160 Foods That Start With S for Every Meal

A swede in Britain is a rutabaga in Canada, and a scallion in New York is a spring onion in London. Among foods that start with S, several go by two names like this. Sherbet does the same, since the word means a frozen dessert in America and a fizzy powder in Britain.

Foods That Start With S

Only real food names count here, which rules out the padding other lists rely on, such as salted cashew and sweet cornmeal. Meals come first because most people searching for an S food want something to cook or serve, and the raw ingredients follow after.

• Scrambled Eggs
• Shakshuka
• Sourdough Toast
• Smoothie Bowl
• Semolina Porridge
• Scrapple
• Scones
• Shirred Eggs
• Soda Bread
• Sujuk
• Sandwich
• Submarine Sandwich
• Salad
• Soup
• Sloppy Joe
• Shawarma
• Souvlaki
• Sushi
• Stir-Fry
• Spanakopita
• Spaghetti
• Steak
• Stew
• Shepherd’s Pie
• Schnitzel
• Sauerbraten
• Sukiyaki
• Stroganoff
• Satay
• Sisig
• Spaetzle
• Surf and Turf
• Soba
• Stuffed Peppers
• Samosa
• Spring Roll
• Saltine Crackers
• Seaweed Snacks
• Salted Peanuts
• Scotch Egg
• Sesame Sticks
• Shrimp Crackers
• Sunflower Seeds
• Soft Pretzel
• Sausage Roll
• Sev
• Seven-Layer Dip
• Sliders
• Shish Kebab
• Saganaki
• Salted Popcorn
• Spinach Dip
• Stuffed Mushrooms
• Sausage Balls
• Shrimp Cocktail
• Swedish Meatballs
• Spirulina
• Sprouts
• Steel-Cut Oats
• Skyr
• Soy Milk
• Split Peas
• Silken Tofu
• Sauerkraut
• Sea Moss
• Spelt
• Strawberry
• Starfruit
• Sapodilla
• Soursop
• Sugar Apple
• Satsuma
• Salak
• Santol
• Sapote
• Salmonberry
• Surinam Cherry
• Saskatoon Berry
• Sloe
• Star Apple
• Sultana
• Spinach
• Sweet Potato
• Squash
• Shallot
• Swede
• Snow Peas
• Swiss Chard
• Scallion
• Sweet Corn
• Sorrel
• Salsify
• Samphire
• Shiitake Mushroom
• Savoy Cabbage
• Serrano Pepper
• Sunchoke
• Salmon
• Shrimp
• Sardines
• Scallops
• Snapper
• Swordfish
• Squid
• Sole
• Sea Bass
• Sturgeon
• Sausage
• Salami
• Sirloin
• Spareribs
• Squab
• Smoked Salmon
• Semolina
• Sorghum
• Sago
• Sticky Rice
• Sesame Seeds
• Soybean
• Swiss Cheese
• Stilton
• Sour Cream
• Skim Milk
• String Cheese
• Sbrinz
• Salt
• Sugar
• Soy Sauce
• Saffron
• Sage
• Star Anise
• Sriracha
• Sumac
• Sichuan Pepper
• Salsa
• Sofrito
• Sesame Oil
• Sorbet
• Sherbet
• Sponge Cake
• Swiss Roll
• Strudel
• Snickerdoodle
• Sundae
• Soufflé
• Sachertorte
• Sufganiyot
• Sticky Toffee Pudding
• Shortbread
• Sopapilla
• Shortcake
• Smoothie
• Soda
• Sake
• Sangria
• Sparkling Water
• Sweet Tea
• Sherry
• Slushie
• Sencha

Breakfast Foods That Start With S

In English-speaking homes, eggs, bread, and something cured or smoked carry most breakfasts. Turkey and North Africa contribute two more, both savoury and both cooked in a single pan.

Scrambled Eggs

Scrambled Eggs are soft yellow curds of beaten egg make up one of the plainest hot breakfasts in English-speaking kitchens. Low heat and constant stirring keep them creamy, and high heat turns them rubbery within seconds.

Shakshuka (shahk-SHOO-kah)

A one-pan dish of eggs poached whole in a spiced tomato and pepper sauce. North Africa named it and Israel turned it into a breakfast fixture, eaten straight from the pan with bread.

Sourdough Toast

Sourdough Toast is thick slices of bread raised on a wild yeast starter rather than commercial yeast. Long fermentation leaves a sour tang and a chewy crumb that stands up to butter without collapsing.

Smoothie Bowl

Smoothie Bowl is thick blended fruit eaten with a spoon under granola, seeds, and sliced fruit. Frozen banana or mango does the thickening, so no ice waters the bowl down as it melts.

Semolina Porridge (sem-oh-LEE-nah)

A hot milk pudding built on coarse durum wheat, thickened until a spoon stands in it. At the table sugar, cinnamon, or fruit go on, and the same grain turns up in pasta and couscous.

Scrapple

Scrapple is a savoury loaf of pork trimmings bound with cornmeal, sliced and fried until the edges crisp. Pennsylvania Dutch kitchens created it, and it still turns up on breakfast plates across the mid-Atlantic states.

Scones

Raised with baking powder and split open while still warm, these small crumbly cakes anchor an afternoon tea. British versions arrive with clotted cream and jam, while American ones run sweeter and hold fruit or chocolate.

Shirred Eggs

Whole eggs baked in a shallow dish of cream until the whites set and the yolks stay soft. The oven does the work rather than the hob, which suits cooking several portions at once.

Soda Bread

A quick loaf raised by bicarbonate of soda and buttermilk instead of yeast, so it bakes within the hour. In Ireland it became a staple, and the cross cut into the top helps the middle cook through.

Sujuk (soo-JOOK)

Sujuk is a dry fermented sausage of beef or lamb, heavy with paprika and cumin. Turkish and Middle Eastern breakfasts fry it in thin slices beside eggs until the fat runs.

Lunch Foods That Start With S

Lunch runs to food you can finish in half an hour: something between bread, something in a bowl, something wrapped. Greece, Japan, and the Levant each contribute one that now sells on menus everywhere.

Sandwich

Two slices of bread around a filling gave the sandwich its name, after the Earl of Sandwich in the eighteenth century. The shape stretches from a plain cheese round to a stacked club with three layers.

Submarine Sandwich

Submarine Sandwich is a long soft roll split lengthwise around cured meats, cheese, lettuce, and dressing. The name describes the shape, and American cities call the same thing a hoagie, a grinder, or a hero.

Salad

Raw or cooked vegetables under a dressing make up a salad, with grain, cheese, or protein added for a fuller meal. It ranges from a plain green side to a main course built on chicken, tuna, or lentils.

Soup

Simmered in stock until soft, vegetables, meat, or pulses turn into a bowl of soup. Blending turns it smooth and leaving it chunky keeps the texture, and bread on the side makes it a meal.

Sloppy Joe

Minced beef in a sweet tomato sauce goes onto a soft bun to make this American sandwich. The filling stays deliberately loose, which produced the name, and most people reach for a fork.

Shawarma

Shawarma is spit-roasted lamb, chicken, or beef shaved into thin strips and rolled into flatbread. Levantine cooks add garlic sauce, pickles, and tahini, and the meat turns on the spit for hours.

Souvlaki (soov-LAH-kee)

Souvlaki is small cubes of grilled pork or chicken served in pitta with tomato, onion, and tzatziki. Greek street stands sell it by the wrap, and the name translates as little skewer.

Sushi

Vinegared rice paired with raw fish, vegetables, or egg makes sushi, either rolled in seaweed or pressed by hand. The rice defines the dish rather than the fish, which is why sushi and sashimi are two different dishes.

Stir-Fry

Sliced vegetables and protein cooked over very high heat in a wok define a stir-fry. Soy sauce, garlic, and ginger carry the seasoning, and everything gets cut small because the whole dish takes minutes.

Spanakopita (span-ah-KOH-pee-tah)

Spanakopita is a Greek savoury pie of spinach and feta between layers of filo pastry. In bakeries it sells warm in squares or triangles, and the pastry shatters when the fork goes in.

Dinner Foods That Start With S

Dinner brings the slower cooking, and an unusual number of national dishes begin with S. Germany, Japan, Russia, the Philippines, and Indonesia each contribute a main course.

Spaghetti

Long thin strands of durum wheat pasta boil firm and take sauce rather than drowning in it. Tomato, meat ragu, and garlic with oil are the three most common finishes.

Steak

Cut thick from the back or ribs of the animal, a steak sears fast so the outside browns while the centre stays pink. Sirloin, ribeye, and fillet each name where the cut came from.

Stew

Meat and vegetables simmered in liquid until the sauce thickens make a stew. Cheaper cuts suit it best, since long heat breaks down connective tissue that a quick sear never would.

Shepherd’s Pie

Shepherd’s Pie is a baked dish of minced lamb in gravy under a layer of mashed potato. Made with beef instead, the same dish becomes cottage pie, and British kitchens keep the distinction.

Schnitzel

Beaten thin and coated in breadcrumbs, this escalope of veal or pork shallow-fries until golden. Austria claims the veal version, and lemon on the side cuts through the fried crust.

Sauerbraten (SOW-er-brah-ten)

Sauerbraten is a German pot roast of beef marinated in vinegar and spices for several days before braising. That long soak tenderises the meat and produces the sweet-sour gravy it arrives in.

Sukiyaki (soo-kee-YAH-kee)

Thin beef, tofu, and vegetables simmer in a sweet soy broth to make this Japanese hot pot. Diners cook their own portions at the table and dip each piece in raw beaten egg.

Stroganoff (STROH-gan-off)

Strips of beef in a sour cream and mustard sauce, served over noodles or rice. Nineteenth-century Russia produced it, and the cream goes in at the end so the sauce does not split.

Satay

Grilled on skewers and dipped in a thick peanut sauce, satay turns up across the whole of Southeast Asia. Indonesia and Malaysia both claim it, and turmeric in the marinade tints the meat yellow.

Sisig (SEE-sig)

Sisig is a Filipino dish of chopped pork face and belly, sharp with calamansi and chilli. Sizzling on a cast iron plate, in many places under a raw egg, it works as a main or a drinking dish.

Spaetzle (SHPET-sluh)

Spaetzle is soft irregular egg noodles pressed through a coarse plate straight into boiling water. Southern Germany and Austria serve them under gravy or tossed with browned butter and cheese.

Surf and Turf

A single plate holding both a cut of beef and a portion of shellfish, most commonly steak with lobster or prawns. American steakhouses made it a fixture, and the two halves cook separately.

Soba (SOH-bah)

Made from buckwheat flour, these thin Japanese noodles arrive cold with a dipping sauce or hot in broth. The buckwheat leaves a nutty taste and the slightly grey colour that identifies them.

Stuffed Peppers

Whole peppers hollowed out and filled with rice, minced meat, or vegetables, then baked until the skin softens. Greek, Turkish, and Hungarian kitchens each work with a different filling.

Snack Foods That Start With S

Fried pastry, fried seeds, and packaged crackers all begin with S, and most travel well in a bag or a pocket. India, China, and Scotland each contribute one.

Samosa (sah-MOH-sah)

Spiced potato, peas, or minced meat go inside this triangular fried pastry. South Asian shops sell them hot with tamarind or mint chutney, and the shell blisters in the fryer.

Spring Roll

Spring Roll is a thin wheat wrapper around shredded vegetables and, in many versions, pork, fried until crisp. Fresh versions skip the fryer for rice paper instead, which keeps them soft and cold.

Saltine Crackers

Thin, square, and lightly salted, these crackers carry small holes across the surface. Those holes stop the dough puffing in the oven, which is why saltines stay flat and snap cleanly.

Seaweed Snacks

Seaweed Snacks are brittle sheets of nori roasted with oil and salt. A whole packet weighs almost nothing, and the taste lands between salty and savoury.

Salted Peanuts

Roasted and salted, these groundnuts sell shelled or still in the shell. Botanically they count as legumes rather than nuts, which puts them closer to peas than to almonds.

Scotch Egg

Sausage meat and breadcrumbs wrap a boiled egg, which then fries whole. British picnics and pub counters keep it in business, and the yolk can be firm or still soft.

Sesame Sticks

Sesame Sticks are short crunchy sticks of wheat dough coated in sesame seeds. They turn up in snack mixes and on their own, and the seeds toast as the sticks cook.

Shrimp Crackers

Light puffed wafers of prawn paste and tapioca starch. Southeast Asian kitchens serve them beside rice dishes and on their own.

Sunflower Seeds

Small striped seeds from the sunflower head, roasted and salted. Baseball dugouts and long car journeys keep them selling, shelled or cracked open with the teeth.

Soft Pretzel

Knotted bread under a dark shiny crust and coarse salt makes up the soft pretzel. A brief boil in an alkaline solution before baking produces that crust, and Bavaria and Philadelphia each claim a version.

Sausage Roll

Wrapped in puff pastry and baked until it flakes, seasoned sausage meat becomes a sausage roll. British bakeries sell them by the million, warm, and they work as a snack or a lunch.

Sev (sev)

Sev is thin crunchy strands of spiced chickpea flour, deep fried into a tangle. Indian snack counters sell it loose and scatter it over chaat as a topping.

Party Foods That Start With S

Party food has to survive two hours on a table and get eaten with one hand, which rules out anything that softens. Several of these arrive with a dip attached, and three need no cooking at all.

Seven-Layer Dip

Refried beans, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, cheese, olives, and spring onion stack into visible layers in a glass dish. Those layers are what make it worth building, since the transparent sides do half the work.

Sliders

Made in batches and set out several to a plate, these small burgers arrive on soft rolls. The size lets guests take two without committing to a full burger, which is why caterers reach for them.

Shish Kebab

Cubes of marinated lamb or chicken grill on skewers between peppers and onion. The skewer doubles as the serving vessel, so nothing needs a plate or a fork.

Saganaki (sah-gah-NAH-kee)

Fried in a small pan until the outside browns and the middle softens, this slab of firm Greek cheese arrives hot. Some tavernas flame it with brandy at the table and cut it with lemon.

Salted Popcorn

Corn kernels burst open by the steam trapped inside them, then salted while still hot. Heat and moisture do all the work, and the salt sticks only while the surface stays warm.

Spinach Dip

Chopped spinach folded through sour cream and cream cheese with garlic and onion makes this creamy dip. Served cold with crackers or baked hot in a bread bowl, it empties faster than anything else on the table.

Stuffed Mushrooms

Stuffed Mushrooms are mushroom caps filled with breadcrumbs, garlic, herbs, and cheese, baked until the tops brown. The stems go into the filling rather than the bin.

Sausage Balls

Rolled from sausage meat, grated cheese, and flour, these small spheres bake until firm. Three ingredients and one bowl made them a standard on American holiday tables.

Shrimp Cocktail

Cold cooked prawns hang around the rim of a glass above a tomato and horseradish sauce. The dish peaked in the 1970s and never entirely left the buffet table.

Swedish Meatballs

Swedish Meatballs are small beef and pork meatballs in a creamy gravy beside a spoon of lingonberry jam. Allspice and nutmeg in the mix separate them from an Italian meatball.

Healthy Foods That Start With S

Protein, fibre, and live fermentation cultures give a handful of S foods a nutritional reputation beyond the ordinary. Among them are two algae, three fermented foods, and one dairy product high enough in protein to rival meat.

Spirulina (spir-oo-LEE-nah)

Sold as powder or tablets, this blue-green algae trades on its protein and iron. The taste runs strong and grassy, so most people blend it into juice rather than take it plain.

Sprouts

Sprouts are young shoots of germinated seeds and pulses, eaten within days while still small. In sandwiches and salads, alfalfa, mung bean, and broccoli sprouts each add crunch.

Steel-Cut Oats

Whole oat groats chopped into pieces rather than rolled flat, so they stay chewy after cooking. The coarser cut releases sugar more gradually than instant oats do.

Skyr (skeer)

Strained thick in Iceland, this cultured dairy product runs very high in protein for its fat. Technically it counts as a soft cheese rather than a yoghurt, though people eat it exactly like one.

Soy Milk

Pressed from soaked and ground soybeans, then strained and fortified with calcium, this plant milk leads the field on protein. That protein is why it foams well for coffee.

Split Peas

Hulled and split along the natural seam, dried peas cook without soaking. They break down into a thick purée, which is what produces the body in split pea soup.

Silken Tofu

Silken Tofu is an unpressed soy curd soft enough to spoon straight from the pack. The texture suits blending into desserts and dressings more than frying.

Sauerkraut

Shredded cabbage ferments in its own salted brine for weeks to become sauerkraut. Lactic acid does the preserving and produces the sourness, and the live bacteria survive as long as it stays unpasteurised.

Sea Moss

Harvested from Atlantic coastlines, this red algae blends into a mineral-rich gel. It thickens smoothies and soups without changing the taste much, which explains its recent popularity.

Spelt

Older than modern wheat and firmer in the husk, this grain tastes nuttier in bread. Bakers reach for it for bread and pasta, and it still contains gluten despite common assumptions.

Fruits That Start With S

Tropical markets from Indonesia to Brazil supply most of the fruit that begins with S, and the northern hedgerow supplies the rest. Four turn up in any supermarket and the others reward a trip to a specialist grocer.

Strawberry

Bright red and seeded on the outside rather than within, the strawberry breaks the usual fruit pattern. Botanically it fails the test for a berry, since the flesh grows from the flower base rather than the ovary.

Starfruit

A waxy yellow tropical fruit with five deep ridges that cut into star shapes. The whole thing goes into the mouth including the skin, and the taste lands between apple and grape with a sour edge.

Sapodilla (sah-poh-DEE-yah)

Under brown skin, this tropical fruit hides soft grainy flesh tasting close to brown sugar and pear. Central America grows it, and the same tree produces chicle, the original base for chewing gum.

Soursop (SOUR-sop)

Under soft spines, this large green tropical fruit hides white fibrous pulp inside. The taste combines strawberry and pineapple, and the Caribbean blends it into juices.

Sugar Apple

A knobbly green fruit that separates into sweet segments, each around a single black seed. Its custard-like flesh produced the other name it goes by, and the segments pull apart by hand.

Satsuma

Loose enough to peel in one piece, this small seedless citrus became the standard fruit in a child’s lunchbox. Japan bred it, and the low acid suits younger palates.

Salak (SAH-lahk)

A small Indonesian fruit under reddish-brown scales that look convincingly like snake skin. The flesh stays crisp and dry, with a sweet-sour taste closer to pineapple than anything else.

Santol (sahn-TOL)

Santol is a round Southeast Asian fruit with thick rind and white pulp clinging to large seeds. Rather than cutting the pulp away, eaters suck it from the seed, and the taste runs sour.

Sapote (sah-POH-tay)

Soft enough to eat with a spoon straight from the skin, this Central American fruit needs no preparation. Several unrelated fruits share the name, and the black sapote tastes closest to chocolate pudding.

Salmonberry

Salmonberry is an orange to red berry from the Pacific Northwest, related to the raspberry. It ripens early in summer, and the taste stays mild and watery compared with its cousins.

Surinam Cherry

Deep ribs run down this small red South American fruit, with a resinous tang behind the sweetness. Fully ripe fruit turns almost black and loses most of the sharpness.

Saskatoon Berry

Saskatoon Berry is a purple prairie berry with a taste closer to almond than to blueberry. Canadian kitchens bake it into pies and cook it down into preserves.

Sloe

Far too sharp to eat raw, this small blue-black fruit grows on the blackthorn hedge. Picking after the first frost softens it, and most of the crop ends up steeped in gin.

Star Apple

A purple tropical fruit that shows a star pattern when cut across the middle. The flesh runs sweet and slightly milky, while the skin and seeds stay uneaten.

Sultana

Sultana is a soft golden raisin dried from a pale seedless grape. Both the variety and the drying method separate it from a standard raisin, and it keeps more moisture.

Vegetables That Start With S

Roots, leaves, pods, and stems all begin with S, and three of them go by different names on each side of the Atlantic. In Britain a swede is a rutabaga in Canada, and a scallion in New York becomes a spring onion in London.

Spinach

Spinach is a dark leafy green eaten raw when young and cooked when mature. Its volume collapses to a fraction in the pan, so a full bag produces a modest side.

Sweet Potato

Sweet Potato is an orange-fleshed root with the sweetness its name promises, baked, mashed, or cut into fries. Despite that name it comes from a different plant family than the ordinary potato.

Squash

Squash is a broad gourd family running from courgette to butternut and pumpkin. Summer squash keeps soft edible skin while winter squash needs peeling and longer cooking.

Shallot

A small onion that grows in clusters and divides into cloves the way garlic does. The taste stays milder and sweeter than an onion, which suits raw work in dressings.

Swede

Purple-topped and large, this root vegetable goes by the name rutabaga across North America. The flesh turns golden and slightly sweet when boiled, and Scotland mashes it alongside haggis.

Snow Peas

Snow Peas are flat green pods picked before the peas inside swell, eaten whole. A quick blanch or a minute in the wok keeps them crisp.

Swiss Chard

Swiss Chard is a leafy green with thick coloured stems in white, yellow, or red. The leaves cook like spinach and the stems need a few extra minutes, so cooks separate them.

Scallion

Harvested before the bulb forms, this young onion sells in bunches with the green tops attached. British shops call the same thing a spring onion, and both parts go into the pan.

Sweet Corn

Sweet Corn is a maize variety bred for high sugar, eaten on the cob or stripped into kernels. That sugar starts turning to starch within hours of picking, which is why freshness counts.

Sorrel

Sorrel is a leafy herb with a sharp lemon taste from the oxalic acid in its leaves. French kitchens cook it into sauces for fish, where the acidity does the work lemon juice would.

Salsify (SAL-sih-fee)

Pale flesh inside this long thin root tastes faintly of oyster, which produced its other name. It discolours fast once peeled, so cooks drop it straight into acidulated water.

Samphire (SAM-fire)

Samphire is a crisp green coastal plant from salt marshes, tasting distinctly of the sea. In the pan it needs no added salt, and it pairs almost exclusively with fish.

Shiitake Mushroom

Shiitake Mushroom is a brown-capped East Asian mushroom with a dense, meaty texture. Drying concentrates the taste, and the soaking water afterwards works as a stock.

Savoy Cabbage

Savoy Cabbage is a cabbage with crinkled dark green leaves and a looser head than the smooth white kind. Those leaves stay tender in cooking and hold sauce better than flat ones.

Serrano Pepper

Serrano Pepper is a small green Mexican chilli, hotter than a jalapeño and thin enough to eat raw. It goes into fresh salsas where the crunch counts as much as the heat.

Sunchoke

Knobbly and pale, this tuber grows under a sunflower relative and sells also as Jerusalem artichoke. The taste runs nutty and sweet, and roasting suits it better than boiling.

Meat and Seafood That Start With S

Fish outnumbers meat here by two to one, with a dozen species from both salt water and fresh. Three of these names describe a cut rather than an animal, which is worth knowing at the counter.

Salmon

Rich in omega-3 fats, this oily pink fish sells fresh, smoked, or tinned. Wild and farmed fish differ in colour and fat, and both take equally well to grilling and baking.

Shrimp

A small shellfish that turns from grey to pink in under three minutes of cooking. Overcooking tightens it into rubber, so it comes off the heat the moment it curls.

Sardines

Sardines are small oily fish, sold mostly tinned in oil or tomato sauce. The soft bones go down with the flesh and deliver most of the calcium.

Scallops

Built around a thick round muscle, this shellfish delivers a sweet, delicate taste. A hot dry pan and ninety seconds a side produce the caramelised crust that defines them.

Snapper

Firm white flesh and a mild taste sell this fish whole or in fillets. Its skin crisps well, which made it a common choice for pan-frying.

Swordfish

Swordfish is a large ocean fish sold in thick steaks of dense meaty flesh. In the mouth it runs closer to beef than to most fish, and it stays together on a grill.

Squid

Squid is a cephalopod sold as rings and tentacles, wanting either very fast heat or very slow. Anything else turns the flesh tough, which is why calamari fries in two minutes.

Sole

Fine delicate flesh distinguishes this flat white fish, traditionally cooked whole in butter. Dover sole earned the reputation and the price to match.

Sea Bass

A white fish with firm flesh under thin skin that crisps well, sold whole or filleted. Mediterranean kitchens bake it in a salt crust, which seasons the flesh without drying it.

Sturgeon

Farmed mainly for its roe, this large ancient fish supplies the world’s caviar. The flesh itself stays firm and pale and takes well to smoking.

Sausage

Ground seasoned meat packed into a casing becomes a sausage, grilled, fried, or dropped into a stew. From country to country the spice mix changes, and that mix is what tells them apart.

Salami

Salami is a cured sausage air-dried for months until firm enough to slice thin. Between them, fermentation and salt do the preserving, so it needs no cooking before slicing.

Sirloin

Cut from the back behind the ribs, this piece of beef balances tenderness against taste. It costs less than fillet and delivers more of the beef flavour.

Spareribs

Pork ribs from the belly side, cooked slowly until the meat pulls away from the bone. Low heat over several hours does what a hot grill never manages.

Squab

Young domestic pigeon, sold whole and cooked pink the way duck is. The meat runs dark and rich, and French and Chinese kitchens both prize it.

Smoked Salmon

Smoked Salmon is salt-cured salmon firmed by cold smoke rather than heat. Sliced paper-thin, it goes onto bagels, blinis, and scrambled eggs.

Grains and Seeds That Start With S

Grains and seeds beginning with S keep for months in a cupboard without spoiling. Two of them, sago and sticky rice, behave nothing like the wheat and oats most kitchens stock.

Semolina (sem-oh-LEE-nah)

Milled coarsely from durum wheat, this yellow flour runs high in protein. Dried pasta depends on it, and so do couscous and several milk puddings.

