Foods Worth Waiting For
What's something you wait all year long to eat once? Your birthday cake? Chocolate easter eggs? Thanksgiving turkey? Sure, while you could technically have cake or chocolate eggs or turkey whenever you want, there's something special about waiting for, well, a special occasion to enjoy them. Let's be honest: certain foods just don't feel right to eat on any random day—and these 20 celebratory foods are worth waiting the right moment for.
1. Birthday Cake
Sure, you could walk into a bakery and buy a birthday cake whenever you want, but it'd be kinda weird. You'd likely feel it, too, eating a slice when it's not quite the time yet. Plus, if you eat it all the time, it will probably no longer feel special once your birthday actually comes.
2. Wedding Cake
When was the last time you enjoyed a slice of traditional wedding cake without actually attending a wedding? Probably never. There's a reason these multi-tiered cakes are custom-made for matrimony, and eating one just whenever (assuming you can even order one, given how expensive they are) would be a little excessive.
3. Thanksgiving Turkey
Ah, Thanksgiving turkey. Who doesn't want to eat it all the time? And yet, while this special bird is available year-round, roasting an entire one outside of Thanksgiving would be pretty strange. Preparing one, after all, requires plenty of planning, and don't get us started on the stuffing!
4. Christmas Pudding
For many British families, Christmas wouldn't feel like Christmas without this traditional pudding. Rich and filled with dried fruits and sometimes even booze (hey, it's a post-dinner dessert), eating this outside of the holidays might take away that festive feel, but we'd understand if you couldn't stop yourself.
5. Mooncakes
If you've never had a mooncake, you'll have to wait until the Mid-Autumn Festival to enjoy them. These Chinese pastries come with various fillings, ranging from lotus seed paste to red bean paste, though they commonly include salted egg yolks, too.
6. Miyeok-Guk
In South Korea, birthdays aren't just celebrated with birthday cake, but also with a bowl of miyeok-guk—a savory seaweed soup. The custom goes that, since it's a dish served to new mothers during postpartum recovery, it's a way of honoring your mother when enjoyed on your birthday.
7. King Cake
Ever celebrated Mardi Gras in New Orleans? Then you're probably familiar with king cake, the colorful pastry traditionally enjoyed during Carnival season. The kicker? This sweet treat contains a small plastic baby inside. Bizarre as that sounds, whoever finds the baby is responsible for hosting the next gathering.
Infrogmation of New Orleans on Wikimedia
8. Hot Cross Buns
These sweet, spiced bread rolls are often made with dried fruit and marked with a cross on top, typically served on Good Friday and Easter, when you'll see them lining the bakeries in the weeks leading up to the holiday. While some stores sell them throughout the year, they're still mostly considered a seasonal treat.
9. Chocolate-Covered Strawberries
Of course, you could eat these decadent berries whenever, but you can't deny there's a pretty romantic feel to them—they are strongly associated with Valentine's Day, after all. In fact, the more decorative your drizzle, the more special they feel.
10. Bûche de Noël
Also known as a Yule log cake, this traditional French dessert shows up everywhere during Christmas. Look past its festive appearance, and you'll find that it's a cream-filled sponge cake that's swathed in chocolate frosting, made to resemble a wooden log. Don't underestimate it, though! It can be pretty tricky to make.
11. Eggnog
You can fix yourself up a glass of eggnog now, but it likely wouldn't hit the same. Made with milk, eggs, sugar, and spices (and oftentimes booze), this Christmas drink is best enjoyed when the holidays are near. Grocery stores, too, typically stock cartons of eggnog only around then.
12. Panettone
Here's another Christmas dessert for you: panettone, an Italian dome-shaped sweet bread that's often eaten during Christmas and New Year's. You'll probably recognize it just from its exterior, which is dotted with fruit, chief among them raisins and candied citrus.
13. Birthday Longevity Noodles
Yep, we're back to the birthdays. In several East Asian cultures, particularly Chinese, birthdays are traditionally celebrated with long noodles which symbolize a long life. The longer they are, the better, so don't cut them or you'd be cutting your life short!
montatip lilitsanong on Unsplash
14. Ozoni
When the New Year comes around, Japanese people gather to eat ozoni, a special soup containing mochi rice cakes alongside vegetables and other ingredients. Mochi can be enjoyed throughout the year, of course, but ozoni specifically is served during the New Year to bring on good health and fortune.
15. Gingerbread Houses
You might purchase gingerbread cookies whenever you crave them, but you're unlikely to build an entire gingerbread house unless it's the holidays. These edible creations require painstaking patience! Plus, people often spend more time decorating their houses than actually eating them, anyway.
16. Tteokguk
During the Korean Lunar New Year, tteokguk is served up. This comforting soup contains thinly sliced rice cakes served in a savory broth, and enjoying a bowl has a special symbolism: it marks becoming one year older. That's why your international age and Korean age are so different!
17. Chocolate Easter Eggs
Regular chocolate bars are easy to find throughout the year, but those large chocolate Easter eggs? Those are seasonal. Once the holiday passes and the supermarket aisles clear out their remaining stock, you'll have to wait until the next year to eat through the same selection again.
18. Nian Gao
During Chinese New Year, the most important dish is nian gao, a sticky-sweet rice cake that's either steamed or pan-fried with an egg coating. Why is it so important? Becayse its name sounds similar to a Chinese phrase associated with reaching greater heights each year: nian (year) gao (high/taller).
19. Songpyeon
Chuseok, one of South Korea's most important traditional holidays, wouldn't feel complete without songpyeon. Unlike nian gao, these rice cakes are smaller and shaped like half-moons, filled with ingredients such as sweetened beans or chestnuts. Families often prepare them together, making them a meaningful seasonal treat.
20. Pumpkin Pie
You're not just having turkey on Thanksgiving! Once the main feast ends, dessert is served, and what better pick than pumpkin pie? With its spiced pumpkin filling and flaky crust (not to mention a generous dollop of whipped cream), most people wouldn't think to bake it unless it's a special autumn occasion. Sorry, pumpkin pie lovers!
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