✔ Updated · 37 foods, sorted by category
Real foods that start with X are rare, because few English food words begin with the letter.
Most X foods come from other cuisines, where X often sounds like "sh": xiaolongbao from China, xacuti from Goa, xôi from Vietnam and xató from Catalonia. This list sticks to 37 real, verifiable foods and drinks, with no invented dishes or filler. Each entry has a short description, and a quick A-to-Z list at the end helps with alphabet games.
Foods that start with X, from everyday favorites to rare finds. The most popular:
Fruits, Vegetables & Beans That Start With X
Mexican cactus fruit and chiles, an African wild plum, a fig-leaf squash and one honest translation. X was the hardest letter I’ve worked on.
Xigua
The Mandarin Chinese word for watermelon, often seen on menus and in recipes for Chinese watermelon drinks and desserts.
Xoconostle
A sour variety of prickly pear cactus fruit from central Mexico, used in salsas, moles and stews rather than eaten sweet.
Ximenia
Also called hog plum or sea lemon, a small, tart orange or red wild fruit eaten in Africa and the Americas.
Xilacayota
A name used in Latin America for the fig-leaf gourd, a squash whose stringy white flesh is candied or made into drinks.
Xcatic Chile
A pale yellow-green chile from the Yucatán Peninsula with a mild, slightly sweet heat, roasted and stuffed or blended into sauces.
X'pelon Beans
Small black field beans grown by Maya farmers in the Yucatán, cooked into tamales and festive dishes for the Day of the Dead.
Dishes & Meals That Start With X
Nearly every real X dish is international: dumplings and noodles from China, curry from Goa, sticky rice from Vietnam and stews from Brazil and Portugal.
Xiaolongbao
Chinese soup dumplings from the Shanghai area, thin pleated wrappers filled with pork and hot broth, steamed in bamboo baskets.
Xacuti
A rich Goan curry of chicken or lamb in a sauce of roasted coconut, poppy seeds and a long list of toasted spices.
Xôi
Vietnamese steamed sticky rice, eaten sweet or savory and often bought from street vendors for breakfast.
Xôi Xéo
A Hanoi breakfast of turmeric-tinted sticky rice topped with mashed mung beans, crispy fried shallots and scallion oil.
Xíu Mại
Vietnamese pork meatballs simmered in tomato sauce, often stuffed into a baguette for a breakfast banh mi.
Xató
A Catalan winter salad of curly endive with salt cod, anchovies and tuna, dressed with a romesco-like nut and pepper sauce.
Xinxim de Galinha
An Afro-Brazilian chicken stew from Bahia cooked with dried shrimp, ground peanuts or cashews, coconut milk and palm oil.
Xerém
A thick cornmeal porridge from the Algarve in Portugal, often cooked with clams, pork or sausage.
Xavier Soup
An old-fashioned chicken soup with tiny poached dumplings of egg, flour and cheese, named for Saint Francis Xavier.
Xidoufen
A thick pea porridge from Yunnan in southwest China, eaten hot with chili oil and crispy fried dough.
Xianbing
Chinese pan-fried stuffed flatbreads filled with pork or vegetables, crisp outside and juicy inside.
Xiaomian
Chongqing's signature breakfast noodles, tossed in a fiery, numbing sauce of chili oil and Sichuan pepper.
Xinjiang Lamb Skewers
Chunks of lamb grilled over charcoal and seasoned with cumin and chili flakes, a famous street food from northwest China.
Xinjiang Big Plate Chicken
A spicy, saucy chicken and potato stew from northwest China, served on a large platter over wide hand-pulled noodles.
Desserts & Sweets That Start With X
Four sweets from four corners of the world. I hadn’t tried any of them until I wrote this list.
Xingren Doufu
Chinese almond tofu, a silky, chilled almond milk jelly served in cubes with fruit or syrup.
Xuixo
A sugar-coated fried pastry from Girona in Catalonia, filled with crema catalana custard.
Xixona Turrón
Soft Spanish almond nougat from the town of Xixona (Jijona), ground into a creamy paste with honey and sugar.
Xalwo
Somali halwa, a sticky, jelly-like sweet of sugar, starch and ghee spiced with cardamom and nutmeg, served at weddings and Eid.
Fish & Seafood That Start With X
Small fish from Galicia and a powerful Chinese pantry staple. I keep a jar of XO sauce in my fridge for fried rice.
Xouba
Tiny young sardines from Galicia in Spain, fried whole until crisp or packed in tins with olive oil.
