Vegetables: Common

Tomato

The tomato is one of the most-used vegetables in the world and the basis of many sauces. Botanically it is actually a berry.

💡 Did you know? When it first arrived in Europe it was long regarded as a poisonous ornamental plant before people dared to eat it.

Cucumber

The cucumber is over 95 percent water and is eaten fresh in salads or pickled as a gherkin. It originally comes from India.

💡 Did you know? The small pickled variety is called a cornichon or gherkin.

Carrot

The carrot is a sweetish root vegetable eaten raw, cooked or as juice. It is rich in beta-carotene.

💡 Did you know? Carrots were originally purple or white: the orange colour was only bred in later.

Potato

The potato is a starchy tuber vegetable and a staple food worldwide. It comes from the Andes of South America.

💡 Did you know? Green patches and sprouts contain the toxin solanine: they should be cut away.

Onion

The onion is a basic vegetable of almost every cuisine and flavours countless dishes. Dried, it stores for months.

💡 Did you know? When cut it releases an irritant that makes the eyes water.

Garlic

Garlic flavours many dishes with its intense cloves and is regarded as good for health. It is closely related to the onion.

💡 Did you know? Its typical smell only develops when the cloves are crushed or cut.

Bell pepper

The bell pepper comes in green, yellow, orange and red and tastes sweetish and mild. It is very rich in vitamin C.

💡 Did you know? Green and red peppers are often the same variety; the green ones are simply picked unripe.

Broccoli

Broccoli is a green cabbage vegetable whose dense flower buds are eaten. It is regarded as very nutritious.

💡 Did you know? If left to grow, the buds open into small yellow flowers.

Cauliflower

The cauliflower forms a dense white head of undeveloped flower buds. It tastes mild and is eaten cooked, baked or raw.

💡 Did you know? Its white head stays pale because the surrounding leaves shield it from sunlight.

Spinach

Spinach is a green leafy vegetable eaten raw in salads or cooked. It contains plenty of vitamins and minerals.

💡 Did you know? The myth of its extremely high iron content goes back to an old misplaced decimal point in a nutrition table.

Lettuce

Lettuce forms a loose head of tender green leaves and is the classic salad base. It tastes mild and fresh.

💡 Did you know? It is almost entirely water and therefore provides hardly any calories.

Pea

The pea yields small green seeds that grow inside a pod. It tastes sweetish and is used fresh, frozen or dried.

💡 Did you know? Using pea plants, the monk Gregor Mendel discovered the basic rules of heredity in the 19th century.

Green bean

The green bean is eaten together with the young pod. It always has to be cooked.

💡 Did you know? Raw it contains toxic phasin: only heating makes it safe to eat.

Corn

Maize yields numerous yellow kernels on large cobs and is one of the most important cereals in the world. It comes from Central America.

💡 Did you know? When heated, certain kernels burst open and become popcorn.

Zucchini

The zucchini is an elongated, mild squash eaten with its skin. It is fried, grilled or stuffed.

💡 Did you know? Left on the plant, a zucchini can grow enormous: but then tastes watery and bland.

Eggplant

The eggplant is a purple, spongy fruit vegetable that is fried, grilled or baked. It is the basis of many Mediterranean dishes.

💡 Did you know? Raw it tastes bitter and leathery: only cooking makes it soft and flavourful.

Pumpkin

The pumpkin is a large fruit vegetable with firm, often orange flesh. It is made into soup, purée and pie.

💡 Did you know? The largest giant pumpkins can weigh over a tonne.

Beetroot

The beetroot is a deep-red tuber with an earthy-sweet taste. It is used cooked, pickled or as juice.

💡 Did you know? Its red pigment betanin is so strong that it is used to colour food.

Radish

The radish is a small, red tuber with crunchy white flesh and a sharp taste. It grows very quickly.

💡 Did you know? Only a few weeks pass from sowing to harvest: ideal for beginner gardens.

Leek

The leek is a long, mild onion vegetable with a white shaft and green leaves. It flavours soups and stews.

💡 Did you know? It is closely related to the onion and garlic but tastes much milder.

Asparagus

Asparagus is harvested as a young shoot before it grows into a tall plant. White asparagus grows underground, green asparagus in the light.

💡 Did you know? White asparagus stays pale because it grows under mounds of soil without sunlight.

Brussels sprout

The Brussels sprout forms many small, cabbage-like buds along a tall stem. It tastes strong and is usually cooked.

💡 Did you know? It tolerates frost well: after the first cold nights it even tastes milder and sweeter.