Dessert

Germany

The history of Nuremberg's gingerbread is closely tied to the city's role as a crossroad of several European trade routes, a position that bestowed the city with spices from distant countries. N&uuml;rnberger Lebkuchen are typically large, round gingerbread wafers with icing that can either be chocolate-coated (schokoliert) or plain (natural). These gingerbread cookies are often decorated with almonds and candied lemon peel. N&uuml;rnberger Lebkuchen are produced by virtually all bakers in Nuremberg. They should contain at least 25% almonds, hazelnuts, or walnuts, and no more than 10% flour or starch, while the manufacturers must produce these cookies exclusively within the city limits of Nuremberg.

Nürnberger Lebkuchen

Nurungji is the South Korean version of scorched rice&mdash;a crispy and nutty layer of golden-brown rice that forms at the bottom of the pan. This simple snack is prepared with pre-cooked rice, or it can be a by-product of cooking rice. Nurungji can be enjoyed on its own, but it is often sprinkled with sugar and served as a dessert. Optionally, the crust can be topped and shortly cooked with water or tea to create sungnyung&mdash;an infusion that is served after a meal and should be enjoyed as a drink.

Nurungji

Austria

Hailing from southern Burgenland, this traditional dessert is also called Burgenl&auml;nder schnitten, which translates as Burgenland slices. It usually consists of two layers: a nut-infused dough base and a snowy-white meringue. The dough is typically made by combining butter with sugar, egg yolks, flour, and ground nuts (such as walnuts or almonds). Once baked, the nut mixture is covered with a frosting of beaten egg whites, sugar, and water before it is sent back in the oven to get a nice, golden finish. A layer of fruit jam (usually apricot or raspberry jam) is often spread over the dough before it is topped with the egg white frosting, while some versions may also include chocolate glaze, chocolate sprinkles, or coffee cream for additional flavor. There's another version of nuss schnitten that calls for ground nuts in the egg white mixture instead of being in the dough base.

Nuss Schnitten

Nutella cr&ecirc;pes is a popular variation of a sweet cr&ecirc;pe that is generously spread with Nutella, a hazelnut cocoa spread. This indulgent treat combines the soft, warm texture of a freshly made cr&ecirc;pe with the rich, creamy flavor of Nutella, making it a favorite among both children and adults. A basic cr&ecirc;pe batter made with flour, eggs, milk, a pinch of salt, and sometimes a little sugar and vanilla for added sweetness is cooked on a flat griddle or in a cr&ecirc;pe pan to create a thin pancake. Once the cr&ecirc;pe is cooked to a light golden brown and is still hot, a generous amount of Nutella is spread over one-half or the entire surface of the cr&ecirc;pe. The cr&ecirc;pe is then folded in half and often folded again to create a triangular or a fan shape, making it easier to eat. Additional toppings might be added on top of the Nutella, such as sliced strawberries, bananas, chopped nuts, whipped cream, or a sprinkle of powdered sugar for extra flavor and texture. Nutella cr&ecirc;pes can be found at street vendors, cr&ecirc;peries, and cafes worldwide, and it is especially common as a treat to be enjoyed at festivals, fairs, or as street food.

Nutella crêpes

Nutmeg ice cream is the most popular dessert in Grenada, consisting of milk, heavy cream, sugar, egg yolks, and nutmeg. The important thing to know about the preparation of this unique delicacy is that the nutmeg should be freshly grated, instead of using the powdered varieties. When the ice cream is ready for consumption, it is recommended to serve it in cups, with cinnamon sticks as garnishes.

Nutmeg ice cream

Italy

Nzuddi are traditional Italian cookies hailing from Catania and Messina. The cookies are made with a combination of flour, almonds, sugar, egg whites, cinnamon, ammonia, orange zest, and a bit of lemon juice. They are spherical-shaped and slightly flattened, and when baked they develop a deep golden color. Traditionally, nzuddi were prepared on June 3 for the feast of Madonna della Lettera in the Monastero di San Vincenzo. The name is derived from the nickname for Vincenzo (Vincinzuddu or 'nzuddu) in the Sicilian dialect. It's recommended to serve nzuddi with a glass of dessert wine or a cup of espresso.

Nzuddi

This versatile American cookie usually consists of rolled oats, sugar, eggs, butter, and spices. Often, the recipes will also include raisins. It is believed that oatmeal cookies developed from Scottish oat-based cakes. However, it is mostly assumed that they originated in the United States. While most claim that Fannie Merritt Farmer&mdash;the author of Boston Cooking-School Cook Book&mdash;was the first to publish the recipe for oatmeal cookies, it is more likely that the dessert was made and published before her recipe, which dates from 1896. Raisins were added later, and they became a standard addition after the raisins-based recipe was included on each package of Quaker Oats.

Oatmeal Cookies

Obleas are thin Colombian wafers characterized by their round shape and a slightly brown color. They&rsquo;re customarily spread with arequipe caramel and other toppings such as fruit jams, grated cheese, or chocolate sprinkles. The shredded cheese is usually added for texture as it doesn't have an overpowering flavor. Obleas are also popular in Venezuela, El Salvador, and Mexico, among other countries. Some people claim that the first obleas were made around Floridablanca in Santander, where the first oblea factory was set up in the 1940s. Depending on regional preferences, the wafers can be served sandwiched with fillings such as condensed milk or Chantilly cream. They are usually bought at street stands packed with stacks of wafers and numerous jars that hold various toppings.

Obleas

Obuolių sūris is a traditional dessert of dried, stewed apples mixed with sugar. The name translates to apple cheese because one step in the preparation says to pour stewed apples into a cheesecloth, resulting in the final product resembling cheese in its shape and consistency. It is believed obuolių sūris originated in Lithuania sometime in the Middle Ages. The first written recipe can be traced to the 17th century and a cook for the Lithuanian noble house of Radvila. It was initially made with apples and honey, but honey was later replaced with sugar. The recipe calls for sliced raw apples (sour apples are preferred, Antonovka being the most popular variety), which are cooked with sugar until most of the liquid evaporates. At this stage, spices such as cinnamon and ginger can be added to enrich the taste. The mixture is then poured into a cheesecloth, drained, and pressed under a weight for a day. After that, obuolių sūris is traditionally hung to dry for up to six weeks, but some modern recipes suggest putting it into a warm oven to dry and harden. The final product is cut into sweet, chewy slices, which are best enjoyed as a snack or dessert, with some tea or (real) Lithuanian cheese.

Obuolių sūris

Occhi di Santa Lucia are traditional Italian cookies hailing from Puglia. They're prepared in honor of St. Lucy on December 13 as a small, sweet version of the famous taralli. The cookies are made with a combination of flour, white wine, and olive oil. The dough is cut into strips, then connected into rings and baked. The cookies are then coated with the icing made from water, lemon juice, and confectioners' sugar.

Occhi di Santa Lucia

This traditional Italian treat (that is quite similar to the Austrian linzer augen) consists of two classic shortbread butter cookies sandwiched with a delicious fruit jam filling&mdash;typically either apricot, strawberry, or cherry jam. After baking, the cookies are dusted with icing sugar which makes the red filling pop, indeed resembling an occhio di bue, or "bull's eye" in Italian. These cookie sandwiches have become ubiquitous in Italy and can be found in virtually any pastry shop, although they are most prevalent in northern parts of the country. However, modern recipes often include almond meal, while the jam is sometimes substituted with chocolate or Nutella.

Occhio di bue

Odading is a traditional snack originating from Indonesia. It's usually made with a combination of flour, yeast, eggs, salt, and sugar. Once prepared, the dough is left to rise until it's doubled in size, and pieces of the dough are then fried in hot oil until golden brown. If desired, odading can be sprinkled with sesame seeds on top. This snack sould be tender on the inside and crunchy on the outside if properly prepared. It can be found in school cafeterias or bought from street vendors.

Odading

Offelle di Parona are traditional Italian cookies hailing from Pavia in lombardy. The cookies are made with a combination of wheat flour, eggs, olive oil, and sugar. There's also a version of these cookies with added cocoa, but the original was first created in the 1800s. The cookies are traditionally oval-shaped with pointed tips, and it's recommended to serve them with cappucino, tea, or hot chocolate, but they can also be dipped into a glass of sweet wine as a sweet snack. Interestingly, a festival dedicated to offelle di Parona takes place annually in Parona on the first Sunday in October.

Ofelle di Parona

This traditional bread pudding comes from Swabia and is made with pieces of stale bread and apples, drenched in a custard-like mixture of milk, sugar, eggs, butter, cinnamon, and vanilla sugar. Everything is combined into a greased baking dish and baked until nicely colored and slightly crispy on top. Ofenschlupfer is often enhanced with raisins and flaked almonds, and it is usually finished with icing sugar after baking. In Swabia, this simple dessert is typically savored warm with vanilla sauce and fresh cream on the side, but it also pairs well with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Ofenschlupfer

North Macedonia

This layered North Macedonian cake is a luscious combination of walnut sponges and a sweet egg yolk filling. Both the sponges and the filling can be enriched with a special walnut caramel (grilija&scaron;), which is chilled and then ground into a fine powder, while some varieties also include melted chocolate or crushed walnuts. The cake is a local specialty of the entire Ohrid region, and it is usually glazed with chocolate and decorated with whipped cream.

Ohridska torta

Japan

Kaminari-okoshi, often called merely okoshi, is a popular Japanese confectionery, similar to rice crispy treats. The main ingredient in okoshi is expanded rice, created by roasting rice grains until they pop. A mix of sugar and butter or corn syrup is used to hold the rice together, and after the additional ingredients have been added, the mixture is formed or pressed in trays, left to dry, then cut into square shapes. This crispy Japanese treat first appeared during the mid-Edo period in Japan and was primarily sold by street vendors in the vicinity of Buddhist temples in Asakusa, one of the districts in Tokyo. Originally, peanuts were added to enrich okoshi, but modern versions also include other nuts, dried fruit, chocolate, or sesame seeds, along with other exotic and interesting flavors such as matcha green tea or caramel. Most okoshi is nowadays factory-produced, created in an array of unusual flavor and color combinations, and sold in decorative, colorful boxes. In the Asakusa area, there are still traditional street vendors who prepare this brittle snack and demonstrate the entire procedure. Okoshi is still the most famous souvenir of the Asakusa area.

Okoshi

Oliebol is a traditional and Belgian snack that can be literally translated as oily ball. The dough, which is deep-fried in hot oil, is made with flour, eggs, yeast, milk, and baking powder. The exterior is crunchy, while the interior is chewy and soft, just like a true representative of comfort food at its best. Traditionally, the fritters are sprinkled with powdered sugar, while some varieties are filled with raisins or currants that were previously incorporated into the dough. Oliebollen are often prepared and consumed at numerous fairs, and they are especially popular during the Christmas and New Year period. In winter, these oily snacks can be bought at street stands throughout the Netherlands and Belgium. It is believed that oliebollen were first consumed by Germanic tribes during the Yule. The earliest recipe can be found in the 1667 book De verstandige kock, and in 1868 the word oliebol was added to Van Dale's Dutch dictionary. It is recommended to serve oliebollen with a hot cup of coffee and top them with powdered sugar before eating.

Oliebol

Croatia

The name of this old shepherd&rsquo;s dish comes from olita - a dialect word for animal stomach and intestines, which gives a hint regarding the method of preparation. Olito is made by mashing together sheep suet, flour, dried figs, and raisins. The mixture is flavored with cinnamon, orange and lemon zest, and it is then stuffed into a sheep stomach and boiled for a couple of hours. When cooked, olito is sliced and pan-seared in olive oil. The slices are typically served dusted with icing sugar and sprinkled with fresh sage. This humble dessert is mainly associated with the town of Orlec, although nowadays it can be found across the island due to its long sheep-farming tradition.

Olito

Vietnam

O mai is a traditional snack and a specialty of Hanoi. The term refers to preserved sugared or salted fruits such as apricot, dracontomelon (sau), peach, plum, tamarind, pineapple, mango, star fruit, and kumquat. The fruits are first checked to ensure that they are of the same size and without bruises. They're then thoroughly cleaned and pricked so that they can absorb sugar more easily. The sugar is mixed with salt, water, often ginger and chili, and a bit of lime juice, which keeps the fruit's natural color in check. The fruits are cooked, fermented, and finally dried before they're sold, usually all along the Hang Duong Street in Hanoi. O mai is especially popular as a snack during Tet (Vietnamese New Year). It's recommended to serve these fruits with a cup of lotus tea on the side.

Ô mai

Omani halwa is a gelatinous and sticky sweet that is commonly served at weddings, birthdays, festivities, and during the holy week of Ramadan. The ingredients vary from one halwa-maker to another, but the base is usually made with water, sugar, ghee butter, and cornflour. Halwas can be flavored with anything from rosewater and saffron to dried fruits and nuts. Aromatic and extremely flavorful, Omani halwa is traditionally served with kahwa (coffee).