Foods That Start With B

Start an adventure full of yummy bites! Explore an exciting array of foods beginning with the letter B.

See the whole food dictionary!

Baba Ghanoush

Middle Eastern specialty made of broiled or roasted eggplant combined with tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt with additional seasoning based on the origin of the recipe.

In many recipes, garlic is also an essential ingredient.

This creamy, smoky dip is traditionally served as an appetizer, spread on pita bread or mixed with vegetables.

Bacon

Bacon is processed, cured meat made through a process of soaking meat in a mixture of salt, nitrates, and sometimes sugar.

Afterward, it is being dried, boiled, or smoked.

Bacon is typically produced from pork belly, back or sides.

Turkey, chicken, beef, lamb, or goat meat can also be used.

Bacon cut in stripes can be eaten on its own or fried with eggs, added to sandwiches, salads, and hamburgers, or cooked with vegetables and soups to improve their taste.

Bacon fat, which usually makes half of the total weight, melts under heat and serves as a flavorful base for frying.

Bagels

Ring-shaped bread roll made from wheat dough.

To get a golden and crispy product with a slightly sweet chewy interior, the dough is first shortly boiled and then baked.

After being originally produced in Poland in the 17th century, bagels found their way to cuisines around the world, gaining great popularity in the United States and Canada.

Traditionally, they are only sprinkled with sesame or poppy seeds, but nowadays they are made with blueberries, nuts, cinnamon, raisins, and many other sweet or savory ingredients.

When sliced and toasted, they can be served for breakfast or brunch with different toppings like cream cheese, ham, and eggs, salmon, banana, or berries.

Baguette

French-style bread loaf, long and round-shaped.

Stick-like baguette (baguette literally translates as ‘’stick”) has a crunchy crust and soft light interior.

It is often sliced lengthwise and used for making sandwiches.

Baklava

Very sweet Turkish dessert made in thin layers of phyllo dough brushed with melted butter that is filled with ground or chopped nuts.

Cut into square or diamond-shaped pieces it is baked until golden on top.

Cold sugar syrup is poured over the freshly baked pastry and left to soak in and turn crispy crusts into very soft and moist.

Following traditional recipes, baklava is filled with walnuts, pistachios, almonds, or hazelnuts.

It is a popular specialty of South-Eastern European and Central and Western Asian countries.

Balsamic Vinegar

Italian vinegar traditionally produced of the sweet juice of pressed grapes that is boiled, fermented, and aged for 12-25 years.

This vinegar can be easily recognized by its dark color and a rich, intense, sweet flavor that it gets from aging in wooden barrels.

Commercial types of balsamic have a much shorter aging period and use wine vinegar to speed up the acidification.

Balsamic is used in salad dressings, dipping sauces, meat marinade, or risotto.

It also pairs well with fruits like figs, strawberries, and pears.

Bananas

Tropical fruit of the family Musaceae, native to Asia and Australia.

Bananas have a long curved shape, a green, yellow, brown, purple, or red skin that can be peeled and a starchy, creamy flesh inside that is the only part of the fruit that can be consumed.

They are grown in clusters that are picked green, but due to the ripening process and exposure to air, they turn yellow or brown when completely ripe.

They are packed with healthy nutrients like potassium, manganese, and vitamins B6 and C.

Banana Bread

A sweet type of bread made from ripe bananas, mashed and mixed with flour, sugar, baking soda, and baking powder.

It was originally created in the United States in the 20th century.

Modern varieties include chopped nuts, chocolate chips, raisins, cinnamon, and other ingredients to enrich the flavor.

Banana Cream Pie

Banana Cream Pie is an old-fashioned pie that everyone loves.

A flaky pie crust is filled with fresh bananas and a rich creamy vanilla layer.

It’s all topped off with whipped topping.

Bangers and Mash

Bangers & Mash is a dish consisting of sausages served with mashed potatoes and onion gravy. 

Also known as sausages and mash, it’s a quintessential British dish that’s served throughout Great Britain, traditionally in pubs, and a survey a few years ago ranked it as Britain’s most popular comfort food.

Barley

A small grain of the family Poaceae, a large grass family that’s grown worldwide.

It is a cereal in whole-grain form, high in vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fats, and protein.

Barley is well-known as the main ingredient for beer and whiskey production.

It can be used in bread, soups, stews, breakfast cereals, and snack bars.

Basil

Basil is a flavorful, leafy green herb that originated in Asia and Africa.

It’s a member of the mint family, and many different varieties exist.

Popular as a food seasoning, this aromatic herb is also used in teas and supplements which may provide a range of health benefits.

Bay Leaves

Bay leaves are a fragrant leaf from the laurel tree used as an herb.

Bay leaves are available whole—either fresh or dried—or ground into a powder.

The leaves are added to slow-cooked recipes, such as soups, sauces, and stews, and are removed before serving the dish.

Beans

Beans are seeds from a variety of plants of a large legume family.

They provide healthy nutrients like proteins, fibers, folate, magnesium, and iron.

Out of the numerous types of beans, the most used and known are kidney beans, black, white, soybeans, chickpeas, or green peas.

They can be eaten fresh, dried, or in soups, salads, and other traditional dishes around the world.

Beef

Beef is the meat of cattle.

It is categorized as red meat — a term used for the meat of mammals, which contains higher amounts of iron than chicken or fish.

Usually eaten as roasts, ribs, or steaks, beef is also common ground or minced. Patties of ground beef are often used in hamburgers.

Beetroot

Large root, usually red or dark red, with green leaves, consumed as a vegetable.

There are also less known white or yellow types.

Known for containing essential vitamins and minerals, beetroot was cultivated by the Ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians as food and medicament.

Being highly nutritious, beetroots can be added to many healthy diets.

Beets are low in fat and calories, but a great source of nitrates, folic acid, and fiber.

They can be consumed raw or as a healthy juice, but more often they can be found pickled or cooked.

Bell Peppers

Bell pepper, also known as pepper or sweet pepper, is a fruit consumed as a vegetable, member of the Capsicum annuum species native to North and South America.

It usually appears as a red, green, yellow, or red bell-shaped vegetable, but mixed colored types can also be found during parts of the ripening period.

Bell peppers are mild-flavored and eaten fresh in salads, stuffed, pickled, or cooked.

Biscotti

Biscotti, known as cantucci, cantuccini, or biscotti di Prato, is Italian twice-baked almond biscuits with a hard and crispy texture.

They are oven-baked, the first time in form of logs, and then sliced and baked again until dry and crunchy.

They were originally made in an Italian city named Prato.

Biscotti are usually eaten dipped in milk or coffee.

Biscuit

A variety of small sweet or savory baked products.

In North America, it stands for soft savory scones, raised using baking soda or baking powder.

They are typically served warm for breakfast or dinner.

In England, a biscuit is a hard, dry cookie, baked without any rising agent.

It is served as a dessert, a sweet snack, or a hot beverage.

The term also includes sandwich cookies, made from two biscuits filled with cream.

Black-Eyed Peas

Black-eyed peas, known also as black-eyed beans, are a kidney-shaped type of legume of pale white color with a black spot at the inner curve that resembles an eye.

They have a nutty, earthy taste and, like other legumes, contain protein, fiber, and beneficial vitamins.

Black Pepper

Often referred to as the “king of spices,” it comes from the dried, unripe fruit of the native Indian plant Piper nigrum.

Both whole black peppercorns and ground black pepper are commonly used in cooking.

In addition to adding flavor to foods, black pepper may act as an antioxidant and offer a variety of health benefits.

Black Pudding

Black pudding is made from animal blood (usually from pigs) that is mixed with fat and oatmeal, before being packed into the casing.

The sausage is then served boiled, fried, or grilled and cut into rounds, or crumbled into small pieces.

It’s a traditional food in Great Britain and Ireland.

Black Turtle Beans

Type of beans of the Phaseolus vulgaris family, better known as common beans species.

It is originally cultivated in the Americas and also called the black bean.

Because of its mild flavor and creamy texture, it is a popular ingredient in many traditional Mexican and South American meals, from traditional soups and stews to burritos and tostadas.

Blackberries

Small dark purple fruit, similar in shape to raspberry and a member of the same plant family named Rosaceae (rose family).

Blackberries are a great source of important nutrients like vitamins, magnesium, and calcium.

They contain anthocyanins, a chemical that gives this fruit a recognizable dark color.

Besides eaten fresh, they are used in desserts, jams, and in the production of sweet and healthy blackberry wine.

“Blondie”

Dessert made from eggs, butter, flour, baking powder, brown sugar, and vanilla gives this sweet treat a decadent, rich aroma.

They are also known as ‘’blonde brownies’’, because of the similar recipe and the same soft and chewy texture, but unlike the traditional brownie, blondies are made without cocoa powder or chocolate.

Key ingredients are brown sugar and vanilla, although popular versions may also include chocolate chips.

They are baked, cut into square pieces, and served with caramel sauce, a scoop of ice cream, or a glass of milk.

Blue Cheese

Type of cheese with a distinctive aroma and sharp flavor, produced from cow’s, goat’s, or sheep’s milk.

Spores of the mold Penicillium, added to either milk or curd, are responsible for the typical blue or green spots that develop during the ripening process and give this cheese a unique appearance.

Blue cheeses are soft and creamy, so they can be easily spread, melted, or crumbled.

The most famous types of blue cheese are Roquefort, Gorgonzola, and Stilton.

Blueberries

Small-sized, round-shaped, blue or purple fruit packed with antioxidants, vitamin C and K, manganese, and other valuable nutrients.

Blueberries belong to the Ericaceae family within the genus Vaccinium along with cranberries, lingonberries, bilberries, and huckleberries.

They are native to North America but also cultivated across Europe and Asia.

As fresh or frozen, they can be used in smoothies, yogurt, bread, and muffin recipes added to pancakes, waffles, or breakfast cereal.

Bok Choy

Bok choy is sometimes referred to as white cabbage, not to be confused with Napa cabbage, which is also a type of Chinese cabbage.

There are many kinds of bok choy that vary in color, taste, and size, including tah tsai and joi choi.

You might also find bok choy spelled pak choi, bok choi, or pak choy.

Bottarga

Bottarga is a delicacy of salted, cured fish roe, typically of the grey mullet or the bluefin tuna (bottarga di tonno).

The best-known version is produced around the Mediterranean; similar foods are the Japanese karasumi, which is softer, and Korean eoran, from mullet or freshwater drum.

It has many names and is prepared in various ways.

Butternut Squash

Butternut squash is a type of winter squash that grows on a vine.

It has a sweet, nutty taste similar to that of a pumpkin.

It has tan-yellow skin and orange fleshy pulp with a compartment of seeds in the blossom end.

When ripe, it turns increasingly deep orange and becomes sweeter and richer.

It is a good source of fiber, vitamin C, magnesium, and potassium; and it is a source of vitamin A.

Brazil Nuts

Brazil nuts are tree nuts native to the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru.

Their smooth, buttery texture and nutty flavor are typically enjoyed raw or blanched.

These nuts are energy dense, highly nutritious, and one of the most concentrated dietary sources of the mineral selenium.

Bread

Baked good typically in a form of a loaf, soft and airy on the inside with a crispy crust on the outside.

It is a dominant ingredient in European, Middle Eastern, American, Australian, Central Asian, and North and Southern African countries.

It’s produced using flour and water as basic ingredients to prepare the dough that is usually baked.

Yeast or baking soda can be used to raise the dough.

Various spices, vegetables, or fruits can be added to make traditional types of bread.

Bread is served freshly baked or toasted, topped with different spreads, fruits, or vegetables, or made into sandwiches filled with meat, cheese, fish, salads, eggs, and other fillings.

Bread Pudding

Sweet or savory baked dessert with bread used as the main ingredient.

The basic recipe consists of stale bread combined with milk, eggs, butter, or oil.

Nuts and dried fruits can be added for the sweet version of the recipe and the mixture can be sweetened with sugar, honey, or vanilla.

It is served as a dessert poured over with a sweet sauce, like caramel or rum sauce, or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Savory bread pudding is served as a main dish and made using ingredients like sausages, ham, cheese, mushrooms, and various types of vegetables.

Brie Cheese

Creamy, buttery French cheese, with a nutty, delicate flavor.

This soft light yellow cheese is covered with a firm white rind made of mold, which is also edible.

This is a type of cow’s cheese produced in large wheels but usually sold in pieces cut from the wheel.

It may be consumed spread on bread or baked with figs and nuts or garlic and herbs combination, that both pair very well with brie’s fruity, nutty aroma.

Broccoli

A cruciferous vegetable, high in fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and low in calories and fat.

This member of the cabbage family of Brassicaceae consists of large green flower heads branching out from a light green stalk with leaves.

The most health benefits of broccoli are provided by consuming it raw or steamed.

Broth

A flavorful liquid in which meat, vegetables, herbs, and seasoning were cooked.

It is used in the preparation of other savory meals like soups, gravies, sauces, and risotto.

The most common types are chicken, beef, and vegetable broth.

The broth is also known as bouillon.

Brown Sugar

Brown sugar is a mixture of white sugar and molasses, which is a type of sugar-derived syrup.

Molasses is responsible for its darker color and slightly increases its nutritional value.

Brownies

Baked chocolate dessert, best known for its fudgy, dense texture and rich chocolate flavor.

Brownies recipe includes flour, baking powder, eggs, butter, sugar, cocoa powder, and chocolate.

Additional, chocolate chips, crushed nuts, vanilla, coffee extract, and other ingredients can be used to improve the flavor.

Baked brownie is cut into even squares and served with ice cream, chopped nuts or chocolate sauce poured over the crispy top of each brownie piece.

The first recipes for this world-famous dessert bar were created at the very beginning of the 20^th century in the United States and Canada.

Brussels Sprouts

Small green cabbage-like vegetable with crunchy texture and mild-flavored.

They are classified in the group of cabbages within the family Brassicaceae.

This green, round-shaped vegetable, native to the Mediterranean, gained its popularity in medieval times in Brussels, Belgium, which is how it got its name.

They are prepared steamed, boiled, roasted, or even grilled.

Buckwheat

Despite its name, buckwheat is not related to wheat and is thus gluten-free.

It’s used in buckwheat tea or processed into groats, flour, and noodles.

The groats, used in much the same way as rice, are the main ingredient in many traditional European and Asian dishes.

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