Lists of foods named after places have been compiled by writers, sometimes on travel websites or food-oriented websites, as well as in books.
Since all of these names are words derived from place names, they are all toponyms. This article covers English language food toponyms which may have originated in English or other languages.
According to Delish.com, "[T]here's a rich history of naming foods after cities, towns, countries, and even the moon."Web page titled "On the Map: Why Some Foods Are Named After Places", retrieved August 30, 2011
The following foods and drinks were named after places. Each non-obvious etymology is supported by a reference on the linked Wikipedia page. Food names are listed by country of the origin of the word, not necessarily where the food originated or was thought to have originated. Some foods are certified to originate in that region with a protected designation of origin (PDO).
Africa
African eggplant African pepper Bourbon vanilla — Île Bourbon, now the island of Réunion Canarian wrinkly potatoes — Canary Islands Egyptian onion — Egypt Gabon nut — Gabon Guinea grains or Guinea peppers — the Guinea region of the African West coast Guineafowl — the Guinea region Galinha à africana — "African-style chicken" Madagascar vanilla — Madagascar Moroccan citron — Morocco Muscat of Alexandria — the city of Alexandria, Egypt Niger seed — the Niger River Sauce Africaine — "African sauce" Tunisian tajine — Tunisia Tangerine (and therefore Tangelo and Tangor) — the city of Tangier, Morocco Tunis cake — British cake named after the city of Tunis, Tunisia
Ethiopia Abyssinian tea (khat) — Abyssinia, the former name of Ethiopia Ethiopian banana Ethiopian cardamom Ethiopian eggplant Ethiopian mustard Ethiopian pepper
Asia Asian pear
East Asia Mongolian barbecue— Mongolia, though originating from the Taiwanese cuisine Mongolian beef — named after Mongolian barbecue
Taiwan
Taiwanese fried chicken — Taiwan Taiwan tangerine
China
Chinese steamed eggs Cantonese seafood soup — Canton province, now spelled Guangdong Sichuan pepper — Sichuan province Fruits and vegetables Amur grape — the Amur River Chinese artichoke Chinese gooseberry (the original name of kiwifruit) Chinese mustard Chinese parsley — better known as coriander or cilantro Chinese pear and Chinese white pear Gobi manchurian — Indian fried cauliflower dish named after the Manchuria region Hainan yellow lantern chili — the island province of Hainan
Meat products and dishes
Anfu ham — Anfu County, Jiangxi Chinese chicken salad Dezhou braised chicken — the city of Dezhou, Shandong Dong'an chicken — Dong'an County, Hunan Fujian red wine chicken — Fujian province Hainanese chicken rice — Hainan province Jinhua ham — the city of Jinhua, Zhejiang Lanzhou beef lamian — the city of Lanzhou, Gansu Nanjing Salted Duck — the city of Nanjing, Jiangsu Peking duck — the city of Beijing Peking pork — mistakenly after the city of Beijing Wenchang chicken — the city of Wenchang, Hainan Wuhan duck — the city of Wuhan, Hubei Wuxi Fried Spare Ribs — the city of Wuxi, Jiangsu Staple food
Chinese dumplings Chinese pancake Chinese sticky rice Chinkiang pot cover noodles — the city of Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Danyang barley porridge — the city of Danyang, Jiangsu Hainanese curry rice — Hainan province Hokkien fried rice and Hokkien mee — Fujian province, formerly romanized as Hokkien Shanghai fried noodles and Shanghai-style noodles — the city of Shanghai Yangzhou fried rice — the city of Yangzhou, Jiangsu
Japan
Chikuzenni — chicken dish named after the historical Chikuzen Province, Kyushu Japanese curry Japanese rice Kobe beef — the city of Kobe, Kansai region Matsusaka beef — the city of Matsusaka, Mie, Kansai region Okinawa soba — noodle soup from the Okinawa Islands Yonezawa beef — the city of Yonezawa, Yamagata, Tōhoku region Fruits
Fuji apple — the town of Fujisaki, Aomori, northern Honshu Hyuganatsu — citrus named after the historical province of Hyūga Iyokan — citrus named after the historical province of Iyo Kiyomi — citrus named after the Kiyomi-gata lagoon in Shizuoka City Koshu grape — the city of Kōshū, Yamanashi Mutsu apple — Mutsu Province, northern Honshu Satsuma mandarin — the historical province of Satsuma Yubari King — melon named after the city of Yūbari, Hokkaido
Korea
Korean barbecue Korean black goat stew Korean fried chicken Korean melon Korean tacos — Korean-Mexican fusion dish originated in Los Angeles Andong jjimdak — chicken dish named after the city of Andong, South Korea Cheongyang chili pepper — Cheongyang County, South Korea Chuncheon dakgalbi — stir-fried chicken from the city of Chuncheon, South Korea Chuncheon makguksu — buckwheat noodles dish from Chuncheon Gyeongju bread — the city of Gyeongju, South Korea Hamhung naengmyeon — noodles dish from the city of Hamhung, North Korea Hansik ganjang — "Korean-style soy sauce" Hwangnam bread — from the province of Hwangnam-dong, South Korea Jeonju bibimbap — rice dish from the city of Jeonju, South Korea Pyongyang naengmyeon — noodle dish from the city of Pyongyang, North Korea
South Asia
Afghan biscuits — New Zealand cookie named after Afghanistan Afghan salad — Afghanistan Bhutanese red rice — Bhutan Ceylon (curry) — Sri Lanka Ceylon cinnamon — Sri Lanka Chicken Lahori — the city of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan Nepal cardamom — Nepal Rangpur — citrus fruit named after Rangpur City, Bangladesh Sindhi biryani — mixed rice dish named after Sindh province, Pakistan Sindhi pulao — rice pilaf named after Sindh province
India
Amritsari Kulcha - the city Amritsar of Punjab Allahabadi cake — the city of Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, north India Bandel cheese — the city of Bandel, West Bengal Bombay duck — fish dish named after the city of Bombay Chicken Chettinad — the region of Chettinad, Tamil Nadu Hyderabadi Biryani — the city Hyderabad and erstwhile Hyderabad State Hyderabadi Haleem — the city Hyderabad and erstwhile Hyderabad State Hyderabadi Marag — the city Hyderabad and erstwhile Hyderabad State Indian omelette Kakinada Kaja - the city Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh Kalimpong cheese — the hill station of Kalimpong, West Bengal Madras curry sauce — the city of Madras (now Chennai), Tamil Nadu Malabar matthi curry — the Malabar Coast, southeast India Mangalore Buns - banana and yogurt fried bread from Mangalore Mangalorean Bangude Masala — fish dish named after the city of Mangalore, Karnataka Mangalorean Chicken Sukka — the city of Mangalore, Karnataka Mysore pak — the city of Mysore, Karnataka Narsobawadi Basundi — dessert from the town of Narsobawadi, Maharashtra Tirunelveli Halva — the city of Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu Thoothukudi or Tuticorin macaroon — the city of Thoothukudi (formerly Tuticorin), Tamil Nadu Fruits and vegetables
Bangalore Blue — grape grown in districts around Bangalore city, Karnataka Bikaneri bhujia — bean-based snack food from the town of Bikaner, Rajasthan Devanahalli pomelo — the town of Devanahalli, Karnataka Mahabaleshwar strawberry — the city of Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra Malabar spinach — the Malabar Coast Naga Morich, Dorset Naga and Naga Viper peppers — Nagaland state Nagpur orange — the city of Nagpur, Maharashtra Nashik grape — Nashik district, Maharashtra Tamarind — "date of India" in Arabic Tasgaon grapes — the city of Tasgaon, Maharashtra Udupi Mattu Gulla — eggplant from the village of Matti, Udupi, Karnataka Staple food
Bhalia wheat — the Bhal region of Gujarat Bombay potatoes and Bombay toast — the city of Mumbai Hyderabadi biryani — rice dish from the city of Hyderabad, Telangana Indori Poha — rice dish from the city of Indore, Madhya Pradesh Kerala porotta — flatbread from Kerala state Palakkadan Matta rice — the district of Palakkad, Kerala Patna rice — the city of Patna, Bihar Thalassery biryani — rice dish from the town of Thalassery, Kerala
Southeast Asia
Burmese tofu — Burma Crab Rangoon — the city of Rangoon, formally Yangon, Burma Katong Laksa — noodle soup named after the Katong precinct, Singapore Lao sausage — Laos Maldives fish — the island country of Maldives Singapore chow mein — Cantonese fried noodle dish named after the city-state of Singapore Singapore-style noodles — Singapore
Indonesia
Ayam taliwang — chicken dish named after the town of Karang Taliwang, near Mataram, Lombok Bakpia Pathok — sweet rolls from the Pathok suburb of Yogyakarta, Java Batavia cassia (or Indonesian cinnamon) — the city of Batavia, Dutch East Indies, now Jakarta Bika Ambon — cake first sold at Ambon Street, Medan, north Sumatra. The street may have been named after Ambon Island, Moluccas Garut orange — Garut Regency, West Java Mie aceh — noodle dish from the region of Aceh, Sumatra Nasi Kapau — rice dish from the town of Nagari Kapau, near Bukittinggi, West Sumatra Nasi Padang — rice banquet from the city of Padang, West Sumatra Padang cassia (Indonesian cinnamon) — the city of Padang, West Sumatra Padang crab — the city of Padang, West Sumatra Sambal cibiuk — hot sauce from Cibiuk district, Garut Regency, West Java Sate Bandeng — Banten province, Java Sate Padang — the city of Padang, West Sumatra
Malaysia Malay rose apple or pommerac (<"pomme Malac") Mee bandung Muar — the town of Muar, Johor Sarawak layer cake or 'Kek Lapis Sarawak — the state of Sarawak, northern Borneo Sarawak Noodles Penang Laksa Malacca Chicken Rice Balls Ipoh Taugeh Chicken Rice Johor Mee Rubus
Philippines Bicol express — the Bicol Region, Philippines Pancit Malabon — the city of Malabon, Metro Manila Pastel de Camiguín — the island province of Camiguin Sagada orange — the town of Sagada, Luzon
Thailand
Mee siam — Malaysian noodle dish named after Siam (Thailand) Nasi goreng pattaya — Malaysian dish named after the Thai city of Pattaya, Chonburi Pad Thai — "fried Thai style" Sriracha sauce — the city of Si Racha, Chonburi Province Thai basil Thai crepes Thai eggplant Thai fried rice Thai ginger
Vietnam
Bánh cuốn Thanh Trì — rice noodle roll from the Thanh Trì District of Hanoi Bún bò Huế — soup from the city of Huế Champa rice — the historical region of Champa Mì Quảng — Quảng Nam Saigon cinnamon — the city of Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh City Trảng Bàng dew-wetted rice paper — the Trảng Bàng District Vietnamese coriander Vietnamese eggplant
West Asia
Azerbaijani pakhlava — a pastry from Azerbaijan Aleppo pepper — the city of Aleppo, Syria Nabulsi cheese — the city of Nablus, Palestine Damson or damson plum — the city of Damascus, Syria Phoenicia dessert — the ancient region of Phoenicia headquartered in present day Lebanon
Armenia
Armenian apple— the most common apricot, named "Prunus armeniaca" Armenian cracker bread or "Armenian lavash" Armenian cucumber Armenian pizza Armenian plum — "Prunus armeniaca" Armenian string cheese
Iran
Iranian pizza Khorasan wheat — the historical region of Khorasan Lighvan cheese — the village of Liqvan Peach — via Latin Persica — Persia Persian and Persian bun — Canadian and American sweet breads named after Iran Persian cumin Persian lime Persian melon Təbriz meatballs — the city of Tabriz, Iranian Azerbaijan
Palestine Jaffa orange — the city of Jaffa now in Israel (Jaffa Cakes and Jaffas are named after the Jaffa orange) Palestinian sweet lime — the historical Palestine region
Turkey
Turkey fowl (despite not being from Turkey—see Turkey (bird)#Names) Gemlik olive — the town of Gemlik, Bursa Province Harput meatballs — the historic city of Harput, now Elazığ, Eastern Anatolia İnegöl meatballs — the city of İnegöl, Marmara region Smyrna meatballs — the ancient city of Smyrna, Aegean Region Tire meatballs — the district of Tire, İzmir, Aegean Region Turkish delight Van köfte — meatballs from the city of Van, Eastern Anatolia