Food Dictionary

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

= Picture
<NI> = Nutritional Information

A
Acerola: a very sweet, small, red fruit that grows on the tropical acerola shrub. It resembles a cherry, but is not related to it. On the inside, it is sectioned the same way as an orange and contains 2 or 3 hard seeds . Also known as West Indian cherry.<NI> .
Acerola juice: the juice from the acerola fruits. It is extremely high in natural vitamin C and a popular drink in Brazil. <NI>.
Acorn: the fruit of the oak tree. It is a smooth, thin-walled, edible nut in a woody, cup-shaped base. The dark-colored acorns of red oaks are bitter tasting and potentially irritating. It is better to eat the light-colored acorns of white oaks, that have a nice, nutty flavor. <NI> .
Acorn Squash: a winter squash with a dark green skin and sweet, yellow-orange flesh. There are also orange and yellow varieties. <NI> .
Adzuki bean: a small, reddish-brown bean that grows on vines. Adzuki beans can be eaten fresh or dried or ground into flour. There are also white, black and gray varieties. Also known as aduki or azuki bean. <NI> .
Agar: a white, tasteless, dried extract from various seaweeds. It forms a gel with water and is used as a gelatin substitute in foods. Also known as agar-agar. <NI>.
Alfalfa: one of the world's most important forage plants. It is native to Europe. The seeds are often sprouted. <NI> .
Allspice: a spice. The small, brown, unripe berry of the West Indian pimento tree. It is available as whole berries or ground. It is named allspice, because it tastes like a blend of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. It is also known as Jamaican pepper. <NI> .
Almond: the fruit of the small almond tree. There are two varieties of almond trees. The almond trees with white flowers produce sweet almonds, while the almond trees with pink flowers produce bitter almonds. Almonds are also made into almond butter, almond oil and almond extract. <NI> .
Almond butter: a spread that is made from soaked and ground almonds. It can be used the same way as peanut butter. <NI>.
Almond oil: a nut oil extracted from almonds, which can be used for high heat cooking or as an ingredient in salad dressings, sauces and desserts. <NI>.
Amaranth: a tall, red, purplish or green plant with edible leaves. It produces thousands of tiny, golden-colored, edible seeds (grains). The seeds can be made into amaranth flour. <NI> .
Amaranth leaves: the very broad, edible leaves of the amaranth plant. <NI>.
Anise seed: a spice. The tiny, brown, oval fruit of the Mediterranean anise plant. It has a sweet licorice flavor. All above-ground parts of the anise plant are edible. The oil of the anise plant is also used. <NI> .
Apple: a fruit with a yellow, red or green skin and sweet to tart whitish flesh. Cultivated throughout the world for at least 3,000 years. There are thousands of varieties. <NI> .
Apple juice: a fruit juice made from apples. <NI>.
Apple cider: fresh and unfiltered apple juice. In Europe apple cider is made from fermented apple juice, while in North America it is usually unfermented.
Apple cider vinegar: a vinegar made from apple cider. It is usually sold unfiltered.
Apricot: a yellow-orange fruit. Relative of the peach. Grown in China since 2,000 BC. <NI> .
Apricot kernel oil: an oil made from the dried kernels found inside the shells of apricot pits. It has a mild flavor and can be used for high heat cooking. <NI>.
Arrowhead: a starchy, round, yellowish or brownish root vegetable that grows on the aquatic arrowhead plant. The plant has arrow-shaped leaves and grows in ponds, swamps and rice-fields. <NI>.
Arrowroot: a white, starchy, tasteless powder obtained from the root of the tropical arrowroot plant. Arrowroot is used as a thickening agent for sauces, stews, gravies or desserts. <NI>.
Artichoke: the large, green, flower bud of a Mediterranean, thistle-like plant. The base of the leaves and the heart of the artichoke are edible. <NI> .
Arugula: a bitter, aromatic green leaf vegetable with a spicy, peppery flavor. Originated in the Mediterranean. Also known as rocket. <NI> .
Asparagus: the green or white, edible young shoots of the asparagus plant. The asparagus plant is a member of the lily family. White asparagus are grown underground to prevent them from becoming green. There is also a purple variety called Viola. <NI> .
Avocado: a fruit with yellow-green flesh that grows in tropical and subtropical climates. Skin color ranges from green to dark purple. <NI> .
Avocado oil: an oil with a light flavor made from avocados. Refined avocado oil has the highest smoke point of all plant oils, which makes it very suitable for high heat cooking. <NI>.

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B
Baked beans: a recipe that consists of beans baked or stewed in a sauce. <NI>.
Balsamic vinegar: a dark colored, slightly sweet tasting, aromatic vinegar made from the concentrated juice of white trebbiano grapes. The grape juice is boiled down, fermented and allowed to age in wooden barrels for a few years. It is produced in Modena, Italy.
Bamboo shoots: tender shoots from the base of bamboo plants. The bamboo plant is native to Asia. There are winter and spring shoots. Spring shoots are larger and tougher than winter shoots. <NI> .
Banana: a sweet, yellow fruit (technically a berry). The skin is deep-green, which turns to yellow or red. It is the worlds most popular fruit. <NI> .
Barley: a small, round grain with a nutty flavor and chewy texture. The outer, tough hulls are inedible and removed. The remaining grain is called whole barley. If the grain is polished even more to also remove the outer bran layer, the result is called pearl barley. Pearl barley is less chewy, cooks faster, but is also less nutritious. Whole barley that is toasted and cracked is called barley grits. Barley is also ground into barley flour. Sprouted barley is made into barley malt and barley malt syrup. Barley was one of the earliest cultivated grains. <NI> .
Barley flour: barley grains that have been ground into flour. It has a very low gluten content. <NI>.
Barley malt: malt. Also known as barley malt flour. <NI>.
Barley malt syrup: a dark brown, thick sweetener with a strong flavor made from barley malt.
Basil: a low-growing annual herb with bright green leaves that is member of the mint family. It has a sweet taste and a strong, pungent, sweet smell. Basil comes in fresh and dried forms and is very popular in Mediterranean cooking. <NI> .
Bay leaf: a spice. The green, aromatic leaf of the laurel tree. There are several varieties of bay leaves: Mediterranean bay leaf, California bay leaf and Indian bay leaf. Bay leaves can be used fresh or dried. <NI> .
Beans: produced in pods and members of plants called legumes. Beans are usually kidney-shaped or oval, while peas are round and lentils have a flat disk-like shape. There are many different varieties of beans, including garbanzo, navy, lima and black.
Beechnut: a small, sweet, triangular nut enclosed in a bur, growing on the beech tree. Beech trees have smooth grey bark and rounded spreading crowns. <NI> .
Beets: a root vegetable with edible green leaves and edible round, reddish-purple root portions. There are also white and golden-yellow varieties. Beets have the highest sugar content of all vegetables and are used to make beet sugar. <NI> .
Bell pepper: a pepper with a mild, sweet taste that is shaped like a bell. It has very juicy flesh that makes up the thick wall and comes in green, yellow, red, orange, purple and brown varieties. Young bell peppers are green in color and change to another color when mature. The Spanish name for bell pepper is pimiento. <NI> .
Black beans: small, shiny, black beans. They have a sweet flavor and a mealy texture. <NI> .
Blackberry: a tart, juicy, purplish-black edible berry that grows on bramble bushes. It's the largest of the wild berries. <NI> .
Blackberry juice: the juice from blackberries. <NI>.
Black-eyed peas: small, pale-colored beans with a black spot. Also known as black-eyed beans or cowpeas. <NI> .
Black pepper: see pepper. .
Blackstrap molasses: see molasses.
Blueberry: a sweet, juicy dark-blue berry of the blueberry plant. <NI> .
Boysenberry: a dark red, almost black fruit, which tastes like a raspberry. It is a cross among a blackberry, a red raspberry and a loganberry. <NI>.
Brazil nut: a large nut with a hard shell and a white kernel. It grows on the large South American tree Bertholletia. Brazil nuts grow packed together in a capsule the size of a coconut. One capsule contains 8 to 24 brazil nuts. <NI> .
Breadfruit: a fruit native to the Pacific islands with a texture like bread. It has a bumpy, green skin, dark yellow flesh and dark brown seeds. <NI> .
Breadfruit seeds: the edible, dark brown seeds of the breadfruit. <NI>.
Breadnut fruit: the large, oval, fleshy, green to green-yellow fruit of the breadnut tree, which can be found throughout the tropics. Its pulp is yellow-whitish when ripe and has a sweet aroma and taste. The breadnut is closely related to the breadfruit.
Breadnut tree seeds: the edible, light brown seeds of the breadnut tree, which are enclosed in the breadnut fruits. One breadnut fruit contains numerous large seeds, ranging from 12 to 150 each. Because the seeds take up 30-50% of the fruit, breadnut tree fruits have little pulp. <NI>.
Brewer's yeast: it can mean: (1) live yeast used in brewing, (2) yeast obtained as a by-product of brewing, which has been killed and dried and is used as nutritional yeast. Brewer's yeast is usually more bitter than nutritional yeast. Sometimes the term Brewer's yeast is used to refer to any nutritional yeast.
Broadbeans: fava beans.
Broccoli: a plant with dense clusters of tightly closed, deep green, edible flower buds that grow from thick edible stalks. There are also white and purple varieties. It's a member of the cabbage family. <NI> .
Broccoli raab: a vegetable with dark green, slightly bitter, pungent, leafy shoots and clustered flower buds that resemble small heads of broccoli. Broccoli raab is however not closely related to broccoli. It is also known as rapini and very popular in Chinese and Italian cuisine. <NI>.
Brown rice: rice that has been milled to remove only the outer husks. <NI> .
Brown rice syrup: see rice syrup.
Brussels sprout: a vegetable that is a member of the cabbage family. Brussels sprouts are small cabbage-like heads that grow along a stalk. They resemble miniature cabbages. <NI> .
Buckwheat: the small, triangular seeds of the buckwheat plant, which has clusters of small pinkish, white flowers. Buckwheat is often regarded as a grain, even though it's not a true grass. The buckwheat seeds have hard outer shells, which are removed, and soft insides. The seeds can be ground up into buckwheat flour. Roasted buckwheat groats are known as kasha. Even though the buckwheat seeds are edible, the green parts of the plant are toxic. <NI> .
Buckwheat flour: buckwheat grains that have been ground up into flour. It is darker than wheat flour and contains no gluten. <NI>.
Bulgur: made from wheat berries that are cooked, have their bran removed, are dried and crushed. Bulgur is the main ingredient of a dish called tabouli, which is usually made by combining bulgur, tomato, lemon juice, parsley and mint. Bulgur is not the same as cracked wheat. <NI> .
Burdock: a root vegetable native to Europe and Asia. It is often considered a nuisance weed. It is mainly cultivated for the brown, edible roots that can extend 2 or 3 feet into the soil. The roots are very crispy and have a sweet flavor. Burdock root has large, green, wavy leaves with flowers sprouting from the stalks that can rise up to 6 feet tall. The flower stalks start growing the second year and are best eaten before the flowers appear. Burdock root is called Gobo in Japan. <NI> .
Butternut: the oily, egg-shaped, nut of the butternut tree, which is a North American walnut tree. Also called white walnut. Butternuts grow in bunches of 2 to 6 in light green, oval husks that are covered with sticky hairs. <NI>.
Butternut squash: a large, pear-shaped, smooth, yellow squash with sweet, orange flesh. <NI> .
Button mushroom: edible mushrooms with white, firm caps and white stems. They are one of the most widely cultivated mushrooms in the world. Also known as white mushrooms or common mushrooms. <NI> .

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C
Cabbage: an edible plant that comes in flat, conical or round shapes with heads that are either compact or loose and leaves that are curly or flat. Colors vary from white to purplish red. There are many different varieties, including common cabbage (also known as drumhead), red cabbage, savoy cabbage, napa cabbage and Chinese cabbage. <NI> and <NI> .
Canola oil: an oil obtained from rapeseeds. It has a mild flavor and is suitable for high heat cooking and as a base for salad dressings. <NI>.
Capers: a spice. The pickled, immature, small, green flower buds of a Mediterranean shrub. Pickling is done by soaking and storing a food in a solution of vinegar and salt. They have a mild, peppery taste. <NI> .
Carambola: a yellow to green, sweet to tangy fruit native to Sri Lanka and popular throughout Southeast Asia. It is also known as starfruit, because of the five-pointed star shape when you cut the fruit across. <NI> .
Carrot: a root vegetable with green, edible foliage and an orange, edible root. There are many varieties of carrots that can be classified into two main groups: Asiatic types and European types. The Asiatic types are larger, darker and sweeter. The European types are smoother and thinner. <NI> .
Carrot juice: a sweet juice made of carrots. <NI>.
Caraway seeds: aromatic, small, crescent-shaped seeds with a nutty, anise flavor that come from the caraway plant, which is an herb in the parsley family. Caraway seeds are used as a spice, usually whole. <NI> .
Cardamom: a spice with a sweet, strong, ginger-like flavor from the ginger family. It are small, round, black seeds that grow inside small, green pods. Cardamom can be found whole or ground. Cardamom is one of the most expensive spices in the world, because each seed pod has to be removed from the plant by hand and then dried. Cardamom is native to India, where it is also known as elaichi. <NI> .
Cashew: a sweet, buttery, kidney-shaped nut that grows on the tropical cashew tree. The cashew grows at the end of the cashew apple, which is a pseudofruit or false fruit that ripens into a yellow or red, edible structure with acidic, juicy pulp. At the end of each cashew apple grows one cashew, which is considered the true fruit of the cashew tree. The thick, green-brown shells of cashews contain a toxic substance called urushiol that can irritate the skin. Before cashews are sold for consumption, their shells have to be carefully removed to make sure that the toxic resin in the shell layer doesn't enter the cashew nut. Almost all removal methods involve steaming the shells open at a high temperature and boiling the cashews in oil. Even cashews marked as 'raw' are usually processed in this way. Cashews are also made into cashew butter. <NI> .
Cashew butter: a very flavorful spread made from cashews. It can be used as a sandwich spread or to make soups, sauces and dips. <NI>.
Cauliflower: a member of the cabbage family that is closely related to broccoli. Cauliflower has densely packed, undeveloped, white flower buds that are edible. The white, edible head of the plant is called the curd. <NI> .
Cayenne pepper: red pepper.
Celery: a green shoot vegetable that grows in bunches of aromatic leaf stalks. Both the stalks and the leaves are edible. <NI> .
Celery seeds: a spice. Tiny, greenish brown seeds from a wild celery plant, which is a member of the parsley family and related to the celery plant. Celery seeds have a strong, celery-like flavor and aroma and can be found whole or ground. <NI> .
Cereal: cereal can have several meanings. 1. cereal crop 2. the edible seeds of a cereal crop 3. a breakfast food prepared from grain.
Cereal crop: grasses cultivated for their edible seeds. Cereal crops include: wheat, rice, maize, millet, sorghum, rye, oats, barley, teff, wild rice and spelt.
Cereal grass: Cereal crop.
Chard: a leafy green vegetable with either a white, yellow or red stem and veins. It is a type of beet that lacks a swollen, fleshy root. The large leaves and stalks are edible. Also known as Swiss chard. <NI> .
Cherry: both a tree and a fruit. There are both sweet and sour types of cherries. It's a red fruit with a hard pit. <NI> .
Chervil: an aromatic herb with small leaves of the parsley family. Chervil has a delicate flavor reminiscent of both parsley and anise. Also known as garden chervil or French parsley. <NI> .
Chestnut: the fruit of the large chestnut tree. Chestnuts are shiny, brownish-red fruits with wrinkly, cream-colored kernels that grow in green, prickly burs. The hard, brown skins are inedible and need to be removed. Chestnuts can be eaten raw, but are usually roasted. There are over 100 varieties of chestnut trees that belong to the family of beech trees, including the European, Chinese, Japanese and American chestnut trees. These are the true chestnut trees that produce edible chestnuts, also called sweet chestnuts. The horse chestnut is a variety that produces inedible chestnuts, also called conkers. They contain the toxic substance aesculin, a poisonous glycoside which breaks down blood proteins. The horse chestnut does not belong to the family of beech trees and is not a true chestnut. Horse chestnuts have a thick skin with short, stumpy spines at intervals around it, while sweet chestnuts are densely covered with longer, fine, sharp spikes. <NI> .
Chickpeas: round, beige beans with a nut-like flavor and a firm texture. It's the main ingredient in the Middle Eastern dishes hummus and falafel. Also known as garbanzo beans. <NI> .
Chile pepper: a spice. The fruit of the plant Capsicum bearing very hot, long peppers. There are different colors of chile peppers, including red, green, yellow and orange. Also known as chili or chilli pepper. .
Chili powder: a spice mix of dried, ground chile peppers, cumin, garlic and oregano. Sometimes other spices are added. Chili powder can be made at home or bought. <NI> .
Cilantro: an herb. The fresh leaves of the coriander plant. .
Cinnamon: a sweet-spicy, aromatic spice that comes from the thick, dark brown bark of a small evergreen tree. <NI> .
Cloves: a small, brown, nail-shaped spice with a strong, pungent and sweet flavor and a pleasant aroma. A clove is the dried, unopened flower bud of the clove tree, which is native to Indonesia. <NI> .
Coconut: a large, hard-shelled, oval nut that grows on the tall coconut palm. It has a brown, fibrous husk lined by thick, edible, white coconut meat. The inside contains a drinkable fluid called coconut water. Coconut milk is not the same as coconut water. Coconut milk is made by simmering grated coconut meat in water and straining it. <NI> .
Coconut oil: an oil pressed from the meat of a coconut. It has a light color and solidifies at room temperature. <NI>.
Collards: a variety of cabbage that doesn't form a head, but grows as large, dark green, oval leaves on long stalks. It is also known as tree-cabbage or non-heading cabbage. Also known as collard greens. <NI> .
Condiment: a substance used to enhance the flavor of food. This can include a relish, sauce or a mixture of spices. Ketchup and prepared mustard are very popular condiments.
Coriander: a plant with thin, rounded, feathered, green leaves and small, pink or whitish flowers that belongs to the parsley family. The leaves of the coriander plant are used as an herb and also known as cilantro or Chinese parsley. The dried seeds of the coriander plant are used as a spice. Usually the word coriander refers to the dried seeds. <NI> .
Corn: a tall annual cereal grass with kernels on large ears. The ears grows close to the stem, covered by several layers of green leaves. One ear is covered with rows of two to four hundred grains. Young corn can be eaten raw. As the plant matures, the cob toughens. Corn comes in different varieties, which are used for different purposes, including sweet corn, flint corn, dent corn, flour corn and popcorn. Corn also comes in different colors and patterns, including yellow, white, red, blue, black, striped, spotted and speckled. Corn is also known as maize. <NI> .
Corn flour: a yellow flour made made of dried and ground corn, which has a finer texture than cornmeal. <NI>.
Cornmeal: yellow, white or blue, dried and ground corn. It is used to make tortillas and cornbread. Also known as Indian meal. <NI>.
Corn oil: oil extracted from the germ of the corn kernel. It has almost no flavor or odor and a high smoke point, which makes corn oil very popular for baking. It is also used as a salad oil and in the production of margarine. <NI>.
Corn pasta: pasta made from corn flour. <NI>.
Corn syrup: a sweet syrup extracted from corn.
Cottonseed oil: oil extracted from the seeds of the cotton plant. <NI>.
Courgette: zucchini.
Couscous: a type of pasta, not a grain, made from semolina. The semolina is moistened with water to form small pellets. These pellets are the couscous grains. Couscous grains can vary in size from really small to almost pea sized. It is prepared by steaming. Couscous is a North African dish and the national dish of Morocco. <NI>.
Cowpeas: black-eyed peas.
Crabapple: a small, red apple with a hard and very sour flesh that grows on wild apple trees with clusters of white, pink or reddish flowers. Varieties with yellow crabapples exist as well. Crabapples are also known as crab apples or wild apples. <NI> .
Cracked wheat: made from crushed wheat berries.
Cranberry: a bright red, tart berry native to North America. <NI> .
Cranberry beans: beans that are beige with red streaks. They have a creamy texture and a nut-like flavor. They are also known as shell beans. <NI> .
Cranberry juice: a very tart tasting juice made of cranberries. <NI>.
Crimini mushrooms: light tan to brown, edible mushrooms with firm caps. They are similar to button mushrooms, but with a darker color and a more dense structure. Also known as brown or Italian mushrooms. <NI> .
Cucumber: a long, cylindrical, cool, crisp, green-skinned fruit with edible seeds that is made up of about 96% water. The length ranges from 3 inches to 2 feet. It is part of the melon family. It grows on the cucumber plant which has large leaves that grow over the fruit. <NI> .
Cumin: a spice. It is the oval-shaped seed from the cumin plant, which is a member of the parsley family. Cumin seeds have a bitter, nutty flavor and strong, warm aroma. It is one of the major ingredients in curry powders. Cumin is the second most popular spice in the world, right behind black pepper. <NI> .
Currant: a tiny berry from the gooseberry family. There are black, red and white varieties. <NI> and <NI> .
Curry powder: a mixture of spices that can vary greatly in composition. Curry powder can be sweet, spicy or savory, depending on the mix of spices used. Most curry powders include coriander, turmeric, cumin, mustard, fenugreek, nutmeg, cardamom, cinnamon, red pepper and cloves. <NI> .
Custard-apple: a soft, sweet, heart-shaped tropical fruit, which turns yellowish-brown when ripe. Also known as bullock's-heart, bull's-heart or pawpaw. <NI> .

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D
Dandelion: a green plant with long leaves and yellow flowers. The flower heads change into white, globular seed heads. Generally considered a weed. Dandelion leaves are edible, but taste very bitter. Their taste is best in early spring, before the flowers appear or in late fall. <NI> .
Date: the brown, oval shaped, intensely sweet fruit of the date palm. Dates have been cultivated for over 5,000 years. <NI> .
Delicata squash: a yellow squash with green stripes and yellow flesh. It tastes like a cross between butternut squash and sweet potatoes. Also known as sweet potato squash. .
Dent corn: a variety of corn with very firm kernels. It is low in sugar and high in starch and mostly used for animal feed or as an ingredient in corn chips, cereals, syrups, alcoholic drinks or soft drinks. Also known as field corn.
Dill: a sweet, aromatic herb with fine, feathery leaves, blue-green fronds and yellow flowers. Also known as dill weed. It is native to southern Europe and western Asia. The seeds of the dill plant are used as a spice. <NI> .
Durian: a large, oval shaped fruit from southeast Asia. It has yellow, creamy flesh, 6 large yellow-brown seeds and an awful odor. <NI> .
Durum wheat: a variety of wheat with hard dark-colored kernels. It is the hardest of all wheats. It is high in gluten and used to make bread and pasta. <NI> .

