Pepper
Pepper Pronounce it: pep-iz Also known as capsicums, bell peppers, sweet peppers or by their colours, for example red and yellow peppers. These are a non-hot member of a large family that varies enormously in size,…
Glossary
Courgette
Courgette Pronounce it: corr-zjet The courgette is a variety of cucurtbit, which means it’s from the same family as cucumber, squash and melon. It is the most popular vegetable of the squash family, being extremely…
Buckwheat
Buckwheat Pronounce it: buhk-weet Buckwheat actually comes from the seeds of a plant distantly related to rhubarb and is neither related to wheat, nor, technically, a grain. It is usually found in ground form, but can also be bought…
Radicchio
Radicchio Pronounce it: rah-dee-chee-o An Italian relative of chicory, radicchio is a forced crop and has distinctive red and white leaves. The exact nature of its colouring depends upon how much light it has been…
Brandy
Brandy Pronounce it: bran-dee Brandy is a distilled spirit made from virtually any fermented fruit or starchy vegetable. Distilling concentrates and helps purify the ethanol alcohol created by the fermentation; ethanol is an intoxicant used…
Agar-Agar
Agar-Agar Pronounce it: ay-gar ay-gar (ay as in hay) This jelly-like food was discovered in the mid-17th century in Japan and is made from varieties of red algae, small salt-sea organisms indirectly related to larger…
Purple sprouting broccoli
Purple sprouting broccoli Pronounce it: pur-pel spr-ow-ting brok-o-lee This untidy-looking, colourful cousin of broccoli can be used in much the same way. Leafier and deeper in colour than calabrese, it adds vibrancy and crunch to…
Maple syrup
Maple syrup Pronounce it: may-pul sir-rup The rising spring sap of a number of varieties of maple tree native to northeast America, mainly in Canada but also in such US states as Vermont. The syrup…
Pumpkin
Pumpkin Pronounce it: pump-kin Pumpkins are the most famous of all the winter squashes, and are most associated with Halloween lanterns. Inside the hard orange or yellow skin, the bright orange flesh is sweet and…
Courgette flower
Courgette flower Pronounce it: korr-shgett fl-ow-er The edible flower of the courgette, or zucchini bush. There are two sorts of flower: the flower with the immature vegetable attached is the female and the more eyecatching…