapioca wrapper round sweet coconut, with a salty cream layer sealed in beside it. vegan.
• Khanom tan, sourced from Thailand. A batter leavened by the palm fruit itself fermenting overnight, then steamed in leaf cups. vegan.
• Khanom thian, sourced from Thailand. A sticky black-sesame dough round a savoury-sweet mung bean filling, folded into a leaf pyramid. vegan.
• Khanom thuai, sourced from Thailand. Two layers steamed in small cups, a sweet base and a salty coconut top that must not merge. vegan.
• Khanom Tokyo, sourced from Thailand. A soft thin pancake rolled while warm, filled sweet or savoury, cooked on one side only. Egg.
• Khanom tom, sourced from Thailand. Boiled rice-flour balls round a caramelised coconut filling, rolled in coconut while wet. vegan.
• Khao mak, sourced from Thailand. Steamed sticky rice inoculated with a yeast ball and left two days until it swims in its own liquor. vegan.
• Khao niao sangkhaya, sourced from Thailand. A steamed coconut custard set over sticky rice, with the custard strained and steamed low. Egg, vegetarian.
• Khao tom mat, sourced from Thailand. Part-cooked coconut rice wrapped round a whole banana in banana leaf and steamed. vegan.
• Kheer, sourced from India. The rice goes in whole and the grains stay visible in the finished pudding. vegetarian.
• Khira Sagara, sourced from India. The chhena marbles are not fried at all: they go into the thickened milk raw. vegetarian.
• Kluai buat chi, sourced from Thailand. Bananas poached briefly in salted coconut milk, where the salt is as important as the sugar. vegan.
• Knafeh, sourced from Lebanon. Filled with cheese and eaten hot the moment it leaves the tin, so the cheese pulls into threads.
• Knickerbocker, sourced from the Philippines. Fresh fruit and jelly in a tall glass under shaved ice and a pink cream poured at the table.
• Kolompeh, sourced from Iran. The date paste is enclosed completely, so it bakes like a small pie rather than a filled biscuit. vegetarian.
• Koloocheh, sourced from Iran. It is stamped with a pattern on top, and filled with dates and walnuts. Egg, vegetarian.
• Kouign Amann, sourced from France. A laminated dough with the sugar folded between the layers rather than mixed in, so it caramelises into the pastry as it bakes. vegetarian.
• Koulourakia, sourced from Greece. Twisted butter biscuits that must be shaped from cold dough, baked until deep gold rather than pale. Egg, vegetarian.
• Kourabiedes, sourced from Greece. Almond shortbread buried in icing sugar while still warm, where the butter is beaten far longer than seems reasonable. Egg, vegetarian.
• Köylü Pastası, sourced from Turkey. Four ingredients and no sugar in the dough — it is sweetened only by what goes on top. Egg, vegetarian.
• Kozhukkatta, sourced from India. A steamed rice-flour shell round coconut cooked in jaggery syrup. vegetarian.
• Kulfi, sourced from India. It is never churned, and the slow cooking browns the milk before it is frozen. vegetarian.
• Kutsinta, sourced from the Philippines. A steamed rice cake whose chew and colour come from a little lye water. vegan.
• Laapsi, sourced from India. Broken wheat rather than flour, cooked in milk with dried fruit in it. vegetarian.
• Laddu, sourced from India. Something already cooked bound into a ball with syrup, and the name means small ball. vegetarian.
• Laung lata, sourced from India. The fold is pinned shut with a clove, which is what the name is. vegetarian.
• Lavashak, sourced from Iran. The fruit puree is salted and spread exactly two millimetres thick. vegan.
• Layali Lubnan, sourced from Lebanon. Two distinct layers that must not merge — a set semolina pudding, chilled firm, and only then the cream. vegetarian.
• Lebkuchen, sourced from Germany. The dough is stored for weeks before baking and ferments while it waits. vegetarian.
• Lengua de gato, sourced from the Philippines. A piped batter so loose it spreads itself thin, which is why they are never rolled. Egg, vegetarian.
• Linga (cookie), sourced from the Philippines. Thin sesame biscuits with the seeds toasted before they go in, not after. Egg, vegetarian.
• Lokma, sourced from Turkey. A wet yeasted batter squeezed out between thumb and forefinger, so each one tears off round. vegan.
• Lokot-lokot, sourced from the Philippines. A thin batter drizzled into hot oil as a lace and rolled into a tube while it is still limp. vegan.
• Lokum, sourced from Turkey. The starch and sugar are cooked together for an hour until a drop in cold water holds a thread. vegetarian.
• Loukoumades, sourced from Greece. A wet yeast batter dropped into hot oil, where the batter is too loose to handle and that is exactly right. vegetarian.
• Luk chup, sourced from Thailand. Mung bean paste modelled into fruits and dipped in clear jelly three times for a glass shell.
• Lyangcha, sourced from India. Fried hard, boiled in hot syrup, then left for hours in cold scented syrup until it goes soft. vegetarian.
• Ma'amoul, sourced from Lebanon. Each one is pressed into a carved wooden mould and knocked out, which is what prints the pattern and what sets the size. vegetarian.
• Macarons, sourced from France. Almond meringue shells folded to exactly the right slackness and rested until they skin over before baking. Egg, vegetarian.
• Macun, sourced from Turkey. Five flavours are cooked as five separate pastes and never mixed — they are wound onto the stick side by side. vegan.
• Madeleines, sourced from France. A rested cold batter put into a hot oven, where the shock between the two is the only thing that makes the bump. Egg, vegetarian.
• Maiz con hielo, sourced from the Philippines. Nothing is cooked and nothing is stirred: it is built in the glass in layers. vegetarian.
• Maja Blanca, sourced from the Philippines. A coconut pudding set with cornflour and topped with toasted coconut curds. vegetarian.
• Makhan Bada, sourced from India. A maida dough deep-fried in ghee and then dipped in sugar syrup. vegetarian.
• Makroudh, sourced from Tunisia. The filled rope is cut on the diagonal, which is where the diamond shape and the name come from. vegetarian.
• Malawah, sourced from Ethiopia. It is enriched with milk and eggs, unfermented, and browned on both sides. Egg, vegetarian.
• Malpua, sourced from India. The batter stands for hours and is spooned into the fat as a pancake with crisp edges. vegetarian.
• Mamón, sourced from the Philippines. A tall soft chiffon sponge baked in paper cups and brushed with butter while hot. Egg, vegetarian.
• Mamon tostado, sourced from the Philippines. A sponge made, sliced thin and dried hard in a low oven until it snaps. Egg, vegetarian.
• Mamuang kuan, sourced from Thailand. Mango purée cooked down to a paste and dried in thin sheets until it peels away clean. vegan.
• Manda Pitha, sourced from India. A steamed rice-flour shell around a coconut filling, and a fried semolina one in the west. vegetarian.
• Mango cake, sourced from the Philippines. A whole-egg genoise layered with fresh mango and a cream stabilised against the fruit's juice. Egg.
• Mango float, sourced from the Philippines. Layers of biscuit, whipped cream and mango set in the fridge, never baked and never gelatine. vegetarian.
• Mango sticky rice, sourced from Thailand. Steamed sticky rice dressed with salted coconut milk while hot, with a thicker salted sauce on top. vegan.
• Manjū, sourced from Japan. A thin steamed skin round bean paste, with the dough mixed soft and left barely handled. vegan.
• Maritozzo, sourced from Italy. A sweet enriched bun split and overfilled with unsweetened whipped cream. Egg, vegetarian.
• Marquesitas, sourced from Mexico. Rolled the instant it leaves the iron, because it sets rigid in about ten seconds and then shatters. Egg.
• Marron Glacé, sourced from Italy. Chestnuts candied over several days, the syrup strengthened a little at a time. vegan.
• Maruya, sourced from the Philippines. Saba sliced and fanned out, dipped in batter and fried flat, then sugared. Egg, vegetarian.
• Masa podrida, sourced from the Philippines. A very short crumbly cookie made with yolks only and no liquid at all. Egg, vegetarian.
• Masghati, sourced from Iran. It is a starch jelly, cooked until it turns transparent, with no gelatine in it at all. vegetarian.
• Mazapán, sourced from Mexico. Pressed and never kneaded, because working it releases the peanut oil and it turns to paste. vegan.
• Melanzane al Cioccolato, sourced from Italy. Fried aubergine layered with chocolate sauce and served as a pudding. vegetarian.
• Melomakarona, sourced from Greece. Oil-based biscuits dunked hot into cold syrup, where the temperature difference is the only thing that gets the honey inside them. vegetarian.
• Melonpan, sourced from Japan. A soft bun under a cookie lid scored in a grid, with the two doughs proved at different rates. Egg, vegetarian.
• Mesfouf, sourced from Tunisia. Steamed three times with the grains rubbed between the hands in between, and finished sweet rather than savoury. vegetarian.
• Mesir Macunu, sourced from Turkey. The spices are infused into the syrup and then strained out again, so what sets is clear of grit. vegetarian.
• Mihidana, sourced from India. The batter goes through a perforated ladle so it fries as separate grains. vegetarian.
• Mille-feuilles, sourced from France. Puff pastry deliberately held down under a weight so it stays flat and dense, then caramelised under a fierce heat. Egg, vegetarian.
• Minatamis na saging, sourced from the Philippines. Saba simmered in dark syrup made before the fruit goes in, so the slices stay whole. vegan.
• Mishti Doi, sourced from India. It ferments overnight in earthenware, whose porous walls both thicken it and hold the temperature. vegetarian.
• Modak, sourced from India. Two versions, one fried and one steamed, and the shell can take khoya. vegetarian.
• Mohanthal, sourced from India. A besan sweet into which a sugar syrup is poured, which is what separates it from magas. vegetarian.
• Mooncake, sourced from China. A baked pastry with a moulded pattern on top that comes out hard and pale and is not ready for two days. Egg, vegetarian.
• Moron, sourced from the Philippines. Two rice doughs, one plain and one chocolate, rolled together so the finished log is striped. vegan.
• Moustalevria, sourced from Cyprus. Set with flour and nothing else — no gelatine, no cornflour, no egg. vegan.
• Muğla Halkası, sourced from Turkey. The fat is olive oil rather than butter, and lemon juice is what brings the dough together. Egg, vegetarian.
• Muhallebi, sourced from Lebanon. Set with starch alone and flavoured with nothing but blossom water, so any fault in it has nowhere to hide. vegetarian.
• Mustacciuoli, sourced from Italy. Spiced honey diamonds glazed in dark chocolate, rested before baking. vegetarian.
• Mysore pak, sourced from India. Steam escaping through the greased flour is what makes it porous. vegetarian.
• Nabadwip-er Lal Doi, sourced from India. The milk is boiled over wood until it turns red, three litres down to one, before it is set at all. vegetarian.
• Namkhaeng sai, sourced from Thailand. Shaved ice heaped over toppings put in the glass first, with a syrup poured at the table. vegetarian.
• Nan-e Berenji, sourced from Iran. It is rice flour, and the cookies are kept white rather than allowed to brown. Egg, vegetarian.
• Nan-e Nokhodchi, sourced from Iran. It is made entirely from chickpea flour, with no wheat in it at all. vegetarian.
• Nankhatai, sourced from India. A shortbread of three flours: refined, chickpea and semolina. vegetarian.
• Necci, sourced from Italy. Chestnut flour batter pressed between hot iron plates and rolled round ricotta.
• Nevzine Tatlısı, sourced from Turkey. The syrup is grape molasses rather than sugar, and a splash of vinegar sets the bicarbonate working. Egg, vegetarian.
• Neyyappam, sourced from India. Fried in ghee, which is exactly what its name says. vegetarian.
• Nicuatole, sourced from Mexico. It sets on its own as it cools, because the masa is the only setting agent — no gelatine and no egg. vegan.
• Nilagang saging, sourced from the Philippines. Saba boiled in their skins in salted water and eaten plain, with nothing added at all. vegan.
• Nilupak, sourced from the Philippines. Boiled cassava pounded with butter and milk while hot, pressed into a block and cut cold.
• Nocciolini di Chivasso, sourced from Italy. Hazelnut meringues the size of a peppercorn, dried rather than baked. Egg, vegetarian.
• Noghl, sourced from Iran. Roasted almonds are turned in boiling rose syrup until a white shell builds up on them. vegan.
• Nougat, sourced from France. Whipped whites taken to a hard set by honey and sugar syrup poured in one after the other, never together. Egg, vegetarian.
• Om Ali, sourced from Egypt. The pastry is baked dry and broken up before any milk touches it, so it swells rather than dissolving. vegetarian.
• Oshiruko, sourced from Japan. A sweet bean soup with the sugar added only after the beans are soft, and grilled mochi in it. vegan.
• Osmania biscuit, sourced from India. Salty as well as sweet, which is what the Nizam asked for. Egg, vegetarian.
• Otap, sourced from the Philippines. Laminated like a puff pastry, then flattened hard so the layers bake out instead of up. vegetarian.
• Paciencia, sourced from the Philippines. Tiny dropped cookies baked dry in a cool oven until they lift off the paper on their own. Egg, vegetarian.
• Palathalikalu, sourced from India. The strands are cooked in milk rather than water, which is what pala means. vegetarian.
• Paletas, sourced from Mexico. The mould filled in two goes with the fruit pieces added between, so they do not all float to one end. vegan.
• Palitaw, sourced from the Philippines. Flat rice discs that tell you they are cooked by floating, which is the name. vegan.
• Pan de coco, sourced from the Philippines. Filled before the second prove, so the coconut sets inside the crumb rather than on it. Egg, vegetarian.
• Pan de monggo, sourced from the Philippines. Soft rolls filled with a sweet mung bean paste cooked down until it leaves the pan. Egg, vegetarian.
• Pan de regla, sourced from the Philippines. A soft roll split and filled with a thick red bread-and-milk paste, cooked until it holds. Egg, vegetarian.
• Pan Meino, sourced from Italy. Small Lombard maize-flour buns scented with dried elderflower. Egg, vegetarian.
• Pandoro, sourced from Italy. A Veronese star-moulded sweet bread with no fruit in it at all. Egg, vegetarian.
• Panettone, sourced from Italy. A Milanese fruited sweet bread hung upside down to cool so the crumb survives. Egg, vegetarian.
• Panforte, sourced from Italy. Nuts and candied fruit bound by cooked honey, with barely any flour and a lot of pepper. vegetarian.
• Panjiri, sourced from India. It stays dry and loose, and the spices are cumin, coriander, dry ginger and fennel rather than cardamom. vegetarian.
• Panna Cotta, sourced from Italy. Set cream with the least gelatine that will hold it, so it barely stands.
• Panocha mani, sourced from the Philippines. Roasted peanuts set in muscovado boiled to the hard crack, poured thin and snapped when cold. vegetarian.
• Pantua, sourced from India. The colour is decided by how long it fries, from pale brown to nearly black. vegetarian.
• Panyalam, sourced from the Philippines. A loose batter deep-fried so it puffs and frills at the edge like a dark flower. vegan.
• Parrozzo, sourced from Italy. An Abruzzese almond dome baked in a bowl and coated in dark chocolate. Egg, vegetarian.
• Pastafrola, sourced from Greece. A soft biscuit-dough tart with a lattice on top, where the dough is handled as little as possible and the jam is boiled down first. Egg, vegetarian.
• Pastel de Camiguin, sourced from the Philippines. The sweet one: a soft bun filled with yema custard, and not the chicken pie. Egg, vegetarian.
• Pasteli, sourced from Greece. Two ingredients boiled to a precise temperature and cut while hot, where the thermometer is the whole recipe. vegetarian.
• Pasticciotto Leccese, sourced from Italy. Small lard-pastry shells of crema, eaten warm from the oven. Egg.
• Pastiera Napoletana, sourced from Italy. A wheat-and-ricotta tart under a lattice, left three days before it is cut. Egg.
• Pastillas, sourced from the Philippines. Milk boiled down to a paste and rolled, with no flour and no setting agent at all. vegetarian.
• Patoleo, sourced from India. A rice paste and a coconut filling steamed inside a turmeric leaf, and the leaf is not eaten. vegan.
• Peach Melba, sourced from France. Poached peaches cooled in their own syrup with a raspberry sauce that is never cooked. vegetarian.
• Peda, sourced from India. Khoa cooked on until it browns, then pressed into thick semi-soft balls. vegetarian.
• Petha, sourced from India. Ash gourd cured in lime water before it is boiled, which is what makes it crunchy. vegan.
• Pevarini, sourced from Italy. Stiff honey and pepper biscuits, rolled and cut rather than pressed. vegetarian.
• Pheni, sourced from India. Finer strands than seviyan, and sutar means thread. vegetarian.
• Phirni, sourced from India. The rice is ground to a powder first, so it sets smooth with no grains in it at all. vegetarian.
• Piada dei Morti, sourced from Italy. A flat enriched bread studded with nuts and dried fruit, rolled thin and baked quickly. vegan.
• Piaya, sourced from the Philippines. Unleavened, filled with muscovado and cooked dry on a griddle, not baked. vegan.
• Picarones, sourced from Peru. A yeasted squash batter too wet to roll, shaped in the air with wet hands and dropped straight into the oil. vegan.
• Pignolata, sourced from Italy. Small fried dough knots turned in warm honey and piled into a cone. Egg, vegetarian.
• Pinasugbo, sourced from the Philippines. Banana cut in long strips, fried, then glazed in muscovado caramel with sesame. vegan.
• Piñata Cookies, sourced from Mexico. The hollow cut out of the middle layer before baking, never drilled out afterwards. Egg.
• Pinni, sourced from India. It is rolled into a ball and keeps for weeks without refrigeration. vegetarian.
• Pinolate, sourced from Italy. Almond paste rolled in pine nuts and baked soft, with no flour at all. Egg, vegetarian.
• Pinza Bolognese, sourced from Italy. A short pastry roll enclosing dark quince and apple jam, slashed along the top. Egg, vegetarian.
• Pionono, sourced from the Philippines. A thin sponge rolled while warm and cut across, so every slice is a spiral. Egg, vegetarian.
• Pitsi-pitsi, sourced from the Philippines. Steamed in small portions so it sets to a chewy jelly, then rolled in coconut.
• Pizzelle, sourced from Italy. A thin batter pressed flat in a hot patterned iron, a few at a time. Egg, vegetarian.
• Plátanos Congelados, sourced from Mexico. The banana frozen solid before it is dipped, so the chocolate sets on contact instead of sliding off. vegan.
• Podo Pitha, sourced from India. It bakes overnight and the crust is meant to come out burnt. vegetarian.
• Polvoron, sourced from the Philippines. Toasted flour pressed into moulds, with no baking at any point. vegetarian.
• Poolaki, sourced from Iran. Vinegar goes into the syrup, which is what lets it set as a thin clear disc instead of going grainy. vegan.
• Poornalu, sourced from India. A fried dumpling whose filling has its own name, poornam. vegan.
• Pootharekulu, sourced from India. A sheet of rice starch thin as paper, folded round sugar and ghee. vegetarian.
• Portokalopita, sourced from Greece. A cake with no flour in it at all, built from filo dried out and torn into shreds, then soaked in orange syrup. Egg, vegetarian.
• Pritong saging, sourced from the Philippines. The plain one: halved lengthways, fried soft in a little butter, nothing added. vegetarian.
• Pumpkin-coconut custard, sourced from Thailand. Coconut custard steamed inside a hollowed pumpkin, so the vessel is cooked with the filling. Duck, Egg.
• Puto, sourced from the Philippines. A wet rice batter and hot steam, and why the steamer lid has to be wrapped in a cloth.
• Puto bumbong, sourced from the Philippines. Purple glutinous rice steamed loose in bamboo tubes, never packed, with butter and coconut. vegetarian.
• Puto Calasiao, sourced from the Philippines. Tiny steamed rice cakes from a batter left to ferment for days, with nothing on top of them. vegan.
• Puto mamon, sourced from the Philippines. Steamed like a puto but built like a sponge: whisked whites, no rice flour at all. Egg, vegetarian.
• Puto seco, sourced from the Philippines. Not steamed and not a cake: a dry cornflour biscuit that collapses on the tongue. Egg, vegetarian.
• Qatayef, sourced from Lebanon. Cooked on one side only, so the uncooked upper face is tacky enough to seal itself without egg or water. vegetarian.
• Qottab, sourced from Iran. The almond turnover is deep-fried rather than baked, and dusted thickly afterwards. Egg, vegetarian.
• Quarkkäulchen, sourced from Germany. Two parts mashed potato to one part quark, and it is fried as pancakes rather than boiled. Egg, vegetarian.
• Queso ice cream, sourced from the Philippines. A cheese ice cream where half the cheese is melted in and half is left in shreds.
• Rabri, sourced from India. The skin of cream is lifted off as it forms and set aside, again and again, until the milk is used up. vegetarian.
• Ras Malai, sourced from India. The discs are cooked in syrup and then lifted out of it into milk, which is what they are served in. vegetarian.
• Rasabali, sourced from India. The patties are flattened so they can absorb the thickened milk more readily. vegetarian.
• Rasgulla, sourced from India. The balls are simmered in a light syrup until it has permeated them, and are never fried. vegetarian.
• Raviola di Ricotta Nissena, sourced from Italy. A sweet fried ravioli of sheep's ricotta, dusted with cinnamon sugar.
• Red Bean Soup, sourced from China. Adzuki beans simmered until they collapse of their own accord, with the sugar kept out until they have. vegan.
• Reshteh Khoshkar, sourced from Iran. Rice batter is poured through a cup with holes in it onto a hot plate, making a lace sheet that is then filled and folded. vegan.
• Ricciarelli, sourced from Italy. Almond paste rested overnight and baked low, so the icing sugar crust cracks. Egg, vegetarian.
• Rosquillo, sourced from the Philippines. A hard sweet ring with a scalloped edge, baked dry enough to keep for weeks. Egg, vegetarian.
• Roti sai mai, sourced from Thailand. A paper-thin cooked-on-one-side wrapper rolled round spun sugar, assembled at the last second. Egg, vegetarian.
• Sachima, sourced from China. Strands of egg dough fried crisp and then bound in a sugar syrup, where the syrup temperature decides whether it sets or sags. Egg, vegetarian.
• Sago with coconut milk, sourced from Thailand. Sago hydrated off the heat rather than boiled, so the milk stays loose instead of turning to glue. vegan.
• Samanu, sourced from Iran. There is no sugar in it at all: the sweetness comes entirely from sprouted wheat. vegan.
• Şambali, sourced from Turkey. It is cut into diamonds before it bakes, not after, so the syrup runs down the cuts. vegetarian.
• Sandesh, sourced from India. The curds are tossed with sugar over a low heat and never boiled or fried. vegetarian.
• Sanguinaccio Dolce, sourced from Italy. A dark chocolate cream set with pig's blood, which must never boil. Pork.
• Sans rival, sourced from the Philippines. Four full-size cashew meringue layers under buttercream, trimmed square and chilled not frozen. Egg, vegetarian.
• Sapin-sapin, sourced from the Philippines. Three layers steamed one at a time, each set before the next is poured on. vegan.
• Sarbhaja, sourced from India. The skins of milk stacked and then fried, which is what the name says. vegetarian.
• Sarpuria, sourced from India. The same milk skins layered rather than fried, with chhena and cream between them. vegetarian.
• Seada, sourced from Italy. A fried semolina pastry round a disc of fresh cheese, eaten hot under honey.
• Seffa, sourced from Morocco. Fine couscous steamed with butter instead of broth and built into a mound with cinnamon drawn down the sides. vegetarian.
• Şekerpare, sourced from Turkey. Each ball is pressed with the thumb and an almond set in the hollow, which is also what stops it doming. Egg, vegetarian.
• Sellou, sourced from Morocco. Flour toasted in a dry oven until it is the colour of sand, then bound with butter and honey and never cooked again. vegetarian.
• Semifreddo, sourced from Italy. A frozen mousse that stays spoonable because the air goes in before the freezer. Egg, vegetarian.
• Sfenj, sourced from Morocco. Wet unsweetened dough shaped with a wet hand and pulled open with a finger, fried and eaten within the hour. vegetarian.
• Sfogliatella, sourced from Italy. A paper-thin sheet rolled into a log, sliced, and pushed out into a cone of leaves. Egg.
• Sfouf, sourced from Lebanon. It is not soaked in syrup, which is what separates it from the semolina cakes that are. vegetarian.
• Shahi Tukra, sourced from India. White bread is fried and then milk and sugar are added to it. vegetarian.
• Shakoy, sourced from the Philippines. A twisted yeasted dough fried slowly and rolled in sugar, chewy rather than crisp. Egg, vegetarian.
• Shamishi, sourced from Cyprus. The custard set firm and chilled before it is wrapped, because a warm one tears the pastry from inside. vegetarian.
• Sheer Khurma, sourced from India. The vermicelli is fried in ghee before any milk goes near it. vegetarian.
• Sholezard, sourced from Iran. There is no milk or cream in it: the rice is cooked in water until it goes creamy by itself. vegetarian.
• Shrikhand, sourced from India. The yoghurt is hung in cloth for hours and nothing is cooked at any point. vegetarian.
• Sili ice cream, sourced from the Philippines. Coconut ice cream infused with chilli, where the heat is set by steeping time and tasted for. vegetarian.
• Silvana, sourced from the Philippines. Two cashew meringue discs round buttercream, rolled in crumbs and eaten frozen. Egg, vegetarian.
• Singori, sourced from India. A cone of sweetened khoya wrapped in a maalu leaf, which gives it its shape and its scent. vegetarian.
• Sitabhog, sourced from India. Pressed into threads that look like rice, with small jamun through it. vegetarian.
• Soan papdi, sourced from India. A pulled sugar dough whose name means golden flaky layer. vegetarian.
• Sohan, sourced from Iran. It is thickened with wheat sprout and egg yolk, which is what makes it a brittle rather than a caramel. Egg, vegetarian.
• Sohan Asali, sourced from Iran. It is built on honey with no cereal in it at all, and sets hard enough to shatter into shards. vegetarian.
• Sohan halwa, sourced from India. A halwa set with cornflour, boiled until solid, and brittle rather than fudgy. vegetarian.
• Songpyeon, sourced from South Korea. Half-moons of scalded rice dough shaped round a sesame filling and then steamed, on pine needles if you have them. vegetarian.
• Sorbetes, sourced from the Philippines. A coconut and milk ice thickened with cornflour instead of eggs, so it scoops soft from a tub. vegetarian.
• Soutzoukos, sourced from Cyprus. The strung walnuts dipped and dried over and over, a dozen times, because one thick coat will not set. vegan.
• Spanish bread, sourced from the Philippines. A soft roll wound from a triangle round a butter and breadcrumb filling that must not be overfilled. Egg, vegetarian.
• Spumone, sourced from Italy. Three frozen layers set one at a time in a mould, then sliced to show them. Egg, vegetarian.
• St. Honoré Cake, sourced from France. A puff base ringed with caramel-dipped choux buns, where each bun is dipped before it is placed and not after. Egg.
• Sticky rice in bamboo, sourced from Thailand. Rice and coconut milk sealed in green bamboo and roasted over a fire until the tube chars through. vegan.
• Stir-fried ice cream, sourced from Thailand. A liquid base spread on a frozen steel plate and scraped into rolls as it sets. vegetarian.
• Stollen, sourced from Germany. The butter and sugar go on the instant it leaves the oven, and that is what makes it keep. Egg, vegetarian.
• Stracciatella Gelato, sourced from Italy. A milk gelato with warm chocolate trickled into the churn so it shatters. Egg, vegetarian.
• Struffoli, sourced from Italy. Pea-sized fried dough balls in citrus honey, built into a ring. Egg, vegetarian.
• Sugolo, sourced from Italy. Grape juice thickened with flour and set in the fridge, made at the vintage. vegan.
• Suji Ka Halwa, sourced from India. The semolina is toasted in fat before any liquid, and the sweetener can be syrup, honey or jaggery. vegetarian.
• Sukhdi, sourced from India. The jaggery goes in equal to the flour and only once the pan is off the heat, then it sets and is cut. vegetarian.
• Suman, sourced from the Philippines. Glutinous rice part-cooked in coconut milk, wrapped in wilted banana leaves and boiled. vegan.
• Supangle, sourced from Turkey. A layer of plain cake goes in the bottom of each glass and the hot chocolate pudding is poured straight onto it. Egg, vegetarian.
• Sütlü Nuriye, sourced from Turkey. Hot milk is poured over it instead of syrup, which is what makes it pale. vegetarian.
• Şıllık, sourced from Turkey. Thin crepes rather than pastry, folded over ground walnuts and then soaked. Egg, vegetarian.
• Tabrizi Lovuez, sourced from Iran. There is no baking at all: the syrup is beaten until it loses its gloss and then almond is worked in. vegan.
• Tahinli Pide, sourced from Turkey. The tahini is swirled onto the shaped dough with the fingertips, never rolled up inside it. vegetarian.
• Tahinopita, sourced from Cyprus. Rolled thin, spread, and coiled flat like a snail so the layers separate rather than baking into one. vegan.
• Taho, sourced from the Philippines. Warm silken tofu in brown syrup with sago, scooped in sheets rather than spooned in lumps. Tofu, vegan.
• Taisan, sourced from the Philippines. A chiffon loaf brushed with butter and crusted with sugar and cheese the moment it leaves the tin. Egg.
• Taiyaki, sourced from Japan. A thin batter in a hot fish mould, filled on a half-set base and closed before it rises. Egg, vegetarian.
• Tamriyeh, sourced from Egypt. The semolina filling is set firm and chilled before it is wrapped, or it bursts out in the oil. vegetarian.
• Tangyuan, sourced from China. Glutinous rice balls with a black sesame filling that runs when they are cut, served in a thin ginger syrup.
• Tarte aux Mirabelles, sourced from France. Small plums laid cut side up on a layer of ground almonds, which is there to drink the juice before the pastry can. Egg, vegetarian.
• Tarte Tropézienne, sourced from France. A sugar-crusted brioche split horizontally while completely cold and filled with pastry cream lightened with whipped cream. Egg, vegetarian.
• Tartufo di Pizzo, sourced from Italy. Two gelati shaped by hand round a molten chocolate centre and rolled in cocoa. vegetarian.
• Tavukgöğsü, sourced from Turkey. Chicken breast is the thickener, pounded to threads so fine they cannot be seen or tasted. Chicken.
• Teja, sourced from Peru. A milk caramel cooked down until it holds a shape, wrapped round a pecan and coated in hard white fondant. vegetarian.
• Tel Kadayıf, sourced from Turkey. The butter is rubbed through every strand by hand before any of it is laid in the tray. vegetarian.
• Thai tea, sourced from Thailand. Tea brewed far stronger than drinkable, then cut with two milks and poured over a full glass of ice. vegetarian.
• Thapthim krop, sourced from Thailand. Diced water chestnut coated in tapioca flour and boiled, so each piece sets in a slippery shell. vegan.
• Thong muan, sourced from Thailand. A coconut wafer pressed between irons and rolled round a stick in the seconds before it hardens. Egg, vegetarian.
• Thong yip, sourced from Thailand. Strained yolk cooked in syrup and pinched into a five-pointed cup while hot. Duck, Egg.
• Thong yot, sourced from Thailand. Strained yolk dropped from a height into syrup so each one sets as a tear with a tail. Duck, Egg.
• Thua khiao tom namtan, sourced from Thailand. Whole mung beans boiled soft before any sugar goes near them, then sweetened and rested. vegetarian.
• Tibok-tibok, sourced from the Philippines. A milk pudding set with rice flour, where the milk and not coconut carries the whole dish. vegetarian.
• Tilkut, sourced from India. Sesame pounded into the sugar rather than stirred into a syrup. vegan.
• Tiramisù, sourced from Italy. Savoiardi dipped for a second, under a cooked yolk and mascarpone cream. Egg.
• Tokoroten, sourced from Japan. Seaweed boiled to a jelly, set, and pushed through a box to make noodles. vegan.
• Torrone, sourced from Italy. Honey and whipped whites cooked for hours to a white nougat, set between wafers. Egg, vegetarian.
• Torrone Nurzia, sourced from Italy. A soft chocolate nougat from L'Aquila, cut rather than snapped. Egg, vegetarian.
• Torta 900, sourced from Italy. Two thin cocoa layers and one thick chocolate cream, chilled hard and cut cold. Egg, vegetarian.
• Torta Barozzi, sourced from Italy. Flourless, shallow and deliberately underbaked, so it sets as it cools rather than in the oven. Egg, vegetarian.
