Cherpumple? Asure? Cocoa Soup? These delish desserts from around the world might come off as a little unusual, but they will definitely sweeten your already-sweet tooth! Would you try them?
Cherpumple, U.S.
First came turducken, then came cherpumple. This thanksgiving-inspired cake was created by Charles Phoenix and is essentially an apple pie inside a spice cake, a pumpkin pie inside a yellow cake, and a cherry pie inside a white cake. Stack them all on top of one another, slather in icing and indulge on your cherpumple!
Asure, Turkey
It goes by the common name of ‘Noah’s Pudding’ – named after Noah from the Bible, who was apparently the first to make this dish. This Turkish dessert is often served during Muharram, the sacred first month of the Islamic calendar. It’s made of a rice pudding mixed with a variety of ingredients, such as dried fruit, nuts, spices, beans and even coconut. Sounds pretty tasty!
Ais Kacang, Malaysia
Imagine this on a hot and humid day! Shaved ice topped with your choice of syrups, red beans, nuts, corn, raisins, condensed milk, jelly, fruit or even ice cream. Ais Kacang is wildly popular in countries like Malaysia and Singapore, and is often sold by street food vendors and hawkers.
Fios de Ovos, Portugal
If you’re in Portugal, these are a must-try. Portuguese egg threads, or Fios de Ovos, are egg ‘strings’ similar to pasta, but cooked in sugar syrup. They’re a popular dessert in Portugal and can also be served as a side dish or even as a topping on cakes and ice cream. The dish is believed to have been created by nuns in the 14th or 15th century.
Koeksisters, South Africa
These beautiful, plaited sweet treats are a popular dessert in South Africa and are almost like a combination of a cookie and a donut. They are generally covered in syrup, lemon, ginger and cinnamon. They’re very sticky and very sweet and the good news is that you can find them almost anywhere in South Africa, usually in street stalls.
Cocoa Soup, Iceland
We can just see ourselves in Iceland, coming in from the cold and helping ourselves to a cup of this dessert! This sweet dish is made by boiling cocoa powder, sugar, water, milk, corn starch and cinnamon together. It can be drunk like hot chocolate or topped with cream or crumbled zwiebacks (a sweet bread) and eaten with a spoon. Um, yes, please!
Bűndnernusstorte, Switzerland
Don’t worry, you don’t have to be able to pronounce it to eat it! Bűndnernusstorte is a traditional Swiss dessert with a shell of shortcrust pastry and caramelised nuts (often walnuts), sugar and cream inside. It was popular during the 1960s but is still served and eaten today, usually with tea and coffee.
Dulce de Guayaba, Paraguay
Love guava? This gorgeous dish consists of boiled guava, sugar and water, which come together to create a hard jelly-like tart. In Paraguay, it can be eaten alone, but it usually comes on a cracker or alongside a piece of cheese. In other South American countries, dulce de guayaba (though names elsewhere might vary) can be spread on cakes or biscuits or simply cut into cubes and served as is.