Nachtisch

Italy

Despite its name, this Sicilian treat is not technically a gelato and is better classified as a nougat. It is a sweet combination made with sugar, nuts, and candied fruit that typically comes in three colors&mdash;white, green, and pink&mdash;which supposedly depict the Italian flag. Sometimes, it also includes the fourth, brown-colored section. The base is made with sugar and ground almonds, and it is divided into three sections, which are then colored accordingly. Usually, the base will also incorporate nuts, typically pistachios or almonds, and different types of candied and dried fruit. The pliable base is arranged into molds, and when set, it is cut into smaller pieces. Gelato di campagna, which translates as countryside ice cream, is enjoyed throughout Sicily, and it is typically prepared for the Festino di Santa Rosalia. It is presumed that it has Arab origins.

Gelato di campagna

Gelo di melone is a traditional Sicilian dessert that most usually consists of watermelon juice, sugar, starch, candied fruit, nuts, and cinnamon. The result is a flavorful watermelon jelly pudding that is typically prepared for Ferragosto (15 August, a popular Italian holiday) and on 15 July in Palermo to honor the city's saint, Rosalia. Quite often, the dessert is decorated with chocolate chips which resemble (and represent) watermelon seeds. It is recommended to serve gelo di melone in cups, when fully chilled.

Gelo di melone

Belgium

Mattentaart, ein typisches Dessert aus Ostflandern, ist eine kleine Blätterteigpastete mit einer zarten, nach Mandeln schmeckenden Käsebruchfüllung namens Mattenbrij. Diese köstlichen flämischen Pasteten werden traditionell in der Stadt Geraardsbergen und dem Nachbardorf Lierde hergestellt und ihre Produktion hängt stark von den Milchprodukten der Region Geraardsbergen ab, da echte Mattentaarts nur aus frischer Milch, Butter und Buttermilch von den örtlichen Bauernhöfen hergestellt werden. Obwohl die Ursprünge der Mattentaart bis ins Mittelalter zurückverfolgt werden können, wurde das älteste bekannte Rezept in Een Notabel Boecxken van Cokeryen gefunden, dem ersten niederländischen Kochbuch, das 1514 von Thomas van Der Noot geschrieben und veröffentlicht wurde. Später wurden die berühmten Mattentaarts sogar vom flämischen Renaissancemaler und -drucker Pieter Bruegel dem Älteren in seinem Gemälde Die Bauernhochzeit von 1567 dargestellt. Und obwohl Mattentaart heute in ganz Belgien und im Ausland berühmt ist, wurde dieser Kuchen 2006 von der Europäischen Union zu einem geschützten Regionalprodukt erklärt. Das bedeutet, dass er sich nur Mattentaart nennen darf, wenn er in Geraardsbergen oder Lierde hergestellt wurde.

Geraardsbergse Mattentaart

United States

A local sweet treat originating from Philadelphia, german butter cake is a sweet and buttery cake that is crispy around the edges and on top, while at the same time oozing with a buttery filling inside. The cake crust is typically made with a dough consisting of yeast, milk, flour, butter, sugar, eggs, and salt. The dough is often flavored with vanilla extract, and once it has risen, it is usually stretched and pressed into a greased pan before being covered with a thick layer of a vanilla-flavored butter mixture. Often nicknamed Philadelphia butter cake, the cake is typically cut into slices and eaten with a cup of coffee on the side.

German Butter Cake

Despite its name, German chocolate cake is an American invention, a decadent dessert consisting of three interspersed layers of buttermilk sponge and chocolate, combined with desiccated coconut and peanuts. The cake is often garnished with even more desiccated coconut, pecans, or maraschino cherries, giving it a luxurious visual appearance. The name comes from Sam German, who invented a baking chocolate for Baker's chocolate company in 1852, and in return, the company named the cake in his honor. The cake became famous in 1957, when a Texas cook sent her recipe to a Dallas-based newspaper. As time went by, the possessive form was lost, creating the name German chocolate cake, which gives the wrongful impression of the cake's German origin until this day, although it is an American classic, celebrated every year on June 11, also known as the National German Chocolate Cake Day.

