Category:Edible plants

From C&PWiki

Every human depends for its survival, directly or indirectly, almost entirely on edible plants. A plant is considered edible, for purposes of this wiki, if some part of the plant can safely be used by humans to add nutrition or flavor to food.

Please be aware that some edible plants listed in this category may have poisonous parts, or may be poisonous in an unprocessed state. Please take care whenever eating an unfamiliar plant.

Edible fungi such as mushrooms are not plants, but are sometimes cultivated in home gardens as well.

Types of edible plants

The traditional categories into which edible plants have been divided sometimes overlap with each other and rarely match more scientific classifications of plants and plant products; however, they are still useful for the home cook and gardener. Some significant culinary classifications are:

Nuts

In culinary terms, any oily plant seed found inside a shell may be considered a nut, although many, such as peanuts, are not nuts in a strict botanical sense.

Cereal grains

Cereals are modified grasses, usually grown for their bran-coated seeds, which are often pounded into flour. There are also a few pseudocereals, such as qinoa; these are plants that are not technically cereals from a botanical point of view but are treated the same as cereal grains in culinary terms.

Fruit

In botany, a fruit refers to the ripened ovary of a flowering plant. In culinary terms, however, only certain sweet examples are considered fruit, while other botanical fruits are instead considered vegetables.

Herbs and spices

Any plant or plant part with a strong enough flavor that it can only be used in small amounts, so that it makes a contribution to the dish's taste but a minimal contribution to its nutritional value, may be considered a spice or herb; most often, if the leaves or stems of the plant are used, it is known as an herb; if any other part of the plant is used, a spice. Culinary herbs are different from herbaceous plants, which may or may not be considered culinary herbs and vice versa.

Flowers

The edible flowers of some plants are often used as dramatic garnishes.

Vegetables

Almost any edible plant not falling within one of the above categories may be considered a vegetable.

These categories are imprecise, and some plants may fall into different categories depending on the part of the plant used or the way in which it is prepared.

Related plants are also sometimes divided into smaller categories, such as legumes, brassicas, and alliums.

Individual edible plants

Those edible plants with entries in this wiki are listed below: