Dessert

Cheng tng, meaning clear soup, is a traditional sweet treat that is commonly enjoyed as a dessert. Although the ingredients may vary, the dish is typically made by combining dried longan, white fungus, gingko nuts, red dates, pearl barley, large sago pearls, lotus seeds, and candied winter melon. The ingredients are simmered in water with sugar and pandan leaves until they become soft. Once cooked, the soup is usually enhanced with dried persimmon and pang da hai (Sterculia lychnophora), and it can be consumed either warm or chilled. In the past, people who worked at the quay used to quench their thirst by having a bowl of this sweet and refreshing dessert. Cheng tng is available at numerous local dessert stalls in the country.

Cheng tng

Cherries jubilee is a decadent dessert made with a combination of dark cherries and Kirschwasser liqueur that's flamb&eacute;ed before being served as a sauce over scoops of vanilla ice cream. It was invented by Auguste Escoffier, who prepared the dessert for Queen Victoria's Jubilee celebration, most probably the Golden Jubilee in 1897. Today, additional ingredients sometimes include grated orange zest, orange juice, and cinnamon. It's recommended to serve cherries jubilee in a tall dessert glass.

Cherries jubilee

Cherry Bakewell or Bakewell cake is a traditional version of Bakewell tart originating from Bakewell in Derbyshire. It&rsquo;s essentially a traditional Bakewell tart that&rsquo;s iced on top and adorned with a cherry. The pastry is made with a combination of flour, butter, and cold water; the frangipane is made with a mixture of butter, sugar, eggs, and ground almonds; and the cherry jam is made with cherries, raspberries, and sugar. The shortcrust pastry is baked, spread with cherry jam, and covered with frangipane. If desired, flaked almonds can be sprinkled over the tart, which is baked in the oven until the frangipane becomes golden. A single candied cherry is added on top for a nice finishing touch.

Cherry Bakewell

United States

Traditionally associated with the American South (and Virginia in particular), the sweet chess pie consists of a thin pastry crust that is topped with a mixture of eggs, butter, vanilla, cornmeal, and various sweeteners. When baked, the filling turns into a thick, velvety custard, which is best complemented with a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream. Among numerous theories of the origin and the name of chess pies, the most reasonable one says that it evolved from the British cheese pie, a term formerly used to denote various pies with similar fillings as this Southern classic.

Chess Pie

This versatile dessert usually consists of a cream base that is enriched with various ingredients. Typical additions include various types of canned fruit such as lychee, jackfruit, longan, or red-colored water chestnuts, as well as coconut milk, pandan-flavored jelly, and the sweet liquid in which the fruit was preserved. The dessert is finished off with the addition of ice cubes and should be served immediately.

Chè Thái

Ch&egrave; tr&ocirc;i nước is a Vietnamese dessert that combines sweet ginger-flavored soup and rice balls. The soup is usually sweetened with palm sugar, and it's sometimes additionally flavored with pandan leaves, while the filling inside the glutinous rice balls traditionally includes a combination of coconut milk and mung bean paste. Although it is considered a traditional Vietnamese specialty, it is believed that the dish was modeled on tangyuan&mdash;a similar sweet soup of Chinese origin. Ch&egrave; tr&ocirc;i nước is always served warm, typically garnished with coconut milk and roasted sesame seeds. It is commonly enjoyed as a comforting wintertime dessert.

Chè trôi nước

India

Chhena poda is a traditional cheese dessert originating from Odisha. It's usually made with a combination of chhena cheese, sugar, rice flour, cardamom, and optional ingredients such as raisins, almonds, and cashews. A baking pan is greased with ghee, lined with banana leaves, and the chhena poda mixture is then poured into the pan. The dessert is baked until the sugar caramelizes and the top crust becomes dark golden. Once cooled, chhena poda is sliced and served as a dessert after a big meal or as a sweet treat in the afternoon. It's often made at home during festivals such as Durga Puja.

Chhena poda

These Italian carnival pastry fritters are made from dough that is cut into thin, rectangular sheets, which are then twisted into ribbons or kept flat with wavy borders. They are then deep-fried and usually finished with a sprinkling of powdered sugar. Sometimes called angel wings due to their appearance, this carnival treat has many names depending on the region, and every region in Italy seems to claim chiacchiere as their own. The recipe for chiacchiere contains some alcohol, an ingredient that also changes by region: in Sicily they use Marsala, while grappa is traditionally used in the northern parts of the country. Although chiacchiere are typical carnival treats, they are also prepared for Christmas, New Year&rsquo;s Eve, and Easter, making them a true festive delicacy.

