From lion’s mane mushrooms to lobster mushrooms, L is a letter of the alphabet with delectable foods from all walks of life. In between, you will find Laban milk from the Middle East and pass through a butcher’s in Brazil to savor some delicious cut of llama. Sure enough, common and strange words with delightful recipes are what you will find in this list of foods that start with L.
If you don’t have time to go through the entire article, here are the L foods in summary:
Fruits: Lady Apple, Lakoocha Fruit, Lambkin Melon, Lancetilla Mango, Langra Mango, Langsat Fruit, Lantana Berries, Lapsi Fruit, Last Chance Peaches, Le Conte Pear.
Vegetables and legumes: Lablab, Lacinato Kale, Lagos Bologi, Lakota Squash, Lamb’s Lettuce, Lambsquarters, Lawyer’s Wig Mushroom, Laver, Leaf Lettuce, Lebanese Cucumber, Leek, Legumes, Lemon Drop Pepper, Likok, Lima Bean, Limestone Lettuce, Lion’s Mane Mushroom, Lipstick Pepper, Lo Bok, Lobster Mushroom, Long Squash, Lotus Root, Lopin Beans.
Spices, oils and Condiments: Lavender, Lemon Balm, Lemongrass, Lentils
Meat, Poultry and fish: Ladyfish, Lamb, Llama, Land Snails, Limpets, Lingcod, Littleneck Clams, Liver, Lobster, Loin
Dairy and Eggs: Laban, Leben, Lassi
Grains and seeds: Leapin’ Lemurs Cereal
Ready Meals: Lahana Sarmasi, Lahmacun, Lalanga, Lasagna, Latke, Lavash, Limpa, Linguica, Liverwurst, Loaf or bread, Lobscouse, Lo mein, London Broil, Lox, Lutefisk.
Beverages: Lady Liberty, Lagoon Punch (lychee liqueur), Lavender Sapphire Collins, Limonana, Lingonberry Juice, Lychee Juice.
Let’s start the journey to a tell-tale brunch to last throughout the day made of legume seeds from Lablab beans to whole snacks such as Leapin’ Lemurs cereals, all encapsulated in this list of foods that start with L.
Fruits that start with L
Belt up for a gourmet-inspired list of fruits that start with L. Here you will find endosperm and pericarp types alike: from berries to hard fruits, let’s explore the list
1. Lady Apple
Not to be confused with the late-coming 1973 cultivar of Pink Lady, lady apples go back to as early as 1628 in France. This Breton cultivar has amassed hordes of names including Api, all depicting the fruit’s near-smooth crimson finish under the lemon green overall tinge. When it is in the seedling stage, this apple is nicknamed Helen, and then transforms to its real name when fully grown.
The lady apple’s taste is a sweet yet tart one while its texture is a little crisp. It has some little juicy content however, with each bite.
For more market insights, especially in the US, please check the US apples market insights.
2. Lakoocha Fruit
Lakoocha fruit is a gnarled green berry that turns into a delectable yellow when ripe from the tropical tree, Antocarpus lacucha, which is native to riverbanks across India and southeast Asia. It has nicknames associated with primates, including monkey jack.
Eating a lakoocha fruit is a once-in-a-lifetime experience as this fruit is said to have a taste that is indescribable: sweet and sour, tangy and citrus-like, and yet not exactly either of those. The best-tasting fruits are those gathered fresh and eaten raw.
3. Lambkin Melon
If you like gourmet melon, then you will definitely gun for the aromatic-flavored lambkin melon that is essentially an early-maturing gourmet type. It weighs 1 to 2 kg unlike its aforementioned cousin which weighs a little more. It is defined by its green or orange thin rind covering the oval shape of the fruit.
Lambkin melon has white flesh surrounding yellow seeds in a core. Most people cultivate this melon for its sweet taste with hints of the aromatic in it. To eat this gourd, you need to peel the skin, pit the seed cavity and cut the white flesh into pieces, then cook it.
4. Lancetilla Mango
A fruit that resembles an Indian mango in size and shape, the Lancetilla mango is a fiber-free tropical fruit native to Honduras but now growing even in Florida, US. Here, it is ready to harvest in late summer or early fall. As a plant, this mango tree grows tall to a height of 30 meters but farmers also control growth up to 10 feet high, to increase yields. Here are some few facts that distinguish the Lancetilla mango:
- The mango is large and without fibers like other cultivars.
- In 2001, it debuted at a mango festival in Fairchild, assuring its growers lasting market popularity.
More resources: nutrition in a pickled mango.
5. Langra Mango
Langra mango, which also goes by the name Benarasi Langra, is a tropical fruit that gained its name from a place called Banaras in India where it first grew in the 18th century. Nowadays, it can be found in diverse northern India states, including West Bengal. The Langra has a shapely oval, is relatively small in size, turns yellow from green when ripe and has a juicy, sweet aroma.
6. Langsat Fruit
Langsat fruit or more popular as langsat or dokong in Indonesia and Malaysia, where it is native, is a sub-tropical fruit borne by a woody tree from the family of the mahoganies. The fruit grows in a cluster of berries under the stem.
The langsat fruit has a thick tan-colored skin that hides a bulbous, fluffy clear-toned juicy interior. The fruit is lush with nutrients including:
- 0.8 grams protein
- 9. grams carbs
- 2.3 grams digestive fiber
- 12 IU vitamin A
7. Lantana Berries
Lantana berries are tiny berries that measure 6 to 8 millimeters in length. They are green while in development but turn a shiny black once ripened at the apex of the stem. They are fruits native to Australia, especially Queensland.
Because of the toxic effects of triterpene acids in the berries, children should take caution when eating Lantana berries. However, the leaves are said to treat many illnesses including chicken pox and measles, among others.
8. Lapsi Fruit
Curiously looking like a fruity potato, Lapsi fruit is a Nepalese jungle fruit that is also known as the Nepali hog plum. It belongs to the Anacardiaceae family of trees in the Himalaya region. Locals call it lapsi or aamli, hence the name.
This produce of a tall subtropical tree is eaten raw or featured in cuisine. The lapsi fruit tastes a bit sweet and a bit sour. In some parts of Bhutan and Nepal, it features in soups and pickles.
9. Last Chance Peaches
Called last chance peaches for their late fall maturing period when almost all other peaches are out of the market, this stone fruit first appeared on the scene in 1987. The Sprague variety came to save farmers of the stone fruits in the desert weather of California and immediately became a hit. The strain grows to a rounded shape that is roughly medium-to-large, averaging measurements of 8 to 10 cm across.
Last chance peaches are delicate-looking with yellow skins that have a deep scarlet blush when ripe.
10. Le Conte Pear
Le Conte pear is a fruit native to the Caucasus, with an origin in Georgia. In looks, this edible fruit with a milky-yellow tinge on a bell shape, is strikingly like an Asian pear.
You can munch away at the tender sweet flesh of the soft Le Conte pear right after picking it from the tree. You can also preserve it in a coolant as it stores well, for even months. It also features in cuisine in pickled form.
Related: Georgia pears market insights.
Vegetables and legumes that start with K
L vegetables and legumes are a versatile mixture of greens named after animals, such as lamb’s lettuce and your daily common veggies, like kale, only that here it is presented as a foreign word.
11. Lablab
Botanically known as Lablab purpureus, the Dolichos bean is a popular specialty legume. As a plant, it grows tall to a height of 900 centimeters. It is native to the Borneo region of Indonesia and is widely farmed across Africa and the tropics.
Besides its quality cooked bean meal, it is also used as animal feed and for silage production in places like South Africa. In other places, it is used to fix nitrogen in the soil as a rotational crop.
12. Lacinato Kale
Lacinato kale is that Tuscany, Italy cultivar of Brassica oleracea species of leafy veggies that will repel your eyes in the garden with its shrunken, embossed-texture leaves that are tinted a pale green-blue hue. At the dinner table, however, the Italian lacinato kale will be way more delectable than your usual curly kale. It is considered sweeter and more tender than its cousin. It is fast to prepare for its very softness requires little sorting or straightening as you do other kale cultivars.
13. Lagos Bologi
Each country that grows the succulent, tropical leafy green species known scientifically as Talinum fruticosum has its own name for the plant. In the Philippines you will hear the term Philippines spinach while in Surinam the Surinam purslane, among other names in Mexico. However, it is in the Nigerian term for the vegetable, Lagos bologi, that has come to serve as a tie-all term for the leaves.
