Raise your hand if you love desserts!

Yes, a truly great meal is punctuated with desserts. Bonus, if your dessert is an exclamation point to a course of appetizing dishes. Aside from satisfying your taste buds, desserts also share historical and cultural tidbits about the country where it is from.

Listed below some countries where you can taste must-try desserts. Let’s take a whirlwind tour of unique and sumptuous treats from across the globe.

How many have you tasted? How many are in your foodie bucket list? Check them out.

Argentina for pastelitos

These flaky puff pastries from Argentina, also referenced to as pastelitos del 25 de Mayo, are usually eaten on their Independence day. Puff pastries the size of wonton wrappers are filled with quince or sweet potato, deep fried, drizzled with sugar syrup, and decorated with colorful sprinkles for a final touch. Aside from a dessert snack, pastelitos can be eaten for breakfast, and best partnered with cafe con leech.

Brazil for brigadeiros

Celebrations in Brazil are not complete without brigadeiros, a bonbon-like treat. This well-loved dessert is relatively easy to make. You just melt the butter in a pan, add in the condensed milk and cocoa powder, and stir until you get the right consistency. The mixture will then be rolled into small balls, and coated with chocolate sprinkles!

China for dragon beard candy

Legend has it that the first dragon beard candy was spun by an imperial court chef when he wasshowing the emperor the making of a new confection during the Han dynasty. The candy-making process involved stretching a mixture from rice flour into thin strands, which reminded the emperor of a beard. The candy is made from sugar and maltose syrup, formed into a cocoon and stuffed with peanuts, sesame seeds and coconut. It is not only a popular traditional Chinese dessert, it is also considered a handmade traditional art.

 

Indonesia for dadar gulung

Rolled pancakes, anyone?

Dadar gulung, a popular dessert from Java, Indonesia, literally means pancake (dadar) that is rolled (gulung). The juice extracted from the pandan leaves add the green color and unique aroma to the pancake batter. Once the pancake is made, it is filled with sweet coconut mixture, and rolled, ready to be served

Italia for gelato

Craving for a cold treat? The streets of Italy offer gelato, a softer and smoother version of the traditional American ice cream. You will surely delight yourself with the Italian gelato’s slow-to-melt, rich milkiness and intense flavors ranging from fruits and nuts to alcoholic mixtures.

Japan for Mochi

The Japanese mochi is a sticky rice cake made from mochigome, a short-grained glutinous rice.Mochigome is pounded into paste in a ceremony called mochitsuki, and molded into round balls. While available year-round, mochis are often sold and eaten during the Japanese New Year. A variation of this Japanese dessert is the mochi ice cream, which has the sticky rice cake coating a scoop of ice cream inside.

Peru for Picarones

In the course of making a substitute for buñuelos, the Peruvians came up with picarones! This dessert is made from squash and sweet potatoes, and deep fried in doughnut form. It is served covered in syrup made from chancaca or solidified molasses. These Peruvian donuts were first made during the Spanish viceroyalty in Lima, but are now popularly sold during religious celebrations in October. 

Philippines for the bibingka

An icon during Christmas season in the Philippines, the bibingka is a rice cake often sold in stalls outside churches for the duration of the ‘Misa de Gallo’ or nine-day novena mass. The traditional bibingkang galapong is made from a batter of rice flour and coconut milk or water, and cooked in clay pots, lined with banana leaves. Once cooked, it is topped with a spread of butter, a slice of salted duck egg, sugar, and grated coconut.

 

About the Author

Stacey Marone is a part-time pastry chef, and editor for Scholar Advisor. She hasn’t outgrown her sweet tooth, and decided to make a career out of it. Stacey particularly orders for a country’s traditional dessert whenever she gets the chance to travel.