1
Achacha
A small Bolivian rainforest fruit related to mangosteen — bright orange-red skin enclosing white, juicy, sweet-tart flesh with the citrus-tropical fragrance of its family.
Below are foods that contain the letter C anywhere in the name. Each of the 108 foods below opens to a full profile.
Table of contents
List of Foods That Contain C
2
Albacore Tuna
A large, fast-swimming open-ocean tuna with notably pale flesh, sold as "white tuna" in cans and "shiro maguro" in sushi bars — a leaner, milder alternative to other tunas.
3
Allspice
A single dried berry from a Caribbean tree whose flavor combines cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg in one — central to Jamaican jerk seasoning, Middle Eastern stews, and pickling spice blends.
4
Amchur Powder
Indian dried green-mango powder — a tangy, slightly sweet souring agent used in chaat, samosa fillings, and dry-spice blends where lemon juice would water down the texture.
5
Anchovies
Small saltwater fish cured in salt for months and packed in oil, prized for the deep umami punch a few fillets add to sauces, dressings, and Mediterranean cooking.
6
Apple Crumble
Britain's most beloved home-baked dessert — sharp cooking apples underneath a buttery, sandy rubble of flour, butter, and sugar, baked until the fruit is soft and bubbling and the topping is golden and crisp; simple, forgiving, and deeply satisfying; endlessly variable in fruit filling, and nearly always served with custard, cream, or vanilla ice cream.
7
Avocado Toast
Mashed avocado on toasted bread — a 2010s breakfast phenomenon that became a generational cliche, but rooted in much older Australian café cooking and Mexican peasant food.
8
Bacon
Cured and smoked pork belly or back — a breakfast staple in the US and UK, with regional variations from American streaky bacon to British rashers to Italian pancetta.
9
Black Forest Cake
Germany's most famous layered cake — dark chocolate sponge soaked in Kirschwasser cherry brandy, filled with whipped cream and sour cherries, and finished with chocolate shavings.
10
Black Pudding
A blood sausage made from pig's blood, pork fat, and oatmeal or barley, cooked in a casing until set — a staple of the full English and Scottish breakfast, with a rich, earthy, iron-heavy flavour; the best black puddings (from Bury in Lancashire, Stornoway in the Hebrides, and Clonakilty in Ireland) are considered artisan products of national importance.
11
Borscht
A sour beetroot soup from Eastern Europe — deep crimson, served hot or cold, and an essential dish across Ukrainian, Russian, Polish, and Jewish cuisines.
12
Brioche
A buttery, eggy French enriched bread — soft, golden, and so rich it sits at the boundary between bread and pastry.
13
Bruschetta
Italian grilled bread rubbed with garlic and drizzled with olive oil — the simplest form topped with fresh tomatoes, basil, and sea salt; a staple antipasto across central Italy.
14
Bunny Chow
Durban's iconic street food — a hollowed-out half or quarter loaf of bread filled with spicy curry, the scooped-out bread served as the lid; eaten by hand from the loaf.
15
Cacao
The fermented seed of a Mesoamerican rainforest tree — the raw material that becomes chocolate, prized by the Aztecs as currency and a sacred drink long before Europeans encountered it.
16
Cake
A baked sweet dessert centered on flour, sugar, eggs, and fat — the broadest dessert category in world cuisine, with hundreds of regional traditions from Japanese castella to American birthday cakes.
17
Calamari
Squid prepared as food, most often coated in batter and deep-fried into golden rings — a Mediterranean fishmonger's mainstay that has gone global as a bar appetizer.
18
Calzone
A folded Neapolitan pizza — the same leavened dough as pizza, sealed around a filling of ricotta, mozzarella, cured meats, and sometimes tomato sauce, then baked until puffed and charred.
19
Camembert
A small, soft, bloomy-rind cow's-milk cheese from Normandy with a velvety white crust and an oozing pale-yellow interior — younger and earthier than Brie but the same cheese family.
20
Camomile
A gentle herbal infusion brewed from the dried flowers of the chamomile plant, prized for centuries as a calming bedtime tea and a mild digestive remedy.
21
Candle Nut
A large, waxy, oil-rich nut from a tropical tree, essential to Indonesian and Malaysian cooking as a creamy thickener for curries and spice pastes — toxic when raw, safe when cooked.
22
Canned Salmon
Wild-caught Pacific salmon preserved in cans — a convenient, shelf-stable source of complete protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and calcium-rich edible bones, long a staple of budget-conscious and health-aware households.
23
Cannellini Beans
A large, white, kidney-shaped Italian bean — creamy when cooked and central to Tuscan cooking, especially the slow-simmered soups *ribollita* and *pasta e fagioli*.
