Looking for foods that start with L? Well, hop on! I’ve rounded up some of the most Googled L foods right here.
This essential list features unique dishes, fruits, drinks, and veggies–some you may have heard of while others you may not have.
Also, the following food items are found in different cultures and cuisines throughout the globe. Let’s get started!
Lamb stew is a comforting dish that consists of lamb meat and vegetables, all seared in hot fat and simmered in a flavored liquid until moist and tender.
It’s typically flavored with ingredients like wine, garlic, rosemary, chili, and parsley. You can find different versions of this dish globally, including in China, India, Europe, and the Middle East.
2. Lasagna
Lasagna is a delicious dish that comprises layers of pasta, sauce, meat, and melted cheese. Some believed that it originated in Italy; factually, it’s not.
Lasagna dish started in Ancient Greece and is derived from the Greek word “laganon,” the first known form of pasta described as flat sheets of pasta dough cut into thin strips.
Unlike the lasagna we know, the original dish used to be layers of pasta and sauce with no traditional Italian ingredients.
Through the years, there have been many variations of this savory dish. Few of the popular are Lasagna di Carnevale, Lasagna al Forno, and Lasagna al Sangue of the Italian region of Piedmont.
3. Lemon
Lemon is an edible fruit that belongs to the Rutaceae family. It’s not usually eaten raw, but instead used as a garnish or flavoring in sauces, desserts, and sometimes soups.
The fruit features a strong and sour flavor with a round, slightly elongated shape and intense bright yellow color when it ripens. It’s native to South Asia, primarily Northeast India.
4. Lemon cake
Lemon cake is a mouthwatering dessert that’s popularly served in the spring and summer months.
It’s moist and packed with flavor from lemon, butter, sugar, and milk. The dessert is typically prepared by baking it in the oven and topping it with lemon cream cheese frosting and lemon wedges.
5. Lentils
Lentils are edible fruit that belong to the legume family. Though it’s considered as fruit, many classify them as a vegetable due to its culinary purposes.
They’re also smaller than beans and have a flat disk-like shape. When cooked, lentils have a nutty, mildly earthy, and peppery flavor.
Some say lentils are bland, but they’re versatile. You can incorporate its taste and texture to your stews, soups, salads, and even burgers!
6. Lentil soups
Lentil soups are a soup variety primarily made from lentils, an edible fruit that belongs to the legume family. The soups are usually flavored with spices and herbs, such as onion, curry powder, dried thyme, ground cumin, and many more. It’s a staple dish throughout Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East.
7. Lobster
Lobster is a kind of crustacean that’s a relative of shrimp, prawns, and crab. It has a long body with muscular tails and lives in crevices or burrows on the seafloor.
Additionally, lobster features a firm yet smooth and soft meat, with a flavor that tastes like a cross between a crab and shrimp.
You can steam, grill, or include them in seafood-inspired salads, pasta, and stews.
8. Lettuce
Lettuce is a leafy vegetable that comes from the daisy family, Asteraceae. It grows best in the spring and fall in most regions and comes in different variations–a few of which are romaine, butterhead, coral, and escarole.
The taste and texture of the vegetable depend on its variety–some have a mild, slightly nutty flavor while other types feature a somewhat bitter taste.
9. Leek
Leek is an edible vegetable that boasts a pretty strong flavor, like onions. It belongs to the amaryllis family and is a native to eastern Mediterranean lands and the Middle East.
This vegetable is often thinly sliced and used as a garnish for soups, salads, roasted veggies, and meat dishes. Also, it’s great when mixed with dips and salad dressings.
10. Lima beans
Also known as the butter bean, lima bean belongs to the legume category alongside beans, peas, chickpeas, lentils, and peanuts. It comes in several varieties, but the more popular kinds are the ones with pale green and cream-colored.
Fresh lima beans also have a prominent earthy flavor and creamy texture, which are best to include in soups, bacon, and eggs, or you can turn the beans into a hearty dish by roasting them along with sesame oil, ground pumpkin seeds, lime juice, and cayenne pepper.
11. Ladyfinger
Also known as Boudoir biscuits, savoiardi, and sponge fingers, ladyfingers are a tasty biscuit made from a sponge cake batter with egg yolks and sugar. These ingredients are beaten together until thick and ended with powdered sugar on top, then bake until crisp.
These long, oval-shaped sponge cookies are best when soaked in syrup and used in desserts like tiramisu and English trifles.
12. Linguine
Linguine is one of the most famous pasta varieties, known for its long, flat, narrow strand, just like fettuccine and trenette. Made from durum wheat semolina, the linguine’s strip is around 10 inches long and 3 millimeters wide.
