Vegetable Classification

Vegetables

Fresh vegetables and fruits are important foods both from an economic and nutritional point of view. The purchasing of these commodities is difficult because the products are highly perishable and supply and demand varies.

Food value

Root vegetables

Useful in the diet because they contain starch or sugar for energy, a small but valuable amount of protein, some mineral salts and vitamins; also useful sources of cellulose and water.

Green vegetables

No food is stored in the leaves, it is only produced there; therefore little protein or carbohydrate is found in green vegetables; they are rich in mineral salts and vitamins, particularly vitamin C and carotene; the greener the leaf the larger the quantity of vitamin present; chief mineral salts are calcium and iron.

Quality and purchasing points

Root vegetables must be:

*clean, free from soil

*firm, not soft or spongy

*sound

*free from blemishes

*of an even size

*of an even shape

Green vegetables must be absolutely fresh and have leaves that are bright in colour, crisp and not wilted. In addition:

*cabbage and Brussels sprouts should be compact and firm

*cauliflowers should have closely grown flowers, a firm white head and not too much stalk or too many outer leaves

*peas and beans should be crisp and of medium size; pea pods should be full and beans not stringy

*blanched stems must be firm, white, crisp and free from soil.

Cuts of vegetables

Julienne

      ·         Cut the vegetables into 2 cm lengths.

      ·         Cut the lengths into thin slices.

      ·         Cut the slices into thin strips.

      ·         Double the length gives a long julienne, used for garnishing.

Macedoine (½ cm dice)

      ·         Cut the vegetables into convenient lengths.

      ·         Cut the lengths into ½ cm slices.

      ·         Cut the slices into ½ cm strips.

      ·         Cut strips into ½ cm squares.

Brunoise (small dice)

      ·         Cut the vegetables into convenient-sized lengths.

      ·         Cut the lengths into 2 mm slices.

      ·         Cut the slices into 2 mm strips.

      ·         Cut the strips into 2 mm squares.

Jardinière (batons)

      ·         Cut the vegetables into 1½ cm lengths.

      ·         Cut the lengths into 3 mm slices.

      ·         Cut the slices into batons (3*3*15 mm)

Paysanne

There are at least four accepted methods of cutting paysanne. In order to cut economically, the shape of the vegetables should dictate which method to choose. All are cut thinly.

      ·         1 cm sided triangles.

      ·         1 cm sided squares.

      ·         1 cm diameter rounds.

      ·         1 cm diameter rough-sided rounds.

Concassee

Roughly chopped (e.g. skinned and deseeded tomatoes are roughly chopped for many food preparations)

Methods of preservation

•         Canning – e.g. carrots, peas, tomatoes
•         Dehydration – e.g. onions, carrots, potatoes, cabbage                        
•         Drying – e.g. seeds of legumes
•         Picking – e.g. onions, red cabbage
•         Salting – e.g. French and runner beans
•         Freezing – e.g. peas, beans, cauliflower

Types of vegetables

Roots

e.g. beetroot, carrots, celeriac, horseradish, mooli, radish

Tubers

e.g. potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams

Bulbs

e.g. garlic, leeks, onions, shallots, spring onions

Leafy

e.g. chicory, Chinese leaves, corn salad, lettuce, radiccio, cabbage leaves

Flower vegetables

e.g. cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, spring greens

Pods & seeds

e.g. broad beans, butter or lima, beans, runner beans, peas, sweetcorn

Fruiting

e.g. avocado, cucumber, marrow, peppers, pumpkin, tomatoes

Stems & shoots

e.g. beans, cardoon, celery, snake goard, drumsticks, leffa

Fungi

e.g. ceps, mushrooms, horn of plenty, morels.