24
Cannoli
Sicily's defining pastry — crisp fried pastry tubes filled with sweetened sheep's-milk ricotta, studded with candied orange peel or chocolate chips, served at every Sicilian celebration.
25
Canola Oil
A neutral, high-smoke-point cooking oil pressed from a Canadian-bred variety of rapeseed — one of the most-used oils in North American kitchens and food processing.
26
Capers
The pickled flower buds of a Mediterranean caper bush, brining and salting transforming them into briny, lemony bursts that brighten chicken piccata, pasta puttanesca, and bagels with smoked salmon.
27
Carambola
A glossy yellow tropical fruit that produces five-pointed star slices when cut crosswise — Southeast Asian in origin, sweet-tart, and the source of the alternate name "star fruit."
28
Carbonara
Rome's iconic pasta made with guanciale, eggs, Pecorino Romano, and black pepper — no cream, no onion, no garlic; the sauce is an emulsification of egg and fat achieved off the heat.
29
Cassoulet
Languedoc's monumental slow-baked casserole of white beans with confit duck, Toulouse sausage, and pork — named after the earthenware *cassole* it cooks in; subject of fierce regional rivalry.
30
Ceviche
Raw fish "cooked" by citrus acid — a South American technique of marinating fresh fish in lime juice with chilli, onion, and coriander; the national dish of Peru.
31
Challah
Enriched Jewish braided bread — a Shabbat and holiday loaf made with eggs, oil, and a touch of honey, with a characteristic plaited shape and glossy egg-wash crust.
32
Cheese
A fermented dairy product made by curdling milk and pressing the solids — over 1,800 named varieties globally, with traditions stretching from 7,000-year-old Polish cheese-making sites to modern industrial cheddars.
33
Chelsea Bun
A sticky, spiral-rolled sweet bun from London's Chelsea — a rich yeast dough rolled with butter, brown sugar, and mixed dried fruit, cut into spirals, baked in a close-packed tin so the sides rise together, then glazed with a syrup or fondant while still hot; a London street food classic dating from the early 18th century, when the Chelsea Bun House attracted crowds of thousands.
34
Chocolate
Roasted and ground cacao beans transformed into bars, candies, and beverages — originally a bitter Mesoamerican ceremonial drink, now a $130+ billion global industry.
35
Christmas Pudding
The great British festive dessert — a dense, dark steamed pudding made months in advance with dried fruit, suet, black treacle, spices, and stout or brandy; served flaming with brandy on Christmas Day; traditionally made on Stir-up Sunday (the last Sunday before Advent) and steamed for hours until almost black; often contains hidden silver coins for good luck.
36
Churros
Spanish deep-fried choux-dough pastry sticks — extruded through a star-shaped nozzle to create ridged cylinders, rolled in cinnamon sugar, and dipped in thick hot chocolate.
37
Ciabatta
A rustic Italian white bread with an open, holey crumb and crisp crust — invented in 1982 in Verona as an Italian answer to the baguette, now one of the most widely eaten breads in the world.
38
Clafoutis
A rustic French baked dessert from the Limousin region — black cherries baked in a thick, eggy batter that puffs up in the oven to a soft, custardy, pancake-like consistency; simple and quick to make, it is the definitive home dessert of southwest France; purists insist the cherries must remain unpitted to preserve their flavour, the almond-like note from the kernel infusing the batter.
39
Clotted Cream
The richest cream in the British repertoire — thick, pale gold, slightly granular, with a minimum 55% fat content; made by heating unpasteurised or pasteurised cream in wide shallow pans until the surface forms a characteristic golden crust; associated above all with Devon and Cornwall, where it is the essential accompaniment to scones in a cream tea; clotted cream from Devon has Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status.
40
Coronation Chicken
A cold chicken dish in a lightly curried, sweet mayonnaise sauce, created specifically for Queen Elizabeth II's coronation luncheon in 1953 — soft-cooked chicken mixed with a sauce of mayonnaise, cream, curry powder, mango chutney, and dried apricots; a staple of British supermarket shelves, sandwich fillings, and party buffets for over 70 years.
41
Cottage Pie
Britain's most comforting baked dish — a rich minced beef and vegetable filling in a thick gravy, topped with a layer of creamy mashed potato and baked until the surface is golden and crisp; the word "cottage" refers to the humble rural home it was associated with, and "shepherd's pie" is the lamb version.
42
Couscous
Tiny semolina granules steamed to light fluffiness — the staple grain of North Africa, traditionally steamed over a slow-cooked stew in a couscoussier and served with lamb, vegetables, and harissa.
43
Crème Brûlée
The classic French custard dessert with a burnt caramel top — a rich, silky vanilla-infused cream set to a barely trembling consistency, covered with a thin layer of caster sugar that is caramelised under a grill or with a blowtorch to form a brittle, shattering golden disc; the moment of cracking the caramel top with a spoon is one of the small pleasures of restaurant dining.
44
Crepes
Thin, lacy French pancakes cooked on a flat griddle and folded around sweet or savory fillings — a Breton specialty turned global street food.
45
Croissant
A French laminated pastry of butter folded into yeasted dough, baked into a flaky, crescent-shaped icon of the patisserie.
46
Croque-Monsieur
France's definitive hot sandwich — a grilled ham and cheese toastie topped with béchamel sauce and more cheese, then gratinéed until golden; add a fried egg on top and it becomes a croque-madame; a staple of French café menus since the early 20th century.
47
Crumpet
A uniquely British yeasted bread product — a thick, spongy disc riddled with hundreds of small holes that form during cooking on a griddle; the holes make crumpets perfect for absorbing butter, which melts through the holes from the top surface; a winter breakfast comfort food inseparable from British tea culture.
48
Curry
A broad family of saucy, spice-driven dishes from South and Southeast Asia, now globally adopted, built on aromatic spice blends specific to each region.
49
Custard
The great British pouring sauce and dessert base — custard ranges from thin, pourable sauce through thick pastry cream to firm set dessert; in Britain, "custard" usually means the warm, pourable vanilla sauce poured generously over pies, crumbles, and puddings; made either from eggs and cream (real custard) or from custard powder and milk (the British standby invented by Alfred Bird in 1837 for his egg-allergic wife).
50
Duck Confit
A French preservation technique turned luxury dish — duck legs cured in salt and herbs, then slow-cooked in their own fat until silky-tender, with skin crisped before serving.
51
Éclair
A French choux pastry finger filled with pastry cream and glazed with chocolate — one of the defining creations of classical French pâtisserie.
52
Eggs Benedict
A classic American brunch dish of poached eggs and Canadian bacon stacked on a toasted English muffin and napped with hollandaise sauce.
53
Enchilada
A corn tortilla rolled around a filling and bathed in chili sauce, baked until tender — a staple of Mexican cuisine since pre-Columbian times.
54
Fish and Chips
Britain's defining take-away dish — thick battered and deep-fried white fish with chunky fried potato chips, served wrapped in paper with salt and vinegar.
55
Focaccia
A flat, dimpled Italian olive-oil bread — soft and porous, generously salted, often topped with rosemary, tomato, or onion.
56
French Toast
Stale bread soaked in egg and milk, then pan-fried to a golden crust — called *pain perdu* (lost bread) in France because it rescues bread past its prime; topped with maple syrup, fruit, or icing sugar.
57
Fried Chicken
Chicken pieces seasoned, coated in seasoned flour, and deep-fried — a dish with deep roots in Scottish and West African cooking traditions, central to American Southern cuisine.
58
Garlic Chives
A flat-leaved Asian relative of common chives, with a distinct mild garlic flavor — also called Chinese chives or kuchai.
59
Gazpacho
A cold Andalusian soup of raw blended tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, garlic, and olive oil — peasant food turned summer staple.
60
Gnocchi
Soft Italian dumplings made of potato, semolina, or ricotta — pillowy, lightly chewy, served with butter, brown butter, sauce, or in broth.
61
Goat's Cheese
Cheese made from goat's milk — distinctly tangy, often soft and chalky-white, used fresh, aged, or melted into salads and savory tarts.
62
Green Chicken Curry
Thailand's most fragrant curry, defined by a vivid green paste of fresh chillies, lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime leaves simmered with coconut milk and tender chicken — simultaneously herbal, spicy, and rich.
63
Guacamole
Mexico's most famous condiment — a simple, fresh dip of mashed avocado with lime juice, coriander, onion, and chilli; invented by the Aztec people using the same basic technique still used today; the quality depends entirely on ripe avocados, and fresh guacamole must be made and eaten immediately before it discolours.
64
Horchata
A refreshing cold drink made from tiger nuts, rice, or almonds — the Spanish original (*horchata de chufa*) is made from tiger nuts and is a Valencia speciality; the Mexican version is a sweet, cinnamon-laced rice milk; both are cooling, milky, and naturally dairy-free.
65
Ice Cream
A frozen dairy dessert of cream, sugar, and flavorings churned into a soft, smooth, semi-frozen state — the most-eaten dessert in the world.
66
Jollof Rice
West Africa's most celebrated dish — rice cooked in a rich tomato and pepper sauce until it absorbs all the liquid and develops a prized smoky crust at the bottom of the pot; the subject of an ongoing "Jollof Wars" debate between Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal over who makes it best.
