Vegetables Category

Vegetables

Vegetables is a catch-all category that includes many of the edible parts of a plant, like stems, roots, flowers, tubers, and leaves. Some biological fruits that aren't very sweet, like tomatoes, squash, peppers, eggplants, and beans, are considered by cooks to be vegetables.

kershaw squash
kershaw squash
Kershaw squash is an heirloom squash. It is mostly grown in the American south. Kershaw squash was cultivated by native Americans.
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Kirby cucumber
Kirby cucumber
This short, versatile cucumber is used for both slicing and pickling. It's small, with bumpy yellow or green skin. Like the English cucumber, it has a thin skin and inconspicuous seeds.
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kittely
Kittely is a small round eggplant. It is used in soups and stews.
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kiwano, African horned cucumber, African horned melon, cherie, English tomato
kiwano
This melon has a gorgeous orange rind with spikes--poke a stick in it and you'd have a medieval mace for a Halloween costume. The yellow-green flesh has the consistency of jello, and tastes a bit like cucumbers.
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kohlrabi, cabbage turnip, German turnip, stem cabbage, turnip cabbage
kohlrabi
A kohlrabi resembles a turnip, only it's sweeter and more delicately flavored. It's light green and sometimes sold with its edible greens attached. It can be eaten raw or cooked. Choose small ones, and peel before using.
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kohlrabi greens
kohlrabi greens
These can be cooked just like Swiss chard. Remove the stems first if they're too thick.
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konbu, dasima, haidai, kelp, kombu, oarweed, sea cabbage, sea tangle, tangle
konbu
Like other sea vegetables, konbu is rich in minerals. It's very popular in Japan, where it's used to flavor dashi, a soup stock. Konbu is usually sold dried, in strips or sheets. Choose konbu that's very dark, almost black, and don't wipe off the white residue that often appears on the surface; it's very flavorful.
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kontomire, African spinach
kontomire
This African green is very hard to find fresh in the United States, and the canned version is terrible.
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Kura olives
This Middle Eastern cracked green olive is hard to find in the U.S.
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lamuyo pepper, European sweet pepper, rouge royal
lamuyo pepper
This hard-to-find sweet pepper is smaller and sweeter than its cousin, the bell pepper, with which it's interchangeable.
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laver, aonori, green laver, nori, parae, purple laver, purple seaweed, redware
laver
This protein-rich seaweed is popular in Britain and Japan. To rehydrate, soak it in water for about an hour, then add it to soups and salads. Laver is sometimes called nori, but that name is more commonly used for the dark sheets that the Japanese use to wrap sushi, which are made from the same plant.
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leaf lettuce, bunching lettuce, cutting lettuce, lechuga, looseleaf lettuce
leaf lettuce
With their crispness and mild flavor, these lettuces are great in salads and sandwiches.
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leek
leek
Leeks look like large green onions, and they have a more complex onion flavor. They're often cooked as a vegetable side dish, or used in soups. Be sure to wash them thoroughly before cooking as the leaves are notorious for collecting dirt.
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lemon cucumber
lemon cucumber
This versatile cucumber is sweet and flavorful, and doesn't have much of the chemical that makes other cucumbers bitter and hard to digest. Though it's often served raw, it's also a good pickling cucumber.
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lesser galangal, kencur root, kentjur root, lesser galangale, zedoary
lesser galangal
This Indonesian rhizome looks a bit like ginger, only it's smaller and darker. It's hard to find in the U.S., but your best bet is to look in Asian markets. It's sold fresh, frozen, pickled, dried, or powdered. Used the dried or powdered versions only in a pinch.
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lettuce
lettuce
These are mild salad greens that are always served fresh, either in salads or as garnishes. There are four basic categories: iceberg lettuce, with leaves that grow in a dense "head," leaf lettuce, with loosely gathered leaves, butterhead lettuce, with tender leaves that form a soft head, and romaine lettuce, with closely packed leaves in an elongated head. Select lettuce that has rich color and crisp, fresh-looking leaves.
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Ligurian olive, Taggiasca olive, Liguria olive
Ligurian olives
These small Italian olives are brine-cured.
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lobster mushroom
lobster mushroom
These are actually white mushrooms that have been coated by a red fungus.
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lollo rosso
lollo rosso
This mild, tender lettuce has ruffled red edges.
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long white potato, California long whites, white rose
long white potato
These oblong potatoes have a medium starch content, and are valued for their versatility. They're good to keep in the pantry as an all-purpose potato.
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lotus root, lotus, quangdong, tenno
lotus root
Slices of the lotus root have a beautiful pattern. The fresh version is available sporadically; if not, the canned version is almost as good. Rinse and drain before using. Look for it in Asian markets.
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Lucque olive
Lucque olives
These green olives are brine-cured.
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Lugano olives
These are salty Italian/Swiss brownish-black olives.
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maitake mushroom, hen-of-the-woods mushroom, kumotake mushroom
maitake mushroom
This Japanese mushroom is reputed to have numerous health benefits. It also has a nice, earthy flavor.
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Malabar spinach, alogbati, Basella alba, Ceylon spinach, mong toi, saan choy
Malabar spinach
This is cooked much like spinach, but it's a bit slimy like okra. It occasionally shows up in Asian markets
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malanga, tanier, tannia, tannier, yautia
malanga
Like taro and cassava, malanga is used in tropical countries in much the same way that potatoes are used in more temperate climates.
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manzana chili, manzana chile
manzana chili
This habanero relative is often used in salsas. It has black seeds. These are hot.
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Manzanilla olive, Spanish olive
Manzanilla olives
These green olives are available in most supermarkets. They're often pitted and stuffed with pimento or garlic. They're often put into martinis.
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matsutake mushroom, pine mushroom
matsutake mushroom
These are popular in Japan, but they're hard to find fresh in the United States and dried matsutakes aren't nearly as flavorful. Avoid canned matsutakes, they're even worse than dried.
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Mexican avocado
Mexican avocado
With their small size and shiny black skins, these look like elongated plums. You can eat them, skin and all
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Mexicola avocado, cocktail avocado, Mexicola cocktail avocado
Mexicola avocado
This is a small, black-skinned avocado that's the size and shape of a fig. Since the peel is edible, they can be eaten like a peach. There's a smaller variety, the Mexicola cocktail avocado, that's oblong and virtually seedless. They'd make a great addition to a vegetable platter.
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mirasol pepper
mirasol pepper
Mirasol peppers have a distinctive fruity flavor. These are moderately hot. When dried, these are called Guajillo chiles.
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Mission olive
Mission olives
These are the common black ones that are ubiquitous in supermarkets, pizza parlors, and salad bars. They don't have as much character as European black olives.
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miyoga, Japanese ginger, miyoga ginger, myoga, myoga ginger
miyoga
These are flower buds that emerge from a variety of ginger. They're quite mild. Look for them in Japanese markets.
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mizuna, Japanese greens, Japanese mustard greens, kyona, spider mustard
mizuna
Mizuna has tender leaves and a pleasant, peppery flavor.
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mora chili
mora chili
This is a smoked and dried red jalapeno pepper. It's very hot.
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morels
morels
Morels are highly prized for their rich, earthy flavor, and also because their caps are hollow, which allows them to be stuffed. Dried morels are very flavorful, and they're an excellent substitute for fresh in sauces and stews.
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