German Chocolate Cake

Gers ogaily is a Kuwaiti sponge cake that is typically baked in large bundt pans. It is prepared with a simple egg batter that is flavored with saffron, cardamom, and rose water. The cake is occasionally baked in smaller baking molds, creating a cupcake-like dessert, but both versions are usually coated in roasted sesame seeds. Optionally, the cake can be doused in a vibrant-yellow saffron sauce. It is recommended to serve gers ogaily with tea on the side.

Gers ogaily

Gesztenyep&uuml;r&eacute; is a sweet treat consisting of pur&eacute;ed, sweetened chestnuts topped with whipped cream. It is very popular in Hungary, but it was first discovered in an Italian cookbook from 1475. This dish is made by mixing chestnut pur&eacute;e, sugar, and rum together and then placing it in a ricer. Besides whipped cream, it can also be topped with cocoa powder and cherries. The original version was later adapted into a traditional, seasonal French dessert named Mont Blanc, while Hungarians introduced their variation in the 18th century.

Gesztenyepüré

Gesztenye szelet is a traditional cake originating from Hungary, where it's a coffeehouse staple. The cake is usually made with a combination of chestnut pur&eacute;e, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, flour, salt, brandy, heavy cream, and dark chocolate. The eggs are mixed with sugar over a pot of simmering water until it's tripled in volume, light, and fluffy. Chestnut pur&eacute;e, vanilla, salt, and flour are folded in, and the batter is spread evenly in a greased baking pan. The cake is baked until golden, and then left to cool. It's brushed with a syrup consisting of water, sugar, and brandy. The cake is topped with a mixture of chestnut pur&eacute;e, sugar, vanilla, and heavy cream, while dark chocolate is grated over the top. Once chilled, the cake is cut into rectangles and it's ready to be enjoyed.

Gesztenye szelet

Indonesia

This versatile Indonesian dessert is made with boiled and mashed cassava. The cassava base is then sweetened and often enriched with coconut and natural or food colorings in order to create decorative sweets. The rustic version combines mashed cassava and dark palm sugar (gula melaka), which imparts the dish with a typical brown color. Modern varieties (getuk lindri) are often finely ground with the help of a meat processor. They are tinted with vibrant colors and shaped into visually appealing cakes that are then cut into smaller pieces. Besides cassava, getuk is also prepared with taro, bananas, or sweet potatoes. This typical street food is usually associated with Java.

Getuk

Gevulde koek is a popular Dutch cookie with a tender, crumbly texture and a buttery flavor. The name of this tasty treat means filled cookie, referring to the fact that it is filled with a sweet, moist almond paste. The cookies can be found throughout the country, from posh bakeries to small kiosks located at most Dutch train stations.

Gevulde koek

Ggul tteok are colorful Korean steamed rice cakes that are usually shaped into bite-sized balls. Translated as honey cakes, they are traditionally served drizzled with honey-infused syrup. Even though ggul tteok are often prepared plain, some varieties are filled with sesame and occasionally served dusted with roasted soybean powder. Available at many specialized shops, these chewy cakes are usually enjoyed as a dessert or a sweet snack.

Ggul tteok

Għadam tal-mejtin are traditional bone-shaped Maltese cookies. They consist of a shortcrust biscuit base and an almond filling. The cookies are traditionally prepared and enjoyed for All Souls day. The dough is usually made with a combination of flour, butter, sugar, egg yolks, lemon zest, and vanilla. The filling is made with a combination of ground almonds, icing sugar, and egg whites. Once filled, the cookies are baked in the oven until golden, then topped with icing consisting of icing sugar, water, and almond extract. If stored in a cool and dry place, these bone-shaped cookies can keep for up to a month.

Għadam tal-mejtin

India

This traditional Rajasthani sweet delicacy is made with a batter of flour, ghee, and cold water that is carefully poured into piping hot oil or ghee to fry, yielding a round, disc-shaped dessert with an intricate pattern. After it has been deep-fried to perfection, the dessert is either covered with or immersed into sugar syrup, and it's typically garnished with thickened milk (rabri), silver flakes, and chopped nuts such as almonds or pistachios on top. Often dubbed the honeycomb dessert due to its distinctive appearance, ghevar is usually flavored with saffron and cardamom powder, and it can also be made with khoa (dried evaporated milk solids) or malai (milk cream) instead of water. Once enjoyed only during the monsoon season, ghevar is nowadays available throughout the year, and it is a beloved festive dessert prepared for festivals such as Teej, Raksha Bandhan, Diwali, and Holi.

