Achira - South American plant used as arrowroot.

Allspice - a member of the pimento family and native to tropical regions in the western hemisphere; has leathery leaves, white flowers and small, brown berries, has a flavor reminiscent of a mixture of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, ginger and pepper; also known as Jamaican pepper.

Arugula - a leaf vegetable with dark green, spiky, dandelion-like leaves and a strong, spicy, peppery flavor; used in salads; also known as rocket, rugula, and rucola.

Artichoke - the large flowerhead of a plant of the thistle family; has tough gray-green petal-shaped leaves with soft flesh (which is eaten) underneath, a furry choke (that is discarded) and a tender center (called the heart which is also eaten); also known as globe artichoke.

Asparagus - a member of the lily family with an erect stalk and small, scale-like leaves along the stalk, capped by a ruffle of small leaves; a young stalk is tender with a slightly pungent, bitter flavor, an apple green color and a purple-tinged tip; becomes tougher as it ages.

Bamboo Shoot - the crunch tip of a young bamboo tree. It is served in Oriental dishes.

Beet - a large bulbous edible root with an edible leafy green top; its color is typically garnet red but can range from pinkish-white to deep red; also know as the garden beet, red beet and beetroot (especially in Great Britain).

 Bell Pepper - a large fresh sweet pepper with a bell-like shape, thick juicy flesh, a mild sweet flavor and available in various colors, including green ( the most common), red ( a green bell pepper that has been allowed to ripen), white, brown, purple, yellow and orange; also known as a sweet pepper, sweet bell pepper and green pepper.

Bibb Lettuce - a variety of butterhead lettuce with soft, pliable green leaves that have a buttery texture and flavor and are smaller and darker than Boston lettuce leaves; also known as limestone lettuce.

Black Bean - a relatively large, dried bean with black skin, cream-colored flesh and a sweet flavor; also called a turtle bean.

Boston lettuce - a variety of butterhead lettuce with soft, pliable pale green leaves that have a buttery texture and flavor and are larger and paler than bibb lettuce leaves.

Bok Choy - a member of the cabbage family native to southern China; has long wide, white crunchy stalks with tender, smooth-edged, dark green leaves; used raw, pickled or cooked; also know as baak choy, Chinese mustard, pak choi and white mustard cabbage.

Broccoflower - a light green cauliflower that is a cross between broccoli and cauliflower, with a milder flavor than either vegetable.

Broccoli - Italian for cabbage sprout and used to describe a member of the cabbage family with a tight cluster (called a curd) of emerald green florets on top of a stout, paler green edible stalk with dark green leaves.

Cabbage, green - the common market cabbage (Brassica olercaea) with a large, firm spherical head of tightly packed pale green waxy leaves; flat and conical heads are also available; also known as the common cabbage. Other varieties include white and red.

Cannellini - large, elongated kidney-shaped beans grown in Italy; have a creamy white color and are used in soups and salads; also known as white kidney beans.

Capers - the unopened flower buds of a shrub (Capparis spinosa) native to the Mediterranean region; after curing in salted white vinegar, the buds develop a sharp salty-sour flavor and are used as a flavoring and condiment.

Carrageen / Carraghen Moss - an edible seaweed; Irish moss.

Carrot - a member of the parsley family (Daucus carota); has lacy green foliage, an edible orange taproot with a milk sweet flavor and crisp texture, a tapering shape and comes in a variety of sizes.

Cauliflower - a member of the cabbage family (Brassica oleracea); has a head (called a curd) of tightly packed white florets (a purple variety is also available) partially covered with large waxy, pale green leaves on a white-green stalk; some varieties have a purple or greenish tinge.

Celery - developed in 16th-century Italy, this vegetable (Apium graveolens) grows in bunches of long stringy curved stalks or ribs surrounding a tender heart; can be eaten raw, cooked or used as a flavoring. There are two principal celery varieties; Pascal (which is pale green) and golden (which is creamy white).

Cèpe - a delicious mushroom.

Cherry Tomato - a small spherical tomato with a bright red or yellow skin; the yellow-skinned variety has a less acidic and blander flavor than the red-skinned variety.

Chestnut - the nut of the sweet chestnut tree (Castanea sativa); edible when cooked, it has a dark brown outer shell, a bitter inner skin, a high starch content and is used in savory and sweet dishes.

Chickpea - a somewhat spherical, irregular-shaped pea-like seed of a plant (Licer arieinum) native to the Mediterranean region; has a buff color, firm texture and nutty flavor; used in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines in soups, stews and salads, it is also roasted and eaten as a snack; also know as ceci and garbanzo bean.

Chili; Chili (Chile) Pepper; Hot Pepper - the fruit of various plants of the capsicum family; a chile can have a mild to fiery hot flavor (caused by the capsaicin in the pepper's placental ribs) with undertones of various fruits or spices. A fresh chile is usually yellow, orange, green or red, and its shape can range from thin, elongated and tapering to conical to nearly spherical; a dried chile, which is sometimes referred to by a different name than its fresh version, is usually more strongly flavored and darker colored.

Chipotle - a dried, smoked jalapeño; this medium-sized chile has a dull tan to dark brown color with a wrinkled skin and a smoky, slightly sweet, relatively milk flavor with undertones of tobacco and chocolate.

Chippolata - common name for a tiny sausage, this originally described a garnish of chestnuts, glazed vegetables, and small sausages.

Collard Greens - a leafy, dark green vegetable with paddle-like leaves that grow on tall tough stalks; the leaves have a flavor reminiscent of cabbage and kale.

Corn - a tall, annual plant native to the western hemisphere producing white, yellow, blue or multicolored grains arranged on a cob; consumed as a vegetable when young and available fresh, canned or frozen, or dried and ground into cornmeal; also known as maize.

Cucumber - the edible fleshy fruit of several varieties of a creeping plant (Cucumis sativus); most have a dark green skin and creamy white to pale green flesh; generally divided into two categories: pickling and slicing.

Daikon - a Japanese radish.

Endive - a plant (Cichorium endivia) with curly dark green leaves and a slightly bitter flavor; also know as curly endive and imprecisely known as chicory (especially in France and United States).

Florets - the small, closely-clustered "flowering" part of a food, such as broccoli or cauliflower.

Frijoles - Mexican beans.

Garbanzo bean - see chickpea.

Gherkin - small cucumber species 1 1/2 inches long, for pickling.

Ginger, Ginger root - the gnarled, bumpy rhizome (called a hand) of a tall flowering tropical plant (Zingerber officinale) native to China; has a tan skin, ivory to greenish-yellow flesh, a peppery, fiery, slightly sweet flavor with notes of lemon and rosemary and a spicy, pungent aroma; used to flavor beverages and in sweet and savory dishes in Asian and Indian cuisines; available fresh, powdered, preserved in sugar, crystallized, candied or pickled.

Gourd - a squash-like vegetable, usually dried and used as a fall decoration.

Great Northern Bean - a large, flat, kidney-shaped white bean; has a delicate flavor and is generally available dried.

Green Bean - a long, slender green pod that contains several small seeds; the entire crisp pod is edible; also known as a string bean (because of the fibrous string that runs down the side; modern varieties do not have this fiber), fresh bean and snap bean.

Green Onion - See Scallion.

Hip - bright reddish orange fruit of roses, particularly species roses, as Rosa rugosa. It contains vitamin C and is used to make a tea, and for jams and syrups.

Hominy - hulled corn with the germ removed. Hominy grits are uniform granules that are boiled and served as a breakfast cereal or as an accompaniment to a main dish or fish, meat or poultry.

Jalapeño - a short, tapering chile with thick flesh, a moderately hot, green vegetable flavor and a dark green color (a red version is also available; it is a green chili that has been allowed to ripen); available fresh or canned;named for the Mexican city of Jalapa.

Kernel - 1. The softer, usually edible part, contained within the shell of a nut or a stone of a fruit; also known as the meat. 2. The body of a seed within its husk or other outer covering. 3. A whole seed grain (ex. wheat and corn).

Kidney Bean - a medium-sized, kidney-shaped bean with a dark red skin, cream-colored firm flesh and a bland flavor; available fresh, dried and canned; also know as red kidney bean.

Legumes - a large group of plants that have double-seamed pods, containing a single row of seeds; depending on the variety, the seeds, pod and seeds together, or the dried seeds, are eaten.

Lettuce - any of a variety of plants of the genus Lactuca, probably native to the Mediterranean and now grown worldwide; their leaves are generally consumed fresh in salads or used as a garnish. There are three principal types of lettuces: butterhead, crisp head and leaf.

Lotus Root - a water lily whose root is used as a vegetable. It is crisp when fresh. Sold dried, cut into rounds in Oriental markets.

Lotus Seeds - small and nutlike, these can be eaten raw or cooked into a stuffing.

Mushroom - any of many species of cultivated or wild fleshy fungus, usually consisting of a stem, a cap (which may have gills) and mycelium; available fresh or dried and eaten raw, reconstituted or cooked

Mustard - any of several species of a plant that is a member of the cabbage family; the seeds are used for a spice and the leaves are eaten as vegetables.

Nasturtium - an edible flower. The young leaves and blooms are used in salads and sandwiches, and as garnishes for cold summer soups; the buds may be picked and pickled and used as substitute for capers

Navy Bean - a variety of kidney bean; small and ovoid with a white skin and flesh; a staple of the U.S. Navy since the 1880s, it is also known as the beautiful bean, Boston bean, and Yankee bean.