Chiacchiere

Italy

Chiacchiere are popular Italian Carnival sweets with somewhat disputed origin&mdash;bugie, cenci, frappe, sfrappole, galani, frittole, lattughe and crostoli are just a few of the names by which they are known in the different regions of Italy, although the basic ingredients and quantities are always the same. According to a Neapolitan legend, they were invented when Queen Margherita of Savoy was entertaining her guests and she wanted to offer them something to nibble, so the court chef, Raffaele Esposito prepared these sweets, naming them chiacchiere, in honor of the Queen's "chitchat" with her guests. In Campania, chiacchiere are traditionally served with sanguinaccio, a rich, sweet sauce originally made with fresh pork blood, milk custard, and melted chocolate; but the modern variety is often made without blood.

Chiacchiere (Campania)

Chiavi di San Pietro, meaning the keys of St. Peter, are ancient Palermitan key-shaped cookies that are nowadays rarely found in local pastry shops. Traditionally, they were prepared on the 29th of June for the feast of St. Peter, the holder of the keys of heaven. Originally it was a very simple biscuit made with wheat flour, sometimes with the addition of almond flour, covered in light, honey-based glaze, but local pastry chefs also used to offer more rich, elaborately decorated versions to satisfy the requests of young Palermitans, who, allegedly, often bought them as a gift for their future wives, hoping they will unlock and open their hearts.

Chiavi di San Pietro

China

Chien chang go or thousand layer cake is a classic Chinese dim sum dessert. The dessert consists of numerous layers of sweet egg dough. It&rsquo;s usually prepared with a combination of eggs, butter, sugar, flour, condensed milk, vanilla, and baking powder. The batter is layered in a baking tray, and the cake is then baked or steamed until golden. Once chilled, chien chang go is sliced into smaller pieces and served.

Chien chang go

Chifelini or chifeletti are traditional Italian potato fritters originating from Trieste, but they can be found throughout Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Trentino-Alto Adige. The potato fritters can be made in savory or sweet versions and they're usually made with a combination of potatoes, flour, eggs, butter, oil, and either salt or sugar. The potatoes are boiled, drained, mashed, and mixed with flour, eggs, butter, and salt or sugar. The mixture is shaped into logs or elongated crescents and it's then fried in hot oil until golden brown and crisp. The fritters are typically served piping hot, dusted with powdered sugar or cinnamon for the sweet version, or simply sprinkled with salt for the savory version. The sweet version is often accompanied by a glass of chilled dessert wine or a cup of hot chocolate.

Chifelini

Named after kefir, meaning moon in Arabic, these beloved Ligurian crescent-shaped cookies were allegedly created in the 19th century by Benedetto Ferro, a former sailor with a passion for confectionery. Deciding to follow his dream, he opened pasticceria Ferro in Finale Ligure and created the elegant chifferi mandorlati. Flavored with orange blossom water and decorated with flaked almonds, they were probably inspired by similar treats he had consumed during his voyages. Chifferi are best enjoyed sprinkled with powdered sugar - precisely how they still sell them at Pasticceria Ferro, which has been in business ever since, passing the authentic recipe from generation to generation.

Chifferi

This airy sponge cake was invented in 1927 by Harry Baker, a California insurance salesman-turned-baker. He kept the recipe secret for 20 years until he sold it to the Washburn-Crosby Company, today General Mills, who introduced it in 1948 with a major Betty Crocker marketing blitz, publishing a set of 14 different recipe variations. Chiffon was advertised as "the first really new cake in a hundred years," thanks to its "secret ingredient"&mdash;the recipe used vegetable oil instead of conventional shortening which made chiffon cake light and fluffy like angel food cake, yet rich and moist like classic butter cakes. By the end of the 1950s, chiffon became a nationwide sensation. Apart from the basic recipe, variations included fruits like lemon, oranges, and pineapple, but also chocolate, walnut, maple nut, pumpkin, and allspice. Chiffon cake remains equally popular even today, and in the United States, March 29 is celebrated as the National Lemon Chiffon Cake Day.

