10 of the World’s Best Desserts

Everyone (well, almost everyone) loves dessert. From tart and savoury to sweet and creamy, the best desserts come in all shapes and sizes.  And while we might deny ourselves the pleasure of finishing off the meal with something special, when we travel the opportunity presents itself for some can’t-miss temptations.  So splurge, enjoy yourself, and walk it off the next day with any of these ten of the world’s best desserts.

Mont Blanc at Angelina’s in Paris

The only thing better than relaxing on the River Seine at Sunset is savouring a cup of coffee or tea while enjoying a Mont Blanc at Angelina’s, the best bakery in Paris the world.  It’s just a few minutes walk from the Louvre, and people usually come here for the renowned hot chocolate. (I don’t like it – but it’s a drinking chocolate.  Not my thing.)  But this concoction of think whipped cream and chestnut creme is simply the world’s best dessert.  Without question.  I could go to Paris just to have one of these.  Stunning.

Quindim in Brazil

Quindim is another world-class best dessert, and appearances might be deceiving as sometimes its presented a bit like a Brazilian doughnut!  Don’t be fooled, though; it’s of course much more than that.  One of the many Portuguese-influenced treats in Brazil, it’s made with lots of eggs and sugar infused with coconut, which gives it this wonderful texture.  The best ones are homemade if you can find them – some of the store ones aren’t nearly as fresh or as tasty.

Beingets from Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans

The beingets from Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans are almost as famous as Mardi Gras itself.  I wonder how much powered sugar this place goes through in a year – it’s piled high to ensure your sugar rush is set for warp speed.  I have it on good word these are good for a hangover too, a useful bit of knowledge in this part of town, though brace yourself for the long queues to get yours.

Gelato from Anywhere in Florence

It’s tough to choose which Italian dessert to feature as indeed many of the world’s best desserts come from Italy.  But since I’m doing the choosing here, I’ll go with gelato – and Florence has some of the country’s best shops.  Vivoli is probably the one the most famous, but I wouldn’t say it is the best.  Others to try are Carabè, Badiani and Grom; just finding the places is difficult, but just get lost in the maze that is Florence and enjoy yourself.

Galub Jamun in India

Akil wrote about some of her favorite Indian desserts, and it is no surprise that Galub Jamun made the list.  It is simply a fried dough in sugar, but I love the different flavours of syrup you can get: sometimes its a hint of cardamom, other times it’s a little ginger-y.  An excuse to try them a few different times during your stay.

Maple Taffy in Canada

Canada has no shortage of world’s best desserts, but if you visit in spring then you simply must try a bit of maple taffy – just trying it is a bit of an experience!  You see, it’s hot maple syrup poured into the snow and rolled around a stick.  (Don’t worry, they use clean snow.)   It tastes so pure and wholesome, the perfect treat after a day of Canadian adventures.

Hokey Pokey Ice Cream in New Zealand

I love ice cream, so it gets two turns to be on the world’s best desserts list.  And what else but ice cream can be used as an excuse to visit New Zealand, my favourite country?  Hokey pokey is vanilla ice cream with sponge toffee bits thrown in for good measure.  You can find it at any place that services ice cream – in fact, if the parlours only have one flavour, it will be hokey pokey.  But what else could satisfy your sweet tooth after a day of hikes and extreme adventure sports than some hokey pokey?

Churros from Anywhere

I love churros – and thankfully they are easy to find in many places.  The world’s best churros are in Tijuana, in my opinion, but chocoholics will not want to miss churros y chocolat for breakfast in Madrid.  Pretty much any Spanish speaking or influenced country will be serving up these tasty treats.  Yum.

Naleśnik in Poland

Naleśnik is basically a Polish crepe or light pancake.  It’s a difficult decision to make for me, because I do love pierogi filled with fruit as a dessert, but these tasty pancakes are easier to find.  I think because the Polish ones come with lots of different fresh fruits, fresh cream, and a heavy dose of cinnamon, they win for me against their (delicious) French counterparts.

Umm Ali in Egypt

We close in the middle east, where desserts are often a touch less sweet than elsewhere – which I appreciate because although I love sweets, sometimes people go overboard.  Umm Ali (translation: Ali’s Mother) is essentially what you would call bread pudding in the US or UK.  But it’s far tastier.  It’s a bit lighter and airy, and just heavenly.  It’s worth going to Egypt just for this, really.  Or find a local Egyptian restaurant where you are and ask for it.  One of the world’s best dessert, indeed.