Dessert

Indonesia

Wajik or wajid is a traditional sticky rice cake originating from Java. It's usually made with a combination of glutinous rice, palm sugar, coconut milk, pandan leaves, and salt. The glutinous rice is soaked, washed, steamed, and cooked in a skillet with coconut milk until it's absorbed. Pandan leaves are cooked with palm sugar until caramelized, and coconut milk and salt are then added to the mixture. Once the mixture is boiling, sticky rice is stirred in, and wajik is poured into a baking pan. After a few minutes, it's cut into diamond shapes and served. This sweet is also popular in Brunei and Malaysia. Wajik is often made for special occasions such as weddings.

Wajik

Japan

This Japanese wagashi is produced in Matsue, and it consists of a rectangular rice cake that is dusted with a green-tinted combination of sugar and rice powder. The cakes are soft and light, and the rice used in its production is still milled the traditional way. Although it is said that wakakusa has an ancient origin, its modern revival happened in the 1890s. The treat is traditionally served as an accompaniment to green tea, and it is usually associated with springtime.

Wakakusa

Wali thalapa or sau dodol is a traditional dessert originating from Sri Lanka. It&rsquo;s usually made with a combination of rice flour, sugar, coconut milk, salt, cardamom, and desiccated coconut. The coconut, water, and flour are mixed into small balls that are steamed and mixed with a sugar syrup that consists of sugar, water, salt, coconut milk, and ground cardamom. When the mixture has absorbed the sugar syrup and becomes sticky, it is poured into a tray, flattened, and left to cool. Once cooled, wali thalapa is typically cut into squares and enjoyed as a sweet treat.

Wali thalapa

Warabimochi is a sweet Japanese concoction reminiscent of jelly. It is made from bracken starch, and is traditionally dusted with sweet toasted soybean flour known as kinako. Warabimochi is one of the most popular sweets in the Kansai area, typically consumed in the summertime, since it is praised for its cool, chewy, and soft texture. The name of the dish comes from an edible wild plant, warabi (bracken), which grows at the sides of rivers and is harvested in late winter. Warabimochi has been present in Japan since before the Heian era, and it was also one of the favorite treats of Emperor Daigo. Today, it can be bought from numerous street food trucks, which are similar to ice cream trucks in the West.

Warabimochi

Warbat is a cream or custard filled pastry that is soaked in sugar syrup and decorated with pistachios, almonds, sweet cheese, or walnuts. It is usually prepared in a triangular shape. Although this sweet treat is originally from Jordan, its varieties can be found throughout the Middle East. The flavors of warbat are very sweet, so it is recommended to pair it with a cup of strong Arabic coffee. Sweet pastries are common throughout the Middle East and are especially popular during festive times and holidays, such as Ramadan.

Warbat

United States

Despite its name, Watergate salad is a summertime dessert consisting of a combination of mini marshmallows, pecans, and chunks of pineapple in a base of pistachio pudding. This dessert started its way to popularity in 1985 or 1986, when Kraft put a recipe for the dish on the box of JELL-O Pistachio Flavor Pudding. In 1993, the name of the recipe was changed to Watergate salad, and it has stuck until today. Nowadays, Watergate salad is especially popular at Thanksgiving dinners and Easter.

Watergate Salad

Netherlands

These traditional Dutch cookies hail from the small town of Weesp, hence the name. They are made with a combination of almond paste, lemon zest, sugar, and eggs. The dough is shaped into a log which is freezed and then cut into chunks before being baked until pale golden in color. After the cookies have cooled down a bit, they can be served and consumed or stored in airtight containers in order to keep their freshness. In 1988, all the city bakers joined forces and baked the largest Weesper mop for a world record. It ended up weighing 115 kilograms, and the event is even memorized with a statue in the city centre.

Weesper moppen

Germany

Welfenspeise or Welf pudding is a traditional dessert originating from Hanover. The dessert is named after the Welfen or Guelphs, which were once one of the most powerful dynasties of Europe, and their colors are yellow and white, just like this layered dessert that consists of two parts &ndash; one is white, and the other yellow. The white part is made with a combination of egg whites, cornstarch, milk, vanilla, sugar, and salt. The mixture is poured into a glass bowl and it&rsquo;s left to chill. The yellow part is made with egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, dry white wine, and cornstarch. The mixture is passed through a sieve and poured on top of the white base.

Welfenspeise

Griddle-baked Welsh cakes are a traditional delicacy made with a simple base of flour, lard or butter, sugar, and eggs. They come in different regional varieties that often include spices, lemon zest, raisins, currants, and various types of flour. Depending on the type, they can be enjoyed on their own as a sweet snack or a dessert, preferably paired with afternoon tea and served with butter and jam on the side.

Welsh Cake

Westf&auml;lische quarkspeise is a trifle dessert with layers of creamy German quark and whipped cream, tart cherries (such as morello cherries), and crumbled pumpernickel (slightly sweet dark rye bread). Typically flavored with kirsch, amaretto, or rum and vanilla sugar, the dessert is usually assembled in a glass serving dish and enjoyed chilled, and it is often enhanced with chopped or shredded semisweet chocolate. Although quick and easy to make, this cold layered dessert packs quite a punch of flavor, especially after several hours of setting, which allows for the flavors to combine. This simple sweet treat uses two traditional German ingredients - German quark and Westphalian pumpernickel - which (combined with the tart cherries and additional flavorings) contribute to the dessert&rsquo;s unique blend of sweet, slightly sour, earthy, and fruity flavors.

