All Ingredients

A kaffir lime leaf look as if two glossy, dark green leaves were joined together end to end, forming a figure-eight pattern. Most Thai recipes count each double leaf as two separate leaves. Frozen kaffir lime leaves are a good substitute for fresh. Dried leaves are much less flavorful, so use twice as many as the recipe calls for if you're substituting them for fresh leaves.

The very sour kalamansi looks like a small round lime and tastes like a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange. It's very popular in the Philippines.

You can find these popular Greek black olives in most large supermarkets. They're salty and have a rich, fruity flavor. These can be eaten out of hand, or used to make tapenades.

Kale is a kind of cabbage with dark green, wrinkled leaves. It's prized more for its hardiness than its flavor or delicacy, but it continues to be popular in the South, where it's often cooked as a side dish. Remove and discard the tough center stalks before cooking. Varieties include curly kale, dinosaur kale = black cabbage = lacinato kale, and the popular Red Russian kale = ragged jack kale.

This tiny aromatic rice is grown in Bangladesh. It cooks fast and is especially good in rice puddings.

This colorful Japanese specialty is made of a fish paste that's been molded into logs or half-logs.

Japanese cooks soak these gourd strips in water, then use them to tie sushi or other food packets. They're also sometimes cooked and used as an ingredient in sushi. Look for them in Japanese markets.

Kamut flour is tolerated by many people with wheat allergies and is a good substitute for wheat when making bread and pasta, especially if it's combined with other flours (e.g., spelt flour).

Kamut® contains gluten, but it's tolerated by many people with gluten allergies.

Though this contains gluten, it's tolerated by many people with gluten allergies. But even people who aren't troubled by allergies often prefer this sweet, buttery grain to wheat.

This has a sweet, nutty flavor and lots of protein. Though it contains gluten, it's tolerated by many people with gluten allergies.

This ancient grain is related to durum wheat, and was reintroduced to the world after an American found some kernels of it in an Egyptian tomb. It's high in protein and has a sweet, buttery flavor. Though it contains gluten, it's tolerated by many people with gluten allergies.

Kangaroo is becoming increasingly popular in Australia. It has a very strong, gamy flavor that's a bit like venison. It's very lean, so avoid overcooking it.

This is the Russian name for buckwheat groats that have been toasted in oil to remove buckwheat's natural bitterness and to bring out a sweeter, nuttier flavor. They come whole or crushed into a coarse, medium, or fine grain.

This is a Bulgarian version of Italy's Caciocavallo cheese. It becomes much firmer as it ages and turns into a good grating cheese. It is usually made with cow’s milk or a combination of cow and sheep’s milk.

Don't confuse this with ordinary Kashkaval, which is a semi-firm cheese. It can be made with cow's milk, sheep's milk or both.

This mild Kashmiri chili is used in Indian cooking to add flavor and color.

This mild Kashmiri chili powder is used in Indian cooking to add flavor and color.

This salty and tangy Greek cheese is made from sheep's milk. It's great on pizza.

German delis sometimes stock these pre-sliced smoked pork chops. They're fully cooked.

This thick, dark sauce is the Indonesian ancester of ketchup. Look for it in Indonesian markets.

This tangy hard Greek cheese is often grated over dishes. This can be made from sheep’s milk, goat’s milk or both.

Kefir is like a thin, drinkable yogurt. It was originally made in Turkey out of camel's milk. It comes plain or flavored.

These large berries taste like a cross between blackberries and raspberries.

Kershaw squash is an heirloom squash. It is mostly grown in the American south. Kershaw squash was cultivated by native Americans.

Ketchup is a common condiment especially in America. It is made with tomatoes, sugar, vinegar and spices.

This concentrated oil is made from male pandanus (screwpine) flowers, and it's used to flavor meats, desserts, and beverages in India and Southeast Asia. Look for tiny bottles of it in Indian and Asian markets. Don't confuse it with kewra water, which isn't nearly as potent

This is an extract that's distilled from pandanus flowers, and used to flavor meats, drinks, and desserts in India and Southeast Asia. Some brands of kewra water are artificially flavored, so check the label.

These are smaller and more acidic than the more common Persian limes.

Freshly squeezed lime juice is vastly superior to what you'll find in bottles. Key limes and bottled key lime juice are widely available in the Southeast, and in specialty markets elsewhere. Liquor stores sometimes carry Rose's lime juice, which is sweetened key lime juice.

Khalas dates originated in Saudi Arabia.

This is a very crunchy, mildly sweet melon.

Khmeli suneli is a traditional Georgian spice mix. It usually contains some combination of coriander, basil, celery seed, parsley, fenugreek, summer savory, mint, bay leaves, dill, cloves and parsley. Khmeli suneli is used to flavor sauces and stews.