Having an enclosed seed and developing from a flower, cucumbers are scientifically classified as a fruit. The cucumber is believed to be native to India, and evidence indicates that it has been cultivated in Western Asia for 3,000 years. From India, it spread to Greece (where it was called "vilwos") and Italy (where the Romans were especially fond of the crop), and later into China. The fruit is mentioned in the Bible (Numbers 11:5) as having been freely available in Egypt, even to the enslaved Israelites: We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely/the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucumber>
Bite Me!!
ZUCHINI : Zucchini (Zoo-Keen-Ee) (US, Australian, and Canadian English) or courgette (New Zealand and British English) is a small summer marrow or squash, also commonly called Italian squash. It can either be yellow or green or light green, and generally has a similar shape to a ridged cucumber, though a few cultivars are available that produce round or bottle-shaped fruit. Unlike the cucumber it is usually served cooked, often steamed, boiled, grilled, stuffed and baked, barbecued, fried, or incorporated in other recipes such as souffles. Its flower can be eaten stuffed and is a delicacy when deep fried as tempura. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zucchini)
The MASS CONSUMER FOOD MARKETING BLITZ!!
The Chinese have been growing mung bean sprouts (nga choy or nga choi) for approximately 3,000 years. However, the popularity of bean sprouts in the west is a more recent phenomenon. Many of us first got turned on to sprouts during the health conscious seventies, when we began piling them onto green salads or in tofu burgers. And why not? Not only are bean sprouts high in protein, vitamin C and Folacin, but they are a dieter's dream. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one cup of bean sprouts contains a mere twenty-six calories. They are low in salicylate, a naturally occurring chemical in plants that some individuals have difficulty tolerating. (Aspirin is acetyl salicylic acid). In Chinese medicine bean sprouts are considered to be a yin or cooling food. <http://chinesefood.about.com/library/weekly/aa092101a.htm>
Evidence suggests that onions may be effective against the common cold, heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and other diseases. They contain anti-inflammatory, anticholesterol, anticancer, and antioxidant components such as quercetin.[2] In many parts of the undeveloped world, onions are used to heal blisters and boils. In the United States, products that contain onion extract (such as Mederma) are used in the treatment of topical scars. In homeopathic medicine, Allium cepa is used for rhinnorhea and hay fever. It is thought that bulbs from the onion family have been used as a food source for millennia. In Caananite Bronze Age settlements, traces of onion remains were found alongside fig and date stones dating back to 5000 BC. However, it is not clear if these were cultivated onions. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onion>
BANANA : Bananas are grown in 132 countries worldwide, more than any other fruit crop. In addition to the fruit, the flower of the banana plant (also known as banana blossom or banana heart) is used in Southeast Asian, Bengali and Kerala (India) cuisine, either served raw with dips or cooked in soups and curries. Bananas are also eaten deep fried, baked in their skin in a split bamboo, or steamed in glutinous rice wrapped in a banana leaf in Myanmar where bunches of green bananas surrounding a green coconut in a tray is an important part of traditional offerings to the Buddha and the Nat (spirit)s. The juice extract prepared from the tender core is used to treat kidney stones. It is reported that in Orissa, India, juice is extracted from the corm and used as a home remedy for the treatment of jaundice. In other places honey is mixed with mashed banana fruit and used for the same purpose. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana)
BITE ME!!
You can never eat too many, I say and pull another ripe peach from the desert tree. It fills my palm, my mouth as I suck the unhusbanded nectar. It is delicious as stealing light, such innocent grace, a holiday from history and eternity. (A selection from Pamela Uschuk's poetry)
Plums and prunes are known for their laxative effect. This effect has been attributed to various compounds present in the fruits, such as dietary fiber, sorbitol,[1] and isatin.[2] Prunes and prune juice are often used to help regulate the functioning of the digestive system. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plum>
TOMATO : According to Andrew F Smith's The Tomato in America, the tomato probably originated in the highlands of the west coast of South America. There is a competing theory that says the tomato, like the word "tomato", originated in Mexico, where one of the two apparently oldest "wild" types grows. It is entirely possible that domestication even arose in both regions independently. In any case, by some means the tomato migrated to Central America. Maya and other peoples in the region used the fruit in their cooking, and it was being cultivated in southern Mexico and probably other areas, by the 16th century. It is thought that the Pueblo people believed those who witnessed the ingestion of tomato seeds were blessed with powers of divination. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomato)
APPLES : From the beginning apples have been associated with love, beauty, luck, health, comfort, pleasure, wisdom, temptation, sensuality, sexuality, virility and fertility. Stories and traditions about man's origins connect him to a garden of paradise filled with fruit trees. The stories are essentially the same whether it be the Semitic Adam, the Teutonic Iduna, the Greek Hesperides, or the Celtic Avalon, man's idea of paradise centers on an abundance of cultivated fruit, its sensual irresistibility and the consequential calamity of its seduction. (http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/maia/history.html)
PEARS The fragrant aroma, buttery texture, and succulent taste of a ripe pear is an experience. Unfortunately, most people eat unripe pears as the fruit is mostly picked unripe to prevent decay during transportation and distribution to retailers. The texture of ripe pears range from buttery to grainy, dry to succulent, and aromatically from mild to assertive. Unripe pears ripen at room temperature after a few days, but they lack the taste of a tree-ripened fruit. Archaeologists unearthed 10,000-year-old pear seeds in Switzerland. The Greek poet Homer considered the pear God’s gift to humanity. Greeks studied the fruit keenly and made clonal selections to improve its appearance, fragrance, and texture. Theoprastus, a student of Aristotle distinguished several varieties in fourth century B C. (http://www.foodreference.com/html/artpears2.html)
STRAWBERRY Strawberries have a history that goes back over 2,200 years. Strawberries grew wild in Italy as long ago as 234 B.C. and were discovered in Virginia by the first Europeans when their ships landed there in 1588. There are many explanations, some believe that the name came from the practice of placing straw around the growing plants for protection, others believe the name originated over 1000 years ago because of the runners which spread outward from the plant. The name may have been derived from the Anglo-Saxon verb to strew (spread) and the fruit came to be known as streabergen, straberry, streberie, straibery, straubery, and finally, "STRAWBERRY’ to the English. (http://www.berries4u.com/history.htm)
AVOCADO Tehuacan, Mexico 7000 BC History: Wild variety was cultivated as early as 750 BC ! Later cultivated in Mexico in 500 BC. Seeds were found buried with INCA Mummies in Peru, South America. Name: Aguacate, evolved to avocado. First English listing by Sir Henry Sloan, Royal Society of England 1696 There are over 80 varieties of avocados with the " Hass " version being dominate at 85 % of production. The Hass variety was discovered by a California postman, named Rudolf Hass. The original " Hass " tree is located in La Habra and is still growing. A single tree can produce up to 400 fruit each year. Avocados Nutrients: Unsaturated fats, no-choelesteral, rich in dietary fiber and vitimins such as folacin, A, B6, C and minerals. (http://www.socalsail.com/cyberfair/avocado/history.html)
Chinese cabbage has been cultivated for over six thousand years in China. Brassica rapa seeds have been found in jars in the excavated New Stone Age settlement of Banpo. They were a common part of the diet in southern China by the 5th century. The Ming Dynasty pharmacologist Li Shizhen studied the Chinese cabbage for its medicinal qualities. Before this time the Chinese cabbage was largely confined to the Yangzi Delta region. The Chinese cabbage as it is known today is very similar to a variant bred in Zhejiang around the 14th century. During the following centuries, it became popular in northern China and the northern harvest soon exceeded the southern one. Northern cabbages were exported along the Grand Canal to Zhejiang and as far south as Guangdong. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_cabbage>
G A R L I C : The word garlic comes from Old English garleac, meaning "spear leek." Dating back over 6,000 years, it is native to Central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent seasoning in Asia, Africa, and Europe. Egyptians worshipped garlic and placed clay models of garlic bulbs in the tomb of Tutankhamen. Garlic was so highly-prized, it was even used as currency. Folklore holds that garlic repelled vampires, protected against the Evil Eye, and warded off jealous nymphs said to terrorize pregnant women and engaged maidens. And let us not forget to mention the alleged aphrodisiacal powers of garlic which have been extolled through the ages (http://homecooking.about.com/od/foodhistory/a/garlichistory.htm)
In early use, carrots were grown for their aromatic leaves and seeds, not their roots. Some relatives of the carrot are still grown for these, fennel, dill and cumin for example. The first mention of the root in classical sources is in the 1st century CE. The modern carrot appears to have been introduced to Europe in the 8-10th centuries; Ibn al-Awam, in Andalusia, describes both 'red' and 'yellow' carrots; Simeon Seth also mentions both colors in the 11th century. Orange-colored carrots appear in the Netherlands in the 17th century.[ <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrot>
Relative to their serving size, radishes are rich in ascorbic acid, folic acid, and potassium. Relative to their caloric value, they are a good source of vitamin B6, riboflavin, magnesium, copper, and calcium. One cup of sliced red radish bulbs provides approximately 20 Calories or less, coming largely from carbohydrates, making radishes, relative to their size, a very filling food for their caloric value. Radishes are suggested as an alternative treatment for a variety of ailments including whooping cough, cancer, coughs, gastric discomfort, liver problems, constipation, dyspepsia, gallbladder problems, arthritis, gallstones, kidney stones[2] and intestinal parasites.[ <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radish>
Potatoes are the world's most widely grown tuber crop, and the fourth largest food crop in terms of fresh produce — after rice, wheat, and maize ('corn'). The potato was domesticated in southern Peru[1] and is important to the culture of the Andes, where farmers grow many different varieties that have a remarkable diversity of colors and shapes. Nutritionally, potatoes are best known for their carbohydrate content (approximately 26 grams in a medium potato). Starch is the predominant form of carbohydrate found in potatoes. A small but significant portion of the starch in potatoes is resistant to enzymatic digestion in the stomach and small intestine and, thus, reaches the large intestine essentially intact. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potato>
