Food is so varied around the world, but it might come across as difficult when thinking about food items that start with the letter “J”. Before reading the next section, try to think by yourself and come up with as many as you can think of! Whether you are playing a game with your friends or family, or you are simply curious to see what other food there is with such a challenging letter, let’s check out in the following sections!
In the Post
Food That Starts With J – a Lengthy List
- Julep is a drink that consists of bourbon, sugar, and mint, all on top of crushed ice.
- Jambon
- Java is a beverage that consists of different types of ground coffee beans.
- Jumbal is a cake or cookie that has a ring shape.
- Jelly roll
- Jordan almond
- Julienne refers to different veggies cut into a thin strip.
- Jerusalem artichoke
- Johnnycake is a pancake made of cornbread.
- Jimmies refers to bits of chocolates on different edibles
- Juniper berry is a fruit used as spicing
- Jabuticaba fruits are similar to big grapes and grow in a tree, common to Brazil.
- Juneberries are purple or red berries.
- Jackfruit
- Jujube fruit
- Jambul is also known as the “Indian blueberry”.
- Jostaberry is a black gooseberry growing in North America.
Image Source: The Lot Dallas - Japanese plumb.
- Jonathan apple.
- Jollof rice is a dish in West Africa that consists of rice cooked with onions, tomatoes, cooking oil, and different types of meat.
- Jambalaya is a Creole dish made of rice, ham, seafood, or meat with veggies.
- Jaffle is a South African sandwich filled with meat and then toasted over an open flame.
- Jugo de Avena is a drink made of oats, left overnight to soak in water, and topped with milk, spices, and sugar.
- Jamaican jerk
- Joumou is a pumpkin soup coming from Haitian cuisine.
- Jamaican mackerel rundown is a dish made of pickled or salted mackerel with a thick sauce that is made with coconut milk and boiled until it thickens.
- Jamaican steamed fish is fish cooked in tomatoes, butter, onions, and herbs.
- Jamaican patty is a dessert that consists of meat pies.
- Jota is an Italian soup made with sauerkraut, beans, and potatoes.
- Jambon persille is marbled ham and parsley.
- Jellied eels.
- Jam roly-poly
- Jesuite is a French pastry that consists of frangipane cream.
- Jambalaya as a continental food is a dish made with rice and meat.
- Jocoque is a Mexican dish made with fermented milk.
- Jalapeno
- Jicama is an edible tuber of yam bean used in many Mexican dishes.
- Jook is a Chinese breakfast dish.
- Jian dui is a pastry made of rice flour.
- Jiuniang is a sweet rice wine with a pudding-like texture.
- Jiaozi is a type of Asian dumplings.
- Jingbaijan is a Chinese cake that is made with plums, dates, banana, raisins, beans, salt, and pepper.
- Jigarthanda is a beverage made with milk, root syrup, almond gum, sugar, and ice-cream.
- Jalebi is an Indian dish made by dipping twisted noodles in a sweet syrup. It may also refer to Jungle Jalebi fruit.
- Jhal-muri is puffed up rice combined with veggies, spices, and mustard oil.
- Jal-jeera is a type of lemonade that contains jaljira powder.
- Jamun is an Indian fruit with a similar size and shape to a plum.
- Jelly doughnut
- Jaffa cake
- Jam
Let’s find out more about some of the most interesting foods on the list!
Food That Starts With J – Recipes Worth Trying
1. Jambalaya
There is a chance that you’ve heard of this West African popular dish before as it is present in many other countries. The Spanish, Native American and French influences are highly present, which is perhaps why it is similar to the Spanish paella.
When the Spanish explorers went to the region, their paella recipe contained saffron, a spice that was not available to the natives. It is believed they replaced the spice with tomatoes, creating the Creole Jambalaya.
There are different recipes for this dish due to the unique combination of different cultures. This resulted in a versatile dish that turned into an all-time favorite. Apart from being delicious, the dish is also nutritious and incredibly healthy.
It can be prepared with whole grain brown rice, which is rich in antioxidants, fiber, and manganese, which helps your body synthesize fats.
Generally, a cup of Jambalaya contains 393 calories, which can be great for a healthy weight loss program. This includes meat and rice.
2. Jamaican jerk
Jerk chicken or Jamaican jerk is native to Jamaica but now expanded throughout the entire Caribbean. Jerk is a style of cooking spice-coated meat, usually chicken, but other varieties can be easily found, too, including pork, beef, or even goat or boar. There are also recipes for a vegetarian jerk, where veggies are spiced and cooked.
After coating the main ingredient, it is traditionally slowly cooked over a grill or a fire. The natives use green pimento wood placed on top of the burning coals. The resulting smoke is the key aspect of the recipe because it offers a specific flavor.
The nutritious profile depends on what source of protein is used since it can vary from chicken to seafood or vegetables. The jerk seasoning often consists of allspice, which is a great source of minerals, including calcium, iron, and magnesium.
Eugenol is also an essential oil found in jerk seasoning. One serving of jerk chicken can be around 210 calories, a great low-calorie option for dinner!
3. Joumou
This pumpkin soup is popular as the Haitian Independence Soup usually enjoyed on January 1 as a way of commemorating the Haitian independence from France. The soup was served only by the white enslavers and, after the independence in 1804, the soup was served by the locals as a celebration of freedom.
Soup Joumou is aromatic, hearty, and very delicious. Most of the recipes consist of beef, pumpkin, cabbage, and a few other vegetables as the recipe varies from person to person. In some cases, pumpkin is replaced with sweet potatoes or butternut squash, and turnips, rutabagas, and even malanga root can be found in different regions.

Despite this variation, the traditional soup Joumou retains its flavor profile obtained through fresh thyme, cloves, and scotch bonnet peppers. A serving typically comes with 205 calories, so it’s the perfect addition to a weight loss program.
4. Jhal Muri
Jhal Muri is a dish native to India and it is a snack made of puffed up rice. You can find this delicious dish in many parts, including Bangladesh and eastern India, such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand.
There are numerous varieties, but they are similar in appearance and taste as the basic recipe calls for a perfect, delicious, and crunch heap of puffed rice, decorated with tomato, lemon, and onion.
Muri, or the puffed rice, is suitable for weight loss as one cup contains only 54 calories. It is often enjoyed as a crispy snack, similar to popcorn.
5. Jook
Jook is a rice soup that can be served at any time during the day, including breakfast. Since 206 BCE, the dish has been considered a medicinal food.
It consists of rice cooked with stock or water for a very long time and it is the ultimate comfort food in Asia, although different cultures have another version of this loose rice soup.
In Chinese culture, Jook is made of jasmine rice which is cooked in water over very low heat. Other umami ingredients are added for flavors, such as pork bones or even dried seafood.
Varieties include lean pork, sliced fish, or eggs. The basic version includes garlic, ginger, dried scallops, dried shrimp, and shiitake mushrooms. You can check out this excellent recipe.

Jook is believed to help digestion and promote overall good health because it is easily digested. Chinese people believe that it supplements qi, which is life energy, relieves inflammation, and helps the immune system.
The vegetarian jook recipe has only 240 calories per serving, suitable for people who want to lose weight and sustain the health of their digestive system.
6. Jameed
Jameed is a Jordanian dish made with fermented milk, achieved by drying thickened and salted yogurt using goat’s or ewe’s milk. The yogurt is placed in cheesecloth and strained until the whey drains, resulting in a thick paste.
The yogurt is dense and salty. It is shaped into round balls and dried for a few weeks until it becomes stone hard. Jameed has a salty and sour flavor, with a yellow or white color. Yellow nuances can be obtained if it is left to dry in the sun.
Jameed is then used as part of different recipes. It is a key ingredient in mansaf, the national dish found in Jordan, but also in other traditional dishes. It can be kept for years at room temperature without getting spoiled.
7. Jalebi
Jalebi is an Indian dessert that looks like funnel cakes. It is common street food in India and Iran, and it is enjoyed both warm or cold. It has a circular shape, similar to pretzels, and it is one of the most popular sweets in the region. Jalebi is made of different types of flour, depending on the local culture – gram flour, urad dall flour, or plain flour.
This Indian dessert requires only a few ingredients: fermented batter of flour mixed with yogurt which is deep-fried. The result is crispy and delicious, often dipped into a sugary syrup mixed with saffron. As you might already think, it is quite packed in calories due to frying and the high content of carbs.

For a healthy snack, however, you can try the jalebi fruit. Known as jungle jalebi, it is an edible fruit that has a mildly sweet pulp packed with numerous nutrients.
The health benefits associated with jungle jalebi include improved dental health, managing blood sugar levels, and treating digestive issues. There are only 44 calories per jalebi.
8. Jiu Niang
Jiu Niang is a sweet rice dish common to the Yangtze River region. It is made with wine, but has a low alcohol content and is loved by the locals. Known as sweet rice wine, it consists of glutinous rice which is fermented with distilled yeast. It is not “wine” per se, but it has the wine flavor.
Modern research shows that Jiu Niang has 16 different amino acids, strontium, proteins, inorganic salts, and traces of different vitamins, including C, D, A, K, E, and others. The dish is easy to digest and absorb by the human body, so moderately consuming this dish helps to improve immunity, boost metabolism, and lower the risk of heart diseases.
The dish is great for new mothers, too, as it is believed to promote milk secretion. It is suitable for weight watchers, too, but it must be consumed moderately. One cup has about 57 calories.
9. Jellied Eels
Jellied eels are a part of the traditional British cuisine as old as the 18th century.

It originates from Cockney, where it is a common street food dish due to the numerous eels present in the Thames River. The eels are chopped and boiled in herbs. After the dish cools down, the liquid becomes gelatinous due to the eels.
The texture is soft and delicate, but not everyone might enjoy this delicacy due to the unique flavor profile. It is similar to pickled herring, but they lack the specific fishy smell. Usually, jellied eels have approximately 100 calories per 100g.
10. Jota
The Jota recipe is a popular Austrian influence on traditional Italian cuisine. It consists of cooking beans and sauerkraut with potatoes, pancetta, bay leaves, and cumin. It results in a thick soup, ideal for the cold weather.
Jota is comfort food and comes with a significant intake of carbs, ideal for fighting the chilly weather in the alpines. It is often accompanied by pork belly, thick pancetta, or a hearty Austrian sausage.
Summary
This sums up our delicious food list, a great way of learning about new traditions and dishes. These might come in handy if you want to spice up your regular diet with a few exotic influences.
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