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Kobe beef -

An incredibly rare and luxurious treat, Kobe beef is distinguished as a tender, flavorful meat prized for its luscious marbled fat. It comes from the Japanese Wagyu cattle breed and is named for the city of Kobe, in Hyōgo Prefecture.

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Parmesan cheese -

Made from skimmed or partially skimmed cow's milk, Parmesan cheese is a hard, dry cheese known for its characteristically strong and nutty flavor that may be sweet, salty, and bitter at the same time. Considered by connoisseurs as one of the best cheeses in the world, Parmesan is named after two of the areas which produce it, the Italian provinces of Parma and Reggio Emilia. 

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Bisque -

A bisque is a French style of soup that is made from crustaceans, such as lobster, langoustine, crab, shrimp, and crayfish. The soup's name stems either from the Bay of Biscay or the technique of bis cuites, or "twice cooked."

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Eton mess -

A traditional summer dessert dish from England, Eton mess is a delectable confection of crunchy meringue, whipped cream, and strawberries or other berries. This yummy "mess" is named for the prestigious Eton College in Berkshire, where it was first served in the late 19th century.

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Satsuma mandarin -

Opinion is divided on whether this tangy and succulent fruit comes from Wenzhou, a well-known production area of mandarin oranges in China, or whether it was created in the Satsuma Province in Japan. Either way, this sweet, juicy, and seedless citrus variety is popular worldwide.

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French fries -

Confusingly, French fries are not from France but a product of Belgium. During the First World War, American soldiers stationed in the country's Wallonia region discovered this deep-fried potato snack. Since the dominant language of southern Belgium is French, they dubbed the tasty potatoes "French" fries.

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Linzer torte -

Recognized for its distinctive lattice lid, Linzer torte, a rich and buttery, nut-flavored pastry sandwiched together with red currant jam, is named after the city of Linz in Austria. It's often served with a big dollop of whipped cream and dusted with confectioners' sugar.

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Jamón ibérico -

Jamón ibérico is the highest grade of Iberian ham. One of Spain's culinary treasures, it's a product of purebred black Iberian pigs. The ham's intense flavor is a result of the near-exclusive diet of acorns the animals are fed on. 

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Santorini tomato -

Unique for the fact that the fruit is exclusively cultivated on the island of Santorini in Greece, this variety of cherry tomato is a product of the island's climate and geography, which defines its sweet, strongly acidic taste.

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Yorkshire pudding -

The classic accompaniment to any Sunday roast dinner, Yorkshire pudding is a decidedly British side dish. A baked savory pudding made from a batter of eggs, flour, and milk, it's named after the northern English county of Yorkshire, where the food was first recorded in 1737.

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Baked Alaska -

Baked Alaska is not from where you might automatically assume. The classic dessert of ice cream and cake topped with browned meringue was supposedly created in a New York restaurant in 1867 to honor the acquisition by the United States of Alaska from the Russian Empire in March of that year.

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Gruyère cheese -

This popular hard cheese recognized for its earthy, nutty palate has been produced in the region around the small town of Gruyères in Switzerland's Fribourg canton for several centuries.

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Melton Mowbray pork pie -

The town of Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, England, is the spiritual home of the pork pie. Filled with roughly chopped pork, pork fat, and succulent pork stock jelly all wrapped in a hot water crust pastry, the pork pie is one of the most traditional of British savory snacks.

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Neapolitan ice cream -

Neapolitan ice cream is a classic favorite composed of three separate flavors, typically vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. It's named after the Italian city of Naples.

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Eccles cake -

This sticky treat packed with sweet currants, candied citrus peel, and various spices is made from flaky pastry with butter, and sometimes topped with demerara sugar. The Eccles cake is named after the English town of Eccles, which is in the county of Lancashire.

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Mississippi mud pie -

It sounds wholly unappetizing but in fact Mississippi mud pie is a hugely popular and totally decadent American-style dessert. Consisting of layers of chocolate biscuits, brownie, chocolate custard, and whipped cream, this indulgent treat is named for its resemblance to the boggy banks of the Mississippi River.

