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Foods that Start With B: Unique food, ingredients, traditions

Maybe you thought to yourself, “What are some interesting foods that start with the B ?”

Learning about food, ingredients and traditions from around the world is a great way to brighten up your day.

From the loved and hated black pudding to dancing bonito flakes, decadent cheeses and vegetables, here are 10 foods and ingredients that start with the letter “B.”

Black Pudding

Kicking off with one of the more controversial ingredients on this list, black pudding is embraced by many.

To address the elephant in the room: yes – black pudding is made of animal blood.

Black pudding was created in the days of old as a way to utilize animal by-product and avoid being wasteful.

The blood, usually of pigs, is mixed with oats and packed into a casing, similar to sausage and is typically served in slices in full English breakfasts.

Blood sausage is served across the world, for example the Spanish have ‘morcilla,’ a Spanish iteration of a blood sausage.

Blood pudding can be used as a garnish, seasoning, as a stuffing, in stew, and many more creative ways, making it a very versatile ingredient.

While some are immediately turned off by the prospect of eating animal blood, many others celebrate blood pudding for its nutritional power, some calling it a “superfood.”

It can be chock full of protein and iron (all by-products of the animal blood), but it can also be very salty, so proceed with caution.

Bonito Flakes

Known as Katsuoboshi in Japanese, bonito flakes are made from fried bonito fish.

The fresh fish is cut, dried and grated into thin, paper-like flakes and if done incorrectly could just turn into powder.

The process of making bonito flakes is a multilayered and delicate one, utilizing Japanese techniques and kitchen tools to create the perfect batch.

It’s said that folks are freaked out by the flakes because they move or dance when placed on hot food, which makes them look alive!

Since liquid is drained and removed during the drying process, you’re left with raw nutrients going directly into your body.

It’s believed that bonito flakes have three times the protein of fresh fish and are packed with amino acids.

Bonito flakes are essential in Japanese cooking, delicious and nutritional.

One use of them is as toppings on Japanese delicacies like takoyaki – a popular street food with diced octopus inside a ball-shaped snack with a crispy shell exterior.

Foods that Start With B

Bratwurst

Germany reigns supreme in their creation of the bratwurst sausage.

Originating in Germany, bratwurst is made with pork and veal and seasoned to the cooks’ liking (typically with caraway, nutmeg, and ginger).

In most traditional recipes, eggs and cream are incorporated into the mixture depending on whose recipe you’re using.

Nowadays, there are many variations of the bratwurst out in the world – different regions within Germany even make their bratwursts differently.

Foods that Start With B

Brats can be used as an ingredient among others in a recipe or can be eaten like a hot dog.

Serving brats with sauerkraut is a common practice in the United States as well.

While Brats are typically used for special occasions like family dinners, tailgating and more due to their high fat content, there are some nutritional wins for Bratwurst.

It’s a high protein food without the high number of calories, great for anyone on a low-carb diet.

Brie

The French are famous for their contributions to cheese lovers everywhere, which is why Brie is included on our list of “Foods that Start With B.”

On the outside, Brie has a white rind and comes in a wheel shape, but on the inside is where the magic happens.

The best way to explain the taste of Brie is mild and creamy with subtle nutty notes.

The origins of Brie dates back to the Middle Ages in Seine-et-Marne, France, gracing the tables of royalty and nobility.

The cheese is made from cow or goats milk, and taken through a process of curdling and brining, letting the rind do most of the work. 

Brie is best served slightly melted from the oven with honey, nuts and fruit chutneys for a decadent treat.

While most cheeses are high in fat content, Brie in particular offers as much protein as an egg and in just one ounce.

In Brie, you’ll also find nutrients like Vitamin B12 in high quantities.

If you needed an excuse to love cheese more than you already do, here it is.

Bulgur

Who knew there were so many variations of rice and grains?

We had to include bulgur on our list of “Foods that Start With B” and learn more about it.

Bulgur is a very versatile whole grain that is partially boiled and dried before being packaged.

