Dessert

Although England has a long history of making meat and fruit pies, and it was the inspiration for the American versions, there is nothing that is more synonymous with American desserts than the apple pie. In the United States, apple pies are found everywhere from big grocery shops and restaurants to coffee shops and home bakers, baked until the double crust is golden brown, filled with cinnamon-sugar coated apples. Homemade American apple pie is a source of great pride, causing arguments about which apple variety is the most suitable for the best pies. Some swear by Granny Smiths, but they are sour and require too much sugar, resulting in a soggy crust. Others prefer Golden Delicious, the driest, but the least flavorful variety. Experts opt for the tart Cortland or the flavorful Northern Spy varieties, both at their prime between September and November. However, apple varieties are not the only concern. What about the crust? Should it be flaky and buttery or thin, crispy and based on lard? For a sweet and savory combination, some even replace half of the butter with Cheddar cheese, resulting in an unusual apple pie with a cheesy crust. The most popular variety in the US is probably apple pie &agrave; la mode, invented in Minnesota in 1885, and served with a scoop of ice cream on top. Regardless of the regional varieties and endless debates, apple pie is an American dessert like no other, best paired with a sweet Riesling wine.

Apple Pie

Italy

Arancini con cioccolato is a traditional variety of arancini rice balls originating from Sicily. For this version, the arancini are filled with flavored chocolate sauce. The filling usually consists of dark chocolate, sugar, vanilla, butter, cinnamon, and grated lemon zest. The rice is cooked with milk and sugar, stuffed with the chocolate mixture, and the arancini are then breaded and deep-fried in oil until the exterior becomes golden. Before consumption, it's recommended to drain the chocolate-stuffed rice balls. They're traditionally served as a dessert or a sweet snack.

Arancini al cioccolato

Aranygaluska, translated as golden dumplings, is a traditional dessert that is believed to have influenced the invention of the popular American monkey bread. It is prepared with soft balls of yeasted dough that are dipped in butter, rolled in a mixture of sugar and ground walnuts, then tightly assembled in a round tin and baked until golden brown and caramelized. The bread is derived from the Jewish culinary tradition, and after it was brought to America, it was popularized by Nancy Reagan in the 1950s, when she served it at the White House. The cake is often served lukewarm and whole, allowing the guest to tear the individual golden dumplings. Occasionally, it is glazed with butter, sprinkled with walnuts, and accompanied by a luscious vanilla custard or wine-infused applesauce.

Aranygaluska

Aranzada is a traditional Sardinian sweet made with candied orange peel and almonds. The preparation starts by cutting orange peel into thin strips, which are then cooked or soaked and then candied together with honey and almonds. The combination is then gently placed into paper cups. Aranzada was typically prepared for special occasions, namely weddings and baptisms, but it is now mostly sold at pastry and souvenir shops. It is said that the recipe was popularized in 1886 by Battista Guiso, a pastry chef from Nuoro.

Aranzada

India

Arisa pitha is a traditional pancake-like sweet snack and a type of pitha originating from Odisha. It's usually made with a combination of rice flour, sesame seeds, jaggery, sugar, ghee, and oil. The rice is soaked, slightly drained, and ground into a paste with sugar syrup in order to form a batter. The batter is stuffed with toasted sesame seeds and jaggery, topped with sesame seeds, and it is then fried in oil until browned. Arisa pitha is traditionally served warm, but it can also be enjoyed after it has cooled down and hardened.

Arisa pitha

Spain

During Holy Week in Valencia, people traditionally prepare and consume arnad&iacute;, a festive cake featuring pumpkin, almonds, sugar, and lemon zest. Some opt to use pine nuts in combination with almonds, or sweet potatoes in combination with pumpkin. The cake is baked at low heat for about two hours, and it is then shared with family and friends. Arnad&iacute; is notoriously hard to find outside Valencia, and it is especially popular in the village of Xativa.

Arnadí

Netherlands

Arnhemse meisjes (lit. girls from Arnhem) are traditional Dutch cookies originating from the city of Arnhem. These crispy and buttery cookies are made with butter, flour, yeast, salt, sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. The dough is pressed into oval discs over coarse sugar, and they are then baked in the oven until golden and slightly puffy. It is recommended to serve them with a cup of coffee or tea. The cookies were first made in 1829 by a baker named Hagdorn, who wanted to invent a new cookie for festive events. Interestingly, Arnhemse meisjes were one of the favorite cookies of Roald Dahl, the famous writer. Nowadays, only one bakery is the official Arnhemse meisjes baker &ndash; Jurjus in Arnhem.

Arnhemse meisjes

Arretje nof is a traditional chocolate cake originating from the Netherlands. Interestingly, this chocolate cake needs no baking &ndash; all it needs is a few hours in the fridge. The cake is usually made with a combination of butter, cookies, dark chocolate, sugar, eggs, and cocoa powder. The ingredients are simply melted into a sauce, mixed with the cookie pieces, and the mixture is then poured into a cake pan, flattened, and left in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. Once chilled and solid, the cake is cut into slices. It's especially popular during the festive Christmas season.

Arretje nof

Arroz con leche is a flavorful dessert with a long history, dating back to the period when Spain was under the Moorish influence. Today, this rice pudding is popular in Spain (especially in the North) and throughout Latin America, always consisting of a few key ingredients: cooked rice, milk, sugar, cinnamon sticks for flavoring, and either lemon or orange peel. Some are baked in the oven, while the others are made on the stovetop. The dessert can be served warm or cold, and it is recommended to garnish it with some ground cinnamon on top.

