Food is the bridge that connects us to the world. From local dishes to international flavors, there’s always something new you can try!
This article will tackle popular foods that start with the letter D to make your tastebuds curious and crave more.
The List: 41 Foods that Start with D
1. Dahi Vada
Dahi vada is an Indian dish popular throughout South Asia. The snack involves soaking fried flour balls (vada) in thick yogurt (dahi). A spicy vada is deep-fried until golden brown and crispy on top. These snacks are topped with coriander, mint leaves, chaat masala, boondi, fine fresh ginger, or pomegranate.
2. Daikon
Locally known as mooli, daikon is a common kind of winter radish that is mildly flavored. This oriental radish is served in numerous Asian countries like Japan and eaten with stir-fried vegetables, stew, or soup. When eaten raw, daikon tastes sweet with a hint of spiciness. But, unlike the red radish, it has a milder taste.
3. Daing
An everyday staple in several Philippine households, the daing is a type of dried fish that is split. This fish is salted liberally after cleaning and air-dried. Typically, daing is consumed as a breakfast meal with champorado (chocolate rice gruel) and coffee.
These are usually fried and served with vinegar to balance out their saltiness. However, you can also wrap the daing in foil and bake it in the oven. Daing na Bangus (milkfish) is a typical Filipino all-day breakfast meal served in several restaurants and small diners. It is filled with garlic fried rice, eggs, and a dip composed of spicy vinegar or cut tomatoes with vinegar.
4. Dak Bulgogi
The dak bulgogi is a Korean barbecue chicken notable for its sweet and savory taste. You’ll often find this dish in local restaurants and drinking pubs.
Dak bulgogi is usually mixed with rice and kimchi. But for the health-conscious, using a lettuce wrap is a good alternative. Give it an extra zing by adding cucumbers, bean paste, carrots, and hot peppers before wrapping the lettuce leaf and eating it.
5. Dak Juk
Also known as juk, dak juk is similar to porridge and is a staple in the Korean diet. It is made using slow-boiled rice and other ingredients like chicken, meat, chopped carrots, mushrooms, celery, garlic chives, or green cabbage.
Many Koreans eat dak juk as breakfast or a light snack, and it’s usually prepared during the winter season in many households. You can also experiment with other variations like red bean, pumpkin, abalone, and pine nuts.
6. Dakos
Dakos is a traditional Cretan meze perfect for any occasion. It is made with soaked dried bread or barley rusk, chopped tomatoes, crumbled feta, or mizithra cheese and flavored with herbs like dried oregano, olives, and pepper.
This dish is hearty and filling but can also be light and refreshing. It is an ideal summer meal. Whether you’re entertaining guests or simply looking for a new and exciting recipe to try, dakos is sure to please.
7. Dalcha
Dalcha is an everyday staple in most Indian restaurants. It is made of lentils (chana dal or tur dal) cooked into a stew. This dish is paired with Biryani, a mixed rice dish with vegetables, eggs, meat, and potatoes. Preparing dalcha is easy and quick, needing around 10 minutes to finish.
Mutton dalcha is a lunchtime dish, often served with Bagara Khana (spiced mixed rice) in restaurants. You may also encounter other types of meat used in this dish, such as veggies (veg dalcha) and chicken. It tastes tangy because of tamarind pulp added to the mix.
8. Damson
Damson is a kind of fruit originally from Europe. At first glance, damson may look like a regular plum. But unlike plums, damsons have a robust and spicy tart flavor and are best eaten when cooked or jammed.
The many health benefits of Damson include better digestion, reduction of bad cholesterol (LDL), protection against heart ailments, and immune system boost.
9. Dandelion
Dandelion is a flowering plant native to Europe and found throughout temperate regions of America.
Dandelions also have antioxidant properties and are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and fibers. They are used in salads or even boiled, and their flavor is enhanced with garlic. Its flowers give a beautiful color when added to salads but its leaves taste a bit bitter. Roots of dandelions are roasted to make tea from them, similar to coffee in taste.
10. Danish Pastry
Danish pastry was made in Denmark by Austrian bakers in the 1840s. It is called Vienna bread or Dansk Wienerbrod in Danish.
Danish is a leavened, sweet multilayered pastry loaded with butter. Other ingredients include flour, milk, and eggs. It is eaten as a sweet breakfast or dessert. The outside pastry is flaky, soft on the inside, and traditionally filled with cheese, jam, nuts, or fresh fruits.
11. Dapanji
In Xinjiang, China, Dapanji is a commonly served dish beloved by locals and tourists. This savory dish is made with chicken, potatoes, chili peppers, Sichuan peppers, onion, garlic, and ginger. Other cooks may add soy sauce or beer to give this dish extra flavor.
Using bite-sized chicken meat, Dapanji is sauteed with other spices until simmering to a broth. Dapanji’s savory and spicy taste makes it an ideal meal with rice or Laghman, locally made hand-stretched noodles. Some may also serve Dapanji with nan, a staple bread in Xinjiang usually roasted or baked.
12. Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate is also known as bitter chocolate or unsweetened chocolate and comes from the cacao plant. It was made around 1900 BC in Central and South America when Mayans used it as a drink in ceremonies.
Dark chocolate is free from milk and butter found in regular milk chocolate. It is full of minerals, such as iron, magnesium, and zinc. It is widely used as a confectionery, baking ingredient, or made into a hot chocolate drink with milk.
13. Darwin’s Barberry
Also known as the Berberis Darwini, this is a native fruit species in southern Chile and Argentina. It is a thorny evergreen shrub and grows up to 4 m in height. It is often eaten raw, cooked, or preserved. Darwin’s Barberry is acidic but pleasant to the taste buds, often eaten by children.
It’s used in numerous rice dishes and couscous, and some may also be added to chicken salads for extra flavor. Dried barberries may also be seen in several Indian delicacies, and Barberry extract is a common flavoring in several drinks and candies in Russia.
14. Dates
Commonly known as date or date palm, this fruit comes from the palm family of Arecaceae. Dates are highly nutritious and packed with antioxidants and fiber, often added to meals for those who want to lose weight.
Dates are also good alternatives to sugar because of their naturally sweet taste. Dried dates are often added to fruit or vegetable salads as toppings to give it extra flavor. You can also add dates in your Greek yogurt as a healthy alternative for your ice cream or pastries.
15. Dead Man’s Fingers
Dead man’s fingers is not to be confused with the life-like finger food you eat at Halloween. The dead man’s finger is a dark, finger-like fungus with a charcoal-like texture found in mainland Europe and many parts of North America. It is actually a fungus found on rotting trees or dead wood and is eaten by the indigenous people of Sikkim, the Lepcha.
In traditional Ayurvedic medicine, this fungus is used in a powdered form, mixed with sugar to promote lactation after childbirth.
16. Dendeng
This is a famous Indonesian cuisine compared to jerky. The dendeng originated from the Minangkabau people, where beef is dried and preserved, and it is then used as an immediate food source as they travel to various places.
Today, dendeng is a mixture of thin dried beef slices, sugar, and spices, that is air-dried under the sun or placed in an oven. The dendeng balado or dendeng batokko is a celebrated dendeng variation made in Padang cuisine in West Sumatra. The dendeng sapi in Indonesia is made of beef added with caramelized coconut sugar.
17. Devilled Eggs
The devilled egg is a favorite American dish of hard-boiled eggs cut in half and stuffed with yolk mixed with mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper. It is a flexible dish you can serve cold as an appetizer or add to the main course. Each serving of devilled egg is composed of vitamins B complex and folate.
Traditionally, devilled eggs are best served with biscuits. So, if you need a quick appetizer for a dinner gathering, you can quickly whip up some devilled eggs for your guests before serving dinner.
18. Dhal
Also known as dal or daal, dhal is made up of dried and split pulses commonly found in soups in Indian cuisine. Like posole (or pozole), dhal is served as a dish or an ingredient for a stew or soup. This dried lentil or split pea tastes earthy and nutty, similar to those in whole-cooked chickpeas.
Dhal has essential nutrients like Vitamin C, K, B complex, E, magnesium, phosphorus, and manganese.
If you are looking for a tasty vegetarian dish, then Dhal is the meal for you. If you’re looking to lose weight without sacrificing taste, get yourself a hefty Dhal serving to keep hunger pangs at bay.
19. Dhansak
This is a popular dish in India within the Parsi Zoroastrian community. Combining the cuisines of Persian and Gujarati, Dhansak uses mutton or goat meat, lentils, vegetables, and spices, usually served with some brown rice, other herbs, or caramelized onions.
As the red lentils cook, they become softened to the point that it’s easily crushed, giving Dhansak its creamy soup texture. It has a mild curry flavor, tomatoes, and a hint of pineapple.
20. Dill
Dill is an herb from the celery family. It is grown in the Eurasia Region and tastes just like grass. Its leaves are called dill weed herb, and it is used as a spice often paired with potatoes, salmon, and yogurt-based sauces.
