Everyone has comfort food. An edible delight that holds immense sentimental value to them drives them down a nostalgic memory lane, or simply makes them feel good regardless of the time and place it is consumed.
As said by professional personal trainer Brett Hoebel: “Food is a lot of people’s therapy. When we say comfort food, we mean that. It’s releasing dopamine and serotonin in your brain that makes you feel good.”
It’s amazing how great of an impact food can have not only on your physical but also your emotional well-being. Here’s a list of some amazing foods starting with the letter U for you to learn from!
Table of Contents
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African cuisine
Ugba
Ugba is a traditional African dish rich in protein. It is prepared by the fermentation of oil bean seeds. The dish is consumed by itself and also used as a flavoring in soups. The dish has antimicrobial properties and tons of health benefits as well! No wonder it is eaten by close to 15 million people in East Nigeria.
Ukwa
Ukwa, or African breadfruit, is a Nigerian traditional dish. It is made with breadfruit, stock cubes, dry fish, stockfish, potash, palm oil, crayfish, okiri, and salt and pepper. The dish is a very good source of vitamins and minerals like beta-carotene, vitamin c, as well as folic acid.
Ugali
Ugali is a form of cornmeal side dish commonly prepared in Africa. It has multiple names in its native region, including ngima, obusuma, obuchima, kimnyet, nshima, and several others. It is typically made using maize flour but is also sometimes made with millet flour or sorghum flour.
Umngqusho
Umngqusho is an African dish with several regional variations. Traditionally, it is made with dried and pounded corn kernels along with sugar beans, butter, onions, potatoes, chilies, and lemons which are simmered. The dish also has historical significance as it is believed to have been the legendary Nelson Mandela’s favorite dish.
Uziza soup
Uziza soup is a delicious soup made with the Piper guineense plant, also known as Uziza in West Africa. The soup is typically prepared with meat, stockfish, and cooking oil boiled in water along with salt, pepper, crayfish, and Knorr cubes. Uziza leaves are added on top as garnishing. This soup is a perfect starter dish for any meal!
Usban
This northwest African dish is also called Libyan haggis. It is a traditional Arabian sausage dish stuffed with a combination of lamb, chopped innards, herbs, and rice. Spices are also added for flavor. Several variations of this dish are eaten across several regions.
Utazi soup
Utazi soup is a scrumptious starter dish made by adding simmered utazi and other vegetables in meat soup. This soup is not only tasty but also highly nutritious. It is also super easy to make with readily available ingredients!
Continental cuisine
Umble pie
Umble pie is a pie made from minced or chopped innards of a deer. It consists of a crispy baked crust containing minced animal meat and seasonings. This yummy, meaty pie is a perfect serving for your dinner meals.
Uunijuusto
Uunijuusto is a dish originating from Finland. It is a yummy cuisine made from a cow’s colostrum, cow milk, and salt, baked inside an oven. A variation of the dish is also made simply from milk and eggs.
U-boot
U-boot is a cocktail made from a mixture of vodka and beer. It’s available in a variety of tasty flavor combinations. The drink is a perfect refreshment for a warm evening.
Indian cuisine
Undhiyu
Undhiyu is a savory Indian cuisine originating from Gujrat, India. It was traditionally cooked underground in earthenware heated from the above. This delicious, spicy-tasting dish consists of an assortment of vegetables spiced with a curry paste and seasonings.
Urad dal
Urad dal is a yummy lentil dish also known as Maash ki daal in the subcontinent. This is made by soaking the lentils and cooking them under pressure with sauteed onions, tomatoes, garlic, and spices. This yummy dish is not only super tasty but also highly nutritious.
Upma
Upma is an Indian dish made with roasted semolina fried with peas, onions, carrots, and tomatoes. Salt and chili powder is added for flavor. The dish is garnished with cashews and coriander leaves and served. This yummy dish is a must-try!