Arroz con leche

Arroz doce is a sweet rice pudding made with rice, milk, sugar, eggs, cinnamon, and salt. The first arroz doce was made in Portugal, but today it is a popular dessert throughout the world, with a very wide range of variations in the recipe, from the use of condensed milk to the exclusion of eggs. It is said that the best arroz doce should be crispy on the exterior and custard-like and soft on the interior. The dish is usually served after the main course as a dessert, leaving a sweet taste in the mouth. It is typically served chilled, flavored with lemon peel, and sprinkled with cinnamon on top in a lattice pattern.

Arroz doce

Arroz zambito is a Peruvian take on rice pudding. It is traditionally sweetened with unrefined sugar and flavored with raisins, aniseed, and coconut. This dessert is said to have originated in the 1800s, and it was originally made with water, but over time, cooks started to add milk to give arroz zambito a creamier texture. In Peru, arroz zambito is often consumed after anticuchos &ndash; popular and inexpensive meat dishes. It is recommended to garnish arroz zambito with toasted pecans, then serve it at room temperature.

Arroz zambito

Arsum&agrave; is an old Italian custard and a close cousin to the more famous zabaione. It originates from Biella in Piedmont as a dish of workers who would enjoy it for breakfast. The custard is made by whisking whole eggs with sugar and either dry white wine or milk. Thin cornflour wafers or different cookies were often dipped into the soft foam.

Arsumà

This baklava variety consists of thin phyllo sheets that are traditionally filled with walnuts, although modern varieties may employ various chopped or ground nuts. The sheets are then rolled and cut into the desired size before they are baked and doused in syrup, which can be flavored with lemon, rosewater, or orange blossom water. Due to its oblong shape, asabi is also known as finger baklava.

Asabi

Asawer is prepared with phyllo dough that is rolled and swirled to create a small, round baklava. Before it is rolled, phyllo sheets are occasionally sprinkled with ground nuts, and when baked, this round pastry is doused in rose-flavored sugar syrup, while the center is filled with ground or roughly chopped nuts such as pistachios, cashews, or pine nuts. Asawer, which translates as a bracelet, is typically associated with Lebanon.

Asawer

Ashta, also known as kashta or qashta, is a variety of clotted cream mostly associated with Arab and Levantine countries. Traditionally, it is made with lightly sweetened full-fat milk and lemon juice which are slowly simmered until thick, often with the addition of orange blossom and rose water. Modern variations sometimes avoid the lengthy procedure and thicken the milk with cornstarch or crumbled bread. Although ashta can be enjoyed as a dessert on its own, often accompanied by fruit, honey, or nuts, it is also commonly incorporated into various Middle Eastern treats such as kunāfah or qatayef.

Ashta

Assidat zgougou is a traditional dessert made with a combination of seeds of Aleppo pine, sugar, flour, starch, water, and rosewater. The zgougou seeds are ground and combined with the sugar, flour, and starch, then stirred continuously while the concoction is cooking over low heat until it thickens. Another component, the custard, is made with sugar, milk, starch, vanilla, egg yolks, and rosewater. The cream is placed on the bottom of a glass, followed by a layer of custard, and the dessert is then usually sprinkled with nuts such as toasted almonds or pistachios on top. Traditionally, assidat zgougou is exchanged between family and friends, and many will use dried fruit to decorate the top and add some color to the somewhat bland-looking dessert.

Assidat zgougou

Aşure or Noah's pudding is often said to be one of the oldest desserts in the world. Though the exact combination of fruits, nuts, and beans can vary, aşure is most typically prepared with dried figs and apricots, golden raisins, currants, hazelnuts, pine nuts, walnuts, chickpeas, white kidney beans, and bulgur, barley, or wheat, while its amazing aroma comes from lemon or orange zest. According to Islamic tradition, since it is customary to fast for the first 10 days of Muharrem&mdash;the first month of the Islamic calendar&mdash;on the 10th day, when Muslims break the fast, this Turkish porridge-like treat is shared among family, friends, and neighbors as a symbol of diversity, friendship, and unity. Aşure is best enjoyed chilled and it is typically served garnished with nuts, seeds, and other dried fruits.

Aşure

Athirasa is a traditional sweet made with a combination of rice flour, roasted rice, coconut treacle, coconut oil, and cardamom. The ingredients are formed into a stiff paste that is flattened into circles, then deep-fried in hot oil. These small cakes are traditionally prepared for festive occasions, and they're usually served with other sweets such as kokis and kavum. Apart from Sri Lanka, this sweet treat is also popular in India during Diwali.

Athirasa

This simple, unpretentious Nicaraguan custard consists of milk, sugar, butter, egg yolks, and cornstarch. It is lightly flavored with cinnamon and vanilla. The custard has an unusual consistency, so it can be sipped or consumed with a spoon. Atolillo can be served as a dessert in small bowls or glasses, but it is also used as a topping for various cakes such as Pio V.

Atolillo

Greece

Avgato is a Greek syrupy plum preserve that is produced on the island of Skopelos. It is traditionally prepared with the Skopelitan avgato plum, a variety of sweet and fluffy yellow dessert plum that is cultivated on the island. To make the preserve, the cleaned and peeled whole plums are typically soaked in a mixture of water and lemon juice before they&rsquo;re boiled in sugar syrup. This specialty is commonly enjoyed as a glyko tou koutaliou (spoon sweets), and it is usually accompanied by a glass of water or a cup of strong Greek coffee on the side. The sweet avgato preserve also makes for an excellent topping for fresh yogurt or vanilla ice cream.