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Queijo São Jorge -

One of the most famous and best-loved of Portuguese cheeses, Queijo São Jorge is a wonderfully tangy, slightly spicy cheese cured for 90 days or, as a special edition, up to 36 months. It's produced exclusively on the island of São Jorge, in the mid-Atlantic Azores archipelago.

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Dijon mustard -

Omnipresent on French tables, Dijon mustard is named after the town of Dijon in Burgundy. One of France's most famous condiments, records of its use in cooking date back to 1336 and the court of King Philip VI.

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Cumberland sausage -

Cumberland sausage was named for the ancient English county of Cumberland, which is now part of Cumbria. Seasoned with a variety of herbs and spices, the sausage is typically fried or grilled and served in long, curved lengths.

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Beef bourguignon -

A traditional French dish of slow cooked beef in a rich red wine sauce, beef bourguignon is likely named for the Burgundy wine used in the cooking process, which is produced in the Burgundy region of eastern France.

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Battenberg cake -

This fancy sponge cake is layered with marzipan, which gives it a distinctive almond flavor. Another culinary characteristic is the check pattern alternately colored pink and yellow. The cake originates in the German town of Battenberg in the state of Hesse and is purportedly named in honor of the marriage of Princess Victoria, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, to Prince Louis of Battenberg in 1884.

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Dover sole -

Delicate both in taste and texture, Dover sole is prized as a fish that provides protein without too much fat. Tender and flavorsome, the fish's name comes from Dover, the southern English fishing port landing the most sole in the 19th century.

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Jeonju bibimbap -

Jeonju bibimbap rates among the most popular of South Korea's traditional dishes. Rice cooked with beef broth and bean sprout is then topped with handfuls of fresh ingredients, including gingko nut, pine nut, chestnut, spinach, lettuce, bracken, mushroom, turnip, carrot, and seaweed. A raw or fried egg and sliced meat (usually beef) are common additions. It's named for the city of Jeonju, a destination included in UNESCO's Creative Cities Network—an honor that recognizes the city's traditional home cooking heritage.

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Wiener schnitzel -

One of Austria's most traditional and representative dishes, the "Viennese cutlet" is a thin, breaded, pan-fried veal cutlet. It's named for the country's historic capital city.

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Bath bun -

The Bath bun is a sweet roll with crushed sugar sprinkled on top. While it's synonymous with the city of Bath in southwest England, the bun has its roots in 17th-century France. In 1680, Solange Luyon, a Huguenot refugee, arrived in the city and found work in a bakery. There she created what became known as the Bath bun, which she marketed under her anglicized name, Sally Lunn.

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Béarnaise sauce -

A celebrated table condiment usually served with steak at fine dining restaurants and high-end steakhouses, Béarnaise sauce is associated with the province of Béarn, in the French Pyrenees.

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Buffalo wings -

One of America's great bar foods and appetizers, Buffalo wings—deep-fried chicken wings coated or dipped in a hot cayenne pepper sauce—hail from Buffalo in New York state, where the dish was created.

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Scallion -

Scallions, also known as spring onions or green onions, are vegetables prized for their leaves, eaten either raw or cooked and often chopped into other dishes and used as garnishes. Scallion derives from the name of the ancient Canaanite city of Ashkelon.

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Habanero pepper -

While the habanero pepper is South American in origin, hailing as it does from the Amazonas region of Peru, and despite the fact that it's thought of as a Mexican pepper, the habanero is actually named after the Cuban city of La Habana, known in English as Havana, where it was first traded in commercial numbers.

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Nanaimo bar -

Three layers of honey-sweetened coconut-graham crust, thick custard, and silky chocolate make the Nanaimo bar an irresistible dessert. It's named after the Canadian city of Nanaimo in British Columbia, where the recipe was first published in 1953.

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Pichelsteiner -

A rich hearty German stew of mixed meats and vegetables, Pichelsteiner is likely named after the Büchelstein, a mountain set in the Bavarian Forest.

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Okinawa soba -

Okinawa soba is named for a type of noodle produced in Japan's Okinawa Prefecture. The description also lends itself to a deliciously wholesome broth where simmered pork ribs, chopped scallions, and red pickled ginger keep the noodles company.

Sources: (Britannica) (National Geographic) (UNESCO) (What's Cooking America)

See also: The best food festivals around the world

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