Eat Your Words. Paul Convery
* a small muskmelon, informally classified as a “fruit-vegetable”
capers * pickled flower buds or young shrub berries used as a flavouring or garnish
capsicum * a genus of chillies including especially the milder sweet bell peppers
carambola * a juicy tropical fruit enjoyed fresh or cooked; also known as the starfruit
caraway * Persian cumin, an everyday culinary seed-spice
cardamony * an older variant spelling of cardamom, an expensive yet popular spice
cardoon * a thistly plant whose roots, stalk, stems and buds alike are entirely edible
carob * the “locust bean,” trumpeted as a healthy substitute for cocoa in chocolate
cascabel * a moderately pungent chilli pepper cultivated across its native Mexico
cassabanana * a sweet, fragrant melon fruit containing nary a hint of banana
cassareep * a West Indies condiment made from the bitter root of the manioc tuber
cassonade * unrefined, or brown, sugar
cedrate * a variety of citron fruit much used in jams
celender * Old English coriander, the oldest of all the culinary herbs
celeriac * celery knob; an aromatic root eaten either raw or cooked
celtuce * stem lettuce; a celery-like cultivar of lettuce with edible stalks and leaves
chanterelle * a class of wild, woodland mushrooms, widely consumed
charlock * a wild mustard green and common cornfield weed, it was a widespread food source of last resort during the years of Ireland’s “great hunger”
checkerberry * an edible American fruit sometimes called the teaberry or boxberry
cherimoya * a conical, white-fleshed food fruit known to some as a “custard apple”
chervil * French parsley seasoning; etymologically, it means “the happy herb”
chibol * a dialectal term for the sybee, or spring onion
chilgoza * an edible Himalayan pine nut, and rich local source of carbohydrates and proteins
chiltepin * a Texan chilli pepper packing significantly more intense heat than its state neighbour the jalapeño
chinkapin * the “dwarf chestnut,” an edible nut gleaned or foraged gourmet-style
chipotle * smoked jalapeño, a popular Mexican culinary spice and sauce base
chives * the smallest members of the onion family used in the kitchen
chokecherry * an edible fruit requiring to be cooked well due to its cyanide content
choricero * a fleshy red pepper with an important role in northern Spanish cuisine
cicely * any of several culinary herbs of the celery family, most notably sweet cicely
cilantro * coriander, as it is better known stateside
cipollini * the “wild onion” bulbs of grape hyacinth, a staple of Italian gastronomy
citrangequat * a trigeneric citrus fruit hybrid, crossing the citrange with the kumquat
clavers * white clover when used as a salad ingredient
clementine * a citrus fruit cross between the Seville orange and the tangerine
cloudberry * a northern bramble fruit popular across Scandinavia as a base for jam
coco de mer * the sea coconut, often encountered as a flavouring in Cantonese soups
cocoa * the fermented seed of the cacao tree, and basis of all chocolate preparations
cocoyam * a common name for the taro and malanga tropical root vegetable crops
colewort * an older name for the cabbage, notably young cabbage reserved for salads
collards * kale leaves, eaten as a vegetable; a staple of Southern US “soul food”
colombo * West Indies curry powder
coloquinty * an edible gourd variously known as “bitter apple” and “vine of Sodom”
colythron * a ripe fig
copra * coconut oil, a versatile if high-fat, high-calorie cooking product
cornflour * corn meal or starch ground to a powder for use as a thickener in cooking
cornichons * immature cucumbers or miniature gherkins, pickled French-style
costard * an ancient British ribbed cooking apple
costmary * a popular medieval pot herb prized for its spearmint astringency
cottonfruit * a.k.a. santol, a fruit used in numerous Thai salad and curry dishes
couverture * cooking chocolate, made with added cocoa butter for extra gloss
cowcake * an old Scots dialectal term for the wild parsnip
cowcumber * the cucumber of yore, the fruit being regarded as mere animal fodder
crabapple * any small sour apple, better cooked than eaten in the hand
cremini * a meaty immature button variant of the portobello mushroom
crestmarine * a rare culinary herb also referred to as sea fennel or rock samphire
crookneck * a sweet-fleshed yellow summer squash
cubanelle * a long, thin sweet pepper much used in Caribbean and Italian cuisine
cumin * a popular kitchen spice ground or whole; known in its native India as jeera
cush-cush * tropical American yam tuber, consumed as a vegetable
cydon * the quince, or “apple of Cydonia”
cymling * the pattypan squash, in American English
dactyl * a date, in older coinage
daikon * cooked radish, a popular item in East Asian cuisine
damascene * an earlier name for the damson, the “plum of Damascus”
dasheen * the edible starchy corm of the taro plant
demerara * natural, unrefined crunchy cane sugar; known in the US as turbinado
dewberry * the edible blueish-black fruit of the eponymous bramble
dilex * seaweed as a food resource, specifically dulse
dillseed * a pungent seed used to spice and season numerous dishes
dittander * a historical mystery herb; variously pepperwort, dittany of Crete, or cress
duqqa * Egyptian spice mix
duracine * a firm-fleshed peach
durian * a tasty tropical fruit notorious for its foul and off-putting aroma
durum * a hard wheat whose flour is used to make premium breads and pastas
earthapple * a term variously denominating the potato, cucumber, or artichoke
edamame * a foodstuff prepared from fresh green soybeans boiled in their pods
eddoes * edible taro tubers or cormlets
eggplant * the aubergine, in American English; so named for the vegetable’s shape
einkorn * man’s first wheat, indeed one of the earliest food plants ever cultivated
elderflower * a British berry fruit primarily used today to produce juices and jams
elecampane * a root used in classical times as a condiment,