Asian cuisine
Ui boov
Ui boov is a traditional Mongolian layered biscuit. It is traditionally made as a festive dish to celebrate the lunar New Year in the Mongolian culture. This delicious dessert would make a great addition to your dinner table.
Utap
Utap, more commonly written as otap, is a yummy pastry dish native to the Philippines. This baked good is super easy to make, with a mixture of flour, coconut, sugar, and animal fat. These oval-shaped pastries have a crispy, tightly-layered texture which feels just wonderful to bite into!
Ube cake
Ube cake is a traditional cake from the Philippines which is distinctively purple. The ingredients of this yummy cake include flour, eggs, sugar, a little salt, baking powder, vanilla, oil, milk, and tartar cream. The cake is typically frosted with either whipped cream, cream cheese, or buttercream.
Uni
Uni is the name given to sea urchins in Japan. This is a flavorful seafood dish often served as sushi. It has a strong smell and a thick greasy texture which is sure to appetize you.
Ukha
Ukha is a Russian soup dish. It consists of a variety of fish along with an assortment of root vegetables. Black pepper, saffron, and other seasonings are added to enhance the flavor of the soup. The dish has been consumed in Russia for a long time and was claimed by visitors in the 19th century to be one of the best dishes in Russian cuisine.
Uszka
Uszka is yummy dumplings filled with mushrooms along with minced meat. They are usually eaten with melted butter as a sauce and garnished with herbs for flavoring. These yummy little snacks are a perfect serving for your mealtimes!
Utah scone
Utah scones are a great dish for lovers of baked goods. These are deep-fried fluffy bread rolls iced with powdered sugar. They are generally eaten along with honey or butter. These little treats are perfect for teatime!
Ube halaya
Ube halaya, a yummy dessert dish also known as halayang ube is a sweet confection originating from the Philippines. It is made by boiling and mashing purple yam. The dessert is often used as a base in ube flavored pastries and eaten along with ice cream. It is also added to other desserts. This dish is great for satisfying your dessert cravings.
Udon
Udon is a noodle dish made from stringy noodles which are thicker than ramen and chewier. This dish is super easy to make and hardly takes 20 minutes. All you need to do is make some udon sauce, stir fry some veggies and add both the items into the boiled noodles and you’re all set and ready to serve!
Umeboshi
Umeboshi is a pickled form of ume fruit, a native Japanese plum fruit. The dish tastes sour and salty, although sweeter variations exist as well. It is usually served as a side dish with rice or put on top of rice balls. Either way, they taste delicious!
Unagi
Unagi is the term in Japanese for freshwater eel. This dish is perfect for seafood lovers and is often served in the form of slices over a bed of rice. This fish dish is highly nutritious, being rich in protein, calcium, and vitamin A. This is a great dinner time serving and tastes incredible when glazed with some tare sauce.
American cuisine
Upside down pineapple cake
An upside-down cake, as the name suggests, is a special kind of cake that is prepared upside down, with toppings facing the base of the utensil it is being baked in. The cake is removed from the oven and served the right way up. It is prepared in multiple ways, though a common type is the pineapple upside-down cake, which is a yummy fruit cake topped with round pineapple slices.
Conclusion
Not many can argue that food is an absolute blessing. It makes our days better and brings us together. Time at the dinner table with your family is always a pleasant bonding experience between family members as you get to share stories and details about your day to intently listening ears over a fresh meal.
Sitting around a dinner table strengthens a family’s bond and makes people feel connected, knowing they’ve got each other’s backs. It is indeed amazing what power food has over little matters in a person’s life! As said by Michael Polan: “The shared meal elevates eating from a mechanical process of fueling the body to a ritual of family and community, from mere animal biology to an act of culture.” We hope you enjoyed reading about the list of foods we presented.
Owner and Food blogger on The Cookware Geek. She loves cooking, baking, traveling, playing with the cats, and knitting. She believes that eating delicious meals doesn’t require a culinary degree or a Michelin-star chef in your kitchen.