The world of vegetables

Flowers, Fruits, Green Leaf, Seeds, Stems, Roots, and Tubers

a brief history of vegetables

Originally, vegetables were collected from the wild by hunter-gatherers and entered cultivation in several parts of the world, probably during the period 10,000 BC to 7,000 BC, when a new agricultural way of life developed.

At first, plants which grew locally would have been cultivated, but as time went on, trade brought exotic crops from elsewhere to add to domestic types. Nowadays, most vegetables are grown all over the world as climate permits, and crops may be cultivated in protected environments in less suitable locations.

Forest gardening in a tropical jungle clearing is thought to be the first example of agriculture; useful plant species were identified and encouraged to grow while undesirable species were removed.

Plant breeding through the selection of strains with desirable traits such as large fruit and vigorous growth soon followed. While the first evidence for the domestication of grasses such as wheat and barley has been found in the Fertile Crescent in the Middle East, it is likely that various peoples around the world started growing crops in the period 10,000 BC to 7,000 BC.

Subsistence agriculture continues to this day, with many rural farmers in Africa, Asia, South America, and elsewhere using their plots of land to produce enough food for their families, while any surplus produce is used for exchange for other goods.

vegetable types used in the kitchen

vegetable forms

A vegetable is an edible, herb-like plant. The parts of vegetables that people eat include the leaves, fruit, stems, roots, tubers, seeds, and flowers.

Vegetables can be purchased whole or cut in fresh, frozen, canned, and dried forms. Unlike fruits, vegetables are eaten cooked more often than raw.

Vegetables are often categorized by their botanical origins or by their edible parts. They may be classified as a flower, fruit, green leaf, seed, root/tuber, or stem vegetable.

Like fruits, vegetables are becoming more important and popular as more focus is being put on healthy living and healthy diets.

There has also been an increase in people following vegetarian diets, which has led to restaurant and food-service operations increasing the variety of vegetables they offer.

fruit vegetables

Fruit vegetables include avocados, cucumbers, eggplants, peppers, squash, and tomatoes. These products come from flowering plants and have seeds, which technically make them fruits. But when we think of how we eat them, we eat them as vegetables.

Tomatoes are really berries and are grown in hundreds of varieties.

The versatile tomato is a colorful and nutritious addition to many dishes and a popular ingredient in salads.

Tomato varieties include: Cherry, Beefsteak, and Grape.

green leafy vegetables

Green leafy vegetables include various types of lettuce, mustard greens, spinach, and swiss chard. Green leafy vegetables are very high in vitamins A and C, iron and magnesium.

Not too long ago, a little iceberg lettuce with mayonnaise dressing was considered dinner salad. Consumers today are interested in more flavorful and nutritious salad greens.

Variety lettuce mixes have gained popularity in recent years, both in restaurants and grocery stores.

Spring greens, field greens, field mixes, and other terms used to describe a mix of assorted salad greens. Some greens are lettuces, some are related to cabbage; others, like radicchio, are chicory.

Even leafy herbs like cilantro find their way into flavorful salads.

flower vegetables

Flower vegetables include broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, and cabbage.

When we think of cooking these products, we focus on the "head" of the vegetable.

Broccoli has a deep green color, tiny clustered buds, and crisp leaves.

Cauliflower is available in three colors: white, green and purple.

Cauliflower can be served cooked or raw, often used in salads or as crudités. It is often cooked by steaming, stir-frying, or as an ingredient in stews and tempura.

Cauliflower varieties include Snowdrift, Danish Giant, and Romanesco.

stem vegetables

Stem vegetables include asparagus, celery, artichokes and mushrooms. In this category, the vegetable that we eat are the stems of plants.

Asparagus has tender stalks and tips. The thicker stalks mean that the plant is older. Asparagus can be steamed while standing upright in a pot, with the tips on top, roasted, or sautéed.

Asparagus varieties include: White, Green, and Viola.

root vegetables

Root vegetables are rich in sugars, starches, vitamins and minerals. These plants exist both above and below ground. A single root extends into the ground, and provides nutrients to the leafy green part of the vegetable that is above the ground. Some common root vegetables include carrots, beets, radishes, turnips and onions.

Carrots contain a large amount of carotene, a pigment easily convertible to vitamin A. Carrots can be served raw, as crudités, as a garnish, or as an ingredient in salads.

Carrots are fundamental to mirepoix, cooked carrots make excellent side dishes, and additions to soups. Carrots are even used in desserts, cooked or raw.

Carrot varieties include: Imperator, Baby, and Rainbow.

tuber vegetables

Tuber vegetables include potatoes, sweet potatoes, and yams.

Tubers are enlarged, bulbous roots capable of generating a new plant. Tubers are actually fat, underground stems.

Sweet potatoes and potatoes actually come from different botanical families. Both are root tubers. Sweet potatoes are best when boiled, baked, or puréed for soups.

The thick skin is not usually eaten.

Purple sweet potatoes are a good source of beta-carotene but are an even richer source of anthocyanin pigments, which act as antioxidants that can help reduce inflammation and boost your immune system. Purple sweet potatoes have about three times more anthocyanins than the average blueberry.

seed vegetables

Seed vegetables include corn, peas, and beans. In this category, the edible portions of the vegetable (kernel,pea) are actually seeds.

Corn flavors vary among the white, yellow, and bi-colored varieties. Popcorn is a variety of corn grown especially for its small ears and pointed kernels that explode when heated.

Sweet corn, served on the cob, can be grilled or boiled. It should be served very soon after it is picked. If not, its natural sugars will begin to turn to starch, making the corn less sweet and much chewier.

in conclusion

Throughout recorded history, the rich have been able to afford a varied diet including meat, vegetables and fruit, but for poor people, meat was a luxury and the food they ate was very dull, typically comprising mainly some staple product made from rice, rye, barley, wheat, millet or maize. The addition of vegetable matter provided some variety to the diet.

The staple diet of the Aztecs in Central America was maize and they cultivated tomatoes, avocados, beans, peppers, pumpkins, squashes, peanuts, and amaranth seeds to supplement their tortillas and porridge. In Peru, the Incas subsisted on maize in the lowlands and potatoes at higher altitudes. They also used seeds from quinoa, supplementing their diet with peppers, tomatoes, and avocados.

In Ancient China, rice was the staple crop in the south and wheat in the north, the latter made into dumplings, noodles, and pancakes. Vegetables used to accompany these included yams, soybeans, broad beans, turnips, spring onions, and garlic. The diet of the ancient Egyptians was based on bread, often contaminated with sand which wore away their teeth. Meat was a luxury but fish was more plentiful. These were accompanied by a range of vegetables including marrows, broad beans, lentils, onions, leeks, garlic, radishes, and lettuces.

The mainstay of the Ancient Greek diet was bread, and this was accompanied by goat's cheese, olives, figs, fish, and occasionally meat. The vegetables grown included onions, garlic, cabbages, melons, and lentils. In Ancient Rome, a thick porridge was made of emmer wheat or beans, accompanied by green vegetables but little meat, and fish was not esteemed. The Romans grew broad beans, peas, onions and turnips and ate the leaves of beets rather than their roots.

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