In addition to its many culinary uses, it is also used as a medicine for curing digestive ailments because of its nutritional and health benefits.
21. Dim Sum
Dim sum is a popular dish commonly served in local Chinese restaurants, and it is often eaten as a meal or a snack with tea. Dim sum is made with meat such as seafood, vegetables, chicken, beef, or pork meat. Stuffed with meat and vegetables, dim sum is then baked, fried, or steamed and added to noodle soups or rice.
The various types of dim sum include char siu (barbecue) pork buns, glutinous rice dumplings, or beef noodle rolls. In a traditional Chinese restaurant, steam carts are filled with dim sum ready to serve customers.
22. Dinuguan
Dinuguan is a Filipino favorite made of pork offal or meat simmered to its signature dark and creamy gravy of pork blood. Best known internationally as pork stew, dinuguan is a savory meal with a hint of sourness. There are different variations in colors ranging from light brown to dark brown.
It’s not heavily salted, so anyone feeling adventurous and looking to try local Philippine cuisines should give this meal a try. Dinuguan is best paired with rice or locally-made rice cakes called puto.
23. Divinity
Divinity is a sugar confection made with egg whites, sugar, and corn syrup, flavored with vanilla extract. Pecan nuts or walnuts are usually also added to it. It has roots in Turkish delight and European treats from the 17th and 18th centuries and is considered a holiday and traditional Christmas treat.
24. Doberge Cake
Doberge cake is a classic dessert made for special occasions in New Orleans, Louisiana. Adapting the Hungarian-Austrian Dobos cake, doberge cake has many thin layers of cake and dessert pudding. You will see these served for special occasions like birthdays and other celebrations where one half is chocolate pudding and the other half is lemon pudding. Then the cake is layered with buttercream to give it its distinct creamy texture.
Some bakers use glaze, fondant shell, or rich frosting like chocolate around the cake’s outer layer. Most doberge cakes have six layers with flavors like caramel, chocolate, or lemon.
25. Dogfish
Belonging to the family of sharks, the dogfish is slender in shape and has a pointed snout.
The British use dogfish to make fish and chips, while the French use it in stews and soups. It is a source of selenium, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12. Its meat has a sweet and mild flavor and flaky yet firm texture.
26. Dojo Nabe
This is a Japanese hotpot dish using pond loaches, a type of freshwater fish. Cooks soak them in sake and then dunk them live into the pots. Yes, it is not for the faint-hearted.
Many find dojo nabe visually unappealing because of the loaches’ appearance. However, it has a distinct and pleasant taste once cooked. This Japanese loach stew is often added with onions and eaten with sansyo, a Japanese spice. You can also use warishita to add more flavor to the stew to give it its salty-sweet taste.
27. Dolichos Bean
Commonly known as the Hyacinth bean, the Dolichos bean originated from Africa. It is high in protein, calcium, iron, folate, and other vitamins. These are grown as green pods, and fresh beans are often used as part of the Dal.
Dolichos beans are a type of legume that are cooked like green beans. They have a more robust flavor, and the purple color disappears once cooked. The leaves and flowers are also edible and can be used in several dishes.
28. Dolmadakia
Also known as Sarma, Dolmadakia is a dish from Southeastern Europe and the Middle East. It uses fermented leaves made of cabbage, collard, patencia dock, or kale as a wrapper around minced meat, grains, or both.
Restaurants in Greece serve Dolmadakia with various fillings including a meatless option that is popular among locals. Grape leaves taken during warmer seasons make a great wrapper because they are pliable and flavorful.
29. Doner Kebab
This is a popular kebab served in numerous Turkish dishes. It is made with stacked seasoned meat and cooked in a vertical rotisserie. Once cooked, the chef cuts thin slices of the cooked meat from its outer layers, shaping it into the classic cone-like shape.
Traditionally, doner kebabs are made of lamb meat. However, there are numerous variations with chicken, beef, veal, and turkey as their meat. Doner kebabs are a great addition to soft wraps with vegetables, salsa, spices, and lettuce. You can also enjoy a good serving of doner kebab with some coconut rice, potato salad, sweet potatoes, corn on the cob, or cucumber yogurt dip.
30. Dong’an Chicken
Originating from Hunan province in China, Dong’an chicken is a popular dish notable for its meaty and vinegar taste. It is made of chicken, Chinese spices, Shaoxing wine, and Sichuan peppercorns.
Using tender chicken meat, it is stir-fried with other ingredients to give it its bright color and savory-sour taste. It can be eaten as a stand-alone dish or in a rice bowl.