Westfälische Quarkspeise

Despite its name, whoopie pie is actually an enlarged cookie sandwich consisting of two soft chocolate cake cookies with a sweet and fluffy white filling sandwiched in between. It is believed that whoopie pie has a Pennsylvania Amish origin, although today it is extremely popular throughout New England, especially in Maine. According to the Amish, when children would find this sweet treat in their lunch bags, they used to shout &ldquo;Whoopie!&ldquo;, hence the name.

Whoopie Pie

Wibele is a tiny, sweet biscuits made by combining flour, powdered sugar, egg whites, vanilla sugar, and vanilla flavorings. The biscuits or cookies are baked until golden in color and are recognized for their distinctive shape of a figure-eight or a shoe sole. These tiny pastries are believed to date back to 1763, in Langenburg, and they are most commonly attributed to Jakob Christian Carl Wibel, who is thought to have been a court confectioner to the Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and created wibele in the Prince&rsquo;s honor. These sweet treats are available in bakeries, confectioner&rsquo;s shops, and delicatessen stores. Wibele are often enjoyed as dessert cookies and are usually accompanied by a glass of hot mulled wine.

Wibele

This traditional coconut cake is typically associated with Java, more precisely the region of Lamongan and the small city of Babat. Though the ingredients may vary, it is usually prepared with rice flour, grated coconut, and fresh coconut milk. It is typically round in shape, though it can differ in size. Wingko is usually sold by street vendors, peddlers, or on trains, but it can also be found at specialized shops.

Wingko

Wisconsin kringle is Wisconsin's official state pastry, brought over to the USA by Scandinavian settlers in the mid-19th century. The kringle (a Danish word for pretzel) is a buttery and flaky pastry that's filled with fruits or nuts. These pastries were originally shaped into pretzels, but the bakers in Wisconsin opted for the oval shape. Each kringle should have at least about 30 layers of flaky dough, while the top is typically covered in white icing. Some of the most traditional flavors include raspberries, pecans, and almonds, but there are also other fillings such as apples, blueberries, cherries, and apricots. Wisconsin kringles are especially popular during the festive Christmas season.

Wisconsin Kringle

Poland

Wuzetka is a traditional cake originating from Warsaw. The cake consists of chocolate sponge cake that's filled with whipped cream and covered with chocolate icing. It's usually made with a combination of flour, eggs, sugar, butter, cocoa powder, whipping cream, rum, gelatin, and plum jam. The icing is made with a combination of butter, milk, and dark chocolate. Once prepared, the bottom layer is drizzled with jam and rum, the whipped cream mixture is spread over it, and the top sponge layer is placed on top. The chocolate icing is poured over the cake, and when it sets, the wuzetka is cut into cubes. The cake is typically decorated with a dollop of cream and a single cherry. Although the origin of the name is still murky, it is believed that the cake was named after the East-West route (Wsch&oacute;d-Zach&oacute;d), shortened to W-Z.

Wuzetka

X&ocirc;i dừa l&agrave; is a Vietnamese dessert belonging to the group of x&ocirc;i dishes that are made with a base of sticky rice. It consists of pandan-flavored steamed rice that can be combined or topped with coconut milk or coconut cream. The dish is occasionally garnished with grated coconut as well as sweetened and roasted sesame seeds. Apart from the flavor, pandan gives the rice its typical light green color.

Xôi lá dứa

Yakgwa is a deep-fried Korean dessert that is prepared with wheat flour and sesame oil. Traditionally shaped into round or floral forms, the cookies are occasionally spiced, and after frying, they are doused in a sweet, honey-infused syrup. The name yakgwa roughly translates as medicinal confectionery, allegedly because honey was once considered a health remedy. This ancient Korean dessert is believed to have originated during Later Silla era, and it was traditionally served on various festivities and special occasions.

Yakgwa

A common staple at every special occasion in Korea is a rich and sweet rice cake known as yaksik. It is made with a combination of steamed glutinous rice, honey, pine nuts, dried jujube fruit, and chestnuts. The dessert is infused with a dark brown sauce consisting of caramelized sugar, cinnamon, soy sauce, and sesame oil. The cake is then steamed until all the elements are bound and the sauce develops a more pronounced flavor. The sticky and warm yaksik is usually scooped with a spoon from the tray, and when chilled, it is easily cut into squares and can be eaten by hand.

Yaksik

One of the best known meibutsu or regional specialty products of Kyoto, yatsuhashi is a type of wagashi - traditional Japanese confections that are often served with tea and sold mainly as souvenir sweets called miyagegashi. Reflecting hundreds of years of the city&rsquo;s history and traditions, this popular Kyoto meibutsu first appeared in 1689 and was named after Kengyo Yatsuhashi, a famous Japanese harp player and composer of koto music, which is why the most traditional yatsuhashi is shaped like koto. Over time, Japanese omiyage or souvenir industry started introducing other varieties. Yaki yatsuhashi is a crispy baked, cinnamon-flavored cookie made from sticky rice flour, while its raw version called nama yatsuhashi is typically folded into a triangle and has a soft, almost mochi-like texture. It most often comes flavored with green tea or black sesame, wrapped around the sweet red bean paste, but it's also available in a number of other flavors.

Yatsuhashi

Yayma is a traditional rice pudding flavored with saffron, which gives it a beautiful color and aroma. The dish is made with rice, water, saffron, and milk. It is typically topped with pieces of butter, cinnamon, and honey. For those with a sweet tooth, sugar can also be added to the rice pudding during cooking.