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{{Short description|Sweet course that concludes a meal}}
{{hatnote group|
{{Distinguish|Desert}}
{{Other uses}}
}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox food
| name               = Dessert
| image              = Desserts.jpg
| caption            = Various desserts, including numerous varieties of [[cake]], [[biscuit]]s and [[pie]]s
| alternate_name     =
| place_of_origin    =
| region             =
| creator            =
| course             =
| type               = Sweet
| served             =
| main_ingredient    =
| variations         = Numerous ([[biscuit]]s, [[cake]]s, [[tart]]s, [[cookie]]s, [[sandesh (confectionery)|sandeshs]], [[gelatin dessert|gelatin]]s, [[ice cream]]s, [[pastry|pastries]], [[pie]]s, [[pudding]]s, [[custard]]s, [[tong sui|sweet soups]], [[fruit preserves|fruit]]s etc.)
| calories           =
| other              =
}}
{{meals}}
'''Dessert''' is a [[course (food)|course]] that concludes a meal; the course consists of sweet foods, such as [[cake]], biscuit, ice cream, and possibly a beverage, such as [[dessert wine]] or [[liqueur]]. Some cultures sweeten foods that are more commonly [[umami|savory]] to create desserts. In some parts of the world, there is no tradition of a dessert course to conclude a meal.

Historically, the dessert course consisted entirely of foods 'from the storeroom' (''de l'office''), including fresh, stewed, preserved, and dried fruits; nuts; cheese and other dairy dishes; [[Cookie|dry biscuits (cookies)]] and [[wafer]]s; and ices and [[ice cream]]s.{{sfn|Grimod de La Reynière|1805|p=19}}  Sweet dishes from the kitchen, such as freshly prepared pastries, [[meringue]]s, [[custard]]s, [[pudding]]s, and baked fruits, were served in the [[entremet]]s course, not in the dessert course.  By the 20th century, though, sweet entremets had come to be included among the desserts.{{sfn|Montagné|1938|p=422}}{{Sfn|Flandrin|2007|pp=31, 108}}

The modern term ''dessert'' can apply to many sweets, including [[fruit]], [[custard]]s, [[gelatin dessert|gelatin]]s, [[pudding]]s, [[biscuit]]s, [[cookie]]s, [[macaroon]]s, [[pastry|pastries]], [[pie]]s, [[tart]]s, [[cake]]s, [[ice cream]]s, and [[tong sui|sweet soups]].

== Etymology ==
The term "dessert" originated from the French word ''desservir,'' meaning "to clear the table",{{efn|name=dictionaries}} and it referred to the final course of the meal, presented after the table was "cleared" (''deservi'').

One of the earliest uses of the term in a culinary context is in the ''[[Ménagier de Paris]]'' (1393), which includes a course of "''desserte''" in three of the menus,{{efn| name = menu}} one of which includes sweet pastries and fruits, another of which includes savory [[frumenty]] and venison.

In later centuries, the term continued to refer to the last course of the meal.  In the late 19th century, the word "desserts" also came to refer to the dishes served in the dessert course.{{sfn|Flandrin|2007|pp=61, 104}}

==Other names==
The word "dessert" is most commonly used for this course in [[Australia]], [[Canada]], [[Ireland]], [[New Zealand]], and the [[United States]], while its use exists alongside several synonyms, including "''[[pudding]]''", "''sweet''" and "''afters''", in the [[United Kingdom]] and some other Commonwealth countries.<ref>{{cite web|title=Eating and Drinking|url=http://septicscompanion.com/showcat.php?cat=food|website=The Septic's Companion|access-date=30 December 2024|archive-date=22 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722003530/http://septicscompanion.com/showcat.php?cat=food|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Pudding vs. dessert: the same but different |url=https://www.thespruceeats.com/difference-between-pudding-and-dessert-435332 |access-date=30 December 2024|website=The Spruce Eats |language=en |archive-date=18 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518104142/https://www.thespruceeats.com/difference-between-pudding-and-dessert-435332 |url-status=live }}</ref>

== History ==
[[File:Spread sugarcane.JPG|thumb|250px|The spread of sugarcane from [[History of India|ancient India]] to the world]]
Sweets were fed to the gods in ancient Mesopotamia and [[ancient India]]{{sfn|Krondl|2011|pp= 6, 16}} and other ancient civilizations.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lessons From History: Fruit is a Dessert|date=15 June 2009|url=http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2009/06/lessons-from-history-fruit-is-a-dessert.html|publisher=Nourishing Gourmet|access-date=July 21, 2015|archive-date=20 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150820235240/http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2009/06/lessons-from-history-fruit-is-a-dessert.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Herodotus]] mentions that [[Persians|Persian]] meals featured many desserts, and were more varied in their sweet offerings than the main dishes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/herodotus-iii|title=HERODOTUS iii. DEFINING THE PERSIANS – Encyclopaedia Iranica|last=electricpulp.com|website=www.iranicaonline.org|access-date=7 October 2017|archive-date=29 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190129214830/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/herodotus-iii|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/ancient/herodotus-persians.asp|title=Internet History Sourcebooks|website=sourcebooks.fordham.edu|access-date=7 October 2017|archive-date=7 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170707040138/http://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/ancient/herodotus-persians.asp|url-status=live}}</ref> German army officer [[Helmuth von Moltke the Elder|Helmuth von Moltke]] whilst serving in the [[Ottoman Empire]] noted the unusual presentation of courses with the sweet courses served between roasts and other savory dishes.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets |date=April 2015 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-931362-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XPNgBwAAQBAJ}}</ref>

Dried fruit and honey were probably the first sweeteners used in most of the world, but the spread of [[sugarcane]] around the world was essential to the development of dessert.{{sfn|Krondl|2011|p=13}} Sugarcane was grown and refined in India before 500 BC{{sfn|Krondl|2011|p=26}} and was crystallized, making it easy to transport, by AD 500. Sugar and sugarcane were traded, making sugar available to Macedonia by 303 BC and China by AD 600.  In the [[Indian subcontinent]], the Middle East, and China, sugar has been a staple of cooking and desserts for over a thousand years.

Sugarcane and sugar were little known and rare in Europe until the twelfth century or later when the [[Crusades]] and then [[colonization]] spread its use. Europeans began to manufacture [[sugar]] in the [[Middle Ages]], and more sweet desserts became available.{{sfn|Adamson|2004|p= 89}} Even then sugar was so expensive usually only the wealthy could indulge on special occasions.  The first [[apple pie]] recipe was published in 1381;<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Newcomb|first1=Tim|title=Happy Pi Day! 8 Notable Pi(e)s in History|url=https://newsfeed.time.com/2012/03/14/happy-pi-day-8-notable-pies-in-history/slide/as-american-as-apple-pie/|magazine=Time|date=13 March 2012|access-date=July 20, 2015|archive-date=31 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131011752/http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/03/14/happy-pi-day-8-notable-pies-in-history/slide/as-american-as-apple-pie/|url-status=live}}</ref> The earliest documentation of the term ''cupcake'' was in "Seventy-five Receipts for Pastry, Cakes, and Sweetmeats" in 1828 in [[Eliza Leslie]]'s ''Receipts'' [[cookbook]].<ref name="first">{{cite web |url=http://www.crazyaboutcupcakes.com/learning.htm#history |title=Cupcake History |publisher=Crazy About Cupcakes |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141202125111/http://www.crazyaboutcupcakes.com/learning.htm#history |archive-date=2 December 2014 }}</ref>

The [[Industrial Revolution]] in Europe and later America led to the mass-production of foodstuffs, including desserts, that could be processed, preserved, canned, and packaged. Frozen foods, including desserts, became very popular starting in the 1920s.<ref name="Food in America">{{cite web|last=Mintz|first=Steven|title=Food in America|url=http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/historyonline/food.cfm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512074313/http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/historyonline/food.cfm|publisher=Digital History|access-date=18 October 2012|archive-date=12 May 2013 }}</ref>

== Ingredients ==
Sweet desserts usually contain cane sugar, palm sugar, brown sugar, honey, or some types of syrup such as molasses, maple syrup, treacle, or corn syrup. Other common ingredients in Western-style desserts are flour or other starches, cooking [[fat]]s such as butter or lard, [[Dairy product|dairy]], [[egg (food)|eggs]], salt, acidic ingredients such as lemon juice, and spices and other flavoring agents such as [[chocolate]], coffee, peanut butter, [[fruit]]s, and [[Nut (fruit)|nuts]]. The proportions of these ingredients, along with the preparation methods, play a major part in the consistency, texture, and flavor of the end product.

Sugars contribute moisture and tenderness to baked goods. Flour or starch components serves as a protein and gives the dessert structure. Fats contribute moisture and can enable the development of flaky layers in pastries and pie crusts.  The dairy products in baked goods keep the desserts moist. Many desserts also contain eggs, in order to form custard or to aid in the rising and thickening of a cake-like substance. Egg yolks specifically contribute to the richness of desserts.  Egg whites can act as a leavening agent<ref name="Flour Facts">{{cite web|title=Baking Flour Facts|url=http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/tools-and-techniques/baking-flour-facts.htm|work=TLC|date=14 November 2007|publisher=Discovery Communications, LLC|access-date=23 October 2012|archive-date=25 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025052328/http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/tools-and-techniques/baking-flour-facts.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> or provide structure.  Further innovation in the healthy eating movement has led to more information being available about vegan and gluten-free substitutes for the standard ingredients, as well as replacements for refined sugar.

Desserts can contain many [[spice]]s and extracts to add a variety of flavors. Salt and acids are added to desserts to balance sweet flavors and create a contrast in flavors. Some desserts are [[coffee bean|coffee]]-flavored, for example an iced coffee [[soufflé]] or coffee biscuits.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Brien|first1=Donna Lee|title=Powdered, Essence or Brewed?: Making and Cooking with Coffee in Australia in the 1950s and 1960s|journal=M/C Journal|date=May 2012|volume=15|issue=2|doi=10.5204/mcj.475|df=dmy-all|doi-access=free}}</ref> Alcohols and liqueurs can also be used as an ingredient, to make alcoholic desserts.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Emoff|first1=Katherine|title=Alcoholic Sweet Treats Turning Dessert Into a Party|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/alcoholic-sweet-treats-turning-dessert-party/story?id=26353631|website=ABC News|access-date=25 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318075804/https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/alcoholic-sweet-treats-turning-dessert-party/story?id=26353631|archive-date=18 March 2015|date=21 October 2014}}</ref>

==Varieties and elements==
{{See also|List of desserts}}
Desserts consist of variations of tastes, textures, and appearances. Desserts can be defined as a usually sweeter course that concludes a meal.{{efn| name = dictionaries}} This definition includes a range of courses ranging from fruits or dried nuts to multi-ingredient cakes and pies. Many cultures have different variations of dessert. In modern times the variations of desserts have usually been passed down or come from geographical regions. This is one cause for the variation of desserts. These are some major categories in which desserts can be placed.{{sfn|Drzal|2011}}

===Cakes===
{{Main|Cake}}
[[File:GermanChocolateCake.jpg|thumb|upright|[[German chocolate cake]], a layered cake filled and topped with a coconut-pecan frosting]]
Cakes are sweet tender breads made with sugar and delicate flour. Cakes can vary from light, airy sponge cakes to dense cakes with less flour. Common flavorings include [[Dried fruit|dried]], [[candied fruit|candied]] or fresh [[fruit]], [[nut (fruit)|nuts]], [[cocoa powder|cocoa]] or [[extract]]s. They may be filled with [[fruit preserves]] or [[dessert sauce]]s (like [[custard|pastry cream]]), iced with [[buttercream]] or other icings, and decorated with [[marzipan]], piped borders, or candied fruit. Cake is often served as a celebratory dish on ceremonial occasions, for example [[wedding cake|weddings]], [[Anniversary|anniversaries]], and [[birthday cake|birthdays]]. Small-sized cakes have become popular, in the form of [[cupcake]]s and [[Petit four|petits fours]], an example of which can be the [[Bolo de arroz|Portuguese "bolo de arroz"]].

===Puddings===
[[Pudding]]s are similar to [[custard]]s in that their base is cream or milk. However, their primary difference is that puddings are thickened with starches such as [[corn starch]] or [[tapioca pudding|tapioca]]. On the other hand, custards are thickened using only eggs and are usually more firm.{{sfn|Bloom|2006|p=12}}

===Small cakes and pastries===
{{Main|Biscuits}}
'''Biscuits''' or '''cookies''' are small disks of sweetened dough, similar in composition to a cake. The term "''biscuit''" is a derivation of Latin for ''twice-baked'',<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title = Biscuit| encyclopedia = [[Oxford English Dictionary]]| publisher = Oxford University Press|year=2009}}</ref>{{Efn| name = Shakespeare}} while the term "''cookie''" is a Dutch diminutive for ''koek'', meaning cake. Some examples of this dessert include a [[ginger nut]], [[shortbread biscuit]] and [[chocolate chip cookie]]. In [[Commonwealth English]], the term "biscuit" refers to this type of dessert in general, with "cookie" reserved for a specific type of [[drop cookie]]; in [[North America]], the term "cookie" typically refers to all forms of this dessert, with "biscuit" more commonly referring to a [[biscuit (bread)|type of bread]].

Other small cakes and pastries can also be counted as under these terms, due to their size and relative similarity to cookies and biscuits, such as [[jaffa cakes]] and [[Eccles cake]]s.

===Confection===
{{Main|Chocolate|Candy}}
[[File:Valentines Day Chocolates from 2005.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Valentine's Day]] chocolates]]
[[Confection]], also called [[candy]], sweets or lollies, features [[sugar]] or [[honey]] as a principal ingredient.

Many involve sugar heated into crystals with subtle differences. Dairy and sugar based include [[caramel]], [[fudge]] and [[toffee]] or [[taffy (candy)|taffy]]. There are multiple forms of egg and sugar [[meringue]]s and similar confections. Unheated sugar dissolves into icings, preservatives and sauces with other ingredients.

====Chocolate====
''[[Theobroma cacao]] beans'' are commonly mixed with sugar to form chocolate. Pure, unsweetened dark chocolate contains primarily cocoa solids. Cocoa butter is also added in varying proportions. Much of the chocolate currently consumed is in the form of sweet chocolate, combining chocolate with sugar. Milk chocolate is sweet chocolate that additionally contains milk powder or condensed milk. White chocolate contains cocoa butter, sugar, and milk, but no cocoa solids. Dark chocolate is produced by adding fat and sugar to the cacao mixture, with no milk or much less than milk chocolate.
{{See also|Types of chocolate}}

=== Mithai (sweets) ===
Mithai, derived from the Sanskrit word '''sharkara','' represents the range of Indian desserts.<ref>{{Cite web |last=AHLUWALIA |first=DEEPI |date=December 26, 2018 |title=Bone Deep: Sweet India A Cultural Infatuation with Sugar and Spice |url=https://lifeandthyme.com/food/bone-deep-sweet-india/#:~:text=Mithai%20comes%20from%20mithas%2C%20meaning,the%20wonderous%20world%20of%20mithai. |website=life and thyme |access-date=7 November 2022 |archive-date=7 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221107111348/https://lifeandthyme.com/food/bone-deep-sweet-india/#:~:text=Mithai%20comes%20from%20mithas%2C%20meaning,the%20wonderous%20world%20of%20mithai. |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Custards===
{{Main|Custard|Pudding}}
{{multiple image
| align = right
| caption_align = center
| image1 = Kheer.jpg
| width1 = 150
| alt1 = Kheer
| link1 = Kheer
| caption1 = Kheer
| image2 = Phirni.jpg
| width2 = 162
| alt2 = Phirni
| link2 = Phirni
| caption2 = Phirni
| footer = [[Phirni]] and [[Kheer]] are two of the most popular [[pudding]]s in the Indian subcontinent.
}}
These kinds of desserts usually include a thickened dairy base. Custards are cooked and thickened with eggs. Baked custards include [[crème brûlée]] and [[Flan (pie)|flan]]. They are often used as ingredients in other desserts, for instance as a filling for pastries or pies.
{{Clear}}

===Deep-fried===
{{See also|List of doughnut varieties}}
[[File:Gulaab Jamun (homemade!) bright.jpg|upright|thumb|right|[[Gulab jamun]] topped with almond slivers is one of the most popular [[sweets from the Indian subcontinent]].]]
Many cuisines include a dessert made of deep-fried starch-based batter or dough. In many countries, a [[doughnut]] is a flour-based batter that has been deep-fried. It is sometimes filled with custard or jelly. [[Fritter]]s are fruit pieces in a thick batter that have been deep fried. [[Gulab jamun]] is an Indian dessert made of milk solids kneaded into a dough, deep-fried, and soaked in honey. [[Churro]]s are a deep-fried and sugared dough that is eaten as dessert or a snack in many countries.

