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Produce Quiz Home Page
Produce Quiz --- What am I?
As an old root, I don't get no
respect. Years of pickling have made me sour. But I can be baked, braised,
used in soups, or grated in salads. I'm not just another jarred item for the
salad bar anymore. In fact my juice is often used in spas as part of a weight
reduction program. Now I ask you, how trendy is that? My greens have regularly
been used as components in mesclun, another happening product! Believed to have
originated in Northern Africa, my root was popular with the Romans while
peasants ate my leaves the Romans discarded. I have a thin skin and am very
fleshy. My colors include, white, orange and red. Lemon juice is usually
required for hand cleaning when working with me, as I bleed easily when bruised
or watered. The infants are eaten raw while mature members of our family
require cooking. As a pharmafood I am said to stimulate appetite and we are
easily digested. Our roots are an excellent source of potassium, vitamin A and
vitamin C. Our leaves are also a good source of potassium as well as folic
acid and magnesium. So, after all these years, I'm still the one to…
(12/25/97)
A member of the large rose
family, Homer called me "the gift of the gods." I have been cultivated
for over three thousand years and held in high esteem by the Greeks, Romans,
and Chinese. Today my largest production comes from China, Italy, the United
States, and Russia. I have several hundred varieties, a result of the cross
breeding done in the 17th and 18th centuries. Most of my varieties are teardrop
shaped, but some cousins are completely round. We are very thin-skinned as a
group but quite colorful with a range of colors including, yellow, brown, red
and green. My flesh is always white or cream-colored and finely textured. My
core is small with only about ten seeds. My starch converts to sugar best after
harvesting, and I ripen well in a closed paper bag. I am rich in fiber as well
as potassium and copper. Best eaten out of hand, I can be poached, juiced, or
dipped. I am used in salads, sorbets, cheese platters, marinades and stuffing.
Contrary to my name I am allowed to go out alone. (12/18/97)
From the ancient land of Persia
to Russia, from the Himalayas to Afghanistan I am truly the fruit of the gods.
Arriving in America via Spanish sailors I was well known to Moses, Persphone
(the goddess of fruit), Olearuis and Mohammed. Know as the "fruit of many
seeds", I have also been called the forbidden fruit and the fruit of
fertility. My Fabergé style jewel-case skin is inedible and leathery
tough with a turret-like calyx. This protects my ruby colored treasures
inside. I am three inches in diameter and grow on a tree that can reach 20 to 23
feet high but often pruned down to six or twelve feet. Prior to fruiting I bear
large, trumpet shaped flowers. If you treat me nicely I will remain edible for
up to three months after harvest, but don't pluck me early as I don't ripen off
the tree. Most often eaten fresh (with seeds swallowed or not), My sweet/tart
pulp is also used for concentrated syrups, drinks, soups and desserts. I have a
high citric acid content which accounts for my tartness. I am also a good source
of potassium, vitamin C. According to Greek Mythology, six of seeds are
responsible for winter. (12/11/97)
My top is green to make the
scene, and although I fight my bottom is always white. I'm long and slender
but not real tender, and I certainly am a fines herbes member. I am the cibol,
from Siberia but I'm not so hot as to cause hysteria. My cousins are round and
dug from the ground, or very thin and hot within. Some are sweet and cool to eat
but I'm the one who's rolled for fun. Perhaps this will help your hunches, for I
am usually sold in bunches. In omelets, salads, and soups I'm fine, you can
brush or flower me anytime. In vinaigrettes I make a splash, use me at the end
so I don't turn to trash. Pasta salads, and sea food too, with all my vitamins
I'm good for you. With vitamin C , vitamin A and potassium to spare, if you
ever drink my juice your intestines will repair. On sour cream I'm chopped on
top, on nacho platters I hit the spot. (12/5/97)
I am the bud of a flower plant
that developed from cardoon. During the middle ages I acquired a reputation for
being an aphrodisiac which immediately made me popular with the Greeks and
Romans. As a native of the Mediterranean region I was introduced to America by
French and Spanish explorers. I grow three to five feet high and can be eaten
prior to flowering. I prefer fog, so the micro-climates in California are my
best growing region in the world even though more of me are grown in Italy,
Spain, France, and Greece. I have over a dozen varieties which are mostly
round. My color is usually green with some creeping violet. Our babies can be
eaten raw due to their lack of maturity. All others have to be cooked. I have
many useable parts including heart, bud, base, and leaves. If you wish to
remain breathing you must remove my center. I am steamed, baked, boiled,
stuffed, made into dips, used as a serving vessel, marinated, or added to
salads. I am a good source of potassium, magnesium, folic acid, and vitamin C.
As a pharmafood I stimulate the secretion of bile, act as a cleanser for blood,
as well as being an antitoxin and a diuretic. (11/28/97)
Here's my deal. As a member of
the lily family we have been consumed for over 2000 years. Originally
cultivated in the Mediterranean region we quickly spread to Asia and Africa.
Most of our 300 varieties (only 20 are edible) were ignored during the middle
ages and it took Louis XIV to rediscover us in the 18th century. We are edible
until we mature, then we grow ferns and taste like wood. There is an albino
variety (favored by Europeans) that never see sunlight until harvested. We also
have a purple (violet) variety that is known to have a fruity flavor. Our
ripeness is indicated by our degree of color, not our thickness. In order to
reproduce sexual activity is required. Our male flowers have a stamen that
produces a spore, while our females have a pistol, or ovary. You can figure out
the rest. We are raised in beds but never lie down, our crown makes sure of
that. We are excellent steamed in butter or with Hollandaise sauce. We provide
odor to your urine, are an excellent source of folic acid and vitamin C, A, B6,
and zinc.
To some I'm a buggy bean, to
others I'm a religious bread, but I'm really just a pod. I am the fruit of an
evergreen tree believed to have originated in Syria and cultivated since ancient
times. Related to the tamarind tree I am famous for keeping John the Baptist
from starvation while he was crossing the desert. My tree often lives over one
hundred years, grows to about forty feet, and I am produced from the small
reddish flowers. I am reddish brown, four to eight inches long with a tough
leathery exterior. I stabilize, bind, and gel, but I do not stimulate (it's not
in my contract). In fact I am often used as a flavor substitute for products
that do stimulate. I produce a powder obtained from my pod and a gum produced by
my seeds. I am always very sweet (50% sugar), so no sugar please, but mint or
cinnamon compliment my flavor nicely. In my worst nightmare I am ground up and
used as animal fodder, chewing tobacco, or dog biscuits. When I go uptown, I am
a thickener, an excellent liqueur, in cakes, in candy bars, or the husk that
the Prodigal Son hungered for as I was fed to the pigs. I am a rich source of
fiber and protein with a low level of fat. If you scare me with a "boo"
I'd have to grow antlers. (11/14/97)
The first time I was consumed
was approximately 800 BC, on archaeological sites in Peru. I have over 150
varieties and I am native to tropical America. As a member of the myrtle family
my tree can grow thirty feet high and I have incredibly aromatic flowers.
Europeans loved me when I arrived in Haiti and later became established in India
and Southeast Asia and have remained popular there ever since. Today I am also
grown in Hawaii, southern Florida, and southern California. I vary in size and
color but usually range from apple to plum in diameter. Some of my varieties
are strawberry and pineapple. My taste is sweet and tart (but I'm not a candy)
made possible by my essential oil eugenol, which is also found in cloves. I have
a musky odor and many gritty seeds. Many folk will down me raw but I am
wonderful cooked. I am stewed or preserved in jams jellies or made into paste. I
can be used in sweet or savory dishes. In Mexico I am a favorite combined with
sweet potato. I am also used in fruit salads, pies, puddings, tapioca,
ice-cream, yogurt, and beverages. Known for my astringent and laxative
properties I'm excellent source of vitamin C and potassium. (11/9/97)
I ooze from pores and hang on
doors. I save you from fright on Halloween night. I am so old, with flavor so
bold, my story in sanskrit can be told. In ketchup, mustard and sausage I be,
and powdered in pizza to stimulate thee. Roast me slowly and squeeze my head,
you won't need any butter for bread. Curing consumption and easing all pain,
when it comes to amounts there is no refrain. Braid me, sauté me, put me
in sauce, without my aroma your food's at a loss. If you are to marry and
scared of the flight, my clove in your buttonhole will ensure a sweet night.
In Gilroy, my home where I'm in best supply, just stick out your nose, my aroma
won't lie. So love me and eat me, and decorate in style, however you use me I'll
last for a while. (10/31/97)
We are mostly seeds that grow in
pods, but we can also be a tuber or a sprout. We can be used fresh or dried.
Usually our pods are not edible but sometimes they are. We are a potent
nutrient source though not complete. When combined with a grain we become a
first-class protein and an excellent selection for vegetarian cookery. In this
form we provide all the essential amino acids essential to complete protein. We
are also a good source of complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, vitamins and
minerals. We combine well with other ingredients and flavorings because we do
not have a very strong taste of our own. So garlic, tomatoes, oil, and herbs
blend with me most happily. Many of our heirloom varieties are enjoying a
comeback in fine dining. As an agricultural crop, we can restore depleted soil
through bacteria living symbiotically in our roots. We also absorb nitrogen
from the air, and the bacteria fix it in the soil. (10/23/97)
I am the berry of a tropical
evergreen West Indian tree, Pimenta officinalis,or Eugenia pimenta. Although I
am often called many names and I sound like I would be a combination of many
flavors I am truly an individual. By taste I combine the flavor of cinnamon,
nutmeg, clove, and some say ginger. I am primarily grown in Jamaica, where my
walk fills the air with aroma. Sometimes called a bayberry I am grown to full
size but picked unripe. I am then dried out in the sun until I am pea sized
and brown. Then I am ground into the popular powder you use. Sometimes my
berries are sold whole and you can grind me yourself to maximize my intensity.
If they would only let me mature my taste would be sweet and hot. In Ancient
times I was used in Aztec and Mayan kitchens but today I am particularly popular
in Sweden and Finland. I am added to sausages, pickles, marinating liquids,
fish dishes, tomato juice cocktails, and mulled drinks. My essential oil
contains eugenol, which is used to manufacture vanillin. Medically I am known to
alleviate flatulence. (10/16/97)
From my tree that can grow over
20 feet high, I am the big boy of the citrus fruits. Originally grown in Asia
for the past 4000 years I am also cultivated in Israel, California, tropical
and subtropical regions. I can be as big as a humans head weighing up to 13
pounds. My thick, coarse, yellow/green/pink skin peels easily, and depending on
my mood I may be sweet, bitter, full of flavor or tasteless. Just like most
things good, you'll just have to take your chances, but when I'm good, I'm
worth it!! My chandler variety (popular in the United States) is very sweet and
has a pink flesh. I have two names. One is common while the other for a
captain from East India who left our seeds in Barbados on his journey back to
England. I am very popular with Vietnamese because of my significance to their
New Year festivities. I have been considered by many to be the father of the
grapefruit, my wife being the sweet orange tree. She was candy, and often I'm
candied as well. I am also used in citrus marmalade, added to fruit salads,
used as a citrus sauce, or eaten out of hand. I am a good source of vitamin C
and potassium. I have often been called a stomachic, which means I help
stimulate appetite and facilitate digestion. Eat me often! (10/9/97)
Considered sacred in India, my
origin, I am now grown in temperate climates throughout the world. Domestically
I am grown in California and Florida. I am a relative of the pistachio and
cashew, and my evergreen tree grows between fifty and one hundred feet high.
Yearly, my hundred plus varieties produce about one hundred fruits per tree.
Green when immature, I ripen to a fragrant golden yellow with beautiful red
mottling. My flesh is also a brilliant golden orange, very sweet, very juicy,
and a bit tart. Some of my cousins are a bit fibrous but you can't expect
everybody to shine in this rough tropical climate. My shape varies from round
to kidney, and my weight ranges from nine ounces to three pounds. As an
essential ingredient in most chutneys I am also great eaten out of hand, in
fruit salads, in cereals, in jellies or jams, as a fruit sauce, or as a juice. I
am also very popular dried. My "horse variety" is particularly
pungent and often made into pickles or sweetmeats. I am an excellent source of
vitamins A and C, and a good source of potassium. I also make a real good
LifeSaver. (10/3/97)
I am the number one cash crop in
the United States. Originating in East Asia (Manchuria), I arrived on the U.S..
shores with the Matthew Perry expedition. I have more protein and calories than
any other legume. I grow on a small bush two to six feet high. I am raised in
a velvety pod that can be gray, yellow black, white or brown. I have an
amazing amount of uses. In my infant stage I am used in salads as a sprout. I
am fermented, used as a coffee substitute, made into cheese, jam, flour, grits,
or used for imitation beef, ham, or chicken. Industrially my oil is used for
soap, paint or varnishes. I am also a very popular cooking oil. When brewed I
make a wonderful sauce, but often my sauce is packaged without any of me in it.
It's truly a shame that water, salt, vegetable protein, corn syrup, and
caramel color cheaply replace my rich tangy flavor. I must be cooked to
neutralize the anti-nutrients I contain (phytic acid, and trypsin). If defatted
or dried I will store moderately well. If fresh I must be refrigerated or I
will turn rancid in short order. When they dry us we are used in stews and
casseroles but our pleasant hazelnut like flavor is best when fresh. (9/26/97)
I am native to the eastern
Mediterranean region and have been cultivated since at least 3,000 B.C. Today,
about 98% of my crop still comes from this area. I am about 18% oil by weight.
I was brought to the new world by the Spaniards. I am virtually inedible
without being processed. My oleuropein (used as a weed killer or insecticide)
has to be removed for me to be palatable. To do this I am soaked, smashed,
treated with lye and brined, or pickled. I am marinated whole, used in breads,
condiments, sauces, but I am most popular as a cooking oil. I am also used as a
lamp and cosmetic oil. Our race has three popular colors, green, black, and
violet. We are varying sizes but always round or oblong. We have a very high
fat content ranging from 12% to 30%.Internally it is believed that we have
laxative qualities, stimulate appetite, and aid the liver. Externally we have
been known to prevent hair loss and boils. Our leaves are considered an
astringent, aiding in the reduction of high blood pressure and high blood sugar.
(9/18/97)
I have been a popular food in
Japan and China for thousands of years. Although I am edible, when introduced to
the United States (about 1876) I was primarily used as pasturage and for
erosion control. I am a rampant climber with vines to at least 10 m. We can
achieve this due to our HUGE tuberous root which can weigh over 400 pounds and
over 6 feet in length. Our culinary uses are numerous. My roots get dehydrated
and pulverized to become a starchy powder used for thickening soups, sauces and
dredging foods to be deep fried. When boiled my white flesh becomes sweet like
a beet and flavors the cooking water as well. We are high in fiber, protein,
and vitamins A and D. (9/12/97)
I have been cultivated in Asia
for at least 2,500 years. In 1493 I managed to make the cut, and was brought to
America by Columbus. I am now a popular year-round native of California. After
being discovered, because of my similar characteristics, my liquid quickly
replaced verjuice. I have a light green foliage and a bright peel which varies
in coarsness, size and thickness. My distimctive zesty punch is used world wide
in desserts, baking, marinades and drinks. For sodium watchers I am a common
substitute. I am rich in potassium, Vitamin C, folic acid and essential oils.
If you are going to be in the woodsy insect infected outdoors, you won't want
to be far from me. I am a popular pharmafood, considering my ability to
alleviate rheumatism and intestinal problems. Industrious children may share
their street corners with me during the summer, and Oscar shares his last name,
but please hold the mustard! (9/4/97)
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