When you think of foods that start with the letter N, staples such as nuts and noodles automatically come to mind. You may be surprised to know there are over 50 foods that start with the letter N.
But between your run-of-the-mill foods such as nuts and navy beans to exotic Korean dishes such as Naengmyeon, the list of foods that start with the letter N are a foodie’s dream come true.
If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about different kinds of food, you’re in the right place. From Naan bread to Nutty Bars, here are 51 foods that start with the letter N in alphabetized order. Which ones are your favorite?
Contents
51 Foods that Begin with the Letter N
A collection of everyday favorites and international cuisines from around the world, here are 51 foods that start with the letter N, in alphabetical order.
Naan
Naan is a soft and fluffy Indian flatbread that is made in a cylindrical clay oven called a tandoor. It is traditionally served with meals at Indian restaurants and can be made at home using a very hot cast-iron skillet or nonstick pan.
Nacho cheese
Nacho cheese is a Mexican melted cheese that is poured over nachos or used to dip nachos in. This dish is commonly served as an appetizer or snack, but in some cases is part of the main dish.
Nachos
Nachos are tortilla chips in Mexican cuisine that are often eaten as a snack or appetizer, and are usually accompanied by nacho cheese, either poured on the nachos or served in a dish for dipping.
Naengmyeon
Naengmyeon is a Korean dish that consists of cold noodles that are thin and chewy and made with buckwheat and potato starch. There are two types of naengmyeon depending on how the dish is prepared.
Namak para
Namak para is a crunchy snack in Indian cuisine that consists of ribbon-like strips of pastry seasoned with ajwain and cumin seeds in pure ghee or another type of oil.
Nance fruit
Nance fruit is a fruit with a flavor that ranges between sweet and acidic that is high in vitamin C. It is a golden or yellow-orange color and has a white, oily pulp.
Nankhatai
Nankhatai is shortbread biscuits popular in northern Indian and Pakistan. They are called Kulcha-e-Khatave in northeast Iran and Afghanistan. The naming of Nankhatai was comprised of “Naan” for the popular flatbread and “Khatai”, which means biscuit.
Napa cabbage
Napa cabbage is a type of Chinese cabbage commonly used in East Asian cuisine. It has become a popular crop produced in the Americas, Europe, and Australia and is easily found at grocery stores, as well.
Napoleon
Napoleon is a French dessert pastry that consists of several flaky and crispy layers filled with pastry cream, with the top layer covered in a powdered sugar glaze and swirls of chocolate sugar glaze.
Napoletana pizza
Napoletana, also known as Neapolitan, is a type of Naples-style pizza from Italy. It is made with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese and influenced the New York-style pizza first made by Italian immigrants in the early 20th century.
Naranjilla fruit
Naranjilla fruit is a Spanish fruit that is small in size and looks like a small orange, hence its name, which means “little orange” in Spanish. It is related to the eggplant and tomato families.
Narenji-polo
Narenji-polo is a cooked rice dish, also known as Narenj-polo or Polo-Narenji, and is made in various combinations, including with or without meat such as chicken, beef, or veal, shredded orange peel, and nuts.
Nargesi
Nargesi is a Persian spinach and eggs dish with onions that is commonly eaten for breakfast in Iranian and Persian cultures. Popular spices used in Nargesi include salt, pepper, and turmeric.
Narial kalakand
Narial kalakand is a sweet dish of Indian cuisine made from full-fat milk, sugar, and cardamom powder. It takes several hours to make and is not normally made in households.
Nashi pear
The Nashi pear is also known as the Asian pear or Chinese pear. It has a sweet flavor and the crispness of an apple. It is full of juice and can satisfy thirst similar to other fruit juices.
Nasi goreng
Nasi goreng is fried rice in Indonesian cuisine that has pieces of meat and vegetables added to the dish. “Nasi goreng” means “fried rice” in both Indonesian and Malay languages.
Nasturtium
Nasturtium is a perennial flowering plant that can be eaten. Both the flowers and leaves of the nasturtium are edible raw and fresh. It is also known as Tropaeolum and was named by Carl Linnaeus in his book Species Plantarum.
Natal plum
Natal plums are native to South Africa and are edible once ripened to a bright red or purple color. Natal plums can be eaten raw or cooked. Before the ripening of the Natal plum, they are considered to be poisonous.
Navel oranges are a type of orange that is a part of the winter citrus family that has a marking that looks similar to the human navel, hence their name. They are seedless and peel easily.
Navratan korma is a type of Indian vegetable korma with nuts, paneer cheese, and a variety of vegetables of the chef’s choosing. It is housed in a tomato-cream sauce.
Nawabi keema
Nawabi keema is a type of stew usually prepared as a curry in Indian cuisine. Common ingredients include minced lamb or goat meat, green peas, potatoes, ginger, chili, onions, ghee, garlic, and garam masala spices.
Navy beans are a type of bean native to the Americas. It is a dry white bean that is smaller than other types of white beans and has an oval shape.
Neapolitan ice cream
Neapolitan ice cream is a type of ice cream that originated from Naples, Italy, and is composed of three separate flavors arranged side by side in the same container.
Necci crepes
Necci crepes are from the Tuscan region of the Garfagnana, near Lucca, where chestnuts are a common staple. They are made with chestnut flour and are eaten plain, or warm with fresh sheep’s milk ricotta cheese.