In Nigeria and other countries, this water leaf makes spinach juice, sauces and soups. Lagos bologi also has medicinal properties primarily via its root extract.
14. Lakota Squash
A squash first grown by the Sioux Indians as human food long before conquest by the white man, Lakota squash or Cucurbita maxima is hardy, brightly-striped and pear in shape. Lakota squash is also possibly the most colorful of winter squashes from the United States. It is adorned with natural black stripes over its overall inviting orange-yellow rind’s tinge.
How do you eat the Lakota squash? The fruit is baked after peeling, pitting the seeds and slicing into slabs. The flesh exudes a savory, sweet aroma with nutty nuances on the palate.
15. Lamb’s Lettuce
Finally a green leaf named after a lamb! Characterized by thick, bright green succulent leaves, lamb’s lettuce or Valerianella locusta is a honeysuckle from the Mediterranean region including North Africa. Sometimes referred to as ‘common cornsalad,’ it has been grown in the south of Europe in grain fields for a long time. It features in local cuisine as salad leaves as well as a herb. Its aroma is a mixture of nuts and tangy food.
Some claim that lamb’s lettuce derives its name from the spoon-shaped long leaves that resemble a lamb’s tongue!
16. Lambsquarters
A quick-sprouting weed, lambsquarters or Chenopodium album is nevertheless a common sight at dinner tables as a salad green just like amaranth weeds. The plants normally grow tall to a height of 1.5 meters in the best conditions. The leaves turn a dull green hue and are shaped in a rounded oval like eggs. As salad garnishing, lambsquarters weeds are quite nutritious, as they boast these nutrients:
- Digestive fiber
- Omega-3/Omega-6 fatty acids
- Minerals like copper, calcium and manganese
17. Lawyer’s Wig Mushroom
What a name for a fungal vegetable! Lawyer’s wig mushroom are nevertheless, just that: shapely, with a white textured long dome that is not all that dissimilar to your favorite attorney’s head gear. This fungus is edible when youthful right after picking. In England, ‘shaggy inkcap,’ as it is alternatively called, is in season in April through November.
18. Laver
Laver is a seaweed that espouses thin flat fronds tinged red-to-purple with green highlights. These leaves tend to turn completely black when dried. It is a common coastal weed in open clear shores in some parts of the Asian Pacific. In the Far-east, however, especially in Japan, it is a farm staple grown along estuaries.
From England through to Japan, laver is still relished as food for the following benefits:
- Lush iodine, which maintains thyroid health.
- Rich antioxidants that might fight cancer cells.
- Dietary fiber that is good for those in need of gut-related remedies.
You may also want to check the Japan seaweed market insights.
19. Leaf Lettuce
Leaf lettuce or just lettuce in short is a cultivated green vegetable in the family of the daisies that makes salads and other meals. It has dense leafy fronds in curly shapes that grow short of forming a dome unlike cabbages or butterhead lettuce. The leaves’ tincture can be green or a deep red, depending on the variety.
Rich in vitamins A, folate and beta carotene, leaf lettuce is harvested when the fronds are at least 3 to 6 inches tall. Like spinach, you can continue picking the leaves intermittently until the plant starts to produce bitter-flavored leaves.
20. Lebanese Cucumber
Alternatively called Persian cucumbers, Lebanese cucumbers are long tapered cylindrical veggies, which are smaller than common cucumbers. They are green-skinned, espouse white interiors when cross-cut and give out a crisp texture at a bite. Other advantages over common cucumbers that Lebanese cucumbers offer include:
- They are sweeter-tasting, particularly because they are harvested early before seeds mature.
- They are smoother to the touch than the regular types.
21. Leek
Also known as a shallot, a leek is a nutritious veggie in the allium family that grows long and thin with white sheaths. It has the same scent and flavor as its cousin, the onion. It is characterized by a big bulb and an upshot stalk with green stems or leaves. Bulbs, stalks and leaves are edible in raw or cooked form, and in the latter context they serve as salad dressing. The nutritional make of leeks includes the following percentages of the daily requirements:
- 20 percent vitamin C
- 11 percent iron
- 10 percent vitamin B6
- 7 percent magnesium
22. Legumes
An umbrella term, legumes is a food family belonging to Fabaceae, comprising mainly beans or pulses. While pods are also eaten in some plants when tender and immature, legumes are mainly associated with seeds and fruits inside the pods. The dry grains inside are classified as pulses. These foods are some of the best plant-based sources of protein, averaging 66% of the daily value of the nutrient. Some of the most common legumes include:
- Beans
- Peas
- Lentils
- Soybeans
23. Lemon Drop Pepper
Recognizable for its long and fruity appearance when hanging in an inviting lime-yellow ripened condition from the plant, the lemon drop pepper is a popular spice in Peru where locals call it qillu uchu. The bright-colored pod measures 60 millimeters long and a fifth of that length across.