Since it already went through a cooking process, it is super easy to cook and is done in a flash.

Taste wise, it’s super light and texturally chewy when cooked.

This ingredient is particularly popular in the Middle East or the Caribbean, a staple in dishes like “tabbouleh,” a refined Middle Eastern chopped salad.

Bulgur is such a great ingredient, especially if you’re trying to incorporate more fiber into your diet.

One serving of bulgur can be 30% of your daily recommended protein serving as well, so protein and fiber are a no brainer with bulgur.

Baba

Known to travelers as “Chinese Pizza,” baba is a unique iteration of bread popular in many regions of China and is said to have originated in the Qing Dynasty.

Think of it like a flatbread – except it’s pan-fried and stuffed with sweet or savory fillings, making it quite different from pizza.

It’s versatile in the sense that you could eat it plain, with fillings, roasted, friend, baked, you name it.

Baba is leavened and quite dense once you get the fillings involved.

They tend to be very filling due to the amount of oil that is used in the cooking process, but many baba bakers roll lard into their dough to make sure the layers are flaky and not too saturated with oil.

Baklava

We could never resist a good Baklava.

This flaky, sweet pastry dessert is commonly associated with Greek restaurants and cooking, but the exact origin of this heavenly treat has never been pinpointed.

Best guesses point to baklava being create in Turkey during the Ottoman Empire, making its way over to Greece and being adapted to the Greek kitchen.

Baklava is known for its sweet flavor and flaky texture thanks to the phyllo dough used to make it, and its layers of buttery goodness.

The thin phyllo dough sheets are layered with sugar, spices and nuts, and is sometimes topped with honey.

Baklava is sugar packed, but does provide some nutritional value through protein and minerals.

Balti

Next on this list of “Foods that Start With B” is balti which can be found on the menus of Indian restaurants around the world.

It’s a goat or lamb curry served sizzling, piping hot in a bowl specially made for Balti (called a Balti bowl).

While the exact origin of Balti is still actively debated to this day, Indian is an incredibly flavorful cuisine, and Balti is certainly not excluded from that characteristic. 

The flavors of curry are all there – cumin, cinnamon, coriander, clove, black pepper; but what sets Balti apart from traditional curry meals is that it’s cooked super quickly at a super high heat.

Spices like cumin are associated with lowering inflammation in the joints while different vegetables are made along with the lamb or goat in Balti.

Not only is Balti delicious, it’s a great meal to warm you up from the inside out.

Bamboo Shoots

We should channel our inner Panda bears and chow down on some bamboo shoots.

The shoots of the bamboo plant can be harvested once the plant is two weeks old – at this point in the growing process, the leaves are super tender.

The tenderness of the bamboo will depend on the harvest season: spring usually brings a tougher, fibrous product where winter brings the perfect tenderness.

Once harvested and properly prepared, you can find bamboo shoots in cans at the grocery store!

Bamboo shoots are typically used in Asian dishes such as stir fry.

They can also be served as a stand-alone vegetable or an hors d’oeuvre.

While they absorb the flavor of the sauce or broth you’re cooking with, they still maintain their own flavor similar to corn.

Bamboo shoots are a great source of fiber and essential vitamins and minerals – so eat up.

Beets

Bears, beets, Battlestar Galactica – we had to include that reference for any Office fans.

But in all seriousness, beets are a true superfood and powerhouse ingredient.

The beet has ancient roots across the world – archaeologists have traced the beetroot back to ancient Rome and Greece, and even parts of northern Africa.

The beet root itself was used for medicinal purposes, while the root’s leaves and stalks were used for cooking. 

Beets are low in calories and absolutely through the roof with health benefits.

Nutritionally, beets are packed with betaine, an antioxidant that is largely found in dark red roots and vegetables.

You can put beets in salads, make a beet-based hummus, add beets to smoothies and more.

It’s a truly versatile root that can be used in many ways – however you choose to prepare your beets, just know you are getting incredible nutritional value from them.

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