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E
Edamame: the Japanese name for whole soybeans which are picked while they are still green. They have a sweet taste and are sold in the pod or shelled. .
Eggplant: a large, edible, egg-shaped vegetable with a shiny skin. It is related to the tomato and pepper. It comes in many varieties that vary in color from purple to red and from yellow to white. It has tender, sweet, yellowish white, spongy flesh with small, brownish, edible seeds. It is a member of the nightshade family and originated in India. Eggplant is also known as aubergine. <NI> .
Elderberry: the purple-black fruit of the elder shrub or tree. Native to Europe. <NI> .
Endive: a, bitter-tasting salad green that is related to chicory. It comes in three varieties: Belgian endive, curly endive and escarole. Belgian endive is grown without light to produce white leaves with pale yellow tips. Curly endive has prickly, dark green leaves. Escarole is the least bitter of the three. <NI> .
Enoki: an edible mushroom. The cultivated variety of enoki comes in clumps of long, thin, white stems topped with small, white caps. The wild form has dark brown, shiny caps and shorter stems. Enoki mushrooms have a crunchy texture and a mild, fruity flavor. They can be eaten raw. Also known as enokitake, golden needle mushroom, winter mushroom and velvet foot. <NI> .

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F
Falafel: a Middle Eastern dish that consists of deep-fried balls made out of spiced, ground chickpeas. The chickpeas are not cooked, but soaked and sometimes skinned before they are ground up. Sometimes fava beans are used instead of chickpeas.
Fava beans: a tan colored, flat bean that resembles a large lima bean. It comes in a very large pod. Fava beans have tough skins that can be removed by blanching before cooking. Also known as broad beans, faba beans, horse beans or field beans. <NI> .
Feijoa: a green, oval fruit with a slightly tart taste. Also known as pineapple guava. <NI> .
Fennel: a vegetable with pale green stalks, a pale green and white bulb and black seeds. It has a light, anise like flavor. The leaves, bulb and seeds are all edible. Fennel is used as both a vegetable and herb. It is a part of the parsley family and originated mainly from India and Egypt. <NI> .
Fenugreek: a plant native to western Asia and southern Europe. The young leaves of the fenugreek plant are used as an herb and the very hard seed pods are ground and used as a spice. Fenugreek has a bitter, dominant flavor and aroma and is mostly used in curry powders and stews..
Fig: a sweet, pear-shaped, yellowish or purple fruit which originated in Africa, Asia and southern Europe and grows from about 700 varieties of fig trees. <NI> .
Filbert: hazelnut.
Flaxseed: the seed of the flax plant also known as linseed. When ground up, flaxseeds are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids. <NI> .
Flaxseed oil: a yellowish oil derived from the dried ripe seeds of the flax plant. Like flaxseed, it is a great source of omega-3. <NI>.
Flint corn: a variety of corn with very hard kernels and multicolored ears. Flint corn can be ground into cornmeal, made into hominy or polenta or used for decoration.
Flour: the finely ground grain of a cereal, like wheat, corn, rice, barley, oat or rye. If the cereal is not specified, the word flour refers to wheat flour.
Flour corn: a variety of corn with starchy kernels, which are softer than the kernels of most other varieties. It is mainly used for the production of corn flour.
French bean: a very small, thin, green string bean, which can be eaten with the pod. Also known as haricot vert. <NI> .
Fruit: the part of the plant, tree or bush that contains the seeds. Also known as the mature, ripened ovary of the plant. Fruits include apples, peaches, oranges and grapes. Tomatoes, beans and zucchini are technically also fruits even though they are usually considered as vegetables.
Fruit juice: the liquid naturally contained in fruits. Note: clarifying agents used for some fruit juices can be derived from an animal source (like gelatin, eggs, fish or animal milk).

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G
Garbanzo beans: chickpeas.
Garden cress: a fast-growing, edible plant related to watercress and mustard. It has a peppery, tangy flavor and aroma. It is also known as garden pepper cress, pepper grass or pepperwort. It has either white or reddish flowers. <NI> .
Garlic: a white bulb with a flaky outer layer of skin made up of sections of cloves. The garlic plant has long, narrow, green leaves is closely related to the onion. Garlic is a very important spice with a strong flavor and smell. <NI> .
Ginger: the spicy-sweet, pale yellow, pungent root of the tropical ginger plant, which is a very popular spice. <NI> .
Ginko nut: a small, sweet, green nut obtained from the center of the inedible fruit of the ginko tree. The ginko tree, also known as maidenhair tree, is over 150 million years old and one of the oldest variety of trees on earth. <NI> .
Gooseberry: a large berry with both sweet and tart varieties. Originated in Europe. Gooseberries are a summer fruit with a season which only last a few weeks. <NI> .
Grain: grain has the same meaning as the first two definitions of cereal: 1. cereal crop 2. the edible seeds of a cereal crop.
Grape: a juicy, purple- or green-skinned edible berry that grows in clusters from vines. Comes in both sweet and tart varieties. Grapes are eaten out-of-hand and used to make juices, raisins and wine. <NI> .
Grape juice: a juice made of grapes. Grape juice is very sweet and sometimes used as an ingredient in fruit nectars to enhance their sweetness. <NI>.
Grape leaves: The large, green leaves of the grapevine. They are often used to wrap foods. <NI>.
Grapefruit: a large round citrus fruit that grows in grape-like clusters from the sub-tropical Grapefruit tree. It comes in white and red varieties. <NI> .
Grapefruit juice: the juice extracted from grapefruits. <NI>.
Grapeseed oil: oil extracted from the seeds of grapes. <NI>.
Great northern beans: kidney shaped, white beans with thin skins and a mild flavor. <NI> .
Groats: the hulled and crushed grains of various cereals, like oats, wheat or buckwheat.
Guava: a small, green-yellow or pink-red, sweet, aromatic, tropical fruit that grows from the guava tree. Originated in the warm regions of the Americas. <NI> .

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Hazelnut: a hard-shelled nut with an oval or round kernel and a thin, dark-brown skin that grows on the hazel tree. Also known as filbert or cobnut. <NI> .
Heart of palm: the edible, cream-colored, crunchy core of the stem of about twenty different varieties of palm trees. A palm has one heart, which is the growing tip from which new stems and leaves emerge. When this is chopped out, the tree will usually die. The Peach palm however, does not die when its heart is harvested, and will continue to sprout new stems. <NI>.
Herb: a plant without a woody stems (which means that it's not a tree or shrub) that is grown for flavoring or medicinal purposes. Herbs consist of fresh leaves and stems or crumbled or powdered dried leaves.
Hickory nut: a small, dark brown, aromatic, flavorful, hard-shelled nut, related to the pecan, that grows on the North American hickory tree. Edible hickory nuts grow on the shellbark or shagbark varieties of hickory trees. The hickory nut grows in a green cover that splits off in the fall. <NI> .
High fructose corn syrup: a modified form of corn syrup that has a higher amount of fructose. It is made by treating corn syrup with an enzyme that converts glucose into the sweeter tasting fructose.
Hijiki: a dark, brown seaweed which turns black when dried. It is commonly found on a rocky coastline.
Hominy: dried corn kernels from which the hull and germ have been removed. Ground hominy is called grits. <NI>.
Horseradish: a long, hot, pungent, white root. Fresh horseradish is grated or ground and used as a spice. Prepared horseradish is combined with vinegar, sold in jars and used as a condiment. The red variety of prepared horseradish is colored with beet juice. <NI> .
Hummus: a popular Middle Eastern spread usually made of mashed chickpeas, sesame butter, lemon juice and garlic.
Hyacinth beans: a bean that grows on vines throughout the tropics, especially in Africa. The vines grow beautiful purple flowers and scarlet colored seed pods. All parts of the vines are edible, including the flowers and leaves. The tuber and beans can be poisonous and must be well cooked before they are eaten. <NI> .
Hydrolyzed soy protein: a soy protein that is broken down into amino acids by a chemical process called hydrolysis.

