✔ Updated · 103 foods, sorted by category
Foods that start with Q include quinoa, quiche, quesadillas, queso, quince, quail and quark.
Q is one of the hardest letters in the alphabet for food, so this list gathers every real, verifiable Q food we could find instead of padding it out: fruits, vegetables, dishes, desserts, breads, drinks, cheeses, seafood, spices and dishes from around the world. Each entry has a short description, and there is a quick A-to-Z list at the end for alphabet games and quizzes.
Foods that start with Q, from everyday favorites to rare finds. The most popular:
Fruits & Nuts That Start With Q
Q fruits are rare, so this section includes named varieties of apples, cherries, plums and pineapples alongside true rarities.
Quince
A golden, fragrant fruit related to apples and pears that is too hard and sour to eat raw but turns pink and sweet when cooked.
Quandong
Also called the desert peach, a bright red Australian bush fruit with tart flesh, used in jams, pies and sauces.
Quenepa
Also known as mamoncillo or Spanish lime, a small green Caribbean fruit with a thin shell and tangy, jelly-like salmon-colored pulp.
Qubani
The name for dried apricots in Hyderabad and northern Pakistan, especially the small, sweet wild apricots of the Hunza Valley.
Queen Pineapple
A group of small, very sweet pineapple varieties with golden flesh and spiny leaves, grown in South Africa, Australia and Mauritius.
Queen Anne Cherry
Another name for the Royal Ann or Napoleon cherry, a pale yellow sweet cherry with a red blush, used for maraschino cherries.
Quinault Strawberry
An everbearing strawberry released by Washington State University in 1967, producing large, soft, sweet berries from June until frost.
Querina Apple
Also sold as Florina, a scab-resistant French apple with deep purple-red skin and sweet, juicy, aromatic flesh.
Quarrenden Apple
Better known as Devonshire Quarrenden, an old English dessert apple with crimson skin and crisp, slightly berry-flavored white flesh.
Quetsch Plum
A small, oval, dark blue European plum with firm, tart flesh, prized in Alsace and Germany for tarts, jams and brandy.
Queen Anne's Pocket Melon
A tiny heirloom melon with orange-striped skin, grown for its strong perfume more than its bland flesh, which can be pickled.
Queensland Nut
An older Australian name for the macadamia, the rich, buttery nut native to the rainforests of Queensland and New South Wales.
Vegetables & Grains That Start With Q
Seeds, roots, greens and squash that start with Q, from supermarket quinoa to wild foraged plants. I rinse quinoa well, or it tastes bitter.
Quinoa
A small, protein-rich seed from the Andes, cooked and eaten like a grain in salads, bowls, soups and pilafs.
Quelites
The Mexican name for wild and semi-wild edible greens, such as lamb's quarters and purslane, cooked in tacos, stews and quesadillas.
Quamash
Also called camas, the bulb of a blue-flowered lily that Native peoples of the Pacific Northwest slow-roasted until sweet.
Queensland Arrowroot
Also known as achira, a canna plant grown for its starchy rhizomes, which are eaten cooked or ground into a fine starch.
Queensland Blue Pumpkin
An Australian heirloom squash with ribbed blue-gray skin and dense, sweet orange flesh that is excellent roasted or in soup.
Quickweed
Galinsoga, a common garden weed whose dried leaves, called guascas, are the essential herb in Colombian ajiaco soup.
Quail Grass
Celosia, a leafy plant grown as a cooked green in West Africa and Southeast Asia, where it is also called Lagos spinach.
Quintal d'Alsace Cabbage
A large, flat-headed French heirloom cabbage from Alsace, traditionally grown for making sauerkraut and choucroute garnie.
Dishes & Meals That Start With Q
Everyday mains, appetizers and dinner favorites that start with Q. Quesadillas are my ten-minute dinner rescue.
Quesadilla
A flour or corn tortilla folded around melted cheese and fillings such as chicken, beef or vegetables, then griddled until crisp.
Get the recipe →Quiche
A savory open tart with a buttery pastry crust and a baked filling of eggs, cream, cheese and vegetables or meat.
Get the recipe →Quiche Lorraine
The classic French quiche from Lorraine, made with bacon or lardons, eggs and cream, often with Gruyere cheese added.
Queso Dip
A warm, creamy Tex-Mex dip of melted cheese, chiles and spices, served with tortilla chips at parties and restaurants.
Get the recipe →Queso Fundido
A Mexican dish of hot, bubbling melted cheese, often topped with chorizo or roasted peppers and scooped up with warm tortillas.
Quesabirria
Cheesy tacos filled with slow-braised birria beef, griddled in the stew's red fat and served with the broth for dipping.
Quenelle
A French dumpling of finely ground fish, chicken or meat bound with egg and cream, poached and served in a rich sauce.
