Potato
Potato Pronounce it: po-tate-oh The world’s favourite root vegetable, the potato comes in innumerable varieties. A member of the nightshade family, like tomatoes and aubergines, it originated in South America and has been grown in…
Glossary
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…
Plum
Plum Pronounce it: pl-um The juiciest fruit in the stone fruit family, plums come in many different varieties, some sweet, some slightly more tart. All plums however have certain characteristics in common, with smooth, richly…
Pear
Pear Pronounce it: pair Like apples, to which they are related, pears come in thousands of varieties, of which only a small fraction are sold in the UK. Their fine, slightly granular flesh is much…
Pineapple
Pineapple Pronounce it: pine-ap-pel With its tuft of spiky, dusty green leaves and cross-hatched, golden orange skin, the pineapple has an unmistakable appearance. A single pineapple is, in fact, a collection of multiple diamond-shaped fruits,…
Freekeh
Freekeh Pronounce it: free-kuh Freekeh is a green grain made from young durum wheat which is roasted or smoked then polished to remove the shells. The grain is then cracked to varying degrees of coarseness. Freekeh is…
Star anise
Star anise Pronounce it: star an-eese Star anise is one of the central spices in Chinese cooking. It has a strong anise flavour, with a liquorice-like aroma. The dominant flavour in Chinese five-spice powder, star…
Garlic
Garlic Pronounce it: gar-lik Part of the lily, or alium, family, of which onions are also a member, garlic is one of the most indispensible ingredients around, and plays a central role in Mediterranean and…
Soya beans
Soya beans Pronounce it: soi-yah beenz Soya beans and soy beans are exactly the same and the names are used interchangeably according to fashion, preference or habit. The many subsequent products, such as soya/soy sauce,…