Linguine is also popular for non-meat sauces or like those dishes with fish or crustaceans.
13. Licorice ice cream
Licorice ice cream is a luscious dessert that many, especially kids, love. It’s made from licorice, a perennial herb of the pea family.
Apart from the herb, this sweet treat also features sweeteners such as milk, sugar, cream, and vanilla extract to flavor the dessert.
14. Loaf bread
Just who doesn’t know what loaf bread is?
Loaf bread or bread is a staple food that first appeared thousands of years ago. It’s made from flour, water, and other ingredients that vary from recipe to recipe.
Today, you can find tons of bread variations with unique flavors and textures. A few of my favorites are whole wheat bread, sourdough, and brioche.
15. Lemongrass
Also dubbed as barbed wire grass, Cymbopogon, and silky heads, lemongrass is used in both fresh and dried form to add lemony zing to drinks and dishes. The herb has a pale yellow-green stalk with an aromatic citrus scent resembling green onions.
It usually grows during summer in moist, rich soil, and the herb is native to the lands of Sri Lanka and South India.
16. Ladyfish
Ladyfish is a slender fish that’s around three feet long and weighs two kilograms. You can find it in in-shore waters along the U.S. Atlantic coast south of Cape Cod and throughout the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, as well as the east coast of South America to Brazil.
Ladyfish have too many bones, making them not ideal for human consumption. However, the fish is edible. Other cooks turn it into a fish meal like ladyfish curry, Kane fried, and ladyfish latkes.
17. Latte
Latte is a type of coffee that’s concocted with espresso and steamed milk. These two ingredients are mixed and topped with a nice layer of foam to give it a delectable look.
The beverage has originated in Italy, and now it’s enjoyed by many worldwide. A latte is available in different flavors. The most typical latte consists of about 1/3 cup of espresso and 2/3 cups of milk with lots of foam on top.
18. Laddu
Laddu or laddoo is a traditional Indian, and sphere-shaped sweet often shared with family and friends during festivals and special occasions. There are several varieties of laddu, but it’s generally made from flour, oil, and sugar.
19. Lychee
Another food that starts with the letter L is lychee. It’s a type of small rounded fruit with sweet white scented flesh and thin, rough skin. Lychee is also an edible fruit and can be eaten fresh.
Commonly found in Southeast Asia, this fruit goes well with pancakes, waffles, and crepes. You can turn it into a beautiful jam by blending lychee pulp along with lemon juice, pineapple juice, apple sauce, cinnamon, and sugar.
20. Latkes
Latkes are a comfort food often served during Hanukkah, a popular Jewish festival that commemorates the purification and rededication of the Temple following the Greek occupation of that holy place.
They’re sometimes mistaken as potato pancakes due to their appearance. But latkes have a crunchy texture with an incredible potato taste. You can give them variations in flavor by mixing other seasonings to the mix.
21. Lo mein
Lo mein is a Chinese dish made from boiled and drained noodles, spices, veggies, meat, and oyster sauce. The noodles are then lightly cooked and tossed ingredients until they’re thoroughly heated.
A good lo mein should have a slightly sweet and savory flavor, and the noodles aren’t greasy.
22. Longan
Longan is one of the foods beginning with L that you may not have heard of. It’s an edible fruit that’s one of the tropical members of the soapberry family Sapindaceae, to which lychee and rambutan belong.
The flesh of the longan fruit features a more tart and distinctive flavor compared to its brothers. It also has a light brown smooth outer with white flesh and black seed in the middle.
23. Ling
Ling or white ling is a type of fish that belongs to the Lotidae family. The fish is often compared to cod and lobster due to its firm and flaky fresh texture. It has a slim and long body with small scales and is perfect for frying and baking.
The bottom line
There are many foods that start with the letter L in this compilation that I’m most fond of. These include lobster, lime pie, lamb stew, and the warm and creamy lasagna. YUM!
How about you? How many foods that start with the letter L that you’ve liked so far?
If you know other foods that begin with L, feel free to tell us in the comments section!
23 foods that start with L
Expand your culinary and vocabulary knowledge by unlocking these 23 foods that start with the letter L.
Ingredients
- Lamb stew
- Lasagna
- Lemon
- Lemon cake
- Lentils
- Lentil soups
- Lobster
- Lettuce
- Leek
- Lima beans
- Ladyfinger
- Linguine
- Licorice ice cream
- Loaf bread
- Lemongrass
- Ladyfish
- Latte
- Laddu
- Lychee
- Latkes
- Lo mein
- Longan
- Ling
Instructions
- Pick at least three foods that you've tried
- Tell us what foods that start with the letter L in the list you've liked