25 Foods That Start With P
on Apr 11, 2021, Updated Nov 20, 2023
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Have you ever been curious about Foods That Start With The Letter P and the many ways that you can enjoy them? We’ve covered everything from fruits to vegetables to snacks, and more!
Exploring the different kinds of food in the world is one of the best ways to discover new ways to enjoy them. It can be hard to figure out where to start, so we’ll help you out by picking a letter and going with it! Today we look at as many foods as we can whose names begin with the letter ‘P’.
Fruits that Start with P
1. Papaya
The papaya is a tropical fruit that is popular for its sweet taste and soft texture. It is a common addition to any fruit salad or platter, and it is easily recognizable from the reddish hue of its flesh. Did you know that papaya is a great meat tenderizer? It contains an enzyme called papain that actively breaks down the collagen on tough cuts of meat!
2. Passion Fruit
The passion fruit is native to Brazil and is well known for its signature tart yet sweet taste and crunchy edible seeds. It comes in two variants: the small, sweeter, purple kind and the larger, yellow, sourer kind. Passion fruits are known sources of vitamins and minerals. They are savory additions to drinks, sauces, or baked goods that need a punch of sourness.
3. Plums
Plums look like oversized cherries, but they are drupes because of the singular seeds at their center. Plums are sweet to eat while fresh but there are various other ways to enjoy them as well. You can bake them in pastries such as pies, roast them with chicken or even toss them around in a crisp fresh salad!
4. Peaches
“Sweetness with a floral taste” is one of the most accurate ways to describe peaches. This drupe is tender to bite into, but don’t forget to remove the pit inside first! Many people enjoy fresh peach as a dessert, often popularly paired with cream. My favorite way is to make it into Peach Compote.
5. Pineapple
As the world’s most popular prickly fruit, the pineapple is the best representation of tropical flavor. When properly ripened, a pineapple embodies the perfect balance of both sweetness and tartness. Its juiciness makes for delicious drinks that are often the base for legendary tropical drinks such as the pina colada. People love it so much that it continues to appear in a wide variety of recipes such as salads, pies, barbeques, and even pizzas!
6. Pomegranate
The pomegranate plant thrives in hot and dry climates, which is why the fruit is native to the Middle East. Its sweet but tangy flavor makes for a great addition to fruit salads, and green salads. Enjoy a freshly squeezed glass of pomegranate juice and its wealth of body healing antioxidants. A nice pomegranate jam goes well with a fresh toast for a tasty breakfast!
7. Pomelo
Pomelo is the largest citrus fruit that you will likely ever see at between 6 and 10 inches in diameter. It’s native to South East Asia, where locals have eaten it raw as a dessert or squeezed it into a juice in varying cocktails. The white flesh has that natural but mild sour taste that you would find in most citrus fruits. You’ll love it in a salad, or as a well-prepared jam!
Vegetables Beginning With P
8. Parsnip
A parsnip looks like a white carrot. However, the two have very different tastes. Bite into a parsnip and you will notice a sweet but earthy taste that is almost nutty. This flavor makes parsnip a great pair with mashed potatoes, and even better when roasted in an oven or sautéed!
9. Peas
These little green legumes are a staple at many household meals across the world. Peas are delicious when cooked in butter or sautéed with onions. Sugar snap peas and snow peas are two popular variations of regular peas that many enjoy eating whole, pods and all. You will most likely encounter peas frozen in bags at your local grocery store to preserve their freshness!
10. Peppers
Peppers are universally understood to be the kings when it comes to hot and spicy flavor. Many variations such as cayenne, jalapeno, and habanero are well-known for their hot burning taste. Cooks add them to sauces, salads, and meat dishes that need an extra pop of heat. Other milder peppers like bell peppers and sweet peppers are excellent in salads and stir fry recipes for the color they add to a dish.
11. Potatoes
Whether you love them baked, mashed, deep-fried, or even roasted, there is no denying how potatoes are a huge part of most meals today. Potatoes are one of the most widespread vegetables, enjoyed everywhere for their mild taste which complements many spicy meals as a side dish.
12. Pumpkin
We love carving them for Halloween in the west, but pumpkins are more popular as a versatile food to the rest of the world. People love pumpkins for their mild earthy flavor, which is great for rich recipes such as pumpkin soups, cakes, and muffins. Roast or grill pumpkins and add them to salads, or try incorporating them into savory pumpkin pies!
Snacks That Start with P
13. Peanuts
Arguably one of the most widespread nut variants globally, the peanut is also referred to as the groundnut or the goober. Peanut butter is perhaps its most popular form, spread over bread, made into ice cream, or baked into delicious nutty pastries. You can eat them straight out of the shell, roast them to increase their nutty taste, eat them in a trail mix or crush and use them as a garnish on top of desserts or salads!
14. Pistachios
Pistachios have a mild, slightly sweet flavor that pairs well with many baked goods, cooked meats as a garnish, and desserts like ice cream! Nutritionists love them for their wealth of minerals, fiber, and vitamins, which add to their natural green hue!
15. Popcorn
You’re probably used to seeing popcorn served as junk food in movie theatres with heaping amounts of butter. However, did you know that on its own, popcorn is healthy for you? The large amounts of butter don’t count! Dieters and nutritionists recommend it on its own because of the few calories that it has, at around 30 per cup.
16. Pretzels
This fun knotted snack comes in both soft and hard varieties and is enjoyed in dips or trail mixes. Did you know that hard pretzels were invented by accident when a baking apprentice left them in the oven for too long? Pretzels have been a part of many traditions throughout time. They signified unions in European weddings and prosperity in celebrations like Easter.
Dishes That Start with Letter P
17. Pancake
People cook this thin flat cake for breakfast in many parts of the world. You may also know it as the crepe, the flapjack, or the griddlecake. The most common way to eat them is with maple syrup and butter for breakfast, but there are more fun ways to enjoy pancakes. Put two together to make a sandwich of your choice, or eat them with some cream and berries as a tasty dessert!
18. Pasta
We know this doughy dish because it hails from Italy. Pasta is a wheat-based food that comes in many shapes that you cook as the starch component of a meal. Common shapes of pasta include spaghetti, macaroni, fusilli, and penne among many more. Did you know that there are around 350 different types of pasta?
19. Pie
As far as baked dishes go, pies are some of the most beloved creations of many households. They are a popular dish for special occasions, with dough casings that you can fill with many different ingredients. Fill them with fruit, custard, and cream to eat as a dessert, or make a meat-based version for the main dish! Pies are like a blank canvas, and you get to decide what to put in them!
20. Pizza
This delightful dish is of Italian origin, but you can find it all over the world today! The soft flat dough base is like a blank canvas where you can put foods such as meat and vegetables: but don’t forget the sauce first! The perfect topping for pizza can be anything that you want: including more meat, vegetables, and even fruits such as pineapple!
21. Poached Eggs
As far as cooking goes, poached eggs are among the easiest foods to make. Just crack one into simmering hot water and leave it to cook for 5 minutes! People love poached eggs for their creamy smooth yolk, and they go well with salads, pizzas, and even burgers!
22. Polenta
The best way to describe polenta is as a creamy porridge of Italian origin. It is a fantastic bed for sauces, but it can also be allowed to cool, forming a solid mass that can be sliced, fried, and baked! It has a similar taste to grits because it is made of corn. That’s why it is a preferred starch replacement for rice, potatoes, or pasta in any meal!
Other Foods that Start with Letter P
23. Pepperoni
In the realm of cured meats, pepperoni is one of the most popular. Most people love it for its smoky, spicy taste that makes it a delicious topping for pizza, and an extra burst of flavor when chopped up and added to salads. Some of the most popular ways to use it include layering it between bread to make a sandwich, baking it to make chips, and baking it into bread!
24. Pickles
All pickles are cucumbers that have been soaked in a spicy solution to improve their taste. This preparation method is what people call pickling, which is where the food gets its fitting name. Depending on your pickling solution, your pickles could be sweet, salty, or very hot. Chop them up and add them to your salad or dip, or layer slices of them in sandwiches.
25. Pork
Many people are often taken by surprise to learn that pork is the most consumed meat in the world. It is no surprise that the different ways to prepare it have contributed to its popularity. Enjoy it grilled, baked, or fried with your favorite side of vegetables. Smoke and cure it to make various lunch meats for sandwiches and more!
There are plenty of options to explore here, and we hope you enjoy yourself while you do so! Feel free to find the next healthy addition to your diet or the next ingredient to shake up your next tasty creation!