===Frozen===
{{Main|Ice cream|Gelato|Sorbet|Shave ice}}
[[File:Matkakulfi.jpg|thumb|upright|Kulfi inside a [[Matki (earthen pot)|matka pot]] from India]]
[[Ice cream]], [[gelato]], [[sorbet]] and shaved-ice desserts fit into this category. Ice cream is a cream base that is churned as it is frozen to create a creamy consistency. Gelato uses a milk base and has less air whipped in than ice cream, making it denser. Sorbet is made from churned fruit and is not dairy based. Shaved-ice desserts are made by shaving a block of ice and adding flavored syrup or juice to the ice shavings.

===Gelatin===
{{See also|Gelatin desserts}}
Jellied desserts are made with a sweetened liquid thickened with gelatin or another gelling agent. They are traditional in many cultures. [[Yōkan]] is a Japanese jellied dessert. In English-speaking countries, many dessert recipes are [[gelatin dessert|based on gelatin]] with fruit or whipped cream added. The vegetarian substitute for gelatin is [[agar agar]]. [[Marshmallow]] is also most commonly made with gelatin.

=== Pastries ===
{{Main|Pastry}}
[[File:Croissants au beurre (18953292873).jpg|thumb|upright|Croissants au beurre]]
Pastries are sweet baked pastry products. Pastries can either take the form of light and flaky bread with an airy texture, such as a [[croissant]] or unleavened dough with a high fat content and crispy texture, such as [[shortbread]]. Pastries are often flavored or filled with [[fruits]], [[chocolate]], [[nut (fruit)|nuts]], and [[spices]]. Pastries are sometimes eaten with [[tea]] or [[coffee]] as a breakfast food.

====Pies, cobblers, and clafoutis====
{{Main|Pie|Cobbler (food)|Clafouti}}
Pies and cobblers consist of a filling enclosed by a crust, which can be made from either pastry or crumbs. The fillings of pies can vary from fruits to puddings, whereas cobbler fillings are mostly fruit-based. On the other hand, clafoutis is a dessert in which batter is poured over a fruit-based filling before being baked.

=== Sweet soups ===
{{Main|Tong sui}}
[[File:Eggtongsui.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Egg tong sui]]]]
Tong sui, literally translated as "sugar water" and also known as tim tong, is a collective term for any sweet, warm [[soup]] or [[custard]] served as a dessert at the end of a meal in [[Cantonese cuisine]]. ''Tong sui'' are a Cantonese specialty and are rarely found in other [[Chinese cuisine|regional cuisines of China]]. Outside of Cantonese-speaking communities, soupy desserts generally are not recognized as a distinct category, and the term ''tong sui'' is not used.

===Wines===
[[Dessert wine]]s are sweet [[wine]]s typically served with dessert. There is no simple definition of a dessert wine. In the UK, a dessert wine is considered to be any sweet wine drunk with a meal, as opposed to the white<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.frenchscout.com/types-of-white-wines|title=The 7 major types of white wines - French Scout|first=Félicien|last=Breton|access-date=21 February 2016|archive-date=27 September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927154414/http://www.frenchscout.com/types-of-white-wines|url-status=live}}</ref> [[fortified wines]] (fino and amontillado sherry) drunk before the meal, and the red fortified wines ([[port wine|port]] and [[Madeira wine|madeira]]) drunk after it. Thus, most fortified wines are regarded as distinct from dessert wines, but some of the less strong fortified white wines, such as [[Pedro Ximénez]] sherry and [[Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise AOC|Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise]], are regarded as honorary dessert wines. In the United States, by contrast, a dessert wine is legally defined as any wine over 14% [[alcohol by volume]], which includes all fortified wines - and is taxed at higher rates as a result. Examples include [[Sauternes (wine)|Sauternes]] and [[Tokaji|Tokaji Aszú]].

== Gallery ==
<gallery mode="packed" caption="Dessert examples">
File:Apple pie.jpg|[[Apple pie]]
File:Baked Alaska (5097717743).jpg|[[Baked Alaska]], ice cream and cake topped with browned meringue
File:Baklava - Turkish special, 80-ply.JPEG|[[Baklava]], a pastry comprising layers of filo with chopped nuts, sweetened and held together with syrup or honey
File:Homemade Flan.jpg|Baked [[custard]] or [[Crème caramel|flan]]
File:Brennan's Bananas Foster.jpg|[[Bananas Foster]], made from bananas and vanilla ice cream with a sauce made from butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, dark rum and banana liqueur
File:Plain cheesecake.jpg|[[Cheesecake]], a type of dessert with a layer of a mixture of soft, fresh cheese, eggs and sugar
File:Cannoli siciliani (7472226896).jpg|[[Cannoli]] with pistachio dust, candied and chocolate drops
File:Chocolate mousse.jpg|[[Chocolate mousse]], a chocolate variety of a dessert incorporating air bubbles to give it a light and airy texture
File:Coconutbar.jpg|[[Coconut bar]], made with coconut milk and set with either [[Wheat starch|tang flour]] and corn starch, or [[agar agar]] and gelatin
File:Creme brulee.jpg|Preparation of [[crème brûlée]], a rich custard base topped with a contrasting layer of hard caramel
File:Egg custard tart by Stu Spivack.jpg|[[Custard tart|Egg custard tarts]], a pastry originating from Guangzhou, China
File:Hwangnam bread (cropped).JPG|[[Gyeongju bread]], a small pastry with a filling of [[red bean paste]]
File:씨앗호떡.jpg|[[Hotteok]] (a variety of filled Korean pancake) with edible seeds, sugar, and cinnamon
File:Kkultarae, Korean court cake.jpg|[[Kkul-tarae]], fine strands of [[honey]] and [[maltose]], often with a sweet [[nut (fruit)|nut]] filling
File:Jell-o cream cheese square.jpg|[[Jell-O]] cream cheese square
File:Lemon tart (cropped).jpg|[[Lemon tart]], a pastry shell with a lemon-flavored filling
File:Mämmi, memma.jpg|[[Mämmi]], a [[Finnish cuisine|Finnish]] [[Easter]] dessert
File:Pastry assortment.jpg|An assortment of [[pastries]]
File:Rum cake.jpg|[[Rum cake]], a type of cake containing rum
File:King of Spotted Dicks.jpg|[[Spotted dick]]
File:Tiramisu with blueberries and raspberries, July 2011.jpg|[[Tiramisu]]
File:Banana pudding, homemade.jpg|Homemade banana [[pudding]]
File:Bibingka with its usual toppings.jpg|[[Bibingka]], a rice cake with toppings
File:Dinner Honoring Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.jpg|Chocolate carriage with [[raspberry|raspberries]] on waffle cookie
</gallery>

== By region ==
{{expand section|date=July 2015}}[[File:GrassJellyBlocks.jpg|thumb|[[Grass jelly]] is a [[Gelatin|jelly-like]] dessert eaten in several Asian countries.]]

=== Africa ===
Throughout much of central and western Africa, there is no tradition of a dessert course following a meal.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Wilson|first1=Ellen Gibson|title=A West African cook book|date=1971|publisher=M. Evans|others=Distributed by Lippincott, Philadelphia|page=171|isbn=9780380014644|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bZ0sAAAAYAAJ&q=%22African+dessert%22|access-date=20 July 2015|archive-date=14 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230114145109/https://books.google.com/books?id=bZ0sAAAAYAAJ&q=%22African+dessert%22|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Roufs 2014 Sweat Treats">{{cite book|last1=Roufs|first1=Timothy G.|last2=Roufs|first2=Kathleen Smyth|title=Sweet Treats around the World: An Encyclopedia of Food and Culture|date=2014|publisher=ABC-CLIO|location=Santa Barbara, California|isbn=978-1-61069-221-2|pages=60–61}}</ref> Fruit or fruit salad would be eaten instead, which may be spiced, or sweetened with a sauce. In some former colonies in the region, the colonial power has influenced desserts – for example, the Angolan ''cocada amarela'' (yellow coconut) resembles baked desserts in Portugal.<ref name="Roufs 2014 Sweat Treats" />

=== Asia ===
{{See also|List of Chinese desserts|Asian cuisine|Iranian cuisine|Middle Eastern cuisine|List of Indian sweets and desserts}}
[[File:Akaka Cendol Melaka.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Cendol|Cendol Akaka]] in Malaysia]]
[[File:Classic bubble tea.jpg|thumb|upright|Bubble tea is famous for its varieties of flavors with bubbles and jellies.]]In Asia, desserts are often eaten between meals as snacks rather than as a concluding course. There is widespread use of rice flour in East Asian desserts, which often include local ingredients such as coconut milk, palm sugar, and tropical fruit.<ref>{{cite book|title=Classic Asian cakes and desserts : quick and delicious favorites.|date=2003|publisher=Periplus|location=Singapore|isbn=0-7946-0213-4|page=3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ApT5aoykTUcC&pg=PA3|access-date=20 July 2015|archive-date=14 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230114145115/https://books.google.com/books?id=ApT5aoykTUcC&pg=PA3|url-status=live}}</ref> In India, where sugarcane has been grown and refined since before 500 BC, desserts have been an important part of the diet for thousands of years; types of desserts include [[Barfi|burfis]], [[halva]]hs, [[jalebi]]s, and [[laddu]]s.{{sfn|Krondl|2011|p=37}}

[[File:Coconut and Jaggery Balls ...... Bengali Narkel Naru.jpg|thumb|[[Laddu]] is often served on Indian festivals such as [[Raksha Bandhan]] and [[Diwali]].]]

=== Europe ===
[[File:Bunter Teller (27 Stücke).jpg|thumb|[[List of German desserts|German desserts and pastries]]]]In Ukraine and Russia, breakfast foods such as [[nalysnyky]] or [[blintz]] or oladi (pancake), and [[syrniki]] are served with [[honey]] and [[jam]] as desserts.

In the Netherlands [[vla]] is a popular dessert. It is a custard-like dessert that is served cold. Popular flavours are: vanilla, chocolate, caramel, and several fruit flavours. There is also hopjesvla which is flavoured like a [[Hopje]], a Dutch coffee and caramel sweet.

