Food Index: must-know foods for food lovers
This is the must-have resource for any foodie or food lover.
Stay in-the-know with this constantly updated list of unique, interesting foods and food trends & crazes.
—click the links below to find where to get them—
A
- arepas: a traditional Venezuelan stuffed sandwich with cooked corn flour patties as bread and protein (i.e. beef, chicken, eggs, etc.) as the filling
- avolatte: a hollowed avocado filled with latte art (created as a joke by an Australian cafe, but became a viral food trend)
B
- baby bottle drinks: juices, milk tea and other drinks served in giant baby bottle containers
- bagnut: a hybrid bagel and doughnut
- beer ramen: a tall clear mug of ramen noodles in a cold broth made with bonito flakes with a top layer of egg white and gelatin foam
- beignets: French doughnuts that look like small pillows
- black food: (see “goth food”)
- blue wine: wine (usually a white like a chardonnay, zinfandel or prosecco) that is colored with blue pigments
- boba: a Taiwanese tea and milk-based drink with marble-sized tapioca balls (a.k.a. bubble tea)
- booza: Syrian ice cream, which is traditionally made with mastic and sahlab that make it stretchy and elastic
- brioche ice cream sandwich: a scoop of ice cream sandwiched between 2 hot pressed slices of brioche
- brookie: a hybrid brownie and cookie
- buddha bowl: healthy meals in a bowl
- bunny chow: a South African bread bowl filled with curry
- burnt ends: the tender, flavorful ends of a beef brisket
C
- carne asada fries: Mexican grilled meat and toppings on fries
- cinnamon roll pancakes: swirled pancakes made up of cinnamon roll ingredients
- charcoal ice cream: scooped or soft serve ice cream made with activated charcoal to give it a black color (a.k.a. goth ice cream)
- charcoal latte: a latte made of activated charcoal and has a striking black color
- cheese tea: hot or iced tea topped with foamy cream cheese (a.k.a. cheese foam tea)
- cheese wheel pasta: pasta made in a giant cheese wheel
- churro cone: ice cream in a cone-shaped churro
- cloud eggs: baked eggs with whisked foamy egg whites that became a viral food trend
- coffee in a cone: coffee in an ice cream cone
- cookie shot: a cookie in the shape of a shot glass filled with milk
- cotton candy burrito: ice cream scoops topped with cereal and sweets wrapped with cotton candy like a burrito
- cotton candy ice cream cone: an ice cream cone wrapped in a cloud of cotton candy (a.k.a. cotton candy-wrapped ice cream, cloudy ice cream, cloud cones, sugar clouds, candy floss ice cream [U.K.] and fairy floss ice cream [Australia])
- coxinha: a Brazilian street food made of croquettes stuffed with chicken
- crepe cone: filled cone-shaped crepes
- croissushi: sushi roll wrapped in baked croissant dough (a.k.a. salmon roll or Cali croissant) that briefly went viral
- cronut: croissant+donut hybrid by Dominique Ansel (the original food craze a.k.a. dossant, doissant, cronot, craynuts)
- croque madame: a croque monsieur with a fried egg on top
- croque monsieur: a French sandwich made of ham and cheese coated with with a béchamel sauce
- cruffin: a hybrid croissant and muffin
D
- dirty bread: a chocolate cream-filled croissant coated with chocolate ganache and covered with cocoa powder to make the eater’s face “dirty” when eaten; became a food trend in Asia in 2017-2018
- donug: a chicken nugget in the shape of a mini donut
- doughnut cone: a donut-shaped cone topped with ice cream
- dragon’s breath: a trademarked term by Chocolate Chair for a liquid nitrogen dessert that gives the effect of smoke escaping the mouth when eaten (a.k.a. liquid nitrogen puff balls)
- Dutch baby: a pan-sized German puffed pancake
E
- egg waffles: waffles in a bubble wrap shape (a.k.a. bubble waffles or puffles)
- elotes: Mexican corn topped with crema, cheese and other savory condiments
- elote pizza: a pizza topped with elotes (corn kernels cut from the cob)
F
- fire paan: a sweet snack in India filled with dried fruits and spices wrapped in a leaf and lit on fire
- flaming saganaki: a Greek appetizer of cheese flambéed fried in a small pan served with bread
- fondue: a Swiss melted cheese dish served to a group in a heated communal pot eaten by dipping bread and vegetables with long narrow forks
- freakshakes: over-the-top milkshakes topped with all kinds of cookies, candies and sweets
G
- galaxy food: any food that is covered in “galaxy colors” (i.e. black, blue, purple, turquoise) with edible food coloring, glitter or sparkles; related term: “mermaid food”
- gelatin art: edible art composed of three-dimensional artistic designs suspended inside sweetened gelatin
- gold food: any food that is covered in edible gold leaf or gold dust including chicken wings, pizza and ice cream
- goong sarong: a Thai appetizer made of cooked shrimp or prawns wrapped in crispy noodles
- goth food: any food that is black, or shades of grey often due to activated charcoal or black sesame; the opposite of “unicorn food”
H
- halloumi fries: a British appetizer made of deep fried halloumi cheese sticks
- halo-halo: a Filipino version of an ice cream sundae with shaved ice, ice cream, chopped fruits and sweet beans
- honey brick toast: (a.k.a. Shibuya toast) a dessert made of a toasted bread loaf cut into cubes
- hot chicken: Nashville fried chicken made of spicy marinated chicken breast, thighs, or wings
- hot pot: an East Asian dish with a simmering pot of broth filled with meat, vegetables, seafood and/or tofu (a.k.a. steamboat, sukiyaki, or shabu-shabu)
I
- ice cream burrito: scoops of ice cream wrapped in flattened cotton candy (a.k.a. cotton candy burrito)
- ice cream ramen: colored translucent Japanese jelly noodles made of algae served over crushed ice, evaporated milk and other sweet toppings
J
- Japanese cheesecake: a jiggly, wobbly cheesecake that originated in Japan (a.k.a. soufflé cheesecake, cotton cheesecake or bouncy cheesecake)
- Japanese pancake: a jiggly souffle pancake that originated in Japan (a.k.a. soufflé pancake or soufflé hotcakes)
- jianbing: a Chinese breakfast crepe filled with scrambled eggs, scallions, a cracker and chili/hoisin sauce
- jibarito: a Puerto Rican sandwich made of plantains instead of bread; very similar to a “patacón”
- juicy lucy: a stuffed burger with cheese melted inside the meat patty (a.k.a. jucy lucy)
K
- kakigori: a Japanese dessert made of shaved ice typically flavored with condensed milk or sweetener and other flavors; also see “shirokuma”
- khachapuri: Georgian cheese bread
L
- latte art: lattes and cappuccinos with artistic designs in the foam
- light bulb drinks: drinks (most commonly boba milk tea drinks) served in light bulb shaped glasses
M
- macarons: a meringue-based French dessert made of a sweet filling between two delicate cookies (a.k.a. French macarons)
- macaron ice cream sandwich: macarons with an ice cream filling
- malasadas: round fried Portuguese doughnuts
- mermaid food: any food that is colored in aquatic colors (i.e. shades of blue, green, white, etc.); related term: “galaxy food”
- mille crepe cake: a cake made of 20 stacked crepes
- mochi: sweet, chewy Japanese glutinous rice-based bites; commonly served with ice cream or frozen yogurt
- mochi ice cream: bite-sized pieces of ice cream wrapped in enclosed balls of mochi
- moon milk: an Ayruvedic night cap of warm milk herbs like turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom or chamomile
- mustard pizza: a pizza with mustard for the sauce topped with corned beef, sauerkraut and cheese
- musubi: a Hawaiian snack made of spam rolled up in rice and nori, similar to a sushi roll (a.k.a. spam musubi)
N
- naan pizza: a pizza made of naan instead of traditional dough
O
- okonomiyaki: savory grilled Japanese pancakes (styles include: Kansaiyaki, Hiroshimayaki, Monjayaki, and Modanyaki)
- oshizushi: a traditional style of sushi pressed in a box to form perfect brick-shaped sushi pieces
P
- pão de queijo: a round bite-sized Brazilian cheese bread with a soft, chewy texture
- pancit: a traditional savory Filipino noodle dish that comes in many variations (a.k.a. pansit)
- pani puri shots: stuffed pani puri (crispy puffed balls) on top of liquid-filled shot glasses (a.k.a. golgappa shots)
- patbingsu: a Korean dessert made of shaved ice and sweet toppings like fruits, condensed milk and red beans (a.k.a. bingsu or bingsoo)
- patacón: a Venezuelan sandwich using fried plantains instead of bread; very similar to a “jibarito”
