This unique list is heavily influenced by ethnic cuisines from all over the world. If you like experimenting with foreign fare, you’ll love learning bout these quirky, quantifiably high-quality foods.
1. Quesadilla
Quesadillas are one of my favorite Q foods. They originated in Mexico and traveled through other Spanish-speaking countries and into the United States. They usually consist of a flour (sometimes corn) tortilla stuffed with cheese, spices, sauteed veggies, and some kind of meat. There are also cheese quesadillas, mushroom quesadillas, and spinach quesadillas for vegetarians.
2. Quinoa
Often called one of the world’s healthiest foods, people sometimes lump quinoa in with grains, but it’s actually a seed. People have lauded it as being a “superfood,” and it’s naturally gluten-free. Most people eat it much like they’d eat rice or couscous.
3. Quark
Quark is usually classified as a type of soft cheese. It’s made by warming soured milk until it curdles and then straining it. It has a mild taste, so people often use it in both savory and sweet dishes. Quark is similar in texture to a thick, smooth yogurt, and it has a taste that’s somewhere between cottage cheese and fromage blanc. Unless you’ve had it yourself, it’s kind of hard to describe. Despite what you might think after reading words like “soured milk” and “curdled,” it’s quite good.
4. Quail
Quail are small birds that people usually eat similarly to the way they eat a Cornish game hen. You can also fry them like you would fried chicken, or you could grill them or cook them rotisserie-style. They have a rich, wonderful taste that’s more flavorful than chicken, and they don’t taste gamey at all.
5. Quahog
Quahogs are large clams usually found in the Atlantic. People eat them in different ways. Some shuck them and eat them raw. Others fry them or steam them. They also taste great when mixed with flour, spices, and eggs and made into fritters.
6. Quiche
Quiche is another of my favorite Q foods. Simply put, it’s a type of savory French tart. Quiche has a base of pastry dough and a filling made from delicious ingredients like cheese, spinach, herbs, onions, carrots, and sometimes meat. It’s a popular food because it’s cheesy and has so much flavor thanks to all the herbs and seasonings. Quiche Lorraine, which is made with bacon, is one of the most famous quiche varieties.
7. Queso Dip
Queso is the Spanish word for cheese, and thanks to Americans’ love of Mexican food, most people already know what queso dip is. Traditionally, people make queso from white cheeses, such as American white cheese, Queso añejo, or goat cheese. It can be made in several different ways, however. It’s all up to the chef’s discretion.
8. Quandong
Quandongs fruits are native to Australia. There are three varieties of quandong fruits: bitter quandong, blue quandong, and desert quandong, which is more commonly called “sweet” quandong. Sweet quandong is the type most people talk about when they mention quandongs. Despite its name, it’s taste is a little sour and somewhat salty. There are sweet notes mixed in, which is why it’s referred to as “sweet” instead of its more “bitter” cousin.
9. Quavers
A famous British snack food, Quavers are the perfect combination of cheesy and crispy. They’re a type of potato chip, or crisp if you prefer, but there isn’t an American chip that’s comparable to them. People love them because of their excellent taste and satisfying crunchiness. They’re also surprisingly low-calorie.
10. Quaker Oats
Of all the different oats brands on the market, Quaker is probably the most well-known. Quaker began selling raw oats, but now it sells its oats in many different ways. Along with traditional Quaker oats, there are also Quaker oatmeal, Quaker instant oats, Quaker oatmeal/granola bars, and more. If you’re an oatmeal lover, chances are, you’ve heard of Quaker.
11. Quince
Quinces are bright yellow fruits that look a bit like wrinkly pears. Although they smell wonderful, if eaten raw, they’re bitter and unpleasant. As long as you cook them first, they taste great, reminding you of pears, apples, and citrus fruits all rolled into one small package. Most people simmer them in water and sugar. Others add spices in with the sugar for a sweeter, more flavorful taste. They’re very good for you and are associated with all kinds of health benefits. They’re perfect for people with stomach ulcers and digestive issues.