Ghevar

Ghoriba are traditional Middle Eastern cookies that come in a few varieties &ndash; some can be chewy, while others have a shortbread-like, crumbly texture. The cookies are traditionally shaped into balls or disks, and often have characteristical cracks across their surface. Ghoriba cookies usually consist of flour, sugar, butter, and almonds. It is recommended to serve them with a cup of tea or coffee on the side.

Ghoriba

This classic flavor combines hazelnuts and milk chocolate into a rich, smooth gelato. Though similar to the bacio flavor, gianduia is typically prepared with milk chocolate and does not incorporate crushed hazelnuts. It was modeled on gianduia, an iconic Italian cocoa, sugar, and hazelnut paste that was initially introduced in the 19th century. Similar to the gianduia confection, the gelato is also usually associated with Piedmont, a region famous for its hazelnuts, but it is commonly found in numerous gelaterias throughout the country.

Gianduia gelato

Piedmont's signature pralines are made with gianduia &mdash; a silky smooth cocoa, sugar, and hazelnut paste that owes its unmistakable flavor to roasted Piedmontese hazelnuts of the Tonda gentile variety. Even though some sources claim the blend was invented in the early 1800s, it wasn't until half a century later that gianduia was perfected by a Turinese chocolatier named Caffarel. According to one legend, the first gianduia pralines were introduced in 1865 during the Turin carnival. They were originally called giv&ugrave;, which means tidbits in local dialect, and supposedly gained the name gianduiotto after being handed out to the people in the streets by Caffarel himself, who was dressed as Giandujot, one of the most popular characters of the Italian commedia dell'arte.

Gianduiotto

Philippines

Ginanggang is a traditional dessert, snack, and street food originating from the island of Mindanao. It consists of skewered and grilled bananas that are brushed with margarine and sprinkled with sugar. The bananas used for ginanggang are of the sab&aacute; variety and they are usually grilled over charcoal. The slower it's grilled, the better it will be because the inside will cook slowly and it won't become mushy. This popular street food can be enjoyed at the Ginanggang Festival that's celebrated every second Sunday in May in the town of Tubod.

Ginanggang


Fagioli all’uccelletto ist ein herzerwärmendes, tief traditionelles toskanisches Gericht, das die bescheidene, herzliche Philosophie der 'Cucina povera' (Bauernküche) perfekt verkörpert. Ursprünglich aus der fruchtbaren Landschaft rund um Florenz und Pistoia stammend, verwandelt dieses Gericht einfache Cannellini-Bohnen in ein reichhaltiges, aromatisches Meisterwerk, das Generationen von Italienern getröstet hat. Der Name selbst ist ein kurioses linguistisches Rätsel; 'all’uccelletto' bedeutet wörtlich übersetzt 'nach Art kleiner Vögel'. Dies bedeutet nicht, dass das Gericht Fleisch enthält; vielmehr bezieht es sich auf die spezifische Mischung von Aromen, die bei der Zubereitung verwendet werden – vor allem Salbei und Knoblauch –, die dieselben Kräuter waren, die traditionell beim Braten von kleinem Wildgeflügel über offenem Feuer verwendet wurden. Die Bohnen werden gekocht, 'als ob sie kleine Vögel wären', was ihnen eine rustikale Eleganz verleiht, die sie weit über ihre bescheidenen Ursprünge hinaushebt.