Quattro Formaggi Pizza
An Italian pizza topped with four cheeses, typically mozzarella, Gorgonzola, Parmesan and fontina, often with no tomato sauce.
Quattro Stagioni Pizza
The four seasons pizza, divided into quarters topped with artichokes, mushrooms, ham and olives to represent each season.
Quinoa Salad
A cold salad of cooked quinoa tossed with vegetables, herbs, beans or feta and a bright lemon or vinaigrette dressing.
Quail Eggs
Tiny speckled eggs with a rich yolk, served boiled as appetizers, pickled, on sushi or fried on toast.
Quarter Pounder
McDonald's quarter-pound beef burger, launched in 1971, with cheese, onions, pickles, ketchup and mustard on a sesame bun.
Desserts & Sweets That Start With Q
Cakes, pastries, cookies and candy that start with Q, from British puddings to Brazilian sweets. I love a quick bread with my coffee.
Queen of Puddings
A British pudding of breadcrumbs baked in vanilla custard, spread with jam and topped with golden, crisp meringue.
Quindim
A glossy Brazilian custard of egg yolks, sugar and grated coconut, baked in small molds until bright yellow and firm.
Quatre-Quarts
A French pound cake whose name means four quarters, made with equal weights of eggs, butter, sugar and flour.
Queen Elizabeth Cake
A moist Canadian date cake topped with a broiled coconut and brown sugar icing, popular since the 1950s.
Queen Cakes
Small, light English sponge cakes studded with currants, baked in fluted tins since the 1700s and a forerunner of cupcakes.
Qatayef
Arab pancakes folded around sweet cheese, nuts or cream, then fried or baked and soaked in syrup during Ramadan.
Qottab
Persian fried pastries from the city of Yazd, filled with ground almonds, sugar and cardamom and rolled in powdered sugar.
Qurabiya
Crumbly Middle Eastern shortbread cookies made with butter and flour, often topped with a pistachio or almond.
Quesito
A Puerto Rican pastry of flaky puff pastry rolled around sweetened cream cheese and glazed with sugar syrup.
Queijadinha
Small Brazilian sweets of coconut, sweetened condensed milk, eggs and cheese, baked in paper cups until golden.
Quesillo
A Venezuelan caramel custard similar to flan, made with condensed milk and eggs, with small holes that give it its name.
Quetschentaart
A Luxembourg plum tart made with sliced Quetsch plums on a yeast or shortcrust base, eaten in late summer.
Quaresimali
Crunchy Italian almond cookies traditionally eaten during Lent in Florence, sometimes shaped like letters of the alphabet.
Qubani ka Meetha
A Hyderabadi dessert of dried apricots stewed in syrup, served with cream or custard, often at weddings.
Quaking Pudding
An old English pudding of cream, eggs and breadcrumbs boiled in a cloth, named for the way it trembles when turned out.
Quince Paste
Also called membrillo, a firm, sweet jelly made by cooking quince with sugar, served in slices with Manchego cheese.
Quality Street
A British assortment of individually wrapped chocolates and toffees in colorful foil, first sold by Mackintosh in 1936.
Snacks, Breads & Pasta That Start With Q
Breads, pasta shapes, breakfast staples and snack foods that start with Q.
Quick Bread
Any bread leavened with baking soda or baking powder instead of yeast, such as banana bread, soda bread and muffins.
Quaker Oats
The best-known American brand of rolled oats, sold since the 1870s and used for oatmeal, cookies and granola.
Quavers
A light, curly British potato snack with a melt-in-the-mouth texture, best known in its cheese flavor.
Qutab
A thin Azerbaijani flatbread folded around ground meat, herbs or pumpkin and cooked on a griddle, served with yogurt.
Qistibi
A Tatar and Bashkir flatbread folded around mashed potatoes or millet porridge, brushed with butter and eaten warm.
Quadretti
Small, flat square pasta cut from sheets of egg dough, traditionally cooked in broth in central and northern Italy.
Quadrefiore
A ruffled Italian pasta shape with four frilled edges that hold onto chunky, creamy and meat sauces.
Drinks That Start With Q
Coffee, cocktails, aperitifs and traditional drinks that start with Q.
Qahwa
Arabic coffee brewed from lightly roasted beans with cardamom and sometimes saffron, poured in small cups as a sign of hospitality.
Qishr
A Yemeni drink brewed from dried coffee cherry husks with ginger and cinnamon, lighter and sweeter than coffee.
Quentão
A hot Brazilian drink of cachaca simmered with sugar, ginger, cinnamon and cloves, served at June festivals.
Queen's Park Swizzle
A tall rum cocktail with mint, lime, sugar and bitters over crushed ice, created at a Trinidad hotel in the 1920s.
Quinquina
A French aperitif wine flavored with cinchona bark, which contains quinine, giving it a pleasantly bitter taste.
Quinine Water
The original name for tonic water, a bitter carbonated drink flavored with quinine and best known in a gin and tonic.
Qamar al-Din
A thick, sweet Middle Eastern apricot drink made from sheets of dried apricot paste, popular during Ramadan.
Cheeses & Dairy That Start With Q
Fresh and aged cheeses that start with Q, many from Mexico, Brazil and Spain.
Quark
A soft, fresh, mildly tangy European cheese similar to thick yogurt, used in cheesecakes, dips and spreads.
Queso Fresco
A mild, crumbly fresh Mexican cheese that softens but does not fully melt, sprinkled over tacos, enchiladas and salads.
Queso Blanco
A soft, white, fresh cheese made across Latin America, often fried or grilled because it holds its shape.
Queso Añejo
An aged, firm and salty Mexican cheese, a matured form of queso fresco that is grated over beans and enchiladas.
Queso Cotija
A salty, crumbly aged cow's milk cheese from Michoacan, Mexico, scattered over elote, tacos and salads.
Queso Oaxaca
A Mexican stringy cheese wound into balls like yarn, similar to mozzarella and loved in quesadillas for its stretch.
Queso Panela
A fresh, mild Mexican cheese molded in baskets, firm enough to slice, grill or fry without melting.
Queso Chihuahua
A pale yellow, semi-soft Mexican melting cheese first made by Mennonite communities in Chihuahua state.
Queso Manchego
Spain's best-known cheese, made from the milk of Manchega sheep in La Mancha, with a nutty, buttery flavor.
Queso Ibores
A Spanish goat's milk cheese from Extremadura with a rind rubbed in paprika and olive oil.
Queso de Bola
The Filipino name for Edam cheese, a red-waxed ball of cheese that is a favorite at Christmas and New Year.
Quesong Puti
A soft, slightly salty Filipino white cheese made from carabao or cow's milk, often eaten with pandesal for breakfast.
Queijo Coalho
A firm, squeaky Brazilian cheese sold grilled on sticks at beaches, often brushed with oregano or molasses.
Queijo de Minas
A mild, fresh white cheese from the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, eaten at breakfast with coffee or guava paste.
Quartirolo Lombardo
A soft, tangy Italian cow's milk cheese from Lombardy with protected status, traditionally made from autumn milk.
Quargel
A small, pungent Austrian and Czech sour milk cheese with a yellow rind, very low in fat and often eaten with bread.
Qurut
Hard, salty balls of dried strained yogurt eaten across Central Asia as a snack or dissolved into soups and sauces.
Meat & Seafood That Start With Q
Game birds, fish and shellfish that start with Q.
Quail
A small game bird with tender, slightly gamey dark meat, usually roasted, grilled or pan-fried whole or spatchcocked.
Quahog
A hard-shell Atlantic clam from New England, eaten raw when small and chopped into chowders and stuffies when large.
Queen Scallop
A small European scallop, nicknamed queenie, with sweet, tender meat that is often grilled in its shell with garlic butter.
Queen Conch
A large Caribbean sea snail with a pink shell whose firm white meat is used in conch fritters, chowder and salads.
Queen Crab
The name used in Canada and Japan for snow crab, prized for its long legs filled with sweet, delicate meat.
Queenfish
A silvery game fish of the Indian and Pacific oceans with firm white flesh, eaten grilled, fried or in curries.
Queen Triggerfish
A colorful Caribbean reef fish with firm, sweet white flesh, eaten fried or grilled in the West Indies.
Quillback Rockfish
A spiny, brown-and-yellow rockfish from the North Pacific with mild white flesh, used for fish tacos and fish and chips.
Quinnat Salmon
The name used in New Zealand for chinook or king salmon, the largest Pacific salmon, with rich, fatty orange flesh.
Herbs, Spices & Condiments That Start With Q
Seasonings, herbs and preserves that start with Q.
Quatre Épices
A French spice blend of four spices, usually pepper, nutmeg, cloves and ginger, used in pates, sausages and stews.
Qâlat Daqqa
A Tunisian five-spice mix of black pepper, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and grains of paradise, used with lamb and vegetables.
Quillquiña
A pungent Andean herb related to papalo, chopped raw into Bolivian llajwa salsa and eaten with meats and potatoes.
Quick Pickles
Vegetables such as cucumbers, onions or cabbage soaked briefly in hot vinegar brine and kept in the fridge, ready in hours.
Get the recipe →International Foods That Start With Q
Global dishes that start with Q, from Afghanistan and Iraq to Brazil and Peru.
Qabili Palaw
Afghanistan's national dish of fragrant rice cooked with lamb and topped with caramelized carrots, raisins and almonds.
Qorma
An Afghan stew of meat or vegetables simmered with onions, tomatoes and spices, served with rice or naan.
Qeema
A South Asian and Middle Eastern dish of spiced minced meat cooked with onions, tomatoes and peas.
Quzi
An Iraqi feast dish of slow-roasted lamb served over spiced rice with almonds and raisins, often made for celebrations.
Qurutob
Tajikistan's national dish of torn flatbread soaked in a dissolved qurut yogurt sauce, topped with fried onions and vegetables.
Qazy
A Kazakh and Kyrgyz horse-meat sausage made with rib meat and fat, boiled and sliced for holidays and feasts.
Quibe
The Brazilian version of Lebanese kibbeh, fried torpedo-shaped croquettes of bulgur and ground beef sold at snack bars.
Quibebe
A Brazilian and Paraguayan stew of mashed pumpkin or winter squash, often cooked with dried beef and onions.
Quimbombó
A Cuban stew of okra cooked with pork or chicken, tomatoes and plantain dumplings, with roots in West African cooking.
Quinotto
A Peruvian dish of quinoa cooked slowly like risotto with broth, cheese and butter until creamy.
Did You Know?
- The word marmalade comes from the Portuguese marmelo, meaning quince. The original marmalade was a thick quince paste, not an orange preserve.
- Quinoa is not a true grain but the seed of a plant in the amaranth family, related to spinach and beets. The United Nations named 2013 the International Year of Quinoa.
- Native peoples of New England carved purple and white wampum beads from quahog shells, and the quahog is the official state shell of Rhode Island.
- Quiche Lorraine comes from the Lorraine region of northeastern France, and the word quiche is thought to come from the German Kuchen, meaning cake.
Quick List: All 103 Foods That Start With Q
Handy for alphabet games, quizzes and Scattergories. The full list, A to Z:
Qabili Palaw, Qahwa, Qamar al-Din, Qatayef, Qazy, Qeema, Qishr, Qistibi, Qorma, Qottab, Quadrefiore, Quadretti, Quahog, Quail, Quail Eggs, Quail Grass, Quaker Oats, Quaking Pudding, Quality Street, Quamash, Quandong, Quaresimali, Quargel, Quark, Quarrenden Apple, Quarter Pounder, Quartirolo Lombardo, Quatre Épices, Quatre-Quarts, Quattro Formaggi Pizza, Quattro Stagioni Pizza, Quavers, Qubani, Qubani ka Meetha, Queen Anne Cherry, Queen Anne's Pocket Melon, Queen Cakes, Queen Conch, Queen Crab, Queen Elizabeth Cake, Queen of Puddings, Queen Pineapple, Queen Scallop, Queen Triggerfish, Queen's Park Swizzle, Queenfish, Queensland Arrowroot, Queensland Blue Pumpkin, Queensland Nut, Queijadinha, Queijo Coalho, Queijo de Minas, Quelites, Quenelle, Quenepa, Quentão, Querina Apple, Quesabirria, Quesadilla, Quesillo, Quesito, Queso Añejo, Queso Blanco, Queso Chihuahua, Queso Cotija, Queso de Bola, Queso Dip, Queso Fresco, Queso Fundido, Queso Ibores, Queso Manchego, Queso Oaxaca, Queso Panela, Quesong Puti, Quetsch Plum, Quetschentaart, Quibe, Quibebe, Quiche, Quiche Lorraine, Quick Bread, Quick Pickles, Quickweed, Quillback Rockfish, Quillquiña, Quimbombó, Quinault Strawberry, Quince, Quince Paste, Quindim, Quinine Water, Quinnat Salmon, Quinoa, Quinoa Salad, Quinotto, Quinquina, Quintal d'Alsace Cabbage, Qurabiya, Qurut, Qurutob, Qutab, Quzi, Qâlat Daqqa
Frequently Asked Questions
What foods start with Q?
Popular foods that start with Q include quinoa, quiche, quesadillas, queso dip, quince, quail, quahog clams and quark cheese. Less common examples include quandong, quenepa, qottab, quindim and quail eggs.
What fruit starts with Q?
Quince is the best-known fruit that starts with Q. Others include quandong, an Australian bush fruit; quenepa, a Caribbean fruit also called mamoncillo; qubani dried apricots; and varieties such as Queen Anne cherries and Quinault strawberries.
What vegetable starts with Q?
True vegetables that start with Q are rare. Quinoa is often grouped with them, and others include quelites (Mexican wild greens), Queensland Blue pumpkin, quamash bulbs, Queensland arrowroot and quail grass, a leafy green.
What dessert starts with Q?
Queen of puddings is a classic British dessert that starts with Q. Others include quindim from Brazil, quatre-quarts pound cake from France, Queen Elizabeth cake from Canada, qatayef pancakes and quince paste.
Why are there so few foods that start with Q?
In English, Q is one of the least used letters, and almost always paired with U. Many Q foods come from other languages, such as Spanish queso, French quiche, Arabic qahwa and Quechua quinoa.
More foods by letter:
