I know, I know. The letter P is a bit predictable when it comes to food-related words! But there are so many great foods that start with P, it’s hard to figure out where to even begin!
We could talk about peanuts and poultry, but those are too easy.
How about papaya? It’s one of our favorites because it makes amazing smoothies! There’s Peanut Butter and Pickles – both of which start with “P.” And how can we forget pancakes? They’re a favorite for breakfast as well as desserts. Then there’s plantains…and Potatoes! There are so many more great foods that start with P, but I’m getting hungry just keeping them all straight in my head. Let’s see the list below.
Contents
List of Foods That Start With P
Popcorn
There are so many delicious dishes that can be made with popcorn! This food snack comes from the seed of a type of grass and is commonly made with butter, salt, and sugar. It can also be used to make desserts like popcorn balls and cake pops.
Polenta
Polenta is made from cornmeal mixed with water, salt, and other ingredients depending on what you want to make with it – like cheese or tomato sauce.
Peas
Green peas are a great source of carbohydrates and fiber. You can use them in soups, salads, appetizers, or eat them on their own as a side dish.
Potatoes
One of the most versatile ingredients, potatoes can be used in thousands of different dishes! You can have them baked or fried, as French fries or chips – there’s even a breakfast dish called hash browns.
Poached eggs
Poaching an egg is one of the best ways to cook it because you don’t end up with extra fat and calories from frying.
Pineapple
Pineapples are sweet and juicy and make a great addition to salads and other recipes where you need lots of flavor. You can also eat them on their own as a side dish or snack.
Pretzels
Pretzels come from Germany originally but now you can find them all over the world! They can be dipped into hummus or eaten with cheese sauce as a side dish. In North America, pretzels are often dipped in salt and sometimes powdered sugar, or given a sweet flavor with chocolate sauce or sprinkles.
Peaches
A peach is a sweet stone fruit belonging to the genus Prunus native to China that bears an edible juicy fruit also called a “peach”. The scientific name (from Latin) is prūnicus (most modern scientific names use -aceous; see: list of plant names). Peaches have fuzzy skin on their surface and come in various shades of yellow and orange when ripe. Peaches taste great raw or cooked and make an excellent filling for pastries, pancakes and pies.
Poultry
Country-specific foods often include poultry, such as chicken and turkey. These birds are very common and their meat is good for eating alone or to use as an ingredient in other dishes like chicken salad, casseroles, and meatloaf.
Passion fruit
The passion fruit is a species of flowering plant native to Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, northern Argentina and southern Bolivia. It is grown commercially in tropical areas around the world. The juice contains antioxidants such as Vitamin C and naringenin chalcone. The fruit pulp of some varieties has antifungal properties.
Peppers
There are thousands of different types of peppers to try, including bell, chile, poblano, banana, and cayenne. The bell pepper is typically green, red, or yellow and has a mild taste. This plant is native to central America; however, it can be found in most grocery stores.
Pasta
Pasta is a staple food of traditional Italian cuisine, with the first reference dating to 1154 in Sicily. There are many different varieties of pasta. These include egg, rice, tubular and shaped pasta which are widely used along with regional variations across the world.
Pork
The pig is one of the most common animals eaten in countries around the world. Pork meat is very versatile: you can have it pan-fried or deep-fried for dinner or ground up into sausages or meatballs for lunch or breakfast. You could even fill buns with pork slices to make a sandwich.
Pizza
Who doesn’t love pizza? This Italian dish is made of a flatbread crust that’s topped with cheese, tomato sauce (and other veggies as well) and baked until the cheese melts and the dough is crispy. It’s best served fresh but you can also buy frozen pies at the grocery store for convenience.
Pumpkin
Many recipes can be made with pumpkin! It’s good for both savory dishes like pumpkin soup and pumpkin pie, but you can also make desserts like cheesecake and whipped cream with it.
Plums
A fresh, ripe plum is a delicious treat! Plums are similar to peaches, but smaller. They can be eaten raw or cooked into jams.
Pancakes
A pancake is a thin cake made of batter typically fried in a frying pan. In Britain it can also refer to an English pancake which is essentially a baked crepe. There are many varieties of pancakes around the world that differ based on their ingredients and how they are cooked.
Pepperoni
There are several types of pepperoni out there to try from spicy chicken sausage to beef salami. Pepperoni is a type of dry-cured ham that’s commonly used in pizza toppings or served alongside cheese and crackers at a party.
Plantain
This green fruit tastes very similar to a potato but has more of a banana-y flavor when ripe. Plantains have black skin that’s spotted with brown spots – the older they are, the less likely they are to be sweet so look for ones that haven’t fully ripened yet. You can fry them up in a pan with a small amount of oil and serve with honey or eat them plain.
Pomegranate
The pomegranate has many seeds inside that are packed full of nutrients like vitamin C and fiber.
Peanut butter
Peanut butter is a food paste or spread made from ground dry roasted peanuts. It often contains additional ingredients that modify the taste or texture, such as salt or sugar. Peanut butter is popular in many countries. Peanuts are rich in nutrients, most notably protein and dietary fiber; several minerals and vitamin-rich plant foods can be used to make peanut butter.
Pickles
Pickles come in many different flavors and can be made with cucumbers, eggplant, onions, cabbage, carrots – the list goes on! They’re very flavorful and add an interesting tangy twist when added to other foods such as sandwiches and burgers.
Peanuts
The peanut, also known as the groundnut and the goober and taxonomically classified as Arachis hypogaea, is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics, being important to both small (out-of-pocket) farmers but also large agribusinesses that trade in peanuts; together they produce 45% of world output.
Pomelo
The pomelo makes for a juicy snack! It’s larger than grapefruit and has a sweet taste. It’s grown in many places; one of the largest producers is China, South Africa, and Japan.
Parsnip
The parsnip is a root vegetable closely related to carrots, parsley and celery that cultivates in temperate climates with cool moist soils; it’s usually grown as an annual winter vegetable. Parsnips look like off-white carrots with parsley at end of their greens (erroneously called “rootlets”) and they are usually cylindrical in shape with tapered ends. They can be eaten raw or cooked, but should not be confused with horse parsley (a common name for several umbelliferous plants also known as “Queen Anne’s Lace”).
Pie
What American meal is complete without pie? From apple to blueberry, key lime to pumpkin – you can use this for breakfast or dessert and it’s a great way to use up leftover fruit.
Papaya
A papaya is the fruit of a plant in the Caricaceae family. The most common variety in the US is the Solo Papaya, also known as “the caviar of fruits”. Papayas are rich in vitamins A and C, potassium, magnesium and antioxidants. They are best eaten raw but can also be baked or grilled without peeling.
Pistachios
These nuts come from evergreen trees that grow best in warm climates such as California, Turkey, Iran, China, and the Middle East. They’re green with purple-ish insides and taste very nutty – almost like almonds! You can eatachios by themselves as a snack or add it to various dishes like salads and ice cream.
Wrap Up
The list of foods that start with the letter P is a long one. There are so many different types of food from all over the world, it can be hard to keep track!
Now that we’ve covered the letter “P” and all of its delicious foods, It’s time to have a look at some lists like this- perhaps starting with another letter?