31 Foods That Start With K
Trying to think of different foods that start with K can be difficult! To help you learn more about the different foods found all over the world, we have listed 31 foods that start with K.
You might know some already, and some might be new to you. From everyone’s favorite Key Lime Pie to the lesser-known Kaffir Lime, read on to learn about foods that start with the letter K and some interesting facts about them!
31 Foods That Start With The Letter K
1. Kabobs
Kabobs are made by skewering cubes of meat and or vegetables onto sticks and then grilling or pan-frying them.
There are so many ways to make kabobs, with many different variations of meat and vegetable that you can use.
There are many different ways to prepare them all over the world. Traditionally, they should be cooked over an open fire.
2. Kaffir Lime
Kaffir limes are also known as makrut limes or citrus hystrix. It is a citrus fruit native to Southeast Asia and southern China. The fruit and the leaves are both used in cooking, and to make essential oils as well.
The fruit and the lime are popularly used in Asian cuisine to enhance the flavor of a dish, bringing a tangy, citrus flavor.
3. Kahlua
Kahlua is a coffee-based liquor that originated in Mexico. It is best served on the rocks, in a glass filled with ice cubes.
You should use a stick to stir the Kahlua in the ice, to cool it down. If you wanted some extra flavor, you could add in orange zest to give it a citrus hint.
There are also some great recipes online on how you can make your Kahlua at home, so you can make it to your own taste, with more coffee or more alcohol. It is important to infuse the vanilla into the Kahlua, as it helps to round off the coffee-liquor flavor.
4. Kale
Kale is a leafy green plant that belongs to a group of cabbage cultivars. There are so many ways to eat kale, and it is really so good to include in your diet. You could add it into a salad, make kale chips, put it on a burger, or add it to a smoothie.
Kale contains antioxidants, fiber, calcium, vitamin K and vitamin C, as well as iron and many other nutrients.
5. Kasha
Kasha is buckwheat groats that have been roasted, and they can be made in your home kitchen by roasting buckwheat groats in your oven.
By roasting the buckwheat, the kasha has a beautiful nutty flavor. It is a type of cereal or porridge that is soaked and simmered until it is soft. When cooked, kasha has a wonderfully firm texture, with a nutty flavor and gummy consistency.
6. Kava
Kava is a crop found in the Pacific Islands. Kava is considered a depressant drug, as it slows down messages traveling between the brain and the body. It is made from the root or the stump of the kava shrub.
Other effects that kava gives are relaxation, feelings of wellbeing, and sleepiness. For this reason, it should not be eaten often and can cause weight loss and health problems if enjoyed often long term.
7. Kecap Manis
Kecap Manis is another name given to sweet soy sauce. This sweetened soy sauce originated in Indonesia. It has a darker color than normal soy sauce and a syrup consistency with a molasses-like flavor.
Palm sugar is a key ingredient in Kecap Manis, which gives it the wonderful thick consistency and sweet taste. It is most popularly used with satay and can be compared to Chinese sweet bean sauce.
8. Kedgeree
Kedgeree is a traditional dish that is made with cooked, flaked fish, a serving of boiled rice, hard-boiled eggs, parsley, curry powder, cream or butter, and sometimes sultanas. Kedgeree can be enjoyed both warm and cold.
Haddock is most commonly used to make the dish, but other fish such as salmon or tuna can be used. The dish originated in colonial India but is now a popular dish enjoyed in Britain.
9. Ketchup
Ketchup is possibly one of the most popular condiments enjoyed all over. It is a table condiment that is sold in a bottle. Ketchup, or tomato sauce, is made mainly from tomatoes and vinegar.
Traditionally, ketchup was made using egg whites, mushrooms, grapes, oysters, and other ingredients, although nobody really makes it this way anymore.
There are many brands of ketchup available from the supermarket, but most families have their favorite that they keep stocked up in the cupboard! Ketchup can be used as a dip for chips, on burgers, or as a relish.
10. Ketembilla
Ketembilla is a plant that is grown in Sri Lanka and southern India. The fruit of the ketembilla tree is often eaten fresh, but it can also be made into some delicious jam. It is also referred to as the Ceylon Gooseberry.
It has a maroon-purple appearance, and the pulp has a tart-sweet flavor, which makes for good preserves.
11. Kettle Corn
Kettle corn is a sweet type of popcorn that is seasoned with light-colored refined sugar, with some added salt and oil.
The name comes from the fact that kettle corn was traditionally made in cast iron kettles, but now more traditional pots and pans are used.
Kettle corn has a dominantly sweet flavor, which is accentuated with a hint of salt. It is a sweet treat and a favorite of many!
12. Key Lime Pie
Key lime pie is a traditional American dessert pie that is made from Key lime juice, sweetened condensed milk, and egg yolks.
Most commonly, it is served with a meringue topping made from egg whites, or it can be served with whipped cream or served without a topping.
The crust of Key lime pie could be a pie crust, a graham cracker crust, or made with no crust at all. The mix of the condensed milk sweetness and the tangy-sour Key lime juice makes for a great dessert!
You can also make Key lime pie without condensed milk, and in fact, we’ve put together our very own recipe!
13. Kidney Beans
Kidney beans are a legume native to Mexico and Central America. It is an essential food crop and offers up a major source of protein all around the world.
The name comes from the visual resemblance of the bean to a human kidney. Kidney beans need to be cooked properly, or their natural toxin, lectin, could cause stomach pain and vomiting.
14. Kielbasa
Kielbasa refers to any type of meat sausage which hails from Poland, and these sausages are a staple of Polish cuisine.
For most of us, kielbasa is a U-shaped, coarse, smoked sausage that can be made from any type of meat, but traditionally, a kielbasa should be a Polish sausage.
Kielbasa is usually made from pork or a combination of meat like pork and beef and has a delicious smoky taste.
15. Kimchi
Kimchi is a staple food item in Korean cuisine and is a side dish made from salted and fermented vegetables. These vegetables are mainly Napa cabbage and Korean radish. There are a wide variety of seasonings used, such as spring onion, ginger, garlic, and gochugaru.
Kimchi is made through a process of lacto-fermentation and is made much the same way that sauerkraut and dill pickles are made. It has a sour and spicy taste and an umami kick. As kimchi is fermented, it has wonderful probiotic properties and is rich in vitamins and minerals.
16. King Crab
King crab is a crustacean, and is considered a delicacy! It has a wonderful taste and provides some great health benefits as well. King crabs are high in protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and heart-healthy unsaturated fat.
The meat of king crab has a taste and texture similar to lobster meat. The leg meat of the king crab is particularly rich and has a sweet flavor. The meat can be eaten hot or cold, and the legs are usually steamed until cooked.
17. Kingfish
Kingfish is also known as king mackerel. You can get some large, thick fillets from kingfish, and it is an oily fish, which makes it ideal for cooking at a low temperature for an extended time.
A great way to prepare kingfish is to season it well and to cook it over lemon, oak wood, or hickory. It is also wonderful when cooked on the grill. It is essential to cook kingfish properly to ensure that it does not dry out and that it retains its great oily taste.
18. Kipper
Kippers are whole herrings, which is a small oily fish that has been butterflied from head to tail through the dorsal ridge. It is then gutted and then salted or pickled and cold-smoked over woodchips.
In some North American regions, Britain and in Ireland, kippers are prepared and served for breakfast. Their smokiness and saltiness works well as a breakfast meal, and provide essential fatty acids, and omega-3 fatty acids.
19. Kirsch
Kirsch, otherwise known as kirschwasser, is a colorless, clear brandy that is traditionally made from a double distillation of Morello cherries, which come from sour cherries.
Nowadays, Kirsch is also made from other types of cherries, which are fermented completely, including being fermented with their stones in place. Kirsch is not sweet, which is unlike cherry liquors and brandies. It has a refined cherry taste which is finished off with a slightly bitter almond flavor.
20. Kit Kat
A Kit Kat is a popular chocolate bar, which consists of chocolate-covered wafers. The crispy wafers dipped in smooth milk chocolate is a favorite of many!
The bright orangey-red packaging of the Kit Kat bars are noticed from far away, and they are perfect to share as you can break one bar off at a time to enjoy.
21. Kiwi
Kiwis are small fruits that have plenty of health benefits, and which have a ton of flavor. The green flesh of kiwi is sweet and tangy at the same time and contains essential nutrients such as vitamin X, vitamin E, vitamin K, and potassium.
Kiwis are a good source of fiber and antioxidants. The outside of the kiwi has a slightly fuzzy rind, which can be eaten, but is most usually peeled away.
22. Kiwi Berries
Kiwi berries are bite-sized fruits that look like little kiwis mixed with grapes and taste quite similar to this as well. They have smooth, leathery skin, and the flesh inside is softer. They are rich in vitamin C and vitamin E and are low in cholesterol, fat, and sodium.
23. Knish
A knish is a traditional snack food that consists of a filling covered with a dough that is baked or deep-fried.
It is common to find knish being sold by street vendors in more urban areas that have a large Jewish population. Typical fillings found in knish can be mashed potatoes, ground meat, cheese, kasha, and sauerkraut.
24. Kohlrabi
Kohlrabi is a vegetable in the same family as wild cabbage. It is also known as the German turnip. Kohlrabi needs to be trimmed and peeled thoroughly, and then the inner meat can be sliced or grated and added to a salad or slaw, or cooked, boiled, steamed, or roasted.
There are so many ways to enjoy the sweet, peppery flavor profile of kohlrabi, which is quite similar to the taste of broccoli stems.
25. Kosher Pickles
Kosher pickles are almost identical to dill pickles, however, they contain garlic which dill pickles do not. Kosher pickles have not necessarily been made in accordance with Jewish dietary law, but it is a traditional method of making pickles by Jewish New York pickle makers.
26. Koshihkari Rice
Koshikari rice is considered the best rice to use to make fresh and delicious sushi. The short-grain rice retains moisture for longer, and this then helps to perfectly shape sushi.
27. Kudzu
The leaves, vine tips, roots, and flowers of the kudzu vine are all edible, however, the vines are not. The leaves of the kudzu plant can be used much like spinach, eaten raw, or cooked.
Young kudzu shoots are great to eat as well, as they are tender, and have a taste similar to snow peas.
28. Kumera
Kumera is another name for the common sweet potato! This name is common in New Zealand, and simply describes the sweet potato which can be gold or white. These sweet potatoes are great to use in soups, curries, side dishes, and stir-fries.
29. Kumquat
A kumquat is a small orange-like fruit that can be sweet, but incredibly sour and bitter as well. These small fruits have a punch of flavor, with the flesh being the sourest, and the rind being sweet, to round off the flavor.
These oblong-shaped citrus fruits are great to be used to make marmalade, liqueurs, and cocktails, as well as to flavor citrus dishes.
30. Kung Pao Chicken
Kung Pao Chicken is a spicy, stir-fried Chinese dish that is made with cubed chicken, peanuts, chili peppers, and other vegetables. It is a classic Sichuan dish, and traditionally contains Sichuan peppercorns which add a great flavor to the dish.
Kung Pao Chicken is a popular takeaway meal from Chinese restaurants and is a favorite among many families.
31. Kvass
Kvass is a traditional fermented Baltic and Slavic beverage, which is most commonly made from rye bread. The color of the drink comes from the color of the rye bread.
The beverage only has a 1.5% alcohol content, but if left to ferment for longer, can reach 2.5%. However, it is not necessarily considered alcoholic and is consumed by children and adults of all ages. It has a sweet and slightly bitter taste with quite a bit of carbonation. It is drunk for its immune building powder.
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