Specialty Products
Click on each picture to see what they are used for and recipes
Bittermelon
"African Cucumber" "Bitter apple" "Balsamine" "Bitter Squash"
- Origin: Africa, Southeast Asia, Caribbean
- Definition: fruit of an annual tropical vine, the widespread plant of the gourd family that produces this fruit
- Use: Avoid eating the thick, waxy skin
- Taste: Known for its sharp taste and adds zing to any meal
Recipes: Bitter Melon Juice
Bittermelon
Fresh Sugar Cane Sticks
- Origin: New Guinea and India
- Definition: Perennial tropical grass with tall stout jointed stems from which sugar is extracted.
- Use: Very fibrous stalks that provide a juice, which is used for making white sugar, and many other products
- Taste: Bright, tasty uncooked vanilla flavor
- Recipes: Molasses or Sugar Cane Skewers
Green Sugar Cane Sticks
Indian Bittermelon
“Karela”
- Origin: India
- Definition: tropical and subtropical vine of the family Cucurbitaceae,
- Use: Avoid eating the thick, waxy skin. Used a lot in Indian and Asian cuisine and healing powers
- Taste: Very popular for its bitter taste and sharp flavor
- Recipes: Potato Stir Fry or Deep Fried Spicy Karelas
Indian Bittermelon
Lychee Nut
- Origin: China is the main producer of Lychee
- Definition: Fruit of a Chinese Tree of the soapberry family. It has a rough yellow, green, reddish leathery rind and transparent white flesh that surrounds a single large seed
- Use: Lychee nuts can be eaten fresh or canned
- Taste: The lychee nut has a taste and texture similar to a grape. It has a sweet flavor of citrus with a hunt of rose water.
- Recipe: Lychee Fruit salad, Lychee jam, and perfect to add to salads
Lychee Nut
Sweet Tamarind
Baby Bananas
Also known as “Lady Finger Bananas” “Mini Bananas”
Origin: Native to tropical and sub-tropical areas like Central and South America.
Definition: Baby banana plants are a member of the world's largest herbaceous plant bearing edible fruits, botanically known as Musa acuminate. They are petite in size ranging only about 3-4 inches in length and were developed and marketed specifically as a snack banana for the children's consumer market.
Taste: Baby bananas have a thinner peel, smoother and creamier texture, and a much sweeter and richer taste. Some people describe their sweet taste with even having vanilla and caramel undertones.
Use: Can be eaten fresh with an easy to peel skin or perfect for smoothies, baby food, pudding, cakes, muffins, bread, cookies, ice cream and tarts.
Recipe: Chocolate Dipped Bananas, Banana Pudding, Banana Ice Cream, Banana Bread, Strawberry Banana Smoothie
Baby Bananas
Sinqua
Also known as “Luffa Acutangula”
Origin: India
Definition: Sin Qua is a fruited vegetable with long slender gourds distinguished by ridges.
Taste: It has a mild and slightly sweet flavor, similar taste to okra or summer squashes like zucchini.
Use: They are used as cooked vegetables, picked or even eaten raw. When fully matured, Sin Qua can also be used as sponges.
Recipe: Stir-Fried Sinqua, Sinqua with Egg Recipe, Sinqua Curry
Sinqua
Chayote Squash
- Origin: Mexico
- Definition: Tropical fruit, member of the gourd family
- Use: Used for a variety of purposes including cooking and eating them raw as a light snack
- Taste: When cooked, chayote is treated very similarly to summer squash and when eaten raw, chayote is often added to salads and provides a crisp, apple-like crunch
- Recipes: Stuffed Chayote with mushrooms, Cream of coyote soup
Chayote Squash
Fresh Turmeric
"Curcumin"
- Origin: South East Asia
- Definition: rhizomes (often called roots) are a close relative to ginger.
- Use: Depending on how tender or mature it is, you may want to scrape off the peel before using it.
- Taste: Its bright orange flesh is earthy, peppery and slightly bitter
- Recipes: Turmeric Rice Bowl or Chickpea Curry
Fresh Turmeric
Jackfruit
“Jack tree” “Fenne”
- Origin: Southwest India and spread to other parts of India, south east Asia, the East Indies, the Philippines, Thailand Malaysia and Indonesia
- Definition: species of tropical Asian tree related to the breadfruit, fig, mulberry family
- Use: Used as a plant-based meat alternative because the young, unripe fruits soak up flavor well and have a stringy, “meat-like” texture when cooked, making it a excellent for curries, salads and noodles.
- Taste: It has a taste a cross of banana, mango, pineapple
Recipes: Vegan Jackfruit Pulled Pork Sandwiches or Jackfruit Pulled Pork Tacos
Jackfruit
Malanga Coco
“Yautia” “Taro Root” “Japanese Potato”
- Origin: South America, but now grown in the Caribbean, Central America and certain parts of Africa and Asia
- Definition: Large, dense root vegetable in the same family as taro root.
- Use: Similar to potato in texture, it is a natural thickener, and makes stews and soups creamy.
- Taste: Woodsy taste with a hint of black walnut.
- Recipes: Malanga Fritters or Crispy Hash browns
Malanga Coco
Thai Coconuts
- Origin: Thailand
- Definition: Comes from a coconut tree, which is a member of the palm tree family
- Use: The white, fleshy part of the coconut meat is used fresh or dried in cooking, especially in confections or desserts
- Taste: Sweet and sour in taste and high in acid, sugar, and vitamins
- Recipes: Thai Coconut soup or Thai Coconut Vegetable Curry
Thai Coconuts
Cactus Leaves
Origin: North America, South America, Africa
Definition: Fleshy oval leaves that grow on the nopal cactus, also known as prickly pear cactus.
Taste: When cooked they have a soft but crunchy texture and taste similar to a slightly tart green bean, asparagus or green pepper.
Use: Cactus leaves can be eaten raw, cooked, boiled, or fried. They are a typical ingredient in Mexican cuisines.
Recipe: Cactus Salad, Grilled Cactus, Cactus Casserole
Cactus Leaves
Yellow Watermelon
Also called “Yellow Crimson Watermelon”
Origin: Africa
Definition: Yellow watermelons, botanically classified as Citrullus Lanatus, are a naturally occurring type of watermelon belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family. Yellow watermelons are not genetically modified and have been cultivated for thousands of years through seed collection and natural crossbreeding techniques.
Taste: Yellow watermelons have a delicate and mellow, sweet flavor with subtle notes of honey and apricot. They are known to be sweeter than the traditional red-fleshed melons.
Use: The yellow flesh can be consumed just like red-fleshed watermelon by being sliced and mixed into fruit bowls, cut and tossed into salads, or chopped into salsa. Yellow watermelons can also be juiced and stirred into fruit punches, blended into smoothies, mixed into cocktails, or combined into sorbets and shaved ice.
Recipe: Yellow Watermelon Berry Salad, Yellow Watermelon Juice, Red and Yellow Watermelon Salad, Golden Watermelon Cocktail with Fresh Ginger, Basil and Tequila
Yellow Watermelon
Chinese Eggplant
- Origin: India
- Definition: Large plant of the nightshade family that bears the eggplant fruit
- Use: Similar to Eggplant except more tender and more flavor. It can be grilled, stuffed, roasted
- Taste: Deliciously sweet and meaty flesh that is seedless
- Recipes: Chinese Eggplant with Garlic Sauce or Chinese Eggplant with Minced Pork
Chinese Eggplant
Gai Lan
Jicama
“Mexican turnip” “Yam Bean” Mexican Potato”
- Origin: Native to Mexico
- Definition: Round, fleshy, taproot vegetable of bean family plants
- Use: Most often eaten raw, can also be chopped into salads or steamed, boiled sautéed
- Taste: Its flesh is juicy and crunchy, with a slightly sweet and nutty flavor. Taste and texture could be comparable to potato and a pear or water chestnut and apple.
Recipes: Apple Jicama Coleslaw or Mexican Jicama Snack
Jicama
Moqua
"Chinese squash"
- Origin: India
- Definition: Vine plant, also known as luffa, similar to both zucchini and okra
- Use: Prepare Moqua as you would summer squash or zucchini; steam or sauté, roast, add to soups or stews, or simply eat it raw
- Taste: Light, mild, flavor, allows it to absorb the other flavors its cooked with
- Recipes: Chicken with Moqua soup
Moqua
Tomatillos
“Mexican Husk Tomato”
- Origin: Spain
- Definition: small round yellow, purplish, and pale green edible sticky fruit of a Mexican ground-cherry
- Use: Tomatillos are generally used for salsas or sauces
- Taste: Vibrant tart, tang, similar to a lemon adding acidity and sweetness
- Recipes: Tomatillo salsa verde
Tomatillos
Aloe Vera Leaves
Origin: Arabian Peninsula
Definition: Aloe Vera leaves are thick and fleshy and grow on a stemless plant.
Use: Aloe vera leaves are made up of three parts that can be used: skin, gel and latex, which are used for a variety of things such as food, food supplements, herbal remedies and cosmetics. However, they are best known for their gel which is responsible for many health benefits and their skin is used mainly for eating purposes.
Taste: Aloe Vera taste is described as very bitter, watery, with an acidic yet sweetish bite at the end. The younger the leaf the less bitter they are in comparison to the older ones.
Recipes: Edible purposes include smoothies, juices, shakes. Cosmetic purposes include sunburn relief, wound healing, and lotion.
Aloe Vera Leaves
Purple Sugar Cane Sticks
Dragon Fruit
"Pitaya”
- Origin: Central America
- Definition: One of the several cactus species and just like its relatives, has a succulent stem that provides a uniquely delicious fruit
- Use: Easy to prepare, slice the dragon fruit lengthwise and peel the leathery skin. Make sure you only eat the white part containing the seeds and discard any remaining pink portions
- Taste: Mildly sweet flavor, like a blend of kiwi and pear, and its seeds provide a crunchy texture
- Recipes: Dragon Fruit Cookies or Almond Banana Dragon Fruit Bowl
Pink Dragon Fruit
Green Papaya
- Origin: Southern America
- Definition: A pale yellow-greenish fruit with black seeds that grows on a tropical tree.
- Use: Usually used in savory dishes, adding a bit of sweetness to the meal. Also can be grated into salads, due to its crunchy, crispy texture.
- Taste: The flesh and seeds are the edible part of the fruit. The flesh has a lean and slightly sweet flavor. The seeds have a peppery taste.
- Recipes: Thai Green Papaya Salad
Green Papaya
Longans
Opo
Yucca
Baby Red Bananas
Origin: Native to India and Southeast Asia
Definition: A group of varieties of bananas with thick, reddish-purple skin.
Use: Similar to yellow bananas, they are delicious eaten fresh and often used in desserts, but can be paired well with savory dishes too.
Taste: Red Bananas have a sweet and creamy flavor with raspberry highlights.
Recipe: Red Banana smoothie, Red Banana Bread, Red Banana Pancakes, Banana Thai Curry
Baby Red Bananas
Yellow Dragon Fruit
Origin: South America
Definition: Yellow Dragon Fruit is a cactus species in the genus Selenicereus that is native to northern South America, where it is known, along with its fruit, by the name of pitahaya.
Taste: Yellow Dragon fruit has a crisp, juicy texture and very sweet, tropical flavor with floral hints and no acidity. They Yellow Dragon fruit is known to be the sweetest of all the dragon fruits. Its taste can be compared to kiwi or cactus pear and the flesh softer than a watermelon with a slight crunch.
Use: Yellow Dragon fruit is most commonly eaten fresh or added to smoothies, smoothie bowls or made into sorbets. To eat the fruit as is, just peel off the inedible yellow skin and cut the dragon fruit into slices or spoon the fruit right out of the peel.
Recipe: Banana and Yellow Dragon Fruit smoothie, Yellow Dragon Fruit Yogurt Bowl
Yellow Dragon Fruit
Eddoes
“Batata” “Yams”
- Origin: China and Japan
- Definition: Small, starchy, root vegetable, variety of Taro, from a tropical plant
- Use: Can be prepared and eaten the same way as potatoes
- Taste: When cooked, it has a slightly sweet, chestnut flavor and quite more intense flavor than stand potatoes.
- Recipes: Eddo Potato and Carrot Miso Soup or Chicken and Eddo Potatoes with Sweet Soy
Eddoes
Guava
- Origin: Central America and Southern Mexico
- Definition: A round, yellow, tropical fruit with pink or white flesh that comes from a small tropical American tree
- Use: Used for jelly, preserves, jams
- Taste: Strong flavor but mild taste, pulp of the fruit may be sweet or sour depending on the ripeness. The Sweetness is similar to a combination of grapefruit and pear.
- Recipes: Guava Jam or Guava Breakfast cake
Guava
Long Beans
"Common bean" "green bean" "French bean" "Snake Beans"
- Origin: Southern Asia
- Definition: long thin stingless pod of a south Asian plant of a subspecies, member of the legume family)
- Use: can be eaten raw or cooked; best cooked with oil
- Taste: Once cooked, their flavor intensifies and their texture remains tight and juicy
- Recipes: Glazed Chinese Long Beans or Spicy Stir-Fried Chinese Long Bea with Peanuts
Long Beans
Rambutan
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Origin: Malaysia, Southeast Asia
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Definition: A red, plum-sized tropical fruit with soft hair-like spines that comes from the Malaysian tree
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Use: Usually eaten raw by removing the outer skin and eat around the seed in the middle
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Taste: Sweet, slightly acidic flavor, similar to lychee nut
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Recipe: Rambutan fruit juice or Rambutan Curry
Rambutan
Yu Choy
- Origin: Asia
- Definition: It is a green, leafy, vegetable in the mustard family, related to Bok Choy
- Use: Can be stir-fried, steamed, blanched or added to soups
- Taste: Fresher, sweeter taste than Chinese broccoli or Gai Lan, especially when picked young and tender
- Recipes: Garlic Yu Choy or Stir Fry
Yu Choy
Black Kale
Origin: Eastern Mediterranean
Definition: Black kale is a member of the cabbage family and considered one of the Italian heirloom varieties, where it is known as Cavolo Nero. It has longer spear-like leaves with a pebbled appearance and a dark, mottled green color.
Taste: Black kale is less bitter than curly leafed, with a has a deep and earthy flavor, almost-nutty sweetness. The chewy texture easily softens when cooked.
Use: Often eaten raw in salads and smoothies but can also be enjoyed steamed, sautéed, boiled or baked. Kale is known to offer an array of potential health benefits.
Recipe: Kale with cannellini beans, Lemony kale and asparagus pasta, Kale and parmesan casserole
Black Kale
Purple Cauliflower
Origin: South Africa
Definition: Besides for the color, purple cauliflower is the exact same and interchangeable as white cauliflower. The purple color comes from the same antioxidant found in red cabbage and red wine called Anthocyanin. Because of this antioxidant, purple cauliflower is considered healthier than white cauliflower. When cooked, the cauliflower changes to an even deeper purple color.
Taste: Purple cauliflower has the same taste and texture as white cauliflower. If it wasn’t for the color, you would not be able to taste a difference.
Use: Purple cauliflower is interchangeable with white cauliflower, so any recipe that calls for cauliflower, can and is more exciting when swapped with purple cauliflower. Incorporating different colors, especially a deep purple is always fun when making food.
Recipe: Pickled purple cauliflower, roasted vegetables with black rice, parmesan-crusted purple cauliflower, purple cauliflower rice, mashed purple cauliflower.
Purple Cauliflower
Fresh Ginger
Habanero Peppers
Lotus Root
- Origin: China
- Definition: Asian root vegetable
- Use: It should be peeled before using and can be eaten raw, stir-fried, steamed, braised or sautéed.
- Taste: When cooked, it has a sweet-tangy flavor and crunchy texture, similar to a water chestnut allowing it to go well in salads, soups, stews or in a stir fry dish.
- Recipes: Vegetable Stir Fry
Lotus Root
Bok Choy
Soursop Extract
White Asparagus
Origin: Southern Europe, Northern Africa and Western Asia
Definition: White asparagus is green asparagus grown under the cover of soil or dark plastic, unexposed to sunlight. Without chlorophyll the asparagus does not produce any pigment or color. Varieties used to produce White asparagus are thicker than the common green cultivars.
Use: White asparagus can be used raw or cooked.
Taste: White asparagus offers a succulent texture and a mildly sweet, nutty, earthy flavor with a hint of bitterness.
Recipe: White Asparagus with Lemon and Pistachio Oil, White Asparagus Souffles