31. Dongpo Pork
Locally referred to as dongpo rou or dongpo meat, dongpu pork is a popular dish in Hangzhou. It is about 5 centimeters thick with a balanced layer of fat and lean meat. Dongpo pork is meaty with just enough saltiness for taste from the sauce.
It’s often pan-fried, giving its oily appearance without being greasy. This dish is best paired with a bowl of steamed rice, soft buns, or vegetables with a glass of wine.
32. Donuts
Donuts are a staple in numerous pastry shops, best paired with your favorite coffee. Donuts or doughnuts is a popular food made of deep-fried leaved dough. This sweet snack comes in various forms, from traditional ring donuts with a center hole or round ones filled with jam, custard, creams, and other fillings.
Merlot wines would go well with glazed donuts. Because of their fruity taste, vanilla donuts will complement their plum taste.
33. Dosa
Dosa is a popular dish originating from India. It combines lentils, rice, and black gram, all mixed to form a fermented batter. Dosa is eaten as a breakfast meal in south India, and it comes in 22 different flavors.
Some of the variations of dosa are the Rava, masala, ragi, and neer dosa, to name a few. You will often see dosa paired with coconut chutney or sambar (an Indian dish made of vegetables and lentils). Dosa also has many combinations including coconut and shallot chutney, potato palya, and chana dal dumplings.
34. Double Down
The Double Down is a famous sandwich made by Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). It has a unique take on burgers because it uses two KFC chicken filets instead of the traditional burger patties smacked on top of juicy bacon, special KFC sauce, mayonnaise, and cheese.
Other variants of the Double Down include grilled fillets or spicy coating for that extra zing. Each Double Down burger contains a whopping 610 calories.
35. Dragon Fruit
Also referred to locally as pitaya or pitahaya; the dragon fruit is a uniquely shaped fruit from a cactus species in the Americas. It is enriched with vitamin C and other antioxidants hailed as a superfruit by several wellness advocates. Dragon fruit has a mildly sweet taste that’s often compared to a pear or kiwi in terms of texture.
When consuming dragon fruit, it’s best not to drink water afterward, or you might get indigestion. The delicate taste of this fruit can be paired with white fish like Mahi-Mahi for a complementary flavor, and it would also make an excellent addition to fruit salads and salsas.
36. Dressed Herring
Best described as ‘herring under a coat,’ the dressed herring is a salad made of diced pickled herring under several layers of vegetables, mayonnaise, chopped onion, and boiled eggs. This dish has several variations, including topping it with fresh fruits like apples.
Dressed herrings are sweet and usually served cold. However, some people prefer to eat warm salads coupled with potato salad, herbs and dill pickles, or some boiled eggs.
37. Droewors
Droewors are South African snacks made in the 19th century. These are thin, round, dried sausages. They can be made with various meat, including venison, lamb, or even ostrich, but traditionally they are made from beef. The most prominent flavor in droewors comes from coriander seeds and they are a rich source of protein.
38. Drum Fish
A drum fish is a game fish found in warm and tropical waters in several North American lakes. Also called a croaker, drum fish are bottom-dwelling fishes that are carnivorous. Anglers find this gamefish an easy catch and it makes for a good meal.
Some may compare the taste of drum fish to that of redfish. You can cook it as a fillet or even as it is straight on a fire. Removing the mud line (red meat located near the skin) will help keep the meat’s flavor and avoid contaminating its taste.
39. Duck
Duck is a waterfowl cooked in staple dishes in American homes. Unlike chicken, duck meat is tougher and must be cooked thoroughly to enjoy its taste. Most restaurants with duck on their menu cook it medium-rare.
There are different ways to cook a duck. Crispy duck meat can be added to salads or mixed with a sweet glaze to serve for the holidays. You can braise duck legs using stock or red wine to give it extra flavor.
40. Dumplings
Dumplings are boiled or steamed-filled dough balls. It is believed that dumplings were first made by a Chinese medical practitioner of the Han Dynasty. They can be sweet and savory with a variety of fillings. They are traditionally bite-sized treats in Asian cuisine.
41. Durian
Notorious for its smell, durian comes from a tree species called Durio from Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Malaysia. Despite its odorous smell, durian is a celebrated fruit in local areas and is often eaten by its locals for its ‘heaven-like’ taste.
Durian fruit has a creamy texture with a savory taste. There are mixed reactions to its flavor, but it’s often described as hints of chives with some powdered sugar. For others, it tastes like garlic with some whipped cream and caramel. Durian is usually eaten raw or added to pastries and cakes or cooked like jam.
