Vegetables

Vegetables is a general term for edible plant parts such as leaves, roots, stems, flowers and certain fruits. The term is culinary rather than a scientific classification: many plants from different families fall under this category. As a result, a single cultivated plant may be classified as a vegetable in one context and as fruit or herb in another.

Vegetables form a major part of daily diet worldwide. They provide the body with vitamins, minerals, fiber and water, while their calorie content is generally lower than that of grains and meat. Many health programmes recommend eating vegetables and fruits in specified quantities every day.

Classification

Vegetables are usually classified by the part of the plant that is eaten. Leafy vegetables include spinach and cabbage. Root vegetables include carrot, beetroot and radish. Potatoes are tubers. Onions and garlic are bulbs. Flowers that have not yet opened, such as cauliflower and broccoli, are classified as vegetables. Some others, such as tomato, cucumber, certain squashes and peppers, are botanical fruits but are eaten as vegetables. Lentils, beans and peas are legumes, eaten either fresh or dried.

Cultivation

Vegetables are grown on large commercial farms, small household gardens, and urban plots. Each type requires specific conditions of sunlight, water and soil. Some, such as spinach and radish, mature quickly, while others such as onions take months. Weeding, pest control and protection against disease are important aspects of vegetable farming. In regions with high sunlight, vegetables are grown in different seasons throughout the year to maintain market supply.

Storage and preparation

Fresh vegetables deteriorate quickly and are therefore frozen, cooked, canned, dried or preserved in salt or vinegar. Preparation methods—such as boiling, baking or frying—change texture and flavor. Some nutrients, such as vitamin C, decrease with prolonged heat, while others, such as lycopene in tomatoes, become more available when heated.

Economy and culture

The vegetable trade depends on supply chains and processing. Because vegetables are high in water content, loss between farm and market is significant in regions lacking storage facilities. Somali and East African cuisines rely heavily on tomato, onion, chili pepper, carrot and legumes. Vegetable markets in cities are also important sites for small business and trade.