Loganberry

Loganberry

Loganberry Pronounce it: low-ghin berree This summer berry is a cross between the red raspberry and the blackberry and was developed, by accident some say, in 1861 in Santa Cruz, California. The berry is a…


Persimmon

Persimmon

Persimmon Pronounce it: pur-simm-un This thin-skinned, golden fruit requires thought and time to enjoy at its best. When ripe and firm the flesh of traditional varieties is very astringent and unpleasant. However, once fully ripened,…


Oats

Oats

Oats Pronounce it: ohtz Oats are processed by rolling (steamed and pressed) or steel-cutting (cut into pieces). There is little difference nutritionally between the two styles, but steel-cut oats do take longer to cook. Although…


Wheat grass

Wheat grass

Wheat grass Pronounce it: weet grahss Wheat grass is the young shoots of wheat, triticum aestivum, and contains much chlorophyll (the green stuff) and other vitamins and minerals. But is it better than anything else?…


Sumac

Sumac

Sumac Pronounce it: soo-mak This wine-coloured ground spice is one of the most useful but least known and most underappreciated. Made from dried berries, it has an appealing lemon-lime tartness that can be widely used. In…


Asafoetida

Asafoetida Pronounce it: Ass-a-feh-te-dah/Ass-a-feh-tee-dah This is a gum from a variety of giant fennel, which naturally has a horrid and offensive smell, rather like rotting garlic, as in foetid. Yet it is considered the most…


Mushroom

Mushroom

Mushroom Pronounce it: mush-room The mushroom is a fungus which comes in a wide range of varieties that belong to two distinct types: cultivated and wild. In myth and folklore mushrooms have always had something…


Linseed (also flaxseed)

Linseed (also flaxseed)

Linseed (also flaxseed) Pronounce it: lin-seed Linseed is the small, reddish-brown or golden-yellow seed of the common flax plant, linum usitatissimum, exactly the same plant as is used to grow the fibre from which true…


Yuzu

Yuzu

Yuzu Pronounce it: yoo-zoo This relatively new citrus in the UK originated in Central China and Tibet but is more commonly associated with Japanese cuisine. Intensely aromatic, its major antecedent among several arcane citruses is…


Gewürztraminer

Gewürztraminer Pronounce it: guh-vurts-trah-mee-ner A seductive charmer Gewürz is the wine student’s favourite – it’s the first grape variety you learn to recognise because of its exotic aroma. Depending on the style it is a…