15 Sweets From Around The World You Must Try At Least Once, According To A Dessert Fanatic

Here's your sugar-filled bucket list.

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Hi! I'm Evie, and I'm a sugar fanatic. When I travel, I plan my day around food — but as a vegetarian, things can get tricky. That's where sweets come in.

Shane Carrick

I’ve missed out on Japanese gyoza, Argentina’s meat-heavy asado, and currywurst in Germany. To make up for it, I’ll search out a country’s best sugar-laden goods and try them all — quite literally.

I've been lucky enough to sample desserts in almost 50 countries, and these are the ones I can't get out of my mind.

1. Botchan dango — Japan

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Served on a stick, these pastel-colored balls are made from mochiko — a glutinous rice flour. They’re perfectly chewy and lightly flavored and colored using adzuki bean paste, egg, and matcha.

2. Hot chocolate — Italy

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Forget about watered-down American hot chocolate, Italy's version — cioccolata calda — has a thick, pudding-like consistency. The good stuff is made using whole milk, real melted dark chocolate, and sugar, of course. Top it with a dollop of panna (cream).

3. Coconut sorbet — Martinique

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This obscure French-Caribbean island has come up with the perfect coconut sorbet. Made with real coconut meat, grated lime zest, and cinnamon — you’ll find the best goods from beach vendors on Grande Anse des Salines.

4. Pastel de Nata — Portugal

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These mini custard tarts are not only cute, they're delicious. Like really, really delicious. It’s a thick, cinnamon-dusted egg custard cooked in a crisp cup of pastry. Just try limiting yourself to one.

5. Mango sticky rice — Thailand

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Sticky rice is amazing on its own, but it’s even better after being doused in sugary coconut milk and topped with fresh mango and toasted sesame seeds.

6. Tarte au Citron — France

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Purists swear by France’s apple tarts, but I can’t get enough of the lemon variety. The buttery crust tampers the kick of the lemon, and most are topped with fresh berries and perfected with an eye-enticing glaze.

7. Lassi — India

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A yogurt drink might not sound appetizing on a hot day, but in India, drinking a cold lassi is exactly what the locals do to combat the heat. It's a thick liquid (like kefir or a smoothie) that’s made from yogurt, spices, and sometimes fruit. It’s served by street vendors in clay terracotta pots, which you can destroy when you’re done — don’t worry, the cups are unglazed and dissolve into the earth.

8. Waffles — Belgium

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In Belgium, you buy waffles on the street, eat them with your hands, and should enjoy them plain — yep, that means no syrup. Here, the waffle batter includes pearl sugar which caramelizes to form big bites of crisp, browned sugar. It’s amazing.

9. Kardemummabullar — Sweden

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Cardamom is spice that isn’t often used in American cooking, but it’s the star ingredient in Sweden’s kardemummabullar, or cardamom buns. These delicious cinnamon-roll like buns pair perfectly with coffee and are best served warm.

10. Sticky toffee pudding — England

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You’ll actually need to save room for dessert when trying this moist sponge cake that’s covered in a toffee sauce and topped with vanilla custard (or vanilla ice cream). It may be a lot of sugar, but you'll also get a serving of fruit thanks to the recipe's heavy date component.

11. Alfajores — Argentina

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Two pieces of crumbly shortbread are glued together by a thick layer of dulce de leche — a caramel-like liquid made from sweetened milk — and topped with powdered sugar or coconut flakes. You can find alfajores variations around Central and South America (and Spain!), but the ones in Argentina are hard to beat.

12. Halvah — Israel

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People in India, North Africa, the Balkans, and the Middle East all have their own definition of halvah, but my obsession is the variation found in Israel. There, the flaky, dense, off-white blocks of halvah are made from honey, tahini, and nuts. Or you can try one of the many more inventive variations, such as halvah blended with peanut butter, cookies, or fruit.

13. Basbousa — Jordan

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Also known as hareesh, this Middle Eastern treat is a little less rich than some of its honey-soaked counterparts. It’s basically a little cornbread-like cake that’s made using semolina — the main ingredient of couscous — and coconut. It’s often sweetened with rose water syrup and topped with crumbled pistachios.

14. Trdelník — Czech Republic

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It’s practically impossible to leave the country's capital without seeing trdelník — a spiral of dough that’s topped with sugar and a walnut mix. You’ll find street vendors around Prague selling these warm sugary treats (primarily to tourists), and you can watch them make yours — they wrap the dough around a stick and toast it to crispy perfection over hot coals.

15. Num Kom — Cambodia

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In Cambodia, keep an eye out for street vendors selling triangle-shaped, banana-leaf wrapped treats. Inside the wrap, you’ll find a dessert that doubles as a semi-healthy snack. Num kom is a dough-triangle (or ball) that’s filled with sugar, coconut, and roasted sesame seeds. You can easily eat three in one day.

What's your favorite dessert from around the world? Let us know in the comments!

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