Have you ever wondered about all the fruits, vegetables, and foods that start with T?
If so, this article explores some of our favorite “T” foods from around the world.
Some of these items are more familiar, while others may be foreign to you. Regardless, I’m here to tell you all about them!
From Tabasco sauce to tacos, you’re sure to find a tasty “T” food on this list.
20 Foods That Start With The Letter T
1. Tabasco Sauce
Tabasco is a commercial brand of hot sauce made with tabasco peppers. Tabasco sauce is used all over the world as a condiment to various dishes.
While there are several varieties of the sauce, the most popular remains to be the red kind that measures somewhere between 2,500-5,000 SHU on the Scoville scale.
2. Tabbouleh
Tabbouleh is a vegetarian chopped salad made with soaked bulgur (a type of wheat), tomatoes, parsley, onion, scallions, and mint.
It’s dressed in a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and sweet pepper.
The salad originated in Lebanon and is commonly served as an appetizer in Arab nations.
3. Tacos
Tacos are a popular Mexican sandwich with a folded soft tortilla used as the bread. However, Western cuisine has adapted a crunchier version using fried corn tortilla.
There are a wide variety of fillings that may be used to make tacos, but the most popular one in Mexico is called the taco pastor, which makes use of marinated pork, fresh onions, and spices.
4. Taffy
Taffy is a soft candy made with sugar syrup that’s stretched, rolled, and cut into rounds or tubes.
It comes in various pastel colors and is wrapped in wax paper to keep its softness.
5. Tagliatelle
Tagliatelle derives from the Italian word, tagliare, which means “to cut.” It’s a traditional Italian pasta made with egg and durum semolina wheat.
It has long flat ribbons that resemble the fettuccine. The only difference is that fettuccine originated in Rome, while the tagliatelle comes from the Marche regions.
6. Tahini
You’ve seen and tried this in many Middle Eastern restaurants. But have you ever wondered what it’s made from?
Tahini is a thick and creamy spread that may remind you of peanut butter, except it’s made with ground sesame seeds.
It may be used as a salad dressing, a chip or cracker dip, or a sandwich spread.
If you’re a fan of hummus, here’s a fun fact: aside from chickpeas, hummus is also another main component of the dip.
7. Tamales
This tasty Mexican dish is made of chopped meats and vegetables wrapped in dough or corn masa.
It’s wrapped in a corn husk and then steamed. This savory dish is reserved for special occasions.
Apart from its distinct flavor, what makes tamales even more special is how they are prepared.
In Mexican culture, making tamales is a fun event involving the whole family!
Every member plays a different role, from preparing the cornmeal dough to cooking the filling to wrapping the tamales.
8. Tamarind
The word tamarind derives from the Arabic word, tamarhindi, which means “Indian date.”
The sweet, tangy, and chewy fruit is encased in a pod, whose tree is indigenous to Asia, India, and northern Africa.
It’s commonly used to flavor curries, stews, juices, and chutneys, and a key ingredient in Worcestershire sauce.
In some countries, tamarind is sweetened and eaten as a snack.
9. Tangerine
A tangerine is a citrus fruit that’s a hybrid of the orange.
While they are both orange in color, the tangerine is much smaller and has a softer skin, making it easier to peel by hand.
The tangerine is also sweeter than it is tart.
10. Tapenade
Tapenade is a French spread made with pureed olives and capers. Anchovies, olive oil, and other herbs and seasonings may be added for more flavor.
It is most commonly spread on bread and crudites and served as an appetizer. It’s also sometimes used as a condiment and ingredient to fish dishes.
11. Tapioca
Tapioca is the starch that comes from cassava and is most commonly used to thicken dishes such as puddings.
But it’s also famous for being the primary ingredient in tapioca pearls or boba, a key ingredient in the popular refreshment, bubble tea.
Not sure what the difference is between bubble tea vs boba? There isn’t one! They’re different names for the same thing.
12. Taro
This tropical root vegetable is used in African, Oceanic, and South Asian cuisines.
It has a very attractive purple shade, a chewy consistency (when cooked), and a sweet and nutty flavor.
It can be roasted, baked, boiled, or used as an ingredient to vegetable stews. It also makes a great boba flavor!
13. Tarte Tatin
Tarte Tatin is a French upside-down apple tart.
It has a thick and rich caramel sauce made with butter and sugar, sweet and tender apples for the filling, and a crisp and flaky pastry crust.
The French have one rule when it comes to Tarte Tatin: it has to be eaten warm!
It’s typically topped with whipped cream, creme fraiche, or vanilla ice cream, so its warm temperature will help melt the cream.
Tarte Tatin originated in the 1800s from a hotel of the same name.
It was invented when hotel owner Stephanie Tatin was making apple tarts and accidentally overcooked the apples in the butter sauce.
She topped the apples with a crust to fix the problem and continued to bake them. To her surprise, the guests loved it!
14. Teriyaki
Teriyaki is a Japanese cooking method where meats, such as beef, pork, chicken, or seafood are marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, ginger, and sake or mirin; and then grilled.
15. Tiramisu
This Italian dessert means “pick me up,” in Italian. This makes sense because just one bite of this coffee-based cake will turn a frown around!
Also known as the Tuscan trifle, tiramisu is a no-bake cake made by dipping ladyfingers in coffee.
It is then layered with a mixture of mascarpone cheese and sugar and sprinkled with cocoa powder on top.
16. Tisane
Tisane is an herbal tea commonly drunk in Europe. It’s made by infusing various dried herbs – rose hips, ginseng, chamomile, and mint – and boiling it in water.
17. Tofu
Tofu is a 2,000-year-old protein-packed product made by curdling soy milk. Its textures vary depending on how it is prepared, but it is mostly soft and silky.
It’s a healthy food that’s low in cholesterol. Tofu is a common ingredient in Asian cuisines and is commonly added in soup.
It’s also commonly used as a meat extender or replacement, which is perfect for vegans.
In the Philippines, it’s used to make a popular breakfast dish called taho, which is a combination of soft tofu, sugar syrup, and boba.
18. Tres Leches Cake
Tres leches, or the three-milk cake, is a moist cake infused with three different milks.
A mixture of heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk is poured over a sponge cake that’s been poked with holes all over. It yields a dense and milky cake.
19. Trifle
Here’s another dessert I love so much! Trifle is an English dessert made with layers of fruit, custard, and sponge cake soaked in wine.
It’s finished off with whipped cream. The trifle is also commonly called tipsy cake, tipsy pudding, and tipsy hedgehog.
20. Truffle
The truffle can refer to two things.
One, the sweet and rich confection made by combining chocolate, butter, liqueur, turning it into bite-sized balls, and coating it with cocoa, powdered sugar, nuts, and other ingredients.
The reason they’re called truffles is they resemble the luxurious fungus that we’re about to discuss.
The word truffle also refers to the round or oblong-shaped fungus that grows underground, near the roots of specific trees.
It comes in white, brown, and black shades, and is famous for its pungent flavor and aroma.