We’ve never met a vegetable we didn’t like. But there are a heap of lesser-known veggies that we’re just being introduced to for the first time.
And while these six are weird, wonky and downright wacky, they’re also a great opportunity to eat seasonally, avoid waste and try new veggies for the first time. Move over, broccoli!
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Luffa.
Luffa is part of the cucumber family and has a taste and texture resembling zucchini.
According to Tien Forward, owner, chef and manager of vegan restaurant Nourishing Quarter, there are several varieties of luffa.
“Luffa Aegyptiaca is the most common. It is smooth and great for soaking up liquid. In fact, when it is dried it can also literally be used as a sponge or loofah.”
However Tien prefers cooking with a variety called Luffa Acutangula, also known as ridged gourd.
“The way we cook the Acutangula at the restaurant is to blanch it in vegetable liquid stock and veggies like Chinese cabbage, carrots and Shiitake mushrooms. We then cook it for about five to eight minutes. It’s naturally sweet and so full of fibre.”
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Romanesco.
Acid green and looking like a Photoshop fractal in real life, Romanesco broccoli appears far weirder than it is. In fact, it tastes just like a cauliflower! Part of the Brassica oleracea family (other members include broccoli, kale and cabbage), it’s also an excellent source of Vitamin C, fibre and anti-inflammatory carotenoids.
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Kohlrabi.
An alien-esque purple or green vegetable popular in Indian cooking, kohlrabi is the anti-waste vegetable King. The root can be roasted, the leaves can be tossed in a salad and the stems, which have a taste and texture somewhere between cabbage and broccoli, are great as a healthy snack as is.
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Oca.
Not to be confused with okra, this root veggie is traditionally grown in the Andes, but the orangey-pink version introduced to New Zealand (aka New Zealand yam) is among the most popular. An excellent source of vitamin C, potassium and iron, it tastes like a tangy sweet potato.
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Salsify.
This root vegetable is also known as the oyster plant because it has a seafoody taste when cooked (yup!). Don’t be fooled by its stick-like appearance – it’s surprisingly soft and versatile when cooked (we hear salsify makes a mean mash potato alternative).
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Nopales.
This veggie, made from young prickly pear cacti, is popular in Mexico, where locals believe it can help reduce the risk of type-2 diabetes. It’s also available bottled or as a juice for those who don’t live in the land of the Aztecs.
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