Xiami
Chinese dried shrimp, small and intensely savory, soaked and added to stir-fries, dumplings, congee and XO sauce.
Pantry & Condiments That Start With X
A luxurious Hong Kong sauce, a Yucatán salsa and two common food ingredients.
XO Sauce
A luxurious Hong Kong condiment of dried scallops, dried shrimp, cured ham, chili and garlic slow-cooked in oil.
Xnipec
A fiery Yucatán salsa of habanero, onion, tomato and sour orange juice; its Maya name means dog's nose.
Xylitol
A sugar alcohol used as a sweetener in sugar-free gum, mints and baking, with about the same sweetness as sugar.
Xanthan Gum
A food thickener made by fermenting sugar, used in sauces, dressings and gluten-free baking to add structure.
Drinks That Start With X
An ancient chocolate drink, a Maya liqueur, three wine grapes and two after-dinner classics.
Xocolatl
The bitter cacao drink of ancient Mesoamerica, often frothed and spiced with chili, an ancestor of hot chocolate.
Xtabentún
A Yucatán liqueur made with anise and fermented honey from the flowers of the xtabentun vine.
Xinomavro
Greece's great red wine grape from Naoussa, making tannic, age-worthy wines with tomato and red fruit notes.
Xarel·lo
A white grape from Catalonia and one of the three classic grapes in Spanish cava sparkling wine.
Xynisteri
Cyprus's main white wine grape, making light, fresh, citrusy wines and used in the sweet wine Commandaria.
Xanthia Cocktail
A vintage cocktail of gin, yellow Chartreuse and cherry brandy, listed in the 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book.
XO Cognac
Cognac labeled Extra Old, aged at least ten years in oak, sipped neat as a rich after-dinner brandy.
Did You Know?
- In Mandarin pinyin, Catalan, Galician and Portuguese, X usually sounds close to the English "sh", which is why so many real X foods come from those languages.
- Xiaolongbao get their soup from a gelatin-rich aspic mixed into the filling, which melts into broth as the dumplings steam.
- Xocolatl, the bitter, often chili-spiced cacao drink of Mesoamerica, is often cited as a root of the word chocolate, though linguists still debate its exact origin.
- XO sauce was created in Hong Kong in the 1980s and borrowed its name from XO cognac, a label associated with luxury, even though the sauce contains no cognac.
Quick List: All 37 Foods That Start With X
Handy for alphabet games, quizzes and Scattergories. The full list, A to Z:
X'pelon Beans, Xacuti, Xalwo, Xanthan Gum, Xanthia Cocktail, Xarel·lo, Xató, Xavier Soup, Xcatic Chile, Xerém, Xiami, Xianbing, Xiaolongbao, Xiaomian, Xidoufen, Xigua, Xilacayota, Ximenia, Xingren Doufu, Xinjiang Big Plate Chicken, Xinjiang Lamb Skewers, Xinomavro, Xinxim de Galinha, Xixona Turrón, Xnipec, XO Cognac, XO Sauce, Xocolatl, Xoconostle, Xouba, Xtabentún, Xuixo, Xylitol, Xynisteri, Xíu Mại, Xôi, Xôi Xéo
Frequently Asked Questions
What food starts with X?
The best-known food that starts with X is xiaolongbao, the Chinese soup dumpling. Others include xacuti, a Goan curry; xôi, Vietnamese sticky rice; xató, a Catalan salad; XO sauce from Hong Kong; and xoconostle, a sour Mexican cactus fruit.
Why are there so few foods that start with X?
Very few English words begin with X, so most real X foods are borrowed from other languages, such as Mandarin, Vietnamese, Catalan, Portuguese and Yucatec Maya, where X often sounds like sh. Lists online that pad the letter with made-up dishes are best avoided.
What fruit starts with X?
Xoconostle, a sour prickly pear from Mexico, and ximenia, a tart wild plum, are fruits that start with X. Xigua is the Mandarin word for watermelon, and xilacayota is a Latin American name for the fig-leaf gourd.
What dessert starts with X?
Desserts that start with X include xingren doufu (Chinese almond tofu), xuixo (a custard-filled pastry from Girona), Xixona turrón (soft Spanish almond nougat) and xalwo (Somali halwa). Hot xocolatl is another sweet option, though traditionally it was bitter.
Does Xmas pudding count as a food that starts with X?
Not really. Xmas is just an abbreviation of Christmas, so Xmas pudding and Xmas cookies are Christmas foods written in shorthand. They are fun for casual word games but are left out of this list, which only includes real X food names.
More foods by letter:
