 Want something new and exciting for dinner? Try these lavender Okinawa sweet potatoes...or the dozens of other exotic and heirloom vegetables we present for your consideration. Photo courtesy of Melissas.com.
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ELIZABET TRAVIS is an Editorial Intern at THE NIBBLE.
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July 2008 |
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Product Reviews / Main Nibbles / Vegetables
A Glossary Of Exotic & Heirloom Vegetables
Page 15: Exotic & Heirloom Tuber Types & More
CAPSULE REPORT: This is Page 15 of a 15-page glossary of a glossary of exotic and heirloom vegetables. Click on the black links below to see other pages.
We’ll continue to add more tuber types and other vegetables to this glossary.
| Tubers |
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Boniato
A tropical sweet potato popular in Hispanic communities, it is fluffier, drier and less sweet than a traditional sweet potato. It has a pink to burgundy skin and a white or cream-colored flesh.
Available year-round. |
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Cranberry Red Potato
This potato will hold its rich cranberry-red color through cooking. They have an earthy, buttery flavor and a silky-smooth flesh that makes them great for potato salad.
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Oca
Grown in the Central and Southern Andes, the flavor is slightly tangy and the texture is crunchy until cooked when it can become mealy.
Available June to October. |
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Okinawa Sweet Potato
A Hawaiian sweet potato with white skin and lavender flesh. They are best served baked.
Available spring through fall. |
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Peruvian Purple Potato
From the South American Andes Highlands, it has a purple skin and flesh. They are the mealiest of the fingerling potatoes and so are best served fried. |
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Cassava Root
This root serves as the third largest source of carbohydrates for human food in the world. The root is long and tapered, and the vegetable is also referred to as Yuca. When raw, Cassava tastes like a mix between potato and coconut, but once it is cooked it takes on a delicate flavor and could replace potatoes in many dishes. |
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Chinese Celery
The stalks are thin and hollow and the color can range from white to dark green. They have a strong bitter flavor and are seldom eaten raw.
Available year-round. |
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Nopales
A vegetable that comes from the Prickly Pear, and is exposed when peeled to remove the spines. Native to Mexico, they have a light, slightly tart flavor, and a crisp, gluey texture. Popularly served with eggs or in tacos.
Available year-round. |
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