12. Quenelle
A quenelle can be just about anything you want it to be. It can be ice cream or yogurt, or it can be caviar or pulled pork. It’s a very versatile thing. Basically, a quenelle is any egg-shaped, rounded topping added to food to make it look nicer and taste different.
13. Quarter Pounder
The Quarter Pounder is probably McDonald’s most famous hamburger. It features a quarter-pound of fresh, seasoned beef inside a sesame seed bun. Its toppings include pickles, slivered onions, and ketchup. People frequently order it with cheese. Since they first introduced it in 1971, McDonald’s has made different versions, including the Double Quarter Pounder and the Quarter Pounder Deluxe.
14. Queen of Puddings
The queen of puddings is a traditional British dessert that’s made from meringue, your choice of fruit jam, whole milk, breadcrumbs, eggs, caster sugar, butter, and zest. People argue over why it’s called queen of puddings, but I think it has to do with the “crown” of meringue on top of it. It tastes fantastic, but it’s almost too pretty to eat. It’s sweet and rich, and it tastes best when served warm.
15. Queens Cake/Queen Elizabeth Cake
Queen Elizabeth cake is one cake that’s truly fit for a queen. It has brown sugar, coconut, vanilla, dates, walnuts, and more. It’s rich, moist, buttery, and delicious. There are a few conflicting stories about how this cake got its name, but most people agree that it was probably named after Queen Elizabeth II. The cake was supposedly served at her coronation because times were hard, and they needed a pretty, tasty cake that required few ingredients. It’s a simple cake to make and lower in fat than many other cakes.
16. Quick Bread
Quick breads are any type of bread made with a chemical leavening agent. Most breads use yeast or sourdough starters, but quick breads use something that’s much faster. As a result, the bread rises and is done quicker. Hence, quick bread.
17. Quail Eggs
Quail eggs are beautiful; they’re like Easter eggs that come pre-decorated with multi-hued speckles and spots. They’re shaped like chicken eggs, but they’re much smaller. You can cook quail eggs any way you can cook chicken eggs – fry them, boil them, scramble them, or poach them. Either way, they’ll taste just as good. Because of their minuscule size, you’ll want to use more of them, though.
18. Quadrettini
Quadrettini pasta noodles are small, flat, and square-shaped. People usually use them in soups and stews. They’re technically referred to as “pastina,” which means “small pasta,” rather than true pasta. Like most other pasta, quadrettini has little taste on its own and soaks up the flavors of whatever you cook with it.
19. Qatayef
If you’ve never had qatayef, I highly recommend trying it. It’s popular in Arab communities, and it’s served quite often during the time of Ramadan. Families prepare them differently, with some people making them more like folded-over pancakes. Others make them more like dumplings that are crispy on the edges. The pastries have some kind of tasty filling, usually nuts or cream.
20. Queso Añejo
Queso añejo is an aged Mexican white cheese. The more authentic version of the cheese is made from skimmed goat’s milk, but it’s more popularly made with skimmed cow’s milk today. It’s firm and can be eaten alone. However, it’s more often used for baking, grilling, or sprinkling over the top of Mexican dishes like burritos, enchiladas, or quesadillas.
21. Queso Cotija
This is another cheese frequently used in Mexican dishes. It’s named after the town of Cotija, which is the town that first made it. It’s frequently melted and used as a dipping sauce. It’s also popular as a melted cheese topping.
22. Quindim
If you’ve ever had flan at your favorite Mexican restaurant, then you almost know what quindim is already. It’s popular in its home country of Brazil and is a type of coconut flan. It’s a baked dessert with a pudding/Jello-like consistency that tastes strongly of coconut. It’s almost always bright yellow, and people sometimes dust it in coconut flakes or powdered sugar.
23. Quorn
Although it isn’t very popular in the US yet, Quorn is a famous brand in Europe, especially in the UK, where it originated. It’s a fungus-based meat substitute. It doesn’t sound super appealing, until you remember that we eat fungus all the time in mushrooms, not to mention the yeast in our bread and beer. It’s supposed to be quite tasty, and it’s more sustainable than meat. Click on a star to rate it!
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