- pizookie: a cookie baked in a small to medium-sized deep dish pizza pan; often topped with ice cream
- pizza cone: a pizza crust cone filled with pizza sauce, cheese and toppings
- pizzushi: sushi ingredients atop a “pizza crust” of crispy rice (a.k.a. pizza sushi)
Q
R
- raclette: a type of melted cheese on a savory dish
- raclette cheeseburger: a burger covered in a layer of melted cheese
- rain drop cake: a clear gelatin dessert shaped like a giant rain drop; called “mizu shingen mochi” in Japan
- rainbow bagels: rainbow-colored bagels
- rainbow food: any food covered in bold colors of the rainbow; related terms: “unicorn food,” “galaxy food,” “mermaid food,” and “goth food”
- rainbow grilled cheese: a grilled cheese sandwich with rainbow-colored cheese
- rainbow sushi: sushi with rainbow-colored rice
- ramen burger: a burger with ramen instead of bread buns
- ramen pizza: a pizza made with ramen instead of traditional dough
- raw cookie dough: edible, safe-to-eat raw cookie dough
- rolled ice cream: ice cream made on a frozen pan and scraped into rolls
- rolled ice cream in an egg waffle: rolled-up ice cream in a bubble wrap-shaped waffle
- roti canai: Indian-influenced flatbread found in Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and Singapore often served with curry (a.k.a. roti prata in India)
- ruby chocolate: naturally-made chocolate with a pinkish hue (commonly mistakenly called “pink chocolate”)
S
- shabu-shabu: a Japanese dish made of paper-thin slices of meat and vegetables cooked by dipping briefly in a hot pot of water or broth then dipped in various sauces and eaten with rice
- shakshuka: a Tunisian breakfast made of poached eggs, in a tomato-based sauce onions, peppers and spices served in a cast iron pan or a tajine
- shaved snow: a flavored block of milk shaven into thin, fluffy ribbons & covered with sweet toppings
- shawarma: a Middle Eastern food made of seasoned meat grilled slowly on a rotating vertical spit and prepared as a wrap, sandwich or plate
- shirokuma: a type of “kakigori” with mochi, flavored syrups, fruits, red bean paste and other toppings (similar to “halo-halo”)
- sisig: a sour, spicy Filpino dish traditionally made with pig parts, but sometimes made with milkfish (bangus), mussles (tahong), tofu, crocodile, etc.
- skillet cookies: a cookie baked in a small skillet and topped with ice cream (a.k.a. “pizookie” = pizza+ cookie)
- slutty brownies: a baked dessert made of 3 layers: chocolate chip cookie, Oreos and brownies
- spaghetti donut: spaghetti pasta, eggs and cheese fried in the shape of a donut
- stuffed pretzels: Bavarian style pretzels stuffed with various fillings (e.g. Italian beef, pepperoni and cheese, gyro meat, etc.)
- sukiyaki: slices of meat and vegetables cooked together in a simmering pot of soy sauce, mirin and sugar
- sushi burger: sushi shaped into a small burger using the rice as buns
- sushi burrito: sushi shaped into a burrito
- sushi donuts: sushi shaped into a donut
T
- tapsilog: a traditional Filipino breakfast made of cooked beef or other meat (tapa in Tagalog) + garlic fried rice (sinangag) + egg (itlog)
- taco pizza: a pizza covered in a ring of soft tacos and a center of guacamole (created by stoners in Hoboken, NJ)
- tacro: a taco-croissant hybrid made of seasoned protein (e.g. pulled pork, chile chicken with avocado, or barbecued jackfruit) in a croissant shell (created by Vive La Tarte in San Francisco)
U
- unicorn elotes: Mexican corn covered in colorful mayonnaise and sprinkles
- unicorn food: any food that is made into a multicolored version usually of pinks, purples and blues (a more pastel version of “rainbow food”); the opposite of “goth food”
V
- Vegas bowl: a trademarked dessert shaped in a hemisphere with liquid nitrogen pouring out
W
- What-a-melon: watermelon soft serve ice cream served in a carved-out slice of fresh watermelon (created by Dominique Ansel Bakery in Tokyo)
- willie waffles: a controversial waffle snack invented in Taiwan and popularized in Thailand; a waffle shaped like a penis filled with cream, cheese or sausage (a.k.a. D cake)
- whoopie pie: a dessert made a layer of frosting sandwiched by two cookie-shaped pieces of dense chocolate cake
- wonut: a hybrid waffle and donut
