Bamboo shoots
Bamboo shoots Pronounce it: bam-boo shoo-tz As expected, these are the very young shoots of many types of bamboo. They must be thoroughly cooked before use because most will contain elements poisonous to human beings….
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Broccoli
Broccoli Pronounce it: brok-o-lee Like cabbage and cauliflower, broccoli is a brassica and is sometimes known by its Italian name, calebrese. It has tight clusters of deep green buds and thick, edible stems and was…
Balsamic vinegar
Balsamic vinegar Pronounce it: bal-sam-ick vin-ee-gah True Balsamic vinegar is an artisan product from Modena, in Emilia Romagna, Italy, and is made with grape must (juice) that is simmered to make a concentrate, allowed to…
Bramley apple
Bramley apple Pronounce it: bram-lee app-el A large, flattish cooking apple, green in appearance but sometimes with specks of red. The flesh is white, juicy and acidic and when boiled it turns into a frothy…
Blueberry
Blueberry Pronounce it: bloo-bear-ee Blueberries are one of the few edibles native to North America and credited with being particularly high in antioxidants. They’re now grown very widely internationally but the ever-increasing number of varieties…
Blanch
Blanch Pronounce it: bla-anch The process of plunging ingredients – usually vegetables and fruit – into boiling water briefly, then draining and refreshing them in cold water in order to stop the cooking process. Blanching…
Beansprouts
Beansprouts Pronounce it: been sp-rowts The two most common beansprouts are the green-capped mung bean and the bigger, yellow-capped soy bean. Widely seen as a major, somehow magic, ingredient, beansprouts have little more nutrition than other…
Beetroot
Beetroot Pronounce it: beat-root A favourite in 1970’s British salads (served cooked and pickled in vinegar), beetroot is a root vegetable with dark, purple skin and pink/purple flesh. It has also enjoyed something of a…
Banana
Banana Pronounce it: bah-nah-nah Probably the best known, most popular tropical fruit, their name probably derives from the Arabic for finger, ‘banan’. There are a number of varieties, inluding red bananas (which have a yellow-pink…
Barley
Barley There are two types of barley available- pot barley and pearl barley. Pot barley is the more nutritious of the two but is less readily available and takes longer to cook. It is less…