Die Alchemie von Fagioli all’uccelletto beginnt bei der Wahl der Bohnen. Während im Notfall hochwertige Cannellini-Bohnen aus der Dose verwendet werden können, besteht jeder toskanische Purist auf der Verwendung von getrockneten Bohnen, die über Nacht eingeweicht und langsam geköchelt wurden, bis sie zart sind, aber noch ihre Form behalten. Der Zauber geschieht in einer Pfanne mit schwerem Boden, traditionell einem Terrakotta-Topf, in dem eine großzügige Menge erstklassigen Olivenöls extra vergine mit ganzen, leicht zerdrückten Knoblauchzehen und viel frischem, duftendem Salbei erhitzt wird. Das Aroma von Salbei, der in Olivenöl brät, ist der Inbegriff des Duftes einer toskanischen Küche. Sobald die Aromen ihre Essenz freigesetzt haben, wird ein Schuss reichhaltiger, zerdrückter Tomaten (Pomodori pelati) hinzugefügt, wodurch eine dicke, herzhafte Sauce entsteht, die die Bohnen umschließt. Die geköchelten Bohnen werden dann in die Pfanne gegeben, und die Mischung darf langsam zusammen garen, damit die Bohnen die Aromen von Knoblauch, Salbei und Tomate in ihren cremigen Kern aufnehmen können. Eine abschließende Würzung mit Meersalz und reichlich frisch gemahlenem schwarzem Pfeffer ist unerlässlich, um alle Elemente in Einklang zu bringen.

In der großen Tradition der toskanischen Küche ist Fagioli all’uccelletto bemerkenswert vielseitig. Am bekanntesten ist es als 'Contorno' (Beilage) zu einem massiven Bistecca alla Fiorentina (Florentiner Steak) oder gegrillten Schweinswürsten (Salsicce), wo seine reichhaltige, sämige Textur einen perfekten Kontrast zum krossen, salzigen Fleisch bildet. Es ist jedoch ebenso sättigend als Hauptgericht, besonders wenn es in einer flachen Schüssel mit einer dicken Scheibe geröstetem, ungesalzenem toskanischem Brot (Pane toscano) serviert wird, um jeden letzten Tropfen der herzhaften Tomaten-Salbei-Sauce aufzusaugen. Das Gericht ist ein Beweis für die Idee, dass ein paar gut gewählte Zutaten, die mit Zeit und Respekt behandelt werden, eine Mahlzeit kreieren können, die sowohl tief nährend als auch zutiefst geschmackvoll ist.

Was die Getränkebegleitung betrifft, verlangt Fagioli all’uccelletto nach dem rustikalen Charme eines Rotweins aus seiner Heimatregion. Ein klassischer Chianti Classico mit seiner hellen Säure und Noten von Kirsche und Kräutern ist der ideale Begleiter, da er die Reichhaltigkeit des Olivenöls durchbricht und mit dem erdigen Salbei harmoniert. Für eine eher legere Paarung ist ein einfacher, junger Sangiovese perfekt geeignet. Um dieses Gericht in seinem authentischsten Lebensraum zu erleben, sollte man eine traditionelle 'Trattoria' im Zentrum von Florenz besuchen, wie 'Sostanza' oder 'Mario', oder ein Landgasthaus im Mugello-Tal. An diesen Orten wird das Gericht immer noch mit der langsamen, bewussten Sorgfalt zubereitet, die es verdient, oft unter Verwendung von Bohnen, die in den nahe gelegenen Hügeln angebaut wurden. Es ist ein Gericht, das vom Land, von der Geschichte und von der dauerhaften Schönheit einfacher, ehrlicher Speisen erzählt.


Fagioli all’uccelletto

Traditionally associated with Sicily and Calabria, giurgiulena is a type of brittle nougat that combines honey, sugar, and sesame seeds. It is often enriched with almonds or candied orange peel, and is usually cut into diamond shapes. Along with many other Sicilian desserts, it is believed that giurgiulena originated during Arab rule, since its name stems from the Arabic gulgulān, meaning sesame. Usually decorated with colorful confetti, this Sicilian nougat is typically enjoyed during Christmastime.

Giurgiulena

Gizzada is a flavorful Jamaican dessert consisting of a pastry shell filled with a sweet, yet slightly spicy coconut filling. It is characterized by its pinched crust, giving the dessert its other name: pinch-me-round. Although gizzada is very popular throughout Jamaica, it is believed that this sweet treat has Portuguese or Jewish origins.