Chiffon Cake

With meringue being its ultimate inspiration, chiffon pie was originally made with the incredibly light, mousse-like filling based on egg whites and a crisp shell of graham crackers acting as a base. This American classic is said to have been invented in Los Angeles in 1926 by a baker named Monroe Boston Strause. Within a couple of years of his invention, Strause boasted the largest pie business in the West, and became known as the nation's champion pie maker, or simply the Pie King. The delicate chiffon pie is still today one of country's favorite desserts and it most often comes with a zesty, lemon-flavored filling.

Chiffon Pie

This Zambian snack is prepared with a tuber of chikanda orchids. The small-sized tubers are dried and pounded, and then combined with a thick mixture of peanuts and dry chili peppers. Chikanda is often referred to as African polony, because of its meat-like consistency. In the past, the dish was traditionally associated with the Bemba tribe in north-east Zambia, but nowadays it is consumed throughout the country. Chikanda is usually served sliced and can be enjoyed as a snack, dessert, or an accompaniment to nshima, a traditional Zambian maize porridge.

Chikanda

Chikenduza is a traditional African dessert hailing from Zimbabwe. These candy cakes are made with a combination of flour, butter, vanilla, milk, sugar, yeast, eggs, salt, powdered sugar, and red food coloring. The dough is rolled into balls and baked in muffin tins or similar baking vessels until puffed. Once done, these candy cakes should be double the size of a muffin. The cooled cakes are topped with a thick pink icing made from powdered sugar, water, and food coloring.

Chikenduza

Chikki is a sweet snack that is most commonly made with jaggery and nuts. Groundnut chikki is extremely popular in India as it is full of protein and iron, making it a healthy snack. Traditionally, peanuts are used in the preparation of chikki, but cashews, almonds, and walnuts can also be used. There are also variations with added dried fruits such as apricots and raisins. Although chikki is popular throughout the country, it originated in the Gujarat area. In 1888, when the railway line was being constructed, the workers needed something healthy and flavorful to eat, so Mr. Maganlal, India's oldest chikki maker, invented this tasty snack. He had three reasons to give chikki to the workers - it was healthy, flavorful, and affordable to just about everyone. Today, chikki is often recommended to pregnant women who are struggling with the intake of required daily nutrients.

Chikki

Chiroti is a traditional dessert originating from South India, and it's very popular in Maharashtra and Karnataka. This fried, layered, and flaky sweet pastry is usually prepared on religious festivals such as Diwali and special occasions. It's usually made with a combination of flour, ghee, salt, sugar, rice flour, and cardamom powder. The dough is rolled into cylindrical logs, sliced into pieces, rolled again, then fried in ghee until golden and crunchy. Before serving, chiroti is often dusted with powdered sugar or cardamom powder. There are a few variations on chiroti, so it's not unusual to come across semolina flour and almond milk in some recipes.

Chiroti

Usually accompanied by a glass of milk or a cup of hot tea or coffee, chocolate chip cookies are well balanced between salty and sweet in flavor, tenderly chewy in texture, and filled with small melting chocolate pyramids, bringing a generation of Americans back to their childhood. The origin story of these sweet treats is incredibly interesting, almost as the cookies themselves. The Toll House Inn was a popular bed-and-breakfast in Whitman, Massachusetts, bought by Ruth Graves Wakefield and her husband in 1930. Ruth's cooking was so good that the inn gained an excellent reputation in a short span of time. Enter Duncan Hines, a traveling salesman from Kentucky who began compiling a list of the best roadside eateries in 1935. First, he included the Toll House Inn's Indian pudding on the list, and a decade later, he also included the chocolate chip cookies that we all know and love today. Ruth was baking chocolate cookies when she found out that she didn't have any more baker's chocolate. Instead, she used a new, semisweet chocolate that she got from her friend Andrew Nestl&eacute;, broke it into small pieces, and places them in her batter for buttered sugar cookies. The chocolate didn't melt like she thought it would, and the result was a cookie that Ruth originally called the Toll House chocolate crunch cookie. The Boston press published her recipe, and the sales of both Nestl&eacute; chocolate and the cookies skyrocketed. Nestl&eacute; and Wakefield made a deal - he would print the recipe on the chocolate, and she would get a lifetime supply of chocolate. The recipe is printed on the chocolate package up to this day, giving everyone a chance to make their own chocolate chip cookies.