17 Foods That Start With R rn (2024)

Rice, radish, rosemary, and red pepper—these are a few popular foods that begin with the letter R.

You probably know some of them, but can you name at least 17 foods?

If you’re one of those people who have limited vocabulary for foods that start with the letter R, then this informative compilation is all you need!

From vegetables to fruits to desserts to many dishes, here are the 17 fantastic foods that start with R—all destined to improve your food vocabulary!

Raisins are simply grapes that undergo a drying process for around three weeks, which results in their dark brown color.

They are a popular addition to salads, oatmeal, yogurt, cereal, and granola. Raisins are naturally sweet and high in sugar; they can be eaten raw too.

Raisins in oatmeal cookies, yes or no? Show of hands!

2. Raisin bread

Raisin bread is typically a type of bread made primarily from aromatic cinnamon and sweet raisins. This bread is ideal to serve on special occasions, holidays, or as a recipe to welcome your unexpected guests.

It’s also best when topped with butter while it’s still freshly baked.

3. Radish

Radish is an edible root vegetable that belongs to the Brassicaceae family.

It comes in different sizes, shapes, and flavors. A few of its common varieties available on the market today are white icicle, white beauty, sparkler, and fire and ice radish that’s known for its sweet and mild taste.

This vegetable is popular for its culinary uses—you can serve them raw or roasted with butter, pickle the veggies, julienne them, toss into risotto, throw in tacos, sliced into slaw or grill them alongside your steak.

Radishes taste peppery with a bitter bite eaten raw, but roasted they mellow into a buttery turnip-like quality.

4. Rice

Rice is considered a staple food for more than 3.5 billion people around the globe, according to nationalgeographic.org.

It has a soft and delicate texture when cooked and features a neutral taste that goes well with almost anything.

Plain-cooked rice is often served alongside grilled fish, chicken, scallops, and even vegetables.

5. Roast chicken

Roast chicken is a dish that’s prepared by roasting it in the oven, over an open fire, or with a rotisserie.

A perfect roast chicken is succulent, juicy, and tender. Its flavor can change drastically depending on how you season it.

If you prefer it to be smoky, rub the chicken with smoked paprika, dried sage, and cumin.

For Southeast Asian-inspired chicken, combine onion, butter, ginger, garlic, Serrano chiles, and lime then rub all over the chicken before cooking.

6. Russet potato

Also known as baking potato or Idaho potato, russet potato is a type of potato that’s known for its high starch content. Russets are typically long and large with thick skin.

Because they’re starchy, these potatoes are ideal for baking and mashing.

You can turn them into french fries or include them roasted in several side dishes, such as Air Fryer Potato Chips, Cheesy Mashed Potatoes, and as one of 17 Sides For Steak!

7. Rabbit

Rabbit is a long-eared mammal that belongs to the Leporidae family.

According to dartagnan.com, eating rabbits is popular in the Mediterranean, especially in Italy and France.

These countries are responsible for the highest production and consumption of rabbits in Europe.

Rabbit meat is often compared to chicken as both are tender, lean, and versatile.

A few of the well-liked rabbit recipes are Scottish rabbit curry, fenkata, and Conejo con Arroz, a Spanish dish that fuses rice and rabbit meat.

8. Ratatouille

Ratatouille is a summer-season vegetable dish that originated in Nice, France.

The recipe is often made from a combination of eggplant, tomatoes, green peppers, squash, and sometimes meat.

I make mine with zucchini and no green peppers since I don’t care for eggplant or green bell peppers that much. I use LOTS of oregano, salt and pepper in mine too.

Ratatouille makes a great side dish for rich pastas, layered lasagnas and pastit*io, puff pastry Greek appetizers, and more.

It’s usually served as a side dish, but you can make ratatouille as your main course when you add pasta or bread.

9. Reisetomate

Also dubbed as traveler tomatoes, reisetomate is a type of tomato that’s a nightshade family member, aligned with peppers and eggplants.

It has a unique appearance and tangy flavor profile, making it an ideal addition to a summer salad.

Today cooks all over the world use reisetomate tomato in sandwiches and even as a sauce or paste.

It also pairs well with a few ingredients such as mozzarella, feta cheese, cucumbers, bacon, onion, rice, strawberries, and sweet basil.

10. Ravioli

Ravioli is the ultimate pasta dish that’s known for its goodness, richness, and delicious flavors.

Homemade ravioli usually consists of a wrapping made of egg pasta.

This wrap is then filled with meat, ricotta cheese, and vegetables, comes round or square, and served in broth or with a sauce.

11. Raspberry

Raspberry is an edible fruit of the Rosaceae family, wherein strawberries, apples, pears, and apricots also belong.

This fruit is often described as being both tart and sweet. You can turn them into desserts, sprinkle over cereals, add sweetness to porridge, and even make them into raspberry jam. Yum!

12. Rigatoni

Rigatoni is a tube-shaped pasta that’s larger than penne and ziti.

The pasta is short and has ridges on the outside but smooth on the inside.

Rigatoni is known in the cuisine from central and southern Italy and great for baked pasta dishes as it holds up to thicker sauces like cream and tomato.

For those who don’t know, rigatoni comes from the Italian word rigato which means “ridged” or “lined.”

13. Red bell pepper

Red bell pepper is basically the ripe version of the green pepper. Unlike its brothers, the orange and yellow bell peppers, red peppers are considered the sweetest.

The vegetable is a fantastic addition to pasta primavera, soups, stews, chicken, or tuna salad, or you can stuff it with a mixture of beans, brown rice, vegetables, and seasoning, then bake!

14. Romaine lettuce

Romaine lettuce is a variety of lettuce that’s native to the Mediterranean and the Middle East.

It’s usually pale green with upright leaves and an elongated shape.

Because of its crunchy texture and mild flavor, this vegetable can be cooked or eaten raw. It is added to sandwiches, burgers, or can be used as a wrap for lettuce cups.

15. Redfish

Also dubbed as red drum, channel bass, and puppy drum, redfish is a variety of fish that’s often found in the Atlantic Ocean.

This fish can live in both salt and pure freshwater.

Blackened redfish, grilled redfish with lemon butter sauce, sauteed redfish, and parchment roasted redfish are some of the best recipes you can do at home.

16. Rosemary

Rosemary is a kind of spice with a recognizable scent and flavor that can add just the right amount of pungent and aromatic flavor to any recipe.
It’s native to the Middle East and used to prepare delectable meals like sauces and meat seasonings.

It’s easy to grow at home, and often becomes large bushes, especially in bright, direct sun.

Too much rosemary can create a bitter undertone. The aroma is reminiscent of charred wood, making it an ideal ingredient for substantial recipes that have cuts of meat like pork, beef, venison or chicken.

17. Ramen

Ramen is a Japanese noodle and a noodle soup dish that consists of wheat or egg flour, rich broth, cooked sliced pork, fresh scallions, soy sauce, salt, miso, and boiled eggs.

Shio, miso, and tonkatsu ramen are the most popular ramen types in Japan.

The bottom line

If you want to enhance your food vocabulary, you can start with these 17 foods that start with R. You might already know some of them, but I bet there are a few food items you probably haven’t heard of before.

If you can’t name at least half on the list, this might be the sign for you to unlock and include some of these items in your next grocery spree!

Bonus R food: Rhubarb, More Rhubarb, So Much Rhubarb!