Sorghum (SOR-gum)

Sorghum is a gluten-free cereal grain grown across Africa, India, and the American plains. In the pot it cooks like rice, in the mill it turns to flour, and boiled down it becomes a dark syrup.

Sago (SAY-goh)

Taken from the pith of tropical palm stems, these small starch pearls turn translucent when cooked. They thicken puddings across South and Southeast Asia.

Sticky Rice

High in amylopectin, this short-grain rice clings together once cooked. Steaming rather than boiling remains the traditional method across Laos and Thailand.

Sesame Seeds

Tiny oil-rich seeds in white, black, and golden varieties, toasted before they go anywhere. They top breads and noodles, and grinding them produces tahini.

Soybean

Soybean is a protein-dense legume behind tofu, soy sauce, miso, and soy milk. Harvested young and green, the same bean arrives at the table as edamame.

Dairy Foods That Start With S

Cheese dominates the dairy side of this letter, with four distinct types before any milk or cream. Two carry protected names tied to a single region, and one predates Parmesan by centuries.

Swiss Cheese

Pierced with round holes formed by gas during ageing, this firm pale cheese melts easily. Emmental came first, and the mild nutty taste suits sandwiches.

Stilton

Blue-veined and crumbly, this cheese comes from only three English counties under a protected name. Port remains the traditional partner.

Sour Cream

Fermented with lactic bacteria until thick and tangy, sour cream goes onto baked potatoes and into sauces. Heat splits it unless it arrives at the end.

Skim Milk

Skim Milk is milk with the cream removed, leaving the protein and sugar behind. The thinner body shows most in coffee, where it foams differently from whole milk.

String Cheese

A mild cheese whose protein has been stretched into fibres during making. Because of those fibres it peels apart in strips rather than breaking.

Sbrinz (SBRINTS)

Sbrinz is a very hard Swiss cheese, shaved rather than sliced. Eighteen months of ageing make it that firm, and by several centuries it predates Parmesan while delivering a similar concentrated saltiness.

Sauces and Spices That Start With S

Four continents produce the seasonings that begin with S, and several define a whole cuisine on their own. Saffron sells by the gram rather than the jar, which makes it the most expensive spice by weight.

Salt

Sodium chloride, mined from rock or evaporated from seawater, and the oldest seasoning humans have cooked with. Beyond seasoning, it also draws out moisture and preserves.

Sugar

A sweetener refined from sugarcane or sugar beet, sold white, brown, or unrefined. Beyond sweetness it browns crusts, feeds yeast, and keeps moisture in baked goods.

Soy Sauce

Soy Sauce is a dark fermented sauce of soybeans, wheat, salt, and a mould culture, aged for months. Japanese shoyu runs lighter and sweeter than most Chinese versions.

Saffron

Only the hand-picked dried stigmas of a crocus flower qualify as saffron, which makes it the most expensive spice by weight. It colours rice golden and delivers a taste nothing else replaces.

Sage

Sage is a grey-green herb with a strong earthy taste, working better dried than fresh. With pork, butter sauces, and stuffing it works best, and a little goes a long way.

Star Anise

Eight dried arms radiate from this pod, and the liquorice taste inside them runs strong. Chinese five-spice depends on it, and one pod flavours a whole pot of braised meat.

Sriracha (sih-RAH-chah)

Sriracha is a smooth red chilli sauce of jalapeños, garlic, vinegar, and sugar. Thailand named it after a coastal town, and the American version runs thicker and sweeter.

Sumac (SOO-mak)

Ground from dried berries, this dark red powder tastes sharply of lemon without the liquid. Middle Eastern kitchens dust it over salads, grilled meat, and flatbread.

Sichuan Pepper

Sichuan Pepper is the dried husk of a citrus shrub berry, producing a numbing tingle rather than heat. Paired with chilli it creates the mouth-numbing effect central to Sichuan cooking.

Salsa

Tomato, chilli, onion, and coriander make up this cold Mexican sauce. Raw versions stay crunchy and cooked ones turn smooth, and both go with almost anything.

Sofrito (soh-FREE-toh)

Sofrito is a slow-cooked base of onion, garlic, pepper, and tomato in oil. Spanish and Caribbean kitchens build most of their stews on it before anything else goes in.

Sesame Oil

Pressed from sesame seeds, this oil sells raw and pale or toasted and dark. The toasted kind finishes a dish rather than cooking it, since heat destroys the aroma.

Desserts That Start With S

Pastry, custard, and frozen sweets all begin with S, with contributions from Austria, Israel, Britain, and Mexico. Among them, sorbet and sherbet cause constant confusion, since they differ only in whether dairy goes in.

Sorbet

Made from fruit purée, sugar, and water with no dairy at all, sorbet stays sharp rather than creamy. That absence separates it from sherbet, which contains a little milk.

Sherbet

A small amount of dairy places sherbet between sorbet and ice cream. British usage complicates the picture further, since there the word names a fizzy sweet powder.

Sponge Cake

Raised by air beaten into eggs rather than any chemical agent, this cake keeps an open crumb. Through that crumb the syrup and cream soak in, which is why it underpins so many layered desserts.

Swiss Roll

Thin sponge wrapped around jam or cream produces this spiral cake. While still warm the sponge rolls up without cracking, and the spiral shows in every slice.

Strudel

Strudel is an Austrian pastry of paper-thin dough around a fruit filling, most commonly apple with cinnamon and raisins. By hand, bakers stretch that dough until a newspaper reads through it.

Snickerdoodle

Cream of tartar in the dough marks this soft cookie out from any other, under a cinnamon sugar coating. From that tartar comes the tang and the crackled surface that define it.

Sundae

Served in a tall glass under syrup, nuts, whipped cream, and a cherry, this ice cream dessert came out of American soda fountains. The format has barely changed since.

Soufflé

Whipped egg white raises this baked egg dish well above the rim of its container. It starts sinking within minutes of leaving the oven, so it goes straight to the table.

Sachertorte (SAH-ker-tor-tuh)

Dense and dark, this Viennese chocolate cake hides apricot jam between the layers under a glaze. The hotel that created it in 1832 still guards the original recipe.

Sufganiyot (soof-gahn-ee-YOT)

Fried without a hole and filled with jam, these round Israeli doughnuts finish under icing sugar. Bakeries sell them through Hanukkah, when frying takes on religious significance.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

A dark date sponge served hot under a toffee sauce. Northern England produced it, and the dates dissolve during baking rather than staying whole.

Shortbread

Butter, sugar, and flour meet with no raising agent at all in this crumbly Scottish biscuit. From that high butter ratio comes the short, sandy texture the name describes.

Sopapilla (soh-pah-PEE-yah)

Puffed hollow in hot oil, this square of fried dough arrives under a drizzle of honey. New Mexico and Latin America both claim versions, and the hollow centre is the point.

Shortcake

Crumbly and biscuit-like, this cake splits open around fruit and cream. The classic version works with strawberries, and the cake stays deliberately less sweet than the filling.

Drinks That Start With S

Hot, cold, and alcoholic drinks all begin with S, from a Japanese green tea to a Spanish wine punch. Four arrive over ice as a matter of course, and two are brewed rather than distilled.

Smoothie

Smoothie is a thick cold drink of fruit blended with yoghurt, milk, or juice. Frozen fruit keeps it cold without ice, which would water it down as it melts.

Soda

Sweetened and carbonated, this drink comes flavoured with fruit, cola, or ginger. Its bubbles come out of carbon dioxide dissolved under pressure, which is why a flat bottle tastes sweeter.

Sake (SAH-keh)

Brewed from rice, water, and koji mould, this Japanese drink arrives warm or chilled. Brewing rather than distilling places it closer to beer than to spirits, despite the strength.

Sangria (san-GREE-ah)

Sangria is a Spanish wine punch of red wine, chopped fruit, sugar, and in most recipes brandy. It chills for hours before serving, and the fruit soaks up as much as it flavours.

Sparkling Water

Sparkling Water is carbonated water, either naturally fizzy at source or injected at the plant. Mineral content varies by spring, which is why brands taste noticeably different from one another.

Sweet Tea

Brewed strong and sweetened while still hot, this black tea dissolves its sugar fully. The American South treats it as a default, poured over ice in tall glasses.

Sherry

Fortified in southern Spain, this wine ranges from bone dry to syrup sweet. The solera system blends young wine into old, so no bottle comes from a single year.

Slushie

Held as fine ice crystals rather than a solid block, this frozen drink stays drinkable. Constant motion during freezing is what keeps the crystals small.

Sencha (SEN-chah)

Made from steamed rather than pan-fired leaves, sencha is the most common Japanese green tea. Water below boiling keeps it from turning bitter, and the colour stays bright green.

Foods That Start With S Around the World

Six cuisines produce most of the prepared dishes named above. The table pairs each dish with its country, so you can find one by where it originated rather than by when you would eat it.

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