Delicacy

Food item considered highly desirable in certain cultures

A delicacy is a rare food item that is considered highly desirable, sophisticated, or peculiarly distinctive within a given culture or region. A delicacy may have an unusual flavor or be expensive compared to everyday foods.

Delicacies vary across countries, customs, and ages. Some delicacies are confined to a certain culture, such as fugu in Japan and ant larvae (escamoles) in Mexico, or may refer to specific local products, such as porcino, venison or anchovy.

Culture plays a role in determining what is considered a delicacy. The long-standing tradition and practice of insect consumption represented in Oaxaca, Mexico has occurred for centuries.^[1] The availability of foods or particular ingredients may determine the types of delicacies associated with different cultures.

References

^ Cohen, Jeffrey H; Sáánchez, Nydia Delhi Mata; Montiel-Ishino, Francisco (1 February 2009). "Chapulines and Food Choices in Rural Oaxaca". Gastronomica. 9 (1): 61–65. doi:10.1525/gfc.2009.9.1.61. ISSN 1529-3262.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Delicatessens.

Wikiquote has quotations related to Delicacy.

Look up delicacy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Lists of prepared foods

Dishes
by origin

Africa	Angolan Central African Republic Chadian Ethiopian and Eritrean Gabonese Libyan Moroccan Nigerian Nigerien Togolese Tunisian Western Saharan São Tomé and Príncipe Seychelles
North America	Mexican United States Italian-American Jewish-American New Orleans Regional dishes Regional beverages Southern United States
South America	Argentine Brazilian Colombian Ecuadorian Paraguayan Peruvian Venezuelan
Asia	Bangladeshi Burmese Chinese Beijing Sichuan Filipino Indian Iranian (and Persian) Indonesian Israeli Japanese Jordan Korean North Korean Malaysian Nepalese Palestinian Peranakan Singaporean Thai Tibetan Turkish Uzbek Vietnamese
Europe	Caucasus English French German Greek Hungarian Typical Hungarian dishes Irish Italian Sicilian Liechtensteiner Maltese Norwegian Polish Portuguese Romanian Russian Sámi Scottish Spanish Ukrainian
Oceania	Australian Hawaiian New Zealand
Caribbean	Anguillian Cuban Jamaican
Misc./other	Azerbaijan Crimean Tatar Jewish National dishes

By type
and origin

Breads	American British Indian Pakistani Swiss
Cheeses	American British Cornish Dutch English French German Greek Irish Italian Polish Spanish Swiss
Condiments	Filipino French fry accompaniments Indian Indonesian Japanese Pakistani
Desserts and sweets	American Argentine Bangladeshi Brazilian British Chinese Filipino French German Indian Indonesian Italian Japanese Korean Tteok Pakistani Polish Romanian Russian Spanish Sri Lankan Taiwanese Thai Turkish
Soups and stews	Chinese French German Indonesian Italian Japanese Pakistani Spanish
Snack foods	Snack foods by country Indian Indonesian Japanese
Misc.	American sandwiches Foods with religious symbolism Indonesian noodles Pakistani meat Pakistani rice Pakistani vegetable Puddings (savoury) Vietnamese noodles Vietnamese specialities

By type

By cooking style	Baked goods Twice-baked Casseroles Deep fried Smoked Steamed
By preparation style	Dips Dried Fermented Soy products Food pastes Garnishes Gravies Instant Pickled Pickled fruits Rolled Sauces Dessert sauces Fish sauces Hot sauces Instant sauces Spreads Stuffed dishes
Breads, grains and seeds	Almond Breads bread dishes Buns Flatbreads Quick breads Rolls Sourdough breads Sweet breads Buckwheat Crackers Dumplings Fried dough Legume Chickpea Peanut Maize Noodles Noodle dishes Fried noodle dishes Ramen Pancakes Pasta Pasta dishes Rice Fried rice Rice cakes Rice pudding Rice and beans Sesame seed Toast
Dairy-based	Butter dishes Cheese dishes Fondues Cheeses Brined Yogurt-based
Fruits and vegetables	Apple Avocado Banana Broccoli Cabbage Carrot Cassava Cherry Eggplant Garlic Grape Lemon Melon Onion Plum Potato French fry Salads Arab Thai Soy-based Squash and pumpkin Strawberry Sweet potato Tofu Tomato
Fish and seafood	Clam Cod Crab Fish head Fish stews Fried fish Herring Raw fish Salmon Shrimp Sushi and sashimi Tuna
Meat-based	Barbecue Beef Shredded beef Steak Veal Chicken Duck Egg Scrambled eggs Goat Hamburgers Hot dogs Kebabs Lamb Meatball Mixed grill Pork Bacon Ham dishes Hams Sausages Sausage dishes
Soups and stews	Bean Blood Cheese Cream Fish and seafood Vegetable
Sweets	Cakes Candies Chocolate bars Chocolate-covered Cookies Sandwich cookie Shortbread Desserts Custard Doughnuts Pastries Choux pastry Poppy seed Pies, tarts and flans Puddings
Misc.	Ancient Bacon substitutes Baozi Brand name snacks Breakfast Cereals Drinks Brunch Chifa Christmas Chutneys Coconut Coconut milk Coffee Comfort Hangover remedies Hors d'oeuvre Tapas Made from maple Mushroom Pastries Pies, tarts and flans Porridges Relishes Sandwiches Soul Spit-roasted Street Syrups Tortilla-based Traditional

Food portal
Category: Lists of foods