30 Common Foods That Start With Letter Y

Also known as yaourt or yoghurt, this creamy or semi-fluid treat is created by fermentation heated milk with bacteria (yogurt cultures). This process can take place for several hours and produces lactic acid, creating the signature tang of yogurt.

Yellow mango is a term that refers to Ataulfo, a mango cultivar from Mexico. This mango is yellow from the outside to the inside, and its juicy, non-fibrous flesh offers a rich, honey-like sweetness.

Yams are a type of tuber vegetable with hairy, rough purple-white skin. Normally, yams are drier, less sweet, and more starchy than sweet potatoes.

People rarely eat yams raw but rather boil, bake, or fry them to serve with other dishes. Some even mash or pound yams into thick soups and cook them with their favorite meat.

Yakisoba is a Japanese dish of stir-fried ramen with meat, beans, vegetables, and a signature sweet and salty sauce similar to Worcestershire sauce.

With a name translated to “fried noodle,” yakisoba possesses a complex flavor depending on the ingredients used.

Yeast refers to single-celled microorganisms that are classified as fungi. It has many important applications, but for foodies, its key roles lie in baking and wine/ beer-making.

When yeast reacts with sugar and starch, it begins a fermentation process that releases alcohol and carbon dioxide.

Yellow apples are fruits that come with an eye-catching golden hue, with varieties such as Golden Delicious, Silken, or Blondee. Generally, they are as sweet and crisp as regular red apples.

Yorkshire puddings are classic English baked cakes that locals often have as a dessert for Christmas and the Sunday roast (a traditional British meal with roasted meat and side dishes).

Also served as an appetizer or a side dish, many like to serve Yorkshire puddings with beef and gravy or fill it with sausage and mash for the main course.

Bell peppers are famous for having so many colors. Depending on their varieties, these bell peppers start as green before changing to red, orange, and, of course, yellow.

Yellow bell pepper peak season is summer. The vegetable goes perfectly with hot dishes or for raw consumption.

Yellowfin tuna is a common sight in the seafood world and is often sold under the name of ahi tuna.

The name yellowfin tuna is derived from its long, bright-yellow dorsal fin and a yellow stripe along its side. It has slightly firmer and leaner meat than other tuna varieties.

This type of watermelon boasts yellow flesh, which was first domesticated in Africa 5000 years ago. The difference in color is due to the lack of lycopene, an antioxidant responsible for the red color.

Yakitori is a Japanese grilled skewer of bite-sized chicken pieces. This type of grilled chicken is best with steamed rice, sesame carrot salad, spicy cucumber salad, or a beer.

Yuzu is a Japanese citrus known for its incredible fragrance.
At the size of a small tennis ball with uneven skin, the yuzu color ranges from yellow or orange to green, depending on the degree of ripeness.

The flavor of this citrus fruit is very tart, like a combination of lemons, mandarins, and grapefruits.

Yellowtail fish (also known as Japanese amberjack) is often found in many countries around the Pacific Ocean. It is most famous in Japanese cuisine, which is extensively used in sushi and salami for its fatty and butter taste.

Yiros or yeeros is a Greek dish that consists of meat cooked on a spit, crispy pita bread, vegetables, herbs, and Greek sauces. Common vegetable and herb choices are tomatoes, red onion, fried potatoes, parsley, etc.

Yuca is a starchy root vegetable commonly known as cassava. These roots are larger than sweet potatoes and have a thick, grainy texture.

their ivory-colored starch has a mildly sweet and nutty flavor used for making various dishes.

Yacon is a large tuber vegetable mainly grown in South America, which is cultivated for its edible roots. Interestingly, yacon has no starch and boasts a sweet and mellow flavor resembling that of apples, watermelons, and pears.

Also known as Chinese crullers, Chinese oil sticks, or fried breadsticks, youtiao is a local favorite food item to dunk in soymilk or rice congee.

Generally, each youtiao consists of a pair of breadsticks that are deep-fried in oil until crispy on the exterior and airy on the interior.

Yangmei is popular with other names like Chinese bayberry, yumberry, or waxberry. This type of fruit is similar to strawberries and raspberries, very sweet but also tangy and more herbal in taste.

Yautias are often referred to as malanga and American taro. The root vegetable features rough brown skin, bark-like, and hairy, while the inner content has a creamy texture and a sweet, nutty taste when cooked.

Yabbies are freshwater crustaceans found in Australia. In Australia, yabbies boast sweet and succulent meat on par with or even better than lobster and crayfish.

Yali pear is a Chinese fruit that features smooth, greenish-yellow skin and crisp, creamy white flesh.

While this pear has a higher water content and a lower sugar content than other varieties, it can continue to ripen after picking to become very sweet and juicy.

Yam beans boast white flesh with high water content and a mild sweetness. Flavorwise, yam beans are like a cross between pears, unripe apples, and raw potatoes.

Yuvalama is a Turkish soup featuring chickpeas, rice, and meatballs in a rich, spiced broth. This soup is especially popular in colder months having a thick broth texture.

The youngberry is a hybrid berry created from crossing blackberry, raspberry, and dewberry. These fruits offer a sweet and tangy flavor, suitable for making sweet dishes.

Yellow squash is a popular variety of summer squash. When it comes to flavor, yellow squash is very mild and subtly sweet, suitable for eating raw or cooking.

There are two types of yellow squash: crookneck squash and straightneck squash.

Yardlong beans are a subspecies of cowpea and have many other names, such as Chinese long beans, asparagus beans, and snake beans. It usually comes in different shades of green.

Yardlong beans have a similar flavor to green beans, but their texture is denser, and the flavor is much more intense.

Yokan is a traditional Japanese sweet treat made from red bean paste, agar-agar powder, and sugar or honey. It is traditionally block-shaped and has a dark brown hue.

Yeot is a Korean confectionary that features rice, sorghum, corn, grains, or sweet potatoes as the main ingredients. Often, yeot comes in a white color cut into cubes for serving as a snack.

Yakhni pulao is a Pakistani rice dish that consists of two parts: “pulao” (or “pilaf”) for rice and “yakhni” for the rich stock cooked from meat and bones. Chicken and lamb/ mutton are the two most popular versions.

Yufka is a thin, round, and unleavened flatbread in Turkey, traditionally used in dishes like börek, gözleme, and wraps. Typically, the bread comes with some char marks from being cooked in a high-heat environment.