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Irish moss: dark purple edible seaweed that grows attached to rocks along the Atlantic coast of Europe and North America. Like agar, it is used as a gelling agent. Also known as carrageen. <NI>.
Instant oats: oat groats that have been cut into several pieces, precooked, dried and rolled into thinner flakes.

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J
Jackfruit: a very large, bland, sweet, yellowish fruit related to the fig and the breadfruit. It grows from the Jackfruit tree and is the national fruit of Bangladesh. <NI> .
Jalapeño: a small, green, moderately hot chile pepper. .
Jicama: yam bean.
Jujube: a small, dark red fruit with one seed in the center. Flavor resembles that of a prune. Also known as Chinese date or tsao. Originated in China. <NI> .

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K
Kale: a green leafy vegetable closely related to collard greens. It is a member of the cabbage family. It grows in loose bunches and comes in both crinkly and smooth leaved varieties. Both the leaves and stems are edible. <NI> .
Kasha: roasted buckwheat groats.
Kelp: large, dark brown to grayish-black seaweed belonging to the brown algae. It grows in the form of long stalks with leaflike blades. <NI>.
Ketchup: a condiment that consists of a thick, smooth, spicy sauce made from ripe tomatoes. Other ingredients can include onions, vinegar, sugar (or other sweetener) and salt. Many different varieties exist.
Kidney beans: large, flavorful, kidney-shaped beans with a soft texture. There are many varieties, including, dark reddish-brown, brown, black and white. <NI> .
Kiwifruit: a fuzzy, brown, oval-shaped fruit with a tart-sweet green flesh that grows in temperate climates. Also known as Chinese Gooseberry and sometimes referred to as kiwi. <NI> .
Kohlrabi: a vegetable with a pale green, bulbous stem and darker green leaves. Both the bulb and leaves are edible. It is a member of the cabbage family. It is also called cabbage turnip, because it has cabbage-like leaves and a turnip-like bulb. <NI> .
Kumquat: a small, soft, bright orange or yellow fruit, with a thick sweet skin. The orange flesh is usually tart with the exception of the Meiwa kumquat which has sweet flesh. It grows from the kumquat tree, which is native to Asia. <NI> .

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Lambsquarters: a plant that grows in a treelike shape with wide branches. It usually grows to about three feet tall and is generally considered a weed. Its small, edible leaves were very popular in Europe until spinach was introduced from Asia in the 16th century. Lambsquarters and spinach taste very similar, but spinach has bigger leaves and shorter stems. <NI> .
Laver: an edible, dark purple, sweet tasting seaweed. <NI>.
Leek: a vegetable with a long, narrow white bulb and long, dark green leaves. It has a rich, mild, onion flavor. It is a member of the onion and garlic family. Both the bulb and leaves are edible. <NI> .
Legume: a type of dry fruit whose pods split into two halves with the seeds attached to one edge. This is true for members of the bean or pea family.
Lemon: an oval-shaped, yellow, sour citrus fruit that grows from the lemon tree. <NI> .
Lemon juice: the very sour tasting juice of the lemon fruit. It is mostly used as an ingredient in cooking or mixing. <NI>.
Lentils: lens-shaped pulses that grow on an annual, bushlike plant. They have an earthy, nutty flavor and come in many varieties that range in color from red-orange to green, brown or black. They cook quicker than most beans and don't require soaking. They grown two to a pod and are dried after harvesting. <NI> .
Lentil sprouts: lentils that have been sprouted and are eaten as a vegetable. <NI>.
Lettuce: a leafy vegetable that comes in hundreds of varieties that can be loosely categorized into four groups: crisphead, butterhead, leaf and romaine or cos. Crisphead lettuces have a tight, firm head of crisp, light-green leaves. Butterhead lettuces have smaller, softer heads of loosely folded, green or brownish outer leaves and butter colored inner leaves. Leaf lettuces don't form a head and come in colors that range from light green to red. Romaine or cos lettuces form cylindrical heads of tightly folded green outer leaves and greenish white inner leaves. <NI> .
Lima beans: flat, greenish white, kidney-shaped beans. They have a mild flavor and a soft texture. Also known as butter bean. <NI> .
Lime: a small, green citrus fruit that resembles a lemon. It has a stronger sour taste but is less fragrant than the lemon. It grows from the lime tree. <NI> .
Lime juice: the sour tasting juice from limes. <NI>.
Litchi: a fruit with a thin shell and creamy, white, juicy, sweet flesh. It grows from the tropical litchi tree which is native to southern China. Also known as lychee, lichi or litchi nut. <NI> .
Loganberry: a red, juicy berry with a sweet, tart flavor. It was discovered by Californian judge J.H. Logan in the late 1800s. There is still controversy over the origin of the loganberry, which might be a cross between a raspberry and a blackberry. <NI> .
Longans: a small, round fruit with a brown inedible shell, a big black seed and soft, edible, white, juicy flesh. It grows on the longan tree, which is native to southeast Asia. <NI> .
Loquat: a small, fuzzy, pear-shaped, yellowish-orange fruit with juicy, sweetly tart flesh. It is native to both China and Japan. <NI> .
Lotus seeds: the small, nutlike seeds of the lotus plant. The lotus plant is an aquatic plant with a sweet, edible root and stem. The young leaves and flowers are also edible. The seeds grow in round chambers in the large, brown, flat-topped receptacle of the lotus flower. Each chamber contains one, hard-shelled seed. The shells are very bitter, but the insides are sweet and flavorful. <NI> .

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Macadamia: a small, brown nut that grows on the macadamia tree, which is native to Australia. Macadamia nuts have a creamy, white center and are very flavorful. They are also made into macadamia nut oil, a botanical alternative to mink oil. <NI> .
Macaroni: curved, elbow-shaped tubes of pasta. <NI>.
Mace: see nutmeg. <NI> .
Maize: corn.
Malt: a grain (usually barley) that is sprouted, dried and ground into a slightly sweet powder.
Mango: a large, oval- or round-shaped, smooth-skinned, sweet and tart, juicy fruit which grows on the tropical mango tree. The skin is green and turns to yellow and red when it ripens. It is native to India and has a large, hairy seed. <NI> .
Maple syrup: a sweet, brown syrup made from the evaporated sap of the mature sugar maple tree. The sap is boiled down to become very concentrated and then skimmed of impurities. It contains 65% sucrose and is a very popular sweetener in the United States and Canada.
Marjoram: an herb of the mint family with small, soft, oval, green leaves. Marjoram has a mild, sweet, oregano-like flavor. <NI> .
Melon: a family of fruits that have a thick, hard rind, sweet, juicy flesh and lots of seeds. Examples are cantaloupes, casabas and honeydews. It was first cultivated in Africa and Persia. <NI> and <NI> .
Millet: small, round, yellow seeds of a hardy, annual grass that is very low in gluten. There are several varieties of millet, including pearl millet, finger millet and foxtail millet. Millet can be boiled or ground into flour. <NI> .
Miso: a thick paste made from fermented soybeans and sea salt. Other grains (like barley, rice or millet) are sometimes added. Miso is aged from several months to several years. <NI>.
Molasses: a thick, sweet syrup with a slightly bitter taste. It is usually a byproduct of refining sugar cane or beet sugar into table sugar. The quality of molasses depends on the maturity of the sugar cane or sugar beet and the method of extraction. Blackstrap molasses is an unrefined, concentrated molasses, which has been made from the third boiling of the sugar syrup. It is a relatively healthy sweetener.
Moth beans: very small, beige to reddish brown beans with a flavor similar to mung beans. Mainly grown and used in India. Also known as mat bean or Turkish gram. <NI>.
Mulberry: a sweet and bland berry that resembles a blackberry. It comes in white, red and black varieties. It grows on the mulberry tree. <NI> .
Mung beans: small, green beans with yellow insides. There are many varieties of mung beans, including yellow, gold and black. Larger varieties are often used sprouted. Dried mung beans can be ground into flour. Also known as green gram or golden gram. <NI> .
Mushroom: the above-ground, fruiting body of a fungus, usually stalked and with a cap. Some mushrooms are edible, others are poisonous. Some edible varieties are: button, enoki, straw, crimini, shiitake, oyster and portabella.
Mustard greens: the peppery tasting leaves of the mustard plant. The leaves have either a crumpled or flat texture. <NI> .
Mustard seeds: the seeds of the mustard plant. They are sold either whole or as a ground powder. There are about 40 different varieties of mustard plants with three main types that are used to make mustard seeds: black mustard, white mustard and brown mustard. Black mustard seeds have the strongest taste. White mustard seeds, which are yellow in color, are the most mild and are used to make yellow mustard. Brown mustard seeds, which are dark yellow in color, are used to make Dijon mustard. Mixtures made from mustard seeds and other ingredients are referred to as prepared mustard. <NI> .

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N
Navy beans: white, oval-shaped beans. They are similar to Great Northern beans, but are smaller. <NI> .
Nectar: undiluted fruit juice or a mixture of fruit juices.
Nectarine: a bright red and orange fruit that is closely related to the peach. Unlike the fuzzy peach, it has a smooth skin. It has juicy flesh that can be either yellow, red or white. It probably originated in China. <NI> .
Noodles: a type of pasta cut into thin flat strips.
Nut: a dry one-seeded fruit with a hard shell.
Nutmeg: one of two spices derived from the fruits of the tropical nutmeg tree. The other spice is mace. Nutmeg is the hard, oval, brown seed of the tree. Mace is the dried red skin around the shell of the nutmeg. Nutmeg and mace both have a spicy, sweet and slightly bitter taste. Mace is a little bit sweeter and more pungent. Nutmeg is available ground or whole. Whole nutmegs can be grated. <NI> .
Nutritional yeast: a deactivated yeast with a nutty, cheesy flavor, that is usually grown on a mixture of cane and beet molasses. It's a food supplement, available as a yellow powder or flakes, which is used as an ingredient in recipes or as a condiment. It is very popular as an ingredient in cheese substitutes. Nutritional yeast is low in fat and sodium and a good source of protein, fiber and B-complex vitamins. Some brands also contain vitamin B12.

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O
Oat bran: the outer layers of the oat kernel, which are very high in fiber. <NI>.
Oat flour: a fine flour ground from dried oats. It has a nut-like flavor and is often used in combination with wheat flour. <NI>.
Oat groats: oats that have been toasted and had their hard outer husks removed. This is the most common form of oats that is sold in stores.
Oats: the grains of the oat plant. Oats is the fourth most important crop world-wide. <NI> .
Okra: a long, green, slightly fuzzy, edible pod that grows on the okra plant. It has gooey, pulpy, green flesh with edible, round, white seeds. Okra is used to thicken the liquid in which it is cooked. The pods can grow three to five inches in length and taste best when picked while they are tender and immature (2 to 3 inches long). Okra is also known as gumbo and ladies finger. <NI> .
Olive: a small, oily, green or black, oval fruit that grows on the olive tree. Eaten as a fruit or made into olive oil. <NI> .
Olive oil: oil produced from pressing of olives. This is done either manually or by machines. The flavor and color depends on the variety of the olives. Extra-virgin olive oil is regarded to have the highest quality and contains less than 0.8% acidity. Virgin olive oil is unrefined and has an acidity of less than 2%. Regular olive oil is a blend of virgin olive oil and refined virgin olive oil and has an acidity of less than 1%. <NI>.
Onion: a vegetable with a strong flavor and odor. It has an underground bulb and above ground leaves, which are both edible. There are two main types of onions: dry and green onions. Dry onions are mature onions with large underground bulbs that are made up of numerous layers of juicy leaves and are covered by several layers of dry, papery skin. They come in a wide variety of colors, including yellow, white and red. Green onions, also known as spring onions or scallions, are immature onions that are harvested before a large bulb has formed and while the tops are still green. Scallions are harvested younger than green onions and have no bulb, while green onions have a very small bulb. <NI> .
Onion powder: a white powder made from ground, dehydrated onions and used as a spice. <NI>.
Orange: a round, yellow to orange, juicy, citrus fruit of the orange tree. There are three major types of oranges: Sweet, Bitter and Loose-skinned. Oranges are used to make orange juice. <NI> .
Orange juice: a very popular fruit juice made from oranges. It is sold in different forms, including with or without pulp, fortified with calcium and/or vitamins and made from concentrate. Orange juice concentrate is made by taking the water out of the orange juice by vacuum and heat. <NI>.
Oregano: an herb. The leaves of the Mediterranean oregano plant that is the wild form of marjoram. Oregano is sometimes called wild marjoram. Oregano can be used both as fresh or dried leaves and is very popular in Italian cuisine. <NI> .
Oyster mushrooms: a wild, grayish, fan-shaped, edible mushroom with a smooth cap. <NI> .

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Palm Hearts: Heart of palm.
Palm kernel oil: oil extracted from the kernel of the African palm. It has a yellow color and a mild flavor. It is one of the only plant oils that is very high in saturated fat. <NI>.
Palm oil: oil extracted from the pulp of the African palm. It has an orange-red color and a strong flavor. Like palm kernel oil, It is very high in saturated fat. <NI>.
Papaya: a large, golden yellow, pear-shaped, juicy, sweet-tart, semitropical fruit with orange flesh. It originates from southern Mexico and neighboring countries. <NI> .
Papaya nectar: a nectar made from either peeled or unpeeled papayas. <NI>.
Paprika: a mild, powdered spice made from dried, finely ground sweet peppers. <NI> .
Parsley: a curly or flat leafed, bright green herb with aromatic leaves. Parsley is available fresh or dried. <NI> .
Parsnip: a root vegetable related to the carrot. It has an edible, creamy-white root and feathery green leaves. It is native to Europe and was especially popular before the arrival of the potato. <NI> .
Passion fruit: the small, purplish-brown, round, tropical fruit of the passion flower. It has bright orange, very aromatic, tart flesh and small, black, edible seeds. It is native to tropical and subtropical America. It was named in honor of the passion of Christ by early Spanish missionaries who saw the passion flower during Lent and Easter. <NI> .
Passion fruit juice: the flavorful, purple or yellow juice from passion fruits. <NI>.
Pasta: noodles made from a dough of flour and water. Non-vegan versions with eggs exist also. The general way of making pasta includes kneading the dough, folding it, rolling it to the desired thickness and then cutting it. Pasta can be made at home or bought in stores. Both fresh and dry versions exist. There are many different pasta varieties, including macaroni, spaghetti, angel hair, ziti and penne.
Peach: a sweet, juicy fruit with a fuzzy skin that grows on a peach tree. It has yellow or whitish flesh. It is cultivated in temperate regions. <NI> .
Peach nectar: a yellow-orange nectar made from peaches. <NI>.
Peanut: the underground pod of the peanut vine. Peanuts have wrinkled shells that contain 2 or 3 seeds. The brown seeds have very thin skins. Peanuts are also known as groundnuts. They are legumes however, and not nuts. Peanuts can be ground up into peanut butter. <NI> .
Peanut butter: a very popular nut butter made from ground up peanuts. There are smooth and chunky varieties. The chunky variety contains pieces of peanut. <NI>.
Peanut oil: an oil derived from peanuts. It can be heated to a high temperature, which makes it popular for deep-frying. <NI>.
Pear: a sweet fruit with a thin skin that grows on a pear tree. There are over 5,000 varieties of pears. They are native to the temperate regions of western Europe, north Africa and Asia. <NI> .
Pear nectar: a nectar made from pears. <NI>.
Peas: a small, edible, round, green bean that grows in pods on either a low-growing or vine plant. One pod contains several peas. Mature peas dry naturally in the field. Garden peas, also known as green peas or shell peas, are immature peas that are eaten fresh. Snow peas and sugar peas or snap peas are eaten pod and all. Snow peas are eaten before the pods inflate, whereas snap peas are eaten when the seeds have partly matured and the pod is round. Dried peas can be split and eaten as split peas. <NI> .
Pecan: a smooth, dark brown, oval nut with a golden-brown kernel that grows in a husk on the pecan tree, which is a type of hickory tree. The outer husk will split off at maturity to release the thin-shelled, creamy tasting pecan. <NI> .
Pepper: a hot spice. Peppercorns are made from the berries of the plant piper nigrum that grow in grape-like clusters. Green peppercorns are the very unripe green berries. They are usually sold pickled in vinegar or brine, or freeze-dried. Black peppercorns are the fermented, dried, almost ripe, dark red berries. White peppercorns are the dried, ripened and peeled berries. Black and white peppercorns can be used whole, crushed or ground. Black pepper is made by grinding up black peppercorns. White pepper is made by grinding up white peppercorns. White pepper is slightly milder than black pepper. The word pepper usually refers to black pepper, which is the most popular spice in the world. <NI> .
Peppermint: a plant with small purple or white flowers and downy leaves. The leaves contain a pungent oil, which can be extracted and used to flavor food. The leaves are also used whole as an herb. <NI> .
Persimmon: an orange, smooth-skinned, plum-like, tropical fruit that is very tart when unripe and sweet when ripe. There are two major varieties: hachiya (Japanese persimmon) and Fuyu, which is smaller and milder. Also known as date-plum. Unlike other fruits, persimmons cannot get overripe. <NI> .
Pigeon peas: a pea-like legume that grows in pointed pods that grow in clusters. Pigeon peas closely resemble garden peas. Both the pods and seeds are edible. The green pods are harvested before maturity to be used as a vegetable. Mature pods vary in color ranging from green to purple or dark brown. Pigeon pea seeds are usually harvested from mature green pods. Pigeon peas are an important crop of India and also known as red gram or arthar. <NI> .
Pineapple: a large, sweet, yellow-fleshed, juicy, tropical fruit with a thick, prickly peel. It has to be picked when ripe, because it won't ripen off the plant. The fruit was called pineapple because of its resemblance to a pine cone. It is native to Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay. Hummingbirds are the natural pollinators. <NI> .
Pineapple juice: a sweet juice extracted from pineapples. It is both used as a beverage and as an ingredient in recipes. <NI>.
Pine nuts: small, sweet, oblong nuts that are the edible seeds of pine trees. Under each pine cone scale you will find two pine nuts. All pine trees produce edible pine nuts, but only about 20 species produce pine seeds that are large enough to be worth harvesting. Pine nuts are also known as Indian nut, pignolia or pignoli. <NI> .
Pink bean: a smooth, reddish brown, dried bean, that is very popular in the countries of the Caribbean. <NI> .
Pinto bean: a brown bean, with reddish brown streaks and a very smooth texture. When cooked, pinto beans get a uniform beige color. Pinto beans are often used to make refried beans. They originate from Mexico. The name pinto comes from the Spanish word for "painted". Also known as red Mexican beans. <NI> .
Plantain: a tropical fruit that is closely related to the banana. They are green when unripe, yellow when ripe and dark when very ripe. Plantains have more starch than bananas and are less sweet. They have a squash-like flavor and are usually eaten cooked. They are also known as the "cooking banana". They can be eaten raw, if they are allowed to ripen until the skin turns almost black. <NI> .
Plum: a sweet or tart, juicy, smooth-skinned, fruit with a single pit. There are hundreds of varieties with colors that include purple, red and yellow. Dried plums are known as prunes. <NI> .
Pod: the seed-case of a flowering plant.
Polenta: an Italian dish made with cooked yellow or white cornmeal. It can be eaten soft or allowed to cool, which hardens it. Hardened polenta slices can be baked, grilled or broiled.
Pomegranate: an orange-sized, brownish-red, sweet-tart, subtropical fruit with a hard skin. It has juicy, red pulp and contains hundreds of edible seeds. It has been cultivated around the Mediterranean for several millennia. <NI> .
Pomelo: pummelo.
Popcorn: a variety of dried corn with kernels that have a water content of about 14%. When popcorn is heated, the water creates steam which causes the kernels to pop open. Popcorn is a very popular snack food.
Poppy seeds: the small, dried, gray seeds of the poppy plant, which has beautiful, red, white, pink or orange flowers. The seeds have a crunchy texture and a nutty flavor and are used as a spice. They are available whole or ground. <NI> .
Portabella mushroom: it's the largest of all cultivated mushrooms. They are very large, edible, mature crimini mushrooms. They have large, brown, somewhat flat caps. As they mature, their caps become flatter and their surface darkens. <NI> .
Potato: a perennial plant of the nightshade family that is grown for its starchy tuber. It is cultivated in thousands of different varieties, including red, white and russet. Potatoes' skins come in the colors yellow, red, brown, pink and purple. Their flesh is either white or the same color as the skin. Potatoes are the world's most important non-cereal crop. It's best not to eat potatoes raw since they contain toxic compounds which are partly destroyed by cooking at high temperatures. One of those toxic compounds, solanine, is mostly present in potatoes that have sprouted or turned green by light exposure. Potato-source solanine poisoning is extremely rare however. <NI> and <NI> .
Prune: a dried plum. <NI>.
Prune juice: the bitter tasting juice made from prunes. <NI>.
Pummelo: a pale green, sweet, citrus fruit. It is the largest citrus fruit. It is native to southeastern Asia and Malaysia. Also known as pomelo or shaddock. <NI> .
Pumpkin: a large, round, pulpy, orange vegetable that grows on a vine and is a member of the squash family. <NI> .
Pumpkin seeds: the edible seeds of the pumpkin. They are often husked, roasted and sold as "pepitas". <NI> .
Purslane: a plant with a fleshy, reddish green stem, small round leaves and yellow flowers. It has a mild, sweet-sour flavor and a chewy texture. Both the leaves and the stem are edible. Purslane is sometimes considered a weed. <NI> .

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Q
Quick-cooking rolled oats: oat groats that have been cut into several pieces, steamed and rolled into thinner flakes.
Quinoa: a small grain with a high protein content that is a member of the goosefoot family. Commercially sold quinoa usually has the bitter-tasting outer coating removed, which is done by soaking. Quinoa is often prepared by cooking it, during which the curly germ comes out of the seed. <NI> .

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R
Radish: a plant with a sharp-tasting, fleshy, edible root. There are varieties with red, white or black roots. The flavor of the radish can vary from mild to peppery, depending on the age and the variety. <NI> .
Raisin: a sun-dried or artificially dried grape. Raisins are very sweet, because of their high sugar content. <NI> .
Rapeseed: the seed of the rapeseed plant. Also known as rape. The seeds from the canola rapeseed plant, which has bright yellow flowers, is used to produce canola oil.
Rapini: broccoli raab.
Raspberry: a small, soft, tart, sweet aggregate berry. Varieties include golden, black and red. The red type is the most common. There is usually a crop in the summer and one in the autumn. The autumn raspberries are often smaller and juicier. <NI> .
Red pepper: a very hot spice. The red varieties of chile peppers. Red pepper can also be found in ground form or as red pepper flakes. Also known as cayenne or cayenne pepper. .
Red pepper flakes: coarsely ground flakes of dried red chile peppers. .
Refried beans: a recipe that consists of cooked red beans or pinto beans that are mashed, then fried.
Rhubarb: a perennial plant with a long, edible, green or reddish, acidic leafstalk. Its leaves are poisonous and shouldn't be eaten. It is a member of the buckwheat family. <NI> .
Rice: a starchy cereal grass that is cultivated in warm climates. Before rice is marketed, it is milled to remove the outer hulls. The result is brown rice. Rice that is still covered by the outer hull is known as paddy. Rice fields are also called paddy fields or rice paddies. There are many different varieties of rice, including white, basmati, jasmine, short, medium and long grain. <NI> and <NI> .
Rice bran: the outer bran layer of brown rice. <NI>.
Rice flour: a fine, powdery flour made from rice. <NI>.
Rice syrup: a mild, thick, liquid sweetener made by culturing rice with enzymes to break down the starches. It is then strained and cooked to evaporate the water. Brown rice syrup is made with brown rice. It is relatively healthy and can be used as a substitute to sugar, honey, corn syrup or molasses.
Rice noodles: a Chinese noodle made from rice flour. <NI>.
Rice milk: a drink made from rice, usually brown rice. It can be used the same way and is sometimes fortified with the same vitamins and minerals as soymilk.
Rice vinegar: a vinegar made from fermented rice or rice wine. There are white, black and red varieties. White rice vinegar has no color and a milder flavor. Black rice vinegar is made from glutinous rice, millet or sorghum and is very popular in southern China. Red rice vinegar is a bit darker than white rice vinegar and has a slightly stronger flavor.
Rolled oats: made by steaming oat groats and then flattening them. Also called regular rolled oats or old-fashioned oats.
Rosemary: a Mediterranean shrub with fragrant, evergreen, needle-shaped leaves, that belongs to the mint family. The fresh or dried leaves of the rosemary plant are used as an herb. <NI> .
Rutabaga: a yellow turnip. <NI> .
Rye: a cereal grass that is closely related to barley and wheat. It can grow in colder climates and on poorer soil than wheat. Rye can be ground up into rye flour. <NI> .
Rye flour: rye grains that have been ground up into flour. It has a strong flavor and is heavier and darker than most flours. It contains less gluten than whole wheat flour. Rye flour is used to make pumpernickel, a dark brown rye bread with a coarse texture. <NI>.

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Safflower oil: an oil made from safflower seeds. It has little flavor and is popular for use in salad dressings. It can also be used for high temperature cooking. <NI>.
Safflower seeds: the seeds of the safflower plant, which is a thistle-like annual plant with red, yellow or orange flowers and long sharp spines on the leaves. Each flower head contains 15 to 20 seeds. The edible seeds are also made into safflower oil. There are two types of safflower plants, one that produces safflower oil that is high in monounsaturated fatty acids and one that is high in polyunsaturated fatty acids. <NI> .
Saffron: the world's most expensive spice. It is made from the dried, yellow-orange stamens of the purple-flowered saffron crocus (Crocus sativus). Saffron is available as threads and as grains and is used to flavor food and give it a yellow color. Saffron is expensive, because each crocus has only three stigmas, which have to be picked by hand. <NI> .
Sage: a slightly bitter herb with soft, fuzzy, gray-green, oval leaves and purple, pink, white or red flowers. The sage bush is native to the Mediterranean and belongs to the mint family. Sage is available fresh or dried and is used to flavor food. <NI> .
Salt: a mineral with white or light gray crystals obtained from seawater or rock deposits. Unrefined salt (raw sea or rock salt) contains sodium chloride and other important trace minerals. Table salt, which is a refined salt, consists of almost only sodium chloride. Table salt is often enriched with iodide, which can help prevent iodine deficiency. Iodide is not present in unrefined salt. <NI> .
Sauerkraut: German for "sour cabbage". It is made by combining shredded cabbage, salt and sometimes other spices and allowing the mixture to ferment. This converts the sugars in the cabbage into lactic acid. Sauerkraut is thought of as a German invention, but was already eaten in China over 2,000 years ago. Chinese sauerkraut was made by fermenting the cabbage with rice wine. <NI> .
Savory: an herb with flavor that is similar to thyme and sage. Savory is a low-growing plant with white to pale pink flowers. There are both summer and winter types of savory plants, which are both closely related to the mint family. The word savory can also mean that a food has a piquant flavor, rather than a sweet one. <NI> .
Seaweed: a kind of algae that grows in the sea or on rocks below the high water mark. Seaweeds are classified into three groups: green algae, brown algae and red algae.
Seitan: a spongy, firm textured, high protein food made from wheat gluten and spices. Seitan can be made at home or bought ready-made at natural food stores. In Japan it's known as seitan, in China as kofu. It's also known as wheat meat or gluten.
Semolina: coarsely ground durum wheat flour, obtained by sifting out the finer flour. The result are gritty, coarse wheat particles. Semolina can also be made by coarsely grounding other grains. If another grain than durum wheat is used, the name of the grain is usually mentioned, like corn semolina or rice semolina. <NI>.
Sesame butter: a paste made from ground sesame seeds. Also known as tahini. Sesame butter is often used as an ingredient in hummus. <NI>.
Sesame oil: an oil pressed from sesame seeds. It comes in both light and dark varieties. The light variety is made from unroasted seeds and the dark variety is made from toasted seeds. The dark variety has the strongest flavor and is not very suitable for high temperature cooking. It is often used in small amounts for flavoring. <NI>.
Sesame seeds: tiny, oval, flat, black or white seeds that grow on the sesame plant. White sesame seeds have a nutty flavor, while black sesame seeds taste more bitter. Sesame seeds can be eaten raw, roasted or made into sesame oil or sesame butter. Sesame butter is often used as an ingredient in hummus. <NI> .
Shallot: a plant with a mild, onion-like flavor that is closely related to the onion and garlic. It has an edible bulb that consists of several brownish cloves that are attached at both the base and by loose skins, just like garlic cloves. There is also a pink skinned variety that is longer and thinner. <NI> .
Shiitake mushrooms: an edible mushroom that is typically cultivated on the shii tree, which is a relative of the oak tree. They have dark brown to blackish caps and inedible, tough stems. Also called Chinese black mushroom. <NI> .
Sorghum: a cane-like grass that is an important cereal crop in tropical and subtropical regions, including Africa, Central America and South Asia. Sorghum is very drought and heat tolerant. It is the fifth most important cereal crop grown in the world. There are several varieties of sorghum. The sweet sorghum variety is used to produce sorghum syrups. Sorghum can also be ground up to make sorghum flour. <NI> .
Shoyu soy sauce: soy sauce made with wheat as the grain. <NI> .
Soba noodles: thin, Japanese noodles made from buckwheat. Soba is the Japanese word for buckwheat. <NI>.
Somen: very thin, Japanese wheat noodles. Somen can be made from white or whole-wheat flour and are usually served cold. <NI>.
Soybeans: the edible seeds of the soybean plant. Also known as soya beans. They grow in green, edible pods and are a good source of protein. They can be eaten dried or boiled. Whole soybeans picked while they are still green are also referred to as edamame. Mature soybeans come in yellow, brown and black varieties. Soybeans are processed into many different soy products, including

Introduction

Vegan Food Pyramid

Food Dictionary

Nutrient Information

Nutrient Content Tables

Daily Values

DRIs

Resources

Food Dictionary