Nectarine
Nectarines are in the peach family and it is essentially a hairless peach. It has a bright red and yellow color and is smaller in size compared to the average peach.
Neep
Neeps is a type of Scottish turnip, with a different appearance from the common turnip in the Americas. They are spherical with thin skin, and the outside is generally a white color with purple patches at the top.
Neeps and tatties
Neeps and tatties are mashed turnips with mashed potatoes. It is a common dish of Scottish cuisine. Neeps are considered turnips in England, but in Scotland, they are considered rutabaga.
Nellikai
Nellikai is a small round sour fruit from South and Southeast Asia. It is used in Ayurvedic medicine and as an ingredient in various condiments. It is also known as Amla and Emblic.
Nethili meen curry
Nethili meen curry is an Indian dish that is a type of fish curry that is spicy and tamarind-based. The flavor of the dish comes from a sour ingredient called Kokum.
Nettles
Nettles are an herbaceous perennial flowering plant. It was originally native to Europe, Asia, and western North Africa, but can now be found worldwide. They are edible and are great to make tea with.
Neufchatel cheese
Neufchatel cheese comes from the French region of Normandy and is a soft, crumbly, mold-ripened cheese. It is believed to be one of the oldest kinds of cheese in France.
Newburg sauce
Newburg sauce is a sherry-spiked cream sauce that is used on seafood dishes, such as over shrimp or lobster. It is made from egg yolks, lobster butter, and seasoned with onions and sherry.
Nigella seed
Nigella seeds are from an annual flowering plant native to eastern Europe and western Asia. They are used as a condiment in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine and can be dry-roasted.
Ninos envueltos
Ninos envueltos is a popular rice and beef cabbage roll dish in Middle Eastern cuisine. The rolls consist of minced beef and rice wrapped up in a cabbage roll.
Nippattu
Nippattu is deep-fried, crispy rice crackers from Karnataka cuisine. They are commonly eaten as an evening snack or at festivals. They are made from peanuts, fried gram, and sesame seeds.
Noce
Noce is generic for “nut” in Italian but specifically is used to refer to walnuts in Italian. Noce is grown all over the country of Italy.
Nocciole
Nocciole is Italian hazelnuts used to make cakes, hazelnut cream, hazelnut coffee, and other foods using Nicciole.
Nocciolini di Chivasso
Nocciolini di Chivasso are small round cookies that hail from the town of Chivasso in the Italian region of Piedmont. They are made with meringue and hazelnuts and are similar to Nocciolini di Canzo.
Nonda plum
Nonda plums are native to Australia and New Guinea. They are edible and are harvested in the wild. They are also referred to as the nonda tree, Nunda plum, and parinari.
Nonpareil
Nonpareils are decorative tiny balls made with sugar and starch. They are traditionally an opaque white color by now are available in many colors. Their origin is uncertain.
Noodles
Noodles are made from unleavened dough rolled out flat, then cut and stretched into long strips or strings. They are usually cooked in boiling water, sometimes with salt or oil added.
Nopalitos salad
Nopalitos salad is a Mexican salad with cooked prickly pear cactus pads mixed with other vegetables and foods, such as tomatoes, cilantro, lime, queso, and more, tossed in a tangy, vinegar-based dressing.
Nori
Nori is a type of Japanese seaweed, a species of the red algae genus Pyropia. It is used in Japanese cuisine and also used to wrap rolls of sushi or onigiri.
Norman tart
A Norman tart is a French dessert tart from Normandy. It is a short-crust pastry filled with apples, sliced almonds, sugar, and topped with creamy egg custard. It is baked until the topping starts to caramelize.
Nougat
A Nougat is used in candy bars and chocolates and is made with sugar or honey, roasted nuts, egg whites, and sometimes candied fruit. It has a nutty, chewy consistency.
Nutella
Nutella is a brand of sweetened hazelnut cocoa spread popular with Italians that can be bought at grocery stores. It is manufactured in Italy and was first introduced in the 1960s.
Nutmeg
Nutmeg is a ground spice used in cooking and also as an essential oil and in nutmeg butter. It is a key ingredient in desserts as well as soups, stews, and meat dishes.
Nutmeg melon
Nutmeg melon is a green cantaloupe with a nutmeg shape and netted skin. It is one of the oldest varieties of cantaloupe in America. The fruit is sweet with a subtle spicy nutmeg aftertaste.
Nuts
Nuts are considered a fruit that has a hard shell and a seed, which is generally edible. A variety of dried seeds are also considered to be part of the nut family. Some popular nuts include peanuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, brazil nuts, and walnuts.
Nutter Butter cookies are a brand of peanut butter cookies by Nabisco that are shaped like a peanut, consisting of two cookie sides sandwiching a peanut buttercream filling. They can be purchased at grocery stores.
Nutty Bars
Nutty Bars are a popular snack brand made in the United States. The snack has four wafers sandwiched together with a peanut butter mixture and is coated in chocolate.
Wrap Up
You probably recognized some of your old standbys from childhood, such as Nutter Butter cookies, but hopefully, you learned about some exotic dishes, too, such as Nargesi. Now that you’ve learned the 51 foods that start with the letter N, it’s time to introduce some new foods and cuisines to your dinner table.