Lemon drop pepper is quite hot, with a Scoville scale of between 30,000 and 50,000 heat units. It is a heirloom, meaning it can be gathered in the wild, accounting for its hot status. As such, it scales the heat up on salsas, soups, marinated meats and sauces.
24. Likok
Also known as bitter eggplant for its acerbic or sour taste, likok is known scientifically as Solanum aethiopicum. It is for this same bitter flavor that makes this plant from the tomato family gain a following in the culinary community as it is a great garnishing agent. In appearance, likok is tiny, round and just a centimeter across. It has a clear lime-green hue verging on yellow. Inside, the flesh is quite white and has a meaty texture only that the taste is quite bitter.
25. Lima Bean
Lima bean or butter bean or even Madagascar bean is a pulse that is cultivated for its leguminous seeds. It has a moon shape and a clear tone. It might have derived its name from its South American derivation, the capital city of Peru. Its uses in meals range from preparing vegan dishes to eating as a side dish with meat. It has starchy content accented with a buttery texture, partially accounting for the moniker ‘butter bean.’
In nutritional terms, Lima beans provide these nutrients:
- 16 percent protein of the daily requirements
- 14 percent potassium of the daily needs
- 7 percent total carbohydrates of the daily portion.
26. Limestone Lettuce
Characterized by centrally arranged leaves with a creamy core, limestone lettuce is a variety of butter lettuce. It is highly regarded by cooks and food gourmets alike for its delicate taste. it is also one of the costlier vegetables out there. It can be grown in the green house or out in the open garden.
Despite the cost, you will definitely love the loosely curled up leafy dome of limestone lettuce once it is presented to you in all its leafy glory for making that enriched salad at home.
27. Lion’s Mane Mushroom
The lion’s mane mushroom or Hericium erinaceus is a fungus that is edible when fresh, which grows in cool climes in the northern hemisphere. It has long fibrous spines that form on tree barks, sponge-like. This mushroom has therefore the aspect of a mane from a distance, hence its name. It is medicinal as some people use it to prevent dementia and to control the early symptoms of nervous conditions such as depression and anxiety.
28. Lipstick Pepper
Like its name suggests, lipstick pepper is one of the few delectable pimentos that do not burn but are on the contrary sweet. Secondly, they are not just the product of South America or Asia where spices are popular, but Europe and North America as well. They are tiny and tapered, measuring 4 inches long, and have an inviting scarlet tinge. Their heat level is the lowest of all peppers. Thus, you can eat lipstick peppers raw or chop the pods up as dices on salsas, soups or sauces, when not stuffing them with cheese.
29. Lo Bok
Lo Bok is an Asian radish with a big tuber which commonly accompanies meals in Oriental cuisine. The tapered fruit of this vegetable is a light green, sometimes verging on a light tan. In fact, you might hear it being referred to as white radish or white carrot from its color and shape.
This Daikon family member is characterized by crisp yet juicy flesh that has a sweet taste. Indeed, you can use Lo Bok in stir-fries or on salads in chopped up form.
30. Lobster Mushroom
Yes, lobster mushroom is its name! It is one of those edible fungi that are evasive of any description other than that of the animals that they resemble. In fact, they look like a lobster that is colored a bright red or orange. It is not even a mushroom but a parasitic fungus that forms into a lump shape when thriving on mushrooms.
In cuisine, ‘lobster mushroom’ tastes like one: it has the flavor of a mushroom and nuances of a shellfish in dishes.
31. Long Squash
Long squash is a gourd that is known in Canada as Opo squash. It is tubular and long like a cucumber. It is sometimes called a Tasmania bean, snake gourd or even calabash squash, partially to describe its appearance.
Long squash can be eaten as any other melon, gourd, pumpkin or squash plant. Just gather it from the farm when it is mature, peel the lime green skin and remove the seeds, then chop it into pieces and dice it like potatoes in salads. It is highly nutritious, as it is rich in antioxidants, vitamin C and magnesium, among other healthy components.
32. Lotus Root
Lotus root is the nutritious tuber of the fabled lotus flower plant. It is a gourmet’s delight either as a raw, cut up, peeled or cooked root. It has defied the ages: back in ancient China it used to be both an imperial diet and rural people’s food and today it is a great garnishing agent in soups, main courses and snacks.
Though lotus root is rather an expensive veggie due to its hand-picking method that takes time, it is a quite beneficial choice. It is packed with nutrients that overcome piles, control indigestion and help reduce weight.
For nutrition information, please check our Lotus root nutrition summary.
33. Lupin Beans
Intricately shaped as neither cubes nor hearts, lupin beans are the yellow seeds of legumes that grow on the coasts of North Africa and in Central America. Their propagation history goes back to 2200 B.C., in Egypt.
Lupin beans, which are in the peas family, feature in cuisine similarly as lima beans: their nutty taste with sweet nuances combined with their firm texture makes them great for making pickled snack foods.
Dairy and eggs that start with L
If the term ‘dairy’ rings a bell while you are in the Middle-east, then you will definitely know that classic yogurt known as laban, exclusively included here in this list of dairy and eggs that start with L.
34. Laban/Leben
Leben, pronounced laban in some Arabic dialects, is a fermented milk product that is a substitute for yogurt in the Middle East. In some places, the term is synonymous with buttermilk. It is a refreshing creamy alternative when served as strained yogurt as it helps keep your body’s temperature normal in sunny conditions.
More details: nutritional summary for yogurt.
35. Lassi
Often dubbed the most popular traditional yogurt-based beverage in India, lassi is made from fermented milk curd that is made into a smooth paste. It is made from these ingredients:
- Yogurt diluted in rose water
- Himalayan salt
- Fruit pulp such as mango or palm mixed with honey
Grains and seeds that start with L
While it is rather challenging to find grains and seeds that start with L, we nevertheless brought you the nearest next thing, a cereal made from whole grains!
36. Leapin’ Lemurs Cereal
It may not be a type of grain for it is a grain product, but the branded Leapin’ Lemurs cereal uses natural whole grain mixed with cocoa powder to make this cereal snack.
Other main ingredients in this packet of corn puffs include soy oil, peanut butter, cane sugar and corn meal. You can eat the corn puffs whole out of hand or dip them in milk where they still retain their crunchy texture.
Meat, poultry and fish that start with L
If toasted broilers, smoked fish fillets or exotic meat from llamas comprise your understanding of delectable meaty foods, then explore this list of meats that start with L to the very end.
37. Ladyfish
A member of the Elopidae family, ladyfish is a name describing various ray-finned marine fish in the genus Elops. Ladyfish describes fish such as skipjack tuna and some types of herring. They are often commonly called tenpounders.
The name ‘ladyfish’ derives from no particular source as it is just a description of various fish that jump on the ocean’s surface or inside the water. They are common seafood for people living near tropical and subtropical waters.
38. Lamb
Lamb is the young of a sheep. Meat from a lamb is usually considered genuine if it comes from a sheep of less than 1 years of age. After this timeline sheep meat is classified as hogget and that from an animal older than 2 years is labeled mutton.
In terms of texture and flavor, lamb meat is tender and meaty, with a gamey, earthy taste. You might also come across gourmets who ascribe a sweet, grassy taste to this meat. Each serving has 258 calories and 57 percent water content. The rest is protein.
39. Llama
As one of the few surviving domesticated camelids, the llama is a long-necked, graceful mammal with a furry coat and it serves as a beast of burden in the Andes. These highly social beasts earn rapport with humans quite easily. They learn tasks and carry them with little fuss.
Llamas are sources of a soft low-lanolin wool and meat. Many meat connoisseurs find llama meat surprisingly tender for a pack animal. It is charged with vestiges of lean beef, only a little richer in flavor. It goes well as a stew that softens after a slow-cooking bout.
40. Land Snails
Land snails are called so to differentiate them from aquatic and freshwater molluscs in their family. There are countless species with the most common being:
- Giant African snails, which have a bulbous shape
- Achatina
- Helix
4. Achatinidae
Land snails, especially the Achatina species, are common and ready food for people in Africa and many parts of the world.
41. Limpets
Limpets belong to the Western shores of Europe, especially in UK waters. They stay snugly on rocky coastline shelves, especially in areas with neutral tide activity. They look like triangular hollow shells and espouse a firm muscular little leg. Though not widely used as food, limpets are still edible and some folks relish their tender meat.
42. Lingcod
Lingcod or ling cod are some of the most aggressive aquatic fish, a voracity assisted by their heavy streamlined bodies weighing 35 kg and reaching 1.5 meters long as adults. They are also some of the most naturally repulsive sights in the waters: white-bellied, they have a dark gray or brown or even greenish tinge with some copper highlights on their back. Their mouths are huge and not all that shapely, perhaps the reason they are nicknamed ‘bucketheads.’ Not surprisingly, the lingcod is the only surviving species of its genus.
Thriving in Pacific waters, lingcods are fished for their meaty bulks. They have lean white meat with a mild taste that recalls that of a cod or halibut.
43. Littleneck Clams
Littleneck clams or Leukoma staminea, are mollusks that are popular commercial and equestrian sport favorites. These little ‘rock cockles,’ as they are alternatively called, abound in Alaska and other seas.
These clams are easy to cook, requiring just white wine and melted butter, accented with garlic to flavor their tender meat.
44. Liver
The liver is an important organ that digests food and removes urea and other poisonous substances from the body. In mammals, livers are located in the abdominal region below the ribs. Eating beef livers can be more beneficial than beef itself as it has extra nutrients, including vitamins A and B12. The benefits of these two vitamins include:
- Improved immunity and enhanced reproduction.
- Improved eyesight, clearer toned skin and proper heart and kidney function.
45. Lobster
Lobsters belong to a large family of crustaceans that live in aquatic environments. They espouse cylindrical bodies accentuated by active tails. They have five leg pairs, most of which claw.
Especially in large-scale fishing countries like Canada, lobsters are edible foods, which provide the following disease-fighting benefits:
- They help fight thyroid conditions owing to their fatty acids and selenium.
- They also help control nervous depression and anemia.
Related: Canada lobster market insights.
46. Loin
Describing the soft meat that comes from the side of a cow, pig or other animal just beneath the backbone, the loin is among the most prized meat cuts. It is not only the most tender but the juiciest and the tastiest. It grows naturally without helping the animal in muscle movement or other activities that make other parts hard. It lacks connective tissue and thus its soft texture.
Spices, oils and condiments that start with L
From the spice of life that is lemon balm to the aromatic lavender, it will be hard to ignore this irresistible list of spices, oils and condiments made up of L words, presented next.
47. Lavender
Lavender is a relation of mints and is famous the world over for its royal purple hue and aromatic scent. It grows naturally in Cape Verde, East Africa and parts of Europe. Used aromatically in the perfume and soap industry, this herb is also used in food spicing.
As a spice, lavender brings both delicate flavor and health benefits: it fights cell inflammation. heals small buns and cures bites from bugs. It may also control nervous disorders and insomnia. In food, lavender cuts the foul aroma of meats and replaces the odor of fats with its own welcoming scent.
Related: Kenya lavender oil prices insights.
48. Lemon Balm
Lemon balm is another spice, which, like lavender, is in the aromatic mint family. It grows naturally from the more southerly parts of Europe all the way to Iran. It is a medium-sized plant that can reach a meter high. Its leaves have a scent similar to that of lemon, hence the name. It makes an aromatic beverage known as lemon balm tea that is associated with migraine tonic.
49. Lemongrass
Lemongrass is an aromatic grass that is officially known as Cymbopogon. It has characteristic silky thin vines that have lent it the terms ‘silky heads’ and ‘barbed wire grass,’ among other appellations. It can be taken orally or applied to the skin to heal skin disorders. It is also inhaled as a sedative against flu and cough.
50. Lentils
Lentils are the pulses of a leguminous plant and are some of the most popular culinary companions especially in south Asia. The legume is produced on the large scale in Canada, which supplies around 45 percent of the global needs. The seeds are flat and oval shaped with a bright sheen ranging from yellow to orange and brown. In India, lentils are simply known as dal and they make sumptuous curries.
Ready meals and other dishes
From the beautiful-sounding Jewish dish, latke to the equally phonetically-enticing Chinese delicacy, lo mein, this list of ready meals will take you through the entire palate-defining food chain of L dishes.
51. Lahana Sarmasi
Lahana sarmasi is a cabbage that is stuffed with bulgur (boiled grains) and ground meat. In Turkey, this popular dish often consists of tomato sauce as a main ingredient, red pepper flakes and olive oil. Chili is also an optional garnishing agent. The stuffed ingredients are rolled in cabbage leaves.
52. Lahmacun
An Eastern European and Turkish delight, lahmacun is a flatbread that is embedded on top with ground meat, ground veggies and garnishing agents. The latter spices and herbs include red onions, chili, garlic and parsley. Tomatoes are also chopped and added. The Hungarian paprika also often serves as a spice.
53. Lasagna
If you love the older type of pasta, then lasagna with its very broad sheets that look like fat measuring rulers, will make your ideal Italian meal. It is a very old type but despite this time lapse, it cooks pretty fast, needing just 11 to 15 minutes to fully prepare.
Lasagna is rather nutritious for a pasta, with its cheese, basil and ground beef side recipe, which garners it these nutritional facts:
- 4 percent of the daily value of Vitamin C and 5 percent of Vitamin B6
- 14 percent of the daily needs of protein
- 6 percent of the daily requirements of dietary fiber and 8 percent of calcium.
Pasta is quite popular in Italy, so we have this resource that offers valuable market insights on Italy pasta.
54. Latke
Latke describes fritters made from potatoes that Jews eat to mark Hanukkah. These pancakes feature cheese and zucchini spiced up with onions and blended with grated potatoes. The dish is also enriched with an egg and the whole is bound with either breadcrumbs or matzo meal (a cornbread meal). It is seasoned with kosher oil and fried in cooking oil.
55. Lavash
A leavened bread with a crispy surface resembling that of an Indian chapati, lavash is a traditional baked flatbread from the Caspian Sea countries, in both Europe and Asia. You can place it in Turkey, Iran or Armenia, among other regional countries.
The ingredients that go into lavash include whole wheat flour, egg whites, sea salt and either dough or whole bread. A leavening agent is used to give the flatbread a soft, slightly raised surface.
56. Limpa
Limpa is a Nordic region’s piece de resistance of Christmas eve’s traditional rye breads. This bread is meant to go along with jelly or jam. Locals also pair it with creamy cheese to improve its unrefined texture. Ingredients for making this holiday treat include:
- Rye flour
- Molasses
- Butter
- Brown sugar
- Yeast and wort
57. Linguica
A Portuguese-speaking world meaty delicacy, linguica is a sausage prepared from pork spiced with onions and garlic. It also features a generous pinch of paprika which gives it a more pronounced burn than that from the similar but thicker chourico sausage.
One distinguishing quality of linguica is the method of cooking. It can be made fresh or smoked first for curing purposes, a method that lends it a tender feel.
58. Liverwurst
A liverwurst is, as you have guessed, a complex liver preparation. It is a staple across Europe, especially Austria and Bulgaria, with an origin in Germany. Like the Portuguese linguica above, this sausage can be cooked fresh or cured first. It can be made from livers of a weighted measure mixed with about 30 percent of any kind of meat ranging from pork to beef, veal and mutton. It may also feature byproducts from the above meat sources.
59. Loaf or bread
Loaf is basically the term of the most common baked food product in many cultures around the world. From the Jewish unleavened loaf to the Arabic bread and the common sliced modern bread in supermarket shelves, loaves are everyday breakfast necessities. This shaped mass is made of wheat flour or even rye flour in some cases. On average, each slice from a loaf has these two major nutrients, alongside carbs:
- 2 grams of protein for bodybuilding needs.
- 8 percent of the daily needs of thiamine which compensates for most of the energy derived from bread by releasing some of this energy.
Related: Whole wheat bread nutrition summary.
60. Lobscouse
Lobscouse is a mixture of meat slabs and potatoes, a gravy-rich meal that is popular in Scandinavia but originating in the UK. Its name, interestingly, derives from Liverpool, whose residents are sometimes called ‘scousers’ in slang. It consists of cut slices of meat and diced potatoes mixed with carrots and dressed with carrots.
You can also opt to add a measure of leeks and brown sauce to give the lobscouse dish a spicier side.
61. Lo mein
Lo mein is an interesting phrase to be sure that describes a dish from China that is made from noodles. It commonly consists of vegetables that are mixed with either meat or seafood. Popular candidates range from beef to pork and shrimp. Though veggies make lo mein delectable on its own, the locals also like to eat the dish with wontons, which are dumpling rolls dipped in soup.
62. London Broil
London broil is a cut of the tough round or leg muscle beef, which is then marinated with spices to soften it during the cooking process. However, there are also cuts from the top round that can be a little more tender and full of flavor. The name interestingly has nothing to do with London: rather, it was a Philadelphia sensibility to dub the term ‘London’ so as to bring some European grace to the top round cut.
As a dish, the London broil is cooked after marinating in balsamic vinegar and soy sauce which is always, more or less, the worcestershire sauce. You can also add a generous pinch of red pepper to garnish it with better flavors.
63. Lox
Lox describes a filet of salmon that has been steeped in brine. It can be smoked or prepared as it is with tomato, cucumber and caper garnishing, seasoned with onion slices. It is often eaten together with bagels (ring-shaped bread rolls whose dough is first boiled and then baked). Lox is often accompanied by such a bagel with creamy cheese.
64. Lutefisk
A seafood stock eaten during the Nordic Christmas feast known locally as Julebord or Julbord, depending on the particular nation, Lutefisk is a seasonal dish. In terms of taste, the mix which is topped with green herbs has a seafood taste. The most common ingredients include codfish, whose Nordic term is ‘fisk,’ thus the dish’s name.
The codfish in a lutefisk dish is first soaked in an alkaline solution then in water before cooking. It is often served with goat cheese, potatoes, peas and sugar.
Beverages that start with L
If it starts with the letter L and it is drunk around the world, be it a beverage, an alcoholic drink or the good old juicy treat, you will have it here in this list of beverages starting with L.
65. Lady Liberty
Lady Liberty is a cocktail with a similar name as the other term for the Statue of Liberty, made from part rum and lime juice. It requires the following measures for a simple recipe:
- 2 oz of light rum
- 1/4 oz of green chartreuse
- 1/4 oz maraschino liqueur
- 1 oz of lime juice.
- 1 oz orgeat syrup
66. Lagoon Punch (lychee liqueur)
Lagoon Punch is part lychee juice and part liqueur. It sizzles with club soda and bubbles with orange slices for flavoring. It can contain other fruity flavors to pass as the Blue Lagoon Punch variation. The latter can have white rum, pineapple and lime juice mixed with pineapple syrup and ice.
Pure lagoon punch with lychee juice has a sweet aromatic flavor that is made a little airy by the hints of rum sizzling to break out from the solution.
67. Lavender Sapphire Collins (gin)
Lavender Sapphire Collins kicks with love and delectable flavors. It is made from a do-it-yourself line up of simple ingredients including your own concoction of lavender syrup. You pair this with Bombay syrup gin and add lime zest to bring a kick of a bitter flavor to the whole.
You can also go one number up with liquorice. Overall, this gin tastes spicy yet sweet and leaves a lavender aroma aftertaste on the tongue.
68. Limonana
A blend of lemon juice and fresh mint leaves, limonana is one of those fresh natural drinks that leaves you aromatically satiated. It is a frozen mint lemonade in essence for its contains an ice float. This Israeli drink with its slushy brimful of healthy green stuff is best suited for lazy, moist-laden hot afternoons.
69. Lingonberry Juice
From the shrub of a northern climes’ plant that bears dark red berries known as lingonberries or cowberries, comes lingonberry juice. It is a naturally preserving drink with its own benzoic acid, which precludes the need for adding preservatives. It has sweet highlights that can be accented with the addition of cranberry juice to that of the core Swedish lingonberry extract.
Related: Sweden cranberry juice prices insights.
70. Lychee Juice
From the small, round red Chinese berry with white flesh covering a large stone, comes its satiating extract, the lychee juice. This nutritious fruit drink has the same sweet, flower-scented, slightly acidic nuances you expect from a juicy bite into a strawberry.
Besides lychees, lychee juice is blended with water, mint as well as lime juice in small quantities to balance the natural flavors.
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