Did you know that there are over 350 varieties of vegetables grown for eating around the world?
Of these varieties, only around 40 make it to North American grocery stores for consumption. This means we’re missing out on a lot of delicious new flavors! Our solution? Enjoy some culinary excitement this season, and use our list below to recreate the taste of 10 rare vegetables using ingredients likely already in your kitchen.
10 Rare Vegetables and How to Recreate their Flavor at Home
- Mashua: A peppery-tasting tuber from South America, mashua looks like a cross between a carrot and potato. It also tastes spicy and tangy! Recreate the taste of mashua at home by roasting radishes with black pepper and a dash of vinegar.
- Samphire: Also known as ‘sea beans’, samphire is a crispy vegetable that tastes salty. To recreate this yourself, blanch green beans at home and season them with sea salt and lemon juice to mimic sampire’s briny taste.
- Nopales: A vegetable that looks similar to aloe vera or thick leaves, nopales taste both tart and crisp. Stir fry thinly sliced bell peppers with a squeeze of lime juice for a very similar taste.
- Skirret: Sweet and nutty, the skirret is a rare vegetable originally native to China. To replicate its crisp yet sweet taste, stir-fry parsnips and carrots together with a little bit of nutmeg and cinnamon!
- Ulluco: Did you know that the ulluco is one of the brightest colored vegetables in the world? A root vegetable that can actually be grown in our North American backyards, recreate the ulluco’s taste by mashing beets with olive oil, salt, and some paprika.
- Mizuna: This Japanese leafy green has a peppery taste somewhat similar to the taste of arugula! You can replicate it by tossing whatever fresh greens you have at home with a bit of lemon juice, pepper, and olive oil for a similar sharp, fresh flavor.
- Oca: Oca is a tuber native to the Andes. Though it has a similar texture to a potato, it has a citrusy-sweet taste! Taste the oca at home by mashing soft, roasted carrots with lemon juice and honey.
- Jicama: Popular in certain regions of Mexico, the Jicama has a crisp texture and mild, sweet, taste. Mimic its refreshing crunch by slicing an apple and tossing the slices with lemon juice, salt, and honey for a snack!
- Malanga: A root vegetable that looks similar to a large brown radish, the malanga is a staple vegetable used in African and some Asian cuisine. Recreate its mild flavor by mashing sweet potatoes with coconut milk and salt for a soft, warm taste.
- Tindora: Native to India, the tindora is a small gourd often enjoyed raw and tangy! To mimic its taste, mix thin slices of a firm cucumber with lime, salt, and chili powder for an equally fun and crisp taste.
Hungry for more? Don’t forget to recreate the exciting flavors of rare fruits at home, as told in the first installment of our rare fruits and vegetables series here.
