Honoring Vegetables
Vegetables. The parts of plants consumed as food. The term “vegetable” can refer to the flowers, fruits, stems, leaves, roots, or seeds. The fruit tomato is eaten as a vegetable as is the flower broccoli. Vegetables can be eaten raw or cooked and are high in vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber. Vegetables are really great. The founding of the word vegetable is just slightly older than the United States as the word “vegetable” was first used specifically in 1767 to mean a “plant cultivated for food, an edible herb or root.” The term “veggie” was first used in 1955. To honor our vegetables, we have posted a list below.
This is a list of plants that have a culinary role as vegetables. “Vegetable” can be used in several senses, including culinary, botanical and legal. This list includes botanical fruits such as pumpkins, and does not include herbs, spices, cereals and most culinary fruits and culinary nuts. Edible fungi are not included in this list. Legal vegetables are defined for regulatory, tax and other purposes. An example would include the tomato, which is a botanical berry, but a culinary vegetable according to the United States.
Leafy and salad vegetables
Amaranth, Arrowhead elephant ear, Asiatic pennywort, Arugula, Atibulnak, Beet (greens), Binung, Bok choy (白菜), Borage greens, Broccoli (leaves / stalks), Brooklime, Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, Caraway leaves, Catsear, Celery, Celtuce, Chaya, Chili pepper leaves, Chickweed, Chicory, Chinese mallow, Collard greens, Common purslane, Corn salad, Cress, Cucumis prophetarum, Garland, Chrysanthemum, Ground elder, Dandelion, Dill, Endive, Fat hen, Fiddlehead, Fluted pumpkin, Gnetum / Melinjo, Golden samphire, Good King Henry, Grape (leaves), Greater plantain, Jute mallow / Melokhia, Kai-lan (芥蘭 Gai lan), Kale, Kalette, Kerguelen cabbage, Komatsuna, Kuka, Lagos bologi, Lamb’s lettuce, Lamb’s quarters, Land cress, Leaf celery, Lettuce, Lizard’s tail, Malabar spinach, Mallow, Moringa leaves, Miner’s lettuce (Winter purslane), Mizuna greens, Mustard, Napa cabbage, New Zealand Spinach, Orache, Pak choy (白菜 Bok choy), Papaya leaves, Paracress, Pea (sprouts / leaves), Pitogo, Poke, Purple bauhinia / Butterfly tree, Radicchio, Rapini (broccoli rabe), Red spinach, Samphire, Royal fern, Sculpit / Stridolo, Sea beet, Sea kale, Shepherd’s purse, Sierra Leone bologi, Soko, Sorrel, Sour cabbage, Spinach, Spiny amaranth, Summer purslane, Sunset muskmallow, Sweet potato leaves, Swiss chard, Tahitian spinach, Taro leaves, Tatsoi, Turnip greens, Vegetable fern, Vegetable hummingbird, Viagra palm, Watercress, Water spinach, Wheatgrass, Yarrow, and Yao choy (油菜 Yu choy).
Fruits as Vegetables
Antipolo, Armenian cucumber, Breadfruit, Breadnut / Seeded breadfruit, Bitter melon / Bitter gourd, Caigua / Achocha, Calabash / Bottle gourd, Chayote, Cooking banana / Plantain / Green banana, Durian (unripe), Gac, Galo, Cucamelon / Mouse melon, Cucumber, Cucumis prophetarum, Eggplant / Aubergine / Brinjal, Ivy gourd, Jackfruit (unripe), Kiwano / Horned melon, Kapas-kapas, Luffa, Marianas breadfruit, Olive fruit, Papaya (unripe), Pumpkin, Pointed gourd, Ridged gourd, Snake gourd, Spine gourd / Kantola, Squash, Tinda, Tipuho, Tomatillo, Tomato, Vanilla, West Indian gherkin, Water melon, Winter melon, and Zucchini / Courgette / Marrow
Peppers
Bell pepper, Big Jim pepper, Cayenne pepper, Friggitello, Habanero, Hungarian wax pepper, Jalapeño, New Mexico chile
Edible Flowers
Artichoke, Banana flower, Blue pea / Asian pigeonwings, Broccoli, Broccolini flowers, Calabaza flower, Caper, Cauliflower, Kapas-kapas, Himbabao, Pumpkin flower, Purple bauhinia / Butterfly tree, Daylily, Jade vine / Tayabak, Loroco, Moringa, Vegetable hummingbird, Waterblommetjie, Courgette flowers, and Squash blossoms
Podded vegetables
American groundnut, Asparagus bean, Azuki bean, Black-eyed pea, Blue pea / Asian pigeonwings, Chickpea, Common bean, Drumstick, Dolichos bean, Fava bean, Garbanzo, Green bean (French bean), Guar, Horse gram, Hyacinth bean, Indian pea, Lentil, Lima bean, Moth bean, Mung bean, Okra, Pea, Peanut, Pigeon pea, Ricebean, Runner bean, Snap pea (sugarsnap, mangetout), Snow pea (mangetout), Soybean, Tarwi (Tarhui / Chocho), Tepary bean, Urad bean, Velvet bean, and Winged bean
Bulb and Stem Vegetables
Asparagus, Banana pith, Cardoon, Celeriac, Celery, Chives, Elephant garlic, Florence fennel, Garlic, Garlic chives, Heart of palm, Kohlrabi, Kurrat, Landang, Lemongrass, Leek, Lotus root, Nopal, Onion, Pearl onion, Potato onion, Prussian asparagus, Sago, Spring onion / Scallion, Sea beans / samphire greens, Shallot, Tree onion, Welsh onion, Wild leek, and Manchurian wild rice
Root and tuberous vegetables
Ahipa, Arracacha, Arrowleaf elephant ear, Bamboo shoot, Beetroot, Burdock, Broadleaf arrowhead, Camas, Canna, Carrot, Cassumunar ginger, Cassava, Chinese artichoke, Chinese ginger, Daikon, Earthnut pea, Elephant foot yam, Ensete, Giant swamp taro, Giant taro, Ginger, Hamburg parsley, Horseradish, Jerusalem artichoke, Jícama, Kencur, Lengkuas (Greater galangal), Lesser galangal, Mashua, Palmyra sprout, Parsnip, Pignut, Polynesian arrowroot / East Indian arrowroot, Potato, Prairie turnip, Radish, Rutabaga (swede), Salsify, Scorzonera, Skirret, Swede, Sweet potato (Kumara), Taro, Ti, Tigernut, Turmeric, Turnip, Ube (Purple yam), Ulluco, Wasabi, Water caltrop, Water chestnut, Yacón, Yam, and Yautia horqueta.
Sea Vegetables
Aonori, Arame, Carola, Dabberlocks (Badderlocks), Dulse (Dillisk), Eelgrass, Gusô, Hijiki, Kombu, Laver / Gim, Mozuku, Nori, Ogonori, Sea grape, Sea lettuce, Wakame