67
Ketchup
A sweet-tangy red tomato condiment that started as a fermented Asian fish sauce — the modern American tomato version emerged in the 1800s and now appears on tables worldwide.
68
Kimchi
A foundational Korean fermented vegetable, most often napa cabbage with chili, garlic, ginger, and fish sauce — eaten at every meal in Korea and now worldwide.
69
Kung Pao Chicken
A classic Sichuan stir-fry of diced chicken, dried chillies, Sichuan peppercorns, and peanuts in a tangy sauce — one of the most widely known Chinese dishes internationally, with a troubled name history.
70
Lahmacun
Turkish and Armenian thin-crust flatbread topped with spiced minced meat — described as "Turkish pizza" though older and simpler, rolled up with fresh herbs, lemon, and raw onion and eaten as a street food.
71
Lemon Curd
A smooth, intensely tangy preserve made from eggs, butter, sugar, and fresh lemon juice — thicker and richer than jam, with a vivid yellow colour and a clean, bright flavour; used as a spread on toast and scones, a filling for tarts and cakes, and a swirl in cheesecakes and ice cream; requires careful making — the eggs curdle if overheated — but keeps for weeks refrigerated.
72
Macadamia Nut
A buttery, exceptionally rich nut from an Australian rainforest tree — the only commercial food crop native to Australia, with the hardest shell of any commonly eaten nut.
73
Macadamia Oil
A buttery, mild oil pressed from macadamia nuts — naturally high in monounsaturated fat, with a distinctively soft nut flavor and a high smoke point.
74
Macaron
A delicate French sandwich cookie of almond meringue shells with a smooth filling — visually iconic, technically demanding.
75
Macaroni and Cheese
The most beloved American comfort food — elbow macaroni in a thick, creamy cheese sauce; made from scratch with a béchamel base, or from the iconic bright-orange powdered cheese packet that defined American childhoods.
76
Mace
The lacy red aril surrounding a nutmeg seed — a more delicate, less sweet, more complex spice than its sibling nutmeg, used in fine baking, charcuterie, and traditional British and French cuisine.
77
Mackerel
A small oily fish with rich savory flavor — heavily eaten across North Atlantic and Pacific cuisines, prized for its omega-3 content, abundance, and traditional preservation methods like smoking and salting.
78
Mince Pies
Small, enclosed pastry tarts filled with mincemeat — a sweet mixture of dried fruit, suet, spices, and brandy or spirits — eaten throughout the Christmas season in Britain; traditionally containing actual minced meat in medieval times, today the filling is entirely fruit-based; served warm or cold, dusted with icing sugar, and considered obligatory at Christmas parties and carol services.
79
Mochi
Japanese rice cakes pounded from sticky rice into a chewy, glutinous mass — eaten as snack, soup ingredient, or stuffed sweet across many traditions.
80
Nachos
A Tex-Mex snack of tortilla chips topped with melted cheese — invented in 1943 by a Mexican maître d' as a quick meal for US Army wives, now a global sports and cinema staple.
81
Osso Buco
A Milanese braise of cross-cut veal shanks slow-cooked in white wine, broth, and vegetables until the meat falls from the bone — finished with gremolata and served over saffron risotto.
82
Packham Pear
A bumpy, green-skinned Australian pear variety with sweet, buttery white flesh — one of the most commercially important pear cultivars grown in the Southern Hemisphere and a familiar supermarket staple worldwide.
83
Pancakes
A flat, round griddle cake of batter — leavened or thin — eaten worldwide for breakfast or as a wrapper for savory and sweet fillings.
84
Parmesan Cheese
An aged, hard cow's-milk cheese made for centuries in northern Italy — the most-imitated cheese in the world, with the genuine *Parmigiano-Reggiano* protected by EU law.
85
Peking Duck
China's most famous dish — a whole duck lacquered with a sweet glaze, air-dried for hours, then roasted until the skin crackles and shatters; served tableside with the sliced crispy skin separately from the meat, both wrapped in thin pancakes with hoisin sauce, sliced cucumber, and spring onions.
86
Popcorn
A specific corn variety whose kernels explode under heat — the world's most popular movie-theater snack and one of humanity's oldest known foods.
87
Quiche
A French savoury custard tart in a shortcrust pastry shell — the classic Quiche Lorraine with bacon and cheese is the defining variant, but the format accommodates almost any filling.