Peas - the edible seeds contained within the pods of various vines; the seeds are generally shelled and the pod discarded; although available fresh, peas are usually marketed canned or frozen.

Pepper - the fruit of various members of the Capsicum genus; native to the Western hemisphere, a pepper has a hollow body with placental ribs (internal white veins) to which tiny seeds are attached (seeds are also attached to the stem end of the interior); a pepper can be white, yellow, green, brown, purple or red with a flavor ranging from delicately sweet to fiery hot; the genus includes sweet peppers and hot peppers.

Pimiento - a large, heart-shaped pepper with red skin and a sweet flavor; used in paprika and to stuff olives.

Pinto Bean - a medium-sized pale pink bean with reddish-brown streaks; available dried; also known as a crabeye bean and a red Mexican bean.

Peanut - a legume and not a nut (Arachis hypogea), it is the plant's nut-like seed that grows underground; the hard nut has a papery brown skin and is encased in a thin, netted tan pod and is used for snacking and for making peanut butter and oil; also known as a groundnut; earthnut, goober (from the African work nguba) and goober pea.

Potato - the starchy tuber of a succulent, nonwoody annual plant (Solanum turberosum) native to the Andes Mountains; cooked like a vegetable, made into flour, processed for chips and used for distillation mash.

Radish - a member of the mustard family grown for its root (Raphanus sativus); generally, the crisp white flesh has a mild to peppery flavor and is usually eaten raw.

Rhubarb - A member of the buckwheat family, its thick, celery like stalks of can reach up to 2 feet long, which are the only edible portion of the plant — the leaves contain oxalic acid and can therefore be toxic. Though rhubarb is generally eaten as a fruit, it's botanically a vegetable. There are many varieties of this plant, most of which fall into two basic types, hothouse and field grown. Hot-house rhubarb is distinguished by its pink to pale red stalks and yellow-green leaves, whereas field or garden-grown plants (which are more pronounced in flavor) have cherry red stalks and green leaves. Because of its intense tartness, rhubarb is usually combined with a considerable amount of sugar. It makes delicious sauces, jams and desserts and in some regions is also known as pieplant because of its popularity for that purpose. In America, a traditional flavor combination is rhubarb and strawberries; in Britain, rhubarb and ginger. Rhubarb contains a fair amount of vitamin A.

Rutabaga - also called Swede, this is a yellow winter turnip, more strongly flavored than the white and purple turnips of spring. It is excellent with turkey and duck, and in soups and stews.

Scallion; Scallions - The name "scallion" is applied to several members of the onion family including a distinct variety called scallion, immature onions (commonly called green onions or spring onions), young leeks and sometimes the tops of young shallots. In each case the vegetable has a white base that has not fully developed into a bulb and green leaves that are long and straight. Both parts are edible. True scallions are generally identified by the fact that the sides of the base are straight, whereas the others are usually slightly curved, showing the beginnings of a bulb. All can be used interchangeably although true scallions have a milder flavor than immature onions. Scallions are available year-round but are at their peak during spring and summer. Choose those with crisp, bright green tops and a firm white base. Midsized scallions with long white stems are the best. Store, wrapped in a plastic bag, in the vegetable crisper section of the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Scallions can be cooked whole as a vegetable much as you would a leek. They can also be chopped and used in salads, soups and a multitude of other dishes for flavor.

Snow Peas - the immature sugar pea, which has a tender, edible pod in its early stages. Also called Chinese peas, or pod peas.

Spring Onions - see scallion.

Sprouts - the young growth of any seed. Certain sprouts make tasty and nutritious salads, for instance, bean sprouts or alfalfa sprouts.

Sugar Snap Pea - a sweet pea that is a hybrid of the English pea and snow pea; the bright green, crisp pod and the paler green, tender seeds are both edible.

Tabasco pepper; Tabasco Sauce - A very hot, small red pepper originally from the Mexican state of Tabasco. The word itself means "damp earth." Though these peppers are now grown in parts of Louisiana, they're not widely commercially available. Instead, they're used specifically to make Tabasco Sauce, a trademarked name held by the McIlhenny family since the mid-1800s. Produced since Civil War times, this fiery sauce is made from tabasco peppers, vinegar and salt. The peppers are fermented in barrels for 3 years before being processed into the sauce.

Tonka Bean - the fruit of a South American tree with a single seed that is dried and used to make bitters or as a substitute for vanilla. Also used in potpourris and sachets.

Watercress - a green leafy little plant that grows only in running water, and has peppery leaves prized by epicures for salads and garnishes.

Wax Bean - a yellow version of the green bean; has a slightly waxier pod.

Zucchini - a moderately long cylindrical summer squash with smooth, dark green skin with a slightly bumpy surface, creamy white-green flesh and milk flavor; also known as a courgette (especially in Europe).