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." 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
… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.
