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CNN — Imagine the best dessert on Earth. Then ask other people their favorites. Bet you dollars to doughnuts, their answer is different from yours.

From childhood treats to a grandparent’s favorite recipes, beloved foods are deeply personal. This seems especially true of desserts. For all the nostalgia of sugary treats, though, some sweets rise above local flavors.

Head to any country to find tender slices of Italian tiramisú on cafe menus or sniff out the creamy scent of Hong Kong’s dan tats in cities worldwide. And like dan tats, many of these recipes aren’t desserts at all – the eggy tart is more often eaten as an afternoon snack.

The idea of serving a sweet at the end of a coursed meal is relatively recent. In some destinations, including Africa and Asia, desserts are a foreign import.

But with food, like language or culture, determining what’s “foreign” is complicated. Tiramisú relies on chocolate, coffee and sugar that arrived in Italy through global trade, while Hong Kong’s most iconic sweet has roots in Portugal.

This list blends the personal with something more broadly appealing. It’s the fruit of my nine years in the pastry kitchen, when I traveled to explore new flavors everywhere. In alphabetical order, here are some of the best desserts around the world: