Foods That Start With C

In this article, I enumerate different types of food items that start with the letter C.

See the whole food dictionary!

Cabbage

Large, round-shaped, green or red cruciferous vegetable.

It consists of a firm stalk with smooth leaves around it.

Cabbages are a rich source of vitamins B, C and K, minerals, antioxidants, beta-carotene and more than 90 % made of water.

They can be eaten raw and seasoned in salads, cooked or pickled.

Raw cabbage tastes crunchy and sometimes bitter, but once cooked it tends to be much softer and sweeter.

Cantaloupe

Cantaloupe melons, often called rock melons or western shippers, have orange flesh, are normally fully netted and can differ during the year or location.

Some varieties have a slightly golden skin colour and often have an aromatic fragrance.

Many of the newer varieties tend to be firmer and sweeter but with little or no aroma.Belonging to the Cucurbit family, canteloupes are produced on a fruiting vine and produce sweet and juicy orange flesh.

Typical sizes range from 1 to 1.8 kg, the fruit are highly desirable in many countries all over the world.

Cake

A wide selection of baked desserts made from eggs, butter, milk, flour, and leavening agents such as baking powder or baking soda.

Along with these basic ingredients, a list of additional ones can include chocolate fillings, nuts, fresh or dried fruits, vanilla creams, sweet liqueurs, coffee extract, cocoa powder, jams, and much more.

Cakes are often decorated with frostings, buttercream, fondant, or marzipan.

These delicious desserts come in countless versions and have an important place on any special occasion from birthdays to weddings.

Calamari

Squid is a popular kind of seafood.

It’s cheap, versatile, and tasty.

It can be grilled, seared, boiled, braised, and even eaten raw as sashimi.One of the most popular preparations of squid is chopped, breaded, and fried.

This is popularly referred to as calamari, though the term ‘calamari’ technically encompasses any squid eaten as food.

Fried calamari has more calories than most other preparations of calamari.

Camembert

Soft round cow’s milk cheese, covered by a soft, white, edible rind.

It originally comes from Camembert, France, where it was created in the 18th century.

Camembert is very creamy and nutty, similar to brie cheese, but stronger-flavored.

They can be distinguished by their packaging; while camembert is sold in wheels, usually wrapped in wooden containers, brie is sold in pieces cut from the large wheels, so they are not completely covered by the rind.

Carrots

Carrots are roots of the plant of the Apiaceae family, native to Europe and Southwestern Asia.

They have an edible typically orange taproot with green stems and leaves.

Carrots can be eaten raw in salads, snacks, or juices, boiled, mashed, roasted, or cooked in soups, stews, and broths.

They are crispy, snappy and, although very sweet flavored,  they are usually eaten in savory meals.

Sweet recipes that include carrots as the main ingredient are carrot cake or carrot pudding.

Cashew Nuts

A seed of cashew tree, a tropical plant cultivated in Central America and South America, Southeastern Asia, and Africa.

It appears as a kidney-shaped light yellow or pale white-colored nut covered by a double shell that is mostly discarded because it is proven to cause dermatitis.

It can be consumed raw as a snack and in cereal breakfast or used ground and chopped in desserts.

Other products made of this nut include cashew butter, oil, juice, and liquor.

Casserole

Baked specialty originally prepared in a deep pan of the same name.

The basic four ingredients for this one-pot meal are meat – often chicken or beef, vegetables such as beans, onions, a starchy component like rice, potatoes or pasta, and stock or wine that’s poured over the mixture.

It is then slow-cooked in the oven.

Additionally, the casserole can be sprinkled with grated cheese on top.

Catfish

Catfish have widely been caught and farmed for food for hundreds of years in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America.

Judgments as to the quality and flavor vary, with some food critics considering catfish excellent to eat, while others dismiss them as watery and lacking in flavor.

Catfish is high in vitamin D.

Cauliflower

White-colored vegetable, a member of the cabbage family, named after the Italian word ‘’cavolfior’’ translated as ‘’cabbage flower’’.

Its head is made of white florets and green leaves, but some varieties can include orange, purple, or green florets.

Cauliflower is considered to be very healthy, being low in calories and high in fiber, water content, and vitamins C and K.

When cooked, the stalk and leaves are removed and florets are steamed, boiled, roasted, or grilled.

They can also be eaten raw or pickled.

Caviar

A delicacy of unusual, salty, and fish-like flavor, made of fish roe that has been salted and cured.

Fish used for producing this appetizer comes from the Acipenseridae family, traditionally those found in the Black and Caspian Sea.

Today they are produced around the world and labeled as an exclusively served specialty.

Celery

A low-calorie vegetable that belongs in the Apiaceae family along with carrot, parsley, and coriander.

There are three types of this vegetable:

• The first one comes with long parallel stalks and green leaves, popular in North America. The stalks can be separated and chopped.
• The second type is white celery root with edible stalk and leaves, named celeriac and popular in Europe.
• The third one is cultivated in Asia and known as the leaf celery. It is stronger-flavored than other varieties. Stalk and roots of celery can be consumed raw as a salad or juiced into a healthy drink. They can be cooked in soups and stews. Celery leaves are usually cooked as well or used as a garnish.

Cereal

Breakfast cereal is made from processed grains and often fortified with vitamins and minerals.

It is commonly eaten with milk, yogurt, fruit, or nuts (1Trusted Source).

Charlotte Royale

Charlotte Royale is a molded dessert made from slices of raspberry jam roll cake to line up a mold filled with Bavarian cream.

Charlotte Royale and Charlotte Russe have the same mousse filling, but Charlotte Russe’s ladyfinger lining is replaced with Swiss roll slices in the Royal version.

Cheddar Cheese

English off-white or orange-colored cow’s milk cheese.

This firm-textured and sharp flavored cheese can easily melt, which is why it is a popular ingredient in grilled sandwiches, cheeseburgers, omelets, or dips.

It can also be consumed simply cut into pieces and served with fruits or grated over salads.

The biggest producers of cheddar are United Kingdom, Canada, United States, Australia, and New Zealand.

Cheesecake

Smooth and creamy dessert with light and airy to dense and rich texture, that consists of a crust, a creamy filling with cheese as the main ingredient and sometimes added topping made of fruits, nuts, caramel, chocolate, whipped or sour cream.

The crust is made from sweet crackers, pastry, or cookies.

The filling requires some sort of cheese like cottage cheese, ricotta, or cream cheese, that is blended with eggs.

It can be baked or unbaked.

Unbaked one is made with a layer of crumbled biscuits and melted butter, a layer of cheese mixture, and a fruit syrup with gelatine.

The most famous varieties of cheesecake are Japanese jiggly cheesecake, New York-style baked cheesecake with a graham cracker crust, and unbaked cheesecake topped with fruit compote in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Cherries

Drip fruit of the rose family.

It grows from the cherry tree of the genus Prunus, cultivated in temperate climates around the world.

Cherry tree fruits are red to dark purple, sour to sweet in flavor.

They are mostly grown in two species, known as sweet or sour cherries.

Cherries are a popular ingredient in cakes, pies, jams, jams, syrup, or liqueurs.

They provide a sour, fresh aroma.

They can be used fresh, frozen, dried, canned, or candied, which are known as maraschino cherries and are used in cocktails or as dessert decoration.

Cherry Tomatoes

Small round red tomato from the family Solanaceae.

It is considered a genetic mixture of tomato and currant (wild) tomato.

It has a juicy center covered with thin skin.

These types of tomatoes also come in yellow, orange, green, or black color.

Full of vitamin C with a sweet, fresh taste, they make a popular choice in salads, sandwiches, pasta, or pizza.

Chicken

Chicken is one of the most popular meats around.

It’s lower in saturated fat than most meats, especially if the skin is removed, and has a high level of good quality protein, as well as B vitamins, iron, copper, and selenium.

The pale flesh has a close texture and a mild flavor that pairs well with many different ingredients.

Never eat raw chicken, and always thoroughly wash your hands, utensils, and cutting board as soon as you’ve cut or handled raw chicken.

Chicken Nuggets

Boneless chicken meat sliced into bite-sized pieces, breaded and typically deep-fried, and served with a dip.

They have a crispy crust with soft, salty chicken meat inside.

Besides being fried, chicken nuggets can also be bakes.

They were invented in the second half of the 20^th century in the United States. Vegetarian versions of the original recipe are also made, like chickpeas or bean nuggets.

Chickpeas

Chickpeas or garbanzo beans are round pea-like legumes, native to the Middle East and also represented in Mediterranean and Indian cuisine.

They come from the Fabaceae family of plants related to beans, peas, and soybeans.

They are grown in two types – Kabuli, tan or beige-colored, and Desi, a smaller variety that can be green to brown based on the growing process.

Chickpeas have a firm texture and mild, nutty taste.

They are the key ingredient in hummus and falafel, famous Middle Eastern specialties, but can also be cooked and eaten in stews, soups, or salads.

Chili

Stew cooked from meat and chili peppers as main ingredients, that may or may not also include beans.

Original chili recipes did not include beans, but there is a long history of them being used in the preparation of this dish.

Black, blak-eyed peas, pinto and kidney beans are just a few of many commonly used beans in preparing chili.

Optional ingredients can be tomatoes, garlic, chili powder and onions.

The name chili is shortened from ‘’chili con carne’’ meaning ‘’chili with meat’’ in Spanish.

Chili Pepper

Small, very hot, and spicy type of pepper, native to Mexico.

It is a fruit of the plant of the family Solanaceae usually yellow, orange, red, or green.

These flavorful peppers are used fresh or dried as a spice in various meals.

Some of the hottest chili peppers are cayenne, jalapeñoe, and habanero pepper.

Chinese Apple

A “chinese apple” is another word for oranges or, sometimes, pomegranates.

Chowder

A chowder is a type of soup that most often (not always) has a creamy base and is chunky in texture.

Chocolate

A product of roasted, blended, and ground cacao beans.

Cacao beans were originally cultivated in Mexico, where Mesoamerican people first made it into chocolate.

They have a very bitter flavor that is changed through the process of fermentation and roasting and made into chocolate.

The higher the level of cocoa, the bitter the chocolate.

Solid chocolate is used in chocolate bars, desserts, or candies, while melted chocolate is consumed in a form of a drink known as hot chocolate.

The main types of chocolate are milk, dark, white, and ruby.

To produce dark chocolate cacao beans are combined with cacao butter and sugar.

Milk chocolate includes milk besides all those ingredients, while white chocolate is made without cacao beans.

Ruby chocolate has a distinct pink-red color because it is made from rubi cocoa beans.

Chorizo

Chorizo is a highly seasoned chopped or ground pork sausage used in Spanish and Mexican cuisine.

Mexican chorizo is made with fresh (raw, uncooked) pork, while the Spanish version is usually smoked.

Cinnamon Roll

Baked dessert, made of a dough layered with butter, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, rolled and cut into same-size pieces.

The dough is leavened with yeast and, once baked, it is soft and compact, but also easy to pull apart, which is how it is usually eaten.

It is native to Northern Europe, where it is known as kanelbulle, kanelsnegl or korvapuusti.

Cinnamon rolls are fluffy and soft in texture and spicy and sweet in taste.

They are eaten as desserts or breakfast meals, often topped with cream cheese frosting or sugar icing.

Coconut

Tropical fruit of the coconut tree. It is a drupe of the palm tree family and species of the genus Coco.

Ripe coconuts have hard, round-shaped, brown husk with white pulp and a clear liquid called coconut water inside.

Coconut milk can be extracted from the pulp.

Due to its rich, creamy flavor, it is used in desserts, cocktails, and liqueurs.

Coconut flesh can be used freshly grated, dried, or in the production of coconut flour, while coconut water can be drunk as a refreshing juice.

Coffee

Coffee is a brewed drink prepared from roasted coffee beans, the seeds of berries from certain Coffea species.

When coffee berries turn from green to bright red in color – indicating ripeness – they are picked, processed, and dried. 

Dried coffee seeds (referred to as “beans”) are roasted to varying degrees, depending on the desired flavor.

Roasted beans are ground and then brewed with near-boiling water to produce the beverage known as coffee.

Cookies

Cookie, (from Dutch koekje, diminutive of koek, “cake”), primarily in the United States, any of various small sweet cakes, either flat or slightly raised, cut from rolled dough, dropped from a spoon, cut into pieces after baking, or curled with a special iron.

In Scotland, the term cookie denotes a small, plain bun.

Corn Dog

American fast food meal made of sausages dipped in batter and deep-fried until crispy and golden brown.

It is named after its coating made of cornmeal.

Corn dogs are typically served on a stick in fast food restaurants or as street food, but they can also be sold frozen.

Two of the most popular condiments for corn dogs are ketchup and mustard.

Cornish Sly Cake

English cake made of currants, chopped mixed peel, spices, and sugar sandwiched between layers of flaky pastry, the whole rolled out until the currants just show, sprinkled with caster sugar, cut into fancy shapes, and baked.

Cottage Cheese

White soft mild-flavored cheese with large curds. It is produced from drained and pressed cow’s milk curds.

Being low in calories and rich in protein and vitamins, it is a part of many healthy diets.

It can be served in salads, on toasts, in yogurts, or used in desserts like cheesecake.

Cranberries

Red fruit berries with green leaves and dark pink flowers, grown on cranberry bushes of the family Ericaceae.

These small, round berries are related and similar to bilberries, blueberries, and huckleberries.

When they are raw, cranberries are made of more than 80 % water and full of antioxidants.

Because of their sour, acidic aroma, they are more commonly consumed dried or in jams.

Being native to North America, they are an essential part of the Thanksgiving feast, served in form of a famous cranberry sauce.

Cream Cheese

A soft and creamy type of cheese, produced from milk and cream.

It was originally made on family farms in the United States in the 18^th century.

It is high in saturated fat, but fat-free or reduced-fat cream cheese is also available.

It is most often consumed as a cheese spread on toasts and bagels or used in baking, being the key ingredient in many creamy desserts like cheesecake.

Cucumbers

Fruit of the Cucurbitaceae family of plants, native to India, but nowadays cultivated all around Europe, Asia, America, and Australia.

The cucumber fruit, elongated in shape, is made of white flesh with seeds, covered with edible green peel.

It is grown in three types: slicing, pickling, and seedless, which are all consumed as vegetables, usually in salads or dips.

They are almost entirely made of water and very low in calories.

Cupcakes

American dessert in form of a small, individually served, cake, that is baked in a cup-shaped mold.

These soft, crumbly cakes are typically topped with frosting, fondant icing, sprinkles, and other cake decoration.

Cupcake batter consists of flour, eggs, butter, and sugar as basic ingredients that are often enriched with other flavors and fillings like nuts, chocolate chips, frosting, or cream.

Cupcakes are baked in thin paper liners placed in cups of metal or silicone muffin tins.

Paper liners keep cupcakes moist and provide a beautiful presentation to these delicious mini cakes.

Crackers

A cracker is a flat, dry baked food typically made with flour.

Flavorings or seasonings, such as salt, herbs, seeds, or cheese, may be added to the dough or sprinkled on top before baking.

Crackers are often branded as a nutritious and convenient way to consume a staple food or cereal grain.

Crackers can be eaten on their own, but can also accompany other food items such as cheese or meat slices, fruits, dips, or soft spreads such as jam, butter, peanut butter, pâté, or mousse.

Bland or mild crackers are sometimes used as a palate cleanser in food product testing or flavor testing, between samples.

Crackers may also be crumbled and added to soup.

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