• Torta Caprese, sourced from Italy. A flourless almond and chocolate cake, deliberately damp in the middle. Egg, vegetarian.
• Torta della Nonna, sourced from Italy. A double-crusted pastry case of lemon crema under toasted pine nuts. Egg, vegetarian.
• Torta delle Rose, sourced from Italy. A brioche rolled, cut and stood on end so it bakes into a bunch of roses. Egg, vegetarian.
• Torta Mimosa, sourced from Italy. Covered in crumbled sponge so the surface looks like mimosa blossom. Egg, vegetarian.
• Torta Monferrina, sourced from Italy. Pumpkin and apple cooked down together before they ever meet the flour. Egg, vegetarian.
• Torta Paesana, sourced from Italy. Stale bread soaked to a slurry in milk, baked into a dense dark cake. Egg, vegetarian.
• Torta Setteveli, sourced from Italy. Seven distinct layers assembled frozen and glazed in one pour.
• Tres Leches Cake, sourced from Mexico. Pricked all over and soaked while still warm, because a cold sponge refuses the milk and sits in a puddle. Egg, vegetarian.
• Trileçe, sourced from Turkey. Three different milks soak one sponge, and a caramel is poured over the top to set as a lid. Egg, vegetarian.
• Tsokolate, sourced from the Philippines. Thick drinking chocolate from pure cacao tablets, whisked until it foams on top. vegetarian.
• Tulumba, sourced from Turkey. The dough is piped straight into the oil and snipped to length with wet scissors. Egg, vegetarian.
• Tupig, sourced from the Philippines. A flat rice and coconut batter grilled inside banana leaves until the leaf scorches through. vegan.
• Turon, sourced from the Philippines. Banana and jackfruit rolled and fried in sugar that caramelises onto the wrapper. vegan.
• Ube cake, sourced from the Philippines. A sponge carrying a heavy yam purée, which changes the fold, the oven and the test for done. Egg, vegetarian.
• Ube cheesecake, sourced from the Philippines. A baked cheesecake carrying ube halaya, with the sugar cut back because the halaya brings its own. Egg.
• Ube ice cream, sourced from the Philippines. Ube ice cream thinned deliberately, because halaya freezes far harder than a plain base. vegetarian.
• Ube macapuno, sourced from the Philippines. Purple yam cooked down to a stiff jam with macapuno strings folded in at the end. vegetarian.
• Unni appam, sourced from India. Mashed ripe banana in the batter, cooked in the moulds of an unniyappakaara. vegetarian.
• Uraro, sourced from the Philippines. Arrowroot cookies that collapse to powder in the mouth, baked pale and stamped with a mould. Egg, vegetarian.
• Vasilopita, sourced from Greece. An orange butter cake with a wrapped coin baked into it, where the coin goes in from underneath after the batter is in the tin. Egg, vegetarian.
• Yakgwa, sourced from South Korea. A dense wheat pastry fried gently from cold oil and then left to soak in warm syrup for hours. vegetarian.
• Yanıksı Dondurma, sourced from Turkey. The milk is deliberately scorched against the base of the pan, and the burnt layer is stirred back in. vegetarian.
• Yazdi Cake, sourced from Iran. It is raised with yogurt and three separate raising agents, which is what makes it so open. Egg, vegetarian.
• Yema, sourced from the Philippines. A firm egg-yolk and milk candy cooked to the point where it holds a shape, wrapped in paper. Egg, vegetarian.
• Yema cake, sourced from the Philippines. Chiffon sponge under a thick yema frosting, with grated cheese over the top. Egg.
• Yōkan, sourced from Japan. Bean paste set with agar and boiled hard after it dissolves, which gelatine cannot do. vegan.
• Yugwa, sourced from South Korea. Dough dried hard and then fried at two temperatures so it puffs hollow, glazed and rolled in puffed rice. vegetarian.
• Zabaione, sourced from Italy. Yolks, sugar and marsala whisked over water until they treble in volume. Egg, vegetarian.
• Zalabiyeh, sourced from Egypt. A poured batter rather than a dough, which is what separates it from the squeezed fritters it resembles. vegan.
• Zarda, sourced from India. It is boiled sweet rice, and the yellow is colouring as much as saffron.
• Zelten, sourced from Italy. A flat Trentino fruit loaf that is mostly fruit, with the dough as binding. vegetarian.
• Zeppole, sourced from Italy. Yeasted dough rings dropped into hot oil and rolled in sugar. vegan.
• Zerde, sourced from Turkey. Made with water and no milk at all, which is what lets the saffron colour show. vegan.
• Zuccotto, sourced from Italy. A dome lined with soaked sponge and filled with two ricotta creams. Egg.
• Zuppa Inglese, sourced from Italy. Sponge soaked in red alchermes under two cooked cremas, one vanilla and one chocolate. Egg.

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