Which country has the best desserts overall?

What does DL say?

rather than a typical negative bashing thread this is about positivity

France, without a doubt. Pastry and dessert was perfected there starting from 1270

France duh! Special nod to China (for once) for inventing ice cream though.

China did not invent ice cream. Chink food is the worst.

Japan, Austria, Turkey. They all have great and beautiful desserts.

Well OP, looks like R8 decided to ruin the thread.

R11

OP asked for the best.

Apfelstrudel is good. And I loved all the pastries in Vienna.

But they are not very refined and not the best.

The overall best food is obviously Italian with Japanese close behind. But OP asked for desserts, so maybe the French can get this one?

1.france 2.italy 3.austria

I have to say that I don’t have much of a sweet tooth anymore but if I’m going to splurge and give into my cravings it’s gonna be some homemade trashtastic all American dessert like a super gooey Pecan Pie or toll house pie a la mode or Reese’s peanut butter cup cheesecake with a graham cracker crust. And on and on. For me it’s American desserts all the way. I’m a gourmet when it comes to food but desserts not so much.

France, unreservedly.

Italy, Germany, Austria, Japan, the U.S., and the baklava countries merit honorable mention.

Sans rival is a Filipino Cuisine dessert cake made of layers of buttercream, meringue and chopped cashews. Its name means "unrivalled" in French. The cake may be decorated, left plain or garnished with pistachios. This recipe has its roots in the dacquoise.

France.

Special mention for Japanese pastries.

Hearty Slovenian fruit raisin pastry

XO Melania

india, Turkey and France in that order

R8 you're of no use to anyone. We don't want you here.

1. Italy (gelato overrides everything)

2. France

Worst - China

France and Italy. Nothing beats a well-made Tiramisu:

Affogato - vanilla gelato topped with a shot of hot espresso.

France, then the Swiss. Yes, Netherlands is very good, too.

Fine r26, everybody knows tiramisu. But what's a typical French dessert? I think the France mentions are just bandwagoning.

Swedish cinnamon and cardamom buns.

Crepes and tarte tartin too I think R30

Again not fond of it.

France and Sweden. What I love about Swedish desserts is that they are very simple and just mildly sweet. Ever had a Swedish pancake with lingonberry jam and custard?

A tres leche cake that I had in a Colombian restaurant. Nothing will ever be better than that.

Swedish waffles with warm cloudberries or cloudberry jam.

I've been to 50 countries and feel it's a tie between the US and France. The US would win in a landslide due to variety, but they lose points for generally being way too sweet. French desserts tend to be consistently good, but there's not much variety.

Germany, France, Italy, Austria, and Hungary.

First, Japanese desserts are crap. Pretty crap, but crap. Most have no taste and the texture of rubberbands.

Austria wins, predominately because many French desserts are actually Austrian, e.g., the croissant. Though, there is a strong argument for the Austrians may have invented the dessert, but the French perfected it. You decide.

Nearly every country has at least one excellent dessert, but that does not make them the best overall. The Dutch make some great cookies but that is about it. The Scandinavian countries do great coffee breads and pastries, but it doesn't make them the best overall.

I am surprised that Germany doesn't get higher marks. The have excellent cookies, great coffee breads and pastries, and some excellent cakes. Not the best, but near the top.

Kanelbullar/cinnamon buns.

I do think that Austrian and Bavarian/ German stuff is underrated. I would love to bake for you bitches!

I do think Italy has the best desserts. Whenever I'm in Italy, I usually go ever day to the pasticceria and eat 1-3 pastries with a coffee. I could just cry when I am standing in front of the counter, looking at all that stuff. It all looks so pretty and I want to try it all. But there is only one or two weeks time :-(

I do the same in France, Spain or Portugal, but in Italy it is the most fun. I think Italy reminds me of childhood.

A vote for Germany, with Austria close behind. Kaiserschmarn! Sounds awful, tastes divine!

R45, Kaiserschmarn is Austrian.

Honourable mention here to Greece. Not for the flaky overly sweet baklava, but for some wonderful custard type desserts like galaktoboureko.

Italy, I think. I had so many delicious pastries there and their hot chocolate is wonderful. I'd never write French desserts off, though. I have a weakness for a really good chocolate éclair.

Germany rates highly also. It's hard to beat a good Black Forest gateau.

English desserts have a unique stodgy charm.

Also I love, love, love Italian food but I happen to think their desserts are extremely overrated. And Italian bakeries...meh. They don’t make delicate flaky pastry like the French of Austrians and they don’t make indulgent desserts like the US. Italian desserts are to me basically a waste of calories and definitely lag behind French, US, Greek, Austrian/Viennese (the most underrated.)

Thank you, r46, but the best kaiserschmarn I ever had was in Germany. I don’t think there’s a huge German/Austrian distinction to be made here, anyway. It’s all Sudtirol deliciousness.

Swedish Princess marzipan layer cake, tastes like almond and custard heaven.

R49 definitely Trifles, warm apple crumble, custard, sticky toffee pudding, Scottish cranachan....sigh, I miss it.

I had a different association with the banoffee pie. I trust it’s good too.

Medovik - Russian/Slavic walnut and honey cake. It's almost ridiculously delicious.

Baklava, preferably with only walnuts which is popular on the Balkans.

The Assyrians started the dough stuffed with nuts/dried fruit and doused in honey syrup in the 8th century BCE. The idea eventually made its way West, and the Turks spread it through their empire. The Austrians picked up on the idea, called it streudel and spread it through their empire.

Austria, if only for the best dessert of all time -- Linzertorte.

French desserts are all very classy. I feel rich eating them. American desserts are not classy but maybe more crave worthy? (chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin pie, ice cream sundaes, brownies, fudge, donuts, cupcakes, rice krispie treats, etc) However there are really trashy “desserts” that bring the US down (oreos, twinkies, smores, marshmellow fluff, ambrosia, etc) Therefore France wins!

USA, because we have a little bit of everything.

In our house, there was always ice cream available for dessert, but pound cake, cookies and occasionally pie. In summer, it was usually popsicles or watermelon.

France and Austria definitely get my vote for best desserts.

Here in Boston we have a small but mighty Little Italy or the North End.

There are two major bakeries, Mikes' and the Modern.

Mikes' is more famous but kind of a tourist trap.

The Modern is much better IMHO.

You just can't beat a good cannoli or their Ricotta Pie.

Are there any uniquely American desserts?

Even Pecan Pie is just a variation of Walnut Pie which has been around since The Ancient Romans and Egyptians.

It’s not really a desert but American milkshakes are the best. Never had one as nice over here.

'Murica has the best. I was raised on Twinkies.

I’m not an elegant and refined connoisseur of desserts like most of our DLers but I figure if I’m going to consume dessert it better pack a flavour and sugar punch worth the calories. Therefore my vote is for the US, the UK, and India (warm gulab jamuns and jalebis, mmm).

I think I might have gained a couple of pounds just looking at this thread.

For fancy: France, Austria, Japan

For tasty: Britain, Germany, Argentina (Just give me a jar of dulce de leche and a spoon)

There are so many wonderful desserts to be found all over Europe. However, for desserts, my personal favorites are Mexican desserts. Sugar is used, but in moderation.

It makes such a difference when the dessert on your fork doesn't make your teeth hurt.

Just because you had one or two amazing desserts in Italy or Austria doesn't mean those countries are in the running for having the best desserts.

Swedish saffron buns (Lussebullar):

Swedish chocolate sticky cake. So decadent and crowd-pleasing:

Maybe France & Italy overall, but almost every country does at least a couple of wonderful desserts.

I'm particularly fond of struffoli, canoli, poppy seed cake, tarta de Santiago, baklava & Turkish cookies called acıbadem kurabiyesi.

Plus there are a number of enjoyable things from India, not the least of which is gulab jamon.

R62, when you really get down to it, there is a very limited number of dessert types. So pretty much any dessert, whether French, Austrian, American, etc., is just a variation on the desserts that came before it. But some uniquely American desserts (variations that originated here) include:

Brownies - Created at the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago

Banana Pudding - Typically associated with the American South, but really just a variation on an English Trifle

Bananas Foster - Created at Brennan's Restaurant in New Orleans

Ring-shaped Donuts - A variation of the olykoeks brought to America by Dutch settlers

German Chocolate Cake - Possibly created in the 1950s by Mrs. George Clay of Dallas, it gets its name from her recipe's use of Baker's German's Sweet Chocolate

Gooey Butter Cake - Created by accident in a St Louis bakery in the 1930s

Oatmeal Cookies - A variation of Scottish oatcakes; the first recorded recipe for them was in Fannie Farmer's cookbook in 1896

Mississippi Mud Pie - Allegedly originated in Mississippi (duh), but it's origins are murky

Does the one posting all the Swedish stuff happen to be a tall blond Viking?

Dont know about Japan but most Asian desserts I've had are weird and not good. Whoever mentioned India is crazy.

I remember wanting to try cannoli, finely getting it and what a disappointment. It was bland and the filling was grainy. I was expecting a creamy filling.

R77 Japanese desserts often contain anko/sweet red bean paste which isn't very good. Or maybe I just can't reprogram my brain into thinking beans should be consumed in desserts. I'm not a fan of matcha flavoring either. Maybe it's conditioning? Japanese people may find western desserts strange-tasting.

R78 would love to have dessert with him....

Are we talking about country of origin or country where you can find the best and most assortment of desserts? Austria for the former and Japan for the latter. Austria for both refinement and rustic varieties. Japan where you can find world class bakeries specializing in assorted European desserts and pastries sometimes with inventive twists.

R77 “Asian” is too broad a category, and south Asian desserts are nothing like Japanese or Chinese desserts. How are Indian desserts weird, they’re basically made of milk, sugar, maybe nuts, and flavour.

America, judging by weight alone.

R84 they all have strange textures.

I'm in Texas and I loathe pecan pie (sacrilege here), Mississippi mud, any of those disgustingly sweet things. I do love a key lime pie and peach or blackberry cobbler though. Tiramisu is a favorite though most restaurants dont make it as good as I do.

Let me put in a word for England, whose school puds include jam roly-poly, the divine sticky toffee pudding, banoffee pie, etc.

To be honest, I am obsessed with hearing what Americans think about the culture, language, men and especially the food of my country!!

r90. We asked you for a list of hottest German male celebrities rumored to be gay and you didn't provide it. We know nothing about the German scene. How much sex do kids in high school have? What are the chances of a gay guy bagging a hot jock? Did you ever hook up with any closet cases back in your day? Spill!

R88 i’ve had sticky toffee pudding. It’s amazing! I wonder if it’s that difficult to make it home?

R90 did you make a thread about it? If not, do it. This is about dessert!

I have not traveled the world like R38 has. My experience with other countries desserts is pretty limited to what I can find in America. Although I do enjoy French and Italian desserts. But I think American desserts are the best!

R76 there is a bakery nearby me that makes your favorite childhood desserts homemade. It’s amazing! Homemade HoHos! The best dessert is a homemade oatmeal pie.

I am still very much in my day, because I am young. Overall, I am not that experienced. I once kissed the body of a amateur football player. He said they are quite homophobic. He came out in the next months. As far as I know he is not on any platforms, because I haven't seen him there. We broke contact almost two years ago.

And I had my first kiss with a bank employee, who was also closeted. These are my adventures! Do they come close to your seedy NYC tales?

And I can't make threads, because I am not a paying member.

We win. Get off your fat ass. We don't do dessert, period. Except flan and buñuelos, but those are hardly dessert.

R92, I've never made it at home, but people who have tell me it's not that hard to make successfully.

Nigella makes a naughty sticky toffee pudding!

I'm not much of an oreo eater but I can kill off a bag of Milanos in one sitting. Those are like crack

Hang on, Mexico! What about churros?

R101 Churros are from Spain.

Mexico has flan but they do get huge points for inventing chocolate, that changed the game!

Norway has some delicious desserts. Krumkake, Fatigman, Kringle, Rømmegrøt & cardimum bread

If others get to veer off into describing fun sexual awakenings and such, I shall bend the assignment and declare my polyamory for the rice puddings of the world.

---- What's the typical French dessert?

Few countries have a TOP 50.

---- What's the typical French dessert?

Few countries have a TOP 50.

The United States and France are in a league of their own when it comes to depth and breadth of dessert offerings. No one else comes close. However, France has the most technically skilled dessert concoctions while the US has the most satisfying sugar bombs.

Where did tres leches cake originate? I know it's popular in several Latin American countries.

France.

Le Baba à la pêche est arrivé !!

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