Lettuce, lemons, lemmings, and leeks. Those might be the first foods that come to mind when you think of food that starts with L.

Different countries offer different foods of many flavors from sweet to sour.  There are too many foods to list in fact, but these are definitely worth a try.

Without further ado, let’s jump into the foods that begin with L.

51 Foods That Begin With the Letter L

Lady Apple

What’s red, green, and sweet on the inside? Ladies first, lady apples, the small juicy fleshy that can be cooked or made into fritters to bring out the best taste.

Ladyfinger

Carrying different names like savoiardi and boudoirs, they are finger-shaped sponge cakes drowned in sugar or syrup. Perfect for dessert, they have a soft crust with sugar making this cookie too sweet to pass.

Ladyfish

Ladyfish are from tropical or subtropical coastal waters but have many bones and a soft oily texture. If they’re not used as bait, it’s ground down for consumption to create a mushy but rich meal.

Lahmacun

Putting a Turkish spin on pizza, Lahmacun is dough that has beef, vegetables, and herbs. Although lahmacun sometimes just comes in a rolled-up piece of crispy dough to wrap a perfect meal.

Lalanga

Want more Turkish dishes? Lalanga will fulfill your breakfast with ingredients like sour cream, ham, eggplant, bacon, onion, and herbs coming on fried flatbread. These pancake-like snacks can be a quick snack or a new breakfast to try.

Lamb

Lamb is the meat of young sheep cut, cooked, and consumed all around the world. Chops can also be cut from either the forequarter, loin, or hindquarters of the lamb-making lamb chops.

Lambkin Melon

Lambkin melons are melons that grow to 4 pounds with juicy flesh, and a thin, smooth rind. Full of vitamin C, iron, and calcium it is easy to grow and is often considered gourmet.

Lantana Berries

You can eat it when it’s blue or make it into a jam, either way, lantana berries have a taste like cherry and chocolate combined. Whichever way you enjoy them, just don’t eat them green because they could still be toxic when ripe.

Lasagne

As one of the first pasta dishes lasagna is a flat type of pasta with layers of meat, sauce, vegetables, and cheese. After the cooking is done, lasagna comes with spices and seasonings like garlic, more cheese, or even wine.

Lard

Lard is half-solid half-fat from the fat tissues of pigs. It may sound unhealthy but once spread or put inside what you’re going to eat as it acts as a flavor enhancer.

Latke

Latke or potato pancakes are fried dishes with flavorings like garlic, cheese, and different types of cream. Different cultures add different ingredients to it, but it is an interesting take on potatoes worth trying.

Lavash

Lavash is a thin flatbread that is commonly used to wrap food. One can put cheese, sauces, meat, vegetables, and other foods in lavash to make as a wrap and help lose weight.

Lavender

Lavender, the light purple plant that gives off a relaxing fragrance is used for spice or a garnish in teas, sugar, and oils. It may also come as a surprise to hear that lavender helps with depression and anxiety making it sweet for a reason.

Lawyer’s Wig Mushroom

Not an actual wig, lawyer’s wig mushrooms are young mushrooms with white caps and a mild taste. They are edible when they’re young and can be put in soups or rice dishes.

Leaf Beet

If you’re looking for a leaf-like vegetable that can be useful when raw in salads or omelets, the leaf beets are for you. Leaf beet or chards are beets eaten for the leaves that are either sautéed or boiled for its meals.

Leaf Mustard

Leaf mustard deprives of the mustard plant in which the leaf, seed, and stems can be eaten. It is full of vitamin C, K, and A and can also be used as a potherb.

Leek

There’s a leek, but not the bad kind. Leeks are plants with large slender white edible bulbs and a bundle of leaves used in cooking. Tasting like onions and full of nutrients, leeks carry significance in places like Wales and Romania.

Legume

A legume is a fruit or seed found in a pea plant or beans. Legumes provide a rich source of protein, carbs, and the reduction of heart disease and metabolic syndrome.

Lekvar

Looking for something sweet and filling? Well, lekvar is a thick jam filling made of dried fruits for cakes and pudding. This prune butter gives a zesty flavor to whatever it fills up.

Lemon

What’s sour but sweet and makes a great drink? Lemons of course. This yellow fruit is not only full of vitamin C but has weight loss elements as well.

Lemon Pepper

From lemon zest and peppers, lemon peppercorn is the perfect mix of sour and spice. These mint leaves can make anything pop like lemon pepper wings or spaghetti if you’re feeling adventurous.

Lentil

From the legume family, lentils are seeds full of protein and they have a soft surface and a beany flavor. They can cook way quicker than most seeds which makes them useful for your vegan needs.

Lettuce

As a good source of vitamins A and K

lettuce is any of numerous plants of genus Lactuca. Put it in a salad, a sandwich, or burrito, either way, it tastes the best when complemented by another food.

Liederkranz

Americanized Limburger cheese, Liederkranz from the cow when an equally intense taste and smell. Although it tastes like epoisess, you got to eat it quickly or it’ll go bad and taste even worse.

Li Jujube

As the name insinuates Li jujubes are Chinese fruits resembling brown apples but are still sweet and crisp. Li jujubes can be eaten as is, juiced, put into desserts, and wines.

Likok

A type of small and round eggplant the likoks have yellow-green skin and a bitter taste. This vegetable is also useful for reducing symptoms of asthma and aiding digestion proving how beneficial it is.

Lima Beans

Lima beans are legumes that come in different colors and are either eaten fresh, removed from the pod, or raw. With a smooth butter taste, it’s a rich source of protein and vitamin B for your diet.

Limburger

Not necessarily a burger, but can go on one, Limburger cheese is a soft cheese from Limburg Belgium. It has a strong taste and smell and after a couple of months, it becomes spreadable to your heart’s content.

Lime

The green equivalent of lemons, lime is another acidic fruit with more sugar. Put it in a cocktail or put it in a perfume, lime has a sweet smell, taste, and feel to it.

Limpa

As one of the thousands of types of bread, limpa bread is a kind of rye bread made with wheat, brown sugar, and molasses. Some recipes call for stout beer while others add raisins or prunes for a little something special.

Limpet

Dive down into the water to taste limpet, the aquatic snails that have a low shell. You can eat them raw but you add butter or cook them to make the flavor pop.

Lingcod

Lingcod are predatory fish with long bodies and teal meat that turns white after cooking. Lingcod fish can taste fleshy and provide consumers with the promotion of bone, skin, and blood health.

Lingonberry

Lingonberries are small red berries found in evergreen shrubs that can be eaten as is or cooked, fried,  boiled, or made into sauce. Some cultures even use lingonberries in tobacco as an additive.

Linguica

Have you ever wondered if Portugal and Brazil had amazing sausage made with onions, paprika, and garlic? Well, they do. It’s called Linguica and other places around the world add things like pepper and chili to it.

Linguine

Translating to little tongues in Italian, fettuccine is pasta wider than spaghetti with long thin flat strips. Linguine is often enjoyed with alfredo sauce, pesto, or shrimp for an unforgettable meal.

Lipstick Pepper

Pucker up because lipstick peppers are short sweet peppers with waxy lipstick red skin. They’re not hot, but they protect your immune system with the antioxidants inside.

Liquorice

Liquorice is a red or black or red candy with a twisty shape which surprisingly barely uses the licorice plant unless the root is eaten. Twizzlers might not be licorice, but liquorice can be found in tobacco and even some medicines showing how beneficial it is.

Littleneck

Holding several names, littlenecks are quahogs that are small and come with cocktail sauce or lemon. After you steam and garnish it, littlenecks might be your new favorite seafood.

Liver

Exactly what you think it is, liver is the liver of an animal and cooked for food. Chopped liver might not be as bad as it seems as liver improves bone health, lowers anemia risk, and is full of cholesterol.

Liverwurst

A popular German sausage, liverwurst is meat containing ground liver giving off an infectious aroma. This goes especially for barbecuing liverwurst which makes finding it 100% worth the hunt.

Llama

Llama is seldom a cuisine for many but it’s lean and tender red meat healthier than beef. The bad news is eating llama is illegal in many countries but if you can travel, then you might be in for a treat.

Lobscouse

If you want to eat like a sailor, lobscouse or just scouse is the meat and vegetable stew for you. Originating from Liverpool England, the inhabitants of the city are even called scousers because of the meal.

Lobster

Lobsters are gourmet shellfish that boil and/or steam for preparation and can be put in soups, biscuits, or rolls. Although it’s expensive, it has selenium, zinc, and potassium among other minerals inside.

Loganberry

If you love raspberries and blackberries then loganberries are a perfect hybrid of both from Western New York. Loganberries can even be turned into soda or wine for a sweet and refreshing drink.

Loin

Loin is a cut of meat from the back and sides of pork, cattle, lamb, or any other animal near the ribs. Loin can be made into sirloin and take the form of sirloin steak meals.

Lollipop

There are thousands of songs about this popular treat, so you know that lollipops are candy on a stick. The beauty of these lollipops is you can get them in any flavor and they sometimes have a surprise in the center.

Loquat

What’s sweet on the inside but looks like an apricot on the outside? Loquats, the yellowish fruit that grows in China and can be eaten as fruit and tea from the leaves.

Lovage

Don’t you love lovage? Well, you might since lovage is a plant that is a herb, root, and spice all in one for multiple uses. It can be put in salads, soups, and broths for the intense parsley-like flavor to pop.

Lox

Brined salmon fillet, anyone? Lox is salmon on top of bread and bagels with other foods like tomatoes, cucumbers, and capers. You can also eat it in soup, pasta dishes, and dips too.

Lutefisk

You’ll either love it or hate it (being honest here), lutefisk, the dry cod soaking in a lye solution before boiling for eating. You can even add syrup, cheese, or white sauce to make it taste better.

Lychee Fruit

Lychee fruits are tropical fruits from Southeast Asia enjoyed fresh, ripe, or dry holding a juicy jelly-like flavor inside. They must be eaten ripe and peeled by hand before consumed to gain the most from this fruit.

Wrap Up

Out of the 51 foods, there has to be one that caught your eye. There are definitely familiar foods found on the list but something new is always refreshing.

From lady apple to lychee, there has to be at least one food worth a try. Might I suggest Li Jujube?

It is important to expand your knowledge of foods around the world so hopefully, this list brings a new perspective.