Have you tried to take part in a food challenge where you need to list all of the foods you can think of that start with S?
Do you get stuck after spaghetti? Here’s one: SOURSOP! Can you guess what it is?
There are many foods that begin with the letter S and you’re going to see some of them in this article.
You might use this list as a chance to explore other food options that you hadn’t considered before.
From staple food items, Asian and Italian recipes, vegetables, and fruits, here are some foods that start with the letter S from around the world.
Salami is a cured sausage made from pork and other meats.
Other versions of salami use beef and venison meats which are blended with fat and seasoned with herbs and condiments such as salt, garlic, vinegar, and sometimes even wine.
Some of the quite well-known salami varieties are cacciatore, capocollo/capicola, genoa salami, and lardo.
One of the most famous American sausages is…drum roll, please…PEPPERONI.
2. Sausage
Sausage is a food that’s typically made from seasoned ground meat, which is then stuffed into a casing.
There are various types of sausages you can find around the world. In France, Andouille is immensely popular and considered a staple food among French people.
Meanwhile, other well-known sausages are bratwurst (Germany), chorizo (Spain), salsiccia (Italy), longaniza (Argentina), sai ua (Thailand), and longganisa (Philippines).
3. Spaghetti
I believe that everyone knows spaghetti.
But in case you’re new to this Italian staple, spaghetti is pasta that’s made in the form of long strings. The pasta is boiled or steamed until soft and served with meatballs, tomato sauces, and herbs.
Want to know the best way to reheat spaghetti?
4. Sardines
Also dubbed as herring or sprat, sardines are small fish that’s found in shallow coastal temperate and subtropical oceans worldwide.
They are usually served in cans (remember the kinds that roll back with a key?), but fresh sardines are often grilled, pickled, or smoked.
Here are some of my favorite sardine recipes–Pasta de Sardine, island-style sardines with rice, sardine curry, and sardines with sun-dried tomato and capers.
5. Squid
Squid is a type of seafood that’s a member of Cephalopoda—a group of marine mollusks that include squid, octopus, nautilus, and snails.
Squid generally live in the open ocean and feed on shrimp and small fishes.
Squids are typically braised, grilled, fried, seared, boiled, and even eaten raw as sashimi, a Japanese traditional bite-sized dish.
6. Sushi
If you’ve ever been to a Japanese restaurant, you probably tried this dish.
The recipe is made of small pieces of raw fish wrapped in rice and/or seaweed. It has a few varieties such as nigiri, maki, uramaki, and temaki, each of which has a different unique form and flavor.
Looking for sides to serve with your homemade sushi? Try these.
7. Samosa
Samosa is a triangular-shaped flaky pastry filled with spiced meat or sometimes vegetables then fried in oil.
It’s one of the most common snacks eaten across India–you can purchase one on the street, restaurants, and cafes.
Samosa is usually served during the month of Ramadan and as an Iftar snack.
8. Sachima
Sachima is a traditional Chinese egg pastry that’s made from fried egg noodles or flour batter, then deep-fried and coated in sugar syrup.
Today you can find tons of regional varieties of the dessert, but classic sachima is generally sprinkled with sesame seeds, desiccated coconut, watermelon seeds, or raisins.
9. Sukiyaki
Also dubbed as traveler tomatoes, reisetomate is a type of tomato that’s a nightshade family Sukiyaki is a traditional Japanese dish consisting of beef, vegetables, tofu, and noodles, all simmered in a sweet sauce.
The dish is perfect to serve during family dinner or special occasions with guests.
Other popular ingredients you can add in sukiyaki are kikuna leaves, enoki mushrooms, naganegi onions, and konnyaku, a type of noodle made from grated konnyaku potatoes
10. Sashimi
Sashimi is thinly sliced raw seafood, like tuna or salmon, served without rice.
Though seafood is commonly eaten as sashimi, other versions of the dish use other meats such as beef, horse, and deer.
It’s typically served with soy sauce and wasabi.
11. Steak
Steak is a slice of beef, and a single animal (like a cow) might have many different cuts of steak.
It’s often grilled, but other cooks also cook the meat by frying and broiling.
The most common types of beef steak are T-bone, ribeye steak, flank, skirt, chuck eye, sirloin, and round steak. Pork has cuts of steak, too.
12. Santol
Rigatoni is a tube-shaped pasta that’s larger than penne and ziti.
The pasta is short and has ridges on the outside but smooth on the inside.
Santol is a type of fruit that’s native to tropical regions of Malaysia, Cambodia, southern Laos, and the Philippines.
Depending on its maturity and variety, the fruit ranges in flavor from sour to sweet. It has a round to ovate shape, averaging four to seven centimeters in diameter.
Santol is often eaten raw, except for the seeds.
The fruit can also be cooked into jellies, jams, and can be added to curries, sauces, and soups.
13. Salmon
Salmon is a large silver-colored fish that’s known for its luxurious texture and mild flavor with pink or red flesh.
Salmon in cuisine can be served raw, dried, candied, hot smoked fresh, and cold smoked (that goes in traditional lox and bagels.
According to the NAS database, salmon can be found in the North Atlantic Ocean basin, from the Arctic Circle to Portugal in the eastern Atlantic, Iceland, and southern Greenland, the Ungava region of northern Quebec south to the Housatonic and Connecticut rivers.
Fun fact: Salmon is considered anadromous, which means they live in both fresh and saltwater.
Here are the sides that you should serve with salmon (in case you’re having one for dinner).
14. Song Gao
Also known as Shanghai steamed rice cake, Song Gao is a popular Chinese dessert often served during Lunar New Year celebrations.
The rice cakes are sticky and chewy with a soft and melty texture.
To create the dessert, you just need to gather rice flour, glutinous rice flour, water, sugar, and dried fruits or nuts as toppings.
15. Spinach
Also dubbed as red drum, channel bass, and puppy drum, redfish is a variety of fish that’s often Spinach is a leafy green vegetable that’s a member of the amaranth (Amaranthaceae) family, wherein beets and quinoa also belong.
The vegetable is considered a star ingredient in many dishes, from pasta to smoothies to salads.
Regiment, bloomsdale, tyee, Catalina, Teton, space, and red cardinal are just a few of the basic types of spinach available in the market.
Learn how to sauté spinach here.
16. Simit
Simit is a breakfast staple that’s made from flour, water, yeast, oil salt, and grape molasses then topped with sesame seeds for extra texture.
The bread always has a ring shape and is usually sold in carts in Turkey.
The treat is served plain or sometimes alongside tea, fruit preserves, cheese or eggs, tomatoes, and cucumbers.
17. Shrimp
Shrimp is a type of seafood that’s part of the Crustacean family, where crabs, lobsters, crayfish, and prawns also belong.
According to healthline.com, shrimps can be found in both warm and cold water, from the tropics to the poles, and in either fresh or saltwater.
The seafood is known for its mildly sweet meat with a delicate and texture similar to prawns. It can be grilled, steamed, air-fried, or fried like this recipe.
18. Soup
Soup is a liquid dish made from boiling meat, fish, vegetables in stock, water, or broth.
It’s often served warm or hot and seasoned with herbs and spices such as allspice, basil, bay leaf, cinnamon, curry powder, dill, garlic, and more.
Lots of varieties, flavors and cuisines and soups are in some of the earliest cookbooks ever recorded.
19. Snap peas
Also dubbed as sugar snap peas, snap peas are basically a cross between garden peas and snow peas.
They can be eaten raw or cooked. Snap peas are popular for their crunchy texture and sweet flavor.
20. Sesame seeds
Sesame seeds are tiny edible seeds of a plant of the Sesamum genus. They have a mild, sweet, and nutty flavor with a nice crunch.
They are sometimes used as a topping to add flavor and texture to a variety of Asian and Middle Eastern dishes.
21. Siomai
Siomai is a traditional Chinese dumpling that’s typically filled with pork (sometimes shrimp), eggs, and vegetables.
In the Philippines, it’s served fried alongside soy sauce, lemon, chili garlic paste, and rice.
The bottom line
Spaghetti, salsa, and sushi. These are only a few of the many foods that start with S. Some of these items are more familiar, while others might be foreign and exotic to you.
But can you name at least 21 food items?
If you’re up for the challenge, then leave us a comment, and let’s see how far you can go!
21 foods that start with S
From staple food items, Asian and Italian recipes, vegetables, and fruits, here are some foods that start with the letter S from around the world!
Ingredients
- Salami
- Sausage
- Spaghetti
- Sardines
- Squid
- Sushi
- Samosa
- Sachima
- Sukiyaki
- Sashimi
- Steak
- Santol
- Salmon
- Song Gao
- Spinach
- Simit
- Shrimp
- Soup
- Snap peas
- Sesame seeds
- Siomai
Instructions
- Look for foods that you haven't heard of
- Include them in your next grocery list