Eat Your Words. Paul Convery
emblic * the edible fruit of the Indian gooseberry tree
emmer * a hulled wheat in the style of farro; one of the first crops to be domesticated
endive * a leaf vegetable called chicory in its curly form, and escarole when broad-leaved
enokitake * golden needle mushrooms, a mainstay of East Asian gastronomy
epazote * an aromatic herb strongly featured in traditional Mexican cuisine
eryngo * the sea holly parsley plant, especially its edible root which is often candied
farina * a fine carb-rich cereal food made from milled wheat or other vegetable meal
faverel * an old English provincial term for the onion
fecula * powdered starch extracted from food plants, used in cooking as a thickener
fenugreek * a herb whose seeds are typically ground as a spice for curry powder
fenwort * an archaic term for the cranberry
fiddleheads * the edible tips or fronds of certain ferns, consumed as a vegetable
filberts * large, cultivated hazelnuts
fines herbes * a classic balanced fresh herb mix, integral to French haute cuisine
fingerroot * a gingerish culinary herb perhaps better known as Chinese keys
finocchio * Florence fennel, a herb with a bulbous stalk base eaten as a vegetable
five-spice * Chinese spice mix
flageolet * the common French kidney bean
flaxseed * edible linseed oil, used culinarily in Europe to lift the flavour of quark
floweret * the clustered flowering head, or floret, of such as broccoli or cauliflower
forastero * an inferior cocoa bean often used to produce commercial-grade chocolate
frais * strawberries, in the formal context of cookery
framboise * raspberries, in the formal context of cookery
freekeh * a cereal food made from unripened durum wheat, roasted and rubbed
frijoles * any beans, such as the pinto, commonly featured in Tex-Mex cuisine
funori * an Asian aquatic plant food, or polysaccharide extract of edible seaweed
galangal * a generic term for a group of aromatic spice roots found in Asian cuisine
gamboge * a fruit used as a condiment in the preparation of Thai sour curries
garam masala * Indian hot spice mix
garbanzo * the humble chickpea
genipap * the succulent fruit of a Caribbean evergreen, useful for making preserves
gillyflowers * a once-popular name for cloves
gingelly * sesame oil, variously used to cook with or as a table condiment
glycyrize * “sweet root”; liquorice as a confectionery flavouring or culinary spice
gochugaru * a smoky red pepper spice from Korea
goji * a native Asian berry lately promoted in the West as a purported health food
granadilla * a somewhat larger, sweeter, and more exotic cousin of the passion fruit
greengage * a small dessert plum
grisette * a common edible woodland toadstool
grysmolle * an archaic name for either apricot or quince
guava * a pink-pulped tropical food, designated the national winter fruit of Pakistan
gurgeons * coarse bran flour or similar cereal meal
habanero * the “Scotch bonnet,” a famously pungent chilli pepper from the Amazonas
hackberry * an astringent though edible berry fruit
haricot * a type of French kidney bean; an old dish of mutton bore the name first
hautboy * an archaic synonym for the strawberry
hedge-mustard * a bitter salad leaf formerly also known as English rocket
heirloom * any “heritage” or non-hybridized tomato cultivar
hemidesmus * Indian sarsaparilla, a herbal root pickled and served with rice
hericium * a family of fleshy edible mushrooms, distinctive for bearing no caps
hickory * loosely, the pecan; a nut with a tough outer shell and edible inner fruit
hindberry * an archaic synonym for the raspberry
hominy * a gritty foodstuff made from coarsely ground and soaked maize kernels
honeybell * another name for the tangelo, a citrus cross of grapefruit and tangerine
horehound * a herb traditionally candied in lozenge form and taken to aid digestion
horse-gog * a lost regional expression for a plum that is tart to the taste
huckleberry * an edible bramble fruit akin to the blueberry
huitlacoche * a flavoursome fungus, or corn smut, dubbed the Mexican truffle
hulkage * miller’s bran, being the husks of cereal grains, rich in dietary fibre
ilama * a compound tropical fruit of the Americas, best served and eaten chilled
inkcap * a common name for multiple genera of mostly edible toadstools
jaboticaba * a purplish, grape-like berry fruit from South America mostly eaten fresh
jaca-dura * a hard variety of the exotic jackfruit, the largest of all tree-borne fruits
jaggery * Indian palm sugar
jalapeño * a hot green chilli pepper, much used in Mexican cooking
jambolan * the Malabar plum, an edible fruit long used too in Eastern medicine
jargonelle * an early ripening pear
jenneting * an early ripening apple
jicama * the “Mexican potato,” a root vegetable eaten raw in salads or boiled in stews
jostaberry * a unique gooseberry and blackcurrant cross, good for chutneys and such
kabocha * a sweet winter squash, colloquially referred to as Japanese pumpkin
kalamata * a meaty brine-cured black olive grown in the Greek Peloponnese
kalumpang * the “Java olive,” in actuality an oily cashew-like edible nut
kari patta * curry leaves, a key item in much of the cookery of the Subcontinent
kastainy * an older name for the chestnut, a nut traditionally roasted for edibility
ketambilla * the Ceylon gooseberry, a somewhat acidic fruit often made into jam
khorasan * oriental wheat, a large-grained ancestral alternative to modern wheat
king stropharia * a gourmet agaric mushroom, cultivated for food
kiwano * an exotic edible fruit cross known as the “horned” melon or cucumber
kiwifruit * the Chinese gooseberry, as cultivated commercially in New Zealand
kohlrabi * a popular European cabbage with an edible stem resembling the turnip
kombu * East Asian kelp, used fresh in sashimi or as a seasoning for broth, or dashi
kumquat * a mini orange, citrus-like fruit typically eaten preserved or candied
lablab * a species of African bean cultivated across the tropics as a local food source
laminaria