What is vegetables and classification of vegetables

 VEGETABLES 

Any part of a herbaceous plant that can be eaten, either raw or cooked, is termed asvegetable. 

Vegetables contain more of starch than sugar unlike fruits and hence, they are used extensively in savoury dishes. 

Vegetables can be used in a variety of forms such as frozen, canned, cooked, mashed, dried, dehydrated, or fresh. However, only selected parts of some plants are eaten such as flowers, flower buds (globe artichoke), leaves (lettuce), leaf buds (brussels sprouts), shoots (asparagus), shoot buds (cabbage), stems (rhubarb), flower stems (cauliflower), seed pods (green beans), and immature seeds (broad bean). 

Vegetables are eaten in a variety of ways—raw or cooked, as main courses, or as snacks 

Different vegetables have different types of nutrients in them. Vegetables have water soluble vitamins such as vitamin B and C, and fat soluble vitamins such as A, D, E, and K, and also contain minerals and carbohydrates. 

Since each category of vegetable responds to a particular method of cooking, it is important for us to know how vegetables are categorized. 

Classification of vegetables.

Brassica 

Brassica or the cabbage family consists of vegetables used for their head, leaves, or flowers. These are mostly available in winter and hence, are mostly used in broths and braised dishes to accompany meats. 

Examples

Cabbage, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and bok choy 

Fruit vegetables 

These are the fruits of flowering plants. They also contain seeds 

Examples

Tomato, avocado brinjal, and pepper 

Gourds and squashes

These are available both during summers and winters. The gourds are classified into summer squashes and winter gourds. There are over 750 varieties of gourds available and they are grown around the world. The long trailing vines of a complex root system bears this vegetable, adomed by large leaves and attractive flowers. The flowers are also used extensively in modern cookery. 

Examples

Bottle gourd, butternut squash, and ridge gourd 

Greens

The term greens is usually referred to vegetables which are leafy and eaten cooked, with the exception of lettuce. Most of the green are mildly spiced and slightly strong in flavours 

Examples

Spinach, watercress, and radicchio 

Fungus

Although not a real vegetable, fungus is a plant that has no seed, stem, or flower and usually reproduces from the spores. It is commonly known as mushroom and usually has a stalk covered with an umbrella. One must be careful in selecting a mushroom, as not all varieties are edible and some can cause poisoning and can be fatal. 

Examples.

Button mushroom shitake, portabella, and 

Roots and tubers

Roots and tubers are interchangeable words. However, scientifically speaking, tubers are fat underground stems while roots are the single bulbs which extend into the ground which supplies the plant with nutrients. The tubers would be more starchy.

Examples

Root vegetables—carrots, radish, and onions. Tubers-potatoes Jerusalem artichoke, and colocasia 

Pods and seeds

Some vegetables contain seeds enclosed in a pod. In some cases only seeds are eaten like in case of peas, corn, and pulses. In some cases the plant is eaten as whole such as okra, snap peas, and French beans. The pods and seeds contain the highest source of proteins and carbohydrates. 

Examples

Green peas,okra,snap peas and pulses. 

Stems

Also known as stalk vegetables, they have the highest percentage of cellulose fibre and are usually eaten when they are young and tender. 

Examples

Celery and rhubarb. 

Baby vegetables 

This is a very modern classification of vegetables that include vegetables which are either created with hybrid varieties or are picked up before maturity. These vegetables are rarely peeled as they are quite attractive and one would not like to lose the appeal.

Examples

Tiny turnips, baby cauliflower, baby carrots, and baby squashes

Also colour change and pigment