A snack is a small portion of food eaten between meals. They may be simple, prepackaged items; raw fruits or vegetables; or more complicated dishes but are traditionally considered less than a full meal. This list is in alphabetical order by snack type and name.
Batter and dough-based Many cultures have food that are prepared by cooking batter or dough in various forms.
Fried snack foods
These are dishes where the batter or dough is deep fried such as fritters. Name Image Origin DescriptionAriseluIndiaA dessert made with flour, soaked rice, and molten jaggery, fried with oil, and topped with sesame or poppy seeds.Banana fritterIndia and Southeast AsiaA fritter made by deep-frying battered banana or plantain in hot oil.BadushaSouth IndiaA South Indian food similar to glazed donuts, also called balushahi. Bitterballen Netherlands A round-shaped beef-ragout version of croquette, typically containing a mixture of beef or veal (minced or chopped), beef broth, butter, flour for thickening, parsley, salt, and pepper, resulting in a thick ragout. Most recipes include nutmeg and there are also variations utilizing curry powder or that add in finely chopped vegetables such as carrot. Bonda South India Various sweet and spicy versions exist in different regions. The process of making a spicy bonda involves deep-frying potato (or other vegetables) filling dipped in gram flour batter. Burmese fritters Myanmar Traditional fritters consisting of battered and fried vegetables or seafood, typically served with a sweet and sour tamarind-based sauce. Examples are gourd buthi-kyaw and chickpea be-gyun kyaw. Churros Spain Sometimes referred to as a Spanish doughnut, it's a fried-dough pastry, predominantly choux, based snack. Churros are popular in Spain, Italy, France, the Philippines, Portugal, Central America, South America and the United States. Pictured are churros drizzled with chocolate. Cokodok Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore A traditional Malaysian fritter snack that is made with flour and banana. It is usually round in shape and varies in size. Croquette Spain A Spanish invention with worldwide popularity, a croquette is a small breadcrumbed fried food roll containing, usually as main ingredients, mashed potatoes and/or ground meat (veal, beef, chicken, or turkey), shellfish, fish, cheese, vegetables and mixed with béchamel or brown sauce, and soaked white bread, egg, onion, spices and herbs, wine, milk, beer or any of the combination thereof, sometimes with a filling, e.g. sauteed onions or mushrooms, boiled eggs (Scotch eggs). Curry puff Southeast Asia A turnover with a pastry shell that contains a filling of potatoes or sardines, onions, curry powder and spices. DoughnutBooth 1990, p. 31. Netherlands and United States A fried dough snack popular in most parts of the world. Falafel Arabian Peninsula A deep-fried ball or patty-shaped fritter of Arab origin, featuring in Middle Eastern cuisine, particularly Egyptian and Levantine cuisines, and made from broad beans, ground chickpeas, or both.Gulab JamunIndiaA dessert made with milk, cheese solids and flour. It is deep-fried and soaked in sugar water flavored with green cardamom, saffron and roses. Gulha South Asia A popular snack in Maldives.Xavier Romero-Frias, The Maldive Islanders, A Study of the Popular Culture of an Ancient Ocean Kingdom, Barcelona 1999, Ham chim peng Guangdong, China A Chinese fried bread 咸煎饼 that is similar to the doughnut in texture, its batter includes five spice powder. A variation is the Shuangbaotai. Khanom buang Thailand A type of crispy pancake sold by street vendors in Thailand.KoeksisterSouth AfricaA deep fried braided dough drenched in lemony syrup.KuzhalappamKerala, India A rice flour cannoli popular among the Christians in Kerala. It is prepared by deep frying roasted rice flour with onion, garlic, sesame seeds and cumin.MalassadaAzoresA type of doughnut, made of flattened rounds of yeasted dough, coated with sugar and cinnamon or accompanied with molasses. Popular in Hawaii and the Portuguese in the United States. The Hawaiian variations are sometimes filled with custard or a flavored cream. Onion rings United StatesSlice of onion rings dipped in batter and deep fried. Pakora India A fritter found across South AsiaParippu VadaKerala, IndiaTraditional dal frittersSopaipillaSpainA deep-fried dessert made with leavened wheat dough and shortening. Spring roll ChinaFried rolls with a typically vegetarian filling, wrapped inside a cylindrical pastry.Tele-bhaja (chop)India, Bangladesh A type of fritter made with vegetables and besan. Tempura Portugal and JapanVegetables or seafood that are fried with a batter mixed minimally in cold water and served with a grated daikon sauce. The frying method originated from Portuguese missionaries in Japan in the 16th century.Unniyappam, KuzhiyappamKerala, IndiaA traditional rice/flour based, deep-fried fritters in round shape.Uzhunnu Vada South IndiaPopular in South Indian states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka.YoutiaoChinaA kind of bread stick that is deep fried, eaten as a snack or as an accompaniment to soy milk or porridge in Asian cultures.ZeppoleItalyA deep-fried dough ball filled with custard, cream, or any kind of sweet fillings.
Grilled snack foods These are dishes where the batter or dough is grilled such as pancakes. Name Image Origin DescriptionAlle Belle Goa, IndiaThis is a delicate coconut and jaggery pancake. Apam balik Fujian, China It is a folded pancake made from a batter of flour, eggs, sugar, baking powder, coconut milk and water with a peanut filling. The texture of the shell can be made crispy or fluffy (Min Jiang Kueh or Matabak Manis) depending on the batter and type of pan used. Crêpe France A type of very thin pancake, usually made from wheat flour (crêpes de Froment) or buckwheat flour (galettes). The word is of French origin, deriving from the Latin crispa, meaning "curled". The Harajuku crepes in Japan contain various selections ranging from dessert to savory ingredients. Karantika Algeria An iconic street food that consists of a chickpea batter topped with beaten eggs and baked. It is served with harissa and cumin, either hot on bread as a sandwich, or sliced into squares. Pancakes Ancient Greece and Rome Flat, soda-leavened semi-sweet cake made with egg and flour. In the United States, pancakes are typically eaten at breakfast with syrup, fruit, and yogurt. Poffertjes Netherlands A traditional Dutch pancake-like dessert, consisting of yeast-leavened batter fried on a cast-iron skillet.Roti canai or Roti prataMalaysiaAn Indian flatbread dish, typically served with a helping of dhal curry. The dough is grilled on a hot pan and manipulated into the desired shape by the chef. Other ingredients such as egg may be added.Scallion pancakeTaiwanAn unleavened flatbread folded with oil and minced scallions. Unlike Western pancakes, it is made from dough instead of batter. It is pan-fried, which gives it crisp edges and a chewy texture. ThosaiSouth IndiaA thin pancake, made from a batter of fermented pulses and rice flour, cooked on a flat griddle. Waffle Belgium A batter-based or dough-based cake cooked in a waffle iron patterned to give a characteristic size, shape and surface impression. There are many variations based on the type of iron and recipe used, with over a dozen regional varieties in Belgium alone.
Steamed snack foods
These are dishes where the batter or dough is steamed such as rice cakes. Name Image Origin Description Ada Kerala, India A traditional Keralan delicacy, consisting of rice parcels encased in a dough made of rice flour, with sweet fillings, steamed in banana leaf and served as an evening snack or as part of breakfast. Grated coconut and rice flour are the two main ingredients. Baozi China Baozi is made from dough that is steamed, not baked. It may contain different types of fillings. If unfilled, it is often served as a staple food to side dishes.Chwee kuehSingaporePlain and simple rice cakes, topped with preserved radishes. Jajan pasar Java, Indonesia The term Jajan pasar refers to the sale of traditional Javanese cakes in Javanese markets. KhandviLusas (et al.) 2001, p. 479. Gujarat, India A collective term used for a type of snacks in Gujarati cuisine, from the Indian state of Gujarat. The batter is cooked down to a thick paste, then spread on a flat surface and rolled into small pieces. Kueh South/Southeast Asia Colorful bite sized, pudding-like snacks with a starchy texture. The kueh is made from a batter of rice or tapioca flour, glutinous rice, coconut milk and other ingredients. It can be steamed (e.g. kueh bakul), baked (e.g. kueh bahulu), deep fried (e.g. cekodok) or pan fried (e.g. apam balik). Kutsinta Philippines A rice cake made with tapioca, or rice flour, brown sugar and lye with orange coloring from annatto extract, typically topped with grated coconut. It has a jelly-like chewy texture. Mochi Japan Rice cakes made of short-grained glutinous rice, water, sugar and cornstarch. The batter is pounded into a paste and molded into shape. There are regional variations such as daifuku (Taiwan), kuih kochi (Malaysia) and muah chee (Singapore). Mushi-pan (蒸しパン) JapanMuffin-like cakes made with flour, baking powder, eggs, milk, sugar, oil and then steamed. Nian gao ChinaTranslated as "year cake", it is a sticky sweet snack, made from glutinous rice flour, brown sugar and water. It may be eaten pan fried with eggs during new year celebrations.Putu piringSingaporeSmall pillow-y round snacks made of rice flour with a filling of either grounded peanut or palm sugar with shredded coconut. Rice noodle roll China White rolls trimmed from steamed sheets of rice or tapioca flour, are seasoned with a dash of soy sauce and dressed with shallots, scallions and sesame seeds.Soon kuehChaozhou, ChinaA steamed dumpling that is filled with yam bean, bamboo shoots and small dried shrimps, wrapped in a white skin made of rice/tapioca flour.TteokbokkiSouth KoreaThese are small, cylindrical rice cakes coated in a spicy sauce.Turnip cakeChinaA snack made of various ingredients such as turnip, rice flour, dried mushroom, dried shrimp or scallop. It is made with two cooking processes: the batter containing the ingredients is wok-fried, then steamed.
Confectionery
Confectionery is related to food items that are rich in sugar and often referred to as confections. Confectionery refers to the art of creating sugar based dessert forms, or subtleties (subtlety or sotelty), often with pastillage.