Eat Your Words. Paul Convery
known in the US as “liberty cabbage”
savoy * a hardy cabbage with a compact head of densely crinkled leaves
schorchanarrow * a rare root vegetable treated and served up in the style of parsnips
scurvygrass * any of a variety of greens eaten by sailors of yore to prevent scorbutus
seakale * a maritime pot herb cultivated for its succulent young shoots
seitan * “wheat meat,” a protein-rich Asian foodstuff made from wheat gluten
semolina * coarse grains of milled durum wheat, used to prepare pudding and pasta
sentynode * knotgrass, recorded in Elizabethan England as a culinary herb
serrano * a Mexican “mountain” chilli pepper, mostly eaten raw despite its pungency
shaddock * the pomelo, a fruit closely related to the pamplemoose or grapefruit
shichimi * Japanese spice mix
shiitake * a species of edible lentinula mushroom, essential to Japanese cuisine
silphion * a yet unidentified table condiment mentioned in classical cookbooks
skirret * water parsnip, a now neglected sweet Tudor root vegetable
smallage * wild celery, formerly used as a food flavouring
smeddum * an old Scots term for any finely ground meal or flour
songrong * an aromatic mushroom highly prized in East Asian gastronomy
sorghum * a cereal grass native to Sub-Saharan Africa, widely cultivated for grain
sorrel * a somewhat sour-tasting dock leaf used to prepare salads and sauces
sourdough * a leaven for making bread, consisting of actively fermenting dough
soybeans * the protein-packed edible seeds of a leguminous East Asian crop plant
sparassis * the “cauliflower mushroom,” a fungus of modest culinary utility
sparrowgrass * a dated vernacular form of asparagus, or edible vegetable spears
spearmint * a leafy herb found in vegetable salads and health food products alike
spelt * an ancient wheat crop recently popularized as a gluten-lite alternative food
spinogre * an archaic variant spelling of spinach, a leaf vegetable and source of iron
spirulina * a nutrient-rich algae variously used as a foodstuff and food additive
squaghetti * an edible marrow, also dubbed vegetable spaghetti or spaghetti squash
squashberry * an American viburnum bearing edible fruits good for making jam
star-apple * a tropical American food fruit with a star-shaped arrangement of seeds
succory * an alternative version of chicory, a salad plant with edible leaves and root
sultana * a type of raisin, or seedless dried grape, cooked in cakes and puddings
sumac * a red shrub fruit commonly used as a sour spice in Mediterranean cookery
sunchoke * the Jerusalem artichoke, especially with reference to its edible rootstock
susumber * the gully bean, a bitter Jamaican berry boiled and cooked with codfish
sweetsop * a West Indies heart-shaped custard apple
sybow * a Scots sybee or shallot, a spring onion with green leaves
synamoun * early English cinnamon, an aromatic spice of powdered tree bark
tabasco * a variety of chilli pepper and basis of the hot table sauce of the same name
tahini * a raw condiment dip or spread made from toasted sesame seeds
tamarillo * an exotic tropical food fruit otherwise known as the tree tomato
tamarind * the pulp of pea tree seed pods, used as a souring agent in Asian cuisine
tangerine * any of various commercial cultivars of the mandarin orange
tapioca * a grainy, starchy primary food product extracted from cassava root
tartufo * the white truffle, a highly expensive epicurean fungus
tatsoi * a native Chinese green, now widely cultivated for both its stems and leaves
teff * a fine cereal grain and staple foodstuff in the cuisine of the Horn of Africa
tempeh * Indonesian fermented soybean cake, used as a substitute for meat
tengusa * a red seaweed plant food used in Japan to make jelly noodle dishes
tepary * a hardy American edible bean harvested since pre-Columbian times
theriac * black treacle or molasses—a byproduct of the sugar-refining process
thevethorn * the original English-language name for the thorn-grape, or gooseberry
thimbleberry * a North American black raspberry, palatable raw or prepared as jam
thoory * the commonest variety of dry date; possibly the first food cultivated by man
tofu * curd made from mashed soybeans; now a standard item in vegetarian cooking
tomatillo * a Mexican “fruit-vegetable” favourite, mostly eaten cooked in salsa verde
topitambo * an indigenous Trinidadian root vegetable and minor food crop
tormarith * an archaic variant spelling of turmeric, a powdered yellow curry spice
tragonia * an archaic name for tarragon, a perennial Old World pot herb
tremella * “snow fungus,” a mushroom family highly esteemed in Chinese cuisine
trick-madame * an astringent herb nowadays only rarely consumed as salad leaf
trigonella * a genus of legumes, with particular culinary reference to blue fenugreek
Trinidad scorpion * a weapons-grade capsicum cultivar; strictly for aficionados of hotter-than-hot chilli sauces, or the foolhardy
triticum * a generic term covering the many species of wheat, a global cereal staple
tsampa * roasted barley flour, a primary foodstuff of many Himalayan communities
tuckahoe * a starchy rootstock and formerly a staple plant food of Native Americans
tummelberry * a large Scottish hybridized raspberry, new to the market
urad * the mungo bean, an Indian pulse commonly used in the preparation of dhal
vadouvan * a masala paste featuring curry spices aromatized with garlic and shallots
vanaspati * a thick Indian vegetable oil used as a substitute for butter and ghee
vergaloo * a variety of white pear noted for its soft flavoursome flesh
verjuice * a condiment for the epicure, being the pressed sour juice of unripe fruit
vincotto * “boiled wine,” a thick kitchen stock obtained by cooking down grape must
wakame * “sesame seaweed,” an edible kelp skilfully exploited in East Asian cuisine
walmore * a dated name for the parsnip, carrot, or similar tuberous vegetable
wampee * the “yellow skin,” a citrusy food fruit cultivated widely throughout Asia
wardon * an ancient English cooking pear formerly renowned for its use in pies
wasabi * Japanese horseradish paste, a pungent accompaniment to sushi dishes
watercress * a peppery herb nowadays typically used as a garnish in sandwiches
waxpod * an edible dwarf