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Kohlrabi is one of the crops that Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne grew to feed the poor in times of hunger. It is thought to have been bred from the wild cabbage to increase the size of the spherical, edible stem. It gets its name from the German words for cabbage (kohl) and turnip (rube). It comes in green, white and purple varieties. Kohlrabi is very high in vitamin C and high in copper. It also has B1, B2, B5, B9, potassium, phosphorous, manganese, iron, magnesium, calcium

Its name means 'little tomato' but a tomatillo is not a tomato. Like Chinese Lanterns, it is a type of physalis. Its protective, papery husk makes it more resilient to rot, heat and pests than a tomato and it was favoured by the Aztecs and Mayans. It was first domesticated by the Aztecs 10,000 years ago but a tomatillo fossil, found in Patagonia, is thought to be 52 million years old. The tomatillo is a rich source of manganese and high in vitamin C and B3. It also contains v

Originating in West Africa, black eyed peas were taken to the Americas on slave ships. Later, they were dropped along unsafe trails for escaping slaves, to show that 'too many eyes were watching.' Black eyed peas became a southern staple and are said to have saved southern families from starvation during the Civil War. The Northern General Sherman didn't take them for his troops because he considered them food for livestock. They are a good source of vitamins A, K, folate and

Lemon is thought to be a natural hybrid that formed from a citron and a bitter orange (which itself is a pomelo-mandarin hybrid) in the Himalayas. Lemon cultivation reached Sicily and Europe, around 1000 AD, during the Arab Agricultural Revolution. A Hindu tradition is for new car owners to drive over 4 lemons to protect the car from accidents. Conversely, the California 'lemon laws' state that manufacturers have to replace vehicles that have turned out to be 'a lemon'. Lemon

The Aztecs cultivated tomatoes from around 700AD. Cortes brought them to Europe in 1519. Originally, they were an ornamental plant - their resemblance to deadly nightshade put people off eating them. This wasn't helped when aristocrats served them on pewter plates and became ill after eating them. The acid from the tomatoes had leached the lead in the pewter and it was the lead that made people ill. The tomato got the blame and the name the 'poison apple'. Tomatoes are high i

The marathon gets its name from fennel. Marathon is the Greek word for fennel and the Battle of Marathon was fought in a fennel field in 490 BC. The Roman and Anglo-Saxons believed fennel could ward off evil. Medieval Europeans put fennel seeds in keyholes to prevent witches from entering. Fennel is high in vitamin K. It contains vitamins A, C, E, B3, B5, B6, B9, potassium and fibre. Its phytonutrients are anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. It supports digestive and cardiovas

According to legend, Kaldi, a 9th century Ethiopian goat herder, discovered the energising effects of coffee after seeing his goats eat the red berries. 500 years later, coffee spread to Yemen and was used by Sufi mystics to keep them awake for long periods of prayer and meditation. The first coffee house opened in Constantinople (Istanbul) in 1475. Coffee was initially viewed suspiciously in Europe but Pope Clement VIII approved it around 1600. The first English coffee house

The name aubergine evolved from a Sanskrit word that means 'plant that cures the wind.' Unlike other nightshades, the aubergine comes from India and not South America. The first variety cultivated in Europe was white and egg-shaped, hence the alternative name, eggplant. Like all nightshade plants, aubergine contains nicotine. However, you would have to eat 9-10 kg of aubergine to get the same amount of nicotine as in one cigarette. Aubergines are a good source of vitamins B1,

Soursop is native to the Caribbean and American tropics where it traditionally has the nicknames the healer tree, the protector against evil and the fruit of the soil. Like papaya, jackfruit and cacao, it is a cauliflorous tree. This means its flowers and fruit grow on the trunk. This is thought to maximise opportunities for seed dispersal by bats, monkeys and insects in the lower canopy of the rainforest. Soursop is a good source of vitamin C and provides B1, B2, B3, B5, B6,

In 1995, US scientists patented turmeric as a wound-healing agent. The patent was successfully challenged by India where turmeric has been used in Ayurvedic medicine, for thousands of years, for many things including wound-healing. It was/is also used as dye (for monks' robes), as a cosmetic (face masks), in marriage ceremonies (purification ceremony) and as a spice. The curcuma longa (turmeric) plant comes from the ginger family. Its leaves, stalks and flowers can all be use

Shiitake means mushroom of the castanopsis (shii) tree. Castanopsis is a kind of beech and shiitake was traditionally grown on its logs. In East Asian cultures, shiitake are connected with longevity and good health. Logs inoculated with shiitake spores would be placed next to newborns to symbolise their future growth and prosperity. Shiitake is also considered a tonic and an aphrodisiac. Shiitake are a good source of B2, B3, B5 and B6. They contain vitamin D if they have been

Emperor Nero is said to have eaten leek soup to improve his singing voice. The Romans brought leeks to Britain where they thrived in the cooler, wetter climate. There are many legends explaining why leeks are the emblem of Wales. The patron saint, David, is said to have consumed only leeks and water. Welsh soldiers were said to wear them in battle against the Saxons 'to differentiate themselves.' At the Battle of Crecy, Welsh archers fired at the French from a leek field. Wha

Mi gan is Mandarin for mandarin. For 2,500 years, China has had public officials called mandarins. The official language of the court was Mandarin and mandarin fruit is thought to have got its name from the bright orange robes worn by mandarins. Mandarins were first cultivated in China's Nanling mountains. Now, there are hundreds of varieties grown around the world. Satsumas are named after Satsuma province in Japan where they naturally hybridised from mandarin varieties. Cle

Hazelnuts grew on the Laurasian supercontinent which divided more than 60 million years ago. Consequently, there are varieties of hazelnut indigenous to North America and Eurasia. Varieties include the American hazelnut, the Giresun Tombul (Turkey), the Tonda Romana, the Spanish filbert and the Kentish cobnut. In the UK, the 14th of September was traditionally 'nutting day.' In some parts of the country, children were given the day off school to gather hazelnuts and other nut

Cucumbers were first cultivated in India. They play a symbolic role in the Hindu Janmashtami festival which celebrates the birth of Krishna. They represent the womb of Krishna's mother, Devaki. During the festival, a cucumber is symbolically cut at midnight to represent Krishna's birth. There are over a hundred varieties of cucumber in different shapes and sizes. These include English (in the shops), Kirby (for pickling), Persian, Carolina, the round Crystal Apple and the blu

Cargamanto beans originated in the Andes where they were a staple food and were also used to make jewellery and rosary beads. They were brought to Europe in the 1500s. They have become a culinary staple in Italy as borlotti beans and in Portugal as catarino beans. Although high in protein, they are not considered a complete protein because they only have low levels of methionine. Borlotti beans are high in B1, B2 and folate and also contain B3, B5 and B6. They are a good sour

The sweet pulp around cacao beans is thought to have been eaten in Ecuador for more than 5,000 years. The Olmecs, Mayans and Aztecs fermented cacao and spices into a drink and used it for religious and medicinal purposes and even as currency. The Mayans believed that humans were made of divine blood, corn and cacao. Cacao arrived in Europe in the 16th century where sweeteners were added to it. Fry's of Bristol are credited with making the first solid chocolate bar in 1847. Ca

Spanish conquistadors threatened to chop off the hands or execute any indigenous people growing amaranth. They saw its use in spiritual practices as a threat to Christianity. In response, seeds were preserved and secretly grown. In 1960s Guatemala, amaranth was threatened again during the state suppression of the Mayan people and culture. Once again, seeds were hidden in glass jars under floorboards and buried in fields. Today it is still a niche crop in Central America and t

Ancient Egyptian labourers were sometimes paid in radishes (and onions and garlic). Green radishes were valued as ornaments during China's Shang dynasty. Mexico's Noche de Rabanos (night of the radishes) is a radish-carving competition that takes place on December 23rd. Radishes are diverse in shape and colour. They range from the familiar red globe through the black/nero tondo, watermelon, luobo and red king to the daikon/mooli which can be white, purple, red or green. The l

Yang Tao (sunny peach) was first cultivated by China's Song dynasty. Its seeds were taken to New Zealand in 1904 where, originally, it was known as Chinese gooseberry. It was rebranded as 'kiwi' in the 1950s. This was to boost sales and promote it as a 'kiwi' product. It was named for its resemblance to the iconic flightless bird, the kiwi. Kiwi is very high in vitamin C - just one provides 60-70% of the RDA. It is a good source of vitamins E, K, folate and fibre. It also con