All Ingredients

These very thin Japanese wheat noodles are almost always served cold. There are different colors, including cha somen, which is colored with green tea, and tomago somen, which is flavored with egg yolks. Cook them for about 2 or 3 minutes.

Soncoya is a somewhat obscure tropical fruit in the Annona genus. It is similar to the soursop and ilama.

Mexican cooks put various savory toppings on these corn patties. Look for them in Hispanic markets.

This is a fatty Italian pork salami that's seasoned with peppercorns.

This is widely used in India and Africa, especially by poor farmers who can't afford wheat flour. It's somewhat bland but very nutritious and gluten-free. You can sometimes find it in health foods stores, but you can get it for less in an Indian market.

This is made from sorghum cane juice, and Southerners sometimes use it instead of molasses to make things like barbecue sauce, baked beans, and gingerbread. Look for it in health food stores.

This sour herb is quite popular in France. They like to cook it briefly and make a purée out of it, which they ladle over eggs, fish, meat, and other dishes. It can also be served raw in salads.

These matzo meal crackers are used in soups or ground into crumbs.

As a rule, the thinner the soup, the smaller the pasta. For broths and light soups, select from a large assortment of tiny shapes. Larger shapes, like tubetti or ditali, are perfect for minestrone or other hearty soups.

While sweet cherries are best for eating out of hand, knowing cooks turn to sour cherries for pie fillings, sauces, soups, and jams. Popular varieties include the Montmorency, Morello, and Early Richmond. Sour cherries don't transport well, so they're difficult to find fresh. Canned sour cherries, though, are almost as good. If you want, boost their flavor a bit by adding one tablespoon of Kirschwasser per cup.

To make your own: See the Sour Cherry Syrup recipe on RecipeSource.com.

Look for these in Middle Eastern markets.

This resembles Bourbon, but the mash is soured during the fermenting process, giving the whiskey a distinctive flavor. It's produced in Tennessee by George Dickel and Jack Daniels. Whiskey should be served at room temperature.

A San Francisco specialty, this is French bread made with a special starter of yeast and bacteria that imparts a pleasant, sour taste to the bread. It's especially good with seafood.

This large, dark green fruit is covered with soft prickles. The pulp has a slightly acidic, tropical flavor. Don't eat the seeds or peel.

This potent peach-flavored liqueur is made with Bourbon.

This is a good apple for eating out of hand.

Made from soy milk, soy cheese is a boon to those who eschew dairy products. There are many varieties, including those which mimic cheddar, Parmesan, mozzarella, jack, and Swiss. Most brands have a mild, ho-hum flavor and a dry texture. Except for the low-fat varieties, most of them melt fairly well.

To see how to substitute other flours for wheat flours when making yeast breads, see the listing under all-purpose flour.

This is made from soy milk, and it's a very convincing substitute for those who wish to avoid egg-based mayonnaise. Nayonaise is a well-respected brand.

Made from soybeans, soy milk is sweeter and darker than dairy milk, and it has a distinctive beanlike flavor. It comes refrigerated, or in aseptic containers (either full strength or concentrated), or in powdered form, with varying percentages of fat. A fortified version is available that supplies many of the nutrients normally found in cow's milk. Flavored versions are best for drinking, unflavored for cooking. Shake well before using.

This is made with both wheat and protein-rich soy flour.

Soy sauce is made from soybeans that have been fermented and salted. It's used throughout Asian, with different regions producing quite different variations. Japanese soy sauce = shoyu is sweeter and less salty than Chinese soy sauce. Chinese soy sauce comes in light and dark versions. Lite soy sauce has 1/3 less sodium.

This is made from soy milk, and it's a good alternative for those who wish to avoid dairy products.

To see how to substitute other flours for wheat flours when making yeast breads, see the listing under all-purpose flour.

This nutritional powerhouse is extremely versatile--it's used to make salad oil, tofu, soy sauce, meat analogs, soy milk and cheese, and many other ingredients. The actual beans need to be soaked a long time and are somewhat hard to digest, but they're extremely nutritious.

These colorful sheets can be used to wrap sushi. Look for them in Asian markets.

These sturdy, crunchy sprouts are good in salads or stir-fries. They become bitter when the tails get too long, so eat them soon after they sprout.

This peanut butter substitute is made from roasted soynuts. It's got a bit less fat than peanut butter, and much less flavor.

These are roasted soybeans that you eat like peanuts. They're about the shape of corn kernels, and sometimes coated with flavorings. Baked soynuts are lower in fat than fried.

Germans serve these small dumplings as a side dish, often alongside roasted meats. Spaetzle is often topped with butter, bread crumbs, or a sauce, or tossed with cheese and onions. Look for boxes of dried spaetzle in large supermarkets or gourmet shops.

The most popular pasta variety, spaghetti (Italian for "little strings") works best with light tomato or cream sauces. Don't use it in pasta salads.

See the RecipeSource.com posting Homemade Spaghetti Seasoning Mix

After it's cooked, you can dig a fork into the flesh of a spaghetti squash and pull out long yellow strands that resemble spaghetti. Though they taste like squash, the "noodles" can serve as a low-calorie substitute for pasta.

This is thin type of spaghetti.

This sweet and heavy brandy is based on sherry.

These are delicious melons, but it's hard to know when they're fully ripe. Unlike most other melons, a ripe Spanish melon will have a green rind and be firm at the blossom end.

These are similar to yellow onions, only larger and a bit sweeter.

This is a medium-grain rice that's perfectly suited to making paella. Varieties include include Granza rice, and the highly regarded (but difficult to find) Valencia rice.

When first opened, sparkling wine becomes effervescent as bubbles of carbon dioxide gas escape from the liquid. It was first produced by Dom Pérignon in the 17th century, who cried out after sampling it, "Come quickly. I am drinking stars!" Champagne is perhaps the finest example of sparkling wine, and is named for the region in France where it's produced. The brand Dom Pérignon is considered to be the finest champagne. Sparkling wine and champagne are rated by their relative sweetness. The driest is brut, followed by extra dry, sec, and the sweetest of all, demi-sec. Sparkling wines are used to toast special occasions like weddings and the New Year, but they're also served before meals. They're especially nice with caviar.

This is a cross between the McIntosh and Pippin apples. It's a good all-purpose apple.