88
Salade Niçoise
The defining salad of Nice and the French Riviera — traditionally tuna, anchovies, hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, black olives, green beans, and artichoke hearts dressed in olive oil; the subject of fierce debate over whether cooked vegetables should be included and whether the tuna should be fresh or tinned; a complete meal that epitomises the flavours of Provence.
89
Scallops
A bivalve mollusk eaten almost exclusively as the white adductor muscle that closes its fan-shaped shell — sweet, tender, and one of the few seafoods that benefits from a dramatic sear.
90
Schnitzel
A thin, breaded cutlet fried in clarified butter — Austria's Wiener Schnitzel must be veal; Germany's Schnitzel uses pork; both are pounded paper-thin, coated in flour, egg wash, and fine breadcrumbs, and fried until golden.
91
Scones
The cornerstone of the British cream tea — small, leavened quick breads made from flour, butter, and buttermilk or milk, baked until risen and golden; served split and spread with clotted cream and strawberry jam; the cream-first versus jam-first controversy (Cornish versus Devonian tradition) is a persistent source of gentle British regional rivalry.
92
Scotch Egg
A boiled egg encased in seasoned sausage meat, coated in breadcrumbs, and deep-fried until golden — a British picnic and pub staple invented in London in 1738 by Fortnum and Mason; the perfect Scotch egg has a soft, still-runny yolk inside the crispy shell, and achieving this requires precise timing.
93
Soy Sauce
A salty fermented Asian condiment made from soybeans, wheat, salt, and koji — the most-used condiment in East Asian cooking and increasingly globalized as a savory base for dishes worldwide.
94
Spotted Dick
A classic British steamed suet pudding studded with currants or raisins — the "spots" are the dried fruit, and "dick" is thought to derive from an old dialect word for dough or pudding; rich, dense, and warming, it is served hot with custard and remains a staple of British school dinners, pub menus, and traditional restaurant pudding lists.
95
Tabasco
A Louisiana hot sauce made from fermented Tabasco peppers, vinegar, and salt — an 1868 invention from the McIlhenny family that became the world's most recognized hot sauce, fundamental to Cajun, Creole, and global American cuisine.
96
Tacos
A Mexican staple of soft or crispy tortillas folded around a savory filling — meat, beans, vegetables, or seafood — with salsas and fresh garnishes.
97
Taleggio Cheese
A pungent washed-rind Italian cheese from Lombardy with a creamy interior and meaty flavor — a 1,000-year-old farmhouse cheese that's now one of Italy's most prestigious DOP-protected cheeses.
98
Tapioca
A starch extracted from cassava roots — sold as flour, beads (boba pearls), or sticks, and used in puddings, gluten-free baking, and the bubble teas of East Asia.
99
Tinned Mackerel
Atlantic or Pacific mackerel canned in oil, brine, or tomato sauce — a deeply nutritious pantry staple with high omega-3 content at a fraction of the cost of fresh fish.
100
Treacle Tart
A quintessentially British tart of golden syrup mixed with breadcrumbs and lemon juice in a short pastry shell — intensely sweet, with a distinctive butterscotch flavour and a slightly sticky, set filling; one of the oldest surviving British puddings, and Harry Potter's favourite food.
101
Tres Leches Cake
Latin America's most beloved celebration cake — a light sponge soaked in a mixture of three milks (evaporated milk, condensed milk, and cream) until saturated, then topped with whipped cream; improbably rich yet impossibly light.
102
Verjuice
A tart, slightly sweet juice pressed from unripe grapes — a medieval European cooking acid that fell out of fashion and is now slowly returning.
103
Vermicelli Noodles
Thin noodles found in Italian pasta, Asian rice and mung-bean varieties, and South Asian wheat versions — the same name covering very different products.
104
Victoria Sponge
Britain's quintessential celebration cake — two light, equal-weight sponge layers sandwiched with raspberry jam and whipped cream (or buttercream), dusted with icing sugar; named after Queen Victoria, who ate a slice of sponge cake with her afternoon tea, and now judged at every village fête in Britain.
105
Xacuti
A Goan curry of chicken or lamb in a complex spice paste of dried red chilies, poppy seeds, coconut, and over a dozen ground spices — rich, dark, and aromatic.
106
XO Sauce
A Hong Kong luxury condiment of dried seafood, chilli, and aged ham — invented in 1980s Hong Kong as a premium ingredient, named after XO cognac to signal prestige.
107
Zuppa Toscana
A creamy Tuscan-style soup of Italian sausage, kale, potatoes, and cream — popularized in the U.S. by Olive Garden but rooted in older country cooking from Tuscany.
108
Zwetschgenkuchen
A German plum cake of dark Italian prune-plums arranged on a yeasted or shortcrust base, baked to a glossy purple, often served with whipped cream in late summer.
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