Hi, it’s Oscar here from Away with the Steiners! I have been lucky enough to try lots of different foods while travelling, but my favourites are the sweet ones. I love ice cream – who doesn’t? But in some countries, we tried new desserts that I had never even heard of before.
Here are my top 9 favourite sweet foods from around the world that you definitely need to try!
1. Lemon Slush Drink – Syria
When we were visiting Syria, my auntie told me about a great stall that made awesome lemon slushies. It was just a tiny hole-in-the-wall shop run by a super friendly old man. It was delicious, just like my auntie said it would be.
We probably wouldn’t have found it on our own, but we loved it so much that we went back every single day we were there!
2. Kulfi – India
Kulfi is a famous South Asian ice cream that you can find all over the streets. Lots of street vendors sell it because it has really simple ingredients – all you need is full-fat milk that turns to cream! It comes in lots of different flavours, but my favourite is banana kulfi.
It became our regular after-dinner treat when we were staying near Connaught Place in Delhi, and it was really cool to take our friends there to try it on our Group Trips.
3. Pomegranate Juice – Moldova
In the local markets in Moldova, we found lots of small side stalls selling fresh pomegranate juice. It has a really tart, sour taste, and I loved it because it was so refreshing. The coolest part is that they literally squeeze the fruit right in front of you!
Pomegranates don’t grow back home in New Zealand, but after trying it in Moldova, I always looked out for it wherever we travelled.
4. Softis (Soft Serve) – Norway
When we were in Norway, our friend Grete introduced us to Norwegian softis. This is a super creamy soft-serve ice cream that is even softer than the Frosty Boy ice cream we get in New Zealand.
We were visiting during the summer, and it was yummy to eat while we were walking around the parks in Oslo.
5. Hagelslag – Netherlands
On our very first day in the Netherlands – after our first night living in our new campervan – the people we bought the van from made us a traditional Dutch breakfast. They had stroopwafels and “peanut cheese” (which is like peanut butter), but my favourite was the hagelslag. It is like Fairy Bread, but except instead of rainbow sprinkles, it is chocolate-flavoured like Nutella!
6. Jalebi – India, Pakistan & Bangladesh
While walking down the streets in India, we saw a man cooking with a huge pot of boiling oil, squeezing dough out into spiral shapes. Right next to the bubbling oil was a massive cauldron filled with melted sugar syrup. These are called jalebi, and they taste a bit like churros or really sweet, sticky donuts.
In Jaisalmer, we found a regular jalebi shop we loved, and in Delhi, we even went to the oldest Jalebi Wala in the whole city!
7. Sfenj – Morocco
If you like donuts, you will love sfenj. It is a Moroccan donut that doesn’t have any toppings or sugar on the outside. When you order them, the shop ties them up in a neat bundle using a piece of palm leaf. You can smell them cooking from a while away!
Whenever we were driving past in our van and smelled them – or saw a huge lineup of locals – we would jump out to buy a batch while they were still hot.
8. Faloodeh – Iran
In Iran, our friend Hasti took us to a special restaurant in Yazd that specialised in faloodeh. It is a pretty funny dessert because it looks like sweet ramen noodles! It’s actually made of frozen starch noodles mixed with syrup, ice cream, and jelly or tapioca. It sounds weird, but once you try it, it’s actually really good. The restaurant even served different styles of faloodeh from different cities across Iran. It was definitely a memorable food moment for me!
9. Lassi – India & Pakistan
The best way to describe a lassi is a sweet, thick yogurt milkshake. I really liked the ones that weren’t too sweet.
My favourite lassi place was in Jaipur, which is one of the oldest shops in town. They still serve the lassis in traditional clay cups, and the best part is that you get to smash your clay cup on the ground when you are finished drinking it!
My Favourite Sweet Foods (So Far)
It isn’t easy to choose my favourite foods as lots are yummy! But these are the sweet foods and desserts that I hope you get a chance to try.
Thank you for reading!
By Oscar 🙂
Travel Planning for New Zealand & Beyond
These are the companies we use and can recommend for planning and booking travel.
- Booking.com – The best all-around accommodation booking site that constantly provides the cheapest and lowest rates.
- 12GoAsia – Book trains anywhere in Asia.
- Skyscanner– This is by far our favourite flight search engine. They are able to search small websites and budget airlines that larger search sites often miss. We book all our flights through Skyscanner.
- GetYourGuide– Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace for tours and excursions offered all around the world including everything from walking tours, adventure ticket, local tours and more!
- SafetyWing – A global travel insurance that covers people from all over the world while outside their home country. You can buy it short or longterm; and even if you are out of the country.
- World Nomads – Travel insurance tailored for longterm travel and nomads (including those who have already left home). Make sure you have insurance before travel anywhere in the world!