Vegetables - Teagasc | Agriculture and Food Development Authority (2024)

FAQs

What are the different categories of vegetables? ›

A wide range of vegetables are grown in Ireland, the most popular being cabbage, carrots, broccoli, swedes, cauliflower and parsnips.

The vegetable subgroups include dark green, red/orange, beans and peas (legumes), starchy, and other. They are based on the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the vegetables group in Choose MyPlate.

Vegetables may be raw or cooked and can be fresh, frozen, canned, or dried. They can be whole, cut-up, or puréed (mashed). Vegetables are organized into 5 subgroups based on their nutrients: dark green; red and orange; beans, peas, and lentils; starchy; and other vegetables.

Botanically, fruits and vegetables are classified depending on which part of the plant they come from. A fruit develops from the flower of a plant, while the other parts of the plant are categorized as vegetables. Fruits contain seeds, while vegetables can consist of roots, stems and leaves.

Processing of vegetables

Generally, the techniques include blanching, dehydrating, canning, freezing, fermenting and pickling, and irradiating.

Optimum vegetable production is achieved on well-drained sandy loam soils. Although vegetables can be grown on a wide range of soil types, most vegetables are not well adapted to heavy clay soil types. Soils of this type tend to have poor aeration and drainage and can restrict root growth.

Grains, either as bread or porridge, were the other mainstay of the pre-potato Irish diet, and the most common was the humble oat, usually made into oatcakes and griddled (ovens hadn't really taken off yet).

Until the arrival of the potato in the 16th century, grains such as oats, wheat and barley, cooked either as porridge or bread, formed the staple of the Irish diet. The most common form of bread consisted of flatbread made from ground oats.

Along hedgerows and up Ireland's boggy hillsides grow small, wild berries, sweetened by summer sun and heralding the beginning of harvest. These purple berries are known as fraughans, from the Irish fraochán.

What is the most Irish dish? ›

Ireland's primary potato variety of yore, the Irish Lumper, is a white potato that is more waxy than starchy, and so mashed potatoes made from these varieties fare better as smashed, rather than emulsified, providing ideal conditions for hearty mix-ins.

Irish Stew is a thick, hearty dish of mutton, potatoes, and onions and undisputedly the national dish of Ireland. Within the dish are many of the ingredients synonymous with the island, potatoes being one of the most recognized.

There are many types of vegetables, but four of the main, or most common, types are root vegetables, cruciferous vegetables, greens, and nightshades.

Cucumber is usually considered a vegetable because of how it's used in the culinary world. However, as it grows from flowers and contains seeds, it's botanically a fruit. Regardless of its fruit or vegetable status, there are countless ways to enjoy cucumber in your cooking or beauty routine.

The cruciferous family includes: bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, Collard/spring greens, horseradish, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, radish, rocket, turnip, watercress and wasabi. Sometimes this vegetable family is also called brassicas.