====France====
=====Early use of the term=====
The word ''dessert'' as a culinary term appears as early as 1393 in the ''[[Ménagier de Paris]]'', where "''desserte''" is included in three of the twenty-nine menus.{{efn| name = menu}}  The ''desserte'' comes near the end of the meal, but before the ''issue'' (departure) of hypocras and wafers, included in ten of the menus; and before the ''boute-hors'' (sendoff) of wines and spices, included in four of the menus.  The ''desserte'' was the last cooked course of the meal, but the ''boute-hors'' was the true final course of the meal.{{sfn|Brereton|Ferrier|1981| pp = 182–84}}

In the later printed book ''Petit traicté auquel verrez la maniere de faire cuisine'' (c. 1536), more widely known from the edition titled ''Livre fort excellent de cuisine'' (1542),{{sfn|Tomasik|2016|pp=239-244}} the menus at the end of the book present the meal in four stages : the ''entree de table'' (entrance to the table), ''potaiges'' (foods boiled or simmered "in pots"), ''services de rost'' (meat or fowl "roasted" in dry heat), and ''issue de table'' (departure from the table). The ''issue de table'' includes fruit, nuts, pastries, jellies, cheese, and cream.  The menus do not mention "dessert".{{sfn|Albala|Tomasik|2014|pp=210–27,238–48}}{{Sfn|Flandrin|2007|pp=69–70}}

=====Dessert in the "Classical Order" of table service=====
Between the mid-16th and mid-17th century, the stages of the meal underwent several significant changes. Notably, [[Potage#Potage in the "Classical Order" of table service|potage]] became the first stage of the meal, the [[Entrée#"Classical Order" of service|entrée]] became the second stage, [[Entremets#Entremets in the "Classical Order" of table service|entremets]] came to be served in their own distinct stage after the [[Roasting#The roast in the "Classical Order" of table service|roast]], and the last course of the meal came to be called "dessert".{{sfn|Flandrin|2007|p=71}}

In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, the dessert stage of the meal consisted entirely of foods "from the storeroom" (''de l'office''), such as fresh, stewed, preserved, and dried fruits; fruit jellies; nuts; cheese and other dairy dishes; [[Cookie|dry biscuits (cookies)]] and [[wafer]]s; and, beginning in the mid-18th century, [[ice cream|ices]] and [[petits fours]].{{sfn|Grimod de La Reynière|1805|p=19}}{{Sfn|Flandrin|2007|pp=3, 10, 30, 81, 82, 87, 88}}

On lean days out of Lent,{{efn| name = maigres}} the dishes in the dessert stage of the meal were the same as those served on meat days.  In Lent, though, eggs were never served at any meal, and only dishes that did not include eggs were appropriate for the dessert stage.{{sfn|Flandrin|2007|pp=33, 34}}

Despite the significance of dessert in the structured meals of the time, the dessert course was often not included on the menus or bills of fare of the 17th and 18th centuries.{{sfn|Flandrin|2007|pp=42, 82, 96}}

=====Changes in the 19th and 20th centuries=====
In the late 19th century, the word dessert, which properly referred to the last stage of the meal, came to refer also to the dishes that were served in that stage.{{sfn|Flandrin|2007|p=104}}

In the 20th century, cheeses came to be served in their own course just before the dessert course.{{sfn|Flandrin|2007|p=88}}

Also in the 20th century, sweet dishes from the kitchen, such as freshly prepared pastries, [[meringue]]s, [[custard]]s, [[pudding]]s, and baked fruits, which had traditionally been served in the [[Entremets#Entremets in the "Classical Order" of table service|entremets course]], came to be included among the desserts.{{sfn|Montagné|1938|p=422}}{{Sfn|Flandrin|2007|p=31, 85, 108}}

=== North America ===
{{See also|List of American desserts}}[[Ice cream]] in [[United States|The United States]] is popular.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What's Trending with America's Favorite Dessert |url=https://nfraweb.org/whats-trending-with-americas-favorite-desserts/#:~:text=In%20Summary,of%20the%20frozen%20food%20category. |access-date=2024-11-15 |website=Your Site NAME Goes HERE |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Pie]] and [[Cheesecake]] is also fairly popular in the US.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Top 15 Most Popular Desserts in America in 2024 |url=https://www.cozymeal.com/magazine/popular-desserts |access-date=2024-11-15 |website=Cozymeal |language=en-us}}</ref> Some of [[Mexico]]s favorite desserts are Flan, [[Ice pop|Paletas]], and [[Tres leches cake|Pastel de Tres Leches.]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=These Mexican Desserts Are Perfect for Any Occasion |url=https://www.thespruceeats.com/everyday-mexican-desserts-4129287 |access-date=2024-11-15 |website=The Spruce Eats |language=en}}</ref>

=== South America ===
{{See also|List of Argentine sweets and desserts|List of Brazilian sweets and desserts}}
[[File:Cocadas ferrol.jpg|thumb|[[Cocadas]] are a traditional coconut candy or confectionery found in many parts of [[Latin America]], made with eggs and shredded coconut.]]

[[Dulce de leche]] is a very common confection in Argentina.<ref>{{cite book | last1=Roufs | first1=T.G. | last2=Roufs | first2=K.S. | title=Sweet Treats around the World: An Encyclopedia of Food and Culture | publisher=ABC-CLIO | year=2014 | isbn=978-1-61069-221-2 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M_eCBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA8 | page=8}}</ref> In Bolivia, sugarcane, honey and coconut are traditionally used in desserts.<ref name="Sweet Treats">{{cite book | last1=Roufs | first1=T.G. | last2=Roufs | first2=K.S. | title=Sweet Treats around the World: An Encyclopedia of Food and Culture | publisher=ABC-CLIO | year=2014 | isbn=978-1-61069-221-2 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M_eCBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA44 | page=44}}</ref> ''Tawa tawa'' is a Bolivian sweet [[fritter]] prepared using sugar cane, and ''helado de canela'' is a dessert that is similar to sherbet which is prepared with cane sugar and cinnamon.<ref name="Sweet Treats" /> Coconut tarts, puddings cookies and candies are also consumed in Bolivia.<ref name="Sweet Treats" /> Brazil has a variety of candies such as [[brigadeiro]]s (chocolate fudge balls), [[cocada]] (a coconut sweet), [[beijinho]]s (coconut truffles and clove) and [[Romeu e Julieta]] (cheese with a guava jam known as [[goiabada]]). Peanuts are used to make [[paçoca]], [[rapadura]] and [[pé-de-moleque]]. Local common fruits are turned in [[juice]]s and used to make [[chocolate]]s, [[ice pop]]s and [[ice cream]].<ref>Freyre, Gilberto. Açúcar. Uma Sociologia do Doce, com Receitas de Bolos e Doces do Nordeste do Brasil. São Paulo, Companhia das Letras, 1997.</ref> In Chile, ''kuchen'' has been described as a "trademark dessert".<ref name="Burford 2005 p. 87">{{cite book | last=Burford | first=T. | title=Chile: The Bradt Travel Guide | publisher=Bradt Travel Guides | series=Bradt Guides | year=2005 | isbn=978-1-84162-076-3 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g6k3ftoWSSAC&pg=PA87 | page=87}}</ref> Several desserts in Chile are prepared with ''manjar'', (caramelized milk), including ''[[alfajor]]'', ''[[Crème caramel|flan]]'', ''cuchufli'' and ''[[Rice pudding|arroz con leche]]''.<ref name="Burford 2005 p. 87" /> Desserts consumed in Colombia include [[dulce de leche]], waffle cookies,<ref>{{cite book | last=Cathey | first=K. | title=Colombia – Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture | publisher=Kuperard | year=2011 | isbn=978-1-85733-549-1 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tWgFAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA132 | page=132}}</ref> puddings, nougat, coconut with syrup and thickened milk with sugarcane syrup.<ref>{{cite book | last=Woods | first=S. | title=Bradt Colombia | publisher=Bradt Travel Guides | series=Bradt Travel Guide Colombia | year=2012 | isbn=978-1-84162-364-1 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-xoZwlNgYGAC&pg=PA99 | page=99}}</ref> Desserts in Ecuador tend to be simple, and desserts are a moderate part of the cuisine.<ref name="Greenspan 2011 p. 31">{{cite book | last=Greenspan | first=E. | title=Frommer's Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands | publisher=Wiley | series=Frommer's Complete Guides | year=2011 | isbn=978-1-118-10032-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c2CwfTjo1jIC&pg=PA31 | page=31}}</ref> Desserts consumed in Ecuador include [[tres leches cake]], flan, candies and various sweets.<ref name="Greenspan 2011 p. 31" />

=== Oceania ===
{{see also|List of desserts#New Zealand|List of desserts#Australia}}

In Australia, meals are often finished with dessert. This includes various fruits. More complex desserts include cakes, pies and cookies, which are sometimes served during special occasions.{{sfn|Burckhardt|Germaine|2004|p=53}}

New Zealand and Australia have a long-standing debate over which country invented the [[Pavlova (cake)|Pavlova]]. The pavlova is named after [[Anna Pavlova]], who visited both countries in the 1920s.

== Market ==
The market for desserts has grown over the last few decades, being greatly increased by the commercialization of baking desserts and the rise of food productions. Desserts are served in most restaurants as their popularity has increased.  Many commercial stores have been established as solely dessert stores. [[Ice cream parlor]]s have been around since before 1800.<ref name="ice cream">{{cite web|last=Bellis|first=Mary|title=History of Ice Cream|url=http://inventors.about.com/od/foodrelatedinventions/a/ice_cream.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120719074908/http://inventors.about.com/od/foodrelatedinventions/a/ice_cream.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 July 2012|publisher=About.com Inventors|access-date=23 October 2012}}</ref> Many businesses have started advertising campaigns focusing solely on desserts. The tactics used to market desserts are very different depending on the audience; for example, desserts can be advertised with popular movie characters to target children.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Story|first=Mary|title=Food Advertising and Marketing Directed at Children and Adolescents in the US|pmc=416565|journal= International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity|pmid=15171786|doi=10.1186/1479-5868-1-3|volume=1|issue=1|date=Feb 2004|pages=3 |doi-access=free }}</ref>  The rise of companies such as [[Food Network]] has produced many shows which feature desserts and their creation. Shows like these have displayed extreme desserts and made a game show atmosphere to make desserts a more competitive field.<ref name="Food Network">{{cite web|title=About Food Network|url=http://www.foodnetwork.com/home/about-foodnetworkcom/index.html|work=Food Network.com|publisher=Food Network|access-date=23 October 2012|archive-date=16 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016043659/http://www.foodnetwork.com/home/about-foodnetworkcom/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Desserts are a standard staple in restaurant menus, with different degrees of variety. Pie and cheesecake were among the most popular dessert courses ordered in U.S. restaurants in 2012.<ref>[http://www.statista.com/statistics/244042/preferred-desserts-ordered-in-restaurants/ Top desserts ordered in restaurants 2012] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131207072419/http://www.statista.com/statistics/244042/preferred-desserts-ordered-in-restaurants/ |date=7 December 2013 }}. Technomic, Inc. September 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2013.</ref>

== Nutrition ==
Dessert foods often contain relatively high amounts of [[sugar]] and [[fat]]s and, as a result, higher [[Food energy|calorie counts]] per gram than other foods. Fresh or cooked fruit with minimal [[added sugar]] or fat is an exception.<ref name=Healt>{{cite web|last=Goff|first=Corinne|title=5 Easy To Make, Good for You Desserts|url=http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/5-easy-to-make-good-for-you-desserts-no-kidding.html#b|publisher=FitDay|access-date=23 October 2012|archive-date=25 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025121354/http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/5-easy-to-make-good-for-you-desserts-no-kidding.html#b|url-status=live}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Chinese desserts]]
* [[Culinary art]]

=== List articles ===
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[List of desserts]]
* [[List of dessert sauces]]
* [[List of Bangladeshi sweets and desserts]]
* [[List of foods]]
* [[List of Indian sweets and desserts]]
* [[List of Indonesian desserts]]
* [[List of Italian desserts]]
* [[List of Pakistani sweets and desserts]]
* [[List of Sri Lankan sweets and desserts]]
* [[List of Turkish desserts]]
{{div col end}}

== Notes, references, and sources ==

=== Notes ===
{{notelist | refs=
{{efn
 |name = dictionaries
 | [https://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/entr%C3%A9e "dessert"]. ''[[Trésor de la langue française informatisé]]''.
{{Cite OED|dessert}}
{{cite web|title=Dessert|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dessert|work=Merriam-Webster Dictionary|publisher=Merriam-Webster Incorporated|access-date=15 October 2012|archive-date=27 February 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227074320/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dessert|url-status=live}}
}}
{{efn
 | name = menu
 | The word "menus" appropriately describes this section of the ''Petit traicté'', but the first appearance of "menu" with that culinary meaning is in the much later [https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k504003/f52.image/ ''Nouveau Dictionnaire de l'Académie françoise''], 1718, p. II:50.
}}
{{efn
 | name = Shakespeare
 | See, for example, [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]]'s use of "Twice-sod simplicity! ''Bis coctus!''" in ''[[Love's Labour's Lost]]'', IV.ii.22.
}}
{{efn
 | name = maigres
 | In accordance with [[Fasting and abstinence in the Catholic Church|church regulations]] in force from the Middle Ages to the 19th century, the ingredients for every stage of the meal varied between "meat days" (''jours gras'', literally "fat days"), when all foods were allowed, and "lean days" (''jours maigres''), when the church forbade consumption of meat and fowl but not fish.  Until the 16th century, white meats (milk, cream, butter, and cheese) and eggs were additionally forbidden in Lent. Beginning in the 17th century, white meats were allowed in Lent.  Beginning in the 19th century, eggs were also allowed in Lent.
}}
}}

=== References ===
{{Reflist|30em}}

=== Sources ===
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 | first = Melitta Weiss
 | title = Food in Medieval Times
 | location = Westport, CT
 | publisher = [[Greenwood Publishing Group|Greenwood Press]]
 | year = 2004
 | isbn = 0313321477
}}
* {{cite book
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}}
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 | location=Hoboken, NJ
 | isbn=978-0-7645-7645-4
 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cyR9VsqMvJsC&pg=PA12
}}
* {{ cite book
 | editor1-last = Brereton
 | editor1-first = Georgine E.
 | editor2-last = Ferrier
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 | location = Oxford
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 | year = 1981
 | isbn = 0198157487
}}
* {{cite book
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}}
* {{cite journal
 | last1=Charlton
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 | doi=10.1093/her/cyh030|pmid=15857908|doi-access=free
}}
* {{cite news
 | last=Drzal
 | first=Dawn
 | title=How We Got to Dessert|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/04/books/review/how-we-got-to-dessert.html
 | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/04/books/review/how-we-got-to-dessert.html
 | archive-date=2022-01-01
 | url-access=limited
 | work=The New York Times
 | date=2 December 2011
 | access-date=23 October 2012
}}
* {{cite book
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 | first = Jean-Louis
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 | year = 2007
 | orig-year = 2001
 | translator-first = Julie E.
 | translator-last = Johnson
 | isbn = 978-0520238855
 }}
* {{cite book
 | last = Grimod de La Reynière
 | first = Alexandre-Balthazar-Laurent
 | author-link = Alexandre Balthazar Laurent Grimod de La Reynière
 | title = Almanach des Gourmands, troisième année
 | location = Paris
 | publisher = Maradan
 | year = 1805
 | url = https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k15191246
}}
* {{cite book
 | last=Krondl
 | first = Michael
 | title=Sweet Invention: A History of Dessert
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 | year=2011
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}}
* {{cite book
 | last = Montagné
 | first = Prosper
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 | year = 1938
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* {{cite journal
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 |volume = 14
 |issue = 2–3
 |date = May 2016
 |pages = 223–247
 |doi = 10.1484/J.FOOD.5.115341
 |issn = 1780-3187}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book |title=Dessert |last=Dodge |first=Abigail J. |year=2002 |publisher=Simon & Schuster Source |isbn=0-7432-2643-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8vnMYnK0nXwC&q=dessert |display-authors=etal  }}
* {{cite book |title=Dessert University |last=Mesnier |first=Roland |year=2004 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |isbn=0-7432-2317-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9LhpFv7VkS8C&q=dessert }}

{{Sister bar|auto=1}}
{{Dessert}}
{{Meals wide}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Desserts| ]]
[[Category:16th-century neologisms]]
[[Category:Courses (food)]]
[[Category:Foods]]